Cycling Thread - pleasure peddlers to serious cyclists sign in here!

Wheels not strong enough and not enough spokes, spokes affecting the strength I gather. Gears too high, though I guess I could change that? Or rather get the lbs to do it!

Toe overlap on front mudguard and risk of heel strike on rear panniers.

Well I'm still going round in circles trying to decide on a bike. A bike shop has ordered a tricross for me to look at but won't be there for over a week.

However I've decided I might like to do a bit of touring as well, so am looking at stuff I can put panniers on. Getting conflicting opinions on whether or not a tricross can do this. Folks on the ctc forum say no, the wheels are crap, etc. but then I've been reading blogs from people who have toured across continents with a fully loaded tricross.

Unfortunately been a short arse most tourers are too big for me.

I'll take a look at that after, thanks (and no you're not teaching me to suck eggs don't worry ).

I'm very glad I got the wee ride though, it makes absolutely no difference to the bike's balance whereas the normal child bike seats we tried made me very unsteady and the bike did tip backwards once or twice if i didn't concentrate on leaning forward - not good when I'm pretty nervous about having ds on there with me anyway!

I'm hoping cycling will help me start to get fit, I do a lot of walking as I don't drive but I'm bored of that now and I need to find things that ds can be involved in (or that I can do at home).

Hi Magneto perhaps you should. I've seen a trailer with a laminated picture of the occupant attached to the back, just to remind drivers there's a real person in there. Find all the cycle paths you can - Sustrans website should be helpful (and apologies in advance if I'm teaching you to suck eggs).

Hi do you mind if I pop in and say hello?

I got back on a bike for the first time in about ten years today! I did 6.6 miles in about an hour with ds in the weeride kangaroo seat, legs feel like jelly now but it was good fun and ds loved it.

I'm aiming to do about 14 miles with him once a week (I have lots of Wirral Way to rediscover) as part of a general toning up mission I'm on. I'm not really looking to lose weight, just to be a bit less wobbly!

Riding on the road with ds is terrifying though. Where I am there are a lot of country lanes with 60mph speed limits and with him being in front of me on the bike I worry he won't be seen. I feel like putting a baby on board sign on my back!

Hi FrillyMilly Trailer attaches to back axle. Just got the bog standard Halfords folding one but it has done over 1000 miles.

DS1 can cycle but still needs help starting and isn't up to the trip to school (about 7 miles each way)! Don't think a trailgator would work for us as still have to transport DS2.

I don't think we will be taking them out until after the winter so he will be 12-18 months by then. How does the trailer attach to the bike? I've been keeping at eye out on eBay for one. What will you do once your 5 year old has outgrown trailer? Do you think he'll be ready to go it alone then? I only ask because someone has asked if we are interested in buying a trail gator.

Just been able to do 15 miles sans trailer - it was great to get re-aquainted with my top cog!

FrillyMilly welcome! You'll have to wait a bit till you can put the little one in a trailer, but DS1 went in a bike seat (Co-Pilot Taxi) at about 8 months. How about one parent has one in a bike seat and the other has the other in a single trailer? My two are nearly 5 and 2.7 so trailer won't last bigger one much longer

Thanks, they've got one a couple of hours from me so might see about going over the week after next. Fingers crossed I find one I like!

Hello can I join in? I got a Carrera virtuoso road bike 4 weeks ago after not cycling for years. Never had a road bike before but DH convinced me. I got it through the cycle to work scheme and due to being 5ft3 I didn't have a lot of choice of bikes. I've been doing rides between 3.5 to 7 miles although we did a cycle route together at the weekend that was 23.5 miles, I could barely walk that night. We are doing it again this weekend and planning a trip to blackpool and possibly back, it's 25 miles from our house but safe in the knowledge we can get the train home if it's too much. Also planning to do the Manchester to blackpool ride next year.

Sorry not read all the thread. Does anyone cycle with young children? We can only do the bigger rides planned in advance with a babysitter as our children are 3 and 6 months. We are wondering whether to invest in a double trailer and take them with us on the cycle ways.

Great, thanks. Now need to find a shop with them in so I can try it. Its all very well the bloke in the lbs saying I just need to decide which bike I want and order it, but I can't decide without trying them first!

Thistledew - would you say it was OK to take on good surface bridleways, I'm talking canal towpath, converted railway line type cycle tracks, etc. I like the fact it has the brakes both on the drops and on the flatbars.

I'm looking at the Specialized Tricross now, can get last year's model for £550 and it comes in a 49cm frame.

Viva I've got a ladies felt road bike and I really like it. If you don't want to ride on the drops, you can just sit up on the err horizontal bars ( sorry don't know right name!). Mine has a second set of brakes there.
V jealous of anyone who saw the road races over the weekend. Time trials tomorrow - considering " working" from home so I can tune in!

I think the decathlon bikes are too big. Their tourer is 161 cm in its smallest size. Now according to specialized I need a 149cm bike. Big difference, unless the sizes are very different for different makes?

I do also like the idea of a women specific bike as I'm so short. Shorter stems, etc will benefit me as well as overall frame size.

Nearest decathlon is 50 miles away so it's not like I could nip in to try one easily, though I could if I thought it was worth it. At the minute I'm not convinced.

Have you had a look at the bikes in Decathlon? (if there is one near enough you). Dh looked into and bought one from them at Christmas - initially he was suspicious and thought that there must be a catch as the spec was "too good" for the price - but there doesn't seem to be. The only criticism he could find on the Internet was that there wasn't one close enough to the complainer!

This is the big dilema really. I'm just worried that I won't find the position of a road bike comfortable and seeing as the lbs won't let me try one I can't currently find out. I'm also concerned about lack of stability/twitchiness/falling off potential of a road bike???????

The route into town is partly on a cycle path rather than tarmac. Though dh who had a road bike when he was younger said it would be fine on a road bike - its a very well maintained cycle path, but not tarmac - kind of compressed grit.

I think the main thing is my slipped discs and not knowing how I'd find it on a road bike.

I've had a bit of a look at cyclo-cross/tourer type bikes and they look really good. But more money. I reckon £650 is top budget.

Well I rang the bike shop up today to ask if they'll get a Vita Elite in small for me to try. Bloke said no, he said I need to buy it and then they'll order it in for me. I said I don't know if I want it till I've at least sat on it and ideally ridden it for 5 mins up and down. He said that's not the way they work!!! The yactually stock this bike, just don't have it in a small. I need to make sure it feels comfy before I commit so guess I need a different bike shop, problem is tehre aren't any more near me.

Just back from visiting a lovely MNer in London so that ds could watch the Road Cycling race (and yes, he was gutted :() We also got soaked on Sunday watching the Women's Race.

We drove from Glasgow, so that we could take ds' bike and dh's bike (couldn't fit 3 bikes in the car, so couldn't take mine: dh was uncomfortable with using the bike rack - it's just a wee one that hooks over the boot).

They were able to cycle parts of both both the road route and the time trial route (Bushey Park/Hampton Court Palace/Kingston) and then yesterday we detoured to go home via Box Hill so they were able to ride part of the Box Hill circuit. Unfortunately they had shut Zigzag Road so that they could put the speed bumps back in - but there were loads of cyclists there trying to soak up the Olympic atmosphere - and all of them being turned back from the hill. Still, ds enjoyed himself.

We also saw one of Voss'/Rabobank's support van(s) and had a chance to look inside it.

For a hybrid that you're 95% on the road 28mm Vittoria Rubino Pro's are reasonably fast and comfortable and hard wearing. Tyres (and to a less extent innertubes) are the most important things that make a difference to how a bike rides and how easy it goes along. The main problem is at 28 wide (good for comfort and needed on a hybrid with wide rims) is that they're not that cheap (20 quid each - the same as I end up paying for a race tyre) So it may not be worth it, they are more comfortable and faster though.

Something to keep an eye out for a discount as it's a good upgrade.