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

And good effort for posting to mumsnet whilst cycling back!

Wow - I AM impressed!

tourdefrance - my DS1 has just turned 6 but I know people who have used them from younger than that. They aren't as stable as the towbar, but the idea is that they do most of the riding themselves.
Their mood makes such a difference doesn't it- along with the weather it can make or break a ride!
Re sporting heroes, am wondering how I break the news to DS1 about Lance Armstrong......

Pasta4Tea - how old is your DS1? There was a trailgator for sale at work recently but I thought we had another year of trailer-biking so didn't get it.

If we are all going on our bikes we will often do 20 miles or so, I think we could prob do 10 at most if DS1 is riding some of it as he is a lot slower (although can be pretty fast when he wants to be). I would not want him on any roads yet though, so we would end up pulling him until we were off-road and re-attaching at every road which all sounds like a bit of a faff. He can be whizzing off in the distance or demanding to be pushed at the slightest incline depending on his mood.

The sporting heroes is an interesting idea too. We don't really watch sport or much TV at all in our house, except for 1/2 hour of Cbeebies here and there. He is really into trains now and loves Chuggington so maybe I should use one of those - just need to watch it myself now to find out their names!

Mousey I put DS1 in a Co-Pilot Taxi from 8 months. I have seen a rack for the back of a bike which takes a car seat, and I think there are some trailers you can strap a car seat in, but then you have that weight too!

Massive good luck for you US marathon!

GirlWithTheMouseyHair - front and rear seats are only suitable for when your DD can hold her head upright without support - usually 9 - 12 months. I met a family yesterday with an 8 month old in a rear facing car seat which was strapped into a single seater trailer. There are a couple of makes of trailer that allow this but it's not a cheap option!
Good luck with the training and the ride. Have you seen the Breeze Rides? They a good way to get cycling in a friendly, all girlie environment.

tourdefrance and BlueChampagne - we've got a very similar situation. We use a tagalong to get DS1 to school and sometimes I feel like an aerobics instructor shouting at him to pedal! One thing that has worked for us is getting some sporting heroes. They don't have to be cycling related, but with the Olympics coming up there are plenty of opportunities to get them to see their hero in action. When I need some extra oomph I then call out that x would be pedalling really hard now. It also works well at the dinner table, as heroes need to eat up to be big and strong!

tourdefrance - we've also recently got a tow bar (trailgator) which means DS1 can pedal as a far as he can on his own when we go out at weekends but then we can hitch him up for the final bit if he gets too tired.

No advice I'm afraid as we only just got DS his first bike - loves it but gets knackered very quickly (we've only done up and down our driveway so far til he's mastered braking)

I've just signed up for a charity cycle ride next year - cycling along the coast from San Francisco to LA in a week, have to raise $3000, eeek! The cycling bit is terrifying as I've only been a commuter cyclist up til now and haven't been on my bike since last October

With DD in tow i've joined a gym that has child care so I can at least occasionally use indoor bikes while DS is in preschool. Will try out their spinning classes but any recommendations in the meantime for doing it on my own? Hope to start some outdoor rides again soon.

Another question - we want to get out for some family bike rides, DS loves the trailer but DD is only 6months do too small for that or the seat - is there a way of taking younger babies out? Other types of seats?

Terrified of the ride, have never done anything like it in my life!!!

I'm watching for tips to enthuse DS1 (nearly 5) to practice cycling. Weather hasn't helped!

Hello, can I join too?
I cycle most days to the station and then at the other end on to work. I also try and cycle back (10 miles) at least once a week. I have 2 year old DS on the back and take him to nursery on the way to the station. 5 year old DS rides his own bike to and from school (less than a mile). So I'm on the pavement until its just me and DS2. I ride a hybrid.

We also like going for long rides in the summer with the kids, but are struggling a bit at the moment. Last year we bought a tag-a-long and I had DS2 on the back of mine while DS1 was pulled by dad. Due to the weather we have only managed one bike ride so far this year, and DP complained about how heavy DS2 had got (had not really used it since last autumn) and that he does not pedal at all so DP is doing all the work. DS1 will happily ride 5 miles or so when he's on his own bike, but this isn't far enough for us to cycle as well and he's so much slower. If we are walking while DS1 is on his bike then DS2 wants to walk quite a bit as well (fair enough) and so we can cover even less distance and DS1 has to keep stopping and waiting for use ot catch up when he just wants to ride off. We were hoping to have another summer of riding before DS1 was too big for the tag-a-long and DS2 too little next summer.
Any ideas for motivating DS1 to pedal??

Hi! I'm a mix of commuting, leisure and road cyclist. We have a Specialized Rockhopper with road tyres with a Trek Mountain Train Tagalog behind and a Leco Top Tube seat up front for getting DSs to school / preschool at the moment.

We've also done rear seats and trailers over the past 5 years. When I get a moment I have an old racing Bianchi - doesn't get enough use. No idea how many bikes DH has - found two more frames in the loft last week!

One thing DH and I were getting annoyed about was lack of info about cycling with kids. In a moment of madness I decided to try and do something about it and www.cyclesprog.co.uk is the result. It's still early days but the basics are there. We've shown our friends and family the result and are ready to brave letting other people know about it (gulp!). Would really welcome your thoughts.

I am crapping myself at the thought of a 26mile ride! Need to get my bike serviced and cleaned after its journey across the ocean, sign up for some spin classes then register for LifeCycle - have a year to train, think its a 5/6 day journey, around 100miles a day

Aaaaaarrrggghhhh!!

A kind MNer has offered to put ds and I up so that we can watch the Olympics road race, as it goes past near her house

Thistledew Glad you persevered with the club, and I'm sure there are slower folk up the hill than you sometimes!

The Bryton units might be another option for GPS, or even the Garmin 200 if you're never going to care about Heart Rate and just want to know where you've been, it's cheaper than the Garmin 500.

Sounds lovely! Mousehold is where I was thinking of, had forgotten the name.

I def get data issues in the park too, it is a phone black spot. Hadn't considered that.

I'd love a garmin, but like you say, they are pricey. Maybe later in the year if I have some money and I actually start spending more hours on my bike I will get one.

This thread has inspired me to get out again. I will have to set my alarm tomorrow and get out. I love going at the crack of dawn, when I get almost get the park to myself.

I use panniers too. Have had panniers and a Dutch style front frame on my bike loaded up with shopping. Panniers def better though.

Norwich? Norwich does actually have quite a lot of hills from what I remember! Maybe it avoids them? I grew up in Norfolk and really miss it, and can remember rolling down the hills overlooking the city. And sledging in winter!