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

Ooh a bike thread! I really need to get back into it more seriously. I'm lucky enough to live within 5 mins ride of swinley forest, and Windsor great park. Use one for road work, the other for mountain biking

I have a Dawes kalhari hybrid, which is for day to day stuff and riding round the great park, and a decathalon rockrider for mountain biking. I'd love to get a good road bike if I could get my fitness levels back up.

Agreed with the glasses for mountain biking. Ive ripped an earring stud clean out catching it on twigs, so dread to think what damage I could do to my eyes. That's left me with a lovely split eat lobe!

Someone mentioned an iPhone cycle computer app thing, is it good? And do you attach it to your bike? I do have a cycle computer on my hybrid but not on the mountain bike. What I really need is a compAas for the mountain bike too. I keep getting lost in swinley. I carry a compass and map but it is annoying keep stopping.

or sign myself up....

OK, I am upping the ante - a friend of mine is cycling this, this year

www.aidslifecycle.org/

I'm going to sing myself up for next year. Issues close to my life and heart, getting back on my bike, something to work towards physically and emotionally, I don't work so I can have no money to donate to charity, this way I can send funds that way.

AM I mental????

And helmet if you don't already have one

Got on my hike for the first time yesterday since October! A bit wobbly and pulling along the trailer with DS for the first time but it was sooooooo good!

It's a mess though - I want to get it professionally cleaned and bloody DH is saying its expensive "clean it yourself"
A) when??!!! I have two small children permanently attached to me
B) there's no way I'll do as good a job as it needs
C) he got his bloody well professionally cleaned, why isn't mine deemed as important just cos it's not a swish £1000+ bianchi?!

Not to mention lights!

...and they can advise on which of the many bikes they have would be most suitable.

Remember to budget in a pannier and mudguards (wherever you go) if the bike doesn't automatically come with one.

If you have a Decathlon within a reasonable distance, go and have a look there. You get a hell of a lot of bike for your money there

Just pondering making a purchase.. Halfords Pendleton Brooke. Any advice would be fab. I've got a budget of about £300 and prefer the look of a more upright bike but will mainly be on gravel canal paths so not sure if a heavier 'lady' bike is the right way to go?

Anyone know if there's a calorie counter for freight/loaded cycling? Am thinking of trailer plus 2 kids! Or would proportions of body weight work? ie factor up by 1.5 if freight is half weight of cyclist?

Hello! Ds's are both great cyclists and cycle to school each day. They both learned pretty young on 'proper' bikes - ds1 had stabilisers but ds2 didn't cos he inherited ds1's by then stabiliser free bike . I think they adapt to what they're given so you might as well go for the real deal?

Sadly am looking forward to cycling to work tomorrow!

Ooooh a cycling thread!!! Can I join? Didn't even know there was a sports section!

This has inspired me to get back on my bike. I was a commuter cyclist in London for 3yrs and LOVED it, to the point of still cycling to work and back up til 7.5 months pregnant (albeit taking the longer flatter routes rather than challenging brixton hill.

We moved to California a few months ago and our shipment has just arrived - complete with bikes!! I only ride an old specialized hybrid and the only "gear" I've ever had is a decent Altura jacket. DD is 5months so a while til we can take her out, but DH takes DS to preschool in the trailer (he has a beautiful bianchi thanks to someone nicking his old specialized in soho last year and our insurance coming good) but there are tons of coastal and mountain bike trails we're keen to do.

I also really want to get DS riding - in your experiences did you go for like-a-bike types or "proper" bikes with stabilizers? He's 3.5....

Slowly working my way through the rest of the thread

Thanks - I've always been a speed freak - love driving fast and am horribly competitive, so this is playing in to how I like to cycle - so my mind is at war with my very unfit body at the moment . Will try starting in a lower gear and pedalling like mad to get going quickly - although I kind of tried this on the way to work this morning and was much more knackered more quickly - was then a struggle to do the last part of my journey!

Ho hum. Will hope that I get fitter and lose some more weight fairly quickly and then might have a chance at keeping some speed up and not being overtaken by 6 million other bikes at the lights!

Anticipate if you're about to stop and start changing gear to a low gear ready to set off again - as long as you're turning the pedals you can change gear so just slow down very gently to the stop. If you're in completely the wrong gear, you can just lift the back wheel and pedal whilst standing to get it to shift - only normally worth it if it's also uphill or something and you really can't get going.

Most people in town and city riding, sprint hard from the stop and then cruise along - this isn't actually necessarily that good for fitness (you're tiring yourself out with the sprints rather than getting a good aerobic workout). It may be that you don't have the right type of body to sprint from lights (sprinters are born not made, you can only change it a bit) or it could be that you're in the wrong gear, or it could be a contribution. It sounds like you'll be better spinning like mad, but it's individual you'll have to try and it see.

It will likely change.

And it never really gets easier - you just go faster - but it doesn't take that long to get it to a speed where you feel you're going fast enough and aren't killing yourself.

Thanks - good idea as I dont really want to be wearing a rucksack and cycling - too hot and sweaty as it is!

Right, so I'm now cycling in every day I can and I have some questions...!

1. Stopping at lights - so I'm often in a high (or is it low) gear as I've been whizzing along - say in 6th gear. How do I change down without having to slow down gradually - the bike doesn't seem to like going from 6th - 2nd, say... Do I have to do it gradually? I can start off in 3rd but no higher - legs won't do it!

1. Setting off when at the lights - I've noticed that once I've got going I'm pretty speedy - keep up with most other cyclists and stuff, but I'm rubbish at getting going - how the jiggery pokery do cyclists set off so quickly? Is it a case of starting in 1st/2nd gear and pedalling like mad, or are my muscles just not up to it yet?

Thanks for any advice - I'm still disastrously unfit but have really noticed the difference a fortnight of cycling has made - lost 4lbs last week... Plus I'm really enjoying it - although the cycling home for 5 miles on a mild but never ending incline does my head in each time - when does it start getting easier?!

Am hopefully going to order a Giant comfort expression this weekend - hurrah!!

DottyDot Don't get a rucksack! Get panniers for the bike - it's much better to carry your stuff on the bike than your back. The giant and similar bikes will all have a rack, there's lots of choices to clip on to those to save you carrying weight.

And cycling can easier - or you can just go faster, depends what you want :)

Have a look at Decathlon for some really good value (but high quality) bikes and cycling kit and clothes.

Hello! Right, I'm an actual cyclist now instead of a lurker so feel I can post here!

Have lost just over 2 stone in the past few months so I've started cycling into work - every other day at the moment because it's a bit of a shock to the system to say the least... It's 5 miles each way so not very far but slightly uphill all the way back which is a killer at the moment but I'm hoping will get easier?!

I'm looking to buy a new bike - currently using my MIL's old bike - and I tried a Giant Comfort Sedona bike a bit ago and loved it, so am hoping to get one with the Cycle to Work scheme.

does anyone have any other recommendations though - something like the Giant Comfort? So I can compare?

Meanwhile I've got to go and get a helmet and rucksack this weekend - so far I'm winging it but any excuse to spend some money

Very light dabbler in cycling. Have had a freebie ancient raleigh bike for five years and ridden it to and from work and also to the park with toddler on the back. Bike now gone to rest...so am currently looking at upright styles whoch don't break the bank.
Very cheap ones like Ammaco are heavy. Dawes Duchess 2011 currently in the sale locally. Bobbin Birdie has scary colours but looks interesting. Ebay is exciting but I know I should try before I buy.
Any advice/experience of brands welcome.

I've got a rather aged breathable one. Rather depends on your budget.

Done it! Dug out the trailer and the kids had a picnic breakfast in it en route. Couldn't manage all of 200' climb - got DS1 out to walk with me.

Have moved house so commute is slightly shorter - 15 mile round trip!

mountaingirl I second the sufferfest videos they are knackering but good fun.