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

My biking history: I cycled until I was a teenager (very long time ago!). Big Non cycling gap before Dh bought a bike 20 years ago and thought it would be good for me to ride. We lived up a mountain at an altitude of 1850m, I had just got over pneumonia and the bike was too big for me. I absolutely hated it and after a few attempts gave up. Fast forward 10 years and decided it would be a fun idea to cycle with the dc. Bought a Decathlon BTWIN all round bike. Cycled a bit but decided I hated cycling up mountain roads and longed for flat like in Amsterdam. Bike gathered dust in the garage for a few years much to the amusement of my dfamily......

....Until last year when I decided to learn to cycle up these mountains (mountain biking isn't my thing). I dusted off my BTWIN, put the bike in the car and drove to some flatter roads and gradually increased my cycling and my tolerance for going uphill. I didn't go very far or very fast but I started to learn how to use the gears and found that I quite enjoyed it. This time last year dh thought it would be a good idea if we bought some road bikes. Mine's a ladies Qbike and is a hybrid I think. I noticed a big difference in performance though it's not a top bike. I'll upgrade in a years or so.

I had a break during the winter months and started up again in April. I now have a friend who cycles with me and we have been gradually increasing our distances. Had a big blip for a couple of months when dh felt it would be a really good idea if I wore clip less shoes and pedals. Hated them. Lost my confidence. Suffered from painful knees/thighs/shins. It has taken me two months to get used to them and to not panic when going up a hill and being frightened that I cannot unclip. I go out 2-3 times a week. I mix up flattish road biking with cycling up the mountain with an uphill average climb of 650m. Hill climbs I usually do with dh. The furthest I have cycled was yesterday, I did 60km, mix of hills and flat. My average speed is gradually increasing although my friend and I are often overtaken by the 'serious' cyclist. We still manage to have a good gossip whilst cycling! I will never join the elite cycling group (there are a lot of them here in the Alps), but believe me if I can do this and I'm now 50, then absolutely anyone can.

Cycling with kids -

Get in touch with you local branch of the CTC (Cyclists Touring Club, but now about an awful lot more than just touring). I can;t find a list of local branches or activities on the main CTC website, but the Head Office contact details are here. Give them a ring/e and they'll tell you who your nearest branch are. Many branches do family rides, kids cycle training, women only rides as well as more gnarly stuff.

Article on Cycling with Children here.

CTC are lovely, they are non-competitve.

If you want to go it alone as it were, we ride with our 2 year old on Sustrans routes and in Forestry Enterprise forests. Both provide easy, flatish, family friendly routes. Some Sustrans routes are old railways, others are waymarked bridleways and quiet roads.

In Scotland, the 7 Stanes forest parks have bike routes for all ages and abilities. In Wales, Google on Coed-y-Brenin (Dolgellau), Marin Trail (Betws y Coed), Afan Forest (Cardiff/Swansea way), Cwm Carn (SE Wales, closest to England) and Brechfa (Mid Wales) do something similar. Look here.

If you are in the M62ish corridor, then the TransPennine Trail is a good place to start. We use the old train line around Holmfirth - Penistone - Sheffield a lot.

If you can get to Nottinghamshire, we have a lot of days out to Sherwood Pines Forest Park and the National Trust estate at Clumber Park. they both have waymarked family rides, cafes and playgrounds. Might be worth checking your local Forestry Commission and National Trust estates.

Forestry Enterprise cycling Centres in England

Closer to London there is Swinley Forest (Windsor) and <a class="break-all" href="http://www.gorrick.com/swinley/www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Corporation/LGNL_Services/Environment_and_planning/Parks_and_open_spaces/Burnham_Beeches/visitor_information.htm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Burnham Beeches. Maybe also Epping Forest? It's been a long time since I lived in London (grew up there), but also Richmond Park - we did a lot of family bike riding there. Wandsworth, Wimbledon and Tooting Commons too, and Putney Heath.

As for how to transport kids - our experience

DS (very nearly 3) went in a trailer at about 6 months - this was a bit young really, and he could manage about 20-30 min spins at a time.

When he was about a year old, we got a baby bike seat - A Hamax Kiss - and he loves that, he can see so much more. He and DH go out for hour long rides or so, maybe a bit longer, but DS loves to run around so he gets a bit bored. He got a balance bike for his 2nd birthday. We splashed out and got an Isla Bike Rothan. It is superbly well made and worth every penny compared to my friends' much cheaper one, which they've had for the same amount of time and is knackered already. DS is a demon on his balance bike and likes to ride to nursery most days. He's really got the hang of balancing and he'll move up to a proper bike before long - maybe 4th birthday.

For competitive kids, British Cycling (the gov skills and development body for cycling) run an initiative called Go Ride, which organises race training, skills development, kids activities and so on.

Triathlon clubs also often have a family section which organise bike rides. Look at British Triathlon but be prepared to be talent spotted!

Sorry this is all a bit mixed up, but I was trying to get all my thoughts down before I forgot them.

Just having my tea, I'll be back to tell you about cycling with kids, hang on...

Sorry, summerlightning!

Summerlightening I was going to ask the same thing about cycling and kids. At the moment DH and I both do a bit of cycling into work (30 mins each way), and we go out a bit at the weekends but only in a very pootly way.

We'd both love to go on holiday somewhere with the bikes and the DCs and go cycling. Does anyone know when that becomes feasible?

Hi
I got a mountain bike when I met DH but only used it occasionally. Got myself a road bike for a birthday present and trained to do an event, never having done anything like it before.
I like both types of cycling but definitely a fairweather cyclist. I try to get out a couple of times a week but am a bit of a slacker at the moment. Time is precious so tend to go for a fast hour on a hilly route to get fitter.
Best sort of cycling for me is just trundling along on any sort of bike, admiring the view, enjoying the peace and stopping off for coffee and cake en route.
Cycling really seems to be kicking off in popularity which is great but remember that it's still OK to tuck your jeans into your socks and take all day to get somewhere

Those organised bike rides look great, unfortunately I'm on a hilly Island which costs a fortune to get off of :( And with money really tight at the moment I've got no chance of getting off to visit family let alone anything else...

Actually starting to wonder whether I'd be better off getting rid of my mountain bike and getting a road bike instead... (Be good to afford both!)

Hi everyone!
I've been cycling for 1 year (obviously I could cycle before, but it's only recently become a proper hobby ). I signed up for the etape caledonia, to give myself a challenge - before I had done any proper cycling- so spent the first part of the year trAining. I also did a 79mile sportive in April, and 100k in june. Unfortunately, I have done nothing for the last 7 weeks, so I'm going to have to pull out of the 100mile sportive that I've entered in a weeks time.

Really need to get my arse into gear and get back out there - I feel all my fitness slipping away very quickly.

I ride a Dolan road bike and I've a hybrid if I'm carrying children

What a joy to find this thread!

I've been riding regularly for about the past 16 months when a change of home/lifestyle/work pattern made it possible and practical.

As well as cycling to the shops, gym and railway station etc., I try for a minimum of a 30 minute ride for pleasure each day and a thirty mile or so ride at the weekend. The worst thing about where I live now is that the town is in a hollow so every ride out of town starts with a hill!

Bike at the moment is a slightly rusty but good fun hybrid as youngest son has taken his - which I had been using - shiny road bike away with him for six weeks whilst he's on a training course.

Well done on the commute Thistledew. It definitely helps to make eye contact with drivers and sometimes better to hang back behind the bus/lorry than push alongside (as SidneyB said).

I also notice that the cyclists round here tend to be male. There are a lot of cycling clubs - mid-life crisis lycra and expensive bikes. It was such a surprise to cycle past another woman the other Sunday morning! I'm not sure why this is the case though?

Chocamochalatte - sometimes good motivation is to have somewhere to go (coffee shop?) or another aim in mind. I also do a bit of geocaching when I'm on the bike which can give purpose to the ride.

Thistledew - I also go over Putney Bridge and through Trafalgar Square!

After four years I have formed the view that there is no correct lane in Trafalgar Square. You cannot do it without annoying some cab driver or other. Best just to take up as much lane as possible in an assertive sort of way.

Panniers - love them!

Ooh a cycling thread, I will join, not got a lot of time so haven't read everyone's message, will do later.

I am mostly a mountain biker but do some road biking as well. Unfortunately don't get to do very much at the mo as I have a 2.5 yr old and just turned 1 yr old but am going to get back into it now as the little one is sleeping well at last (tempts fate). How do you all manage to fit riding around kids? I unfortunately live in flatsville Cambridge and so there is no good mountain biking round here. I have to ride the flat bridleways around here most of the time and there is nothing very technical (which I love)

Though most recent holiday was to Whistler in Canada with a few days of downhilling (swapping childcare with DH). Amazing!! But not much like "normal biking", no riding uphill, just endless scary downhills . I got fat which I would never normally do on a biking holiday!

Oh and I will tell you all what bikes I have later, but I have erm...5. They are all getting a bit old now though, think I am due a new one!

Sorry for just posting about me, will be back later!

Chocamochalatte How about going to one of the sky rides or Breeze rides that I posted about. The Breeze rides do easy routes and are a good way of gettting into or back into cycling.
Thistledews idea is good about committing to a sponsorship ride.

Well done thistledew I wouldn't fancy that route!

I love this thread! Have commuted in London for nearly 20 yrs, recently moved so commute is 12 miles each way and have upgraded to a Dawes Horizon which I love. I'd cut the number of times I did it to 2 x week but due to expanded waistline am set in doing it 3 x week. The thing that stopped me until now is the sore bot issues but have just discovered baggy shorts with padded Lycra liner! How could I have not known about them sooner...? Thanks for Minx link bikerunski, I want everything on there.
Well done on commute thistledew! The more you do it the easier it gets, key is to ride v confidently, make eye contact with drivers and over signal! And never ever get on inside of vehicles at lights especially lorries/buses - thats where most of those White bikes are :(

Hello, I am a part time cyclist, I don't drive, so it is very handy for nipping into my nearest town and for other short journeys, I do love my slightly rusting bike.

Also, using panniers means that you are more stable than using a back pack - so are therefore safer.

Good luck Thistledew.

Agree abut the panniers. Such an improvement on my backpack.

I've cycled since I was 4 or 5 - my parents used to take 4 bikes on top of a Renault 4 on holiday to Tiree (which is an extremely windy Hebridian island and involved the car being hoisted, complete with bikes, on to the ferry and off again). I'm now 50

Advice from my dad which I now take as gospel and which, if a new bike doesn't come with, he gets and puts on for me: a pannier rack and front and back mudguards. Both are not required if you are just moutain biking but if you are commuting or even just pleasure cycling, they really do make a difference.

Spend the money on decent pannier bags - they make like so much easier when packing stuff for work. Don't, as I did, panic when you see the price for one Altura pannier bag - they come in pairs and the other one is stored inside the one on display. Good ones will last you years :)

I'm a fair weather cyclist, always had a mountain bike, when DTs were younger we had a trailer and then tag a longs, however this year I've not been out really, maybe a dozen times in March / April, I suddenly need motivation to go out :( DTs 10 love cycling and did their first race at the BBB last year. They would think nothing of cycling 20 miles on off road cycle tracks...

DH used to race mountain bike and was semi professional at one point however over the last 4 years I'd say, he's suddenly lost interest and will rarely go out which demotivates me...
Never thought I'd want tips to encourage DH to go cycling, I was always a cycling widow!

I could cycle to work, lots do and it would only take 10 mins but I really can't be doing with helmet hair it gets frizzy enough as it is!

I guess I just need to get out at the weekends... Anyone have any motivation they could lend me??

Hi all,

I'm a sometimes bike commuter (but it's 20 miles each way so have to be in the right mood!), road cyclist and mountain biker. Always riden a bike but only got into it seriously about 5 years ago when I met my DP - he's a serious cyclist! Mainly road stuff such as Time Trialling, Triathlons and Sportives. Longest ride I've done is the Dragon Ride in Wales, amazing scenery but the hills were soooo hard! Last year I got a mountain bike and I'm really getting into that now, it's great fun and fantastic training.

I ride a Specialized Dolce Elite road bike, my mountain bike is also Specialized - Myka hardtail, it's lovely.

If anyone is interested in Sportives (non-competitive road events) then check out the Diva100 in May. Female only event and something I've already pencilled in for next year.

As for gear, I wear Gore, Pearl Izumi, Specialized do some good stuff and now getting into Scott too. You do get what you pay for and paying an extra few £ is worth it to stop chafing in delicate places

Blimey Good luck with Trafalgar
I'm going out on my bike later today.
Probably get up on the moors for a couple of hours.

I try to cycle to work once or twice several times a week and DH and I cycle quite a bit with the DCs at the weekend. I have a Dawes mummy bike with a Weehoo tagalong for DD and DS has a Kangaroo seat on DH's bike.

DH cycles a lot and does a few races. He has a Specialized for those and got me a road bike for my birthday last year so we can train and do some racing. I found it absolutely terrifying. I'm really trying to pluck up the courage to go out on it again.

Is anyone going to the Bike Blenheim weekend this weekend?