Hello having my lunch break now so answering some questions:
LifeExperimentation hello yes I use a turbo trainer and Zwift. When I was pregnant and unwilling to cycle outside due to fear of falling off having Zwift was great. I can also use it after my child is in bed if DH is out and I can't leave the house. Not used Zwift so much over the summer but will get back on it in winter I hope. Love it.
SirJames I don't go through red lights. Yes the highway code and rules of the road apply to me. I consider myself to be a considerate cyclist. There are some idiots about, but most cyclists are sensible and don't want to get hurt or hurt anyone else.
3Loud yes I do shower when I arrive at work. We are very lucky that my workplace provides excellent facilities for cyclists including really nice clean showers, lockers etc. There is no excuse not to at my current workplace but I've worked at places in the past where there were no showers, I personally didn't cycle to work then but other people used baby wipes / washed at the sink which is not ideal.
SirJames I don't think I look too bad in Lycra. I'm not a super-model but I work hard to keep fit, so no I don't think I look too bad. And I don't care what anyone else thinks I look like in my lycra.
No I don't 'enjoy' causing endless traffic jams. I am a driver too (as are most cyclists) and live in the countryside so I can appreciate the frustration of getting stuck behind a cyclist, tractor, horse etc. But cyclists, horses, tractors have every right to be on the road. However, I do think - even as a cyclist myself - that cyclists should not ride in groups of more than say 6 as huge groups of cyclists spread out in a long snake make overtaking impossible.
Heroic I don't form a peloton each weekend. Sometimes I ride on my own or with one friend and I often go off-road. But yes sometimes I do ride with a cycling club. As I said up-thread, I do think cyclists should limit the numbers they cycle in as packs of 12 cyclists are ridiculous (and I say that as a cyclist myself).
Regarding cycle paths, one local to me I don't use as it is really overgrown with stinging nettles, brambles, full of potholes and in generally bad condition. But I use them if they are suitable for a road bike. However yes I agree there are some selfish cyclists who refuse to use even suitable cycle paths. I am not one of them!
Regarding overtaking, if I'm on a very long winding road and I know there are no overtaking places for ages I will try and pull into a gateway / driveway and let cars pass. Sometimes that is not possible and also cyclists can't let every car past or they would never get anywhere themselves. Please don't squeeze past - ask yourself if the cyclist wobbles or fell off suddenly would you hit them? Please don't risk killing someone to save yourself a minute...
Japanese Hello fellow cyclist! I also horse ride and in my opinion when approaching horses from behind the best thing to do is to speak out (although try not to yell too loud or suddenly) and say something like "hello, bike behind, is it ok to pass?" . Bikes can really scare horses if they whizz past suddenly. Pass the horse very wide and slow although I keep pedalling as find the wheel sound when you stop peddling can scare some horses. Basically just try and alert them to your presence but without doing anything to sudden / scary!
Whosorry my favourite bike is currently my mountain bike. I am considering buying a gravel bike though as my full-suspension mountain bike is overkill for the trails around here and I don't get to Wales / Alps at the moment as I have a toddler!
Darkclouds That depends very much on your budget, no point in recommending a £2000 bike if you are looking to spend £200. Also what do you want it for? What type of riding, what kind of distances?
Whosorry my weekly mileage is not that high at the moment - I have a toddler and work as well. Probably about 15 miles per week on my commute, I try to mountain bike twice per week about 15 miles each ride and do a short cycling club ride of 25-30 miles. So a good week for me would be 70 miles. In the past before having my baby I could do 70 miles in one ride...........I'd like to do more of course! I've never competed.
How did I get into cycling? Well I always loved riding around on my bike as a child so my passion grew from there really. I got into MTB first then bought a road bike a few years later. I then discovered a cycling club with a women's group too.
3Loud I wouldn't ride an electric bike myself at the moment, but if in the future I was not fit enough to cycle on a 'normal' bike I would consider one. If they help older / less fit or able people to get active that is great in my opinion. Also I've heard of a few couples where they enable the woman to keep pace with the man (or vise versa in some cases I am sure).
Helpme Sometimes cyclists cycle two abreast on roads where it would not be safe for cars to overtake to prevent cars squeezing past. On other roads cyclists can cycle two abreast and cars can safely overtake using the other side of the road. But I agree there are some roads where it is selfish to cycle two abreast as while cars could safely overtake single file cyclists they cannot get past two-abreast cyclists. I agree that is selfish.
SirJames I do have insurance. Many cyclists do have insurance, this can be obtained via British Cycling among other places. I would recommend that anyone who cycles regularly has insurance. Mine covers me for personal accidents and there is also cover if I did injure someone else.
Yes I would be happy for cyclists to have some kind of number plate and would have no objection to having one on my bike.
Errol Yes I have come across many exceptionally ignorant and rude motorists. I have been abused, shouted at etc. I think everyone (who is able to) should have to do some cycling as part of their driving test! So they know how it feels.....
MrsMoasty no one as I don't want extra weight!
IamtheOA agree that often bright pink is a better high viz colour than yellow which blends with leaves on sunny days. I make my cyclist outfits as bright as possible..... I love hot pink!
Idaho I already answered that one. I use cycle paths when they are suitable but some aren't - eg full of pot holes, overgrown with brambles etc. But yes some cyclists are selfish and won't use even suitable cycle paths which I don't understand.
Molteni yes the hatred for cyclists in the UK is dreadful. I much prefer cycling in France! Yes there are some really inconsiderate cyclists out there, but I have come across far, far more selfish and dangerous drivers than I have cyclists. Most cyclists are really nice and considerate. Most of them are also drivers so they do understand what it's like from the driving perspective.
I think so many drivers have a sense of entitlement and are not prepared to wait 30 seconds to overtake safely. I ride horses too and have been overtaken unsafely on horseback on so many occasions too. And I have come across so many aggressive drivers when driving my own car!
I would ask drivers to remember that every cyclist is someone's son or daughter, someone's husband or wife, someone's parent imagine that's your child on that bike then ask yourself how you would overtake them.....
Redhats I have no idea why cycling is a secret hobby on Mumsnet! It's so popular nowadays.
MrsTerry I am a woman. My DH is a cyclist too and he is a great husband and hands-on dad. I think men who cycle get a bad press as cycling can be a very time-consuming hobby and if you are in a relationship where your partner goes off cycling for hours each weekend and leaves you with the kids / housework that must be very frustrating. But I think the problem is the relationship rather than the cycling itself. DH and I both allocate ourselves an equal amount of child-free "hobby" time and it's up to us how we spend it, whether that is cycling or something else like sitting in a cafe with a book. Works for us. The men I cycle with are generally lovely too - although maybe their wives disagree and are at home complaining about them on Mumsnet! Also my DH has cut down the number and length of his bike rides since we became parents (as have I) so now we do a 2 hour blast rather than spending all day cycling then eating cake and gossiping back at cycling club!
CremeEgg I try to avoid cycling on busy roads and stick to country lanes or off road routes. Yes buses are scary! Thankfully I live in a relatively bus- free area with just the occasional bus.
SirJames I am a horse lover so that does make me sad. I think the stewards should have let an emergency vehicle through, although I don't know the specifics of that situation so it is very hard to comment. I can understand why it has upset a lot of people though. I do think when these big cycling or running events are planned they should have an action plan in place for what to do in emergency situations like that and also to make sure people who need carers can get them. There must be a way around this without cancelling sporting events.
Managed I'd be happy to have a licence / pass a cycling test similar to a driving test.
Crafty Cyclists should not be on the pavement, unless they are small kids, but even then they should be strictly supervised and know to give way to pedestrians.
Seeyou thank you. Cycling has been great for my mental and physical health, so it's nice to get a positive comment. Thanks!
Hitther I'd recommend finding your local bike shop as they tend to give better service and after-service (in my humble opinion) than the bigger retailers. But phone up first and check what kind of bikes they sell - we have one local shop where bikes start at £1k so probably wouldn't be what you are after for family bike rides. But another local bike shop stocks loads of bikes starting from £200ish. Also do consider second hand. We have a Hamax child bike seat and are pleased with it so far.
Hope that's all the questions answered so far. I will try and answer any more that come in but please bear with me as I do work and have a family so I won't be able to answer any more questions this afternoon as working 