Cycling

[Boddie]

Just been out for a fantastic ride round the country roads that surround Streetly village and Little Aston. It really is a beautiful area here. Definitely the best side of Birmingham. I am lucky having a 4,000 acre park at the top of my drive and plenty of countryside too, yet I am only 15 minutes from the city centre. I put in about 15 miles tonight at a good steady speed and having done the same this morning at 5.30 I have really enjoyed the day. The birds are waking me every morning now so, once disturbed, I get up and take the bike out. Its light outside and the roads are clear so I drive down into Sutton town and then come back through, and round, the park nodding to the odd jogger and dog walker. What a difference a bit of decent weather makes. A good ride sets me up perfectly for the day. It wakes me up and gives me a good workout and plenty of fresh air. Perfect

[Gill Catton]

see I'd love to be good at cycling but I'm not. I'm rubbish.....
Cycling would not be good and healthy for me I fear. In fact I'd probably go so far as to say it would in all likelyhood significantly shorten my life expectancy!!! he he he

[Boddie]

How can you not be good at cycling?

Its as easy as riding a bike

[Gill Catton]

Originally Posted by Boddie

How can you not be good at cycling?

Its as easy as riding a bike

Its as easy as falling of a bike......

[Boddie]

I fell off recently. I have spd's - those pedals that your shoes clip into. I forgot I was wearing them and came to traffic lights, stopped and went to put my foot down. My shoe would would not come off the pedal and I fell like a domino. I had to laugh, probably cos everybody else was. I must have looked a proper Charlie

[Gill Catton]

My friend is well into his mountain biking now - is sort of semi professional but when he was a teenager he cycled through a puddle..... which turned out to be a deep silty pond and he couldn't get his feet out of the foot loop thing fast enough and also went over sideways and came out covered in stinky mud- one of the many time I've wished I could cycle better as would have loved to have seen that!!!

[Boddie]

Memories. I did just the same in Tintern a few tears ago when with some friends who were not really into cycling. I had my mountain bike, same story - hit a puddle, the bike slowed rapidly and I could not get my feet out of the spd's. Yards behind me my friend Becky thought it was hilarious and reminds me every time I see her. She went out and promptly bought a bike and loves it now, asking me to join her and her husband often. So some good came of my soaking.

[speckled wood]

My average speed is about 8 MPH, and I spend a lot of time walking with the bike rather than riding ..... it save you having to hump a backpack around. My late father cycled until he was in his mid 80s, by that time it was morewalking than cycling but it kept him mobile for an extra few years. Until he was 80 he was still doing 50 mile round trips and he was seriously overweight 16 stones and 5' 5" tall!

If you get a folding bike your range can be greater, pack it in the back of the car or take it on the train or bus.

Quite simply as long as you can ride a bike, you can cycle and even if you only average 8 miles an hour you can cover a lot of distance and see a lot, and it is easier than walking. ans as to hills you can walk up them and freewheel down them.

[peppermint]

i agree, cycling is great and anyone can do it. I used to cycle 25 miles a day to and from work. It was a good journey but i had to go along the A370 between weston and Bristol and the big trucks and lorries used to scare the hell out of me when they overtook!!
at the moment i do not cycle as am travelling Canada for a year, but i really miss my bike.

Wont be buying one to use here, it snowed today so i imagine cycling in snow to be tough work!!!

[Gwenhwyfar]

I fell off recently. I have spd's - those pedals that your shoes clip into. I forgot I was wearing them and came to traffic lights, stopped and went to put my foot down. My shoe would would not come off the pedal and I fell like a domino. I had to laugh, probably cos everybody else was. I must have looked a proper Charlie

I'm glad i'm not the only one who forgets they have SPD'S on, I was supposed to stop at a roundabout - only I forgot to click my feet out. I fell off and slid out into the middle of the road and stopped the traffic.

[henrya]

White van man stopped me cycling seven and a half miles to work (and seven and a half back) I'm afraid. I've put on weight since, so it's not done me any good, but I still lack the courage to start again.

henrya

[honeybee]

Originally Posted by henrya

White van man stopped me cycling seven and a half miles to work (and seven and a half back) I'm afraid. I've put on weight since, so it's not done me any good, but I still lack the courage to start again.

henrya

did you get knocked off? I used to cycle miles up and down hills as a kid but it's just too scary to go on the roads. They never think of pedestrian and cyclists safety when they build roads.

[henrya]

Quote
did you get knocked off? I used to cycle miles up and down hills as a kid but it's just too scary to go on the roads.
Endquote

Yes, that was it. And it was on a relatively quiet country road, with full visibility, and I was wearing a yellow jacket.

henrya

[honeybee]

Originally Posted by henrya

Quote
did you get knocked off? I used to cycle miles up and down hills as a kid but it's just too scary to go on the roads.
Endquote

Yes, that was it. And it was on a relatively quiet country road, with full visibility, and I was wearing a yellow jacket.

henrya

sorry to hear that

[speckled wood]

Originally Posted by henrya

White van man stopped me cycling seven and a half miles to work (and seven and a half back) I'm afraid. I've put on weight since, so it's not done me any good, but I still lack the courage to start again.

henrya

I was hospitalised by a hit and run driver back in 1997, I was back on the bike within a week, irony was that I had problems walking for about three months afterwards yet that first journey after the "accident" was a 45 miles round trip.