Thinking of starting a new hobby! - Maybe Cycling/Mountain Biking, need help!

Kaoswarr

Kaoswarr

Kaoswarr

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12 Feb 2007
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Summerrset!
Hello all!

My situation at the moment is that I've dropped out of college and waiting for my army application to go through (Joining the Parachute Regiment :D), and I've got months to wait!

I've got a part time job, and am running a lot every day and working out, but i've found myself extremely bored! I swim from time to time and play football, but am looking for a full time hobby to get into, i was thinking cycling but I woulden't have a clue on what to get/how to get into the scene.

Any ideas? Hobby has to be a physical activity, no stamp collecting or anything haha :P
 
What kind of area do you live in? When I'm at home it's in the Lake District, and I get loads of mountain biking done on my own and with friends. If your in a large town or city, it might be worth hunting around on the internet to see if there is a club or something that you can join. Also, this might be better off in the sports section.
 
As the j41104 said, it really depends where you live. It does take a bit of adventuring to find some good trails. Failing that, move to Wales, Afan forest - Amazing.
 
Can't recommend mountain biking enough. Find the nearest trail centre to where you live. Go hire a bike for the day with a few mates and hit the trails. If you enjoy it (and you will) buy yourself a decent hardtail mountain bike and get stuck into it. It's so much fun. :)
 
I'm thinking of taking up kayaking, but I don't think it's quite the weather for it just yet..

PK!
 
misterPK said:
I'm thinking of taking up kayaking, but I don't think it's quite the weather for it just yet..

PK!
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You need to paddle in winter man! Rivers are far more fun :D

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misterPK said:
I'm thinking of taking up kayaking, but I don't think it's quite the weather for it just yet..

PK!
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It's never too cold for kayaking or canoeing, it was about -12C in these pics. Obviously once the river freezes over then it's too cold but until then paddle to your heart's content :)
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I love road cycling, I get an adrenaline rush from the speed I never got with running! Good road surfaces make the whole thing a lot more fun.
 
i have been thinking of starting rowing for a few years now, this summer i must do it.

not sure myself what to do, i thinking joining a club might be easiest and cheapest, at least until i get into and also as i don't have a car it might be difficult taking my canoe or rowing boat(what ever it is called) onto the trains and buses.
 
Some great ideas guys, thanks :)
I live in a rural area of Somerset, lots of fields/country lanes around.
Climbing looks good, again how would i go about joining something like climbing? :S
 
if you have your own canoe or kayak can i just take it down to the thames and start. i am guessing i need a license or have to pay the police a hefty sum

how do you do it with a car, i figured i would have to go all the way down and then come back again, or i would have to walk back to my car and then drive to wear i dropped the kayak off... etc do you use two cars ?
 
groen said:
if you have your own canoe or kayak can i just take it down to the thames and start. i am guessing i need a license or have to pay the police a hefty sum

how do you do it with a car, i figured i would have to go all the way down and then come back again, or i would have to walk back to my car and then drive to wear i dropped the kayak off... etc do you use two cars ?
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Join a local club - They usually know the river access rights in the area, and where you can and cant paddle, and when. With 1 car its pretty much impossible, usually a group will meet up, drop some cars at the end, then hitch a ride back to the start to paddle down etc - hence a liking for twisty rivers that have start/end points not too far away!

Or you can paddle at places such as Tessside white water course, Holme Pierre Pont, (i know, bit far north for you) not sure whats in your area.

Mountain biking is definitely more accessible than kayaking, and probably cheaper to get into.
 
Wryel said:
This. Its great fun and cheaper than mountain biking!
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Yeah cycling isn't a cheap hobby to get into and when you do it's addictive. I get my third bike tomorrow (*touch wood*) and it won't be long after that I'll be wanting a fourth...

Anyway the OP should get a bike and give it ago. Hooning down the side of a hill or mountain on a bike is freaking brilliant. You're scared you'll dies and dead excited at the same time...
 
groen said:
if you have your own canoe or kayak can i just take it down to the thames and start. i am guessing i need a license or have to pay the police a hefty sum

how do you do it with a car, i figured i would have to go all the way down and then come back again, or i would have to walk back to my car and then drive to wear i dropped the kayak off... etc do you use two cars ?
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It depends, sometimes we'll paddle against the flow for the most part then let the current take us back to where we started.
The other thing we can do as my friend's canoe is inflatable is to pack the boat in it's rucksack, take a train or bus upstream then paddle back to where we want to get out. Not the greatest option back in the UK though considering public transport to rural places is sketchy.

Canoes aren't cheap either the PakCanoe I'm probably getting later this year is about £1400 but that is the Aston Martin of folding canoes, you can find cheap hard hulls for about £500+ but then you have problems with transport and storage.

I can't recommend canoeing enough though, it's amazing to get up at 5am and go on the river when nobody is about and because canoes are pretty much silent you get to see tons of wildlife. You can also get a really good core/upper body work out if you paddle more aggressively :)
 
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