"It's like riding a bike"... living proof. :-)

Andrew_McP

Andrew_McP

Andrew_McP

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Joined
21 Apr 2003
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South North West
This week, after over 30 years without getting my leg over (a bike), and being a dedicated pedestrian, I finally bought some transport.

http://www.ridgeback.co.uk/bike/speed#details

Hardly a speed freak's performance bike (the road bike thread is thoroughly scarey!), but at £200 for a slightly cosmetically challenged new bike it finally tipped me over the edge, overcoming my concerns about lack of room to store it and surviving on modern roads.

I wish I'd done it sooner! I took it out into the car park around me on my night off work and didn't have a single problem pootling around on it. So it really would seem that you don't forget how to ride a bike.

Some things I wasn't quite prepared for :-

1) All the clutter I need for maintenance and safety. It soon adds up. :-)

2) How impressive modern tech is compared to my muscle memory of my clunky old five speed Raleigh.

3) What a tart I'd become trying to find a helmet that fits and I feel comfortable wearing. I'm not sure there's an answer to this other than growing a pair, and getting on with it. :-)

Now I "just" have to brush up my highway code, get the hi-vis vest out of the cupboard, and start exploring the local roads at a quiet time of day to build my confidence up.

Just as soon as I've checked my health insurance. ;-)



PS. I should probably have got a bike with fewer gears. If I get hit by a car or wrecked by a pothole it'll be because I've had a stroke trying to work out which gear I need to be in!
 
lordrobs said:
IMHO hybrids serve a great purpose for getting people back on the roads on a familiar non daunting way. The 42C tyres, wide bars and upright position are all great for getting some miles under your belt.
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As someone who spent 6 months last year barely able to walk because of sciatica, the upright stance of a hybrid is ideal for me... no temptation to hunker down and put the base of my spine under compression.

I must admit though, after getting out on it this afternoon I did find myself wondering if I might have been better off with a mountain bike... most of the back roads and paths I use to visit my regular photography haunts are less than perfect surfaces.

Still, you've got to start somewhere and I need something with paniers to support some of my camera kit, otherwise it all has to go in my rucksack, which won't help stability if I get caught out.

When I started off I only used the middle chain ring in fourth or fifth gear on the rear cassette only changing down for going up hill or going up a gear for down hill.
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I quickly discovered today that I may be able to walk miles with a heavy rucksack, but peddling a bike is a different kettle of fish, and I'm not as fit and clever as I thought I was. So my intitial instinct to use the middle cog only and keep things simple last about a mile! But I can see the bottom two doing 99% of the work... the fastest I went today seems to be 14mph. :-)

I found that tracking my rides was quite addictive! http://www.strava.com/ is free to use and works with any android/iphone with GPS.
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I've used Google's Tracks for my walks, and it can be interesting looking back at the stats... especially when I forget to turn it off before getting on a train.

Anyway, me any my sore backside are going to get some sleep before work later on. I have a funny feeling I'm going to wake up with sore legs. I may be able to work 8+ hours without a break in a physical job, and I may be no stranger to physical discomfort, but my thighs are definitely telling me they've done something unusual! :->
 
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