How old are the newbies to road cycling?
Comments
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Iam 38.
Was cycling in childhood a lot with the father, 50 and more miles a day It was until I become a teenager.
Hence then , had no chance to pick up the bike until 2007. Moved to Wales from Poland and got myself a decent hard tale MTB (Wales is perfect for this). Got the bug and ended up with self-assembled, new parts only, great MTB hard-tale with all the toys, but no carbon (value back in 2010 - 1500£)
Then moved to London ( sold the bike prior that), got myself into road cycling. Currently running CAAD 8 in white/red, which planning to upgrade to its teeth. Third stage will be a new road- bike worth an approx £2000-3000. Forth stage would be an addition of lovely SCOTT MTB to the collection.
Normally cycling in Richmond park or Box hill area. Average distance 40-50 miles.
Why cycling? Hmm. Always loved active sports- tried a roller-blades, running, swimming, tennis ets.
Cycling is just so great. Its just gives you a buzz I cannot really express in words. As they say in US - ''You feel me?''
Thanks0 -
30
I have always love casual cycling but only recently taken it up as a sport after doing a triathlon and realising I like cycling better than the other disciplines
It also fits around my busy life unlike other sports, and I like the balance of physical challenge (uphill) and easy thrill ride (downhill)0 -
I’m 34
Took up cycling last year as a way to keep fit as my knees are knackered, and cycling is pretty low impact on them compared to running.
Started off with a hybrid bike, but didn’t enjoy it that much and felt I was slowing everyone else down, so sold that after 6 months and with some money I got from a family bereavement, bought myself a Boardman SLR Endurance 9.4 and I love it0 -
This is my second season with my first road bike (Specialized Dolce) and I'm 36. I started getting back into bikes about 6 years ago when I took a law enforcement mountain bike course (IPMBA), and every since I've caught the two-wheeled bug! I started off with a Giant hybrid, which served me well while I figured out what kind of riding I really wanted to do. I never thought I'd go the road cycling route (was never into endurance sports) but here I am.0
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I'm 53.
I need to get fit!0 -
47 Years Old here. I am a long time runner, long distance but not insane pace, still healthy but just not excited about running any longer. Have Mtn Biked on and off over the years but never Road Cycling. After some research I just (last week) purchased a brand new Specialized Roubaix Elite. I realize its overkill for a new cycler but after test riding a lot of bikes, I LOVED the comfort and ride of the bike, and I plan to ride some rough roads, city, etc. So far I am a biker OBSESSED....Riding a lot and loving every minute of it.0
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Hi allThebigbee wrote:And what are your reasons for picking the sport up?
Also what cylcling / exercise / fitness history do you have?
Finally what bike have you bought / now use?
Interested to know your thoughts - answer as many as you want and give as much history as you want.
Cheers
Bigbee
Age: 32
Always loved mountain biking, and had a sense of adventure.
I'm now looking in to the world of road bikes, commuting to work and getting fit.
Perfect bike is probably a gravel/adventure bike.
I'm still looking to purchase... possibly something like the boardman CX / GT Grade.
I'm here for some advice and knowledge and for the love of cycling.0 -
49, mentally younger, physically older.
Got the bike, lost the nerve. Indoor trainer for the next 6 months so at least I can learn to ride again without having to deal with exhaustion.
As a kid and teenager it was the only route to freedom growing up in the country. Can't for the life of me remember why I stopped!
Maybe it's my midlife crisis - wife would have been happier with a 2 seater soft-top sportscar though...
See you all out there (next year or maybe on Zwift this winter)0 -
Age 63 this Dec 2017
Just been going a Year this week. And have covered 6000 miles. And have just done my first 100 mile Ride.
My Bike is a Raleigh Revenio c1 and thinking about my next bike. Will keep my old bike for bad weather.
Just Purchased Shimano clipless Pedal, but waiting for shoes to come.
Should have some Fun in the coming weeks.
Would Like a Cannondale Bike with 105 Groupset. Any Thorough.?
Kind Regards Phil0 -
39.......just started cycling this May. I've always watched TDF and been interested in cycling just never gone as far to take it up myself. I've always played football and dabbled with running over the years but realised I'm getting old now and the knees were beginning to struggle. Alot of the lads at work cycle too so I decided to go for it. I did have a brief go at cycling apporx 10 years ago when I did the C2C but that was on a mountain bike.
My main motivation was to get fitter and lose some weight. So far I've managed to lose just over 2 1/2 stone since January and the cycling has obviously helped with that.
I got myself a Cube Attain GTC Pro back in May and I've been enjoying getting out on it. Another side motivation was that I was having issues at home with my eldest lad and if I'm honest I was looking for an escape. Something to do for a few hours, to get away from everything and not think. I think it's helped.
Now winter is here I've just got a Turbo Trainer and I've done my first week on Zwift. Really enjoying the structured workouts and having a plan to follow.0 -
This is my first post so hi to everyone.
I am 65 and just about to retire. 30 years ago I cycled all the time in the early mornings and weekends but have not done any serious riding for about 18 years.
I am reasonably fit as I have a German Shepherd dog which I walk about 4 miles a day but don't get any cardio vascular exercise.
I still have my road bike I bought new in the mid eighties (!) its a Carlton Pro Am and has a reasonably light 531 frame and also a heavy steel MTB.
Last week decided to see if the road bike had survived the years up in my garage roof. It looked reasonable so I replaced the tyres/brake linings cleaned and lubricated as necessary and re-adjusted the saddle etc.
Warm and still weather for the time of year in the New Forest so went out this morning and did a 10 mile ride with some hills and was surprised how well it went.
I thought I would be stiff and exhausted but I wasn't so it looks as if I may have found an ideal hobby again. I know it's nonsense to think I will be able to do this on the strength of one outing but I really am encouraged.
I plan to ride out every day the weather is decent and see how I progress - may even invest in a lighter bike with relaxed geometry a little later on.
I have read most of the posts on this thread and really enjoyed hearing what others have done and how they have been encouraged by members. So good on you all and I will report how I get on.0 -
36.
Always had a sweet spot for road bikes. Last year, after a few days in the basque country, where there's a big amount of cyclists, I decided I had enough of the car. After some googling, I went to the nearest LBS stocking a Giant Defy 2, test rode it and fell in love (sorry, MrsHaggis). Now, 14 months and about 2000 miles later:- I'm fitter, slimmer, and marginally lighter
- I use the commute to do some exercise
- Don't waste fuel sittin in, and contributing to, the traffic
- Actually take less time in the way back home, even whem taking a detour of 8 extra km.
Now I only need the kids to grow up a bit so I have enough time to join a club.0 -
64
I ride to keep fit now I'm retired but unfortunately I haven't lost any weight from all the exercise I'm doing!
I rode for 10 years a Dawes Horizon to and through to work and then sold it on for a Trek 4300 which is a mtb. I used/use it for recreational / keep fit off road rides around towpaths and cycle routes near to where I live. I've ridden about 500 miles per year on the MTB, a fair-weather rider. I also enjoy fixing my bikes and the Trek has had a new a new chain, crank bottom bracket and cassette.
Recently I purchased a Giant Defy 2015 for some easier, faster riding but as its winter I haven't used it for anything other than a couple of 15 mile rides.
I'm looking forward to warmer days.0 -
Age 49.
Took up cycling 18months ago because my local football club had organised a sponsored cycle around Lough Neagh. Completed all 77miles of ir and have been hooked ever since. Have racked up over 6000mls since I started. Played football all my life but had done nothing sporty since i stopped playing, only sorry i didnt take up the cycling earlier. Currently ride a Giant Defy Aluxx 2015 but looking to upgrade.0 -
I started on the road bike about 3 years ago at 41.
I've always been fairly fit and into some sport or other, started out on a bmx moved to skate boarding aswel as all the other sports, footy, basketball, athletes to name a few.
Anyway all this sport destroyed my knee cartlidge so after a couple of operations I bought my first road bike.
It's a forme longcliffe 1.0 2014.
I love it. I've changed the whole bike except the frame and forks, I love the geo of the frame and I'm a bit scared to change to a new one yet .
I try to get out 3 times a week to keep general fitness up.
Best thing I've done in years
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I'm 29 so I guess relatively late compared to some, but honestly Cycling is one of those things you can truly pick up at any age, which is what makes it such an accessible, and popular sport
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I'm 48 , I enjoy lifting weights at the gym but found the cardio side to be getting really boring. I used to run but frail knees stopped this a couple of years ago.
I have a couple of mates into road cycling and did admire the kit they were using so last year I looked to buy a cheap road bike to assist my gym training.
Well the cheap search didn't last to long as I've always been one for decent equipment so I ended up taking the plunge at the end of last summer for a fair few quid more than I was at first thinking of.
A few months down the road and I'm truly hooked , from blowing at the end of my first 10 mile efforts I'm now comfortable and enjoying 30 mile rides regularly and have done a 40.
I've ridden through the winter but am looking forward to spring.
I ride mainly alone but the sport has reunited me with a good friend I've not really seen since my early 20's and we've had a couple of cracking days out.
I'm a huge strava fan and am constantly battling to beat my bests, but I'm totally uninterested in any form of competition with other riders.0 -
Hi everyone,
First post so thought this was a good place to start!
I'm 38 and have been running for 9 years, running about 1500m per year (fell, trail and road) and doing well in some races, winning a few and a few 2-3rds etc. But just recently the love for it just went. It started to feel like a chore rathe than a pleasure. I wasn't sure what to do in its place (swim, join a gym etc), but cycling just started to get a hold in my head and now I've got a bike on order, along with helmet, lights etc. I haven't owned a bike since I was about 15!
I've been watching the Tour and Vuelta since about 2011, but funnily enough haven't seriously ever wanted a bike. 2017 was the first year since 2011 that I haven't watched either of those races on telly, and now I'm getting one, so I'm pleased to be able to say I'm definitely not just getting a bike because I want to be Wiggins/Froome etc!
Got a Giant Contend 2018 on order. I know nothing about bikes, and I've no doubt there are loads of better bikes out there, but I can't wait, and am already looking at sportive to enter in my area (Derby).
Cheers,
Josh0 -
I was 31 when I first took up road cycling, in September of last year.
I can’t really point to a certain moment when I decided to take the plunge and buy my first bike. Have watched the TdF for years and always took an interest in the Olympic cycling events. I think when WIggins won the 2012 Olympic time trial I really started to get into it.
I’ve done around 2.5k miles since September and am absolutely loving it (come rain or shine). Looking to buy an upgrade to my current bike, and have signed up for a couple of 100 mile sportives this year.
I just wish I had discovered the joys of cycling a bit sooner!0 -
I’m 65,started cycling 4 years ago did 3,500 miles last year with around 12,000 feet of climbing and will celebrate 10 years this July as a liver transplant patient.0
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Well done to you Skeeter.
I've just come in from my first ever ride on a road bike, and my first ride on any bike for about 18 years...
A full 2.18 miles, slightly shaky, gears making a funny noise sometimes, but hopefully that was just teething problems.
Hopefully the first of many.0 -
Hello, I live in the UK I am 46 years old. I have a Marin hybird, it was given to me a few years ago, and I originally used it as transport to get about town. I have recently started trying to really use it properly, I started off cycling to give myself a break from running, but found I really liked cycling and now I'm saving up to buy a "proper" road bike.
I plod along, according to Strava my average speed is usually only 12.5mph, but I do get out on the roads for up to 60miles a time. Recently managed 4.5hrs without getting out of the saddle.
I have little idea what I am doing, or how to do it, I just started out by just pedaling and hoping. But I'm planning to ride my bicycle about 150miles in one day in the summer.
I realise I've probably got "the wrong" bike, but it works, and it was free.0 -
Hi, 53 and resident in Glasgow East! I bought a second hand Halfords Trax TFS1 in summer '17 which weighs a ton and from day one, riding it gave me headaches, aching knees and rock hard quads/thigh muscles, exhaustion, a sped up metabolism combined with upto 18 hours of temporary insomnia from a hyped up central nervous system!
I've sworn to never ride my Halfords' FS MTB again and replaced it with a second hand Saracen Hardtrax with a 6061 Aluminiun frame and the difference is shocking.
Took up cycling as a means of getting fitter (and hopefully for developing more stamina in the sack - If I ever get lucky again, I'll update this ASAP) and for saving money on bus and train fares into town (hey, I'm a Scotsman, whaddya expect?)!
Totally unfit but am gradually building up my fitness and hoping to cycle from Dalmuir to Dumbarton Castle when the better weather comes in
No plans to ever spend thousands on a bike unless I win the Lottery, it's just for fun and exercise. 0 -
I was 54 -when I took up cycling just over a year ago to accompany our daughter and to recover and get fit after bypass surgery. The wife started at the same time (but I've got a few years on her though). Daughter off on a school trip, so wife and I going on our first cycling holiday this month to Majorca.0
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41,
I just started last October after I was out all summer with a broken leg. I decided that I needed to start exercising in a way that wouldn't hurt my leg. I rode from October to December on an old mountain bike to see if it was something I wanted to pursue and then took a couple of months off for the cold winter months. Anyways, I just purchased a 2017 Scott Solace and have taken it out 3 times in the past week and I love it. My goal is to complete a century ride eventually and to just get into better shape.
Jon0 -
Not sure if this is really the best place to post but...
Went out on my first road bike ride this morning. It was pretty cold, prob just above freezing so cold fingers, toes and head but a lovely clear day and the river was very still. The mountains across the water were picture perfect. Once I got started and figured out my gears and settled into my bike it was just a real pleasure to be out there taking in the day.
I only rode about 12km, mostly flat following the river, but I have a very steep incline back up to my house so had to hit the smallest gear I had for that one and out the saddle to dance on the pedal like Alberto Contador after a few bottles of wine.
I'm mostly just happy with my bike. Btwin Triban 540. I felt very comfortable on it after a few kms. I was just looking to get the feel of it today but it all came quite natural. Saddle height was good, reach is perfect for me, shifting gears, going onto the drops, sitting up, big gears, low gears, even the traffic which is admittedly quiet at 8am was very respectful giving plenty of space. I passed lots of other cyclists too and to a man/woman we gave a little wave to each other. Is it this easy to gain entry in this little club?
In short, if like me you'd bought a bike and were sitting overthinking everything before your first ride...stop thinking, get up and get out there. You'll absolutely love it as much as you thought you might.0 -
I used to ride a ton of BMX when I was a kid, but got out of riding bicycles for a long time, motorcycles and cars being much more fun when getting older. Now riding is much more fun, and I am 42. Still pretty much a newbie on road cycling.
Broke into wrenching on bikes around 2010 and figured if I was going to work on them, I should probably be riding them, so I got the CAAD 10 5 when it came out. Wasn't caught up on modern machines yet and the full carbon was a bad thing when I stopped riding, as in not super safe yet, which is why I went alloy haha. Futzed around on it a bit here and there, but only started riding frequently about a year ago. I was down with a medical condition called Guillain-Barre Syndrome for quite a while, and when I recovered I wasn't doing real well at my former loves of hiking and rock climbing. Plus my wife rode her commuter to and from work, so it was something we could do together.
Once we got used to riding frequently, we started to do charity rides, Tour de Cure and that kind of stuff. I had been in love with the Evo since it came out, and recently ended up with Lawson Craddock's practice bike from last year (Big Argyle fan.) 2017 Evo HiMod Di2 (non disc) Team edition. So that has been a huge plus for me, finally have the fancy stuff I have been drooling over for years. Now I ride 50+ miles a week and am really enjoying it. After a lot of deliberating, my wife just stepped up to a Liv Langma and it's been a real blast seeing her take a huge leap in her speeds and milage.
So that's pretty much my tale; typical MAMIl and unrepentant Rule 17 breaker, enjoying my time on the bike.0 -
I'm 27 and am just getting into all things cycling. I started cycling to work as it was a bit quicker and better for me than just sitting on the metro in Vienna and before long I was really enjoying it and oggling all the people on fast road bikes that would zip past me each morning. I got down to decathlon and bought the best thing I could afford and haven't looked back since. The thing that has surprised me most is that I've gotten so into fixing the bike up myself, thinking carefully about each upgrade and trying to learn about how to do everything myself. It's become a real passion.
All that coupled with losing around 7kg since starting mean I'm really hooked! It's got me all dreaming of a new bike soon and some cool sportives and then the sky's the limit I guess. It's great reading that so many people have got into the sport later in their lives but still find such enjoyment in it. Chapeau!0 -
Just read the latest posts here and overwhelmingly the theme is just enjoying riding the bike. That's how it should be, all this crap that's spouted here about what to wear and when and how fast/slow riders are etc is all bollox. The bickering on this forum is just the same as virtually all other forums, and frankly it's just as pointless. Folks, just get out and ride your bikes at whatever age and speed you can muster and enjoy it.
Right, I'll don the tin hat and wait for the inevitable barrage...0 -
I'm 68 and just picked up riding again after a 45 year lay-off, I was an active member in clubs on the Isle of Wight and Fareham before family life took its toll and I eventually passed my bikes on.
Things have certainly changed since my youth and the various gendres of bike were a bit mystifying so I went with what was described as an 'Entry level all rounder' which in my case was a GIANT CONTEND SL1 DISC bought in an end of year sale. Overall pretty pleased with it, but initially found the stretch to the bars a bit of an effort considering my age and assorted injuries acquired along the way (left shoulder rotator cuff ripped and buggered, neck and spine from an assault courtesy of a drunk and drugged idiot, right wrist from a motorbike accident, and a few more) but becoming more comfortable as I've tweeked it to fit me better and the miles go by.
General fitness other than the injuries is good, I'm at about 83 kgs and 6' tall and try to eat healthily but I could lose a bit more weight yet and hope that the bike will help me in this. My plans are not competition based, and I'd like to do some longer rides in the summer maybe try the 'Friday night ride to the coast' (https://www.fnrttc.org.uk/) when I get a few more miles under my belt.0
