How old are the newbies to road cycling?
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SurferCyclist wrote: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...
Sounds good Steve! And completely agree with this SurferCyclist. Great stuff.0 -
35
Cycled as a kid alot, everyday with my friends on the bikes, riding around town
at 17, got a car and stopped cycling
Recently bought a used 2015 Boardman team carbon road bike, loved it so just purchased a Giant Propel advanced 2 brand new, great bike and love being outside riding
Boardman will now be sold, and Ill get my daughter and wife into cycling too0 -
39
Just started about 2 weeks ago with a Cannondale Cadd8, (A winter bike loaned to me by a friend). I was and still am a runner i have trained for mainly 10ks and a couple of Great North Runs overs the years. But my knees cant take the pounding of the road any more. So i have started to transition over to cycling which i am enjoying. But i hadn't realised how much different riding a road bike is to riding a mountain bike, eventually after i have to give the loaner back i hope to get a Bianchi Via Nirone 7.
Andrew0 -
I am 20 year old0
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Started serious road riding at 16, now 18 and racing.0
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Cycling around the town as a kid with friends. Never really consider cycling as hobby, more as 'vehicle' from point A to B.
At 32, I started cycling as hobby to reduce some bad fats. 3-4 times a week on trainer, and 60-70km outside ride on the weekend. Trying for first 100km.0 -
Since my first post here last November when at 65 I got out my old 531 road bike and did a few rides to make sure I still enjoyed riding I purchased a B'Twin 500 SE in Jan this year. I have just rolled over the 500 miles on this bike which has been excellent and I am thoroughly enjoying riding now I am retired. Lost a few Kilos as well.
Whats not to like !!0 -
New to this site, hi all !
I am 56 and rode for fitness off and on for a long time, maybe 30 years. And as a kid always for fun of course! Had cheap and mid tier mtn bikes and a Comfort bike during this period, was just looking to get out and ride for general exercise with little concern for the type of bike beyond basic fit. As evidenced by my joining this site I am looking to make cycling more serious. Ride my fist 30 mile charity ride recently and got thru it (barely) but now want to do more rides like that.0 -
28 here, though I started a few months back at 27. Still a beginner in many ways!
Bought a bike to ride to campus for my M.A, just a fixie that did the job, nothing special. Thanks to some cousins, I was persuaded to buy something geared, then have been learning the ropes, piece by piece over the last few months. I've always lifted weights and swam, so my fitness levels were likely better than most beginners.
I'm using a Btwin until I gain some more knowledge, then will research out something better. It does the trick for me, in any case!
General comments: I absolutely love it. It's like nothing else physical I've ever done, and has a wonderful meditative quality to it. Just finished a 100km~ ride in the Peak District, which was a brutal test of stamina and endurance! The climb out of Ashbourne and down the A515 for several kilometres is sheer torture...0 -
29 here. Done wonders for my health and fitness. Currently riding a BTwin 900 Ultra AF which is a joy to ride.0
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33 years young and just bought my first road bike. Reasons for it was I had a Hybrid as I only commuted 2 miles each way to work, but moved further away so wanted an upgrade. quite fit, unfortunately as I've had a harsh life my knees and my back are kinda knackered. so the low impact cycling is quite a good way to keep the fitness levels up
Bought a Cube Attempt and love going a wee Sunday run as well as the commute
all the gear no idea comes to mind
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24 years old! Started off just a 4 mile commute each way to work when the weather wasn't too bad. Always felt a little bit jealous of those that were out at the weekend doing long commutes on their bikes, whilst I was on the pavement running. My knees have started to ache recently, so decided to take the plunge a week or so ago and buy myself a Liv Avail 2. Haven't looked back since and I love it!
However I'm now finding myself wanting to buy more and more gear....0 -
I'm 35
Stoke on Trent area
Reasons are to keep fit and for pleasure, I like to do a little weight training etc but I have dodgy knee so running is out of the question for cardio so I find cycling a little kinder on the joints.
Been cycling off and on for 2 years but really want to do more now
Had 3 Road bikes and a hybrid so far (all budget bikes) 1st a Carrera Valour then a Carrera TDF LTD 3rd was a Boardman Hybrid Comp and I just bought my latest a Trek 1200 yesterday which hopefully I can get out on this weekend0 -
I'm 46 1/2 and just got my first road bike - a Cube Attain Race disk (2018) - last week, the day it went on sale in Dales Cycles, Glasgow.
Prior to that I commuted on hybrids when I stayed in London 2000-2008 and dusted my Scott Sub off a couple of months ago for commutes here in central Scotland. I'm loving being on a real road bike. Pros: faster, lighter and incredibly responsive. I'm struck at the difference in hand/arm position and the more 'volatile' steering.
I've always been a grinder and only recently discovered cadence. My hybrid default was ~50 rpm. I'm currently doing 10-15 miles a day and working on getting my cadence up - currently at 60-90 rpm.
I've got 5kg of body fat to lose (improved diet and fasted morning commutes to work are helping) and currently I rarely ride longer than 10 miles or 30 mins in one go, and am only managing to ride every other day. My priorities are to work on endurance while keeping the cadence up. Goal is to do at least a metric century by my 47th birthday at the end of March next year.
I'm fully aware I've got a touch of the Freds about me, but keen to learn and improve.
I know sailors wish each other "fair winds" - what's a good cycling equivalent I can put at the end of posts here?0 -
Been mountain biking for about 10 year, but now at the age of 41 I'm taking to the roads. I still mountain bike, but I enjoy road riding too0
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I'm 57.
I took it up because I was fed up with the gym, live in a part of the UK which is very popular with cyclists and I wanted to maintain my fitness whilst going beyond my comfort zone.
I have a Liv Thrive Disc 1 Hybrid
and i just bought a Specialized Diverge EComp which I haven't collected yet.
I love it. But there's so much to learn. How to understand and get the best out of the gears, cadence, going clipless.....it just goes on and on. I'm going to cycle all year round (hence getting the Specialized)
And I just joined here to get advice on all the stuff I don't know!0 -
Was about 13 when I started - riding a rickety Carrera hybrid back then. Now, I've just turned 17 and am riding more than ever - my main bike up until very recently has been a Boardman Road Sport 2014 which has served me well for 2 and a half years despite being a very cheap option (feels good keeping up with much lighter bikes on club rides though!). I recently bought a Boardman Pro Carbon SLR which is phenomenal!
I've had very many great rides over the years including sportives and centuries and I'll hopefully be getting into racing this year!0 -
29 here, borrowed a road bike for 7 days and rode 6 of them, now on the hunt for my first road bike..0
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There is some great advice on bike maintenance and bits to buy. Keep coming back and ask the question - someone will answer. First: just ride your bike. And ride it. And ride it. Learn what works for you. If you don’t like it, stop. Have a break. If you love it, carry on. Change stuff when you think it isn’t working. Oh, and have some fun. This is supposed to be an enjoyable activitybootsie wrote:I'm 57.
I took it up because I was fed up with the gym, live in a part of the UK which is very popular with cyclists and I wanted to maintain my fitness whilst going beyond my comfort zone.
I have a Liv Thrive Disc 1 Hybrid
and i just bought a Specialized Diverge EComp which I haven't collected yet.
I love it. But there's so much to learn. How to understand and get the best out of the gears, cadence, going clipless.....it just goes on and on. I'm going to cycle all year round (hence getting the Specialized)
And I just joined here to get advice on all the stuff I don't know! Ecrasez l’infame0 -
I'm 44 and started in April this year - had been a runner for the last 15 years. I'd done 8 marathons with a pb of 3:04, umpteen half marathons with a pb of 1:22 and a few 10ks etc. Had too many long term injuries (achilles, hamstring tendon in particular) so needed to find something less damaging! Got a hand me down bike from my dad after a few sessions in the gym on a static bike and loved it, with no pain/discomfort - hurrah! Not long done my first event - Circuit of Kent 80k route .Can't be too shabby at it I guess, as I beat the gold standard for my age group by 19 minutes, the age group below by 9 and was 4th quickest!! Now thinking of a 100 mile sportive next summer. Just a shame it's so much more expensive than running was!!0
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Hi
First post, 53 year old beginner and totally unfit, bought a bike to try and get fit last year but was diagnosed as Type 2 diabetic last Christmas so a bike moved from something I may or may not use, to a tool to get fit and get weight off.
The good new is apart from a few issues with bike fit, well more than a few to be honest it appears to be working as I am slowly getting fitter but manager to drop two and a half stone in weight thanks to cycling. Long way to go before I would call myself a cyclist but getting there slowly.0 -
43! Started getting into shape over two years ago but recently needed something to break up the gym sessions. Enter jogging... Good but not great. Started hanging out at the local bike shop and got sticker shock! How could bikes gotten to be so expensive? Anyway, shop owner shows me the used selection and I find a 2014 Specialized Dolce for 550 (US), yeah I think it could've been a bit cheaper but I was hooked and it fit me! Yeah I know the Dolce is supposed to be a woman's bike but I'm a small guy. So now here I am hooked and wanting to find amateur road events to enter.... And also looking for my next bike.0
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I’m 36, father of two including an 8 month old. I fancied a new hobby and saw cycling as a good way to get my fitness back after I stopped playing football a few years back. I also sold my classic car collection as I had no time to dedicate to them. I was really enjoying cycling to work on my Cannondale Synapse bit fancied something a bit more trick for the weekends. I bought a Giant Propel Advanced 1 and will be customising it over the winter. I also did my first sportive a few weeks back and did 62 miles and 5000ft of climbing in 4 hours 10 - although I was helped along by a good friend who is a very competent cyclist and iron man!0
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Age: 23
Started riding my first road bike in April and wanted to get fit. So far have lost 80+ lbs and continuing to lose as i ride. I now work as a mechanic at an LBS and am having the time of my life.
My fitness history is spotty, i was a varsity baseball player and threw my body away in college almost bridging 300lbs. I now workout and ride every day and am an avid Road cyclist and MTBer.
My bikes are a 2018 Trek Domane SL5 and a 2018 Trek Stache 5. I also have an early 2000s GT ZR 1.0 and a Trek 4900 that got me started.0 -
24
Played sports in high school and college and want to stay competitive as I get older and develop healthy habits and am now a little too obsessed with cycling! love restoring old bikes as well!0 -
First post.
Stopped any exercise after secondary school.Now 47 YO, getting too fat, border line diabetic& HBP, couldn't run 100 yards.So decided to exercise. I picked up some stamina by 5K training app in 8 weeks but developed a doggy knee (I still run for 5k though but it gets worse if I do it regularly) and started more serious cycling. I have been daily commuting (4miles in total) for many years with my junk bicycle anyway, I used to ride a motorbike long time ago too, so I have always loved 2 wheels.So decided to get something better. Got a Specialized Allez second hand with clipless pedals and new shoes. I did 220 miles in last 4 weeks. I am not a competitive person but I love to be able to go a bit faster and ascend easier.0 -
Hi there everyone, i'm new to the forum, i'm into MTB but seeing as theres no where on there to say hi i'll say hi here.
I'm Sean, i'm 53 and after a long 20+ year absence I'm back and keen to get back into the saddle, i'm from the south side of Sheffield (UK) I recently lost nearly 4.5 stones and I'm wanting to start biking again to improve my wellbeing and fitness, I regularly attend a gym for physiotherapy after an accident at work at the beginning of the year this is where I have lost the weight and getting back into the saddle will take it to the next level and hopefully change my life for the better I hope, reading this thread has been an inspiration to me and I wish everyone the best for Christmas and beyond, happy biking.
Sean.0 -
Complete newbie over here! (Dont hurt me!). 32 years young and have started cycling for fitness mainly, and I have discovered that I really like playing around with bikes in the evening with a beer, and some tools, and potentially some maintenance/low end modifications (until my skills are up to speed!). Weighing in at 91kg (ex body-builder) I have a cyclocross bike with some fat tyres on it!
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Hi, Last April aged 52 and after 15 years of no exercise I was convinced by a mate to get a bike for fitness reasons.
Brought a Cube Ltd pro MTB and was shocked how much hard work was involved in just riding a bike. Or more like how unfit I was.
If I had brought a cheap secondhand d bike I would have thrown it in a ditch early on and walked home and been done with it.
Fortunately I spend a few ££ so was determined to make a go of it.
I would do a 10 mile route on gravel around New Forest 4 times a week.
Over 2 months my fitness came on leaps and bonds until I went over the handlebars whilst braking going downhill.
Ouch!! Those disk stop you quick.
Broken wrist and out of action for 10 weeks.
During my lay off I brought a 10+ year old Giant FCRA Flatbar to give the road ago.
Got a flatbar as my stomach would get in the way with a drop bar.
Starting to really enjoy the road regularly doing 35-40miles and 1800 ft elevation.
Unfortunately there aren’t many hills around here but would like to improve abit more a maybe do a couple of challenging sportives this year.
May see about joining a club to do much longer distance rides, and I suppose buy a drop bar (my stomach has disappeared) as I may not fit in a club on a drop bar and wearing my MTB cycling attire.
(New bike, massive selection to choose from) :shock:
Really enjoying cycling and wish I started years ago.
Cheers0 -
23 yo, always been into one sport or another and was given a Wilier GTR a few years back to help my fitness training. Took a while to bite but now am in love with it and the sport, just sad that none of my strength and fitness from other sports don’t seem to transfer!! But determined to improve, have a trip with some friends to the Pyrenees this summer to work towards and the promise of better bits for my steed if I hit personal targets Also want to get into racing, even entered for Behind the Bikeshed last weekend only for it to be called off due to the wind... 0
