How old are the newbies to road cycling?
Comments
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31
And what are your reasons for picking the sport up?
Bike to work inspired me, and then (typical man I'm told) I spent months doing as much research as I could before taking the plunge. I wanted to get a bit fitter and have another means to do so, especially as I have enjoyed solo sports more in the past few years such as running, and have felt less and less comitted to team sports
I have only ever owned cheap, heavy bikes. Getting a road bike was an awakening and the technology is a whole new world. Also, these forums are better natured than football forums!
Also what cycling / exercise / fitness history do you have?
Football, cricket, rugby as a kid. 5-a-side footy throughout my 20s, and 11-a-side during uni and the last couple of years for my work team. Gym irregularly. Limited road running inc. one half-marathon to my name but not great for the knees.
Finally what bike have you bought / now use?
Kona Jake the Snake (2010) CX bike. I have just fitted spd pedals and am now as evangelical about it (why have I never done this before?) as when I first went skiing. (but it's been done to death on other threads so I won't mention it here)0 -
AGE:
21 (20 when i started)
And what are your reasons for picking the sport up?
Started of commuting and ended alienating TFL in favour of the cold and wet open road.
Also what cylcling / exercise / fitness history do you have?
Road a bike like once a year prior to this
Finally what bike have you bought / now use?
Bought an Allez 16 (bit disappointed with it)
also bought an old mercier of ebay for commuting0 -
AGE:
47
And what are your reasons for picking the sport up?
Was a swimmer but can't find a nearby pool so moved to the next logical sport/challenge. Then got caught up with local triathletes which is bringing it all together nicely.At the end of teh day its all about staying healthy and challenging yourself.
Also what cylcling / exercise / fitness history do you have?
Next to no cycling for 30 years. Long distance swimmer, upto 8kms so heart and lungs in good condition and can mentally accept pain!. Played lots of rugby and running when younger which instilled a love of fitness.
Finally what bike have you bought / now use?
Stuck on a 10 year old Sannino hybrid which is up for renewal in the next 2-3 months. Am going through the selection process between a Cannondale SuperSix or CAAD10, or a Rose 4400. Difficult choice as they're all great bikes!'I started with nothing and still have most of it left.'0 -
jawooga wrote:31
And what are your reasons for picking the sport up?
Bike to work inspired me, and then (typical man I'm told) I spent months doing as much research as I could before taking the plunge. I wanted to get a bit fitter and have another means to do so, especially as I have enjoyed solo sports more in the past few years such as running, and have felt less and less comitted to team sports
I have only ever owned cheap, heavy bikes. Getting a road bike was an awakening and the technology is a whole new world. Also, these forums are better natured than football forums!
Also what cycling / exercise / fitness history do you have?
Football, cricket, rugby as a kid. 5-a-side footy throughout my 20s, and 11-a-side during uni and the last couple of years for my work team. Gym irregularly. Limited road running inc. one half-marathon to my name but not great for the knees.
Finally what bike have you bought / now use?
Kona Jake the Snake (2010) CX bike. I have just fitted spd pedals and am now as evangelical about it (why have I never done this before?) as when I first went skiing. (but it's been done to death on other threads so I won't mention it here)
Great post and detail, as are all the other posts.
Love the name of your bike. Cannondale should replace their "Bad Boy" with "The Ultimate Warrior"0 -
Alwaystoohot wrote:AGE:
Next to no cycling for 30 years. Long distance swimmer, upto 8kms so heart and lungs in good condition and can mentally accept pain!. Played lots of rugby and running when younger which instilled a love of fitness.
!
Wow - that is a swim and a half!
I live in Bournemouth so I have the sea. Can just about swim out to a buoy, tread water and then breast it back, slowly!
Water is probably the warmest, and the weather is the best for about 5 years in this country.
I was down the beach in March!!0 -
AlunJ wrote:21
And what are your reasons for picking the sport up?
Needed a hobby to keep my mind of the ex and stresses of life, coincidentally she was a cyclist doh! Started when I acquired a fixie in need of some TLC from work, ever since i've had no money
Finally what bike have you bought / now use?
Specialized 2011 Allez Triple
Snap on those two.
If there was a pill to make you forget I would have taken it. Boozing doesn't help, and makes you fat. Better to get out on the bike, raise the heart rate and endorphins and concentrate on that!
Blokes are so pathetic aren't they? lol0 -
im 16 been cycling for a year now I got a carrera tdf (brilliant bike) need new tyres now though.0
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Age: 37...
Reasons: doing more and more miles on road on my MTB, and then the cycle2work scheme was made available by my employers. Only through halfords though.
As to why I was riding more: I enjoy it. I'd forgotten how great a good ride can feel (no innuendo please), and it's a great way to wind down, forget about daily troubles, and clear the mind.
History: used to love bikes, from BMXing in the 80s and the camaraderie at the local riding area, to buying my first mountain bike (trek 950 in about 1990)... Then simply didn't make time for riding, and the bike sat mostly unused. Bought a new (second hand) MTB in 2006 (rock lobster) when it was uneconomical to change chain rings on my trek ... Foolishly bought a 21" bike, which was too big for me. Rode that quite a lot, then finally changed the frame over for a 19" earlier this year. And really started riding.
Other fitness? Not much... having 2 sons (7 and 4) means I get exercise chasing them around everywhere! Joined a gym a few years ago and didn't make time for it... Did a 10k run last year for the first time in my life, but my knees and running do not seem to make happy bedfellows.
Bikes now: MTB is a Merlin Rock Lobster, 19", XT groupset and will go pretty much anywhere. Great bike!
Newest acquisition: Cannondale Synapse (alloy) 105, SPD-SL 105 pedals. Had it three days, and I'm hoping the weather clears so I can get out on it again this evening! So, so, so much faster on road - and so much more of a workout than the Rock Lobster!
Good to see I'm not the only one in this sort of situation. There's a real renaissance of road biking, it seems, particularly with those around mid-life-crisis age . Synapse Alloy 105 / Rock Lobster Tig Team Sl0 -
Age: 28
Reasons: Gets rid of work stress (the 2am cycle home from the office is a great thing) and there's no other exercise you can do without losing time out of the day.
Other sports: racket sports as a kid and at uni, rugby at school and again last season (and got injured within about 6 weeks). Running but find it dull and just not very good at it.
Bikes: 2009 Spesh rockhopper
2010 Boardman hybrid (C2W)
2010 CAAD 9 105 (I may as well sell the other 2 to be honest but strangely I want more..)0 -
Age: 16
reason: fitness mainly, but also for reducing stress
i normally get out and do 30 miles every other night with my dad, recently done the Richmond cyclosportive and a few of the Nutcracker MTB races0 -
I'm 22, spent most of the last 15 years mucking about off road but never seriously.
Having just read Mark Cavendish's book (forget the name now!) I've got an itch to do some road work. Will start by commuting to work, but my mountain bike is a bit heavy for long road trips. (Didn't use to stop me, but now I'm so unfit I need all the help I can get!)
So I'll be looking around at a good budget bike, but have got no idea at all about road bikes so will be asking lots of irritating questions (unless I can find someone who has already asked!)
One fine day in the middle of the night, two dead men got up to fight. Back to back they faced each other, drew their swords and shot each other.0 -
Such a broad spetrum of ages but I guess the consensus for getting into it is fitness and enjoyability - for whatever reason.
It is definitely a renaissance for cycling. Accessible to all and affordable once you have forked out.
I think there will be a lot more Olympic gold medal winners from this country and possibly a TDF winner within the next decade?0 -
I'm 34. Started cycling about 12 months ago. I was pretty fat, drinking too much and getting seriously depressed about it all.
It started out as just a way to get a bit fitter and I only really intended to cycle to work and maybe do a little bit off of road in local woods and moorland. So I bought a mountain bike. Within a month of starting I had given up on the cycle to work as I was saving my energy for the evening rides I was doing every night. 4 months in I was cycling to work every day and going out every night because the fitness wasn't an issue any more (I lost 3 1/2 stones in 5 months).
At this point it was getting pretty nasty on an evening and I was really worried about my fitness levels dropping over the winter. I decided to do the opposite to most people and bought a road bike, because it seemed easier and safer riding on the road in the dark (with lots of lights, obviously). I just felt more comfortable, if I was on my own, being on the road than off road.
Seriously bad weather (lots of snow and ice) kept me off the shiny new bike for the best part of a month, but then I managed to start getting out on it and I loved it.
I think I am always going to be primarily a 'mountain biker'. I always had bikes as a kid, mainly bmx that I would buy, do up and sell, but I never got into doing tricks, jumps or anything other than just riding about. I love the technical bits on the mtb now. I'm trying to learn good technique for bunny hops, manuals, wheelies so that I can get over or through most obstacles I meet out on the natural trails which I most prefer to ride.
Despite that, the road bike, which I had never ridden the like of before, has really impressed me. I love the feeling of speed and the seemingly insatiable appetite for devouring miles. The thought that I can nip out on an evening for a 'quick 40 miler' just seems crazy.
The best thing about the biking has most certainly been the people I've met. While we may often end up at a pub following a ride, drinking is not the focus of what we do. I'll literally chat to anyone when I'm out and about and through this I have made friends with lots of people of different ages, abilities and codes (mtb/road) so what ever I feel like doing I can normally just make one phone call and have some company for the ride.
I still like just getting out on my own though, getting the wind blowing through the ears and clearing out my head.
The mtb I bought was a Trek 6000. I now know this was the wrong bike, a bit too cross country for me and what I like to ride, but I have replaced nearly everything on it apart from the frame and I have become very attached to it, being the bike that got me into cycling. I will end up getting another mountain bike within the next 12 months and will go for another hardtail, just a more aggressive one.
The road bike I have is a Giant Defy 3. Again I now know I should have been more confident in my purchase, spent a bit more money and got a slightly better spec. To be honest, there is really nothing wrong with it at all, it is amazingly comfortable (now I have everything set up right). I just wish it had nicer shifters and derailleurs.
I think biking is going to be a very expensive hobby for me.0 -
Boy Lard wrote:I'm 34. Started cycling about 12 months ago. I was pretty fat, drinking too much and getting seriously depressed about it all.
It started out as just a way to get a bit fitter and I only really intended to cycle to work and maybe do a little bit off of road in local woods and moorland. So I bought a mountain bike. Within a month of starting I had given up on the cycle to work as I was saving my energy for the evening rides I was doing every night. 4 months in I was cycling to work every day and going out every night because the fitness wasn't an issue any more (I lost 3 1/2 stones in 5 months).
At this point it was getting pretty nasty on an evening and I was really worried about my fitness levels dropping over the winter. I decided to do the opposite to most people and bought a road bike, because it seemed easier and safer riding on the road in the dark (with lots of lights, obviously). I just felt more comfortable, if I was on my own, being on the road than off road.
Seriously bad weather (lots of snow and ice) kept me off the shiny new bike for the best part of a month, but then I managed to start getting out on it and I loved it.
I think I am always going to be primarily a 'mountain biker'. I always had bikes as a kid, mainly bmx that I would buy, do up and sell, but I never got into doing tricks, jumps or anything other than just riding about. I love the technical bits on the mtb now. I'm trying to learn good technique for bunny hops, manuals, wheelies so that I can get over or through most obstacles I meet out on the natural trails which I most prefer to ride.
Despite that, the road bike, which I had never ridden the like of before, has really impressed me. I love the feeling of speed and the seemingly insatiable appetite for devouring miles. The thought that I can nip out on an evening for a 'quick 40 miler' just seems crazy.
The best thing about the biking has most certainly been the people I've met. While we may often end up at a pub following a ride, drinking is not the focus of what we do. I'll literally chat to anyone when I'm out and about and through this I have made friends with lots of people of different ages, abilities and codes (mtb/road) so what ever I feel like doing I can normally just make one phone call and have some company for the ride.
I still like just getting out on my own though, getting the wind blowing through the ears and clearing out my head.
The mtb I bought was a Trek 6000. I now know this was the wrong bike, a bit too cross country for me and what I like to ride, but I have replaced nearly everything on it apart from the frame and I have become very attached to it, being the bike that got me into cycling. I will end up getting another mountain bike within the next 12 months and will go for another hardtail, just a more aggressive one.
The road bike I have is a Giant Defy 3. Again I now know I should have been more confident in my purchase, spent a bit more money and got a slightly better spec. To be honest, there is really nothing wrong with it at all, it is amazingly comfortable (now I have everything set up right). I just wish it had nicer shifters and derailleurs.
I think biking is going to be a very expensive hobby for me.
Great post.
Has made me realise I probably need to join a club. All my mates seem to do is "go to the pub"
I probably sound like a real boring sod, at 32, but I am getting pretty bored of just doing that.
Don't take that wrong, I still love going to the pub and doing whatever. It just gets a bit tedious week after week.
Then again I am not interested in going to the pub with a "Jones" who will just bore me to tears about the technical spec of his bikes and achievements.
Ho hum - guess I need to strike a happy medium.0 -
Age:
30. Hired a BSO (Giant Defy 4) over summer two years ago and like everyone, quickly felt like I'd tapped into some sort of primal elixir.
And what are your reasons for picking the sport up?
I've always wanted to dedicate a chunk of time to getting in the best shape of my life, and memories of exploring neighbouring towns on a MTB as a kid led me to road bikes. That, and I love the fact that cycling presents targets (e.g. total miles, MPH) I can only achieve through my own stubborn persistence. I think I go against the grain when I say this but I love hills, specifically the internal 'f*** you, hill' reward for beating them. There's nothing quite like gritting your teeth through the pain and making it to the top.
Also what cyclling / exercise / fitness history do you have?
On and off gym user. Never really liked the posers, or the fact that I was cycling on a bike going nowhere. It's more about fitness than bicep girth for me. At just over ten stone and 5"11 I've never been overweight or drastically unfit as such but I've always harboured a desire to find out how hard and for how long I can push myself towards achieving a level of actual 'fitness'.
Finally what bike have you bought / now use?
I'm an old student frantically searching for a job over summer so I can run down to my LBS like Charlie with the golden ticket and get a Cube Attempt on finance.0 -
Started road cycling at 47, three months ago.
Trail riding all my life but have just gone over to 'road'.
I wanted to be able to get to places.
I bought a Specialized Secteur back in March and soon realised I was going to commit.
Two weeks ago I took delivery of my custom build Lynskey Sportive.
Joined Christchurch Bicycle Club. Great folk.
Pig in Poo.Team Madison Genesis Volare & Condor Super Acciaio0 -
markdavidhill wrote:Started road cycling at 47, three months ago.
Trail riding all my life but have just gone over to 'road'.
I wanted to be able to get to places.
I bought a Specialized Secteur back in March and soon realised I was going to commit.
Two weeks ago I took delivery of my custom build Lynskey Sportive.
Joined Christchurch Bicycle Club. Great folk.
Pig in shoot.
Hi Mark - am in Poole and have considered joining a club. I think the 8.30 starts on Saturday kind of put me off seeing that I have to do 10 miles to get to Christchurch.
What type of runs do you do, when and how much does it cost?
Cheers0 -
Bigbee - Hi
Christchurch is very active.
On Saturdays we meet at Waitrose and ride to Burley for coffee. The slower group leaves at 08.45 and the faster group, 09.00. After coffee some return to Christchurch, others take an extended route home via Bolderwood taking the ride to a reasonably quick 45 miles. I am normally home in Southbourne, following the extended ride, at 11.30.
There is a ride on Tuesdays and Thursdays during the day. Tuesday is about 45 miles and relatively easy. Thursday, 60 miles and quicker.
The members are caring and very easy going. Egos not welcome.
Membership is £10 annually.
There are many other rides. Check out the website at: http://www.christchurchbicycleclub.org/index.htmTeam Madison Genesis Volare & Condor Super Acciaio0 -
45 here and just bought a second hand giant0
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20
I row at uni, I hadn't cycled since learning to drive, then I went for a long bike ride with a friend over easter and loved it, went for a tonne of rides by myself and decided a road bike was needed.
I built up my own bike from a Vitus Shuffle frame from CRC £300 reduced to £50 and an old 8speed triple campag groupset I got from a friend (along with some other bits and bobs)
I am now doing almost all of my low intensity work on the bike now which keeps me away from ergos (which keeps me happy) and as an added bonus cycling to and from my holiday time rowing club should mean I have to do no UT2 ergs over the summer (only sprint pieces which are not so mind numbingly dull) and save me in the region of £60 a week on petrol, and maybe more if the price of fuel keeps rising.0 -
39 divorced dad of 2.
When she left I missed the kids but am not the kind to sit on my arse and mope. Got a wee windfall and remembering how much time I used to spend on my bike pre marriage spent it on a rockhopper. 3 years on I now spend all my non dad time thinking and doing bikes. My new burd who I met through the local bike club and I are off to do 200 miles this weekend and I can't wait. Currently contemplating a proper road bike and can't decide between carbon or titanium... I feel quite lucky really.
Cycling is such a great stress buster and all my friends are jealous of my fitness, apart from the few who also cycle and camaraderie between us is top. Completed my first sportive in the Caledonian Etape in 4h.30mins well faster than I thought I would. Feel like there is a lifetime of activity ahead of me all on two wheels.0 -
Redhog14 wrote:39 divorced dad of 2.
When she left I missed the kids but am not the kind to sit on my ars* and mope. Got a wee windfall and remembering how much time I used to spend on my bike pre marriage spent it on a rockhopper. 3 years on I now spend all my non dad time thinking and doing bikes. My new burd who I met through the local bike club and I are off to do 200 miles this weekend and I can't wait. Currently contemplating a proper road bike and can't decide between carbon or titanium... I feel quite lucky really.
Cycling is such a great stress buster and all my friends are jealous of my fitness, apart from the few who also cycle and camaraderie between us is top. Completed my first sportive in the Caledonian Etape in 4h.30mins well faster than I thought I would. Feel like there is a lifetime of activity ahead of me all on two wheels.
Such a positive post. I am the polar opposite but probably got into it for the same reason.
I was that obsessed mope who started drinking way too much - and eventually had an epiphany and realised I needed to do something about it.
Cycling has saved me. Hail the bike!! Anything under 10 miles, unless the weather is shite or you need to cart stuff home I can't see the need to drive.
I truly reckon on short runs of say - under 5 miles - I can get there a lot quicker than firing up a car.0 -
40 with 6yr and 2 yr old girls. Was getting no exercise and was worried about being an out-of-shape lazy dad, so started riding the 11 miles to work (and back!) 3 times a week. Feeling much happier and healthier.0
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Just bumping this as I am sure a lot more new riders will have taken up the sport due to the TDF and I am interested in peoples backgrounds and reasons.
Cheers0 -
I rode a bit in my teens, and was always great fun. Then got lazy and started smoking too much weed, met my wife, and vouged to get in shape and live healthy for a good life. It also helped her dad is a huge bike fan, and has about 20k of bikes in his garage. A few rides with him, and I was hooked. Now a year and a half later, i'm almost 20kg down on what I used to be, i've kicked the weed habit (still gotta kick ciggys), I feel alot better about myself, and I cycle alot with family members as the whole family is quite active.
Win for me. Oh, and i'm only 21 now.Good times.0 -
Mountain Monster - are you the guy who's father in law had quite a serious accident?
If so has he recovered?0 -
35 years old now but don't feel it. I like to think of myself as a cycling protege as i was riding a 2 wheeler minus stabilisers at the age of 2. I went everywhere on my bike (BMX then mountain) until I hit driving age, then the bikes got dropped. Only rediscovered cycling 2 years ago when my dad gave me a Rockhopper that he had found in the dump. This got me back into mountain biking then a couple of months later a Ribble Audax came from the same source. Having never ridden a road bike I loved how much faster it was to ride and like how easily accessible the sport is now that work, wife and weans have complicated life.
Since this reintroduction i've rebuilt the Rockhopper, currently building a Commencal Meta 55 and have just ordered a Ribble stealth on the cyclescheme (can't wait to get it).
My other hobbies include surfing, snowboarding and fighting. Trained and fought Muay thai from my early 20s then started doing MMA and now just do Brazilian Jiu jitsu.0 -
33 here...
Discovered mountain biking as a kid, but later than most. I spent the early part of my mid-teens with an XC bike between my legs, then the latter part mixing it up with a DH bike, back in the day when DH courses were largely "point it down and pedal like ****". I used to mock roadies with my MTB mates, whilst secretly wondering what it was like to be one and watching the TdF every year. I remember Miguel Indurain going over the mountains and vividly remember the disappointment when Chris Boardman came off in the rain in stage 1 - That year he turned up in plaster to the MTB Nationals... '95 I think.
Time passes and saw me become a student and then an employee... Lost interest in cycling as I gained more interest in computers, girls and beer, though not necessarily in that order, and accordingly gained weight. Had a variety of bikes nicked in fairly rapid succession and so did nothing at all for a while beyond the occasional game of football or half-arsed trip to the gym.
More time passed and I met a girl and got married. Found an old-school, alu-framed MTB in the local cash converters and bought it as a run around. Nice responsive frame with full XP that served for the odd run-around or run to/from work, but my fitness was lacking.
Separated from the wife and in a classic display of manliness decided to drink as much lager as possible, preferably with a side order of greasy food. Weight ballooned to nearly 19 stone and I did nothing beyond playing in goal for a team of mates every Sunday afternoon. Ultimately decided that enough-was-enough and started running in conjunction with P90X and a proper diet to drop the pork. I lost 2 stone in 2 months and kept it off.
Ultimately did the online dating thing... Met a girl who lived about as far away from me as it was possible to get. Fell in love, found a new job, moved down here in March. Celebrated our first anniversary just last weekend. Now I work as a contractor for the police force and get to use all of the facilities on site. I play football twice a week, plus badminton and running. Dropped another 20 lbs. Employer recently announced C2W, and my shiny new Cube should be arriving on Friday this week.Twitter: @FunkyMrMagic0 -
40 years old and have been a mountain biker since my mid 20’s. Have always loved cycling but never got the urge to swap off road for the tarmac until about a year ago.
Overweight (and needn’t be) and stuck in the drinking too much sat in the house rut really. My fitness kinda fell off a cliff once my son was born a couple of years ago as I now find it difficult to put the time aside to do the stuff on my own that I enjoy. I wouldn’t let myself buy one due to cash (struggled to justify the outlay to be honest). A couple of weeks ago my neighbour turned up with a brand new Specialised to replace his Carrera and that was the final straw! Picked myself up a nice shiny new Trek 1.5C in the sale and love it! Hoping to quickly raise my fitness level sufficiently to have a crack at a Sportive at the back end of September (petrified at the thought of climbing hills though).
i love the fact that i don't need to transport the bike in the car somewhere for a decent ride like i do with the mb, all i have to do with my Trek is step out the front door!0 -
I'm 25 and just purchased my first road bike (Focus Cayo 105 LTD) from Wiggle. I'll put my hands up and say the TDF influenced me to buy it but I have been an avid watcher for the past 3 years and have been wanting a road bike for years as well.
As a kid I was always out on my bike with friends and as a teenager was into dirt jumping etc. Bike fell by the way side when I started driving at 17 and so did my fitness as I started smoking, going out all the time drinking etc.
At the age of 21 I started going to the gym and I've never stopped. I started getting into the whole weight training and cardio, eating well and looking after myself.
What got me back into cycling was a trip to Llandegla Trails Centre in Wales where I went with a mate and hired a mountain bike. Absolutely loved it and went back several times before buying my current mountain bike (Specialized Rockhopper Expert Disk). That same friend also has a road bike and was always convincing me to get one. I started watching the tour, researching road bikes and really got the buzz for it but never got one due to financial reasons.
Now the tour is back on I've been watching it everyday and decided to buy one as I always knew I would at some point. My only experience on a road bike is a 10 mile ride on my mates by the way.
Wiggle were offering the Focus Cayo 105 LTD at a discounted price of £999 last week and I also got the 20% off code from watchin the tour so managed to buy it at £880 which is an absolute steal.
Picking up my bike from the courrier depot tomorrow and will deffinitely be out on it tomorrow night and have also arranged a weekend ride with some friends.
Excited is not the word !!!!! 2011 Focus Cayo 105 Ltd
2009 Specialized Rockhopper Expert Disk0
