So. Many new people asking you for cycling advice?

tailwindhome

Since the TDF/Olympics I have had 3 friends sheepishly ask for advice on getting into cycling.

"What bike type? Should I wear a helmet? Is it dangerous? Will I need a shower when I get to work?"

and my favourite

"Hey I was looking at this great bike but it says there's no pedals with it. WTF?"




Have you had the same experience?

rick_chasey

No, just a lot of bandwaggon know-it-alls trying to challenge my knowledge.

At the beginning of the Tour, they needed explanations.

By the end, they were arguing the toss about things like attacking on the final day into Paris etc. :roll:

clarkey cat

I have a walk-in surgery at my office.

iPete

Two girls have just bought bikes, someone in the office is going to start riding, another girl asked about going on a Sunday club run and now I'm organising a trip to Herne Hill for a few novice sessions!

I sense the few precious people who see cycling as their sport are going to get upset.

Have told a few people to not buy hybrids already, did they listen? no, are they now looking at roadies...

notsoblue

iPete wrote:

I sense the few precious people who see cycling as their sport are going to get upset.

Damnit iPete, you're single handedly flooding London with a wave of new nodders!

iPete

It's OK, I'll start them off with the learning FCNs

Kieran_Burns

Rick Chasey wrote:

No, just a lot of bandwaggon know-it-alls trying to challenge my knowledge.

At the beginning of the Tour, they needed explanations.

By the end, they were arguing the toss about things like attacking on the final day into Paris etc. :roll:

Yeah we've got one in our office, never even watched the tour, nor any cycling event. Watched the Olympics Men's road race and is now an expert.

It's hard work sometimes.

kelsen

My advice would be:

1) Don't look at girlies on bikes whilst cycling
2) Pedal furiously away when the lights change
3) Always carry a roll-on deodorant with you. It could save your life.

clarkey cat

"Why wasnt Chris Hoy in the road race? He is awesome."

rick_chasey

clarkey cat wrote:

"Why wasnt Chris Hoy in the road race? He is awesome."

Had this one a month ago.

twist83

haha had this one today.

I quote

'If Hoy was in the road race I think we would have got a medal'

rick_chasey

twist83 wrote:

haha had this one today.

I quote

'If Hoy was in the road race I think we would have got a medal'

Did you respond with "f*ck my life" and just walk away?

TheStone

I don't mind the 'which bike', 'which route', 'how do I start' questions, but getting really sick of explaining how Cav is a sprinter and Wiggins is an all-rounder.

dhope

TheStone wrote:

I don't mind the 'which bike', 'which route', 'how do I start' questions, but getting really sick of explaining how Cav is a sprinter and Wiggins is an all-rounder.

Yeah, I've had this a few times.
and
Does wind resistance really make that much of a difference?

peat

twist83 wrote:

haha had this one today.

I quote

'If Hoy was in the road race I think we would have got a medal'

yeah, he is well good. I reckon i could beat him though. When i was kid i went down this hill so fast that the whole bike started shaking and wobbling.

Agent57

clarkey cat wrote:

"Why wasnt Chris Hoy in the road race? He is awesome."

I've had questions similar to this. For example, why was Cav only in one race? If Froome and Wiggins were good enough to ride the TT after the RR, why wasn't Cav in it as well. And why isn't he on the track if he's such a good sprinter. Reasonable enough questions though, and I just explained the differences in disciplines and stuff. Seemed to satisfy the questioner, anyway.

We did have about 4 or 5 new kids at the Go-Ride club last Saturday. I'm not coaching this weekend, but I dare say we'll have more kids coming along.

FoldingJoe

Like the people who can't wrap their head around the fact that although Mark Cavendish won more stages at the TdF this year, he still finished hours behind Wiggins!!

Gizmo_

Agent57 wrote:

If Froome and Wiggins were good enough to ride the TT after the RR, why wasn't Cav in it as well. And why isn't he on the track if he's such a good sprinter..

I have to say I don't quite understand why the Olympic track cycling doesn't include more events.

The swimming takes a full week and they have 50m, 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, and 1600m (?). In four different strokes, and some race where you do all four. And individual/team races. Cycling, three days: sprint, pursuit, team/individual, omnium, Keirin, scratch. Why no short/long time trial (1km, 5km, 10km, 25km)? What happened to the Madison? There must be others.

I mean, to quote the T-shirt: "2012: Bout f#cking time Stratford got a velodrome"... we might as well get value out of it!


Oh, and a serious question... Why do they always ride anti-clockwise?

greg66_tri_v2.0

iPete wrote:

I sense the few precious people who see cycling as their sport are going to get upset.

Nail, head. Cycling seems to attract these types far more than other sports, IME.


ETA: Bike 2 is currently on loan to a mate who is now very serious about ditching his hybrid for a proper bike, subject to the Domestic Spending Committee approving it. Also have a guy at work who is now seriously itching to sell his MTB and his entry-level Bianchi to get a serious road bike.

As always in this country, the winter is the big test for the newbies, but IMO it's a good thing that more people take up road biking, not a bad thing.

rick_chasey

Greg66 wrote:

iPete wrote:

I sense the few precious people who see cycling as their sport are going to get upset.

Nail, head. Cycling seems to attract these types far more than other sports, IME.


ETA: Bike 2 is currently on loan to a mate who is now very serious about ditching his hybrid for a proper bike, subject to the Domestic Spending Committee approving it. Also have a guy at work who is now seriously itching to sell his MTB and his entry-level Bianchi to get a serious road bike.

As always in this country, the winter is the big test for the newbies, but IMO it's a good thing that more people take up road biking, not a bad thing.

Who's saying it's a bad thing?

I can be honest enough to say that I'm not entirely comfortable with everyone suddenly having an opinion on something which was MY thing and know that's it's not cool to think that.

It's a strange feeling. My mates used to moan about me boring the t!ts off them with pro-cycling chat, and now they want to discuss the RR with me (well, more like argue a regurgitated argument lifted off the BBC website). Gets even worse when I see people saying things like "Wiggins, what a hero" when they were wondering why on earth I was harping on about the TdF route being good/tailor made for Wiggins in October.

It's not cool to think it, but I'd be lying if I said didn't feel it.

Agent57

Reminds me of when D:Ream's "Things Can Only Get Better" slipped out of the clubs and into the mainstream consciousness. My sister was gutted.

optimisticbiker

clarkey cat wrote:

I have a walk-in surgery at my office.

+1

So far the tally is one D-lock and one Genesis Equilibrium on suggested recommendations...

clarkey cat

ooh you scoundrel - recommending a Ridgeback!

dhope

OptimisticBiker wrote:

one D-lock on suggested recommendations...

Question: What if a driver shouts as me?
Answer: D-lock the cnut?

DonDaddyD

Greg66 wrote:

iPete wrote:

I sense the few precious people who see cycling as their sport are going to get upset.

Nail, head. Cycling seems to attract these types far more than other sports, IME.


ETA: Bike 2 is currently on loan to a mate

WHAT THE F*CK!!!

You loan out your bikes!? Do you know how long I've wanted to get a Cervelo between my legs. The gunmetal alu one you had prior to bike one, being one of my favourite looking bikes ever.

Is nothing sacred.

Anyway.... I like that people ask me questions about the sport I love. I hate when I hear people give bad advice, like oh you need to spend at least £2000 on carbon to get x benefit when the person only wants to commute.

veronese68

The rep from our printer accosted me to ask if he should get a Specialized or a Canondale. I told him to go for the 'Dale. Not for any particularly good reason, I was just busy and didn't want to get drawn too far on the subject. I don't even know if it was a road bike or MTB.

Kieran_Burns

Veronese68 wrote:

The rep from our printer accosted me to ask if he should get a Specialized or a Canondale. I told him to go for the 'Dale. Not for any particularly good reason, I was just busy and didn't want to get drawn too far on the subject. I don't even know if it was a road bike or MTB.

Snob

jae-so

Agent57 wrote:

clarkey cat wrote:

"Why wasnt Chris Hoy in the road race? He is awesome."

I've had questions similar to this. For example, why was Cav only in one race? If Froome and Wiggins were good enough to ride the TT after the RR, why wasn't Cav in it as well. And why isn't he on the track if he's such a good sprinter. Reasonable enough questions though, and I just explained the differences in disciplines and stuff. Seemed to satisfy the questioner, anyway.

We did have about 4 or 5 new kids at the Go-Ride club last Saturday. I'm not coaching this weekend, but I dare say we'll have more kids coming along.

Lol please share your answers, I'm a noob so I would like to know why Cav wasn't in the TT lol, my guess is he doesn't have the endurance, but you'd think with his speed he could sustain a fast ride for 27 miles

First.Aspect

I've successfully persuaded someone not to get a folder, and not to look for a bike in his price range at Halfwits.

Someone else has reminded me that I predicted (a) the Wiggo will never be quite good enough to win the Tour* (b) top GC riders don't have a very good record in the Olympics the same year.

:oops:

But it shows that someone was listening.

*In my defence, I made this prediction with a couple of injured/suspended riders in mind, in 2010.

mouth

I spent hours explaining away the Tour at work. The closest analogy I could come up with was the famous motor sport of rallying.

The ToB is coming to my town (Nottingham) where I am a bus driver (sorry) and believe me I will be off that day. Lord knows I don't want to have to deal with the diversions etc from road closures. Explaining that away and being spat at afterwards will be fun I'm sure.

First.Aspect

Mouth wrote:

I spent hours explaining away the Tour at work. The closest analogy I could come up with was the famous motor sport of rallying.

The ToB is coming to my town (Nottingham) where I am a bus driver (sorry) and believe me I will be off that day. Lord knows I don't want to have to deal with the diversions etc from road closures. Explaining that away and being spat at afterwards will be fun I'm sure.

Unless you are one of those bus drivers who pull out when indicating left, hang cyclists out to dry as you pull away, forget that you've overtaken a cyclist a picosecond after you've overtaken a cyclist or trap cyclists against the kerb as you pull in, why applogise?

Thread hijacking - but what are your colleagues like when it comes to cyclists? Is there a culture of irritation/hatred? (Please say no).