I love my job!

il_principe

Good for you!I hate my job but am planning an exit strategy. Fed up with riding a desk for a living.

vermin

Il Principe wrote:

Good for you!I hate my job but am planning an exit strategy. Fed up with riding a desk for a living.

How was Koblenz?

tailwindhome

EKE_38BPM wrote:

Agent57 wrote:

EKE_38BPM wrote:

Islabikes' Cnoc 14 looks really good but you'll need deep pockets. Great resale value apparently though.

My experience does bear this out; we see a lot of Islabikes changing hands through the club, and my sister sold my nephew's year-old example for maybe £50 less than they bought it for. YMMV of course, but they do seem to hold their value well; probably because they're generally recommended whenever the question of kids bikes comes up.

The ONLY bad thing I've ever heard about Islabikes is their price, but the hold their value so well that they are, in fact, really cheap.

Initial cash outlay is a shocker though.

I've found Ridgeback and Carrera (from Halfords) to be decent for the money.

The Islabikes seem to have a different geometry than the rest, with lower standover heights meaning they can go up a size earlier (Isabike 14" = Everyone else 12")

il_principe

vermin wrote:

Il Principe wrote:

Good for you!I hate my job but am planning an exit strategy. Fed up with riding a desk for a living.

How was Koblenz?

Koblenz? I've been in Copenhagen, sadly not the home of Canyon.

vermin

TailWindHome wrote:

I've found Ridgeback and Carrera (from Halfords) to be decent for the money.

I've got my boy on a Ridgeback MX16. Seems a nice little bike, and a bit more 'super-hero' than the Cnoc. Not that I would ever knock a Cnoc though.

vermin

Il Principe wrote:

vermin wrote:

Il Principe wrote:

Good for you!I hate my job but am planning an exit strategy. Fed up with riding a desk for a living.

How was Koblenz?

Koblenz? I've been in Copenhagen, sadly not the home of Canyon.

Hoopdriver

EKE_38BPM wrote:

After spending all of my working life in various office jobs (marketing, merchandising, sales etc) I now have what seems to be my dream job.

I am now a Bikeability Cycle Training Instructor, teaching people how to ride (sometimes from scratch) up to riding out on the road in traffic.
Last week an eight year old girl came in on Monday with her bike on stabilisers.
I took those off straight away and spent a little while getting her on two wheels. Next was getting her riding where she actually wanted to go. Then one handed (so that she could signal) and how to do shoulder checks. After that it was out on the road and how to do all of the proper checks (passing side roads, making eye contact with other road users etc) and road positioning (junctions and out of the door zone). Lots of games to make it all fun and learning stuff even when they didn't know they were learning e.g. slow races to learn control.
By Friday we rode from her school in Marylebone up to London Zoo to have a look at the Giraffes and then into Regents Park for a hot chocolate in a cafe before going back to school.
Her confidence blossomed as she went from the weakest cyclist in the group to one of the strongest.
She may not remember me in decades to come, but hopefully she will remember the lessons I've taught her and will have a lifetime safely and happily cycling. This makes me happy.

A few weeks ago I was cycling with a ~70 year old woman who hadn't cycled for over 50 years and wanted to be able to go riding with her grand-daughter. It really is like riding a bike. She was going in no time and just needed some support/guidance. At the end of the session she was met by her son and telling him to meet her in the park with his daughter the next day so that they could all ride together. This makes me happy.

So far this week I've been soaked to the skin both days and freezing cold but I've loved it.

I love my job and rue all of the years I spent in an office, shuffling paper around, making/taking phone calls and trying to stay awake in meetings.

Who else can say that they love their job?

I love my job, but I also loved reading your post about yours. That must be so rewarding, and what a lovely escape from the office routine! Congratulations! You are indeed to be envied.

EKE_38BPM

Il Principe wrote:

Good for you!I hate my job but am planning an exit strategy. Fed up with riding a desk for a living.

Cheers mate. I felt the same way a while back and my password on a forum I was on at the time was exitstrategy.

It surprises me how some kids just get it but others don't.
One kid looked like she has been commuting along the Embankment for years, even down to the dirty look to a driver who tried to overtake on a narrow road when she was in primary.
Another just looked gormless when, at a T junction, she stood waiting for me to tell her when it was safe to go (which I don't do, they have to learn to make their own decisions).
There is a kid who answers every question correctly but is useless on the road. I suppose she is a bit like me and DJing. I could write an essay on how to mix, but I just can't do it. Not being able to mix won't get me killed though.

Agent57

TailWindHome wrote:

The Islabikes seem to have a different geometry than the rest

I believe that's one of their key selling points. Isla's proud of the fact that they're explicitly designed for children, and how their limbs are proportionately different from those of adults. Her view is that a lot of other kids bikes are just adult bikes scaled down linearly, without bearing in mind the real differences. The standover height, brake reach and suchlike are deliberately attuned to the needs of younger riders. They're lighter than the average child's pig-iron bike, too.

I sound like an advert, I know.

EKE_38BPM

Hoopdriver wrote:

You are indeed to be envied.

Cheers. Not quite photographing big cats, but still enjoyable.

I love the fact that everyone has a smile on their face. The trainees, the instructors, the teachers in the schools, the parents, the traffic we are holding up, the pedestrians we pass. Everyone.

msmancunia

Thanks for the one-handed lesson EKE - will be practicing!

(I'm aware how dodgy that could sound, but can't think of any other way to put it!)

EKE_38BPM

msmancunia wrote:

Thanks for the one-handed lesson EKE - will be practicing!

(I'm aware how dodgy that could sound, but can't think of any other way to put it!)

Practice with one hand, then practice with the other. Keep doing it until you're all hot and sweaty. Send us pictures.

veronese68

EKE_38BPM wrote:

It surprises me how some kids just get it but others don't.

I'm constantly bewildered that my daughter doesn't get it. I'm certain it's just a confidence thing with her. She's probably like the kid you describe that can answer all the questions. She's done Bikeability 1 and 2 and told me all about it. But, when it comes down to it she's rather ride her scooter. :?

Hoopdriver

My older daughter was like that and I had pretty much given up on the idea of her ever riding, but then one day out of the blue she picked up her younger sister's bike and just pedalled away. Just like that.

EKE_38BPM

Hoopdriver wrote:

My older daughter was like that and I had pretty much given up on the idea of her ever riding, but then one day out of the blue she picked up her younger sister's bike and just pedalled away. Just like that.

She can ride OK, I'm talking about things like road positioning, signalling, shoulder checks etc.
If you ask "How far away do you ride from parked cars?", she is the first to pipe up "The width of a door and a little bit more.", exactly as she's been told, but when she's actually on the bike she passes cars so close that she is almost ducking underneath the wing mirrors!

Final day with this group today so we're taking them in a long ride. At around an hour, this will probably be the longest ride most will ever have done, and sadly, probably the longest some will ever do.

Hoopdriver

EKE_38BPM wrote:

Hoopdriver wrote:

My older daughter was like that and I had pretty much given up on the idea of her ever riding, but then one day out of the blue she picked up her younger sister's bike and just pedalled away. Just like that.

She can ride OK, I'm talking about things like road positioning, signalling, shoulder checks etc.
If you ask "How far away do you ride from parked cars?", she is the first to pipe up "The width of a door and a little bit more.", exactly as she's been told, but when she's actually on the bike she passes cars so close that she is almost ducking underneath the wing mirrors!

Final day with this group today so we're taking them in a long ride. At around an hour, this will probably be the longest ride most will ever have done, and sadly, probably the longest some will ever do.

Good luck!

And let's hope they will continue cycling...

EKE_38BPM

EKE_38BPM wrote:

Final day with this group today so we're taking them in a long ride. At around an hour, this will probably be the longest ride most will ever have done, and sadly, probably the longest some will ever do.

We went to the park and then we took them to see aeroplanes taking off and landing at London City Airport today. We were so close that we could smell the tyre rubber when the planes landed.

Have I mentioned that I love my job?

walkingbootweather

Anyone else looking for an EKE type job?

The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames are looking for 2x Senior Cyclist Instructor & Assistant Coordinator. Be quick though as the closing date is today.

EKE_38BPM

walkingbootweather wrote:

Anyone else looking for an EKE type job?

The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames are looking for 2x Senior Cyclist Instructor & Assistant Coordinator. Be quick though as the closing date is today.

You would need to be already qualified and have experience, so no good for newbies, but I've forwarded to a couple of colleages.

veronese68

walkingbootweather wrote:

Anyone else looking for an EKE type job?

The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames are looking for 2x Senior Cyclist Instructor & Assistant Coordinator. Be quick though as the closing date is today.

Not very local for you though. But good pubs down here, if a touch expensive.

walkingbootweather

Veronese68 wrote:

Not very local for you though. But good pubs down here, if a touch expensive.

My best mate's Mum used to have a place backing onto Richmond Park, so I do know the area (and pubs) a bit. Sadly I'm no doubt wildly under-qualified for this job, and as you say the commute might be a bit much on the bike

I'm originally from the South and have worked and studied in London, but much prefer it up here now thank you very much, even if our beer is not a patch on yours.

EKE_38BPM

Whilst riding to work before the Xmas break I started chatting to a bloke on an obviously brand new bike with REALLY rattly mud guards. It turns out that he is the co-owner of the manufacturer of the bike he was riding and was looking to offer cycle training to new customers. This could be lucrative for me, especially as the company has some good corporate links (he says) so I can charge more than I would to, for example, a failing inner city school.

No names yet, but watch this space.

I think I may have said this before, but I love my job.

veronese68

EKE_38BPM wrote:

Whilst riding to work before the Xmas break I started chatting to a bloke on an obviously brand new bike with REALLY rattly mud guards. It turns out that he is the co-owner of the manufacturer of the bike he was riding and was looking to offer cycle training to new customers. This could be lucrative for me, especially as the company has some good corporate links (he says) so I can charge more than I would to, for example, a failing inner city school.

No names yet, but watch this space.

I think I may have said this before, but I love my job.

Excellent. Just seeing this thread title makes me smile.
I do hope customer's bikes are put together better than his own though.

EKE_38BPM

Veronese68 wrote:

EKE_38BPM wrote:

Whilst riding to work before the Xmas break I started chatting to a bloke on an obviously brand new bike with REALLY rattly mud guards. It turns out that he is the co-owner of the manufacturer of the bike he was riding and was looking to offer cycle training to new customers. This could be lucrative for me, especially as the company has some good corporate links (he says) so I can charge more than I would to, for example, a failing inner city school.

No names yet, but watch this space.

I think I may have said this before, but I love my job.

Excellent. Just seeing this thread title makes me smile.
I do hope customer's bikes are put together better than his own though.

He was trying out a new brand of mud guards. I guess the feedback would be along the lines of: "They look pretty, but they rattle more than the tail of a rattle snake."

jimmypippa

Hoopdriver wrote:

I love my job, but I also loved reading your post about yours. That must be so rewarding, and what a lovely escape from the office routine! Congratulations! You are indeed to be envied.

Having seen some of the photos you took for your job I can understand...

EKE_38BPM

One of my trainees this week really opened my eyes and scared me a bit.
She was slightly on the chunky side, not obese, but she was so unfit that we had to take her back to the school once (after about half an hour of slow riding) and on the longer rides up to an hour (with short breaks to talk to the trainees) she kept on stopping and complaining of pains in her legs. She was very red in the face and out of breath and her colleagues were looking at her not understanding why she felt like that. I wouldn't be surprised if that session was the last time she exerts herself for a hour for the rest of her life as she obviously doesn't exercise, doesn't like exercising and doesn't want to exercise.

This is the first time I've seen such an unfit ten year old and it was a bit scary.

Reading this back, it looks like the hourlong rides are hard work. They are not. Think pootling through the park kind of speeds but with frequent stops (every 5-10 minutes or so) so we probably don't even cover 5 miles in that time.

veronese68

Yikes, that's really quite worrying. I know it's not hard work, my daughter told me all about it after she did hers.
I saw some kids out with their instructors just around the corner from mine the other day. I think they were practising right turns from a Give Way line. There was a group of them at the side of the road waiting whilst another one was doing her manoeuvre. It just made me smile, warms my heart every time I see kids doing their training.

EKE_38BPM

Veronese68 wrote:

Yikes, that's really quite worrying. I know it's not hard work, my daughter told me all about it after she did hers.
I saw some kids out with their instructors just around the corner from mine the other day. I think they were practising right turns from a Give Way line. There was a group of them at the side of the road waiting whilst another one was doing her manoeuvre. It just made me smile, warms my heart every time I see kids doing their training.

We were snaking, which is riding with the lead instructor at the front, the trainees in a line behind and the assaistant instructor (me) bringing up the rear, and riding around the roads local to the school for the trainees to practice what we were teaching. We repeatedly went past a couple of cabbies who were cleaning their cars and chatting and they had massive smiles on their faces every time we went past.

Even cabbies like seeing kids riding bikes. Hows that for a shock!

jimmypippa

EKE_38BPM wrote:

One of my trainees this week really opened my eyes and scared me a bit.
She was slightly on the chunky side, not obese, but she was so unfit that we had to take her back to the school once (after about half an hour of slow riding) and on the longer rides up to an hour (with short breaks to talk to the trainees) she kept on stopping and complaining of pains in her legs. She was very red in the face and out of breath and her colleagues were looking at her not understanding why she felt like that. I wouldn't be surprised if that session was the last time she exerts herself for a hour for the rest of her life as she obviously doesn't exercise, doesn't like exercising and doesn't want to exercise.

This is the first time I've seen such an unfit ten year old and it was a bit scary.

Reading this back, it looks like the hourlong rides are hard work. They are not. Think pootling through the park kind of speeds but with frequent stops (every 5-10 minutes or so) so we probably don't even cover 5 miles in that time.

I know - we took some kids for an introduction to fellrunning and one 11-yr old kid had given up on the half-mile walk to the start.

EKE_38BPM

EKE_38BPM wrote:

msmancunia wrote:

That's ace!

(please can you teach me to ride one-handed?)

You can't ride one-handed?! How do you signal?
Yes I can. Here goes:
Whilst riding, sit very upright (this shifts your weight back a little and makes balancing easier).
Lift one hand a little off the handle bar (we're talking millimetres here).
Look at where you want to go.
Keep pedalling as you lift your hand.

You WILL wobble. When you do, grip the handle bar as usual, get your balance again and get back on line.
Try again.
Try again.
Eventually you will go further between wobbles so lift your hand further from the handle bar.
Keep practicing.
Don't forget to do this with both hands, its no good being perfect riding with only your left hand on the bar and then all wobbly with riding with only your right hand of the bar.

I was doing some control games and wondered, can MsManc ride one handed yet?