If you could go back to when you first started cycling, what would you change?

Craig0657

Having recently got back into cycling this question has been on my mind a lot lately so I thought I'd see if anyone else has similar experiences/stories. Some of the many mistakes I made when first starting....

Being a bit shy and self-conscious about not knowing anything about cycling, rather than going to a LBS and getting properly fitted for a bike, I looked on a few websites to see what size would be best for me and just went for that, buying the bike online. I totally underestimated the importance of a few cm's and ended up with a bike too big for me that left me stretched out and hurt my back for 3 years!

I wouldn't pay £1000 for a bike with Tiagra gearing and terrible wheels just because I liked the way it looked.

I'd take a maintenance workshop straight away! I've never been too good with mechanical things and really lack the confidence to tackle these myself, I've just recently enrolled on a basic maintenance course but doing this straight away would of saved me many trips to a bike shop!

Some might disagree but I feel like all the hours I spent slogging away on spin bikes thinking it would make me better at cycling were a waste of time. Yes it was better than nothing but I should of just got out on the bike more.

I spent most of the first 3 months riding mostly on cycle paths...not sure if its just this area but there's far too many dogs/kids/pushchairs/dog mess/branches/broken glass to make this at all enjoyable!

I rode pretty much exclusively alone for the last 3 years, now I'm just starting to realise how much more enjoyable is cycling with a group, the miles fly by and it also motivates me to ride far more than I would on my own!

yiannism

The only thing that i regret is that i started to ride when i was 36 and not earlier. I did several sports and i never liked bicycle that time, now is by far my favorite sport

keef66

I just wish I'd done more cycling when I was younger, fitter, and free of other commitments. I now realise what an opportunity I wasted. But my bike got nicked, I didn't replace it, then life got in the way.
One day at 40 I realised how much I missed it.
I spent the next 20 years rekindling my love affair with the bike. Wish I'd embraced lycra and clipless pedals straight away, and I know I should have gone for a road bike rather than be seduced by a couple of MTBs, but all in all, I'm happy.

shortfall

Great thread. Like the OP I made purchases on looks and bought in haste online and suffered years of discomfort and back problems as a result. I learnt the hard way that getting a bike that fits you properly is by orders of magnitude more important than buying light weight bling online.

w00dster

For me I wouldn't have bothered with a couple of cheaper bikes to begin with. One good winter bike and one very good summer bike tends to be what most of us gravitate to in the end. I'd rather have saved a lot of money by just buying better to begin with - same for clothing and especially so for winter clothing, I wasted a lot by trying to buy cheaper alternatives to the more expensive brands.

Matthewfalle

Being so good naturally - it would be interesting to have to suffer like other people, just so I could relate to how they must feel every day compared to me.

Garry H

I would've bought that PK Ripper.

mac9091

Good points.

I'm glad i bought a cheap bike for my 1st one as i wasn't sure i'd enjoy cycling. Everybody is different and i was a footballer. Wouldn't have changed that.

Cheap kit: Well i'm a jock but i have two £5 jerseys from halfords that were on sale and for the last year they have sat in a box unused.

Mechanical knowledge: Mechanically minded and used GCN videos to self each what i needed to know about my bike. Good channel on youtube, although they are repeating topics now.

Cycling on a cyclepath: Still do it occasionally but still baffles me why i do it, for the same reasons as you described. Although i think they still have their place for people who are uneasy at riding on the road especially during rush hour. Today i was almost wiped out by an impatient HGV driver pulling out from a junction.

Riding solo: Most of my riding is on my own as i can concentrate on what i want to do, but do occasionally have a group ride.

Training plan: Start one sooner rather than later as you'll see better returns for your efforts.

mac9091

Matthewfalle wrote:

Being so good naturally - it would be interesting to have to suffer like other people, just so I could relate to how they must feel every day compared to me.

What an absolute cockwomble

bondurant

Matthew's comment was unlikely to have been serious I feel.

pblakeney

Join a club. If only I had known that sub 1 hour for a 25 in trainers and football shorts on a Halfords special was quite good. Too late to bother now and way off the pace.

mac9091

Bondurant wrote:

Matthew's comment was unlikely to have been serious I feel.

Not if your going by his attitude in one of my posts in the Amateur race topic.

milemuncher1

Nothing at all. I've enjoyed it since I was 6 years old, it's been a journey, and one I wouldn't change for anything.

slowmart

I wished I started road cycling much earlier than 4 and a half years ago rather than focus solely on MTB'ing for the last 20 plus years

bikes`n`guns

My attitude.

I started at 14 and never raced or joined a club, even though I was a racing fan. If I`d went for it, I know I would have been good.

darkhairedlord

I could have been a professional cyclist but at the time (early 80's) the pay was dire for the work and dedication of a professional athlete; that and not being good enough.

StillGoing

Like a lot of buyers knowing nothing about sizing and models, I'd change two things.

The first hybrid I bought, was actually a girls bike weighing a ton. I still see the salesman at another dealership and reminded him of what he did. Git.

First road bike, a Trek 1.5, looked great, but was too big and had crap wheels and the aforementioned 9 speed Tiagra. Same dealership but different salesman who insisted the sizing was right. As I gained experience, it eventually ended up with decent wheels and SRAM Force. I sold it as a complete rebuild with Mavic Cosmic Carbone wheels, and new SRAM Rival groupset and Pro hardware. Still a good bike to this day.

That dealership is renowned for get 'em in and fleece 'em for what you can at the first opportunity. Repeat customers is not their forte.

ben@31

If you could go back to when you first started cycling, what would you change?

Either accidentally dropping my bike, or it getting blown over when leaning against a wall. I kick myself at what a stupid mistake it was.

Or the same as everyone else.... If I could change anything, I would have started cycling years ago rather than only taking it seriously in my 30's. Im fitter in my mid 30s than I was in my 20s and now cycling more than I believed I could.

kingpinsam

I'd change those lottery numbers I played that week

but more seriously, there's not much I would change, it was all a good learning curve.

davem399

Had basic bikes as a kid, then none until I was 28. Went to a LBS and saw an Elswick Hopper I fancied. Not knowing any thing about sizing, the guy in the shop sold me the largest of the two in stock. When adjusted there was very little seat post visible. Should have had the smaller frame!!

ProjectObject

I wish I had kept my Chopper and Grifter. They sell for big money now. I gave them away when I got my first racer at the age of ten.

burnthesheep

Start riding sooner. That's all.

I wasted a few years after finishing college. I had a well paying but stressful job. I would go home and drink 40's and look at pron on the computer. I would tinker with the car or play a round of golf.

I could have put my lazy self on a bike and had fun instead of sitting around feeling sorry about myself all the time.

All the cash I busted into a junk car hobby could have scored several sweet bikes. Probably a mid to top tier bike of 3 to 4 types. And they would have held better value.

supermurph09

I would have liked to have started riding sooner, I'd like to ride abroad, alps, pyrenees etc but now with a 3yr old I don't see that happening as spending time away just seems wrong.

rubertoe

Getting on the bike sooner.

And not trying to scrimp on cheap bike accessories when I started, a lot of wasted money.

The old saying that buy cheap buy twice certainly rings true.

fenix

I got the bug when I was in school and started off with some cast iron bike that still let me do good long rides. It's not about the bike...

I guess I should have gone with full mudguards sooner - they are a revelation in winter.
And invested in a decent track pump too. Much easier.

pblakeney

Supermurph09 wrote:

I would have liked to have started riding sooner, I'd like to ride abroad, alps, pyrenees etc but now with a 3yr old I don't see that happening as spending time away just seems wrong.

That's all right.
You will be just the right age group to fit right in when toddler grows up.

crescent

Great question.
I love cycling abroad and it has almost become a "must do" for me when we go on holiday over the last 3-4 years. I wish I had done more of that when I started.