Why do so few people cycle?

elfen

Station's a good half hour walk away - can go through town as it'll be deserted and the road to it is the main A road, so not exactly safe! I'll pick up a helmet and the extra gear from Halfords or similar as I think I need to change a tube - tried pumping a tyre but either the pump was gone or the tube was.

sickparrot

Pumps can be flaky, make sure you ge a good one, also if it's an MTB/hybrid, get metal tyre levers not plastic ones, those wide tyres can be a b**ch to get off!

daniel_owen_uk

My parktools plastic ones are bad !!!, and the tyres on my MTB are tight as a mofo.

They can be plastic, but don't buy cheap ones, decent plastic ones are only a couple of quid.

BTW, I can't say the other word for donkey? !!!!!!!!!

catflea

daniel_owen_uk wrote: »

BTW, I can't say the other word for donkey? !!!!!!!!!

Mule? :rotfl:

If you put your finger over the end of the pump you can quickly check if its the pump or the tyre. If you can feel pressure building up against the end of your finger then you have a puncture....

perplexed.com

How do people with children manage to get them to school before cycling to work?

I have to get to two separate schools which are not en route to work, adding more time (plus I'd have to walk with them to school, great for their fitness of course but adding yet more time lol ).

I wish I didn't have to work. Then I'd cycle everywhere and take my time, not worrying about the clothes issue and taking long "short cuts" to avoid horrible roads. Actually, dual carraigeways are ok as they tend to be quite wide. The worst is the type I'd have to go on to work where it's a narrow country road, national speed limit and many pot-holes. I have considered cycling on the ( also narrow pavement) but knowing my luck I'd get prosecuted for doing so!

elfen

catflea, it's not the pump, I tested it after I bought it, so I have a suspicion its the tube. I'll nip to Halfords at the weekend, and probably pick up two tubes, so both can be changed.

catflea

Was just going on the below

elfen wrote: »

tried pumping a tyre but either the pump was gone or the tube was.

Try and see if theres an independant cycle shop in your locality, they might be a bit cheaper and its good to support a local business :cool:

Mids_Costcutter

catflea wrote: »

Simply not viable for me. Its 70 miles to work and 70 back.....

Oh, and I live down an unmade track, riding my racing bike (purchased when I lived in the middle of town) down there would destroy it in a matter of days....... :rotfl:

Perhaps you could combine bike and train, cycling to your nearest station? A hybrid bike with some mudguards should be fine on your track.

alisont

I wish I could cycle to work and back - 3 miles each way would save me a fortune in bus fares but Ive never ridden a bike:o:eek:

Had a bike as a kid but never liked it so never had one since!

Im one of those people who likes my 2 feet on the ground - hate walking on ice/snow too and also scared of escalators!

Dont think Id have the confidence to learn now but think Il have to start walking home in spring/summer as be good excercise but would be so much quicker if I could cycle instead:(

Maybe one day Il try and learn but cant see me managing it!

Mids_Costcutter

alisont wrote: »

I wish I could cycle to work and back - 3 miles each way would save me a fortune in bus fares but Ive never ridden a bike:o:eek:

Had a bike as a kid but never liked it so never had one since!

Im one of those people who likes my 2 feet on the ground - hate walking on ice/snow too and also scared of escalators!

Dont think Id have the confidence to learn now but think Il have to start walking home in spring/summer as be good excercise but would be so much quicker if I could cycle instead:(

Maybe one day Il try and learn but cant see me managing it!

You can learn if you want to: many local councils now offer one-to-one adult cycle training and it's usually quite reasonably priced, sometimes even free. Don't do it 'maybe one day'!