Aren't Bicycles Great.

brat

I do whatever I've time to do. My winter target is 100 miles road cycling and 10 miles running per week, excluding commutes.

I don't like to give in to the weather - some of my most enjoyable rides have been at sub zero temperatures - as long as you have the kit to handle it.

Cycling is an excellent catalyst for weight loss (Retrogamer). I expend about 650 calories per hour on the bike (according to Strava), and while I use more when running (about 1000 to 1100 per hour) I don't run for as long.

But the biggest buzz for me is getting a distance from home under my own steam. Whether it's a 120 mile flatty to Blackpool and back, an 80 mile roller coaster ride round the trough of Bowland or a 100 miles "shutup legs!" ride over Kirkstone and Honister, I never fail to appreciate and be grateful that I have the ability to take myself off to these iconic locations using my own leg power.

mac.d

byjimini wrote: »

I've just discovered how much I need a cycling jacket, given my current waterproof & high vis vest combo is like being boiled in a bag. Trying desperately not to go buying all the gear after just a few days on the pedals.

Watch out for the Lidl & Aldi bike specials, and if you have a Decathlon local to you, they are all good places to buy reasonable quality bikewear without spending too much - though their sizing can sometimes be a bit funny.

Long term, getting a good quality, breathable waterproof jacket will probably be worth paying extra money for.

armyknife

brat wrote: »

I do whatever I've time to do. My winter target is 100 miles road cycling and 10 miles running per week, excluding commutes.

I don't like to give in to the weather - some of my most enjoyable rides have been at sub zero temperatures - as long as you have the kit to handle it.

Cycling is an excellent catalyst for weight loss (Retrogamer). I expend about 650 calories per hour on the bike (according to Strava), and while I use more when running (about 1000 to 1100 per hour) I don't run for as long.

But the biggest buzz for me is getting a distance from home under my own steam. Whether it's a 120 mile flatty to Blackpool and back, an 80 mile roller coaster ride round the trough of Bowland or a 100 miles "shutup legs!" ride over Kirkstone and Honister, I never fail to appreciate and be grateful that I have the ability to take myself off to these iconic locations using my own leg power.

Excellent post, Brat.; you've put into words some of the feelings of achievement I still get cycling. :beer:

byjimini

mac.d wrote: »

Watch out for the Lidl & Aldi bike specials, and if you have a Decathlon local to you, they are all good places to buy reasonable quality bikewear without spending too much - though their sizing can sometimes be a bit funny.

Long term, getting a good quality, breathable waterproof jacket will probably be worth paying extra money for.

Thank you - Decathlon are about an hour away, I like the stuff on their site but I'm always worried about buying clothing online, always like to try on first.

fishter

Altarf wrote: »

You are right it didn't.

I don't recall ever seeing a road or cyclepath that involved flights of stairs.

Here's one. A signposted cycle route NCN236 through Southampton.

pinkteapot

Bikes are great. So far, I've saved £281.96 in petrol and parking charges by cycling to work.

I don't cycle every day, usually three days out of five each week, but I have an Excel spreadsheet totting up the savings. The savings should pay for a replacement bike every five years or so, so effectively the bike costs me nothing and then I also use it for long rides at weekends as part of my exercise regime. Bikes are MSE and good for your health!

My commute is only four miles each way and parking at work is cheap, so my daily saving is currently around £1.90 (it's come down with the reduction in petrol prices). Which doesn't sound like much but it's worth keeping a note of the running total as it does add up over time. :money:

Retrogamer

I went out and done 20 miles on the hybrid last week on fairly flat tarmac cycle path. Took me 1 hour 45 minutes approx and felt ok the next day.

Yesterday i decided to try cycling for a similar amount of time on the mountain bike on a mix of tarmac / light off road with some stairs (going up and down them) and short lasting very steep hills.
I only done 15 miles in about 2 hours but i'm feeling it a lot more this time than i did on the hybrid.

There's a cycle from Glasgow to Edinburgh in September this year. It's 47 miles in total or you can do the advanced route at 110 miles.
Going to choose the 47 mile ride and likely use the mountain bike for it so it'll be a lot more challenging than in the hybrid.

Johnmcl7

pinkteapot wrote: »

Bikes are great. So far, I've saved £281.96 in petrol and parking charges by cycling to work.

I don't cycle every day, usually three days out of five each week, but I have an Excel spreadsheet totting up the savings. The savings should pay for a replacement bike every five years or so, so effectively the bike costs me nothing and then I also use it for long rides at weekends as part of my exercise regime. Bikes are MSE and good for your health!

My commute is only four miles each way and parking at work is cheap, so my daily saving is currently around £1.90 (it's come down with the reduction in petrol prices). Which doesn't sound like much but it's worth keeping a note of the running total as it does add up over time. :money:

That's great to hear, it's also worth bearing in mind the wear and tear savings on the car as it's likely the parts you wear through on the bike are much cheaper than on the car.

I don't quite know where this discussion about stairs came from but I was doing an MTB race the other weekend which included two small sets of stairs on a downhill section at the end. When I looked at the course earlier I was trying to decide whether to take the steps (bike was rigid) or the slippy looking bits to the side however when bombing down the last section I was onto the steps before I realised and just held on tight.

John

byjimini

I'd love to cycle to work. We're having the A1 upgraded here and they're doing a service road that runs pretty much from my front door to work, so I'll be able to take the bike in a few years and start saving on petrol etc.

pinkteapot

Johnmcl7 wrote: »

That's great to hear, it's also worth bearing in mind the wear and tear savings on the car as it's likely the parts you wear through on the bike are much cheaper than on the car.

I've just had my first wear and tear cost with the bike. New tyres. After two years and 2,000 puncture-free miles on my puncture-proof tyres, I got 7 punctures in a month.

Replaced with Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres at a cost of £50 and no more punctures since.

Replacing all the car tyres would cost a lot more than £50, but then car tyres do last longer. On the other hand, my car is a diesel and my short, busy commute to work is exactly the sort of journey that will kill a diesel engine, so it's good I'm not using it every day.

I genuinely prefer my commute on the days I cycle than those when I drive. It's four miles and due to the traffic when driving, it takes the same amount of time whether I drive or cycle.