Benefits of cycling

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Benefits of cycling
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selfsufficientish

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 364
Location: Bristol

Posted: Wed May 25, 05 8:10 pm Post subject:

I am planning the lands end John o'groats ride and it has been reccomended that i get a touring bike. I currently have a mountain bike and that is fine to cycle on for short distances. Also it has been reccomended that I put stuff on the back of the bike for carrying it, so I think the same advice can go to you.

Tyres can make a difference as to where you ride you can by specific road tyres if that is where you will be spending most time.

ButteryHOLsomeness

Joined: 03 Apr 2005
Posts: 770

Posted: Wed May 25, 05 8:54 pm Post subject:

Milo wrote:

Buttery,

"practically effort free form of exercise" ????

No disrespect, but I'm finding it hard to agree with you there.

well in my mind if it's something i'm enjoying and i get something useful out of it then it's effort free as in i didn't put in an effort that i didn't want to do like running around the block or walking on a boring old treadmill. i walk alot and do often pay for it later with shin splints or sore feet but i consider that effort free because it got me from a to b, saved me bus fare and i enjoyed it!

Quote:

In terms of comfort I'd suggest a gel-filled saddle designed to suit your gender, but also, very importantly, make sure that the bike is set up so that the saddle height is absolutely perfect for the particular footwear you'll use when cycling.

Get the height even a couple of millimetres wrong either way and you'll develop very avoidable aches. Forget that stuff about being able to sit on the saddle and place both feet fully onto the ground - such a saddle height will guarantee firey thighs within just a mile or two.

thanks for the tips about the saddle height. i've seen those gel filled seats and was interested so i'll see if i can talk the bike shop guy into letting me 'test drive' one

ButteryHOLsomeness

Joined: 03 Apr 2005
Posts: 770

Posted: Wed May 25, 05 8:56 pm Post subject:

selfsufficientish wrote:

Just looked up the UK events for the cycle naked day, one in London and one in Bath. Just a stones throw from my flat too, shall I be joining in? Can I wear my pants or is that cheating

who cares if it's cheating, it sounds like self preservation to me

wouldn't like to see the chafed bits after a nude ride myself

ButteryHOLsomeness

Joined: 03 Apr 2005
Posts: 770

Posted: Wed May 25, 05 9:01 pm Post subject:

just out of curiosity...

i was talking to the man at our nearby cycle shop about 2nd hand bikes. he said they don't sell them anymore because they weren't so reliable and giving a 1 year warranty was costing them to much

he did state i could get a new bike for as little as �99 but he didn't state if it was suitable for city riding which is what i would need.

what do you people who cycle regularly think? 2nd or new and if new what kind of price do you think i could get by with for a reasonable bike? i don't need something to tour in and i won't be riding back and forth to 'work' on a regular basis as i'm self employed and do contract work. i may ride to some assignments but mostly i'll be using it for recreation and weight loss and regularly to go up the road to the grocery store which is perhaps a 1 mile round trip....

Milo

Joined: 16 May 2005
Posts: 342
Location: Oop North-ish.

Posted: Wed May 25, 05 9:42 pm Post subject:

The annoying thing is that you can buy a very good new bike for rather less than it would take to bring a tired old bike up to the standard of that new one.

Makes no sense at all in the real world, but plenty of financial sense, I'm afraid.

Quote:

On a mountain bike you can't effectively even start to hide from a headwind.

In '96 with a younger fitter friend on a tandem we did LeJoG. I'm told that the current(?) record for cycling from Lands End to John o' Groats is an almost unbelievable 43hrs. The minimum distance is 874 miles. You'd surely need some zen in your legs to beat that! (We finished at midday on day nine).

I'd certainly recommend that you get very skinny tyres on very light wheels and make sure that the bike carries your luggage, not you.

We took just two panniers containing lightweight sleeping bags and not much more, but B&B'd every night!

Our sense of personal achievement was enormous. We raised quite a lot of dosh for a charity or two, as well.

I can still remember almost every bend, climb and descent on the route, but the most significant thing for me was the early realisation that if you set off about 8.30am every day and average 10 mph until 6.30pm, you've done 100 miles! Our longest day was 127, but nearly every day we topped the 100.

The tandem was borrowed and I never really managed to adjust it sufficiently to make it properly comfortable. I'd done no training whatsoever, but despite aches where I'd never thought them possible, plus everywhere I'd expected them too, I was very much fitter at the finish.

We rode from south to north to increase the chance of being wind-assisted and had only one and a half days of headwind.

Viking_Chick

Joined: 21 May 2005
Posts: 123

Posted: Thu May 26, 05 8:14 am Post subject:

I have been thinking of getting a bike for a long time, but as I was working 18 miles from home it didn't seem worth it. Now I have sold the business to concentrate on one client who is based about 6 miles away.

I am thinking of getting a bike so that I can combine exercise and travel to work, with the bonus of being environmentally friendly. Its six miles on road (mainly uphill there, downhill back). What kind of bike would be most suitable? Its been about 12 years since I owned one and that one was second hand..... I have no idea what to look for.

Thanks

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Thu May 26, 05 9:37 am Post subject:
Viking Chick, for a distance like that I'd go for a tourer or what is now referred to as a hybrid road bike, depending on how good the roads are. How good are they?

Viking_Chick

Joined: 21 May 2005
Posts: 123

Posted: Thu May 26, 05 10:57 am Post subject:
The road is fine - main A road with a decent surface - chipped rather than tarred as its cheaper, apparently.... Thanks for that cab

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Thu May 26, 05 11:24 am Post subject:

Milo wrote:

We rode from south to north.......

It's totally illiogical (and probably very girly!) but I thought of that as uphill!

Thanks for the advice - I went to the bike shop today, but its closed down

, so I'll pop into the one in the next village next week.

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Thu May 26, 05 12:35 pm Post subject:

Viking_Chick wrote:

The road is fine - main A road with a decent surface - chipped rather than tarred as its cheaper, apparently....

Thanks for that cab

On chipped, six miles each way, I'd prefer a hybrid. Better tyres for that kind of surface than a tourer.

You're welcome

gavin

Joined: 10 Feb 2005
Posts: 93
Location: Leeds, W Yorks

Posted: Fri May 27, 05 5:34 pm Post subject:

ButteryHOLsomeness wrote:

Hi Buttery - are there any "cycling towns" near you? Or any bicycle recyclers ??? ?

For a second-hand, I'd not try Leeds but go over to York or Tadcaster, I think - worth at least a look? Or the recyclers at https://www.rceuk.co.uk/.

When I bought a bike last year, there seemed to be a magical jump --- under �150, they were heavy, clunky, ungainly and uncomfortable; lots of go-faster stripes and .....y gears, frames, suspension setups. Above �150, a much wider choice.

I went around the shops,
- and lifted each bike under �200 (my own limit); that eliminated ALL the suspension ones - look-alikes for real classy expensive jobs.
- checked the tires - I didn't want real narrow racing tyres, or chunky mountain bike tires, but a happy compromise.
- looked at the mechanics of the gear change for your hand - "clickers" become quickly intuitive; "fist-twist" become a real bug-bear (IMHO)
- and tried the ones I liked.

And the first I tried was such a pleasure, I bought it. So much for being organised and thoughtful! But it has been such a pleasure, I'm doing all sorts of cycling I would never have dreamt of doing.

A long way round of suggesting
- Decide what you want to spend.
- Decide what you want to do.
- And go for the best one that fits? (And find that it allows you all sorts of enjoyment you hadn't envisaged at first?)

Good luck - Gavin

Milo

Joined: 16 May 2005
Posts: 342
Location: Oop North-ish.

Posted: Sun May 29, 05 7:40 pm Post subject:
A tandem with a view! https://www.treehugger.com/files/2005/05/hase_pino.php

culpepper

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 638
Location: Kent

Posted: Fri Jun 17, 05 5:18 pm Post subject:

If you are buying a new bike,get a good lock too!
I still have my very first lock from 25 years ago.It is the combination type (no key to lose) and not too heavy .When I worked in Richmond I had to have 2 locks as wheels etc had a nasty habit of walking away.
I still got my pump and tools stolen even then as I forgot to take them in when I went to the swimming pool after work

In Holland we noticed the bikes nearly all have a wheel lock fitted.They dont lock their bikes to anything but you'd look very suspicious carrying one of their sit up and beg bikes down the road and they are VERY heavy.

fonant

Joined: 01 Feb 2005
Posts: 24
Location: West Sussex

Posted: Thu Apr 20, 06 9:33 pm Post subject: Bike recommendations

Me, back after a long break...

I'd recommend a "hybrid" bike for short commutes, if you can't afford a decent tourer (~�800).

Or even better import a town bike from the continent (or buy from Cycle Heaven in York), you can't beat a Dutch roadster for convenience and stability. I ride my wife's whenever I can - it has lights, full chaincase, integral stand and lock, dress guard, seven-speed hub gear, hub brakes. You just jump on it and ride, no need to worry about trouser clips, dirty rims, finding a lock, finding lights, etc. Even easier than getting the car out, as you don't even need to find the car key!

If at all possible get hub gears for commuting, then need very little maintenance and remain pretty efficient all year round. Derailleur gears are more efficient when they're clean and well-oiled, but in the winter that's often not the case. Sadly hub gears are rare in the UK, so you might need to import from continental Europe (where they understand cycling) again.

Work out how much petrol and car wear-and-tear you'll save in a year, and spend that money on the bike.

hairyhippy

Joined: 15 May 2006
Posts: 21

Posted: Thu May 18, 06 4:13 pm Post subject:

Hello,

First post on a fab forum. I'm a mad keen utility cyclist (commute to work, take the kids to school in the trailer, shopping etc.) Anyhoo, there's loads that I want to say, but rather that an incredibly long post I'd just like to point you in the direction of a cycling forum thats full of nice (if slightly odd

) people who are similarly enthusiastic about human powered vehicles in all their shapes and forms.

https://bikereader.com/forum/index.php#1

Now off to talk about the trouble with my lettuces elsewhere

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