Any Road cyclists amongst?

CjH

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804
Location
Bedford
I've been cycling for a few years now. I enjoy clearing the cobwebs from my mind, it helps me control my anxiety.
My bike is simple, I built it myself from different parts Btwin aluminium frame, Mekk carbon fibre fork. Shimano shifters, dérailleurs hubs and cranks, Various other bits and bobs. But its mine and I enjoy riding it.
I always try to be Respectful to other road users even pulling in and stopping to let traffic pass and saying thank you to any patient drivers who have kindly slowed and given a wide birth when passing (thank You kind drivers!!!)
I appreciate there are some cyclists who are not so kind on the road as there are drivers, but if we all work together we all can use the road.

All that aside.... Are there any other cyclists amongst the shaving community?
 
Love cycling, mostly as a way of exploring. When I can get away for a week or two, a trip usually involves a bit of everything: spells on the road, off down a landrover tack into the hills, maybe even dragging the bike across country to the next landrover track.

At home I try to keep fit with a three hour run a few times each week, picking out all the hilliest routes so I can cope with the next trip up north. The Scottish highlands & west coast are beautiful but not very flat...
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Another rodie here.

I have 3 road bikes, including a SS, a Raleigh from the late 80s and my baby.... I built the SS from an old 531 Reynolds frame I picked up on ebay, the only use it gets nowadays is on the trainer. The Raleigh Vittese got a complete upgrade about 10 years ago and used to be my winter bike until a couple of years ago. The baby.... I bought a Van Nicholas TI frame and I fitted the nicest parts I found without going crazy.... 90% durace 7900, I built decent wheels for it and recently build new wheels for it but I won't fit them yet....these are the third set I built for the Van Nicholas, the second set were nearly identical to the third and I sold them to a friend.... he came round and persuaded me to sell the wheels to him so I did.

The last bike I built was 2 years ago, a touring bike and built around the Surly Ogre frame... I love the bike.

The Single Speed
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The Raleigh

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The Van Nicholas

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The Tourer
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I'm also a very respectful rider :)
 
Another rodie here.

I have 3 road bikes, including a SS, a Raleigh from the late 80s and my baby.... I built the SS from an old 531 Reynolds frame I picked up on ebay, the only use it gets nowadays is on the trainer. The Raleigh Vittese got a complete upgrade about 10 years ago and used to be my winter bike until a couple of years ago. The baby.... I bought a Van Nicholas TI frame and I fitted the nicest parts I found without going crazy.... 90% durace 7900, I built decent wheels for it and recently build new wheels for it but I won't fit them yet....these are the third set I built for the Van Nicholas, the second set were nearly identical to the third and I sold them to a friend.... he came round and persuaded me to sell the wheels to him so I did.

The last bike I built was 2 years ago, a touring bike and built around the Surly Ogre frame... I love the bike.

The Single Speed
View attachment 59252

The Raleigh

View attachment 59253

The Van Nicholas

View attachment 59254

The Tourer
View attachment 59255


I'm also a very respectful rider :)
That's a fabulous collection of bikes you have there Sir
 
Another roadie here, started cycling again a few years ago and like the OP find it really helps physical and mental fitness.
Earlier in the year, when we were in full lockdown, it was great to get out on the bike - especially with so little traffic on the roads. I'm very lucky to live on the edge of the countryside with lots of route options. Being stuck in the city would have been much harder.
 
I can't recall any point in my life where I haven't had a bike. I used to race as a kid until I got sandwiched between the front of one car and the back of another. Ouch

More a 'local' cyclist with my wife now just to keep in touch with doing something to keep fit.

Present bike is a Specialised Sirrus Comp. Ticks all the right boxes for me.

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I have started cycling again after a break of about 48 years. Crikey is it hard and painful. I have now been cycling for about 6 weeks and try and do 5 days per week and usually do around 5/6 miles (I think) and it takes me about 32 minutes; I know, much room for improvement. I use a mountain bike that I purchased from new some 20 odd years ago, I know, very out of date now. I also have a Knight hand built road bike, which again is about 40 years old; 531 frame and tubs. I am currently riding the mountain bike on the road; most other cyclists come pass me like I'm not there at all.

I'm not particularly enjoying the experience at the moment, but I'm hoping in time, I will get into the swing of it and start to both improve and start to actually enjoy the experience. I have been forced down the cycling route due to a knee issue, which curtailed my running many years ago and recently stopped me walking over heath land, near by where I live; the hills actually got to the knee and I had to stop. I have been told that the rotational movement on the bike is far better for the knee than the pounding affect from walking or indeed running.

At the moment I am more concerned about heart legs and lungs, rather than the actual bike I ride and trying to keep it going so that this exercise becomes part of my daily routine. I know only too well that if one stops, for a couple of days; this soon becomes three months down the line of doing no exercise and then there is a massive mountain to climb (so to speak) in order to get back into the saddle.P1020240.JPGP1020239.JPG
 
My road bike has sat idle for the last 25 years. At the beginning of this year I decided it was time to get back on it as soon as all the snow and ice was gone. I took it to the local bike mechanic for a complete overhaul in early March just before the COVID-19 lockdown hit as it turned out. About two weeks after that I learnt that I had to have surgery, which was subsequently done on 5 June. Ten days after my surgery the mechanic called to say my bike was ready to be picked up, which my daughter did for me. Unfortunately, because of the surgery I couldn't undertake any strenuous activity for 10 weeks. Now I'm slowly getting back into shape, but have yet to take the bike out. I think I'll be able to hit the road once again by the end of the month. I'll take it slowly at first, but I expect that I'll quickly re-discover muscles I have forgotten I had not to mention a sore posterior. Regardless, I‘m looking forward to riding once again; it's so much more stimulating and interesting than walking.
 
I re-started cycling about 10 years ago - at that time I hadn't cycled for about 30 years - got concerned with too much sedentary "activity" and have done about 20,000 km (13k miles) since - I know some people do that in one year but I get regular exercise. I try and ride all year round, some of my best rides were on New Year Days.

Started off with free and second-hand touring bikes. Bought a new bike from Decathlon in 2014 which I'm still using, hybrid type touring bike. I do ride mainly on roads, preferably the quiet ones and country lanes. Generally 40-60k on a Sunday and 20k during the week every other day, weather permitting. Never looked back ....
 

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usually do around 5/6 miles (I think) and it takes me about 32 minutes; I know, much room for improvement.

No matter how fit you are there's always someone fitter. I feel like a champ after a 60k ride with about 500m of hills. Then I'll hear from a friend of my mother's: "oh Brian did 200km the other day". I think her son is a actually Terminator robot.

I get passed all the time on the road. I try to give off a "just cycled 200k and now I'm taking it easy on the home stretch" vibe.

What all cyclists have in common is that once you jump on the bike you feel 15 again. Wheeee!
 
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I act 15 all the time

The only gripe I have with cyclists is I don't understand why there is a certain section of the community who appear to find cycle paths below their cycling hierarchy.

We have a beautiful (to be Donald Trump about it) new cycle path on the docks road here in Liverpool and I am amazed how many of the 'hard core' ignore it and decide to tackle the huge lorry traffic instead. More them than me. I am happy to use it. Perhaps more so after being run over three times while cycling down the years. And it hurts.

Otherwise, long live the bike
 
No matter how fit you are there's always someone fitter. I feel like a champ after a 60k ride with about 500m of hills. Then I'll hear from a friend of my mother's: "oh Brian did 200km the other day". I think her son is a actually Terminator robot.

I get passed all the time on the road. I try to give off a "just cycled 200k and now I'm taking it easy on the home stretch" vibe.

What all cyclists have in common is that once you jump on the bike you feel 15 again. Wheeee!

Unfortunately mcguff, I'm not really talking about other regular cyclists, I'm talking about the old ladies on their shopping bikes with the straw baskets at the front, who pass me with their coat tails flapping in the breeze; as I said; some room for improvement, but I'm sure things will improve; it's just a matter of getting out on a regular basis and then increasing the distance a little at a time!
I also think that my mountain bike is not really meant for the road, with the knobbly tyres; but as I said, during the early stages it is more about legs, heart and lungs, rather than the actual bike. In time I may change the tyres or perhaps take a chance on the 40 year old racer.

I'm all for cycle lanes SF, when they are well thought out; but I find that many around me are very poorly constructed and then one has to contend with crossing side roads at regular intervals. I tend to use the actual road because the road surface is generally better than the cycle paths with less obstacles to contend with (apart from obviously the pesky cars and buses etc). I have also found that it was not until I started cycling that I realised how hilly it is around where I live. When one jumps in the car to go everywhere, you don't give it a thought; on the bike; an entirely different matter!
 
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Same here re. cycle lanes - often councils just put up signs, paint some lines and bikes onto the pavement and then forget about them. Where there are good paths I use them and where not I use the road, which is often safer then being on the path.

Yes, often amazed when I see some old ladies (and gents) doing incredible speeds on their town bikes, or climbing hills I wouldn't dream of tackling.
 
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