# Who's done a Sky ride?



## Mattonsea (7 Aug 2013)

I have been trying to find a ride for my two boys 8 and 10 to go on which was more of an
event than trogging behind there Dad. So I found the nearest Sky ride and we had a great time .
Age range from 8 to 70, all manner of bikes and ability and really friendly, who else has had a go ?


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## smokeysmoo (7 Aug 2013)

Did the Bolton one last year out of curiosity but gave it a wide berth this year, and won't bother with it again TBH unless Miss Smoo fancies it next year.

Great for families as you found out, but not enough marshaling of inexperienced riders IMO which meant too many 'cyclists' meandering all over the road making it dangerous for all concerned.

Loads of people loved the Bolton one, but it's just not my cup of tea, horses for courses and all that.

Glad yours went well


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## Mattonsea (7 Aug 2013)

No you are right. It was great for the kids . I did find I became an extra hand with marshalling. It was 21 miles of fairly
easy riding , but I think a Sportive will be next for the cocky little so and so's.


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## AndyRM (7 Aug 2013)

I did the Toon one a couple weeks ago. Good fun if you take it for what it is, a leisurely ride. Some twat on an old shopper bike nearly took my mate out with his over eager antics, which was the only negative of the day.


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## okeydokey79 (7 Aug 2013)

i havnt done any of the sky ride city rides but have done a couple of the local sky rides with the trailer on the back and daughter(so she gets her free watch and backpack), also i am a sky ride leader and take local rides out in the stafford and newcastle-under-lyme area so im going be biased towards them.


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## TonyEnjoyD (7 Aug 2013)

AndyRM said:


> I did the Toon one a couple weeks ago. Good fun if you take it for what it is, a leisurely ride. Some twat on an old shopper bike nearly took my mate out with his over eager antics, which was the only negative of the day.


I did the Newcastle one too with my two kids.
Was mostly very well raised and traffic free... But "not long enough" said my 8-yr old daughter.
Great to see these getting much more prevalent.


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## Pumpkin the robot (7 Aug 2013)

I think you are referring to the actual rides they organise rather than the city events? I have done a few skyrides and have differing experiences with them. The first one I went on I got left behind after a cafe stop with 3 other people, one of them a skyride leader, but he did not know the route back so I had to use my Garmin to take us to the next meet up point. The ride was lead at such a slow pace due to the unfit state of the leaders that more than a few of the people participating left the ride at less than half distance.
Despite this I went on another with a skyride leader I ride with occasionally and have done the same ride a few times now. They are generally quite slow as they have to be run to the slowest participant. Talking to the leaders they think that this year the average speed has dropped as more people get into cycling are going on rides they are not really fit enough for.


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## AndyRM (8 Aug 2013)

TonyEnjoyD said:


> I did the Newcastle one too with my two kids.
> Was mostly very well raised and traffic free... But "not long enough" said my 8-yr old daughter.
> Great to see these getting much more prevalent.



Superb! We did six laps in the end, and matched our circuits with a pint in the Tyne Bar each time. My mate isn't much of a drinker so was vaguely ruined by the time we made it to the BBQ we had planned for the evening.

@Martin Archer, you could well be right. That being the case the inaugural 'Challenging' ride in Newcastle was good fun. Pace was a bit sedate at first but picked up slightly after the first stop. One chap struggled badly and dropped off (of his own accord) and there were a few others who shouldn't really have attempted such a long distance. The team leaders kept us as close together as possible and were excellent overall. Definitely more of a country side pootle than a challenge for me, but I was happy to push a big gear around and get a bit of a work out that way.


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## hobbitonabike (8 Aug 2013)

We did a local one with the kids and it was well organised and the ride leaders were fantastic...we did however end up as the some mothers do ave em contingency!!! Child two had only been riding six weeks and although she was brilliant (the ride leaders couldn't believe she had only been riding such a short time) she was quite slow and the ride took alot longer. Of course it didn't help my hubby got two punctures so everyone had to wait. The leaders had no problem at all and were philosophical and cheery about it. Some of the other members of the group were a bit off though with little snidey comments. All in all was a great day but the next one we were going to had a car park that you paid on leaving and we felt a bit funny about going as thought we might end up with people grumbling about parking costs and didn't want the little one to be put off by it.


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## garethssmith (8 Aug 2013)

I missed the Manchester one last week but plan to do it next year. Like the OP said, something for the kids to enjoy rather than me constantly giving warnings round our local roads 

Heard lots of good things about them, except for drivers complaining about road closures


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## shouldbeinbed (8 Aug 2013)

The city route in Manchester was an anticlimax this time round. Clayton to Chinatown through an even longer meander round the back of Piccadilly station and they seem to have gone out of their way to find more of the worst maintained roads possible to use. I only hope that was a plan to embarrass the Council into fixing the holes and gashes in the surface.
None of the cruising niceness of previous years and other events rolling car free round Albert Square or up Deansgate to Castlefield.
You also need your wits about you for the really little kids and their parents focused solely on them and the planks that belt around thinking it is a time trial who are oblivious to everyone else and their relative speeds & needs.

London seemed to have the more vocal complaints about road closures and TBH most of the non participants on the route are waving and cheering people on. The route in Manchester is pretty well established now, the date advertised well in advance & this year avoided the shopping areas & through routes almost totally. It also stays off the main arteries predominantly & there are easy alternatives that don't inconvenience drivers. TBH, getting stuck at the roadblock of away fans coaches being escaorted from City's ground is far more of a pain round there, when you forget they're at home.

I've done a couple of the organised smaller rides too with the kids, nice as someone else made the decisions and I could just roll along behind. They were fine, friendly & sensible leaders who were clearly experienced cyclists (apart from the one who's toolkit didn't have allen keys) quiet choices for the on-road bits, short and gentle paced but I did pick the easy rides, I've no complaints and if I my job didn't include weekends I'd consider putting myself up as a leader for them to help get more people into riding in a friendly relaxed atmosphere.

there are different grades of organised rides too, if I was on my own I would have picked something other than easy, but with kids in tow...


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## lesley_x (8 Aug 2013)

I've done two Sky Ride Locals. First was one was 'easygoing' grade which was great for kids but not suited to us. Second was a 'steady' off road ride on a windfarm which was seriously challenging. 

I would definitely and absolutely recommend them. The ride leaders are great.


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## TonyEnjoyD (8 Aug 2013)

AndyRM said:


> Superb! We did six laps in the end, and matched our circuits with a pint in the Tyne Bar each time. My mate isn't much of a drinker so was vaguely ruined by the time we made it to the BBQ we had planned for the evening.
> 
> @Martin Archer, you could well be right. That being the case the inaugural 'Challenging' ride in Newcastle was good fun. Pace was a bit sedate at first but picked up slightly after the first stop. One chap struggled badly and dropped off (of his own accord) and there were a few others who shouldn't really have attempted such a long distance. The team leaders kept us as close together as possible and were excellent overall. Definitely more of a country side pootle than a challenge for me, but I was happy to push a big gear around and get a bit of a work out that way.


Was that this Sunday gone up toward Mitford @AndyRM?


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## AndyRM (9 Aug 2013)

TonyEnjoyD said:


> Was that this Sunday gone up toward Mitford @AndyRM?


 
Yup.


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## TonyEnjoyD (9 Aug 2013)

There was a group of three riders that passed you then stopped then passed you again -twice.
That was me, my Father in aw and brother in law.
The former was leading and kept saying he didn't know where he was - blooming useless.


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## jdtate101 (9 Aug 2013)

The Birmingham one used to be great, I did it in 2011 with my 2 boys in a trailer (ages 4 & 2 at the time). It started in cannon hill park, went down the Pershore rd into the city centre and looped back to the park. In 2012 and for 2013 the council has caved into pressure to keep to back roads and the route is quite unsuitable for children as it involves one steep section (8% ish) that you have to go both up and down, so has the potential for both high speed accidents (think kids not in full control), plus congestion as some people unable to ride up get off and walk up. SKYride cannot do anything about the route as it's down to what the council will allow.


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## marknotgeorge (9 Aug 2013)

I've signed me, the Drama Queen and the Mad Scientist (my 11 & 8 year old girls) for a ride in Derby this Sunday afternoon.


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## Pale Rider (10 Aug 2013)

I did a short Skyride in Stockton and managed to test the organisation by falling off the Brompton.

The leaders were great, plenty of care and attention offered which happily was not needed as it was only a slow speed tumble.

The pace and distance was aimed at the unfit/kids, but that was clear from the off so no complaints from me.


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## marknotgeorge (11 Aug 2013)

Couldn't go in the end. Done my back in - see the fettling thread. Still, it seems to be a regular ride, so I'll take them after our holiday.


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## Bryony (29 Sep 2013)

I've done a few of the local rides with my fiancé and kids we took our 8 year old on a 8 mile steady ride which was very flat and she did great, we took her on another 8 mile steady ride a few weeks later and she really wasn't in the mood and holding everyone up so we turned round and went back to the car but luckily one of the ride leaders was the one at our first ride so knew she was capable!! He was very understanding and sent a lovely email later that day saying he was sorry she didn't feel like it and hoped she wasn't put off and that he thought we did the right thing by not nagging and pushing her to complete the ride!! We then took her on a 4 mile easy going ride to build her confidence up a bit more and she did great!! And she still gets her free backpack because the leader said that even though she didn't complete the ride he'll put down that she did so she can still get her reward!!


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## Mad Doug Biker (2 Oct 2013)

I have done a few, bloody frustrating things they are as you need to stop every so miles to wait for others to catch up when in fact you just want to continue, and that's just on the adult runs, the one or two I went on that included kids (to 'case' a new route) were different, obviously (the kids' at least have an excuse).


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## Dibs (14 Oct 2013)

I completed my first SkyRide yesterday... Thought it was really good.

I completed a 'Steady' 12 mike cycle in Edinburgh. Learned some cycle routes that I never knew existed, only lived in the area all my life (almost).



Definitely worth a shot...


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