Beginners?

[Easytigers]

I would say your no longer a beginner when ...

1. You have gone clipless and had a clipless moment
2. Fixed a puncture on the side of the road
3. Ridden more than 10 miles in one go without stopping
4. Overtaken another cyclist with a bit of effort
5. Completed a group ride, be it friends,club or event
6. Have bought or started to consider N+1
7. Start watching other races than just TDF
8. Friends and family call you Lance (spit), Froomi,Wiggo or Cav
9. You carry two water bottles

I chuckled when I read this as I tick every box!!! My dad thinks it's funny to call me Wiggo and ask if I've grown sideburns yet...wasn't funny the first time and certainly isn't every time I ring him!!!

 

[taximan]

I don't think it matters at all if you are a beginner or not, as long as you enjoy your rides. I think we are all cyclist and gain experience with every outing.

 

[Deleted member 20519]

I would say your no longer a beginner when ...

1. You have gone clipless and had a clipless moment
2. Fixed a puncture on the side of the road
3. Ridden more than 10 miles in one go without stopping
4. Overtaken another cyclist with a bit of effort
5. Completed a group ride, be it friends,club or event
6. Have bought or started to consider N+1
7. Start watching other races than just TDF
8. Friends and family call you Lance (spit), Froomi,Wiggo or Cav
9. You carry two water bottles

I've done all of these, do I qualify for pro status yet?

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I guess you could also have to do a few rites of passage.
I'll start us off with a few
1. Ride a metric century
2. Go on a club ride
3. Fix a p******e by the side of the road
4. Overtake someone
5. Enter an event
6. Give someone advice
7. get bike envy

Not saying you need to do them.

All but no. 5 (don't have that kind of confidence)

I would say your no longer a beginner when ...

1. You have gone clipless and had a clipless moment
2. Fixed a puncture on the side of the road
3. Ridden more than 10 miles in one go without stopping
4. Overtaken another cyclist with a bit of effort
5. Completed a group ride, be it friends,club or event
6. Have bought or started to consider N+1
7. Start watching other races than just TDF
8. Friends and family call you Lance (spit), Froomi,Wiggo or Cav
9. You carry two water bottles

1 - can't happen unless someone can find high ankle boots that take cleats - leg issues...
8 - I'm female... if they start calling me Lance/Froomi/Wwiggo/Cav I'm going to worry!

PS - on my aborted world tour I was carrying 5 water bottles!

 

[simmi]

All but no. 5 (don't have that kind of confidence)



1 - can't happen unless someone can find high ankle boots that take cleats - leg issues...
8 - I'm female... if they start calling me Lance/Froomi/Wwiggo/Cav I'm going to worry!

PS - on my aborted world tour I was carrying 5 water bottles!

Sorry SatNav anyone who has contemplated let alone done 8700 miles of an around the world cycle ride is definitely not a beginner

 

[Herzog]

9. You carry two water bottles

I only carry one...my backup car carries the rest... Am I a beginner?

 

[ianrauk]

I would say your no longer a beginner when ...

1. You have gone clipless and had a clipless moment
2. Fixed a puncture on the side of the road
3. Ridden more than 10 miles in one go without stopping
4. Overtaken another cyclist with a bit of effort
5. Completed a group ride, be it friends,club or event
6. Have bought or started to consider N+1
7. Start watching other races than just TDF
8. Friends and family call you Lance (spit), Froomi,Wiggo or Cav
9. You carry two water bottles

Blimey, that makes me still a beginner then, not ever having a clipless moment.

 

[SquareDaff]

It all depends on what type of riding you're doing IMO.

If we're talking commuting then I'm not a beginner.
If we're talking sportives/events then I most definately am.

 

[simmi]

From Wiki
A beginner is someone who is just starting at something new to them, or has only recently started.

So it's a time thing then, lets call it a year shall we.

I think if we are looking at experience or ability then perhaps a better word is novice.

 

[Rob3rt]

Or we could just say, if you still give a toss, you are a beginner!

 

[simmi]

Blimey, that makes me still a beginner then, not ever having a clipless moment.

I would think anyone who has cycled so much that their head has turned blue is far from a beginner

Never had a clipless? now had 6 in 4 months, was nearly 7 yesterday when a bus started to reverse around a corner towards me.

 

[simmi]

Oh have just thought of another rite of passage

When ianrauk or someone else start moving your posts to other sections of the forum

 

[Supersuperleeds]

Another one. You are no longer a beginner when you take a cloth and lube with you and you mickle the chain when you get to work (or other destination)

Done this one for the first time today, saw the roads and thought "eh up, chain will need mickling when I get to work, better take some lube."

 

[simmi]

Another one. You are no longer a beginner when you take a cloth and lube with you and you mickle the chain when you get to work (or other destination)

Done this one for the first time today, saw the roads and thought "eh up, chain will need mickling when I get to work, better take some lube."

As long as that was the only reason you were taking the lube to work!

 

[helston90]

Beginner at what I think is the answer- you may enter 10s of events year in year out and clock up a century every week end but then you think about doing a 2 week long tour and you're back down to being a beginner again if it's something you've not done before.
I tend to think about my target audience when choosing where to post things- i.e. if i'm wondering what the advantages are of something over another thing there's probably other people who are too.