Experience of Sky Rides?

[DaveGM]

I have just joined this site and am a pretty aged beginner to cycling!

I bought a road bike in August 2015 and contrary to my expectations have enjoyed my first 5/6 months of cycling. I was going to buy a hybrid but as an impulse buy bought a relatively modest Boardman road sport.

I have signed up to Sky rides and and wondering if any of you have experience of them?

Currently my rides are up to about a reasonably comfortable 20 miles or so maximum.

The Sky rides are classified as "Easy", "Steady" and "Challenging", the "Steady being 6 - 15 miles at 7 - 10 MPH average, and the "Challenging" at 20+ miles at 11-12 MPH.

I am not that quick but and my average speed appears to be about 11 - 12 MPH. I am in a relatively flat but windy location on the NW coast.

Don't want to overdo it!!!

I would be interested in any comments/ thoughts

 

[mjr]

Are they on Ride Social? It has a conversation tab where you can ask.

There are no sky rides near me but we list some KLWNBUG rides on Ride Social which I think uses the same classifications and we get listed as anything up to Challenging and you'd be plenty fast enough for us

 

[Katherine]

I discovered Skyrides for the first time this summer and did 4 completely different rides. A hilly one north of Oldham, a hilly one north of Bolton where we were rewarded with jelly babies at the top of the tough hills, a ride on cycle routes around town that I didn't know and a lovely one through Cheshire in the summer. The ride leaders are fantastic. They do a bike check and safety check at the beginning. They have people at the front and the back, they keep everyone together so the group doesn't get too fragmented after junctions. One ride someone had a puncture and we waited while they helped to fix it. On my last, I had a puncture as we got back to the start, my spare tube had a faulty valve and the leader took me home in the car! I think that is far more than the above and beyond that I would have expected.

So I definitely recommend that you try one.

One of my last year's resolutions was to get better at hills and the sky rides really helped. I was almost the slowest on the ups but almost the fastest on the downs too!

There's a social bit when you stop at a cafe which is nice.

 

[Racing roadkill]

I organise rides using Skyride. I also go on the bigger rides with the Skyride leaders. There are 2 types of Skyride, those that have leaders, and are 'official', and those that are organised by members of the public, and published on the website. The longest 'official' rides, tend to be 50-60 miles in length, and about 10-11 mph average speed. The official rides tend to range from a sub 10 miles pootle round the park, to the challenging rides I mentioned above. The rides I organise are generally anywhere from 15 miles, to over 150 miles, so there really is a scope for all sorts and abilities with Skyride. I believe Sky are no longer going to be lending their name to the organisation, as of this year though. I believe the structure will remain though. The rides are a good way to get into group cycling, and a very social way of getting some good excercise.

 

[Racing roadkill]

One unexpected bonus from organising rides last year, was that the Skyride lot invited ride organisers up to London, to ride the Tour of Britain stage, around the centre of London, on closed roads, before the Pro's did it.

https://www.strava.com/activities/391338390

We even got a free T shirt out of the deal .

 

[Subotai72]

Thanks for posint this thread, I had no idea that this existed in this format, I was in York last year when there was a Skyride around the city but just thought they were mass participation events. I#ve been on the site and found 2 regular rides near to where I live. As I've been looking for people to ride with I think I'll give them a go. Cheers.

 

[mjr]

One unexpected bonus from organising rides last year, was that the Skyride lot invited ride organisers up to London, to ride the Tour of Britain stage, around the centre of London, on closed roads, before the Pro's did it.

Yes, that was fun. Are you on https://goblinrefuge.com/mediagoblin/u/mjray/m/tour-of-britain-london-ride-social-2015/ at all?

 

[DaveGM]

Thanks all for your experiences of Sky Rides, very useful.

I intend to sign up for one in the near future but was unsure with my limited riding experience which category to go for.

I think it should be ok to go for a "steady"ride and see what its like.

I've not ridden in a group before but they do sound as if they are well organised.

Although by myself I have covered more than the "steady" distance and average speed that has been primarily on the flat areas around here and not with a strong head wind!

I don't want to feel I've tackled too much and am being left behind at the first incline.

Anyway, thanks again

 

[mythste]

I did the wirral 30 mile route (or one of them!) and found it more pootling speed than steady, with lots of riders who probably dust their bikes off once or twice a year for a day out. That's in no way a bad thing, but I felt a bit daft turning up in lycra if I'm honest!

All very friendly and accommodating though, certainly good for finding out some new routes if nothing else

 

[Pale Rider]

I my spare tube had a faulty valve and the leader took me home in the car! I think that is far more than the above and beyond that I would have expected.
.

I did a basic Sky Ride a few years ago and managed to fall off my Brompton.

Lots of well-meaning concern from the leaders, including offers of summoning medical help and a lift home.

One of the leaders was keen to debrief me on the fall, in case there was anything he needed to include in the safety talk for the next ride on that route.

Excellent care and attention, particularly for a beginner which I was at the time.

The general organisation of the ride was also first rate.

 

[Racing roadkill]

Thanks all for your experiences of Sky Rides, very useful.

I intend to sign up for one in the near future but was unsure with my limited riding experience which category to go for.

I think it should be ok to go for a "steady"ride and see what its like.

I've not ridden in a group before but they do sound as if they are well organised.

Although by myself I have covered more than the "steady" distance and average speed that has been primarily on the flat areas around here and not with a strong head wind!

I don't want to feel I've tackled too much and am being left behind at the first incline.

Anyway, thanks again

This is a genuine 'no drop' group. A leader will always stay with you, even if you have to abandon due to a technical, they will ensure that you get sorted with a way back. The groups only ever ride at the pace of the slowest rider, sometimes people want to crack on, and if that's the case, one of the leaders will take the cracker on ers to the stop / pub / cafe / meeting point, which will have been pre arranged. It's a very nice way to get out, on some risk assessed routes, with a friendly bunch of like minded people.

 

[Racing roadkill]

All very friendly and accommodating though, certainly good for finding out some new routes if nothing else

Very true, it's not unusual for people to remark about how they have "lived in X or Y for Z number of years, and never known about this way of getting around". It's all good fun.

 

[DaveGM]

This is a genuine 'no drop' group. A leader will always stay with you, even if you have to abandon due to a technical, they will ensure that you get sorted with a way back. The groups only ever ride at the pace of the slowest rider, sometimes people want to crack on, and if that's the case, one of the leaders will take the cracker on ers to the stop / pub / cafe / meeting point, which will have been pre arranged. It's a very nice way to get out, on some risk assessed routes, with a friendly bunch of like minded people.

That's very reassuring. Many thanks

 

[mjr]

This is a genuine 'no drop' group. A leader will always stay with you, even if you have to abandon due to a technical, they will ensure that you get sorted with a way back. The groups only ever ride at the pace of the slowest rider, sometimes people want to crack on, and if that's the case, one of the leaders will take the cracker on ers to the stop / pub / cafe / meeting point, which will have been pre arranged. It's a very nice way to get out, on some risk assessed routes, with a friendly bunch of like minded people.

Sadly, the above may be true for official Skyrides but it does not apply to all Ride Social rides. They don't have leaders as such (but someone will usually act as routefinder and someone as sweeper - possibly the same person) and staying at the pace of the slowest is only a "should" on their guidelines http://www.goskyride.com/Home/ProductTerms/21 so a few groups do ignore it, but most will stay together. Please ask if you're unsure, as it can be disappointing if it's not what you expect.