wiggydiggy
Guru
Cheaper
What got you interested in cycling (or interested again)?
- Thread starter Shaun
- Start date
Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.
Been a cyclist since I was about 14, not always ridden the bike though. I have for the last 25 years though not had a break from it. I will add that I do not always enjoy riding the bike but do enjoy the feeling I get afterwards. I have never commuted or toured by bike, and have always considered myself either a sporting or racing cyclist.
gavgav
Legendary Member
When I was little I used to love riding my bmx and during my teenage years got my 1 and only racing bike and I used to love cycling the lanes around where I grew up. After I went to sixth form, university and then moved away to work in a stressful job, and I pretty much gave up cycling. I quit my job in 2005 and had a break of 7 months before I started a new job and I needed something to get me out of the house as I became a bit depressed at having nothing to do and so I bought a new bike and got back into it again, with the encouragement of @Rickshaw Phil . I have progressed from there really and after I had a heart operation in 2011 I was determined to get fitter and my recovery spurred me on to buy a better bike and up my mileage. I love the feeling that being out on my bike gives me and I reckon a few GP's ought to prescribe cycling instead of pills to improve people's mood!
subaqua
What’s the point
- Location
- Leytonstone
used to ride everywhere as a kid. to and from school ( to avoid the bullies) then once i was home i would go out and ride for hours and hours. now i look at the routes i rode and the times i was doing it in i realise i must have been fairly good at it ! loved watching the TDF and wanted to be Stephen Roche ( glad i didn't turn out like him !)
sadly at 17 discovered beer birds n cars. stopped riding and my trusty heavy gas pipe bike ,upon which i could beat the scirrocco and 531 frame guys
, languished in my dads shed. I brought it to London when i moved down here 15 yr ago.
I was a fat ( still am compared to some racing snakes) , unfit smoker rapidly heading to 40 with a cholesterol level also approaching the " you should be in a coffin" level, when i started to work on constructing a significant part of the olympic park . the options to get there were spend 90 minutes on pubic transport to travel the 3 miles to the south portal and then cross 3 miles over the park to the north. decided that i could cycle to the north portal and walk the 500yds to site and it would take me about 45 minutes. that was in Aug 2010. them 3 miles nearly killed me but it got me hooked again and i now have more bikes than my wife would like me to have and have donated 2 to Charity projects ( my original Raleigh Phantom with shifters on the down tube, and my BSA west coast town clunker ) . I ride 8 miles into work and in nice weather 25- 30 miles home.
my kids love riding and i would ride everywhere if i could.
sadly at 17 discovered beer birds n cars. stopped riding and my trusty heavy gas pipe bike ,upon which i could beat the scirrocco and 531 frame guys
, languished in my dads shed. I brought it to London when i moved down here 15 yr ago. I was a fat ( still am compared to some racing snakes) , unfit smoker rapidly heading to 40 with a cholesterol level also approaching the " you should be in a coffin" level, when i started to work on constructing a significant part of the olympic park . the options to get there were spend 90 minutes on pubic transport to travel the 3 miles to the south portal and then cross 3 miles over the park to the north. decided that i could cycle to the north portal and walk the 500yds to site and it would take me about 45 minutes. that was in Aug 2010. them 3 miles nearly killed me but it got me hooked again and i now have more bikes than my wife would like me to have and have donated 2 to Charity projects ( my original Raleigh Phantom with shifters on the down tube, and my BSA west coast town clunker ) . I ride 8 miles into work and in nice weather 25- 30 miles home.
my kids love riding and i would ride everywhere if i could.
stevey
Guru
- Location
- sutton coldfield
Started like most on here with a raleigh grifter (blue) loved it pretended to be a speedway rider 
Then discovered the thing called alcohol,kebabs and partying....
Put on a sh*t load of weight became very unhealthy always convincing myself i was the party animal...Forward 20+ years, just stopped got myself a MTB started riding over the local park absolutely shattered
started to loose the weight actually really enjoyed it,
Thought to myself "how would i get on with a road bike" so i bought a cheap one from the LBS from that day of first MTB'ing to this day of road bikes totally hooked
It is the one thing that gets rid of stress from work and all the other crap, you can just get on your bike and go.... Love it
Then discovered the thing called alcohol,kebabs and partying....
Put on a sh*t load of weight became very unhealthy always convincing myself i was the party animal...Forward 20+ years, just stopped got myself a MTB started riding over the local park absolutely shattered started to loose the weight actually really enjoyed it,Thought to myself "how would i get on with a road bike" so i bought a cheap one from the LBS from that day of first MTB'ing to this day of road bikes totally hooked
It is the one thing that gets rid of stress from work and all the other crap, you can just get on your bike and go.... Love it
Like others I cycled as a kid/youth. Transferred my affections to motorbikes, road and trials, in the early 80's and got married as well. Fifteen years later son number one learns to ride a bike and obviously to keep him company I had to get a bike. He is now 21, his brother is 18 and we now have far too many/not enough bikes. I have to say most of our biking has been off road but in the last few years we have started to get out on the road bikes. So 50 years after pretending to be Dave bickers ( scambling, for those too young to remember) around the local park the wheels continue to turn.......
DooDah
Veteran
- Location
- France, now Northamptonshire
Seems like there are many on here from the Raleigh Grifter club. I was part of the Raleigh Chopper set myself, wish I had never got rid of it, although I did progress to a Raleigh Winner. Now THAT was a road bike, stunning metallic black/silver/red colour scheme and the best foam bar tape/grips. I wizzed around for miles on that.
Seems like there are many on here from the Raleigh Grifter club. I was part of the Raleigh Chopper set myself, wish I had never got rid of it, although I did progress to a Raleigh Winner. Now THAT was a road bike, stunning metallic black/silver/red colour scheme and the best foam bar tape/grips. I wizzed around for miles on that.
Chopper (Yellow)..then upgraded to a blue/grey Grifter
Andy clarke
Senior Member
- Location
- Stockbridge
Same ol' really cycled a lot when I was younger,
No 34 nearly nine months post kidney transplant,
I had bought a cheap rock hopper I don't even know how old it is! End of November I started riding to work 5.5miles each way.
I swapped an air rifle for a 2010 team carbon boardman with just over 100 miles on it!!!
Today for the first time I rode 40 miles
!! I'm not allowed to lift heavy weight until may but I'm allowed to cycle so game on!!
No 34 nearly nine months post kidney transplant,
I had bought a cheap rock hopper I don't even know how old it is! End of November I started riding to work 5.5miles each way.
I swapped an air rifle for a 2010 team carbon boardman with just over 100 miles on it!!!
Today for the first time I rode 40 miles
!! I'm not allowed to lift heavy weight until may but I'm allowed to cycle so game on!!
- Location
- Glasgow
Never had a bike when a kid or an adult. Used to walk a lot or take the bus. Hate driving.
At about 40 something bought a bike in a car boot sale, used to ride it maybe 6 times a year during the summer to go to town.
Then, years later, started shift work in large venues out of town, public transport practically non existent, used to take me 90 minutes for a 5 mile commute.
A colleague suggested cycling, so I dusted the old bso off, never looked back.
Got 3 working bikes now, plus 2 not operational, lots of gear and tools, discovered cycling for pleasure. Training to be a cycle instructor: love showing women folk the freedom a bike gives you and the amount of chocolate one can eat with impunity 
At about 40 something bought a bike in a car boot sale, used to ride it maybe 6 times a year during the summer to go to town.
Then, years later, started shift work in large venues out of town, public transport practically non existent, used to take me 90 minutes for a 5 mile commute.
A colleague suggested cycling, so I dusted the old bso off, never looked back.
Got 3 working bikes now, plus 2 not operational
, lots of gear and tools, discovered cycling for pleasure. Training to be a cycle instructor: love showing women folk the freedom a bike gives you and the amount of chocolate one can eat with impunity
DooDah
Veteran
- Location
- France, now Northamptonshire
Yellow Chopper for me as well, loved the three gears until I slid forwards off the saddle, then it hurt a lot. Wish I had kept it, brings back great memories.
Yup....they were great fun bikes. Unstable as buggery if you got it up to any speed..but great fun.
DooDah
Veteran
- Location
- France, now Northamptonshire
If I remember right, you could pull great wheelies though
Peteaud
Veteran
- Location
- South Somerset
Had an old mtb in the garage and when we moved decided to get back on it. Then new job and the guy i worked with cycled in most days, grew from there.
Then quit smoking, loved the freedom a road bike gives me and never looked back.
Then quit smoking, loved the freedom a road bike gives me and never looked back.
- Location
- Egham
Indeed, the Raleigh Grifter, heaviest bike in the World, but remember the tyres, how coolSeems like there are many on here from the Raleigh Grifter club. I was part of the Raleigh Chopper set myself, wish I had never got rid of it, although I did progress to a Raleigh Winner. Now THAT was a road bike, stunning metallic black/silver/red colour scheme and the best foam bar tape/grips. I wizzed around for miles on that.
Though of course the Chopper had the way cooler shifter...