Why did you ride again

[Chrisc]

Hired bikes on jollies in Holland last summer and loved it. Bought a Dutch bike as soon as we got home and a road bike last weekend. Wonder what I'll get next?

 

[new-fish]

Wanted to lose weight, and get an interest outside the pub and lounge. Just over a year on, i'm just shy of under 3 stone lighter, and absolutely hooked. Easily the best money i've ever spent, still not gone over 36 miles on a spin, yet, but watch this space

 

[slowmotion]

Got to the age where sat of the sofa being a vegetable is more dangerous than riding a bike on the road.

Absolutely....

 

[Headgardener]

My brother sold me his Saracen hybrid when he bought a new bike (he didn't like his new one so he tried to sell me that instead ). Up'til then I hadn't ridden for about fifteen years. Now I own a Dawes Horizion as well and am looking forward to getting out on that more as the weather improves.

 

[addictfreak]

I hired a mountain bike in Grizedale Forest Cumbria and was hooked.

Bought my own MTB shortly after, and now have a couple of roadies too.
Just wish I had more time to cycle.

 

[jayonabike]

Congratulations and well done!!

I dread to think how much money i've wasted over the years , not to mention the damage to my health. I really wish i gave up smoking years ago. Oh well, the main thing is i've given up now and got into cycling

 

[fossyant]

Long time cyclist, got into it properly from 16, had job, money so bought a very good Raleigh (531c and Shimano 600/Ultegra... Joined a club..became club secretary...

Got a very very nice custom built bike, then an MTB - up to 3 bikes..............(still have them)

Raced every weekend until about 28..... Commuted by bike until about the same time - got wiped out, v. lucky, got banned from commuting by my wife....

Job change/senior position meant I was 30 mile commutes, company car, long hours. Rides were the odd weekend, and then kids..... Moved to another job similar distance, rides still weekends and some week nights.... but lots of travel...shoving £250 plus a month in the car for fuel..............

Got fed up not being 'race fit' like I used to be, feeling slammed on hills . Decided to change, so got a job 3 years ago nearer to home, in the magic 10 mile commute distance....... Got another bike (fixed) for work 12 months ago - first 'new' bike for over 15 years........

Commuted just about every day since, shed 2 stone in 3 months (back then) and it stayed off, could lose more...but hey...I like my wine too much.....

Back to being totally addicted.

Do not even talk about the money I've spent in the last 3 years on bike kit (1 bike of about £1k...probably another £3k on kit.......)

 

[palinurus]

I had to get to work somehow, figured I'd ride and then get a car once I'd saved some money. Never did.

I spent it all on beer so had to stick with the bike.

 

[Muddyfox]

I spend about 10 hours a day driving for my living, and its great to get home switch the mobile phone off and get out on the bike for an hour or so, ive recently bought a touring bike and im looking forward to doing some short tours this year

Simon

 

[longers]

Almost always done a bit of cycling but then I got made redundant, found a job closer to home and the car immediately failed it's MOT. Never looked back!

 

[Gixxerman]

Always liked physical fitness - playing footie, kickboxing, running, hill walking etc.
I also like riding motorbikes, but the police were far to keen around lincolnshire and were always harrassing me.
So I sort of wanted to combine the two wheel thril, the open air and exercise.
So cycling was the obvious choice. I never thought the bug would bite as hard as it has and I am now thinking a doing a few tours.

 

[Sheffield_Tiger]

Walking.

I started to enjoy walks at the weekend, and walking to work. I wanted to walk more, so I needed to get to work and back quicker so that I could then head out, but didn't want to get back into the trap of driving to work. So I figured cycling was a good solution.

Then I started wanting to cycle more, and to run a little.....

 

[hotmetal]

I also like riding motorbikes, but the police were far to keen around lincolnshire and were always harrassing me.

That's cos you were on a Gixxer! Fuzz magnets they are!

I went for a test ride on Norm's Spesh Secteur just to dip my toe in the water of road bikes, and during a brief sprint 'just to see what she could do', one of the blighters jumped out from a bush with a speed camera! I was pedalling quite hard, but it is a bicycle FFS! Or maybe that's what passes for a sense of humour amongst traffic officers…

 

[Norm]

I went for a test ride on Norm's Spesh Secteur just to dip my toe in the water of road bikes, and during a brief sprint 'just to see what she could do', one of the blighters jumped out from a bush with a speed camera! I was pedalling quite hard, but it is a bicycle FFS! Or maybe that's what passes for a sense of humour amongst traffic officers…

Note that they didn't bother me... probably something to do with our relative speeds at that point.

Back on topic, I took it up to try and get back some fitness. As hottie will attest, I'm not the smallest of chaps but I've lost a couple of stone over the past 3 years. I'm more worried about fitness than size or shape, though, as gixxerman said, I now just love getting out and riding.

 

[perplexed]

I always wanted to peddle to work, but the distance added to a 12 hour working day made it unrealistic...

But then, hey presto, I managed to move quite a bit closer to work, enough to make it realistic to cycle.

So I do, I'm enjoy it thoroughly, and I've never looked back, as they say.

And even better, I'm not alone. There's a few cycling in now.