Cycling

[hunck]

I re-found-out that my grandfather was president of the North Rd cycling club. My brother has a '50 years of the club' book dated 1935 written by him, so it started in 1885. One of the first cycling clubs in the country.

They used to cover some impressive distances, men & women - browsing through it I found reports of a Barnet to Doncaster & back again ride in 1897, a distance of 300 miles. The winner did it in 20 hours - not bad going when you consider the bikes were probably fairly heavy with minimal gears. No cars, or very few, to worry about of course. Don't know what sort of condition the roads were in at that time. There was a photo of a 4 man cycle, which I don't think I've seen before. A track machine rather than road.

The club is still going & I think he's going to offer them the book if they don't already have it.

 

[escargot]

I re-found-out that my grandfather was president of the North Rd cycling club. My brother has a '50 years of the club' book dated 1935 written by him, so it started in 1885. One of the first cycling clubs in the country.

Where I live there have been cycling clubs since well back in the 19th century. There were plenty of people to maintain bikes as the area was founded on heavy and light engineering.
Besides, it's nice and flat. Everybody cycles here! Techy's home town is much hillier so there's not the same cycling tradition.

 

[OneWingedBird]

Most of Yorkshire seems to be hilly as fuck.

I often tease hipsters who have moved up from London about how much they're not riding their fixed gear bikes.

 

[escargot]

On our regular tootle just now, Techy was nearly splattered on a crossing by a car.

The lights were on green for us. As usual I held back for a second before crossing to make sure any vehicles approaching unseen were stopping*, and so hadn't set off at the same time as Techy. The car came round the roundabout from our right and I saw it accelerate after the bend.

I shouted 'He's not stopping!' and Techy braked hard and turned his front wheel away from the car. It ended up parallel to the car body as the wing mirror hit his elbow, and he leaned on the wing, glaring at the driver.

The driver and passenger were both horrified and apologetic. We carried on crossing and set off home to change our pants.
When I looked back the car was still there, possibly for a couple more minutes, before moving off. I suspect the driver was trying to pull himself together.

*Couple of years back I was nearly splattered in exactly the same way on another crossing about 200 yards away! I always wait an extra second to see the whites of drivers' eyes. Caution pays off.

 

[Krepostnoi]

Most of Yorkshire seems to be hilly as fuck.

I often tease hipsters who have moved up from London about how much they're not riding their fixed gear bikes.

My grandad in his youth did a cycle tour of the Brecon Beacons. On a fixie! I don't know which would be worse, the ascents or the descents...

 

[Frideswide]

Most of Yorkshire seems to be hilly as fuck.

I did a lot of fieldwork by bike when I was at York. Had two ranging rods strapped on my back like lances and yes, hilly as all fuck.

I often tease hipsters who have moved up from London about how much they're not riding their fixed gear bikes.

*snigger* You have such style!

 

[INT21]

Fridewide,

York area is bike friendly, and quite flat. Hull also has had cycleways for years.

I'm from the hilly part of Yorkshire, And I can agree it is damn hard work on a bike.

INT21.

 

[Sie]

I've just managed to fall off my bike on my way home from work, so am posting here in a bid for sympathy. Nothing particularly fortean about it....I'm afraid, I just put my foot down wrong, overbalanced and gravity did the rest. Wish I was the poster who has a supply of germolene in his first-aid kit ...

 

[GNC]

I've just managed to fall off my bike on my way home from work, so am posting here in a bid for sympathy. Nothing particularly fortean about it....I'm afraid, I just put my foot down wrong, overbalanced and gravity did the rest. Wish I was the poster who has a supply of germolene in his first-aid kit ...

I hope you only bruised your pride and nothing else!

 

[Yithian]

I hope you only bruised your pride and nothing else!

Or the legs either side.

 

[escargot]

I've just managed to fall off my bike on my way home from work, so am posting here in a bid for sympathy. Nothing particularly fortean about it....I'm afraid, I just put my foot down wrong, overbalanced and gravity did the rest. Wish I was the poster who has a supply of germolene in his first-aid kit ...

Did that 'putting the foot down and missing the ground' bit a few weeks ago. Wasn't even moving, had already stopped. It was like TIMBERRRRR and THUD.

It was at a petrol station so several drivers rushed over to stand me back up. Kind people!

 

[escargot]

I've just managed to fall off my bike on my way home from work, so am posting here in a bid for sympathy. Nothing particularly fortean about it....I'm afraid, I just put my foot down wrong, overbalanced and gravity did the rest. Wish I was the poster who has a supply of germolene in his first-aid kit ...

Anyway how are you? Nothing too painful, I hope.

 

[Tempest63]

If anyone starts spouting this crap in person to me (bearing in kind that they won't do it when I'm dressed like a cyclist!) I smile and say 'Oh right, what training do YOU do? Running? Are you in a club? Not running, weights then? What can you 'press? I love the bench, me! Not weights... Swimming? Do you swim? Very good for the upper body and lungs...' and on for a bit until they tell me how much they hate all that exercise rubbish. This always happens before I run out of events and get to Tetris or tiddleywinks.

I’m proud to say I walk past at least FIVE gyms on the way to the pub after work!

 

[Schrodinger's Zebra]

I've just managed to fall off my bike on my way home from work, so am posting here in a bid for sympathy. Nothing particularly fortean about it....I'm afraid, I just put my foot down wrong, overbalanced and gravity did the rest. Wish I was the poster who has a supply of germolene in his first-aid kit ...

hope it's nothing too serious. Get yourself better soon.

 

[cycleboy2]

I've just managed to fall off my bike on my way home from work, so am posting here in a bid for sympathy. Nothing particularly fortean about it....I'm afraid, I just put my foot down wrong, overbalanced and gravity did the rest. Wish I was the poster who has a supply of germolene in his first-aid kit ...

Gravity's a hard-arsed unforgiving bastard - done me a couple of times, helped variously by an oily patch and black ice. Personally, I blame Isaac Newton - it was fine till he came along, the galumphing apple-thwacked alchemist. (Sorry, I am very, very tired. Good luck with the recovery from the fall. They happen. Unfortunately.)

 

[ramonmercado]

Gravity's a hard-arsed unforgiving bastard - done me a couple of times, helped variously by an oily patch and black ice. Personally, I blame Isaac Newton - it was fine till he came along, the galumphing apple-thwacked alchemist. (Sorry, I am very, very tired. Good luck with the recovery from the fall. They happen. Unfortunately.)

Satan dropped that apple on Newton's head.

 

[Sie]

Aww, thank you all. I have a bruise and a couple of scrapes and as GNC correctly diagnosed a small dent in my ego but I'm OK. Thanks for the reassurance that it happens even to the best of us, Escargot and Cycleboy. I cycle to work most days so will be back in the saddle this morning, paying special attention to feet and gravity.

 

[hunck]

Let it go, Hunk. I already have.

Bigoted biking bollocks has to be called out. I'm now letting it go.

 

[Spookdaddy]

Apropos of nothing - I was going through my bookshelves the other day when I came upon this:

Published in 1895 in Glasgow. Apart from some foxing and a few rust marks around the staples - in really good condition.

But also of historical interest. On the first page is an embossed stamp which indicates the book was sold by WH Smith & Son.

...and, as everyone knows, 1895 was officially the last year that WH Smith wasn't shit.

 

[David Plankton]

...and, as everyone knows, 1895 was the officially the last year that WH Smith wasn't shit.

They were never the same after that Lambeth Poisoner business in '91.

 

[Spookdaddy]

They were never the same after that Lambeth Poisoner business in '91.

Ah, yes. Had not Dr Cream been shopping at the precise moment an assistant had followed company policy by deliberately mispositioning a two month out of date edition of the Vegetable Poisons Digest in the Household Interests sections, under a pile of The Corset and Cummerbund Examiner, next to a pile of greetings cards depicting interesting scenes from the records of the London Metropolitan Board of Works, and behind a basket selling discounted chocolate left over from the late Anglo-Zulu war - while yet another new manager, hiding from his loud and surly staff behind an enormous pile of newspapers, in an aisle so narrow and cluttered it is impossible even for a dead man to fall over in it, stared blankly at the tip of his woodbine with the appearance of someone whose soul was dripping slowly out of his earhole - then who knows what might not have happened.

 

[escargot]

We've had an epic day's riding. Train to Llandudno Junction, tootled across to Conwy for Greek food at the Food Fair or summat, saw gulls stealing meat as it cooked on a barbecue.

Then cycled to Bangor, wandered round a bit, had a pint, strolled on the pier, enjoyed the views.

Train back to Conwy and drinks at the Liverpool Arms, over to the Junction again for the train home.

My back tyre went down at the Arms. Probably too many bottles and cartons of juice and water. Had to send Techy home for my car to stick the bike in to get it home.

Home now with sunburn.

 

[Spookdaddy]

...My back tyre went down at the Arms...

That sounds like a euphemism for the temporary breakdown of equipment that sometimes occurs in pubs - and really has nothing to do with bicycles.

 

[Schrodinger's Zebra]

We've had an epic day's riding. Train to Llandudno Junction, tootled across to Conwy for Greek food at the Food Fair or summat, saw gulls stealing meat as it cooked on a barbecue.

Then cycled to Bangor, wandered round a bit, had a pint, strolled on the pier, enjoyed the views.

Train back to Conwy and drinks at the Liverpool Arms, over to the Junction again for the train home.

My back tyre went down at the Arms. Probably too many bottles and cartons of juice and water. Had to send Techy home for my car to stick the bike in to get it home.

Home now with sunburn.

Sounds like a lovely day out

I've just had a look at google maps to get a feel for where you were. Crikey that's a long cycle from Conwy to Bangor!

 

[escargot]

Sounds like a lovely day out

I've just had a look at google maps to get a feel for where you were. Crikey that's a long cycle from Conwy to Bangor!

It's not one of our longer rides but it was a bit stiff in yesterday's heat!

The views along there are stunning. It was clear yesterday so we could see Puffin Island and the Penmon Point lighthouse for most of the ride. We've cycled there from Bangor but it would have been too far yesterday.

Well, I was up for it but Techy's blisters weren't.

 

[OneWingedBird]

Clearly I need to use my bell more as some people can't see what's directly in front of them and travelling in the right direction.

Alos, artists impression of a bellend salmon contrubuted by leeds cycling network:

http://imgur.com/LyWc482

 

[Mythopoeika]

Reckon that man hasn't been using a bike much. Very poor skills there.

 

[Naughty_Felid]

Reckon that man hasn't been using a bike much. Very poor skills there.

He wasn't looking where he was going.

 

[OneWingedBird]

While travelling in the wrong direction.

 

[Schrodinger's Zebra]

Permission to join the cycling thread please?

Mr Zebra and I have been trying to get fitter and recently dug out our bikes from the garage (its been absolutely years since we've done any cycling). Problem was, I found that due to my disability, I can no longer ride my bike as I don't have the balance anymore. So... with a bit of help from online secondhand selling sites, we found the solution - a tricycle!

I've been 'having a go' on it just up our road and back, cos it takes a bit of getting used to compared to riding a bicycle (it's surprisingly different). So tonight was our first actual cycle ride for... ooh, probably eight or nine years. We got out of our road and and managed to go up t'other road a bit (until a slight hill that never seemed too bad in the car, became too much for us). I still haven't fully got the hang of it, but I'm definitely improving since my first foray up our road. So only out and about for 10 minutes, but that's 10 minutes more than nothing and it's improved my confidence a bit. Mr Zebra thoroughly enjoyed it.

Wednesday is hopefully going to be our cycle ride night - "bicycling on every Wednesday evening"* and all that

So... are we worthy of joining the cycling fraternity?

*Did you get the Queen song reference?