Cycling, do any of you own a pedal bike, do you use it often(obviously not at the mo)

I personally have both a car and a bike. The car is all about long trips and my laziness, the bike is indeed about my health, active lifestyle, and hobby.
However, I've recently encountered a problem with weak flashlights on my bike. I asked my husband to change them or fix them somehow. He gave me the amazon flashlights he had ordered a few years ago. He also showed me that all the necessary info regarding these flashlights I can find here. Thank God, my flashlights are bright now, it was pretty dangerous to ride without them, especially in the evenings.

Message deleted by Gransnet. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

good for you spangler

cycling is very good for health and freedom

Craftyone, reading about your attire, what I wear makes me look like a throwback to a time when bicycles were all that working people could afford.
The surgeon who performed my hip replacement told me to cycle and swim, both are very good exercise for the hip joint. My bike was a wreck, someone had thrown it out, but then had a change of heart and gave it to a charity shop. So for two quid I have a 1922 Philips ladies bike, it cleaned up beautifully, and not having the man's crossbar makes getting on and off so much easier. I do get some strange looks when riding around the New Forest roads.

Another ride under my belt and almost in a comfortable zone, not yet but nearly. This time ladies, very thin liner was placed further back on the pads, leaving the anatomically designed front section fully free to do their work, big difference and no need to put weight on pedals today

Cleanliness is key, got to keep the pads and all gear very clean and I have ordered sports wash for my machine. I will endevour to put 2 loads in there at one time as I have spare leggings and other lycra. I wore 2/3 lycra today with a ls t shirt. Next time I need to bite the bullet and wear lycra t shirt.

I had 2 separate large lorries give me deep gruff long hoots when I smiled at them. Great responses from most drivers. At one point slowing down after steep downhill with an immediate turn left and car behind, I just could not do more than a tiny snatched indicate, needed to control my back brake and my steering. Oh well, that will come in time

All those coming back to cycling, confidence does not appear by magic, practise brings confidence and choose the best times ie when there is minimal traffic. If there are two of you then see about putting the bikes on a car and going somewhere peaceful. Me, I will be going to the flat quiet levels, once I am confident enough to rest my bike in my car. Village hall car parks are good places to offload

I hope so luckygoldB, I am feeling very lucky in that motorists have been on the whole, very considerate, even on the busy road that I must use to complete my circuit

I always pump my tyres too, they naturally lose air through rubber. My road bike says 90 max, ds says to be lower than that for a more comfortable ride, so I did 85. He makes sense, 90 is for all weights and sizes of people. I did my heavy bike, 45 for that, I`ll be using that today, will lock it up on the cycle racks while I get my hair cut

Very important to rotate wheels and keep the tyres pumped, to prevent deterioration if not being used for a while. I even keep the kalkhoff pumped, I want to look after it. I am now thinking of a folding bike stand, makes for easier maintenance, chains need looking after, cleaning and greasing and I use a foot pump and learnt how correctly to pump up via a presto valve

What an interesting thread, I've cycled since my husband introduced me to it when we got married. I used to live in Oxford where everyone cycles and there are lots of cycle paths. There was also a dedicated women's cycle group which was friendly and fun.

I think with saddles, you have to keep trying until you find one that is comfortable and the position you ride in -upright or leaning forward - makes a difference.

It's amazing how many people are cycling now and so many children looking comfortable and confident on bikes that my children would only have dreamed of owning. They must be going to bring change in the future which will be good for us all. The age of the motor car is waning.

There are umpteen reasons why women don`t take to cycling and a biggie is the discomfort. Males can hoik their `bits` out of the way, women cannot and going faster often means leaning forward. We are all different but basically the same and not much out there is helpful to women in the saddle. It is just not spoken about

I have had my third session on my leather saddle today and thankful for the rainy, windy week after the last session, to recover. This time I went the whole hog and did what I was supposed to do, pads to skin, bearing in mind that fat lad leggings have anatomically shaped pads for women. I had been thinking about the amazon padded shorts but no, I compared pads and they are unisex, not good when I also have a saddle to break in. You must realise that I am not talking back end here. To be hygienic I did use an very thin panty lining, it was very thin. I came back feeling comfortable and my leggings are washed and drying outside

So far so good, I believe that my saddle is going to be `the` one for me. Right now, I could not go farther than I did and I did use pedal pressure to lift up a little from the saddle from time to time but I must say that I was very much more comfortable than my last ride

VQ you are doing very well. I do about 9 on my `round the block` ride, I am exploring the area and it is full of hills. Last place I lived was fabulous for riding, flat and beautiful, I am going to pop my bike into my car and park up there for a ride soon.

My husband was a 100% cyclist, won schoolboy championship at 15 and was a super cyclist all his life, did about 200 miles a week, he eventually died while riding and he always said that when it was his time, that he would wish to die on his bike. We used to go out together at times but his road bike was too fast so he went on a birdy bike and me on my electric bike, carrying a picnic in my pannier. 40 miles, it was lovely. I never even had to pum my tyres, everything was always maintained as if my magic but I am learning and I clean my chain etc and have changed tyres and tubes at home

Getting out with my bike further afield is one important reason for me to have a lightweight bike. I have done 2 rides on it so far and need lots more practice to become familiar with the responsiveness. I received my new helmet today, cost me a lot of money but has to be worth it, a giro mips helmet. It fits so well, was very easy to adjust and yes I learnt a long time ago how I must wear my helmet

A few years ago we cycled passed a really pretty young woman with her boyfriend. As we passed she made a very loud derogatory remark about my bum. I looked back and saw a look of horror on her boyfriend's face. He was obviously embarrassed by her words. At first I thought,

"Well that's it. I was right all along. A bum like mine does not belong on a bike."

But then I thought,

"Hell I like cycling and she's just ignorant. Beauty fades but ignorance will stay with her for the rest of her life"

Exercise and fitness is not exclusive to the thin. We BBWs can enjoy the same activities and receive all it's benefits. It's a bit hot to do atm but my next ride will be about 15 miles (my longest so far is 10 miles). We used to ride a few years ago but DH was told he had to stop. He was given the all clear just before lockdown. My first ride in March this year was just over 1 mile. It nearly killed me because we've moved to a far hillier area so I figure I'm doing something right as the hills don't seem nearly as challenging and I've beaten 3 'impossible' hills so far. Cycling is fun, it's helping me to lose weight and I finish a ride with an endorphin high. Total win situation

Janeainsworth, I bought that top, I decided that I would be the face of non skinnies around here and maybe more women will come out and cycle. It should not be male dominated, I think what stops many women is body image and not being able to get clothing. Everything in eg wiggle is geared to taller skinnies. Smaller bikes are very hard to source unless you go the halfords route, not good enough for road cyclists

How wonderful that you are all able to cycle!!! Keep up the good work !!

oh yes, Craftyone me on a bike.....I wonder if my Vertigo will kick in before I fall off or wait until I’m under a tractor?

Thanks craftyone. I'd never heard of Fat lad at the back. So nice to find a site that doesn't think all cyclists at skinny minnies.

I started one on sports, we have progressed

oopsadaisy, try joining the merry band of cycling brothers, fresh air and exercise, cannot be beaten and yes manners and expertise is needed if cycling in a group. Me, I behave better than many dog walkers who straddle the road with their dogs and I always call out or ring my bell. Great to see children on bikes, fabulous to see them out with parents

Shall we start a cycling thread on the sports forum?

Our country lanes are being swamped by cyclists, obviously practising for a reason, heads down Bums up and racing along, sometimes 3 abreast being a pain, shouting their heads off to each other, mind you some of these bikes are so quiet that I often have to jump off of the road before I get run down ( no footpaths where I live) so the louder they shout the better,
Others who seem to be fairly new to cycling, you can hear them panting before you hear the bikes, at least I get some warning.
Then you get the families, with small children, wobbling across the road, which is really worrying, but the children shout hello as they wobble past, which is sweet.
I guess once people are back to work and children to school there will be fewer cyclists around here as I don’t think any are local, at the height of the lockdown one chap said that he had cycled from a town 25 miles away , he said it was great, no cars! You can imagine my reply as he rode off.

I think a bike is good for balance, like standing on one leg is good for the brain. I find I can almost be st a standstill and still have 2 feet on my heavier bike, not sure yet about the new bike, haven`t tried it yet

Cycling is definitely a super nice way to get fitter, while seeing more of the countryside, not for strength training though. Carrying compost and lifting weights and using stretch bands does that. I am going to see if I can find that ladies club that I saw out once, all ages and sizes

NO! I am hopeless in traffic and start wobbling madly as soon as I hear a vehicle behind me. I know it’s psychological but I’d much rather walk, however long it takes, than get on a bike.

oh my jersey is not nearly as fantastic as that one. I LOVE it

Mine is similar to that, they are lovely quality and why not, oversize should ne stop us

I am so shattered now, I did a couple of tweaks and one took me far longer than it should have. I replaced the skinny saddle with a wide brooks and of course the rails are not exactly the same. I had such a lot of tight fiddling to do to get it on, then get it horizontal and then get my little emergency bag on the bag. I started off using a torque wrench and it took me a long time to realise that the hex bolts are also adjustments around horizontal, doh. It said 8-10 Nm, so I went to 8 at the back and that gave me a tilt. I have no idea what the torque is now but it feels safe

Then I put a wireless cateye velo computer on, I only really want to know distance, speed and time.

Ooh! I want this one

VQ, yes they do, I got size 5 which is hip 46 from fatladattheback, they do up to hip 55inches. I happen to have a full set in a blue pattern, lol will accidentally match my bike. Its devil and deep blue sea really, comfort means going out more often because it becomes pleasureable and the bi-product will be weight loss

I wore 3 pairs around my bum this morning, comfy knicks, then padded shorts from amazon and then comfy trousers. The ones from fat lad, the pedal pushers with the pads are much more comfy. The done thing is to ride with the pads next to skin, haha not me though. I didn`t forget cycle clips, no protection over the chain on this bike

I just ordered a cateye wireless velo, I want to know how far I have gone

I am so looking forward to being able to lift this bike into my car and going further afield, terrified of punctures on these skinny tyres but I carry the kit to cope and will travel routes that lycra cyclists use. Method in my madness, my husband helped loads of people with punctures but still hoping I can manage. The tyres do have puncture protection

My electric bike weighs about 20kg and kettler weighs 26kg. I love the kettler as a basic workhorse winter bike. I wish they were importing the lighter ones, I would get a replacement for that one

lol, all road traffic gave me a wide berth today, I must look dodgy, rounded, older with uncut white hair riding this superfast bike. I didn`t dare take my hand off to say thank you but I did manage to indcate turns because I was slower then. I do remember some of what hubbie taught me like outside leg down on the outside of a tight bend. Reduce pedalling force to change gear etc

Talking of cycling knickers I have bought 2 beautiful pairs from Velour Vixen online, they don't do the boring black ones. I think they do very large sizes Vampire Queen.

I have just bought myself another bike, an electric one as I want to further but just get so tired, but I needed it to be light weight so I could lift it onto my bike rack if needed. It weight15.5 kg and its a Calendale but I won't have it to end of July beginning of September