Hello from Manchester where the sun is shining.....

[Sca1ey]

I cycle back from the pub on the TPT and never see another soul.

 

[skudupnorth]

I sometimes ride it in the dark from the old Railway pub near Lymm to Broadheath and it's fun ! The only thing i come across is bats and bloody Owls wanting to eat me

 

[I like Skol]

Well, I can only comment from a daytime user point-of-view but in the 5 or 6 times I have travelled the length of the Fallowfield Loop from the Debdale sailing club to Chorlton and back I have never seen any individuals or groups that would worry me. Plenty of cyclists of all kinds, lots of lone female joggers and walkers, dog walkers and normally an old guy on a mobility buggy walking his equally elderly dog in the Levenshulme area.
Absolutely no concerns about personal safety, and enough regular traffic to mean if you had an accident or other incident I reckon a passer by would be with you within a couple of minutes. I am not saying it couldn't happen but I think there are to many users about to make it a decent prospect for someone to get up to no good undisturbed.

 

[fudgepanda]

That's great folks, thanks for the replies, that sets my mind at ease. On the other hand, I could take Mrs. Fudgepanda with me, she'll see off any muggers. I didn't realise that it ran all the way from/to Lymm, that's amazing.

 

[fudgepanda]

I managed to oil the chain on an old mountain bike I've had knocking around for a few years but very rarely ridden it. When she heard I was buying a bike Mrs. Fudgepanda asked about the old mtb and since then she's been out on it twice and so far hasn't fallen off. She seems to be pretty serious about it and am taking her to the Velodrome on (probably) Thursday to let her have a look at the place and try some bikes for size. Now she's talking about buying one. If she turns out to be faster than me, she's out. God I hope she doesn't read this, I'll get such a tatering.

 

[Iainj837]

Hi Fudge and

 

[SavageHoutkop]

I have no qualms about the Chorlton <-> Fallowfield leg safety wise (don't ride the other bits often enough to comment). In daytime it's fairly busy with joggers, dog walkers, other cyclists and all sorts, it's less busy at night but that doesn't stop me using it.That stretch is all smooth tar as well (past the tram stop in Chorlton make sure you pick up the road rather than the horrible concrete blocks shared walkway though if you're on a road bike, it's bad enough on my Brompton which has fairly fat tyres)

 

[fudgepanda]

Hi Fudge and

Hi Iain and thanks for the welcome. Nice to see we're on first name terms already.

 

[Iainj837]

Hi Iain and thanks for the welcome. Nice to see we're on first name terms already.

 

[Part time cyclist]

Hi and welcome to the forum, well done for taking the first step to a healthier lifestyle...

 

[fudgepanda]

Well I picked up my bike 3 days ago on Thursday, a Bianchi Camaleonte 3 hybrid from Bike Doctor in Fallowfield in Manchester. Had to have the front wheel taken off to get it in the car as I wasn't going to risk riding home and when I got back it was clear I didn't understand the principles of the quick release wheel and cocked it up putting it back on. So, yesterday, Friday I mounted up and rode it back to the shop which was 6 miles (the Tour de France to me) via the Fallowfield Loop and found it to be as described above; well surfaced and populated by parents bringing their kids home from school, dog walkers who, even if their animals were off the lead kept them well under control, and other cyclists. The shop sorted out my problem without a trace of condecension. So a 12 mile round trip as well as a new bike. The only downside was that on the way back about a mile from home I had to ride down a hill that led to a bridge over the M60. Up onto the bridge then down the far side watching the speedo climbing up to 22mph and then up another hill watching the speedo reading go from 22 to 21 to 20 and so on until it dipped below 3mph and stopped registering and I gave in and walked the next few hundred yards before remounting and getting home.

I stuck the bike in the back garden and went upstairs and I've got to tell you, even taking into account when I was on crutches earlier this year, that was the hardest 13 stairs I've ever climbed in my life. It felt like I was wearing wellingtons filled with concrete!

 

[I like Skol]

Ace! Sounds like you enjoyed the ride anyway. That is a sweet looking bike. I just googled it as I always thought Bianchi was a road bike brand for dentists and solicitors, never realised they did hybrids too.

Just a word of warning (and I hope it's not too late!), be careful about security. A sharp looking bike like that will dissappear in a flash if left lying around. Shoving it in the back garden might be a high risk strategy as you never know who might have spotted you returning home and you wouldn't be the first person to get back from a ride and nip into the house for a quick drink while some scum bag rides off on their bike!!!

 

[fudgepanda]

Thanks for that. You're right of course and I'm trying to be careful who's around when I put it away, although at the moment I'm going in through the front door so hopefully anyone watching will think they've got to burgle the house to steal it. I'm going to have to lay some flagstones and put a shed (or similar) up out back to keep it out of sight and keep the worst of the weather off. I wouldn't mind getting a proper motorcycle garage so the Yam can go in it plus the Bianchi, and the wife's Pinacle when it arrives, but they're prohibitively expensive. It never gets left out the front and is locked and under a cover out the back. I've tried to leave it in the kitchen but unfortunately the wife has one or two objections.

I've uploaded some pics to photbucket and when I finally work out how to put them on here they'll be proudly displayed.

 

[fudgepanda]

.....an old guy on a mobility buggy walking his equally elderly dog in the Levenshulme area.

I actually saw him, unless there are two old chaps on mobility scooters walking equally elderly dogs. I've put some photos in the Photo Gallery of my new Italian (Taiwanese) mistress. After I rode to Fallowfield I actually wiped the backs of the brake calipers (which are white) with a kitchen towel. I'm a bit of a dunce in these matters so it's quite possible that all my photos have come up, including several holidays, various dogs, cars, motorbikes and the wife sunbathing near the hotel pool in Italy last year. If that's the case I might be in hospital for a while.

 

[fudgepanda]

Hi and welcome to the forum, well done for taking the first step to a healthier lifestyle...

Ta muchly. Feel at home already.