How has your cycling changed through the years?

[Oldhippy]

I've been riding a bike since I was a kid and it has been full-time transport for years. All weather, all seasons do anything kind of bike. Not aware of it changing much over the years.

 

[Toshiba Boy]

Dad was a racing cyclist in the late 50's and early 60's, he taught myself and my younger sister to ride bikes not too long after we could walk!

Never lost the love of the bike since.

As a kid in the late 60's through the 70's, went all over "our patch" by bike, but Dad never allowed me a Chopper, only "proper" bikes :-)

First road bike at age 11, never been without one (or many more, N+1 and all that) since, over the following 46 years. Mum allowed me to commute the 3 miles each way to senior school from September 1976, and as such, two months ago, I chalked up my 45th anniversary of commuting to school/work.

Never raced, but have taken part in a few short course Tris (OK swimmer, pretty OK cyclist, lousy runner), and many Sportives.

For the first time in my adult life, gifted away one of my roadbikes to a mate's young son, who had been through a tough time post his parents' acrimonious break-up, my late Dad would have approved. The remainder of all the bikes I've accrued in my adult life, live in various parts of the house, sheds etc., as my wife reminds me every now and then. Hey your children grow up and move out, but your bikes are your bikes.

Definitely somewhat slower and do not do the same mileage/long rides nowadays, but this very morning, caught myself grinning like a Cheshire Cat, as the road opened up before me at the start of my commute, 11 years old all over again.

 

[MontyVeda]

As a kid it was a 'stunt' machine; jumps, skids, more skids, doing the longest skid on a cinder path, threadbare tyres, pleading with dad to buy a new tyre, then skidding some more.

Now it's just a vehicle.

 

[oldwheels]

I started off on 3 wheels at age 3 or 4 and set off on my first solo trip on that when visiting my grandparents at Pathhead in Midlothian. I got past the viaduct over the River Tyne to visit an aunt in Loanhead. I knew the way as we had been by bus. This was the A68 which in those days was nothing like it is now and had a pavement I cycled on. A police car appeared pretty soon and I got a lift back home.
Later I had a variety of bikes all with drop handlebars and did a paper round and cycled to school.
Then in my teens I got a Flying Scot and went touring with a pal when we bivvied and sometimes stayed at hostels.
My future wife also cycled and after we got married toured with a tent more extensively by taking a cargo boat from Leith to Antwerp as well as in the UK.
There was a bit of a lull as we had a family and I was working and on call 24/7.
Later I did a lot of solo touring and many days runs with my wife.
Eventually I got a Brompton and a Bike Friday but balance problems now puts me back where I started on 3 wheels at age 86.
I inherited a GTech Sport which I cannot use either due to the balance problem but cannot sell any of my surplus bikes as I do not live in an area where the price of bikes is realised and most expect them to be pence rather than hundreds off pounds.
I also had mountain bikes and used them locally but they have now gone to my family.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

First bike that was not just a toy was a Raleigh Elite - funny thing - like a normal 2 triangle frame but teh crossbar was bent just before the seat so a largeish frame could fit a shorter leg length
WOuld have been OK if it didn;t weigh the same as a main battle tank and have a rolling resistance of an anvil!!!

after a few years my Dad took pity on me and I traded it in for the sale of the Raleigh plus Christmas and Birthday presents for a year!
went to the LBS that I got my 'N' guage railway from and they had just got a new Peugeot bike in - purple, rear rack, full mudgards, drops and 10 speed gears
That was probably mid 1970s
I became the only person I knew with a 10 speed bike - I rarely cycled to school as it was a bit too far and the weight of books and sports kit was excessive - but when I did it was the best bike in the bike shed!!

I have no clue how many miles that bike did but I went everywhere on it - it was quicker to cycle than take a bus - and I rode it all over the Wirral
Then when I went to University I rode it everywhere again - probably should have worked instead - but whatever!

Anyway - used it to get to station for a few years - dodgy area but it was never interferred with. Then some years later some moron stole it from the garage - dog tried to tell me but barking at a blank wall at 2a.m. lacked some level of detail as to her message! (it was the wallbetween the house and garage - and the bike was hung on the wall on hangers - she had heard then taking it off the hangers!)


Replaced it with a Rudge Bi-Frame folding mountain bike - lovely bike but only got used occaisionaly for a while - then after I moved to North Wales I started using it to get to the train station for a year or 2
When we split up it got left behind - which is a pity


a few years after that I was at home - probably summer holidays (I was a teacher by then) and wandering around the WWW and found out about ebikes. As I lived at the top of a hill it seemed like a good idea
Until I saw the price - this was about 2011 and the cheapest was over £1000 - even then!
Then a week or so later I went out to get FIsh and Chips for dinner and saw a hand written sign in the chippie saying "Powacycle Salisbury for sale £220)
The very make and model I had been looking at - which was probably the best around at the time and well over £1000
I rang up and went to see it - expecting it was nicked - but there was no reason to think it was - original charger and user guide came with it - after I bought it I also rang the Police - who had no record of any thefts of that make and model.
What a wonderful bike!!
2.5 years ago I sold it and bought a Raleigh ebike (long story but I ended up with the Motus version) which is amazing
Far more sophisticated that the old Powacycle and in Eco mode I use a lot more energy to ride it which is good.

To start with I saw a challenge from a German ebike company to log 500 miles in July using the old Endomondo app/website - if you registered and logged enough miles then you got a certificate and some marketing stuff
I made the 500 by about the 23rd and felt really pleased with myself as I had increased my average ride length and frequency
I probably don;t often do 500 in a month now - but over the summer I rode most days
over the winters I basically ride on any day it is not raining or blowing a gale

Oh - and we also have a folder (also an ebike) which is great when we go away

 

[confusedcyclist]

I cycle for transport, over time I have gradually moved further away from work, first 6 miles, then 8, then 10. Whilst I'm perfectly capable of riding 20 miles a day, gone are the days where I feel motivated to do it all under my steam, day in, day out, regardless of the weather... that is until I got my hands on an e-bike. I see a lot of people objecting to their use as cheating, or making the owners lazy, but I cannot for the life of me think of any reason why folk shouldn't get their hands on one as they literally reinvented the wheel, they are brilliant! Instead of working less, I just move faster. I commit the same energy as I would on a normal bike, but reach speeds up to 15mph on inclines. Whereas before riding certain roads was a slog, now they are more a whizz. TBF, I probably wouldn't bother with one either if my commute was <6 miles. But it ain't. So there!

 

[Deleted member 1258]

Now a month of my 70'th birthday I've slowed down a lot, from an average 16 -17mph to an average 13 - 14mph, my mileage is well down as well, I'm involved with my Good Ladies care and haven't got much time for cycling. I first rode at about 5 - 6 years old and used to play on my bike, I didn't ride in my 20's but came back to cycling in my 30's for commuting and in my mid 30's started riding club rides then started riding Audax, Reliability Trials and charity rides. For a long time I was averaging 4 - 5000 miles a year, this year I've only ridden about a 1000miles.

 

[Moon bunny]

I learned ro ride at the grand old age of 24. At first it was just a way of getting to work, then when I moved to my present town I started to go further afield into the lake district. A lighter bike followed a windfall, but it hasn’t changed my riding much, still utility and light touring.

 

[alex_cycles]

Normal messing about as a kid. Got first 'decent' bike - a Dawes 'racer' 5 speed around 12/13th birthday. Used that then its replacement when I outgrew it mainly for transport to and from school and tennis club. Had a friend who was a serious 'leg shaving' cyclist at the time. He always said I'd be good at it, being small with strong legs, but I was never really interested at the time. A bike was a means of getting around.
That bike got nicked at Uni. Bought a Raleigh Mantis MTB (24 speed indexed gears) and went out on the trails a couple of times, but mostly used it for getting about locally. That stayed the same situation until I was about 48 - 25+ years later.

At 48, I decided I was NOT going up another trouser size, joined a gym and bought a Cannondale hybrid (Quik 6, 2016). Didn't use it a lot, but did a few local cycle paths and went to the gym and back on it for 6 months. And then I bought a Garmin Edge 25, which transformed it all for me. Suddenly there was DATA and ROUTES In that first full month I impressed myself by doing >100 miles. At the time (June 2018) I was...

"You'll NEVER GET ME IN LYCRA", but by November I'd bought and worn, and ENJOYED using my first pair of winter tights. I was amazed that they made me faster - on a hybrid - with no extra effort.

Did a year or so ramping up 300 then 400 miles in a month, went for a taster ride at the local club thinking I wouldn't enjoy it (because... yaknow... PEOPLE ) Thoroughly enjoyed it. Joined straight away and bought a road bike (Roubaix). 6 months later, rode my first solo ton on it (in December - IDIOT).

Fast forward to today - currently do 3-4 club rides a month, about 50 hours a month, about 600-800 miles a month. Gone from 79kg (June 2018) to 66kg (Today) - that helps a LOT on the hills. Really enjoying riding a maintaining the bikes. Always looking at what the next bike might be.

Would love to do some long tours when and if life allows (or we can find ways to make it happen).

A less verbose summary might be...
Youth: transport use - fairly ambivalent
48+: leisure transitioning to full-blown enthusiast

 

[numbnuts]

A bike as a teenager was for my paper round, went on to motor bikes after that.
Took up bike riding again after my accident, MTB bike came first, followed by touring bike, rode many thousands of miles on it, but I wanted something different so bought a trike, which now is my main transport for enjoyment and shopping

 

[All uphill]

There has always been a bike of some kind in my life since I was 5 years old; in my teens a bike was my link to the rest of the world as we lived in a rural area. Later on I realised how good biking was for my well-being, and how bad driving big miles for work was for my mind and body.

In retirement a kind neighbour I introduced me to longer rides, eating properly and pacing myself. That led to two solo tours in 2019 which were amazing; now riding is central in my life. I have built a bike from a bare frame and enjoy being the neighbourhood bike repair man. It's great!

I'm so lucky to have roads like these on my doorstep

 

[gavroche]

In the 60s, I had a Peugeot road bike and rode for pleasure only.
From the 70s to early 80s, no bike and no riding.
In the early 80s, no idea what the bike was and only used for commuting to work.
My interest in cycling restarted properly at age 60 when I bought a Specialized Allez and ride for leisure only and love it. Now have 4 bikes and use them all as the mood takes me.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Early days was a Gresham flyer. I then had a second hand woman’s bike in blue and white with Sturmey Archer 3 speed. I used these to get to school, visit friends not within walking distance and the occasional weekend ride to Buxton / Peak District and back from Stockport. In those days (70/80s) riding along the A roads was fine as a kid. About 12 years old I built a tracker bike (from a frame my dad picked up at the dump) with cow horns and messed about in the woods doing jumps and technical tracks. When I went to University I got a Raleigh 10 speed racer. I had that till around 2002 and used it to ride to work. In 1995 got my first mtn bike. Mtn bikes were in my stable till 2015 or so. I returned to road biking in 2010 and discovered touring and long distance riding including audax. In 2016 I got my first recumbent. I currently have a road bike, recumbent, and Brompton in the stable. I currently ride at least 4 times a week and mostly road with the odd easy off road tracks in summer.

Something that has changed significantly is how much data is collected. Up until maybe last few years any data would be transient during the ride such as current and average speeds. In the early days no mileage or speed or other data was collected. I’d just ride.

 

[Hover Fly]

I learned to ride just as the last steam trains were running on BR, accidentally saw the very last steam-hauled passenger train (a failed DMU) pass over the local viaduct. By 10 y.o. I was riding with my father around the southern Lake District. 14 birthday brought a Falcon racer and my first proper solo rides. Tried racing in my teens but not mentally cut out for it, I would sooner go somewhere. Better bikes came but the pattern of lightweight touring continued.
Still not worried by figures, still refusing to wear lycra.

 

[HLaB]

I started cycling at about a 30year old. It was mainly about commuting at first. A bike, even a cheap steal hybrid, was the fastest way to get around. I started doing more leisure stuff after that.

When I move back to Scotland the leisure bug had well and truly bitten and I got a flat bar road bike to foster it.

Eventually I joined a club and found that the flat bar whilst some points was just as good as a drop bar at other points I was having to work harder than others on dropped bars. It was especially annoying when it was folk that Id destroyed uphill only to have them float by on the descent a bit later. So that led me to a dropped bar bike. Being particular about the carbon dropped bar I converted the flat bar bike to drops.

Eventually though the converted flat bar bike was a ride in 90% of conditions winter bike (my original drop bar bike came out on those 10% dry days).

The frame (or chain stays to be precise) cracked at about 25,000 miles (about 3.5years old, just out of warranty 👎). The manufacturer would give me a 25% discount though. Which led me too the Ti route and the Ti bike became my 99.9% used bike and I did a lot of epic (well epic for me) European sportives.

Parallel to that phase (Scandium to Ti) the TT bug bit and after a bit I converted my carbon road bike to a TT bike. I was then knocked off on the Ti bike and the payout gave me the finances to buy a proper TT frame and I became club champion. Admittedly the best rider couldn't be bothered with the Hill Climbs needed for the championship, the 2nd best rider broke his collar bone and hardly anyone else was as consistent as me.

Looking for answers to my sudden chronic fatigue in 2018. After doing the LEJOG on the Ti and at over 40,000 miles I decided to retire it and bought a new Ti road bike. Turns out it wasn't the bike, it was something much bigger, the C thing that's not covid. How on earth with a catastrophic iron deficiency I managed to do the LEJOG etc. Not fast but I did them

Just as I was recovering and hitting better form than ever (despite being in my mid 40s) the wee c thing hit the world. During which all my mates got into Gravel bike and not having the space for one I did a lot of solo road biking and hit even better form.

Eventually this year I got hold of some upright stand free stands (bike nook) and reengineered things so I had space (just, its constant shuffling to get by etc.), so of late I've got into gravel biking too.

Parallel to all the road/tt/gravel biking, even through cancer then chemotherapy (until last year anyway) has been commuting. Initial door to door cycling and then two jobs with drive to cycle. With this wee c thing though its been a job further away from home and mainly WfH, so it has mainly been leisure cycling. The office just opened up pre the clock change and I was all set to train/cycle commute and a real heavy cold/throat hit, so I had to postpone it. I am trying to get the motivation up for doing cycling in a completely new area in the dark.