Nother newbie in Bristol!

[Weesilvie]

Hello all - this looks like a nice friendly forum, looking forward to advice, chat and new friends.

I have a proper rusty old bike which hasn't been used much but has been stored in some rather bike-unfriendly places. Now I live in a nice bike-friendly place, I'd like to do.some more cycling. So, I currently have a dilemma - service and repair old bike which is heavy and uncomfortable but otherwise OK, or buy a new one. Clearly, I'd like a nice shiny new one! Especially if the cost of repairs etc is going to be high. But, don't want to spend to much!

Anyway, hello all! I'll post my questions in the appropriate place.

 

[summerdays]

Welcome - why not start by lubing the current bike and checking it over to see if it will do for now. Then you can start looking at all the bikes in the cycle racks and deciding which ones look interesting.

I saw a bloke kneeling on a green recumbent today up by Aztec West - only caught a glimpse from the bus I was on (which was being driven by a crackpot bus driver who seemed to me to be breathing down the neck of a cyclist in the bus lane in an aggressive manner and also went through a late red just as a cyclist was crossing the road at a Toucan crossing).

 

[Weesilvie]

Thanks for the welcome!

Can't claim to be Bristolian I'm afraid - only been here 4 months!

I think what I'll do is give the old bike a go for this year and see how I go. If I really don't like it, I'll look for anew one in the January sales.

Any good suggestions for nice easy, flat starter routes for me to try around Bristol? I'm south of the city and can put the bike in the car for a short drive. Any recommendations for good books with routes in?

 

[summerdays]

On road or cycle path? ... depending on which side of the city on the south the first two path/routes that spring to mind are the Bristol to Bath Path if you are towards the east, otherwise the path running along side the river going out to Pill is flat (until you get to Pill), or you can make a loop of it and go over the M5 bridge and back down the Portway. Or just cycling around the docks and get to know that area (the Buttery does excellent food on the dock side - just beyond where the old cranes are by a far bit).

I have a book on cycling in Bristol but the council publishes a couple of booklets on cycle routes and maps (which are good for getting around anyway - most cycle shops have the maps free to pick up or you can send off for them). There are a lot of maps on this page: http://www.betterbybike.info/cycle-maps though I'm still looking for the link to those booklets... ... ah click on the page that says Cycling Bristol and that shows the shorter routes and somewhere there is another booklet of longer rides.

 

[summerdays]

Agree with summerdays but when cycling around the docks beware of sunken railway tracks! I've come off there - better to dismount than ride across them.

Or make sure that you cross them close to 90 deg .... which does get a bit harder where they cross.

 

[the_mikey]

Hi, welcome to Cyclechat!

The best flat route around here is the Bristol-Bath cyclepath, avoids all steep hills (it used to be a railway line) and is off road too, makes for a pleasant few hours on the bike, I like to stop for a cup of tea in Bitton or Warmley Station.

 

[adds21]

Any good suggestions for nice easy, flat starter routes for me to try around Bristol? I'm south of the city and can put the bike in the car for a short drive. Any recommendations for good books with routes in?

If you're south, I'd recommend The Strawberry Line (http://www.thestrawberryline.co.uk/). You could drive, or cycle to Yatton station, and cycle the flat route to (or towards) Cheddar.

Even the cycle to from south Bristol to Yatton can be quite plesent (and flat).

 

[Weesilvie]

Thanks for all the great suggestions! Think I'll start by seeing how I get on with a wander round the docks on the bike. I hope to graduate to a couple of the riverside and railway paths in a few weeks.

I got bored and restless at work yesterday so went for a wander into town to see.what I could find - got a spiral bound book of rides in bristol and bath and an AA book of rides in the south west. I alos went to the sustrans office and picked Up a few leaflets, One of which looks like The 'shorter rides in bristol' one someone mentioned, look s really good. Can't wait to start trying it all out now! Off to arrange my bike service now...