What makes you most happy about your bike?

[TheDoctor]

The places it's taken me, and the people I've met through cycling.
I've toured on every bike I have, even if they weren't exactly the best tool for the job. I would struggle to recommend riding from Carlisle to Newcastle on a Brompton, frinstance!
Also, they were all built up, or at least heavily modified, by Your Humble Narrator.

 

[Pale Rider]

I would struggle to recommend riding from Carlisle to Newcastle on a Brompton

A mate of mine recently did Sunderland to Holy Island on his Brompton - a 180 mile round trip.

He tells me he was a bit slower than 'the others', but got there - and back - in the end.

 

[Globalti]

Doesn't matter which bike it is - just being out in the country, free as anything, with just the bike to rely on. That makes me happy.

 

[Algarvecycling]

I really like my MTB's design and colour-scheme; almost a shame to see it take the knocks it does when racing but then that adds to the 'soul' of the bike for me too, gives it character through experience and hard-fought battles.

My road bike on the other hand, didn't instil me with the same sense of beauty when I first got it. I like it a lot, but being all black it isn't 'pretty' and more a technical and functional marvel. In fact, my son recently decided that if Darth Vader had a bicycle, this would be it! So I ordered a Darth Vader headset cap with Stormtrooper bar end's!

 

[Gunk]

I really like my MTB's design and colour-scheme; almost a shame to see it take the knocks it does when racing but then that adds to the 'soul' of the bike for me too, gives it character through experience and hard-fought battles.

My road bike on the other hand, didn't instil me with the same sense of beauty when I first got it. I like it a lot, but being all black it isn't 'pretty' and more a technical and functional marvel. In fact, my son recently decided that if Darth Vader had a bicycle, this would be it! So I ordered a Darth Vader headset cap with Stormtrooper bar end's!

I completely agree, my MTB is without doubt my favourite, I love the trick parts and all the engineering.

 

[Blue Hills]

In addition to the totally bike-centric joy of cycling reasons I enjoy the way it allows me to weave between the British rail system's bonkers fares structure and its marketing wonk algorithms' determination to corral me. I make frequent trips between london and the north west - I think nothing of training it part way to some odd station and then pedalling to another station for the rest of the trip or just doing a long ride from the first station, even overnight. After all it's a bike ride, mini-adventure.

Have also had four 20p return trips up the wonders of the settle carlisle line by pedalling at an ungodly hour to a remote station, training it to carlisle, sitting in a nice spoons for a couple of hours then training it back to Ribblehead (not my initial station) for a nice day's cycling round the Yorkshire dales fuelled by a nice breakfast and perhaps one too many rich beers.

Call me sad

call me a cyclist

see if I care

 

[Andy in Germany]

Depends on the bike:

Riding to interesting places with Beautiful Daughter. Also it's soooo comfortable because of the lovely long wheelbase...

This one: Riding a bike I (re)built with my son.

And I can go and explore anywhere...

 

[Gunk]

You can’t beat riding a bike you’ve built yourself

 

[fossyant]

Getting down a gnarly descent and not dying - the bike does that for me.

 

[postman]

What is the difference between an egg and a bike.You can beat an egg but you can't beat a bike.

 

[Globalti]

In addition to the totally bike-centric joy of cycling reasons I enjoy the way it allows me to weave between the British rail system's bonkers fares structure and its marketing wonk algorithms' determination to corral me. I make frequent trips between london and the north west - I think nothing of training it part way to some odd station and then pedalling to another station for the rest of the trip or just doing a long ride from the first station, even overnight. After all it's a bike ride, mini-adventure.

Have also had four 20p return trips up the wonders of the settle carlisle line by pedalling at an ungodly hour to a remote station, training it to carlisle, sitting in a nice spoons for a couple of hours then training it back to Ribblehead (not my initial station) for a nice day's cycling round the Yorkshire dales fuelled by a nice breakfast and perhaps one too many rich beers.

Call me sad

call me a cyclist

see if I care

We've used the Settle-Carlisle a few times against the wind for linear rides back with the wind. How do you manage to do it for 20p?

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Depends on the bike:

View attachment 501826

Riding to interesting places with Beautiful Daughter. Also it's soooo comfortable because of the lovely long wheelbase...



This one: Riding a bike I (re)built with my


And I can go and explore anywhere...

What can’t be seen is that there’s a tight rope between saddle and bars that your daughter is walking along.

 

[Blue Hills]

We've used the Settle-Carlisle a few times against the wind for linear rides back with the wind. How do you manage to do it for 20p?

Two recent offers from northern (feeling the chill wind of potentially losing the franchise).
Not a regular price.
Have done other trips - they usually seem to rig it so that you can only get the 10p fare one way, paying something more normal for the other bit - out or return. But of course not a problem with a bike In fact adds to the fun.

 

[Globalti]

Ooh yes, there's nothing like beating the system.

Actually Northern Fail are so useless that if you take a poxy Pacer any weekend evening between Victoria and Clitheroe you probably won't get an opportunity to pay your fare and the guard will be stuck at one end of the train trying to sell tickets to big groups of pissheads so you're very likely to travel for free.

 

[Blue Hills]

Ooh yes, there's nothing like beating the system.

Actually Northern Fail are so useless that if you take a poxy Pacer any weekday evening between Victoria and Clitheroe you probably won't get an opportunity to pay your fare and the guard will be stuck at one end of the train trying to sell tickets to big groups of pissheads so you're very likely to travel for free.

Yes, unless it's a super super cheap advance I avoid paying for northern tickets in advance at the ticket office if on the bike for I never know if they will complete their half of the contract by actually supplying the train. Then I'd have to chuck the ticket away and pedal. Even if it's shown on the board I still don't believe it . Not until it leaves do I see it as a train and it is not unknown for them to cancel trains mid-journey and just chuck folk off.

Nor would I buy tickets on their app for the same reason.

Luckily they are sporting enough to allow you to get an authority to travel thing from the machine on that line and then pay on the train.

(and are to give them their due great with bikes)

May have mentioned before but I did early one morning travel free clitheroe to entwistle as the guard didn't have a ticket machine - yes I'm honest I did seek him out to pay. No way to pay at entwistle as of course not only is it totally unmanned but it isn't even a regular stop - you have to request it.

Of course if you can't pay at the leaving station or on the train you are supposed to pay at the end (and I would) - but they are closing clitheroe ticket office.