Total Beginner (Newcastle Upon Tyne) Needs Help!!

[jebus197]

Hi, I am a complete beginner at cycling. I want to use cycling as a means of getting fit, as I have been unfit for quite a while. However I know nothing of any local bike routes, and am really nervous about riding on roads etc.

Can anyone recommend any useful contacts, or bike routes (I'm not looking to be too ambitious at all to start with, but would like to build up gradually), or any groups in my area that would be suitable for someone like me? I'm probably not even all that much use at reading the route maps to be honest.

There is a CTC group in my area, but they don't have an email address and they only have rides on Tuesdays, which doesn't make all that much sense to be honest, as like most people I work on Tuesdays.

[hubgearfreak]

welcome to the forum

[minkie]

For routes have a look at opencyclemap or sustrans on the web. Local councils also do maps with safe cycle routes for their area - often these are on the web too.
Good luck with it - a lot of people on these boards have started from scratch and got massive benefits over quite a short time.

[jebus197]

Well any more personal recommendations would be good too. Lol. Learning how to make sense of the routes would be good - and of course it's always useful to do these things with other people. (Beginners groups etc).

[NUKe]

There is a CTC group in my area, but they don't have an email address and they only have rides on Tuesdays, which doesn't make all that much sense to be honest, as like most people I work on Tuesdays.

You probably find they are like many of the groups were fairly fairly vibrant in 19 dot dot. Stop encouraging new members and are all growing old together wondering why no one wants to join.
Unfortunately I do not know your area but the council often have maps of cycle routes. Sustrans is another option. Just ride locally slowly working further out from home. As your confidence grows you'll ride further afield.

[Edvardus]

Hi. You have several good cycle routes in the Newcastle area. I suppose you could start with the most obvious (and pretty easy-going) one on both sides of the Tyne and you could do a circular run crossing over either by using the pedestrian tunnel (longest wooden escalator in Europe I believe) or the Tyne ferry. Another good one takes you from Percy Main out through Backworth, Wide Open and Seaton Burn to Ponteland or you could head south through the Derwent Valley to Consett which is another easy route. I would recommend getting the Three Rivers Cycle Routes Map from Sustrans which shows all these and many more. Happy cycling!

[Quaker Mike]

Welcome to the joy of cycling - I've been doing it for 73 years, and hope to go on for while longer .

You can download cycle route maps of your area at http://www.newcastle.gov.uk/core.nsf/a/ltp2_themescycling/, or it also gives a contact for paper maps.

Don't be frightened of riding on city roads, it's nowhere near as dangerous as it sometimes seems - after all, I'm not dead yet
Just don't ride in the gutter, but about a metre out; wear a bright jacket so as to be conspicuous; and be assertive but alert.

Oh, and remember to treat every pedestrian as a suicidal maniac, and every motorist as a homicidal one!

[MattyDeez]

Depends where abouts in newcastle you live, i live over the water in South Shields.

There's a good route on the river tyne from tynemouth priory all the way till you want to stop up the tyne.

You can do part of the keelmans way on gateshead side, crossing over on the milennium bridge etc.

I use google maps and sustrans for my cycle routes.

[bogmyrtle]

I have a couple of friends who are members of this club http://www.noac.org.uk/
They are pretty keen cyclists.
It may be worth a try.

[JOFF]

Hi, I don't know Newcastle at all but i would have thought your local bike shop a good starting point for advice on routes, clubs etc. Avoid Halfords and similar chain stores, find a small bike shop and hopefully you'll be pleasantly surprised at the reception you get.

Enjoy.

[eileithyia]

Get to a proper local bike shop and ask about local clubs. Go to the local library and ask around about local council intiatives.
Quite a few towns around here have schemes for introducing newcomers to cycling.
Is there really no CTC group or similar riding at the weekend? Why not try to hook up with them, a full day might be too far to begin but you could join them until 11's and make your own way home?

Welcome to the forum and to cycling.

[tim_f]

The Tyneside local councils have published a set of free cycling maps of Tyneside which show all the off road cycle paths of which they are many.

I picked mine up at M Steel Cycles near South Gosforth Metro.

However when you get out to the north west of Ponteland the small lanes are very quiet. You will meet lots of cylclist in nthe cafes on a Saturday or sunday throughout the year.

Might want to look in to this club www.newcastlecityriders.org who get mentioned in the free local paper sometimes.

[Rod Bridgett]

Be bold and buy the OS landranger series map No 81. You can easily sort out a route for yourself or you could reply to this note and I will map out a route for you, depending on where you live in the NE. I live in Whickham.

I try to keep off all the main roads and I usually drive to an area I want to explore, then take the bike out of the car and spend the rest of the day cycling. This enables maximum enjoyment on the bike without having to worry about traffic.

Rod Bridgett.

[jebus197]

Thanks, I'm looking into some of the clubs people here have mentioned too.

[Mike McGeever]

pm me with your land line number.
Where do you live?
I'm at Whickham.
Mike McGeever Wearside Wheelers, Oxford City Road Club, Tyne Velo, AUK and of course CTC