How did you first get into cycling

[Si]

I think that we didn't really realise the brakes were bad because we didn't know any better as all kids' bikes had the same then. I guess that is one redeeming feature of many modern kids' bikes - they may weigh a ton and be made of cheese but they often have V brakes and Alu rims. But having said that, they are never adjusted right and thus might as well be steel rims and rubbish pads.

As for the saddle...after having a Grifter the Arena saddle felt great

[ukdodger]

Another ex Arena owner here...great bike for a kid (especially compared to some of the rubbish you find them riding today). I think that mine cost £86 too! £86, of course, being a fortune in those days.

However, I'm sure that mine didn't have pump pegs on the cross bar. Although it did have the next to useless mudguards which I found turned blue if you pealed the protective plastic off.

Half of my Arena got painted bronze for some reason IIRC.

Whilst I was away my dad loaned it to my cousin so he could get to work at the paper shop and it got pinched from outside there never to be seen again.

Before that I had a Grifter - coolest bike in the village but slow as anything with those big fat tyres and the frame made of lead. This is probably what encouraged me to do cycling more as all of my mates (who were in the school football and rugby teams) had Arenas or the white ten spd version (what was that called?), yet I could still beat them up hills - it was great finding a 'sport' where I could trounce the sporty kids. Plus living in the middle of nowhere meant I needed a bike to get around.

I had pump pegs, but never used them, someone would just nick it. Mine got painted red at some point.
My brother had a Grifter, but never rode it. I wasn't supposed to ride it, but I borrowed it for my paper round when there was snow.
There was 3 of us that had Arenas, we went all over.
The mudguards went pretty much straight away
I thought they did a 10 spd Arena, same colour. IIRC my parents would not /could not pay the extra for the 10 spd
Brakes were pretty crap in the wet, rubber on steel rims, just kept going. Think I had to use my feet sometimes.
And the saddle was a killer
I still see them from time to time on ebay

You must have been fairly tall if you outgrew the Arena. Looks like a 21inch frame. People say that about steel rims but I never had any problem with them. I just braked sooner in the wet. I like the brake levers that would fit any size bar. I've been trying to restore a sixties girls Raleigh Panache bike with original parts all I need is one more new old stock steel (chrome) rim. They're like gold dust today.

Yes I lost lots of pumps (and lights) nicked off a bike. At school we had to fairly strip the bike before leaving it and that included the saddle.

[Neilo]

Not a pic of my bike. Not that tall 5' 9". Mine was 19" frame. Don't remember 100%, might not have given it away.
Lost a lot of reflectors as well in the bike sheds.
You must have been lucky with brake pads. The brakes were so bad in the wet, that you almost had to pull the levers before you set off

[De Sisti]

If I remember right most bikes in those days were single speed. You either had a fixed wheel or a freewheel. Gears were for those who could afford classy bikes.

Single speed / freewheel, means exactly the same to me.

[ukdodger]

If I remember right most bikes in those days were single speed. You either had a fixed wheel or a freewheel. Gears were for those who could afford classy bikes.

Single speed / freewheel, means exactly the same to me.

Yep. Me too.

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,

Hi,

Today trolling through old pics (on paper) I found my first bike. Bought second hand from a neighbour for ten shillings (50p today).

Wow weren't you lucky.................mine was second hand, rod brakes 10 shillings and shared with my twin

At 8 years cycling was just a toy / novelty, I have no history here, cycled to school at 13, no idea where the money came from as no pocket money, only income was 14d old money for bus fare, but on cycling to school the bus money ended
I must have started a paper round about then and this was what would have funded my bike to get to school, paper round (2 shillings a day) was 1 hour 7 days a week up hill, christmas day was a holiday, got up at 07.30 by my dad and had to be in school by 09.00.
I did own a "Peter Storm" polyurethane coated nylon jacket used for my Ten Tors walks, but I remember walking home 3.3miles from school so I could spend the return bus fare on Tuck before I cycled, if it rained my blazer would just shrink a little

On leaving school I had no income untill I went to further education on a government scheme £ 15 / week of which £5 went to my mother for keep, even though I had to feed and clothe myself, fix the bike and wash my clothes at luanderette from the remaining £10.
From 8 years I wore no pyjamas bercause my mother forgot to wash them (last time I wore them to this day) At 16 I lived in a room with no heating, lino no carpet, a bed with a matress and a sleeping bag.........
I still sleep in a sleeping bag on top or the duvet, you warm up in two minutes and there no drafts
I started cycling because I had to.

I remember one of my brothers selling me a satchel for 2d probably before I needed one
Same brother sold me his dissused bike when I was at school, I have no idea where I got the money.........

[ukdodger]

Hi,

Hi,

Today trolling through old pics (on paper) I found my first bike. Bought second hand from a neighbour for ten shillings (50p today).

Wow weren't you lucky.................mine was second hand, rod brakes 10 shillings and shared with my twin

At 8 years cycling was just a toy / novelty, I have no history here, cycled to school at 13, no idea where the money came from as no pocket money, only income was 14d old money for bus fare, but on cycling to school the bus money ended
I must have started a paper round about then and this was what would have funded my bike to get to school, paper round (2 shillings a day) was 1 hour 7 days a week up hill, christmas day was a holiday, got up at 07.30 by my dad and had to be in school by 09.00.
I did own a "Peter Storm" polyurethane coated nylon jacket used for my Ten Tors walks, but I remember walking home 3.3miles from school so I could spend the return bus fare on Tuck before I cycled, if it rained my blazer would just shrink a little

On leaving school I had no income untill I went to further education on a government scheme £ 15 / week of which £5 went to my mother for keep, even though I had to feed and clothe myself, fix the bike and wash my clothes at luanderette from the remaining £10.
From 8 years I wore no pyjamas bercause my mother forgot to wash them (last time I wore them to this day) At 16 I lived in a room with no heating, lino no carpet, a bed with a matress and a sleeping bag.........
I still sleep in a sleeping bag on top or the duvet, you warm up in two minutes and there no drafts
I started cycling because I had to.

I remember one of my brothers selling me a satchel for 2d probably before I needed one
Same brother sold me his dissused bike when I was at school, I have no idea where I got the money.........

Bet that bags a bit smelly. I would have said we were roughly the same age until you mentioned the polyurethane.

[Keith Bennett]

I don't know how old I was, but became aware at about 3 years of age that I was being transported around in a sidecar attached to my Parents tandem. At about 5 years I had to pedal for myself on the back of the Tandem, at about 10 I was riding a single on runs out with parents and 2 years later joined the CTC and started riding with The North Cheam Section this was wartime then, but Sunday runs were regular, virtually no cars on the roads, my bike when I joined was a Freddy Grubb about 1930 vintage with a S/A 3 speed. at 16 I had joined a local road club and started riding time trials with various clubs on and off until I was 50, however my preference was always pleasure cycling, now at 80 plus still riding for pleasure with a stable of various machines the latest a birthday present from three sons of a carbon framed road bike, no I won't be racing again

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi, (55)
Were all oldies
If you go back 40 - 60 years or more everyone either cycled or walked as cars were a luxury.
So lets here from some younger folk who were brought up with modern motorised transport ........any takers..........

[meic]

My parents had a car since before I was born but seldom used it to chauffeur me around.

I had a bike and used it because my friends did, though not all of my friends.
Living only a mile from school and town, was literally just 10 minutes from bedroom to classroom on occasions. Ten miles was seen as a long ride, going twenty miles away was an epic adventure even at eighteen.

That was all forgotten when I had enough money to buy a motorcycle. My once loved Carlton was abandoned under the stairs of a house I lived in and I never went back for it.

Getting back into cycling was my son's fault, fed up of being in a sidecar he found a CTC Cymru camping weekend flyer in the library. I borrowed my wife's bike as I didnt have one and my son and I packed the car and went to Bala.
I enjoyed it so much, I had forgotten how good cycling was, I absolutely loved not having to "clobber up" with gloves, leathers and helmets. I loved being able to chat as you rode.
Steve Stockham looked after my son, pushing him up hills when he was struggling and helping him to achieve the day's distances over Welsh mountains at just 7 or 8 years old.

I was hooked and in just under a month, I had found myself a Raleigh bike for £45 and was a cyclist again. I still have the Raleigh 9 years and 22,000 miles later. The sidecar combination was sold off.

After a few years my son did regret what he had started.

[ukdodger]

My parents had a car since before I was born but seldom used it to chauffeur me around.

I had a bike and used it because my friends did, though not all of my friends.
Living only a mile from school and town, was literally just 10 minutes from bedroom to classroom on occasions. Ten miles was seen as a long ride, going twenty miles away was an epic adventure even at eighteen.

That was all forgotten when I had enough money to buy a motorcycle. My once loved Carlton was abandoned under the stairs of a house I lived in and I never went back for it.

Getting back into cycling was my son's fault, fed up of being in a sidecar he found a CTC Cymru camping weekend flyer in the library. I borrowed my wife's bike as I didnt have one and my son and I packed the car and went to Bala.
I enjoyed it so much, I had forgotten how good cycling was, I absolutely loved not having to "clobber up" with gloves, leathers and helmets. I loved being able to chat as you rode.
Steve Stockham looked after my son, pushing him up hills when he was struggling and helping him to achieve the day's distances over Welsh mountains at just 7 or 8 years old.

I was hooked and in just under a month, I had found myself a Raleigh bike for £45 and was a cyclist again. I still have the Raleigh 9 years and 22,000 miles later. The sidecar combination was sold off.

After a few years my son did regret what he had started.

Seems like most of us have had a gap in our cycling life. It seems to coincide with the growth in motor transport. Bus..bike... first car/motorcycle.. back to bike. Like most it's the absolute joy of freedom plus it's not costing anything, you're not polluting anything and you're staying fit. It presses all the buttons. I go to the shops put the bike outside the shop door buy stuff and go home. Impossible in a car. In contrast to Si in another thread I have no idea why carrying a book or tray on a bike is a problem. He'd no doubt faint at seeing what I've carried.

[Vorpal]

I didn't say much about it in my first post, but I've enjoyed reading others' stories, so here's mine...

Growing up, as I did, in the USA, everyone had cars, even 40 or 50 years ago.

That said, I think that most children had bikes when I was growing up. My parents didn't cycle, and I don't recall knowing any adults that cycled until I was a teenager.

I started with a red Schwinn when I was 4 or 5. I remember the bicycle and learning to ride it. I don't think I have ever passed any length of time since, without a bicycle. I broke a couple of frames on cheap bicycles when I was 7 or 8 years old. I was riding them on 'jumps' that I and other neighborhood kids built in a disused quarry. My mother couldn't afford to replace the second bike. So, I rescued a frame from a skip, and put the bits from the broken bikes on it. I got some help from a couple of kids who were a year or two older than me. That bike lasted until I outgrew it, but it was upgraded as I acquired new bits for it form other kids, swapped for chores, or even on a couple of occasions bought new parts.

I got my first 10 speed for Christmas when I was about 9 or 10. I saved my money to buy a used bike from a friend when I was 15 or 16. It was a British made Raleigh Super Grand Prix that was a little too big for me. I rode that bike everywhere, including the 11 miles to and from high school, at least when there wasn't any snow or ice. I had a teenage crush on Greg LeMond, and tried to find a club where I could get into road racing, but the only clubs were too far away, and not interested in encouraging girls, anyway.

I tried a couple of long distance rides with female friends, but neither was very successful. Then one day my brother and I decided to see how far we could ride in a day. The next time, we took sleeping bags and sandwiches with us, and this seeing how far we could go seemed to sort of gradually become random touring; we'd just scavenge in the fridge for food, pack up some stuff and set off on the bikes. Sometimes we just went somewhere and camped and fished for a few days. Sometimes, we'd cycle for a few days, then come back.

At university, I was essentially a utility cyclist, but I did do a few charity rides. When I graduated from university, my graduation present to myself was a month or so in Scotland with my brother, a friend, and our bicycles.

I was involved in cycling in various ways after that, and when I moved to the UK, I found the environment to be an improvement over most places in the US. After I had children, I wanted to meet other people who cycled with their kids, so I joined a club. I also started campaigning for better conditions for cyclists. It wasn't until I had children, and tried to use some of the facilities in the UK (rather than just riding on the road, as I had done all my life), that I realised how dire many shared use facilities were. I seem to have become gradually more and more involved with cycling over the years, including teaching Bikeability, coaching, training, touring, commuting, utility cycling, marshalling for races and time trials, supporting all ability cycling, campaigning, and this forum.

I now live In Norway, and cycling probably takes the least amount of time from my life than it has in a few years, despite this forum, and the fact that last year was my highest mileage year, post children. Most of last year's 5000ish miles were utility and commuting miles.

[ukdodger]

I didn't say much about it in my first post, but I've enjoyed reading others' stories, so here's mine...

Growing up, as I did, in the USA, everyone had cars, even 40 or 50 years ago.

That said, I think that most children had bikes when I was growing up. My parents didn't cycle, and I don't recall knowing any adults that cycled until I was a teenager.

I started with a red Schwinn when I was 4 or 5. I remember the bicycle and learning to ride it. I don't think I have ever passed any length of time since, without a bicycle. I broke a couple of frames on cheap bicycles when I was 7 or 8 years old. I was riding them on 'jumps' that I and other neighborhood kids built in a disused quarry. My mother couldn't afford to replace the second bike. So, I rescued a frame from a skip, and put the bits from the broken bikes on it. I got some help from a couple of kids who were a year or two older than me. That bike lasted until I outgrew it, but it was upgraded as I acquired new bits for it form other kids, swapped for chores, or even on a couple of occasions bought new parts.

I got my first 10 speed for Christmas when I was about 9 or 10. I saved my money to buy a used bike from a friend when I was 15 or 16. It was a British made Raleigh Super Grand Prix that was a little too big for me. I rode that bike everywhere, including the 11 miles to and from high school, at least when there wasn't any snow or ice. I had a teenage crush on Greg LeMond, and tried to find a club where I could get into road racing, but the only clubs were too far away, and not interested in encouraging girls, anyway.

I tried a couple of long distance rides with female friends, but neither was very successful. Then one day my brother and I decided to see how far we could ride in a day. The next time, we took sleeping bags and sandwiches with us, and this seeing how far we could go seemed to sort of gradually become random touring; we'd just scavenge in the fridge for food, pack up some stuff and set off on the bikes. Sometimes we just went somewhere and camped and fished for a few days. Sometimes, we'd cycle for a few days, then come back.

At university, I was essentially a utility cyclist, but I did do a few charity rides. When I graduated from university, my graduation present to myself was a month or so in Scotland with my brother, a friend, and our bicycles.

I was involved in cycling in various ways after that, and when I moved to the UK, I found the environment to be an improvement over most places in the US. After I had children, I wanted to meet other people who cycled with their kids, so I joined a club. I also started campaigning for better conditions for cyclists. It wasn't until I had children, and tried to use some of the facilities in the UK (rather than just riding on the road, as I had done all my life), that I realised how dire many shared use facilities were. I seem to have become gradually more and more involved with cycling over the years, including teaching Bikeability, coaching, training, touring, commuting, utility cycling, marshalling for races and time trials, supporting all ability cycling, campaigning, and this forum.

I now live In Norway, and cycling probably takes the least amount of time from my life than it has in a few years, despite this forum, and the fact that last year was my highest mileage year, post children. Most of last year's 5000ish miles were utility and commuting miles.

Nice one. I like this:

'I rescued a frame from a skip, and put the bits from the broken bikes on it.' Wonder how many kids would do that today at that age.

I'm genuinely surprised your parents let you go for days at a time at that age. Even back then I wouldnt have chanced that but have to say American kids are more adventurous and self confident about such things. I know the Schwinn bike you refer to. What I wondered about those bikes back then was why they were so different from UK bikes. Those wide handlebars, really fat tyres and fake (I assume) petrol tanks.

[drossall]

Seems like most of us have had a gap in our cycling life...

When I joined the South Lancashire Road Club, as a teenager, I kept encountering middle-aged cyclists who regretted having left the sport in their twenties, and not returned for a couple of decades. I vowed that I would not do that, and have been in one club or another ever since.

I may, however, have ridden fewer total miles than some of those who took time out...

[Vorpal]

Nice one. I like this:

'I rescued a frame from a skip, and put the bits from the broken bikes on it.' Wonder how many kids would do that today at that age.

I'm genuinely surprised your parents let you go for days at a time at that age. Even back then I wouldnt have chanced that but have to say American kids are more adventurous and self confident about such things. I know the Schwinn bike you refer to. What I wondered about those bikes back then was why they were so different from UK bikes. Those wide handlebars, really fat tyres and fake (I assume) petrol tanks.

I was lucky to have a couple of older and more knowledgeable friends, and access to tools. Even so, I'm surprised that the headsets we bodged together with cut-off pipe and a bench vice worked as well as they did. I think kids, even today, could be much more capable than they are generally given credit for. They just aren't given chances to show it. And kids will do alot for something they want badly. I wanted a bicycle. I also think that I have some mechanical aptitude that must have shown itself at a fairly young age. I remember fixing stuff for my mom, who was a single parent. She'd just hand it to me or show me and let me have go.

As for letting us wander off on our own, I think I was 16 or 17 by the time we did that, or at least went very far. I had a good summer job from the time I was 14, and it became an apprenticeship when I was 16. We covered the most miles the summer I was 17 because I had a shift where I worked 12-hour shifts, 3 days on, 4 days off, 4 days on, 3 days off. My brother was 15 and not yet working. So, we had 4 days at a time to go somewhere. I know my mother worried about us. But she grew up in an age where someone who was 17 was an adult. A 17 year old could go fight in the war, or get a factory job, or go to university. And they were expected to do one of those things, if not at 17, then at 18. And I also imagine that she thought we were better off wandering the countryside on our bikes than doing drugs, or even just hanging out with the 'wrong crowd'.