How Long ?

[Mr. Beanz]

No, not a pee pee thread! I was just thinking back to when we started riding. I thought maybe 16 years but then found a pic of Gina on the bike that is dated 1994. I started a few months earlier doing 60 milers on a Huffy MTB. Later upgraded to a Miyata hybrid, did a few organized rides then got Gina involved. Got her a Mt Shasta hybrid then it was on, we were doing 25-60 milers.

 

We've been riding the same trail since then. Didn't invest in road bikes till 1997.

 

Back in 1994. Been a long time! 

 

[Randomguy]

How long?

That is a rather personal question!  

[PissedOffLaxDude]

That is a rather personal question!  

Afraid of the comparisons?  

[Randomguy]

Hey, I know if the water is cold when I pee over the bridge!

[Reverend_Maynard]

I thought that was a nice feature of the previous boards (more lenient with content in the OT forums, less so in the cycling forums.)

 

I bought a coworker's bike when I was 16.  It was an aluminum Cannondale (a new and exciting thing back in 1988) with clipless pedals (also new and exciting).  I think I paid $275.  I rode that all summer, but didn't really pick it back up after the winter.  Sold it a few years later.

 

Then in 1997 I lost my license for driving without insurance so my father bought me a Trek Mountain Track 850 to commute on.  Again I rode it for about a summer but put it away when I got my license back.  I still have it and use it for short jaunts, riding with slower riders, foul weather, etc.

 

Finally, in spring of 2010, I got disgusted with myself and decided to lose weight and start exercising more.  Bicycling seemed like a logical choice (my father hadn't driven a car in about 30 years at that point, cycling for transportation since then).  So I started riding with my father with the goal of eventually doing the TFCE in September, first on the old trek, then on my new Trek 2.1 road bike.  It was an eventful summer, that I won't go into here, but I was eventually able to finish the century with relative ease, and I've been riding with varying frequency ever since. 

 

For the past 2 years, it's been almost exclusively MTBing, first on the used Gary Fisher Tasajara I found on CL, then on the Trek Stache 8 I bought this summer.

 

That's probably more than you wanted to know, but oh well.

[Mr. Beanz]

I moved this post to a cycling section.

 

Would it be wrong of me to delete the unrelated posts?

 

It would be nice if there was The Cafe and the rest of the site.  The Cafe being unruled for the unruly, this place being a little more gentle.

 

I don't mind moving it to a cycling forum but beginners forum? 19 years of cycling wouldn't be considered beginners imo. That is why I suggested a general cycling forum.

[az_cyclist]

In 1979 I bought 2 Schwinn Varsity 5's, one for me and one for my wife.  She never took to cycling, but I did.  From there I progressed to a Schwinn Traveler (1983), Scwinn Prelude (1986), Trek 720 hybrid (1998.. long story but the dropout on the Prelude broke), Trek 500 (used) in 2001, Trek 1000 in 2004, Trek 1500 in 2006, and a Trek Domane 4.5 this past May.

[Square Wheels]

Unrelated posts now deleted (hidden).

[bikeman564™]

Started in 1985, when I was a mere 11 yo. My dad begun riding, so I st arted riding w/ him. And well, the rest is history My first mutli speed bike was a blue 10 speed schwinn varisty. He bought it for me used, stripped it, repainted it red, and that was my sweet ride.

[roadfrog]

growing up, there was nothing to do but ride my bike around. 

 

at 11, i was riding my pinky huffy with the banana seat all over town.  even after dark (love riding at night).

 

i saved up my lunch money and bought a 10 speed western flyer, and rode her everywhere.  cyclocross to the pond near my house, ride the shoulder of the highway to a friend's house....i specifically remember the 75 mile ride when i was 17. 

 

no helmet

 

no water bottle (stopping at the quickie mart for a glass bottle of sprite was awesome!)

 

no pad in the shorts

 

that old steel western flyer is at my dad's right now.  i've toyed with the idea of putting her back together.  i love her so. 

[Mr. Beanz]

growing up, there was nothing to do but ride my bike around. 

 

at 11, i was riding my pinky huffy with the banana seat all over town. 

 

 

Yup, I've always been on a bike daily since I was about 4 but actually for sport, not till I got older.

[jsharr ★]

First bike I really remember was a Gracco dual suspension BMX bike called an MX1000.  That was sold to buy a Webco Replica in the late 70s and that was sold to fund a mopded purchase in 1980.  Graduated high school in 1983 and bought a Puegeot Orient Express to take to college with me.  While at college I bought a Trek 330 Elance I believe in 1984 or so and the rest is history.  Cycling time has ebbed and flowed as my life has changed, but bikes have always been some part of my life since the 70s,

 

Gracco MX 1000

Webco

Puch Newport

 

No pics of the early Puegeot or Trek. but here is a pic of a 1988 Trek 1000 which replaced the Trek 330

and the Trek 8000 which replaced the Puegeot

[JerrySTL ★]

I started riding as a kid around 1962.

 

Gave it up for 3 or 4 years when I turned 16 and got my driver's license.

 

In 1973 I bought a Schwinn Super Sport. This was my first geared bike.

 

I rode bikes until about 1986 when I took up running, which is evil.

 

In 1990 I tore up my knee running. I could ride without pain, but not walk. So after my surgery, I went back to riding.

[Mr. Beanz]

In 1973 I bought a Schwinn Super Sport. This was my first geared bike.

 

 

 

 

Haha, I bought a World Sport when I was 14 in 1977 with the money form my paper route. This was the wannabe Schwinn model for us poor kids in the ghetto! 

[groupw]

I rode a Schwinn Stingray wannabe bike as a kid until age 14. Living in the country by then, I could get a school permit to drive and bought a car with summer job money. My parents bought me a well-used road bike from a police auction when I went to college. It was from JC Penney, but manufactured in Germany. Once I got it road worthy, I put in a lot of miles around town with it. I was a fair weather rider, then, but if the weather was decent, I was out riding. It was a pretty nice bike and fit me perfectly. It was stolen about a year after our first child was born. I had to replace it with a garage sale Columbia road bike that was my ride for the next 20 years.

 

It wasn't a great bike and a big letdown after the one that had been stolen. We were young and broke so it was the best I could do. By the time I could afford a new bike, it was no longer a priority.

 

Fast-forward to 2007.  I am sick of being overweight, sick and tired. My son encouraged me to join a group ride at the LBS. I was hard as hell, but I could see the light to my obesity tunnel. Bought a Giant OCR3 that had less than 50 miles before the kid who owned it had a growth spurt that put him into a larger frame. Rode that all summer and seeing what it had done for me, found ways to ride through the winter. I wanted to upgrade the Sora shifters. The LBS owner counseled me on the upgrade cost and had a great deal on a previous season OCR1. I have about 13,000 miles on it through all kinds of weather. Upgraded to Mavic wheels after getting hit by the truck. Someday, I hope to move into a more race-oriented frame. Now that I have lost weight and improved flexibility, the compact frame is sometimes too compact. I will still keep the OCR1. Too much history and good memories.

[Dirtyhip]

Never had a bike as a kid.  I had roller skates.  

 

When I was about 22, I bought my first bike.  Didn't need training wheels, because I had very good balance.  However, the learning curve was rough for a few years.  The bike was a cruddy Biscayne Blazer that I got from a bike shop.  It was a few hundred dollars.  Took me a couple months to pay it off.  That was a lot of money for me back then.  I had my little apartment, my VW bug and a bicycle.

 

So, a bit over 20 years of riding.

[Bikeguy]

I started riding a lot back in 1969.  My parents purchased me a 5 speed Schwinn Collegiate.  It looked kind of like this but (if my failing memory serves) it was gold or brown. 

 

 

I remember changing the chain ring to a larger one, so I could ride faster.   I needed to make the chain longer too, and of course the chain guard had to go.   I swapped the handle bar to a bar with drops, so I could ride faster.  And I swapped to toe clip pedals, so I could ride faster.  I added an odometer/speedometer (mechanical back then).  And last but not least I painted the frame yellow that was faster too.

 

I rode that bike many thousands of miles.  Still was riding it in college.  By then, the frame was way too small, but then again I wasn’t able to buy anything else because of lack of money. 

 

Of course after college I with my new job, I went out and bought my first 10 speed bike, a 1974 Schwinn LeTour 4.   I rode that, but not as often.  I can’t remember what I did with that old yellow Schwinn Collegiate.  Now I kind of wish I would have kept the bike.

 

In 1982, I married WoBG and I seldom rode for many years.

 

In 2001 WoBG and I purchased MTBs to ride on rails to trails bike paths.  We rode many weekends but not very fast or not very long distances.

 

Then in 2003 I started riding on the roads again.  I was WAY out of shape and I knew I needed to change my unhealthy habits. I rode my LeTour 4 for a while, but I liked the MTB better (Indexed shifting and clipless pedals).  I also wanted to make a commitment to myself to continue riding, so I purchased my ti Merlin and I have been riding ever since.   (Gave my LeTour 4 away)

 

This weekend I’m sure WoBG and I will ride our tandem on Saturday and Sunday.

[Longjohn ★]

I went on family rides with my wife and kids around the neighborhood in the nineties.  We took bikes on vacation and rode them.  These were cheapo bikes, probably stuffmart bikes we bought used.  After the kids grew up and had cars I bought my first new bike, it was a Wallgoose full suspension mountain bike and I ran the wheels off of it (actually wore out the rear hub).  After talking to the LBS about a new wheel for the Wallgoose I decided to get my first Trek, a hardtail mountain bike.  I was happy as a clam riding that until one day in late October I was riding a paved bike trail in Erie, Pa.  I thought I was the only person riding the trail that day.  I had the mountain bike in it's top gear, I thought I was flying when out of nowhere a little old man flew past me like I was sitting still.  He was riding a road bike.  That's when I decided I needed a road bike.  LBS didn't stock my size but they ordered one in for me and hooked me up with a local roadie group.  It was a good group, very tolerant of noobs on their first road bike.  They imparted a love of road riding in me.  I've done some week or longer adventures, the Washington DC to Pittsburgh, Pa. trail, solo, self supported.  2009 Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure, 2013 Tour of the Erie Canal in upstate NY. I want to do the Washington trip again, maybe next time I will ride it both ways down to DC and back to Pittsburgh.

[Ralphie ★]

My story is similar to Jerry's, so I'll just edit where apropos:

I started riding as a kid around 1962.  Me too!  Started on a small kid's bike, then appropriated my Dad's Raleigh 3-speed after he never rode it, and painted it jade green and gold.

 

Gave it up for 3 or 4 years when I turned 16 and got my driver's license.  Aboot the same, say 16 through 25.

 

In 1973 I bought a Schwinn Super Sport. This was my first geared bike.  In 1981 I bought a Raleigh Grand Prix.

 

I rode bikes until about 1986 when I took up running, which is evil.  I tried running for a brief spell, and gave it up when it caused knee pain.

 

In 1990 I tore up my knee running. I could ride without pain, but not walk. So after my surgery, I went back to riding.  I kept up riding and just said no to running.

[LMichael70]

I remember my dad bought me my first bike, a belt driven 2 wheeler in 1948, wow. Then soon outgrowing it my brother started riding a handmedown ballon tire girls bike 49-50. About 52 I had a morning paper route and my dad bought me a 3 speed English bike, I still remember it`s beauty, I was like the pony express making morning deliveries through our small town until winter..

   That was my last bike as a kid and road many miles over several years. 98 -99 bought my first trek and started serious biking and happy ever since.

[Nate]

I was a swimmer in high school. In the off season, coach said we should try and find something to do outside of the pool. Being in the pool all year round can burn you out, so in the summers I started riding

 

that was 32 years ago

 

I found that riding was a good outlet when things were bothering me

 

I rode alot. I was a pretty troubled kid

[goldendesign]

I rode Mtn bikes as a kid, but then who didn't ride as a kid?

 

I was always an athlete; varsity soccer, var tennis, and running during my teens. I even signed up for the Detroit Freepress Half marathon the day before, with no prep, ran it and puked my fricken guts out at the end. 

 

Moved to FL and got my life screwed up in a bad way; drinking and drugs were the focus. I used to say sardonically that if I lived till thirty then I would become super healthy and quit it all. I got married and by 26 I knew I wouldn't make it to thirty. Decided to get rid myself of the baggage and get fit.

I tried running again but the joints wouldn't support it the way I used to run. So I dusted off my old Giant Rincon (2001) and started pedaling.

 

I now have a 2004 Lemond Tourmalet and been riding as a sport for the last four years.

[Olas Nah]

This is me, circa early 2006. I started riding in '04, but this was the same bike and kit I always wore. I didn't have many jerseys back then. Looks like I'm still wearing shorts instead of bibs too. Looks like I'm also wearing the socks I got from my first century ride in '05.

 

[Olas Nah]

And here's one of me from this year: