How did you get into riding?

[slarge]

Used to use my bike to get around, and built up a tracker bike with knobbly tyres and cow horn handlebars when I was about 13. Used this for jumping in the park, and went youth hosteling with mates when I was about 15, then saved up my paper round money to buy a Dawes Fox 5 speed road bike. Brilliant for getting about, and commuted on it until I got a car.
The Dawes then sat in the garage for years until my brother in law borrowed it for a few years.

Did loads of running through my teens, then found beer, women and music. It's all a blur for a few years, then kids happened and I ended up buying my eldest a mountain bike when he was about 12. Then invested in a Dawes Tekarra steel framed rigid bike that is now my reserve commuter - used this for years with local bike shop rides and the Schwinn 100 ( remember that?) . Then sold my kit car to buy a Specialized FSR, which I still have, and used this for many years, doing loads of races, big rides and trail centres. It's on its 4th set of forks now! More bikes seem to have appeared, and I haven't managed to sell any. Even the bars off my 30 year old racer found their way onto a Bill Nickson road bike I bought off a mate to do LEJOG (the bars snapped through fatigue, which was a painful lesson on the life of aluminium bars). The more riding I do the more I want to do - loads of adventures on the list, just need a tandem to allow my patient other to enjoy them with me......

[Dave Barter]

Was a 13 stone bifta

Got into running and football to lose some weight. Became completely obsessed wit long distance running and not bad at it either. A very bad tackle killed my knees playing football which ruled out running. Tried riding instead to relive my youth of cycling to school and fishing spots. Basically found the one thing that allows me to be me.

[Solo]

Love these kind of stories. Here is mine:
Father and grandfather always rode bikes, mainly for transport. My father still cycles at 76!
I liked reading and keeping up with stuff as a kid, in a 'what's next' kind of way so got into BMX before most of the other local kids.
My dad had built up a second hand racer (5 speed Elswick) for when I wanted a 'proper bike' (his words!).
I was using the BMX for longer offroad rides by this point, along by the river and across the woods, etc.
By 1985 I was looking for my next bike/big thing. Spotted cyclo cross on Grandstand and took the Elswick over the Common! Not good lol.

Around that time I read a piece in a supplement that came with a newspaper about the Crane's riding Raleigh Mavericks up Snowdon (not sure but this may have been before the Saracen's up Kili). It appealed to me. Massively!

Next stop was the local Raleigh shop. He had an ice blue 5 speed Maverick in the window. I drooled. A lot.
It was still there in 1986 and had been reduced so my BMX was part ex'd, the racer sold and pocket money thrown in! It was mine.
I loved that bike and still have the frame and forks. Although braking was always an option with steel rims and sidepull brakes!!

A couple of years later my dad bought a cheap MTB and joined me.

As my riding progressed I wanted cantis and 15 gears, so then I had a Dawes Ascent that was way too big and my dad had for a while after his cheapo MTB was declared too heavy!

My dream bikes (from MBUK launch Mag in '88) was a Fisher. By 1990 I got my first one. Another frame I still have. Bit small for me now though.

Early 90's had me playing with everything MTB, from bar ends to flexstem to suspension forks. Even got to try a Marin with front and rear Manituo suspension round betws y coed.

At one point I owned the Fisher Celerity for normal offroad stuff, a Supercalibre race bike and a Marin Bobcat Trail with rack on it for commuting/touring duties.

Injuries, married life and kids slowed me for a bit but from about 2009 or so I've been back riding both road and MTB.

I won't bore you with my recent bike ownership. Its been a lot if chasing the 'right' bike for the MTB side of things though!

[RobMac]

Was never really sporty at school, as a kid I never had a bike of my own
When I left school that all changed, motorbikes first which I've still got most (early 80's muscle bikes) then started running up to 1/2 marathon, then Tri and Duathlon, then Scottish XC MTB (early 90's) I've still got most of my bikes (Pace RC100 & Kona Explosif) amongst others. Since then I've mainly done XC/Endurance MTB'ing, riding really 'gnarly' stuff, walking, camping, mixed martial arts. I have a huge collection of MTB's & motorbikes, a bit obsessive actually Don't smoke or drink, don't socialize, no TV, no holidays, due to the BIKE HABIT I've got

[danielgroves]

I always liked cycling as a kid, but never did much. What I did do was just cancel paths type stuff with the family.

Then ,w hen my sister wen tot uni we had the bunch of apollo bikes nabbed off the roof of the car (including the racks) and the closest match the insurance company said they could come up with was a Specialized Hardrock. Quite an upgrade on what I had before…

Anyway, a year later I went off to uni and decided to join the mountain biking club. From there after every spare penny of loan was blown on mountain bike parts.

By the end of my first year the hardrock had enough parts swapped out that it was no longer a hardrock it was now… a Commencal Meta 5.5 VIP. That was upgraded continually throughout my second year and placement year until the £2k build was stolen on the 12th of November last year.

Now riding a SS Rigid On One Inbred which I had built up last summer as something for the longer rides… thankfully building that when I did has saved me from becoming bikeless.

[ir_bandito]

My Dad taught me when I was 3 or 4 on a solid-tyred, rod-braked thing that my Grandad had found in a skip and restored. I've never stopped.

Incidentally, my Dad can't actually ride (and no-one else in my family ever really did), and despite him being a grumpy old bugger with whom I can't have a conversation without an alcoholic drink to hand to keep me sane, it makes him the most influential man in my entire life.

[benp1]

I've only got back into riding relatively recently. Used to cycle a lot as a kid - Raleigh Grifter, then a Raleigh Mirage (my 1st MTB)

I've cycled regularly for the last 4+ years (basically as soon as my dog was allowed to run). Did it on my dads old bike which got nicked.

My mate then gave me his old Specialized Allez which he had crashed, I put on flat bars and rode that with the dog and then commuted to work on it as well. Still have it as my commuter and hack bike. Now converted to singlespeed though

I bought my 2nd ever MTB in Summer 2013 (Spesh Hardrock Sport Disc) for a charity ride with a mate, and to see how much I'd like mountain biking. Turns out a lot, did the WRT on it earlier this year as well as various other things like local singletrack in the woods. Its main use is for riding with the dog, a regular 3 mile loop on tarmac'd path in a park, but its much nicer than on the road bike. I can also ride on the wet grass and muddy bits easily

Now demo'ing a large Solaris which I'll be buying. Plan to do the winter event on it, plus all normal MTB'ing

[frogatthefarriers]

First bike was a Raleigh Jack-of-Clubs, 4 speed derailleur, for passing the Eleven+ exam back in 1965. One of the first (if not THE first) rides ended with me going OTB in the middle of Wrexham and landing upside down on the boot of the brand new mini that had stopped without me noticing. Knocked the wind out of me for sure. And in front of all the Saturday morning shoppers too!

That was my only bike until the Triumph Tiger Cub came along. There was no thought of cycling anywhere once motorised transport was available. This for 44 years until just before my 60th birthday when I went to Cannock Chase with the guys from work. I rented a bike and we rode the F.T.D. twice. I enjoyed it so much that when my work joined the cycle to work scheme sceme I bought a Spesh. Rockhopper. Then a Giant Anthem.

Earlier this year I realised a long(-ish) ambition and rode the C-2-C solo, dragging a bike trailer, from Whitehaven to Tynemouth, camping along the way. I really liked the impromptu nature of the trip and want to do some more and I've been gearing up to do some bikepacking.

WRT here I come

[darbeze]

Started off with a Raleigh Chipper as I was too short for the Chopper.
This rusted away as I never put it away in the shed, and we only lived 200 yards from the sea.
This was replaced by an Elswick Hopper, which was ace for skids until I popped the back tyre and Dad wouldn't replace the tyre unless I put some of my pocket money towards it.
Then Mum and Dad bought my brother and I new bikes to ride to secondary school. My brother had a Raleigh Magnum, 10spd racer with Shimano's first index gears. I was too short for a proper sized bike so I had a 5 spd Kalkoff Concorde with 24" wheels. All of my school friends said it was an Action Man bike because it was smaller than theirs.
Then a gap of 5-10 years until I needed to get to work and back cheaply but couldn't afford to run a car so a friend gave me a Raleigh road bike of some description, which was fine. I then started to notice MTBs after my wife's cousin brought his Marin around which I thought was ace after having a go on it.
So I saved up and bought an Emmelle Dolomite XL. Chromoly steel 21 speed fully rigid magic. Mainly chose that because of the paint job. I still have the frame, forks and wheels. Want to build a ss with it one day.

Fast forward to 2010 and I wanted to return to Iceland for a third time but the car ferry was no longer running, so I thought it would be a good idea to take bikes. Some quick calculations and I used the Cycle to Work scheme to purchase a Felt Q620 Ali HT. A world apart from anything I had ever ridden before. Me and a friend had a great 2 weeks riding around Iceland fully loaded up with racks and panniers.

Basically haven't stopped riding since. Even took the Felt to NZ in 2012. There is some very lovely scenery to ride in there...

Replaced Felt with Genesis Fortitude in 2013 and built up a 2015 Genesis Croix de Fer 3-4 weeks ago. Always take the long way to and from work and now even love riding uphill!!

Have now done 2 WRTS, 2 BB200s, There n Back 2014, and will be doing the Ford Fiesta in January (Once I enter tomorrow).

Never thought that would happen in a million years...

Si

[Lmorgan87]

I've always been absolutely fascinated by bikes. Even before I could ride I remember being transfixed by a guy doing a wheelie down my road. Was given my first bike by my neighbour who's son had outgrown it. It had barely any brakes, 3 out of the 7 gears working etc. I started riding to and from school when I was around 8. Me and my best mate would spend every weekend going riding or building jumps (which we'd usually bottle out of doing).

Got to secondary school and over heard another friend of mine boasting about how he'd cycled over 400 miles during the summer holidays. Thought to myself 'if that fat b*****d can do it then so can I'. Started doing more road riding. Cycled the 20 miles to and from college every day for 2 years.

Got to university and blitzed my loan on a decent road bike and spent my first year riding with the uni club. Felt the pull to offroad and started riding by myself more.

Graduated and couldn't find a job so worked in a bike shop as a mechanic for a year. Pretty much lived and breathed bikes and bought loads of lovely trade price goodies. Discovered bikepacking when I joined a local club and cut my teeth with a December bivi using an old plastic sheet as a tarp and a bulky foam mat and synthetic bag.

Found a job a just down the road and now I ride with the guys from the shop once a week. Still buying loads of gear but I've moved away from gears and suspension and now run a rigid single speed all year.