It’s been awhile since we have had a decent thread/conversation here in the sub-forum. Time to (hopefully) change that.
As someone who grew up in the states, I stopped riding my bike at around grade 7-8. Back when we weren’t 10 years old yet, having a bike was the cool thing to do and everyone had one! You’d ride your bike around town, race your friends down the street and also race home so mom or dad won’t yell at you for being out too late. Those were the good times.
Soon enough, we were in high school and riding your bike to school was probably the most uncool thing one could do. Also, you don’t want to be the kid that arrived at school already smelling like you’d just walked through a swamp. That new $200USD Raleigh bike that my mother had bought me sat in the garage from 2003 until just a year ago when it got shipped down to Florida for my brother in law.
Only after moving to Asia in 2013 did I start up again.
It all started with the Youbike station near my house. At that time, I had zero savings and just started my first job after graduating with my master’s degree. So, I was trying to save cash. Youbike was my ticket around the city and the first 30 minutes free + you get a quick workout, why not?!
I later discovered the riverside paths and took a Youbike out there for a stroll a few nights. My adventure into bikes was quite a funny story. I was cycling along the path from Song Shan to Nangang and got passed by a guy on a road bike. He seemed like he was just strolling and wasn’t putting too much effort into his pedaling, so I decided to (attempt) to follow. Regardless of how much effort I put into the bike, he just created a bigger and bigger gap.
I went home that evening, called the gf and told her, I’m buying a road bike.
4 months later (and lots of researching here on the forums) I rode home with a 2014 Giant Defy. The rest is all history.
So what made you get into cycling? Mine was a guy that I couldn’t catch up to on a Youbike. Every now and then, I look back and thank him. My gf probably wishes I never went out cycling that night.
I learned when I was a kid but never got into cycling. I used to live in the center of a large city and it would have been very difficult to use it daily.
I went to Australia in 2010 and bought a Scott bike in Melbourne that I used for 10000+kms travelling and going to work.
When I moved to Taiwan I had to, regretfully, sell the Scott and I got a bike here. Ever since, I’ve been riding 150+kms a week over the last 3,5 years, part commuting, part leysure.
It’s definitely my favorite way to get from point A to point B.
I entered a triathlon relay race in mid-2014. I did the swimming leg for that. I decided not long after that I wanted to do a triathlon by myself. I bought a bike at the end of 2014 with this goal in mind, not knowing if cycling would be something I would enjoy. I did my first ride not long after (at the very end of 2014 or possibly January of 2015 because there was non-stop rain then).
I still remember wearing basically clothes you would wear for running in the winter (not even cycling shoes at that time). A group of cyclists all decked out in their gear met me at a red light and gave me a once-over, followed by a more deliberate up and down twice-over. I knew I looked a bit ridiculous but I was undeterred. I kept riding like that for some months. I feel I still have much to learn but definitely don’t feel like a noob anymore.
[quote=“Ibis2k12”]I learned when I was a kid but never got into cycling. I used to live in the center of a large city and it would have been very difficult to use it daily.
I went to Australia in 2010 and bought a Scott bike in Melbourne that I used for 10000+kms travelling and going to work.
When I moved to Taiwan I had to, regretfully, sell the Scott and I got a bike here. Ever since, I’ve been riding 150+kms a week over the last 3,5 years, part commuting, part leysure.
It’s definitely my favorite way to get from point A to point B.[/quote]
I really have to hand it off to you Ibis, I do not know how you cycle so much to and from work with all that rain in Yilan. Any sight of rain in Taipei and my entire Strava feed is of people grinding away on their turbo.
[quote=“marasan”]
I still remember wearing basically clothes you would wear for running in the winter (not even cycling shoes at that time). A group of cyclists all decked out in their gear met me at a red light and gave me a once-over, followed by a more deliberate up and down twice-over. I knew I looked a bit ridiculous but I was undeterred. I kept riding like that for some months. I feel I still have much to learn but definitely don’t feel like a noob anymore.[/quote]
One day I’ll show up in running shoes/shorts/shirt and wait at a certain red light for people to give me the look and then just drop them. That’ll teach em to judge a book by it’s cover.
You sure have come a long way marasan. We got one more race before the summer that I really want you to try out. I’ll update you when sign ups start.
“One day I’ll show up in running shoes/shorts/shirt and wait at a certain red light for people to give me the look and then just drop them”
exactly! Thats a great trick. “It’s not about the bike”, and it’s also not about the shoes…
(much as I dislike Armstrong thats a great book title)
i do ride my mountain bike in punk clothes, mostly as a pub crawler. However, generally always in lycra for my other bikes (track, classic road, race road).
