1,003 users have contributed to 1,189 threads and 1,260 posts.

1003 users

a few months ago were just over half a dozen.

congratulations

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http://www.singlespeed-portugal.net

Totally bloomin' marvellous. I seem to remember there being 43 members at the time when I joined.

However, where are all the posts from these hundreds of new people? It's always the same old names in the forum. Come on new guys, let's hear from you - and see your photos!

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"Gears are like eyes or testicles. Having more than one is an unnecessary luxury." Elvis A. Presley

its daylight here now

thats 4.06 am

 

hell i'm off out pedalling  

Hello

I'm a new member and I'm posting

see

 

mamos 

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carpe scrotum

If you didn't build it, you don't own it.

Oooops, missed it!

 

I've been away for a few days, doing the SMBLA Trail Cycle Leader course, up in the Lake District.  When I go back for my assessment, I'll be qualified to (get paid to) go out riding my mountainous bike

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She who succeeds in gaining the mastery of the bicycle will gain the mastery of life.
– Frances E. Willard, How I Learned To Ride The Bicycle, 1895


The follower of singlespeeding
is at one with his bike.

Congratulations, Adam. And - it's now 1,035 members!

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"Gears are like eyes or testicles. Having more than one is an unnecessary luxury." Elvis A. Presley

well done adam

 

what that entail then ,tell us more

A very historic day - D Day, June 6th 1944. We got to invade France, but they wouldn't let us keep it!

Lest we forget.

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"Gears are like eyes or testicles. Having more than one is an unnecessary luxury." Elvis A. Presley

but what would we do with it ?

apart from live there ?

 

 

 

btw

my relatives are austrian so ... 

(background - I recently quit working as a bike mechanic, I'm now working as a bikeability instructor in Exeter)

to go with it I went here  it was a brilliant weekend and I'm really looking forward to the assessment - just got to get a bit/lot fitter

 

what's great about it is I get to work on my bicycle, I get to ride with kids and adults and get them enthused to ride more, and my petrol to get to work bill has reduced to virtually £0.00 

it's early days yet - I have yet to break even... that's self employment though.

It's all good! 

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She who succeeds in gaining the mastery of the bicycle will gain the mastery of life.
– Frances E. Willard, How I Learned To Ride The Bicycle, 1895


The follower of singlespeeding
is at one with his bike.

More congratulations! Sounds like a good - if rather brave - move out of slavery. I hope it eventually earns you a decent living. Tell us all about it. I've never heard of Bikeability.

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"Gears are like eyes or testicles. Having more than one is an unnecessary luxury." Elvis A. Presley

Good one Adamx

Kids do need to be given the confidence to get out on the road and enjoy cycling.

When we were kids we used to go off all day on our bikes and cycle for miles on all sorts of roads.

It taught us road craft that has been carried over into our driving.

If kids these days are prevented from cycling on the roads by over cautious parents they will be ill equipped to cope the traffic when they start learning to drive.

I know there was less traffic on the roads when I was a kid but there was still a lot of traffic

mamos
 

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carpe scrotum

If you didn't build it, you don't own it.

Mamos: I agree absolutely. I encountering kids with virtually no sense of direction or distance - they've been driven around everywhere all their lives and have never learnt any local geography.

 

BikeAbility is the modern equivalent of the cycling profficiency of my youth - almost everyone did this in primary school (for non UK riders = school age 10 or 11 ) in the 1970's, the main difference is that BA is very much geared to actual road survival skills. Level 1 is basic bike handling, level 1 is run on normal roads, kind of ride to school routes, and level 3 is main roads, roundabouts etc., and is geared more for teenagers and adults and commuting than the first 2 levels.

I also teach 'Cycle to your Hearts content'  which is aimed at adults starting or returning to cycling. I taught a 60 year old to ride recently, and that is actually a really good feeling.

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She who succeeds in gaining the mastery of the bicycle will gain the mastery of life.
– Frances E. Willard, How I Learned To Ride The Bicycle, 1895


The follower of singlespeeding
is at one with his bike.

It sounds very worthwhile and enjoyable - but I thought most of this kind of thing was handled by the 'volunteer sector'? The old Cycling Proficiency certainly was. Don't say the authorities are now finally investing some proper dosh in the promotion of cycling. If so, where's it funded from.

On that subject; I failed my cycling proficiency test - twice! This is something that I'm very proud of, as in each group I was the only one to fail, and the only kid not wearing that shiny little enamelled triangle badge the next day at school. The mere thought of having failed on two separate occaisions, after two full programmes of instruction, still makes me burst into giggles. Perhaps I'll buy a badge on eBay... or perhaps not. I do hope you never failed a cycling proficiency test Adam!

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"Gears are like eyes or testicles. Having more than one is an unnecessary luxury." Elvis A. Presley

the training I do is funded by the Gubbmint under the name of 'cycling england'. They are paying Exeter to be a demonstration town. The existing selected towns which have been involved in the project for three years are: Aylesbury, Brighton & Hove, Darlington, Derby, Exeter, Lancaster with Morecambe and there's going to be more towns involved too. There's £140m going in the pot, which is either a lot or a pittance depending on your perspective. I'm having a small row on another mailing list with motorcyclists who believe all cyclists are evil baby-eating scum...

 

 

I'm freelancing for Exeter council, but we do get a lot of help from volunteer parents, which is great - today I was doing a saturday club course and one of the dads came out on his Orbea Orca and gave 2 hours of his time. Nice bloke.

 

I did my cycling profficiency, but I never got my badge or certificate - the badge disappeared and I eventually got a cert with Adam spelt wrong. I was gutted. 

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She who succeeds in gaining the mastery of the bicycle will gain the mastery of life.
– Frances E. Willard, How I Learned To Ride The Bicycle, 1895


The follower of singlespeeding
is at one with his bike.

Proper funding for cycling promotion - brilliant! I hope you're getting a fair share of that £140m!!! I'll watch for the scheme reaching somewhere near here with interest.

 Have you still got the certificate? I can understand being gutted at the time, but it might be a fun thing to have framed on your wall today. My eleven year old son has just passed his. However, I don't think I'll be letting him out on the road on his own for some time. Perhaps when he reaches his mid-twenties... The modern badges are plasticy rubbish, and he lost his at school the same day.

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"Gears are like eyes or testicles. Having more than one is an unnecessary luxury." Elvis A. Presley

(no I lost the sustifficate years ago)

What has your lad just passed? I'd assume BikeAbility level 1 or 2. Cycling Proficiency hasn't existed since 2005.

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She who succeeds in gaining the mastery of the bicycle will gain the mastery of life.
– Frances E. Willard, How I Learned To Ride The Bicycle, 1895


The follower of singlespeeding
is at one with his bike.

still got mine somewere

had it near 40 yrs