As easy as riding a bike

Having just finished a bike ride down the coastal plain of Northumberland I would have to say that one of the most important things to consider when buying a new bike is the kind of shorts you wear. Today’s ample padding played a huge role in the enjoyment of the day. Comfort is everything when it comes to travelling on two wheels and a quick Twitter poll agreed with me, stating that a comfortable saddle was by far the most important factor when choosing to buy a new bike.

It is years since I hit the open road in anything less than a Renault Scenic and my waistline is beginning to reflect this so I decided to hire a bike for a day to see if cycling is indeed ‘like riding a bike’. Would I be able to stay upright and what exactly has changed in the world of cycling?

From hybrid cycles to mountain bikes, racers to full suspension off-roaders there are a wealth of bikes out there to choose from these days. One piece of excellent advice I received was that any new rider should be fitted for their bike at a good bike shop. So, where does one start? The ride I was going to do was a basic family route, which took in a few hills, fields, roads and a path along the coastline at Craster so I borrowed a sturdy mountain bike and prepared to hold on tight.

Careering down hills at great speeds is not my forte and I was more than a little bit wobbly as we navigated our way along the coastal path but I soon got into the swing of being out on the open road and feeling the wind in my hair and wondered why it had taken me so long to get back into the saddle.

When looking to buy a new bike rather than hire one, one of the first things you need to think about is where are you going to store your new purchase? If you have a cavernous garage or an empty shed then the cycling world is your oyster but if you live in an upstairs flat then you might consider the option of the foldaway bike that has the added benefit of being portable.

Families with younger children are no longer restricted to child bike seats. Trailer buggies and bolt on trailer bikes now allow parents to get out onto the road and to cover a fair few miles with the kids in tow before the calls to stop for loo breaks and ice creams rise from the rear.

Hybrid bikes are a new cross between a racing bike and a mountain bike and are designed for city dwellers and commuters. Their upright positioning gives better visibility in traffic than the drop handlebars of a racer and thin tyres mean that they are speedy and easy to handle on busy roads.

For the off-road rider there are a multitude of choices, from carbon fibre frames to suspension forks that wouldn’t look out of place on a tractor. Two-inch thick tyres that can cope with all terrains grace sturdy looking machines that can cost around the same as a small car.

As for me: it was like riding a bike in that I had remembered how to cycle and the padded shorts meant that even when I did fall into a patch of thistles, I didn’t feel a thing.

by Katherine Wildman

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