Took a female friend out riding today on some local trails.
I bore in mind all the advice & kept it to circa 10 miles, although because of where we live that did include some 1500ft of ascending.

She had a blast! Her bike is an £210 pile of ***** from Halfords yet she was hurtling down hills with a huge grin on her face & the look of achievement as she crested a 370ft climb was a joy to behold!
Admittedly she rode that climb on my bike & boy did i suffer on hers!

Made me realise how much we take our kit for granted & also how we forget that riding isn’t about how much £££ we can spend.

Still, she’s talking about saving up – i think i may have created a monster!
(Yes, she’s single as well!)

my hardtail cost me £150 2nd hand, and I spent about £200 on new wheels and brakes…

Aye Simon, my first hardtail cost me more in parts than i bought it for!

upgrading, the new riding…..

Nice one – glad it came out well

the thing is, I used to think of biking as being very expensive, but having settled for a simpler bike and components I’m still having just as much fun for a lot less money.

But Simon, what we may call ‘cheaper’ the general (i.e. non-cycling) public tend to think “HOW MUCH!!!!”

introduce her to foxyladee?

I started my partner on a bike built out of bits I had in the shed, she now has a better bike than me and has to wait for me at the top of climbs.