just like to know what floats your boat!

The shorts.

I love the adventure of cycling: the idea that you can go anywhere, limited only your own physical ability/endurance.

I always used to love, as I was riding along, looking down to see the BB ‘floating’ as the pavement sped by beneath it. Weird, I know. But just one of those little things that adds to the romance.

The fact that we’re all just one big happy family.

And cake.

…and the “head flush”. My mind is always clear after a bike ride.

But mostly the shorts.

HTS, lycra or baggies…?

It’s not running.
The social side.
The sheer decadence of using rare and expensive materials as toys.

Assos chamois cream. It tingles.

…the smell of wet lycra in the morning?

No…? I’ll get my coat.

I don’t think I could pinpoint one thing, but here are a few:-

– The satisfied feeling after exercising
– It means I can eat as much cake as I like
– I (almost) always get home in a better mood than when I left
– Visting places and seeing things I wouldn’t otherwise see
– The community aspect of cycling
– It’s faster than walking, isn’t half as boring as running and you get to have a bit of a breather on the fast fun downhill bits
– Oh, and obviously the shorts

deadlydarcy 😉

The sensation of having a piss when you’ve been trying to find a suitable place for 20 mins.

It gives me the opportunity to compare and contrast the relative merits of the countries A&E facilities.

After much research I can say that Bolton’s really really good at stitching smashed up faces back together, and Withington X-ray department are definitely the quickest

It doesn’t get upset when I ignore it?

one thing I like is that for a **relatively** affortable price, you can have something pretty exotic

**relatively** as in compared to cars / boats etc

Good for the mind, body and soul, it’s varied too, it’s the closet thing to ski-ing, pure escapism from the day to day.

Its the only thing that can get me away from my addiction to reading STW!

It’s fun.

Watching IR_Baboon’s bottom as he climbs a hill.

Oh dear – I seem to be having a hot flush! 😳

The noise tyres make as they lose grip in corners

The feelign of success on cleaning a climb or getting down a decent without any mistakes.

Fitness (my other hobies are cooking and cars whcih don’t help!)

Mind flush, TM Hary the Spider, I couldn’t think of a better way of putting it, but if I don’t get out for a ride I get really pissed off with the world within about 2 days.

‘Friends’, even solo rides invariably involve stoping for a chat with a few interesting characters allong the way.

No one in the outside world really understands it, it doesn’t have the glamour of skiing or sailing which are probably the closest I can think of in terms of middleclass pseudo sport/passtimes.

getting out alone after a $h*t day, out with the lads and having an absolute hoot.

But most of all because of nights like last night !!

Pointing and laughing at Hora as he struggles to the top of another climb with a his big red planet-head looking like an engorged tomato

Then lighting a fag and blowing smoke in his face to annoy him 😀

First thought was the adrenaline like hitting a section/jump/drop I’ve never done before but why do I keep going out on the roadie if that’s it.

Hmm, possible the freedom combined with the speed.

Actually it’s maybe the challenge, as above the new section/… or on the road bike getting up a hill that looks impossible, zipping down a decent at frightening speeds.

Or, maybe it’s buying loads of shiny new stuff!

I like the fact that you can log onto cycling forums, and they have separate pages for cycling and non-cycling threads.

Road – gliding around back country roads.
BMX – flowing round a skatepark (not that I can do this properly any more)
MTB – the adrenaline rush of a fast descent, a new drop or jump. Also the peace and quiet of a solo xc ride somewhere like Long Mynd 🙂

Most of it for me is about being (or trying to be) smooth/”flowy” and fast.

Hangining around dark woods with other men all dressed in black lycra sharing a hip-flask of home-made moonshine.

When I ride over a can and it sticks in my front wheel and makes my bike sound like a motorbike.

The chaffing.

overtaking riders who have obviously spent too much cash on their bikes without paying any attention to their fitness levels. It just makes me glow inside as I speed past them with a cheery ‘hello’! Its comparable to my 17year old daughter having her driving lessons in a 911 (or similar) when a 1.0L micra (or similar) would be more than enough.

noisey hope hubs

receiving bike related packages through the post

The freedom 😀

overtaking riders who have obviously spent too much cash on their bikes without paying any attention to their fitness levels

Hang on – if you’re rich and you want a nice bike, you AREN’T allowed to buy one?

It just makes me glow inside

That’s messed up dude.

I dont think I actually like/enjoy the physical aspect of cycling, I just like components and upgrading my bike. The best bit about it is buying great kit at bargain prices off forums, getting to try it out for a while and then selling it on for a decent profit on ebay.

Discussing suspension dynamics.

Lol @ dt you are on a mission.

The feeling of how I feel when my body is synchronised with the beat.
Although that might be dancing…….I’m not too sure now.

The trailside fights 😈

davidtaylforth – Member
The best bit about it is buying great kit at bargain prices off forums, getting to try it out for a while and then selling it on for a decent profit on ebay.

Hmmm, I dunno – reckon advertising something, taking payment and then not delivering is pretty satisfying!
Made even sweeter when you can read the buyer whinging and the keyboard vigilantes “planning a visit” to get the payment refunded….

The look of my bathroom after washing mud off my bike in the bath.

Molgrips – no, I would positively encourage rich people to buy bikes that are way above their level as this leaves the cheaper ones on the shelves which will hopefully be reduced in price for folk like me to buy, simple!

Surviving

OK, serious answer, it’s the realer-than-real life feeling, senses sharpened, time compressed or extended (15 minute descents that seemed to take 60 seconds)… And that feeling of emptying out my head of everything else but what’s happening right now. Course there’s other places to get it but cycling is always accessible.