Good on him! I was 32 when i learnt to side a bike (3 years ago). The fact that my son was getting to an age where he would want to learn pushed me to do it.

At 15 he will want to learn where there is no chance of someone he knows seeing him. I was very self conscious about people seeing me and as a teenager he will be every more self conscious than i was.

I learnt with http://www.pedallingforpleasure.co.uk who were great and was commuting to work within a couple of weeks.

i have just finished reading this book. I found it both fascinating and upsetting. The number of wasted lived and the suffering on both sides was horrendous. Lets hope there is never a WW3.

10 miles each way on the road and 9 miles each way if i go offroad (trans pennine trail). Usually takes me 35-40 minutes depending on the wind direction and speed.

Usually commute 3-4 days a week.

merino ones from bikemaps.co.uk not the most durable but super comfy and warm. £9 a pair or 3 pairs for £24

i have one of these bags and although great for extra storage you will not get a wetsuit inside. They are well worth the money however.

I have been using sole custom footbeds in my bike & walking shoes for about 4 years now (www.yoursole.co.uk)

I have used orthotics in the past but prefer the sole footbeds because they are cheap enough to buy a couple of pair so you are not constantly swapping from one pair of shoes to another.

You will struggle to get a pair less than £35 though

I love cinnamon flavour gourmet jelly beans. I think they also make the lucozade beans (which are more expensive).

If i consumed 3 energy gels an hour like the manufacturer recommends i would be spending a fortune!

Every time you pass a slim attractive lady make sure you tell your missus how sexy they look, how great their legs look, how pert their bottom is….

Seriously its a difficult topic to discuss with your other half as you never know how they will take it (i have been there). Firstly you need to reassure her that you still find her attractive.

Finding a way to exercise together is a good way to kick start a healthier lifestyle. It needs to be something you both enjoy otherwise it will fall by the wayside.

I received my saddlebag from bikepack.eu last week. They are well made and the service from Pawel was spot on.

jamesco – the bridleway is near great houghton, barnsley and goes through some woods on park lane. I don’t think horse riders have put the logs down because there are also a couple of small trees that have deliberately been broken and laid across the path preventing horse riders as well.

Gingerss – Bridleway is in Barnsley, South Yorkshire. I use it several times a month and have never seen anybody else use it. There has always been logs placed across the path but now its ridiculous.

ha ha – i must admit my skills are lacking.

In this months cycle active mag one of the writers was showing off his new custom built hinde bike. I bet he got better service than most.

I hate it when they ask if i intend to pay for the items that are in my jacket pockets…

With coke (although to be honest i only drink american whiskey)

If you are looking at new i would suggest the Merlin Maven. Its £50 over your budget but the spec looks good for the money.

We went in February last year for 4 days and thought it was great. My son still talks about it now. It was reasonably quiet on the Thursday & Friday and we managed to go on loads of rides. The weekend was really busy with huge queues for the rides so we went to see all the shows and just went on a couple of rides using fast track tickets.

The price of food is expensive but providing you are not washing it down with copious amounts of beer (10 euros for 500ml) you will not spend a fortune. I thought the food was good quality compared to the crap at Alton Towers etc.

I was well impressed with the Eurostar which i was not looking forward to (perhaps i am just easily pleased)

There is a 2011 model on Ebay at the moment for £675 (buy it now price). Its a size 58 which is too big for me otherwise i would be very tempted.

i went to ‘fish & chips at 149’ in Bridlington last week. The chippy won best UK fish & chip shop last year. The fish was excellent but i have had better chips. I will be going again though when i am next in the area. I am hungry now…

I live in Barnsley and the cycle commuters i see are always well lit up.

The only people i see cycling without lights are tracksuit wearing chavs with saddles so low their knees are almost whacking them in the face when they pedal. They will probably sell the free lights to get more weed.

The police in Barnsley need to spend more time patrolling the local chav haunts on the trans pennine trail to catch the underage drinkers. The amount of glass on certain parts of the trail make cycling to work a nightmare sometimes (i now stick to the roads mostly).

I live in Barnsley and the cycle commuters i see are always well lit up.

The only people i see cycling without lights are tracksuit wearing chavs with saddles so low their knees are almost whacking them in the face when they pedal. They will probably sell the free lights to get more weed.

The police in Barnsley need to spend more time patrolling the local chav haunts on the trans pennine trail to catch the underage drinkers. The amount of glass on certain parts of the trail make cycling to work a nightmare sometimes (i now stick to the roads mostly).

11 miles each way 4 times a week. I usually do 2 days on the road bike and 2 days on the hardtail. The trans pennine trail almost runs from where i live to work which is handy.

I leave my shoes and belt at work and just carry my lunch, undies, trousers and shirt. I use a camelbak mule but have just ordered a saddlebag from bikepack.eu so will start using that when the weather gets warmer

Nothing wrong with franksinatra’s diet plan. It’s simply, easy to follow and providing portion control is followed should work.

I am halfway through ‘all hell let loose’ by Max Hastings. Its an interesting overview.

I would also look at the Merlin Maven (Merlin Cycles). £450 with discount at the moment.

I have a xl xtreme frame bag from rose bikes which although not huge is great for the money (£9.90) and holds plenty of equipment.

I think i will order a saddlebag from bikepack.eu for the summer.

Thanks for the responses. It was the bikepack.eu saddlebags i was looking at.

B.A.Nana – Wharncliffe woods are actually in Sheffield rather than Rotherham but still pretty close to Rotherham

There are plenty of bridleways but you have to do quite a bit of road riding to link up the bridleways (a cx bike would be ideal). Have you tried warncliffe woods?

I like the Garburn merino socks from http://www.bikemaps.co.uk. They wear out pretty quickly but i find them warm & comfortable. I got 2 pairs of the Endura Baa Baa socks for Xmas which are also ok but i still prefer the Garburn’s.

I have a large Topeak saddlebag. This takes my pump, tube, repair kit, tools & lightweight waterproof jacket.

If i am only out for a couple of hours i don’t bother with a hydration pack and just take a bottle or two

I prefer the equally girly Warninks Advocaat at Christmas.

Venture prices are crazy.

We went to Shakespeare photography near Magna. We were very pleased with the photos.

If you have some freezer packs put them under the casserole dish. A freezer bag or box would however be better. You could always but the chili in a tupperware tub and transport the casserole dish separately.

If you get stuck in traffic you could end up in the car for much longer than four hours. Food poisoning is not a great way to start the new year. 🙁

Not enough sex

A glass of mulled wine followed by a couple of pints of Elland brewery 1872 porter

halfrauds have got a decent sale on the Boardman bike range. Ends tomorrow night.

It must be great being a teacher. Lots of holidays, gifts from pupils at christmas, no stress… 🙂

wallop – don’t you just love the retailers

PePPeR – yes it is ASDA. I thought it might be an excuse to bring their own because i always buy rubbish sandwiches 😛