How long until Pistonheads becomes Pedalheads?
Discussion
I don't tend to post much about cars on here. This isn't because I'm anti car, but just because I find talking about cars rather dull. Not as dull as polishing them, but dull all the same. What I really enjoy, however, is driving! Being able to find a nice, swoopy B road to nail just right is a wonderful thing. 
It occurred to me on my ride home this evening, however, that thanks to the constant increase in vehicle numbers on the road and the pernicious spread of the unnecessary 40mph speed limit (amongst other factors), I by and large now have to look to cycling to get the sort of adrenaline I might once have got whilst driving.
Finding a nice bit of singletrack on my mountain bike (slow and rubbish though I'll be on it) will always give me more of a buzz than anything I'd contemplate doing on the road in a car anyway - I'd equate it more with a track day, where I can have pointless, silly fun, but it doesn't cost as much, I can do it in far more (and nearer) places and I don't have to dedicate an entire dday to it.
Commuting (and other road riding) by bike, however, gives me much of what I used to be able to get in a car.... Sticking with the much faster car through the twisty bends is often a thing of the past now that said faster car is only likely to get 40 feet before getting stuck behind a van, but keeping up with the bloke in the full London Dynamo lycra along the A24 (even if I am puking my lungs up and he's probably barely registering the effort) provides the same sort of enjoyment.
So... How long before the powers that be make driving so dull and safe that the rest of our petrol-headed brethren realise that the only way they can have fun is on two wheels that they power themselves? Five years? Ten? Twenty?? Whatever the answer, I'm sure it'll happen one day!
It occurred to me on my ride home this evening, however, that thanks to the constant increase in vehicle numbers on the road and the pernicious spread of the unnecessary 40mph speed limit (amongst other factors), I by and large now have to look to cycling to get the sort of adrenaline I might once have got whilst driving.
Finding a nice bit of singletrack on my mountain bike (slow and rubbish though I'll be on it) will always give me more of a buzz than anything I'd contemplate doing on the road in a car anyway - I'd equate it more with a track day, where I can have pointless, silly fun, but it doesn't cost as much, I can do it in far more (and nearer) places and I don't have to dedicate an entire dday to it.
Commuting (and other road riding) by bike, however, gives me much of what I used to be able to get in a car.... Sticking with the much faster car through the twisty bends is often a thing of the past now that said faster car is only likely to get 40 feet before getting stuck behind a van, but keeping up with the bloke in the full London Dynamo lycra along the A24 (even if I am puking my lungs up and he's probably barely registering the effort) provides the same sort of enjoyment.
So... How long before the powers that be make driving so dull and safe that the rest of our petrol-headed brethren realise that the only way they can have fun is on two wheels that they power themselves? Five years? Ten? Twenty?? Whatever the answer, I'm sure it'll happen one day!
I think it's happening already. I used to have a 'fun' car for weekends and track days, but the cost of insuring and running 3 cars in the household meant it has been de-comissioned and sits outside looking pretty sorry for itself. The cost of an 'enthusiastic' afternoon in the countryside has significantly increased in the past few years, and blowing ££££'s on a tank of fuel for a couple of hours hooning started to stick in my throat a bit!
Also, as you quite rightly point out the ability to have a bit of fun on the open road without fear of some form of retribution tends to dampen the enthusiasm, and with roads in the home counties now so congested finding 'open road' is a challenge in itself!
For me the adrenalin rush you can get traveling at speed on a road bike through twisty lanes is priceless, also when I am really pushing it I am not burning tankfuls of very expensive go-go juice - just unwanted calories! I can jump on my MTB or CX bike and experience a totally different type of adrenaline rush negotiating off road trails like my rear wheel is on fire!
I will always be a petrolhead, and there will always be a part of me that wants to jump in a nice car and enjoy a good day of 'fun' driving - but for me the time I used to spend fettling, polishing, attending club events and driving for fun, is now time I spend doing cycling related stuff - I would not have the time (or money) to do both!
Also, as you quite rightly point out the ability to have a bit of fun on the open road without fear of some form of retribution tends to dampen the enthusiasm, and with roads in the home counties now so congested finding 'open road' is a challenge in itself!
For me the adrenalin rush you can get traveling at speed on a road bike through twisty lanes is priceless, also when I am really pushing it I am not burning tankfuls of very expensive go-go juice - just unwanted calories! I can jump on my MTB or CX bike and experience a totally different type of adrenaline rush negotiating off road trails like my rear wheel is on fire!
I will always be a petrolhead, and there will always be a part of me that wants to jump in a nice car and enjoy a good day of 'fun' driving - but for me the time I used to spend fettling, polishing, attending club events and driving for fun, is now time I spend doing cycling related stuff - I would not have the time (or money) to do both!
I used to be a die hard pistonhead, hence joining the site 5+ years ago, had a few hot hatches , mx5 then classic Mercs etc....
I now drive a Honda Civic I inherited for free!!! I got it for my misses and was meant to buy something "interesting" for me, but never got round to it! I just drive it park up and forget about it, no advisories on MOTS and TBH I haven't even serviced it in ages, on my last cars I was oil changing every 6000 miles!
Dont get me wrong I still enjoy cars, but I really cant be arsed with owning a nice one, got fed up of having (my) teenagers, dogs and jealous people wrecking them!
I'd love another 70s merc, but I don't have the time , effort or money to look after it and keep it in tip top condition , unless I gave up cycling! I look at modern cars and get tempted then look at the price and think I cant be arsed. You get something nice and shinny, or even classic and shiny , someone comes along and dents it/keys it/ nicks bits of it when out.
Cycling on the other hand takes up any spare time at weekends and is my main daily transport
I now drive a Honda Civic I inherited for free!!! I got it for my misses and was meant to buy something "interesting" for me, but never got round to it! I just drive it park up and forget about it, no advisories on MOTS and TBH I haven't even serviced it in ages, on my last cars I was oil changing every 6000 miles!
Dont get me wrong I still enjoy cars, but I really cant be arsed with owning a nice one, got fed up of having (my) teenagers, dogs and jealous people wrecking them!
I'd love another 70s merc, but I don't have the time , effort or money to look after it and keep it in tip top condition , unless I gave up cycling! I look at modern cars and get tempted then look at the price and think I cant be arsed. You get something nice and shinny, or even classic and shiny , someone comes along and dents it/keys it/ nicks bits of it when out.
Cycling on the other hand takes up any spare time at weekends and is my main daily transport
MadDad said:
I think it's happening already. I used to have a 'fun' car for weekends and track days, but the cost of insuring and running 3 cars in the household meant it has been de-comissioned and sits outside looking pretty sorry for itself. The cost of an 'enthusiastic' afternoon in the countryside has significantly increased in the past few years, and blowing ££££'s on a tank of fuel for a couple of hours hooning started to stick in my throat a bit!
Also, as you quite rightly point out the ability to have a bit of fun on the open road without fear of some form of retribution tends to dampen the enthusiasm, and with roads in the home counties now so congested finding 'open road' is a challenge in itself!
For me the adrenalin rush you can get traveling at speed on a road bike through twisty lanes is priceless, also when I am really pushing it I am not burning tankfuls of very expensive go-go juice - just unwanted calories! I can jump on my MTB or CX bike and experience a totally different type of adrenaline rush negotiating off road trails like my rear wheel is on fire!
I will always be a petrolhead, and there will always be a part of me that wants to jump in a nice car and enjoy a good day of 'fun' driving - but for me the time I used to spend fettling, polishing, attending club events and driving for fun, is now time I spend doing cycling related stuff - I would not have the time (or money) to do both!
This is exactly how I feel.Also, as you quite rightly point out the ability to have a bit of fun on the open road without fear of some form of retribution tends to dampen the enthusiasm, and with roads in the home counties now so congested finding 'open road' is a challenge in itself!
For me the adrenalin rush you can get traveling at speed on a road bike through twisty lanes is priceless, also when I am really pushing it I am not burning tankfuls of very expensive go-go juice - just unwanted calories! I can jump on my MTB or CX bike and experience a totally different type of adrenaline rush negotiating off road trails like my rear wheel is on fire!
I will always be a petrolhead, and there will always be a part of me that wants to jump in a nice car and enjoy a good day of 'fun' driving - but for me the time I used to spend fettling, polishing, attending club events and driving for fun, is now time I spend doing cycling related stuff - I would not have the time (or money) to do both!
TwistingMyMelon said:
I used to be a die hard pistonhead, hence joining the site 5+ years ago, had a few hot hatches , mx5 then classic Mercs etc....
I now drive a Honda Civic I inherited for free!!! I got it for my misses and was meant to buy something "interesting" for me, but never got round to it! I just drive it park up and forget about it, no advisories on MOTS and TBH I haven't even serviced it in ages, on my last cars I was oil changing every 6000 miles!
Dont get me wrong I still enjoy cars, but I really cant be arsed with owning a nice one, got fed up of having (my) teenagers, dogs and jealous people wrecking them!
I'd love another 70s merc, but I don't have the time , effort or money to look after it and keep it in tip top condition , unless I gave up cycling! I look at modern cars and get tempted then look at the price and think I cant be arsed. You get something nice and shinny, or even classic and shiny , someone comes along and dents it/keys it/ nicks bits of it when out.
Cycling on the other hand takes up any spare time at weekends and is my main daily transport
I get this - I have had a couple of Caterhams and a Cerbera but these days I too drive an "inherited" car from my wife (a Merc ML - so not too shoddy) on the understanding that I have budget for another weekend-car if I ever want one.I now drive a Honda Civic I inherited for free!!! I got it for my misses and was meant to buy something "interesting" for me, but never got round to it! I just drive it park up and forget about it, no advisories on MOTS and TBH I haven't even serviced it in ages, on my last cars I was oil changing every 6000 miles!
Dont get me wrong I still enjoy cars, but I really cant be arsed with owning a nice one, got fed up of having (my) teenagers, dogs and jealous people wrecking them!
I'd love another 70s merc, but I don't have the time , effort or money to look after it and keep it in tip top condition , unless I gave up cycling! I look at modern cars and get tempted then look at the price and think I cant be arsed. You get something nice and shinny, or even classic and shiny , someone comes along and dents it/keys it/ nicks bits of it when out.
Cycling on the other hand takes up any spare time at weekends and is my main daily transport
But I don't want one yet. I have young kids, and spend as much time with them as I can, and one of the activities we can all do together is cycling. And being in my mid-40s, I have turned into a fat, squashy knacker. I've spent the last 4 years trying to undo some of the damage that 2 decades of couch surfing has done to me but it's not really "undoing"... more simply holding back the inevitable tide.
That said, recently I managed to get 10 other people from my company interested in a 1-year "challenge" for the most miles on Endomondo. Although we have massively different capabilities, we all have someone close-enough to offer some inspiration for getting outside to do more miles. It's working. It's fun. And I'm now capable of keeping up with my 9yo son.
I'll certainly have another sportscar one day but for the last few years and for the foreseeable future, Pedal Powered is my default forum on PH. And it's nice to see more and more people joining although the culture within this forum seems to be hardening of late. It used to be only "pleasantries" but the latest helmet thread has brought a bit of The Lounge into this forum which I'm saddened to see.
S10GTA said:
MadDad said:
I think it's happening already. I used to have a 'fun' car for weekends and track days, but the cost of insuring and running 3 cars in the household meant it has been de-comissioned and sits outside looking pretty sorry for itself. The cost of an 'enthusiastic' afternoon in the countryside has significantly increased in the past few years, and blowing ££££'s on a tank of fuel for a couple of hours hooning started to stick in my throat a bit!
Also, as you quite rightly point out the ability to have a bit of fun on the open road without fear of some form of retribution tends to dampen the enthusiasm, and with roads in the home counties now so congested finding 'open road' is a challenge in itself!
For me the adrenalin rush you can get traveling at speed on a road bike through twisty lanes is priceless, also when I am really pushing it I am not burning tankfuls of very expensive go-go juice - just unwanted calories! I can jump on my MTB or CX bike and experience a totally different type of adrenaline rush negotiating off road trails like my rear wheel is on fire!
I will always be a petrolhead, and there will always be a part of me that wants to jump in a nice car and enjoy a good day of 'fun' driving - but for me the time I used to spend fettling, polishing, attending club events and driving for fun, is now time I spend doing cycling related stuff - I would not have the time (or money) to do both!
This is exactly how I feel.Also, as you quite rightly point out the ability to have a bit of fun on the open road without fear of some form of retribution tends to dampen the enthusiasm, and with roads in the home counties now so congested finding 'open road' is a challenge in itself!
For me the adrenalin rush you can get traveling at speed on a road bike through twisty lanes is priceless, also when I am really pushing it I am not burning tankfuls of very expensive go-go juice - just unwanted calories! I can jump on my MTB or CX bike and experience a totally different type of adrenaline rush negotiating off road trails like my rear wheel is on fire!
I will always be a petrolhead, and there will always be a part of me that wants to jump in a nice car and enjoy a good day of 'fun' driving - but for me the time I used to spend fettling, polishing, attending club events and driving for fun, is now time I spend doing cycling related stuff - I would not have the time (or money) to do both!
Infectious also. This has happened to virtually all my mates (in our 40s) since one of us dragged us up some Alps a year ago for his stag do. Now it's motorbikes and excess cars gone, stones lost, smoking quitted, lots of healthy but fun stuff with mates and/or our families. In just my household we're down to one family car and now about 10 bikes in the garage (not all mine
)This time next week all the same group will be on our way to the pointy alps stuff again
Cycling for sport or fun is a pretty minority thing compared to driving & there are plenty of sites dedicated to that.
Cycling to commute or pop down the shops is more widespread & there is not a lot to talk about on that. Just buy a reasonable bike and get on with it, like has been the way for the last 100 years! No Lycra or funny shoes required.
Cycling to commute or pop down the shops is more widespread & there is not a lot to talk about on that. Just buy a reasonable bike and get on with it, like has been the way for the last 100 years! No Lycra or funny shoes required.
Jimboka said:
Cycling for sport or fun is a pretty minority thing compared to driving & there are plenty of sites dedicated to that.
Cycling to commute or pop down the shops is more widespread & there is not a lot to talk about on that. Just buy a reasonable bike and get on with it, like has been the way for the last 100 years! No Lycra or funny shoes required.
It isn't a minority thing at all really. BC publish numbers quite often and its now a HUGE number of people, and I expect people cycling for fun outweigh people driving for fun. And regards to the kit people chose, that depends on what they're doing, I often get asked by cretins why I wear cycle gear to ride to work, the simple answer is that its comfortable, why people seemingly can accept people wear certain clothing for all other sports but NOT cycling is beyond me.Cycling to commute or pop down the shops is more widespread & there is not a lot to talk about on that. Just buy a reasonable bike and get on with it, like has been the way for the last 100 years! No Lycra or funny shoes required.
okgo said:
It isn't a minority thing at all really. BC publish numbers quite often and its now a HUGE number of people, and I expect people cycling for fun outweigh people driving for fun. And regards to the kit people chose, that depends on what they're doing, I often get asked by cretins why I wear cycle gear to ride to work, the simple answer is that its comfortable, why people seemingly can accept people wear certain clothing for all other sports but NOT cycling is beyond me.
Yet a fat bloke can wear a football shirt to the pub....Another one here. After a history of 911s and a Ferrari, I now drive a Golf but have two Cervelos. I can't remember the last time driving in the UK was fun, and I can't now imagine spunking the kind of money I used to on racing, but I get a huge kick out of almost everything I do on a bike. And I'm 2.5 stone lighter and vastly more healthy. I still occasionally covet a "proper" car, but every time I get close to pulling the trigger I remind myself that I now do fewer than 4k miles a year in the UK, all of it in traffic, and that if the sun's out on a weekend I'll reach for my lycra, not my car keys.
Similar theme here too. I waved goodbye to my bike-engined Rush last week. It's proving too torturous/expensive to get the buzz from driving, living in Central London. I've not given up on my petrol head roots but over the past couple of years I've consciously substituted cycling and snowboarding to give me the buzz I crave.
Jimboka said:
Cycling for sport or fun is a pretty minority thing compared to driving & there are plenty of sites dedicated to that.
Cycling to commute or pop down the shops is more widespread & there is not a lot to talk about on that. Just buy a reasonable bike and get on with it, like has been the way for the last 100 years! No Lycra or funny shoes required.
I agree with okgo - there are already more people participating in cycling for pleasure (as opposed to sport as a competitive thing) than there are people driving for pleasure.Cycling to commute or pop down the shops is more widespread & there is not a lot to talk about on that. Just buy a reasonable bike and get on with it, like has been the way for the last 100 years! No Lycra or funny shoes required.
If I take my mountain bike out in the Surrey Hills, I'll meet more mountain bikers than anything else by a huge margin. In a couple of hours on a Saturday morning, I might see a couple of families, half a dozen dog walkers and a couple of horse riders. I'll see dozens of people out on bikes.
Move onto the road, and it becomes even more pronounced. Box Hill in particular is absolutely crawling with cyclists there for no other reason than to enjoy themselves.
My point is that this is only going to become more common, as people will be less and less able to get their kicks in a car instead.
king chore now. Having a nice car is impossible to enjoy to it's full potential on the roads. Having a fleet of nice bikes is much more fun and better for you mentally than any car! Dream road bike = c. £4,000.
Good commuting bike = c. £1,000.
Good hard tail for weekend family fun = c. £1,000.
Vs
Well, what fun car could I get for £6,000 that I would get just as much use out of? That would also require fuel, tax and servicing which would be more than the bikes too?
---
I'll keep the quiver of bikes I have, work towards the above, and keep the family estate car thanks.
Good commuting bike = c. £1,000.
Good hard tail for weekend family fun = c. £1,000.
Vs
Well, what fun car could I get for £6,000 that I would get just as much use out of? That would also require fuel, tax and servicing which would be more than the bikes too?
---
I'll keep the quiver of bikes I have, work towards the above, and keep the family estate car thanks.
Strangely enough, I actually joined PistonHeads principally FOR PedalPowered. It's my default screen when I click the link on Google Chrome, and some weeks I don't even look at the 'main' home page.
I'd been a 'lurker' for ages, but never thought of myself as a 'PistonHeader' because I've never owned an "interesting" or performance car. (I was married and had a baby before I even owned a car, for one thing). But I'd always had bikes, and never lost the love for them.
Don't get me wrong, I love driving, and driving in as spirited a fashion as a family five-door will allow, and I've always considered myself to be a 'petrol head', as I'm a big fan of motorsport, and had some pretty cool 'company cars', but ultimately, I get more out of the everyday cycling I do than I ever can out of the everyday driving.
I also found that PedalPowered was a lot friendlier, less 'jargony', and easier to navigate than a lot of the purely cycling oriented websites and forums, and had far fewer lentil weavers and sandal munchers. In short, I felt like I belonged here, with folk who don't feel they have to be a cyclist OR a driver, but can see both sides of the discussion.
I'd been a 'lurker' for ages, but never thought of myself as a 'PistonHeader' because I've never owned an "interesting" or performance car. (I was married and had a baby before I even owned a car, for one thing). But I'd always had bikes, and never lost the love for them.
Don't get me wrong, I love driving, and driving in as spirited a fashion as a family five-door will allow, and I've always considered myself to be a 'petrol head', as I'm a big fan of motorsport, and had some pretty cool 'company cars', but ultimately, I get more out of the everyday cycling I do than I ever can out of the everyday driving.
I also found that PedalPowered was a lot friendlier, less 'jargony', and easier to navigate than a lot of the purely cycling oriented websites and forums, and had far fewer lentil weavers and sandal munchers. In short, I felt like I belonged here, with folk who don't feel they have to be a cyclist OR a driver, but can see both sides of the discussion.
Gassing Station | Pedal Powered | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff