How Readily Do You Share Your Biking Experience With Novices?
 

A funny thing happened to me on the way to the airport yesterday. I discovered that my driver was a novice cyclist who works hard to complete his almost daily 5km route. This after I mentioned that the only ride I did on the w/e was a very short 13km with the family. When he asked what I considered to be a long ride, he had trouble comprehending 100-150km.

A bit about my driver. He was 290lbs but has since shed 30. He has a personal trainer to monitor his progress and he's on a sensible diet. He rides what I assume to be a hybrid that he purchased from Costco. :rolleyes: His goal is to reach 220.

Anyhoo, and the point of this thread is this. I encouraged him to keep at his routine and he'll not only meet but exceed his goal of 220lbs. I suggested that he get a bike computer, preferably with cadence so that his cycling experience becomes interactive. He thought they were priced in the $250 range! In the course of our conversation, I learned that he lived close to my training route. I asked for his card and suggested that in a month or so, we could get together to talk bikes further and even go for a ride together. At his pace of course. He seemed genuinely thrilled that someone with obvious experience would deign to share time and knowledge. He asked if I could offer some advice on his bike and maybe offer some suggestions as well as to bike upgrades.

So my question is: how readily do you share info/experience with novice riders? My bike just brings out the kid in me and I can't help but share what I've learned from resources like BF and Bicycling Magazine.

UPDATE: June 30. As it turned out, my flight that night was cancelled due to thunderstorms so the airline put me on the same flight the following night. I called Michel and reserved a ride for 1600 that day. On our ride to the airport the next day I learned that he he was so pumped from our initial conversation that when he dropped me off he went home and did 10K!!. And felt great doing it. And he also bought a bike computer. We talked more about his program. I gave him a 08 brochure of Guru bikes pointing out the 'urban' bikes which he might consider in the future.

The thrill of talking bikes continues...

I try. I explain that every stop light in town works from bikes, and i even demostrate it for them. I display proper stop sign behavior. If somebody asks me a question, I happily answer it. I rode with a new commuter every morning for a week to and from her work from her house.

I love talking to anyone who is willing to listen. I love helping people and will often work on other cyclists bikes and give away parts for nothing - all to people who appreciate it. What I don't like is the novice/beginner with a little bit of knowledge who thinks they know it all. I just wish them good luck and go on my way...

55/Rad

It's my job.

:D

Very readily. I always talk about my love for cycling with people that I meet, and while many times I receive comments of disinterest and/or excuses, sometimes I meet others who have/are trying it or have done it for a while.

I also like setting up rides with people who are new, just to get them more into it. I have yet to do one of these, but I have two friends who are up to it.

I'm always up to talk cycling! I'm a talker anyway, but when its something I'm passionate about I could go on forever!

Plus, the more people with the right info/tools, the more apt they are to love it themself, and continue on recruiting others.... strength in numbers. Makes our cult bigger :)

I've thought about posting a thread about this before, but this seems a logical place to just add it. How many people is TOO many people riding? Seriously, how many of you enjoy the exclusivity of doing this, the fact that while everyone else is talking golf or NFL or MLB you are riding or thinking about riding? How much of the allure would be diminished if you found yourself in a giant Netherlands-style parking garage with a thousand bikes in it looking for your own, and then waiting in a long queue to get out to the crowded mvp (I don't even know what that means, since we don't have them in GA, but i gather it's some multi-purpose type trail.)

But really, I'm not so much talking about the actual inconvenience of increased crowdedness from other cyclists as I am the psychological letdown of no longer being a loner, a rarity, the man who follows a different drum sort of thing. I suspect the whole in-town flat-bar-fixie culture has something to do with this.

While I love riding and know I would continue even if we were the majority, I have to admit that it would lose some of its allure to me for sure.

I enjoy talking to people about cycling. I'm always trying to get friends and co-workers into riding. Of cousre most of them are filled with excuses why they can't ride their bike. I somewhat enjoy their reactions when I tell them how much time(or miles) I spend on the bike. Funny that people are shocked by someone riding their bike more that twenty miles.

I'm happy to share what I know, and to include novice riders. I ride with an informal group; we bring in a few newbies every year. This year a couple of our new roadies returned the favor by introducing us to mountain biking.

Frankly, I've never put much thought into it getting too crowded. Guess I assume most people are still going to be too lazy or cheap to get into a sport like this (and likely one due to the other). Never fear, you'll still be special :)
http://photos-835.friendster.com/e1/...814583407m.jpg

I help all the time. The cool thing is that I've now got this posse of men and women I've mentored or coached, and they're all helping novices now.

Well, think of it this way: The more people riding bikes, the less people there are driving cars. The less people driving cars, the more room for bike riding, since bikes take up much less space. So as more and more people start to ride bikes to commute and around town, more facilities and trails for bikes can be built at the expense of the car, which will need less lanes and room as less people use it.

I was wondering if anybody else felt like that.

I have to admit that I think the worst thing Lance did was bring the general population into this sport.

I used to have something in common with anybody I saw out on the road on a bike. Now, not so much.

I have a co-worker that's been asking questions about buying a bike. I'm hoping to go to the shop with him in a week or two.

I've only been riding about four years, and I realize how overwhelming it can be to start out.

On a related note, if you saw someone riding along the road who very obviously didn't have his bike set up correctly, would you say something even though you weren't asked? I ask because I saw someone this weekend riding with his seat too high, to the point where his hips were rocking side to side and his legs were stretching completely straight with every pedal stroke. It was painful to see. Naturally he was all decked out in full pro team kit. :) Would you tell him or let him be?

Why ever would one NOT share? A list of "why nots" might make interesting reading! :)

I've spent the last 20+ years of my life trying to convert any willing ear into a budding cyclist.

There can never be too many of us.

Also....consider that everyone that you turn into a cyclist will at some point also be in a driver's seat in a vehicle behind a cyclist.

I got into cycling just before getting married, and have since been able to get my wife into it as well. The two of us meet every Sat. morning at our house with a small group of friends. The group started as a group of guys who had been into biking on and off for years, and now includes all their wives ( for those who are married). Out tiny 'Sat. mornign ride' started shortly after I got into cycling when another friend of mine was getting into it and I wanted to give him the opportunity to ride his pace with some company and encouragement. We did it a few times, and it slowly grew into what it is now. If my wife and I are out of town, friends will still swing by our house to see if any others are going to meet there before heading off on the ride.

I really enjoy talking to people about cycling because I truly believe it to be a superior form of exercise to the other options. Not based on overall fitness, as Swimming or cross training is surely better, but simply because of the enjoyment that goes along with cycling. I can drive to the pool, change down and stare at the black stripe for the next 30-45 minutes...or I can jump on my bike at my house, and go explore new roads, stop and chat with people, run errands, run into other cyclists that I know etc.. I don't have to work nearly as hard to motivate myself to go riding. Going to the pool takes 'work.' The option for me is clear. Very few other sports would be enjoyable after 3+ hours of solid exertion at the level that we cyclists are used to. Another friend who started his cycling experience by borrowing my commuter bike on our Sat. ride was amazed when he checked his HRM after a ride and realized that he had an average HR of 165 or so for over 2 hours...and has been riding ever since.

I also work on my co-workers to get out and ride. I actually missed my bike commute to work this morning because I was returning a bike to a co-worker who'd had it hanging in their garage for 7-8 years. When he sounded interested in starting to ride again, I quickly offered to do a full tune-up on it for the cost of parts. I spent an hour or so on Fri. and another few hours yesterday replacing the chain, cleaning everything, re-cabling both shift and brake levers, re-wrapping the bars, redishing his front wheel and truing both etc. All so that it will be easier for him to get out and (re)discover cycling. I'd much rather work on a bike than do yard/house work...especially in the 102 F temps right now.

So I'm with you. I love to share it, and to be encouraging. But only to those who I see some hope in. If all I get are excuses, I'll quiet down and use my efforts on someone who will appreciate it.

-Jeremy

It's people like you that give road cycling a bad name. What do you do in your spare time, thrash poseurs?

I can vouch for this. A few years back, I was lucky enough to be the recipient of a lot of help from Rad. I had grown frustrated as I had a lot of problems (after a significant initial investment) and not a clue how to remedy them. The time he spent showing me the ropes was enough to get me past the learning curve and back on the road. Much appreciated.

That's how I got back into cycling, and why I share my passion with anyone within earshot.

One of the big deterrents when I started cycling was all of the unsolicted advice I had to put up with. Not safety advice, which I fully understand is important, but riding & training advice. As a result I try to refrain as much as possible from giving my opinions or experiences on things, unless explicitly asked. I wish others had done the same.

Road biking is incredible in S.Cal. Thousands of good riders, great routes and a climate that makes one feel embarrassed when they miss a day outside riding.

The people I meet on my group rides (OC Wheelmen) have been v.cool - helpful and fun to ride with. The ones who share their knowledge make all the difference in the world. I'm trying to fit in and get my level up - it's great to hear someone simply say "...hey, you're doing OK."

Great scene. Great sport.

You guys have it all wrong. Your supposed to shun the newbies. Drop them as quick as possible. Yell at them if they screw up, or merely fail to adhere to the unspoken ettiquete of the ride, and only if they keep coming back and manage to hang for several consecutive rides do you speak with them.

I thought everyone knew this.

I love talking bikes with newbies, that is if they are really serious and interested. A lot of them have a hard time comprehending the kind of mileage I put in.