A Pootling Success

Yesterday was a lovely, warm spring day. The Golden Child was in school and the missus and I were both off work together. The missus said "What do you want to do today?" and I replied "Go for a bike ride together?". And that is how it came to be.

The missus is not a confident cyclist. She learnt to ride a bike in her 20s and never gained much experience or confidence after that. She bought a completely unsuitable "mountain bike" a long time ago which weighs in at just under a half a ton and handles like a pig. She has hung on to and is reluctant to change steeds as she feels there is no point throwing good money after bad. She has cycled a little more frequently with me but likes nice quiet trails and parks. She does not like cycling on the roads.

For a local ride we normally drive the half mile or so to Heaton Park and then unload the bikes which irks me somewhat but needs must I suppose. I have kept suggesting she would be fine cycling to the park along the quiet(ish) road if I cycled behind to shield her from vehicles. On this day she was obviously persuaded by my argument (or got fed up hearing it!) and agreed. Result.

We had an uneventful road based section with a hop off and push at a busy junction, a very pleasant pootle in the park with only one accidental dismount, a relaxed picnic lunch and a safe cycle home. The upshot is the missus had a great time and wants me to get her a more suitable bike. Brilliant!

Now what should I go for? Any suggestions? I need a lightweight(ish), easy to handle and maintain bike. I know I need to avoid deraulliers (she hates them) and so will be looking for hub gears. It's going to be used primarily in fair weather and on gentle terrain. I'm tempted using this as an excuse to get a Brommie which I could also have use of but is that just being a tad too selfish? What other bikes can anyone suggest?

A Slower Pace

My wife never got the hang of cycling as a child and so has never pursued it as an adult despite my enthusiasm.

A recent trip to see the in-laws saw me encouraging a family cycling trip along the prom at Whitley Bay one fine sunny day. I dusted off her old bike and the two of us + Golden Child had a somewhat mixed cycling experience. My wife did better than she expected but the daughter - who is so close to losing the stabilizers - was obviously not keen and started complaining of "tired legs" within 30 seconds. The upshot is the wife and I went for a ride around Heaton Park this morning at her suggestion!

We covered less than 2 miles, she almost fell off once after misjudging her approach across some tram lines but apart from that I think she had a good time. She managed to cycle back up the hill from the boating lake and even having to slow for excitable dogs didn't dent her confidence or resolve.

She is never going to be a road going cyclist (unless they are very quiet) but I think we can look forward to some more family days out on our bikes. Just need to work on the Golden Child now.