If under 40(age)-what started you cycling?

Learned to ride when I 4-5yrs on a Raleigh Tomahawk as my folks couldn't afford a new bike when I 3 etc.

Then they bought me a bmx at 8 when bmx bandits was in the cinema etc.

Mtb in 88 LX400 gears sti push button thumb shifters on a steel frame 500. LOL after all the bikes I've had it was the best ride.

Stole/borrowed my Sisters roadbike which she trashed when I was 11. Think it had 5-6 gears-wooh! Slick tyres? frame shifters-road bike thing is fast...

Rest is history-biking just makes me smile when I'm not injured or not raining...

Thanks Dad & Mum for teaching me to ride and how to ride on the road as it's fun!

Doesn't matter what you do-just get on your bike!

Enjoy your ride folks

I used my Ammaco Tequelia Sunrise (cracked black paint over pink base layer) as transport around town, and for dossing in the woods. I enjoyed tinkering with it (fitted red tektro bmx v brakes, club roost risers) and just enjoyed doing pathetic jumps and massive skids whenever possible.

One evening a friend and I went to the woods for a night ride, me equipped with one of those archaic giant yellow and black duracell lights that are less use than holding a lighter infront of you. Anyway, we never made it to the woods. Bombing down the path next to the main road we didnt know but some hedge had collapsed across the path and I hit it first, sending me over the bars and my bike into the road. I remember looking across at my bike about 2 ft away for where I lay then 'WOOOOOM' a car comes along and a shower of sparks and screaching eminate from underneath.

I was wearing a green day beanie but luckily only needed a small volume of glue to fill a cut in my hairline. My road was only a 30mph limit and the police worked out the female nurse was going about 45. Luckily it wasnt me in road, I know.

Anyway, the insurance came through to replace the bike, and because of my upgrades I had £400 to spend! Back in 1994 when I was 13 this was like a lottery win. I ordered a Kona Fire Mountain froma mail order shop in the back of MBUK, this bike was ridden all over and very hard. Loved it. Then at 17 I got a metro, discovered girls and gigs and the bike riding became marginalised.

Didnt really ride much until a few years ago when I opted out of a relationship I didnt like and since then biking, cycling, racing (watching) and trading all kinds of moto and push bike have become an obsession. I soent time living in Bristol and a group of us would ride Ashton Court 2 or 3 times a week - simply brilliant, the cameraderie, the racing each other in the woods - like being 13 again!

Currently in my stable (garage/shed/side of house) I have the following:

Kona Zing Deluxe
Scott Ransom 40
Kona A'ha (soon, when my mate goes to NYC to do the marathon he'll pick it up)

And motos:
Cagiva Navigator
NVT 125 Rambler
Yamaha IT 175 enduro
Fantic 249 trials
Husqvarna 125 mx bike
Honda CBR400 Baby Blade

Always looking for more!

Freedom at an early age. Plus getting to school! As a child my parents were not well off, but they did save all year to get me a new bike for Christmas. It was always a Raleigh and I rode it every day no matter what the weather. I could get to everywhere in the market town where I grew up without relying on them. Wonderful.

In my teens I really got into Mountain Biking, bought the very first issue of MBUK, had an original Orange Clockwork and hit the trails. Started getting into downhill and did a bit of racing. At Uni I really got into it, even hitting the trails with road.cc's very own dave_atkinson!

I lost my cycling bug during my mid-20s. Work, marriage and children put it all on the backburner.

In the past month I have been bitten again. I'm 34 and have rediscovered my love of getting out on a bike and turning the pedals and going somewhere. I'm still getting miles back in my legs so I don't go far, but it doesn't matter.

I'm riding using my old Marin MTB at the moment but will be buying my first road bike in the next month. There are some great road routes where I live on country lanes and I love just hopping on the bike and going.

Having to get to school (when I was 11).

I'll answer this for my kids, who are now aged eight and six. I got them into cycling. They started with a wooden pushalong bike and my elder son started riding his first proper bike, a little red Raleigh, aged four. My younger son picked up the wooden bike then and he started riding a proper bike aged three. Neither of them ever had stabilisers because of the practice from the wooden bike. My elder son needed only 200m before he mastered pedalling and balancing on a proper bike and my younger son tokk just 100m, because he'd seen his brother do it.

They started cycling early because I wanted them to as I'm a keen cyclists. The freedom it gave of them being able to cycle after we'd been stuck pushing a buggy around for so long was amazing.

They now race BMX bikes in the Southern region and have won more than a few races. They're both very proficient, more so than a lot of adults. It amuses me when they easily beat older kids or even adults round the BMX track - this can cause a lot of frustration amongst older riders to be so comprehensively beaten by a young kid!

The little red Raleigh was recently passed on to a mate of mine for his son. It's a solid little bike, not light but sturdy and ideal for learning on.

Been mountain biking since i was a child, fairly seriously up until about 28 then i started to get bored of the Swinley Forest (my local stomping ground)and going round in circles riding the same single track also i didn't want to drive to a location just to cycle as i feel that's missing the point somewhat. Sold all my kit, bought a cheap road bike, a pair of clipless pedals and some road shoes and I'm in love again. I love the simplicity of grabbing the bike and cycling straight from my front door, only problem being the further i ride makes the little rides feel meaningless 'only did 26 miles today baby, barely broke a sweat'.... On my mtb I'd do 10 miles in the same time,Different world.

Couple of lads I went to school with were into mtb and it looked like a laugh. got a Diamond Back when I was 17 (34 now) and first 'proper' mtb at 19 - Beautiful Orange Clockwork.

Got a road bike when foot & mouth was about but forgot all about it as soon as we were allowed back on the trails. Moved to North Devon last year and the mtb riding isn't great so got a road bike to keep fit.

HOW MUCH FUN ARE ROAD BIKES!

Totally get it this time round. I love the way it fires forward when you stomp on the cranks and the flow through changes of direction feels sweet. It's also really improved my mtb fitness too, which is nice.

All this lycra has left me with a shocking tan this summer though, and I'm not sure I'm ready to shave my legs yet.

Happy birthday for yesterday dave! Happy Birthday for tomorrow G

happy birthday for tomorrow!

I'm 30 tomorrow - bike was that standard mode of transport as a kid (parents encouraged it for their own freedom as well as mine!), started mountain biking between the ages of 10 and 13 then stopped cycling completely until 24 when I sussed that my 45 minute bus commute could be done in less than 20 on a bike. Became keen commuter then moved from Birmingham to Bristol and became keen 'recreational' cyclist - mostly on-road, but have just started going out with the Cheesy Riders mtb group once a week too.

i'm 37 today... i had bikes as a youngster but started cycling for real at uni when i bought a carrera mtb and started riding in the chilterns, 1993 i guess. still mtbing but road bikes are my first love these days.

for me it was just the release of being out in the countryside doing something new. mtbing was still pretty radical in those days. road biking i love for its simplicity and immediacy - just go out and do it. but any type of cycling is fine by me

mountain biking at 12, road biking at 16, time trialling at 19.

Started too late i think.