Newport Velodrome Hire Bikes

Gkam yeah all the cyclists in the Glasgow area are riding at the Chris Hoy Velodrome, you have to do a four part accreditation before you're qualified to ride unsupervised. I just did part one and am booked for part two. Pity it's far away from you, but i reckon you couldn't ride it anyway? They don't have trikes...

My sister went there last December and she had a great time. She told me you couldn’t change pedals, so buy some cheap cleats if you are going. Look Deltas work fine. Remember to bring gloves! I think they aren’t provided by them. Good idea to stay somewhere nearby, because it can get quite tiring cycling on the tracks. My sister wished she had read this thread before going though. There wasn’t much food there and she was starving! I might want to check it out too someday. I’ve just switched to cycling after my last car was sold due to faulty swirl flaps.

How far are you from the new one in Glasgow (I know nothing about Scottish geography except that there are a) lots of hills and b) lots of rain clouds)?

I've had a whiz round the one in Manchester and that was pretty fun, I'd certainly recommend it, I even managed to have some fun despite seeing a junior come off around the banking and plummet right through a group of riders in the session before me...

i'm wondering how long it'll be before someone outstrips me and tony on the comment count. not that long i imagine. gkam's the favourite.

the pinarellos are fine, though they vary. if you get one that feels a bit shonky just ask them to change it, they're pretty laid back

We went last December, the club booked the track for 3 hours with a coach (IIRC it was Garrie Tillett, who was great). The Pinarellos have Look Delta cleats and they will fit toe straps for trainers. No, you can't change the pedals. They also have some Giant models, also with Look Delta cleats.

Bike hire was £7 for Adults and £4 for Juniors. They had at least one 24" wheeled bike for younger children. You won't be allowed to ride without a helmet and mitts. Gloves are not provided so make sure you bring some.

I bought some Delta cleats and fitted them to my road shoes (tricky walking on the polished floor, not as easy as SPD-SLs). TBH if you have trainers or remove the existing cleats from your cycling shoes you'll go just as well using toe clips done up nice and tight - proper trackie retro!

BYI food and energy drinks and yes, you'll surely need them. The vending machine on site is not great but there's a cafe of sorts in the building next door for before/after. The velodrome is not heated so bring something to throw on in between sessions. The changing rooms have showers if you want a proper wash.

I believe you can also hire bikes with toe straps, allowing you to use flat-soled trainers, if you don't feel that the cost or hassle of changing cleats would be worth it. As for accommodation, I've stayed at the Labuan Guest House which is about a mile away, on the same side of Newport, and is clean, cheap, and they'll let you put a bike in the shed in their back garden (or they did a couple of years ago the last time I was there.) They do breakfast but not dinner. If you find somewhere decent to eat out in Newport, please do post it here for future reference, and also send it to Ripley's Believe It or Not, although they might not believe you (the tourist board probably don't like it, but this song seems like a fairly fair representation of the town from my visits.)

yeah, just buy some cleats. ribble have them for £8 or so

the brecons and the forest of dean (and the bit in between) are chock full of lovely road rides. abergavenny's a good base.

And bring cycling glasses with clear lenses. Spinning around in circles really dries the eyes.

you have to pay cash money for them, i think they're a tenner. best to check they have 'em though

bring some decent gloves because the bars are minimally padded at best

They're steel pinarellos. and you're not allowed to change the pedals, no. Look Deltas. cleats available at the velodrome, normally