Mybike-timhall

How I Came To Enjoy Cycling
Right. Pull up a sandbag... First off was a trike, but one with bigger wheels than yer average kiddy trike of today. I'd guess at 18 inch, solid tyres. Then a proper bike which Dad taught me to ride down the cul-de-sac, holding on behind and stuff. I think I did my cycling proficiency test on it, then got Dad to take me round the block on the road the day I passed. Then round a bigger block and biggerr still, doing hand signals like I'd been taught. I'd just got used to doing broadside skids on it when..... The next bike (secondhand, as all the others were) 24 inch wheel, flat bars. This got an upgrade of a three speed back wheel a Christmas or so later. I guess I was 10 or 11. I had a watch with a speedo dial on it. This let you calculate your speed by comparing time taken for a measured mile. As I has a click click click tripometer I measured a tenth and got upto 20 mph. On the flat. Next was a s/h Vindec Speedster, 15 quid from the next door neighbour. Did my Advanced Scout Standard journey on it (2 day camping trip). This had to have new forks after my bag got caught in the front wheel and I stood it on end. The old forks just crumpled. I think we had to straighten the head tube as well, by judicious heaving. Oh yes, the braze between the top tube and seat tube sprang ap[art, so I held it together with a nail. That lasted me until I was at university, where some one stole it, except for the front wheel. Insurance (parental home) coughed up a lot (a family friend was high up in the insurance company, hem hem) so I got a Falcon, 10 speed. That too was stolen and they coughed up again. That got me a Claud Butler 10 speed, in 1981, used for all sorts of stuff. The frame finally gave way while carrying my son on a child seat when he was about 3 or 4. My household insurance coughed up _again_ for a new frame and I bought some MA2 wheels on 105 hubs from a bloke at work. It was about then I started reading uk.rec.cycling.......things took a dive from then on. Two tandems, one tandem trike, one audax bike, one recumbent, one fixer............................. Tim Hall