Skate mate?

Well I am up in Yorkshire so I can't join you I'm afraid. I have recently taken up cycling and use either a trekking bike or a mountain bike. I also had a go at roller skiing, using the skating technique.

Skating restricts you because there are fewer places to go as you need a good surface. The topic of the regulars seemed to be almost exclusively, where to skate. Cycling however is something you can do on your own, there are loads of nice places to go and you get to meet many cyclists to chat to. You don't have to don the lycra, put on a grim face and set out to knock 10 secs off your PB, you can cycle for fun, preferably off road. I went across Hatfield Moor on Saturday and loved it so much, I ended up at a Buddist Learning centre and had a long chat with a Tibetan Monk. There's all sorts of things to be discovered, including inner enlightenment.

Today I went on the Rother Valley cycleway. 16 miles there and back with a cafe at either end. Lots of people to say hello to, you're never alone.

Have a look at the Sustrans Site and see what traffic free routes are in your area. Also, check out local clubs for 'social riding', rather than those who want to do 80 mile sunday runs - unless you are into that sort of torture.

Good luck!

Hi Yorksman, hate to disagree. Yes you need a fairly good surface to skate (assume you mean rollerblading as they called it in my day), but if so, you can skate on the roads, I used to do it in London on streetskates every Friday night, but appreciate this doesnt really help either of you, however as long as a surface is flat, you can skate, enjoy, I used to love it !

sallymac65 said:

(assume you mean rollerblading as they called it in my day)

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No it's a different sport. It started off as a summer training exercise for cross country skiing but has developed into a sport in its own right.

Seriously_Sax1989 said:

I can jump in the car and skate along the sea front which is a good 3 miles give or take there and back and also smooth, would be nice to find someone to do it with!

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Yes, Morecambe of Blackpool have nice long promenades and would be ideal but they are a 3 to 4 hour round trip. They are though the sorts of surfaces you would need.

My wife can't ride a bike for toffee either. She did have a go whilst on holiday in Austria. We gave up after 10 mins. She doesn't fall over but just has no confidence and so it is not enjoyable for her. I know where you are coming from when you say it is nice to have other people to go with. One bloke I know has to use a tandem to get his wife to join in.

Lol, funny enough I used to have some Bauer quad skates fitted with "jump/grind bars" ..
Ironically I used to use them to get around site when I worked in a holiday camp in Burnham in the early 90's...
I was never that good on em!

Hey yorksman, love the video, now that does look like fun!

sallymac65 said:

Hey yorksman, love the video, now that does look like fun!

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Well, it is a promotional video by the local tourist board.

For a more realistic view of what it is like for first timers, jump to 50 secs into this video:

Yorksman said:

Well, it is a promotional video by the local tourist board.

For a more realistic view of what it is like for first timers, jump to 50 secs into this video:

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Lol. This kind of reminds me the time I hired a couple of horses for the afternoon & sat my wife on the back of one of them...
That when I realised she didn't ride..!?

Jaylee said:

Lol. This kind of reminds me the time I hired a couple of horses for the afternoon & sat my wife on the back of one of them...
That when I realised she didn't ride..!?

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And so much further to fall - and horse kicks to worry about!

Yorksman said:

And so much further to fall - and horse kicks to worry about!

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In fairness, these horses were placid Irish nags.. I've fallen off a few times jumping in the past, but have never been trampled..!
I just let my wife sit on it's back while it ate grass & I galloped about a bit on the other one..

Seriously_Sax1989 said:

I was trampled! Covered in horse poo in my wax jacket and wellies, ran to the stable owner to get help, he opened the door told me to come in but as I had been squashed I lost my balance and suddenly his pristine magnolia walls were brown, then I took off my wellies and my socks and my toe nail fell off not a great moment haha

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Wow, shocking stuff... Sorry about the bad experience. I would have made you wait in the porch...!

Were you brought up with horses? Every girl I knew could ride, so I kind of took it for granted with my wife... Lol

Horses can be nasty at both ends and I am not sure about the middle.

I have a motor bike and I go for rides with side show operators (fairs and carnivals) they are a lot of fun with great stories to tell But I used to also go for rides with push bikes and mountain bikes (sort of scaled down but more exercise) different stories at the coffee shops tho. I also have a Rat Fink by Electra bike look that up on the net they are a very big cruiser pedal bike. I have a Lotus Super 7 road registered racing car that I built for my son and that club does the coffee shop thing too.

What I would like tho, is an adult pedal trike blinged up with a sound system and LED lights, now that would be fun, but I would like a mate or two to increase the fun factor. I would have to head for a closer coffee shop tho. We have good bike ways around Brisbane and along the Brisbane River and I live too close the River (we got flooded in 2011)

There are skate board ramps here too but alas I am too old for that. So my choice is kayaks, mountain bike, Ratfink bike, motorbike, or sports car, but mostly I play bowls and go to the Men's Shed.

Seriously_Sax1989 said:

Yeah my mum and auntie have had horses for years! So naturally I learnt to ride when I was old enough to walk lol!

However since this happened I stay well away from them now!

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Similar thing here.. My mum had one as a kid, then when I was about 5 she got another.. & then there were two of em!

forge said:

Horses can be nasty at both ends and I am not sure about the middle.

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On the evolutionary food chain. Horses are prey.. In general, any kicking, bucking, bolting or lashing out is purely primeval defensive action.
Any biting from a horse at the front end could be down to mistaking the hand for food if placed outside the animals field of vision by the mouth & smelling of food... That's why feeding "treats" by hand must be done open and flat palmed.... Any rearing of the animal again is purely a defensive posture if frightened or spooked...