Cycling dominant life/phase

If other non-cycling folks read this snippet of our life, we truly would sound obsessed about cycling. But we’re not. :o Mulled over how cycling is infused in my life with dearie:


1) daily fitness activity is cycling either together or separately due to scheduling conflicts
2) we shop, do many errands & go to places locally by bike since no car.
3) my partner has a cycling based business..it shows whatever document he is working on computer & large % of phone calls that ring through
4) if 3) is not happening, then it’s some volunteer work he’s involved in related to cycling
5) our laundry is separated by cycling vs. non-cycling piles
6) synchronizing /understanding each other’s daily schedule, 99% is unavoidable each of us mentions a cycling –related activity..even if only a bike ride, a meeting or an event.
7) even planning a vacation out of town, means deciding whether or not, we include..a bike.
8) any new maps we buy/acquire free…are cycling maps. We have um….10% just car/non bike maps.
9) if either of us aren’t around at home, other person at home, does tend to think automatically: is s/he getting there/home by bike?

Would a hockey or basketball or fishing fan/atic :p live a life like ours?

Neither of us have gone as far as to create a daily cycling blog yet, but this would probably top it up for either of us..another activity to remind oneself ..on cycling world.

I might have to go..for a walk about this. :rolleyes:

Although technically my husband & I met doing an MBA - actually our lives are now mostly about bikes (apart from a new puppy . . . ) Having about 13 between us & doing all our own work on them, we decided to step off the treadmill & start our own business. Yes - you guessed it - in bikes!! We work from home servicing & fitting bikes. We are both bike coaches & my husband races track. We almost never go on holiday without a bike.

Because we work from home there are bikes everywhere - especially as we are very busy at the moment. It's had to see the TV at the moment as a customer has brought in a couple of carbon bikes which we have leant against the sofa so they don't get damaged . . . Oh yes - and we have a bike shed. I am currently building up 6 track bikes for our club & we have wall to wall fittings booked for next week. Currently my husband is upstairs writing out programmes to send to his cycling coachees.

Don't know what we would do without cycling - am feeling positively evangelical!! It's good to be in London at the moment with cycling increasing faster than we can easily cope with. Seems like most of our friends are cyclists too. Puppy seems a bit slow in getting to grips with clipless pedals - think I might try her with speedplay at first . . .

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Originally Posted by shootingstar

5) our laundry is separated by cycling vs. non-cycling piles

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Now THAT I can relate to.

We're also very obsessed. One entire dresser is full of shorts and jerseys. Our cars will never see the dark of the garage because the bikes have eternal dibs on the space. An entire shelf of our pantry is filled with nothing but Gu, bars, and bottles. Wouldn't trade this lifestyle for anything else!

I had to buy two small dressers for cycling clothes :o
If I didn't have a spare room for my bikes...it would be mighty crowded around here cuz I doubt that would stop me from buying them :D
If I walked down a runway and they asked me "who are you wearing?" I'd say "Terry"

I'd call that a cycling lifestyle

My husband and I both have 6 drawer plastic dressers in a closet, to hold cycling clothes (well, mine also has running/yoga stuff in there, too). We had to buy a clothing rack for drying, because we have so many cycling things that need to be air dried. Every vacation we take has some sort of cycling component, even if it's just tooling around on our hybrids or renting a cruiser. All of our social plans are made with regard for our riding schedule. We still go out with non cycling friends, but "at our convenience."
My husband is commuting a lot more this summer, because of a parking situation at work, where he has to park and take a shuttle because of construction. He cannot park by the building for 3-4 weeks at a time, on a rotating basis. This is going to go on for 3 years. I don't think he will commute in the winter/cold weather, but he might take the hybrid in the car and ride it from the shuttle lot, which is only 2 miles away. I do errands on the bike and am much more conscious of driving, etc.
We don't ride as much as some on this list, but I think most other people would call us obsessed.

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Originally Posted by Zen

If I walked down a runway and they asked me "who are youwearing?" I'd say "Terry"

I'd call that a cycling lifestyle

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:D Well, unlike you, I would be naming a mishmash of brands.

Alimey, best of luck for your bike biz. Obviously your biz makes one plugged into many others who love to cycle.
We don't have that many bikes..only 6 bikes between he and myself. But no space to put any in our living space ie.living room, bedroom

We are tight on clothing storage space for all of our clothing, so I suppose if we did actually haul out our folded piles of cycling clothing from closet, for dresser space, it would amount to 1 small dresser.

I've spent more money on cycling apparel in past 12 months, compared non-cycling clothing.

Even if I were to reshift my interest to something non-cycling, the bike still remains a central transportation mode for us, which we need to orientate our lifestyle accordingly.

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Originally Posted by shootingstar

7) even planning a vacation out of town, means deciding whether or not, we include..a bike.

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For us, it's not whether or not to include a bike--but which combination of bikes to bring: road bike and mountain bike, mountain bike and cruisers, road bike and cruisers . . .

There's only room for 4-full size bikes in the back of the truck otherwise we'd bring them all.

We also have a farm, and full time jobs. When one of our farm animals is expecting, I get irritated because it kind of messes up my commute! ;)

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Originally Posted by indigoiis

We also have a farm, and full time jobs. When one of our farm animals is expecting, I get irritated because it kind of messes up my commute! ;)

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At this point in our lives, my partner doesn't want a pet even though before he met me, he's always had a dog/cat in his household since he was a baby. In addition to the reality of his allergies which has gotten worse over the past few decades and hence he cannot tolerate having a furry pet indoors, he no longer wants the daily responsibility of pet care, because it impedes on cycling trips, etc. This non-need accelerated after his children became adults and flew the coop.

And no way, he could have continued to be a part-time weekend farmer for the same reason: allergies (to hay) and conflicts with his cycling.

Really, it doesn't bother me since I've lived in non-pet households so far. Actually with him around and being comfortable with animals than I, it helps when we encounter a vicious watch dog in the country when we're cycling.

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Originally Posted by shootingstar

5) our laundry is separated by cycling vs. non-cycling piles

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Yep, I do that too :D

'There's only room for 4-full size bikes in the back of the truck otherwise we'd bring them all.' Oh gotta love that!

I am known as the ' lady who is obsessed with cycling; at my gym." Referred to as 'This is ..... she is bike crazy' at work, I ride to work when I can, to gym if I am not too tired, or on weekends, despite Chronic fatigue. If I am ill, I will ride around block and feel like I won a stage!
The clothes( and I have ridden a year and half) have taken over a third of my folded clothes space. I now officially have more bike gear, paraphanelia and stuff than anything else( I dont own much.)
I dont have a couch as the bike lives in main room!( thats sad, isnt it?!)
The outings are always arranged around, 'can I ride there? If I can ride there , can I bring enough whatever to get by?'
Im obsessed.

But not enough! I want the original posters life!

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Originally Posted by cylegoddess

'There's only room for 4-full size bikes in the back of the truck otherwise we'd bring them all.' Oh gotta love that!

I am known as the ' lady who is obsessed with cycling; at my gym." Referred to as 'This is ..... she is bike crazy' at work, I ride to work when I can, to gym if I am not too tired, or on weekends, despite Chronic fatigue. If I am ill, I will ride around block and feel like I won a stage!
The clothes( and I have ridden a year and half) have taken over a third of my folded clothes space. I now officially have more bike gear, paraphanelia and stuff than anything else( I dont own much.)
I dont have a couch as the bike lives in main room!( thats sad, isnt it?!)
The outings are always arranged around, 'can I ride there? If I can ride there , can I bring enough whatever to get by?'
Im obsessed.

But not enough! I want the original posters life!

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Love it, pure inspiration, especially

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If I am ill, I will ride around block and feel like I won a stage!

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That so makes me realise what I am doing is the right thing.

Clock

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Originally Posted by cylegoddess

I dont have a couch as the bike lives in main room!( thats sad, isnt it?!)
The outings are always arranged around, 'can I ride there? If I can ride there , can I bring enough whatever to get by?'
Im obsessed.

But not enough! I want the original posters life!

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I suppose you hug your bike/cozy up in front of the tv. :D
Our bikes are stored in underground storage lockers in our building.

If you join a cycling organization, your obsession will become more encompassing...with more new friends to share the passion. ;)

This all really made me laugh! It's all so eerily familiar: the cycling related conversations, two laundry piles--hampers actually, cycling clothes drying rack, vacations that include bikes, is the weather dry enough to cycle to work, the shelf of gu/bars/electrolyte fluid, two bikes in the living room two in the dining room one in the hall and one in the basement...gotta love it!!

These are great to read! I'm 58 & this past winter for the 1st time in 35 years took a non-cycling vacation - all I kept thinking about was how great this trip would have been on a bike! :D

Oh so true regarding 99% of scheduling conversations involving cycling. And yes its good to hear that other people have gotten rid of furniture too in order to fit all the bikes....And to give you an idea I now only shop at used clothing stores/ebay for street clothes. That means I have lots more $$ to spend on fabulous cycling clothes/gear.

Just wondering - do any of you ever anticipate being able to be with someone who isn't a cyclist? My current BF is, of course, more bike obsessed than I am since he works in the industry. I'm just not sure I'm ever going to be able to date a "civilian" again. He just wouldn't understand my obsession...And he definitely wouldn't be able to keep up w/ my need to be out on the road daily...Not to mention that an indoor trainer seems totally nuts to the uninitiated.

Has anyone else had experience with this?

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Originally Posted by fidlfreek

And to give you an idea I now only shop at used clothing stores/ebay for street clothes. That means I have lots more $$ to spend on fabulous cycling clothes/gear.

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What a sacrifice. :D


What would bother me alot more, is a soulmate/partner who didn't engage in any physical exercise because he wasn't interested nor cared about his health to do anything about it. That would be a real disconnect.

Most likely there will be a time for any cycling couple that each person will no longer be able to cycle. Our august health lasts only so long.

But until that time, enjoy the ride, be grateful for cycling passion, among other shared passions together every day. :)

[QUOTE=shootingstar;436626] Most likely there will be a time for any cycling couple that each person will no longer be able to cycle. Our august health lasts only so long. [QUOTE]

Good point Star!

Partner doesnt cycle. So, I found a 'extension' who is happy to discuss rides,buy me cycling gear occasionally, and discuss via email( hes along way away) things like Rassmusens incredibly scary chest, Lance Armstrong( my passion for him is almost pornographic, sadly!), saddles and stuff.
But even cycling partners can have limits.
\BF coming on vacation gladly submitted to 3-4 hour ride along Manly coast in freezing cold but balked at renting time in velodrome. It appears that lack of freewheeling, no brakes and canted track are a bit much , even for a long term obsessive like him( whats wrong with the man?!!!)
Partner found it hilarious that I was going to velodrome.He said, so your going to go ride around and pretend that your winning the Olympics or something.

Well... if they make a chronic fatigue disabled one, I am going to win there!! Just wait!

I do love to hear about "my species". Its so cute!!