The trusty 20" wheel 7 speed Scott that served us so well
The new 24" 18 speed Cuda
Super Sam looks the part
Houston we have a problem
Well it's the end of an era as Sam, the third and youngest of our children to use the Scott radical 2000 moves on to a bigger bike. Thanks to Grandad Big Dave who purchased the original for Joe now 16 and 6ft and a lot, Sam has his shiny new ride with new features such as a triple chainring and adjustable suspension. We went for this Cuda on advice from Chris at C&DCYCLES who advised us against a 'bigger brand' because apparently they're all in reality very similar bikes built in the same four factories in Taiwan. I have to say on first inspection I'm impressed with the build quality of the Cuda and the look of the bike. Time will tell as they say and to chuck in another metaphor, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. However this bike performs it will have to go some to achieve the status of the little Scott. On that I'm proud to say there is a new home for our legendary bike as Martin Jones from C&DCYCLES club is going to take it for his kids. That feels right to me. I hope the Jones kids get the same joy from it as the Lindsleys did.
For me it's really important to encourage kids in sport. Our eldest, Joe, loves his football and their sister Niamh is a real sporting all rounder. Sam is probably the least competitive of the kids but he really is motivated towards his cycling. For me as a cyclist I feel I have a moral responsibility to encourage my kids to ride, it's good for them, it's good for our economy and it's good for the planet. Here's some extra stuff on getting kids into bikes:
One of my favourite cycling sites is Road cc, I follow them on Facebook and everyday they run a story that catches my eye. Today they ran a piece on 4 year old twins who already excell on BMX, show your kids, if that doesn't get them on their bikes nothing will! click this link! http://youtu.be/nrKMWfI81C4 and because I like to credit my original source Road cc
There's a number of initiatives to get more kids cycling, I've put some links below:
Tonight's spin was cut short by a mechanical on orange. The sidewall on my rear tyre ruptured. Totally my fault the wheel has a slight buckle and the tyre rubs on the brake block. I stopped to sort it out when the lovely Claire Moore rode up on a splendid Trek demo bike she was trying out. Always good to catch up with bike friends and she said she was working on her pace and hoped to be back on a C&DCYCLES shop ride soon. I hope she meant that as it would be good to see her back with the club and also because we need to encourage as many ladies as possible to get out on bikes. The truth is Claire that you were quicker when you first came out and got slower as it got colder. I have a feeling by the summer you'll be more than a match for us mamils.
Back to our ride. The slime in my tyres saved the day and we were able to do a bit more. The original plan was also a bit ambitious as Sam gets used to a bigger bike with more gears. I swapped the tyre on Orange but perhaps should use the spare hybrid until that wheel is taken care of by a professional. Whatever I ride I cant wait for another adventure with Super Sam.
Happy peddaling
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