Hopefully below you will find the answers to some of the most commonly asked questions by freshers. Any further thoughts please do not hesitate to ask them on the Forum.
Edinburgh University Cycling Club has a growing membership of 70 cyclists, the majority of whom are current or past members of Edinburgh University. Feel free to come and try our activities at any time of the year but eventually we will stick you for our membership fee. Don't worry though, the Membership Fee for 2009-10 is only £10 and entitles you to the following:
In addition to our regular weekly riding and Thursday pub timetable we also put on other rides and social events throughout the year.
In the past we have done cycle speedway with the Edinburgh Falcons, track cycling days at Meadowbank velodrome, BBQ rides, night rides, touring rides and many others. We also have hold regular meals, there's fun to be had at Sports Union Ball, the annual club "Timmy" awards, skittles bowling and lots more besides.
We try to get away at least once a semester both for mountain bikers and road riders. Usually the format is a long day ride Saturday, meal and drinks Saturday night and finally a shorter recovery ride on Sunday morning.
Previous trips have been to Aviemore, the Lake District (always a favourite) and Dumfries (again a favourite because of the roundhouse and outdoor hot tub!). If you can think of somewhere interesting to go ride for a weekend then don't hesitate to let us know.
Even if you don't race our T-shirts and hoddies are ideal for wearing day to day and our racing/training kit is really good value. Plus you will be promoting the club at the same time.
Science in Sport are the worlds leading suppliers of sports nutrition to top athletes. EUCC currently have a fantastic deal with SiS allowing our members to purchase cheap products. For more information contact Allan Love.
We meet every Thursday evening from 8.30 in the Southsider, 3-7 West Richmond St. Our members are entitled to money off selected drinks. It is also the ideal time to ask our experience members any questions you might have regarding cycling, university and anything else besides.
Range of deals including free entry, free food, discounted drinks and oney back for EUCC.
EUCC is fully affiliated to Scottish Cycling and British Cycling. British Cycling membership has many benefits and for first time members you are entitled to a discount of £15 off any membership package. Simply fill in the correct form.
We all love maxis tyres and managed to source a discount on the things. So we can pass it on to you at least once a year when the club does a bulk order.
Our members attend lots of races and events throughout the year. If you are stuck for a lift or looking for someone to split petrol money, we normally club together to arrange transport to get to events. Just check the calendar and get on the forum to see what were up to.
All Edinburgh University Students are entitled to a 10% discount at Mac Donald Cycles. We also recommend you check out the Bicycle Works on our Argyle Place for maintenance work as they are the cheapest around.
TOPYes, but we understand why some students wait to see what their accommodation is like before bringing a bike. Edinburgh is a fantastic city for cyclists and access to great road and cross country rides is only a 20-30 minute ride out of the city centre. We are also close to downhill locations such as Innerliethen, Dunkeld and Ae and there are some local trails in Pencuik and Bonaly. EUCC members ride all this and more regularly; all you have to do is get involved.
If you can only bring one bike to Edinburgh to start with then we would recommend either your road bike, XC bike or hardtail as you will have opportunities to ride with the club 2 or 3 times a week. DH riding is more infrequent.
Edinburgh was voted the number one UK city for mountain biking by MBR magazine. Edinburgh is home to the largest cycling club in the UK; Edinburgh Road Club. Scotland has won the International Mountain Bike Association's "Peoples Choice Award" multiple times in recent years.
No. But your flat or hall of residence should be sufficient.
Edinburgh like everywhere else has a bike theft problem and you hear of some thieves going to extraordinary lengths to get to bikes. But as long as you are smart about storing and locking your bike up you and your bike will be very happy here.
The majority of the halls have locked bike sheds as stated in the accommodation services brochure, and these are secure and plenty of us have stored our bikes in them before. I think there is a £10 deposit for the keys. However, they are not thief proof and you probably want to look into insurance for any bike you can't afford to replace. If you feel the only place your bike will be safe is in your room, there are ways around the no bikes in your room/flat policy.
Pollock - Lots of bike storage from open railings to the proper bike sheds. Rooms can be small so storing more than one bike in them can be a challenge.
Ed says:
Hermits Croft - Decent bike shed, rooms are big enough to take bikes and if your flat mates don't mind so is the boiler room.
Allan says:
Kincaids Court/College Wynd - Good bike sheds, and close to cowgate (you will have to decide for yourself if this is a good thing)
Max says:
Sciennes - Bike sheds are good, rooms are smaller but top banter none the less.
Jamie says:
EUCC has a number of items of equipment which are available for use by it's members. These are all stored with the Committee so please contact the President or Secretary if you wish to borrow them. A deposit in the form of a cheque may be askd for, the cheque will be destroyed upon the items sate return.
As funds allow the club look to obtain new items of equipment so if you have any good ideas for items then let us know.
This is a rough guide on where you can get hold of an inexpensive bike in Edinburgh. If you are looking at this you will fall into one of two categories: either you haven't really cycled before or you do and you have not been able to bring your own bike to Edinburgh. If you are the later, then you probably know what type of bike, size and budget you want and you will be able to use the bike shops and resources below to find a suitable bike. If this is your first time buying a bike or buying a different type of bike then you should atleast think about the following.
Ideal for finding a cheap commuter bike or building your own bike from their Aladdin's cave of bike parts.
They don't sell bikes but they are the best for maintenance and repair.
Good source of second hand downhill bikes.
Huge classified section which can be abit baffling.
TOPBelow is some information about Biathlon, a sport which James Sanford, a highly regarded member of our alumni, is rather enthusiastic about. James has found similarities between cycling and cross country skiing and would encourage keen cyclists in need of a new challenge to give it a go.
Hello
I race for an Army Nordic Ski Team and have close connections with the British Biathlon Union (BBU) Ski team and coaches who are currently looking for raw young talent. The British Biathlon Union are running a selection camp in April 2009 at Catterick Garrison looking to identify young athletes that could be developed for the national team and future Biathlon World Championships and Winter Olympic Games.
The British Biathlon Union is a non profit organisation dedicated completely to raising the level of British Biathlon and its athletes on the international sporting stage. They sent 2 athletes to the Olympic Games in Turin and plan to send 2 to Vancouver, the team has both a World cup and European cup squad for males and females. Attached (hopefully below) are two photos of this years British Championships in Obertilliach Austria, one showing the athletes just after the mass start climbing up the first hill of the course, the second showing the first athletes arriving for their prone shoot in the range. In this race the athletes ski 5 2.5km loops with a vertical gain of 415m. After loops one and two the athletes shoot 5 metal targets from 50 metres, skiing a penalty loop for each missed target (each loop adding approximately 30 seconds onto the athletes running time) after loop three and four the athletes engage the targets from the standing position again with a penalty loop for each miss.
I have been cycling (mountain bike and road) and racing for the last 17 years, and skiing for 4 years, I find the sports very similar and both complement each other very well and I find like minded people in both sports. Please visit www.britishbiathlon.com to find out more. If there is a possibility of posting something on your website it would be great, and certainly help a small but growing sport in the UK. Please let me know if you think you can help in anyway at all.
Many thanks James Sanford
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