New Cycling Buddies

You choose your goal and we will work with you to achieve it.

It could be just you and a friend that want to cycle more on the roads with the support of qualified cycle trainers.

You might have a friend that has never been on a bike and you want them to share the joys of cycling.

You might want to get your son, daughter, niece or nephew out of the house for a  few quality hours a week, giving them the skills of independent travel.

You may even have a  larger group who want to tackle their first cycle tour or charity ride, but want to know how to ride safely in a group.

We will help you get the most out of cycling. Cycling Buddies has been designed to take novice or experienced cyclists to the next level.  Contact us to make your group of Cycling Buddies and meet our cycle trainers. You can still join if you don’t want to create a Cycling Buddies group. We will help you to find groups of your interest to ride with. Here is a list of existing groups you can join for a ride.

How much does it cost?

Cycling Buddies groups are easy to start and it is all free! Free training with qualified cycle  trainers! Free membership of Dunbar Cycling Group! Free to make a Cycling Buddies group! You don’t even need a bike.  We can provide bikes for free during training. Making a Cycling Buddies group is easy. Just ask people to come out on a bike with you.

Cycling Buddies Levels

A tailored plan can be created for each individual Cycling Buddies group depending on fitness, experience and group aims. To give an idea of what can be a achieved, we have structured a training plan for Cycling Buddies from novice to experienced. It follows three levels.

Level 1 – Towning Around Cycling Buddies – up to 5 miles.

Cyclists are trained in line with the national standard Bikeability 1 and 2. At this level all members of your Cycling Buddies group are catered for. A non cyclist will be brought up to speed with one of our trainers to learn to ride a bike from scratch off road in a safe environment. Then your group will be trained with the highest of modern standards to tackle our urban environment. Learning how to safely pass parked cars and use junctions to get you Towning Around. They will also learn how to safety check their own bikes, so that they know when to get a bike service. When all your Cycling Buddies are confident we will demonstrate a shopping ride with the use of our bike trailers, that you can then borrow. When your group wants to move to the next level, as your fitness has increased, it really gets exciting!

Level 2 – East Lothian Countryside Explorer Cycling Buddies – up to 15 miles

This when you can be proud of yourself! A trip to Knowes farm and back for local fresh produce will be easy with your new found fitness, or a guiltless scenic ride for scones at Smeaton knowing you deserve some calories after burning them off. Your group will be entitled to Bikeability 3 training at this point. They will learn how to navigate more complex junctions and route planning. At this level our trainers will start riding further with your group on a trip you plan. A free Dr Bike maintenance session will also be entitled to your group at this level. Your group are getting further from home now and need to know how to fix a puncture at least! Before long the next level will be your calling with your increased experience and knowledge.

Level 3 – Adventure Tourer Cycling Buddies – up to 25 miles plus!

How did that happen? You have become hooked and are thinking of longer distances. Traffic is not a problem any more but just part of your everyday cycling. At this level your Cycling Buddies that want to complete their Cycle Commuter course can ask our trainers. After this course they will be well equipped to handle all that a busy city like Edinburgh can throw at them and have really good road side repair skills. Our trainers will go on your first longer distance ride when you are ready and we will show you Cycle Touring equipment, so you know how to travel by bike on holiday.

If any one in your group needs even more confidence on the road we will be happy to plan and ride with them to their individual workplaces. For example, from Waverley to their  work place in Edinburgh if they want to save money and Cycle Commute.

Each Cycling Buddies group is different. They are still entitled to the highest level Cycle Commuter training without having to cycle 25 miles of more. People just Towning Around are entitled to achieve their Cycle Commuter certificate.

To meet one of our trainers and create a plan for your group contact us today.

Benefits of a Cycling Buddies group

• Making new friends.
• Getting fit with friends.
• Quality time with your family.
• Loosing weight or eating more! Cycling is a calorie muncher burning hundreds of calories an hour.
• Money can be saved if you have to get a train and then a bus, commuter cycle training gives the skills to manage Edinburgh roads.
• Saving money at the pump by cycle commuting to work.
• Saving money at the pump even on shopping trips. Cycling is cheaper than a car and we have trailers for you to try out.
• Making it more fun to visit new places or events. Cycling lets you absorb the surroundings on a journey that you could not do by other forms of transport. It makes the world just the right size.
•  Build up skills to experience the freedom of a cycle tour holiday, perhaps one day you will circumnavigate the world!