At 500£ I'd also go looking for used bikes. You might get a really good deal on those. (Coming from some who bought a 4Keur bike for 2KEur few months ago :) )One or two years of use on a decent bike is nothing if it has ever been taken care of.
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At 500£ I'd also go looking for used bikes. You might get a really good deal on those. (Coming from some who bought a 4Keur bike for 2KEur few months ago :) )One or two years of use on a decent bike is nothing if it has ever been taken care of.
Most important thing about biking is that if you are not doing top level competition then the biggest difference it is made by yourself.Quote:
Originally Posted by Malbec
While a bike frame weighs between 1 and 3 kgs, you weigh at least 20 times more. So what difference does 1 kg make when the total is 70+ kgs? About 1 to 1.5%?!
As many already said, ride your old bike until you get yourself in a shape where you could hardly improve your biking without a better bike. By that time you will also know better what you need.
Myself I picked up biking again last year due to being invited by friends to an amateur race (100 kms), repaired my old steel bike and managed to train for 3 weeks or so and finish the race place approx. 1200 out of 1800, which didn't bother me as my goal was to finish.
This year I did it again, same old steel frame (about 16 years old by now) with a set of new wheels (one of the most important parts on a bike) and a new chain set (50/39/30) and above all 6 weeks of strong training ( 85 kms sessions 3 times a week) and managed to place around 850th leaving behind people on carbon race bikes.
Next year I'll try to get into the top 600 on the same steel frame, and if I manage that I will think seriously about investing in a better frame.
Anyway, enough talking about me, the idea is that your fitness and biking level is more important than the bike and it also dictates what you need as a bike when time comes to buy a new one.
My entrance is slightly further up, pelton lane entrance, right next to the lambton worm, about 2 mins away from the Wheathsheaf one :) I've probably cycled pat you and not even known!Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark
I wouldnt spend that much if you are just starting up again, start with your old one and see what you wish your old bike had, quick release wheels, seat, how many gears etc. Then go in the hunt for a bike with all the spec you want :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Malbec
I'd reccomend a Kona frame, I've landed loads of high jumps heavily using hardly any skill at all and I still havent smashed mine yet. The shocks are really good aswel, I have had many punctures and the odd buckled wheel (on my old bike though) when I hit tree roots while down hilling, and the shock absorbers are really kind to your hands and wrists :)
Unless you decide to buy a full suspension bike, remember to always stand up when going too fast over the top of a tree root or rocks, the last thing you need when down hilling is your seat impacting with the gentlemans area, that gets very boring, very quickly!
Excellent, NCN7 is quite a nice route - in both directions. Maybe we should meet up for a ride sometime - warning, I'm slow :DQuote:
Originally Posted by tfp
Ooh nice, I'd love a road bike! - But I do like off road tracks too.Quote:
Originally Posted by henners88
You can get a Trek 1.1. for £550 which is by all accounts a good bike.Quote:
I have a fairly decent mountain bike but its tough on long rides even with slick commuting tyres fitted etc. Having looked at roadbikes they do appear to be mostly out of my price range and recommendations always seem to be around the £700 range. The bike I want is a Trek 1.2, but I just can't justify the cost. My budget is around £450 maybe slightly more and I wouldn't rule out secondhand if I get a better bike. Do any of you guys have any advice or maybe knowledge of decent bike dealers that deliver across the UK? I can see my settling for the £350 Carrera in Halfords, but maybe that isn't a bad bike for someone starting out in road riding.
tbh I think £550 for a good make of road bike is a good price. The Halfords bike may well be good but a lot is dependent on the guys who screwed it together at the shop. e.g. I got my bike from my local bike shop which gives 6 months free servicing, anything the matter with it in that time, and they'll fix it no questions.
I just think for saving a little bit you'll end up wishing you'd spent a little more the entire time.
Try looking on eBay. I got my road bike on eBay and I honestly don't think it had been riden for more than 20 miles. It was perfect, sadly it doesn't look as prestine now but I have riden it in excess of 1000 miles. It was bike from the previous year but was worth the £300 saving that I made compared to had I bought the same bike that year from a shop.
If you have a bike already you probably have some idea about what size and type riding position you look for and you can use some of the fit calculators out there on the web.Quote:
Originally Posted by henners88
I got my Scott road bike seven years ago for 1000 Eur, it was an older model with a 1400 eur discount from the original price. :)
If the frame and fork are half decent you can swap parts as they wear off. Original parts in my bike are frame, fork cranks, brakes shifters and derailleurs. Most of the handling related components I replaced after getting to know the bike better and understanding my riding position better.
Companies like Wiggle and CRC have pretty good stock of bikes and parts one needs to spend money on bikes :D Just yesterday I ordered a new frame pump after some idiot drove over the old one when it fell off the bike. :)
Thanks for all the advice on this thread, much appreciated.
Unfortunately my wife tells me that because our childcare arrangements have changed cycling to work is not going to be an option so that sorts that dilemma out!
Thats what I thought too, but I keep reading in magazine reviews that bike A accelerates or handles better than B despite the gearing being the same and the weight only differing by a matter of grams. Hence why I was wondering whether someone like me would be able to tell the difference.Quote:
Originally Posted by ioan
I'm going to make a bigger effort to use the bicycle to get around in the future (ie some rather than none) and see where things go from there. When my son is a bit older I'll think about getting a bike with a baby seat to potter round town with I think.
Sorry to hijack your question but one thing you might consider after the baby is a few months old is to get membership at a decent gym.Quote:
Originally Posted by henners88
A few months ago my wife badgered me into doing so and its literally changed our lives. They have a baby pool and regular free rhyme time sessions and classes for the baby as well as a separate cafe and soft matted play area which are complete lifesavers. On top of that my wife and I try to go two or three times a week for classes or gym sessions and its great to have a bit of time just to myself. I couldn't recommend it more.