Time to shift weight and change lifestyle-Cycling.

[_Lee_]

Hey guys,

So, seeing as i gave up smoking 8 months ago and booze nearly a year ago its dawned on me i need to shift the excess weight ( not the wife )

Anyways, just looking for some advice about road bikes. My company is in the Cycle to Work scheme so ill get something sorted. However, ive set a budget of £500 for all the gear ( bike, helmet etc) but have no idea which is a good bike for around £300? I know that Carreras are nifty bikes but any advice would help.

Thanks in advance

Lee

 

[mumbo]

I know there's a few guys on here who know there two wheelers and RebelRunner is one of them

Good luck with the health kick.

 

[theforceuk]

Given up smoking and drinking. :shock: :shock: Good luck with the cycling.

 

[Tenebrous]

I got a mountain bike on the cycle to work scheme and it's the best thing I've done, money wise, as long as the bike fits you that's the main thing, try a few places first mostly very helpful, if you tell them your needs how much you want to spend, most will spend the time to give you good advice. if you get right into it, you can either get a higher spec bike after a year, or upgrade the one you have, ie upgrade brakes, rims, gears etc.
Don't get hung up on that just yet, if your doing exclusively road cycling, then go for the road bike but, a lot of my friends bought hybrid bikes have a look if you might fancy doing a bit of track/trail which I prefer ( I'm not to far from Kielder water), as well as road.
Don't get hung up on the gear either, you'll just a helmet at first, you can buy one for £20, most clothing, shoes etc, can be bought on line at places like wiggle, chain reaction for a fraction of most places.
Rambled a bit but, if the bike fits....ride it.
Good luck, hope this helps.

 

[plantman]

id set your target price a bit higher mate, it pays to get the best bike you can first time around, i got a specialised hybrid bike on the cycle to work scheme, its well worth it, you get all the gear you need included too.

Im no massive expert, but i do like specialsed bikes, the hybrid ones give you the best of both worlds when cycling to work and if you also want to use it on a dirt track and other offroad areas.

http://www.evanscycles.com/KMLP/specialized-sirrus-hybrid-bikes

Andy

p.s having the best light bike makes a big difference to me anyway lol

 

[Frunkstar]

Just got one myself for the same reasons, hell only a cheapo at 30 quid off the car boot but it all works & has alloys so I'm happy, but it's my first mountain bike, which I do need where I live, but if you are using it for road use I'd honestly say go for a racer or road bike with thin tyres mate, as mountain bikes are hard work, peddle peddle peddle, with a road bike you can spend a lot of time free wheeling/costing whereas a mountain bike creates so much drag with the wise tyres you are at it all the time, but hey if weight loss is the target a mountain bike or hybrid may well be a wise choice as you have to work for your mileage.

They now do some excellent large wheel bikes (don't know the term for them) but I hear nothing but good things about them, like this one for example -

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Carrera-Sulcata-Limited-Edition-2015-Mountain-Bike-18-Frame-29er-Wheels-Extras-/131558266426?hash=item1ea17bd63a

 

[Tenebrous]

Just got one myself for the same reasons, hell only a cheapo at 30 quid off the car boot but it all works & has alloys so I'm happy, but it's my first mountain bike, which I do need where I live, but if you are using it for road use I'd honestly say go for a racer or road bike with thin tyres mate, as mountain bikes are hard work, peddle peddle peddle, with a road bike you can spend a lot of time free wheeling/costing whereas a mountain bike creates so much drag with the wise tyres you are at it all the time, but hey if weight loss is the target a mountain bike or hybrid may well be a wise choice as you have to work for your mileage.

They now do some excellent large wheel bikes (don't know the term for them) but I hear nothing but good things about them, like this one for example -

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Carrera-Sulcata-Limited-Edition-2015-Mountain-Bike-18-Frame-29er-Wheels-Extras-/131558266426?hash=item1ea17bd63a

A hybrid with 29er wheels will give you the best of both worlds, you can get semi-slick tyres for the road and keep your nobbly ones for trail riding, I've put semi-slicks on my mountain bike as its great for road riding. 29ers are 29" wheels btw.
The cheaper the bike, the heavy it will be, mines got a carbon frame and is lighter than most out and out racers. At your budget you'll get a aluminium frame which will be really light.
Honestly for your budget spend the £500 on the bike and buy your helmet etc with your own money but, you might find for another £100 quid you'll get an lot more for you money. Look for 2014, 2015 models as their more likely to be on sale, the only thing that changes is the colour schemes mostly.
It's quite a big purchase and I'd be very surprised if it doesn't take a few trips to get the right bike, frame size etc.
I tried about 5 before I found the right one, knew f-all about bikes, so don't let a lack of knowledge put you off going to a specialist cycle shop.

 

[spoons]

I'm a long time commuter and started out on a hybrid - best of big worlds and the main kit i'd recommend is a helmet and waterproofs. The further your commute the better the gear you need.

I upgraded to a cyclocross bike with a hub gear a couple of years ago. Cyclocross is good because the bikes are tougher than a road bike but faster than a hybrid, the hub gear is more hit and miss. Very low maintenance but low top speed and expensive when they go wrong.

You should get a pretty decent bike for £500 - as a rule the more expensive the bike the more expensive it is to replace the parts. My bike was about £1k - it was over £100 for a new shifter, which was a good lesson learned.

I have two heavy paniers which also makes weight less important to me - but a solid bike is important.

Mountain bikes are great for off road, but you'd be better off with a hybrid on roads. A lot of people like 29ers but they are unwieldy for non-regular cyclists - just my opinion of course

If I was to buy a new bike tomorrow I'd probably go for a tourer, Dawes do great ones for around £500. They are hard wearing for the commute but also good for a weekend on the roads.

Your other option is to go single speed - great fun if there aren't too many hills, and you don't have a hipster beard

As others have said - try loads of bikes and the right size is more important than the brand

 

[SAVORY100]

As many others have already noted, go for a Hybrid for your first bike, then as you get a feel for what you're really going to use it for, you can 12 or more months later upgrade, or add a second bike, be that a road bike or mountain bike.

Key things I would note:

• - Don't go too cheap, your £500 budget is sensible, but I wouldn't slip below it
  - Don't get excited about suspension, unless you are riding off road a lot it can actually make the bike much harder work to ride (some do have lock off suspension, but at a price).
  - Haggle (a lot) even at big main chains, you will almost always be able to get a better deal and you will still get the sale through Cycle to Work; presuming the shop does the scheme...
  - Halfords can get an awful lot of extra brands and bikes in specially for you if you buy on the scheme through them; they don't really advertise this.
  - If cash discounts are difficult to get, then try for upgraded (tougher) inner tubes at the very least.
  - Always carry some spares with you; best off in a drinks bottle, include inner tube, mini pump and tyre leavers. Far easier than unclipping all the bags and pumps that you can decorate your steed with.
  - Don't skimp on the lock!!! yes, they are expensive, heavy and cumbersome, but a gold standard lock is gold standard for a reason...
  - Again as said before, the kit you need is a helmet, the other stuff such as specialist clothing is not needed till you start putting in serious miles.
  - Don't be shy to buy a gel saddle, as a new bike rider, you will take a fair while to get used to the idea of having numb bollocks and arse cheeks!
  - Giant and Specialised are both good entry brands that have good standards of workmanship for mass produced machines and come with good equipment attached.
  - I would personally avoid Cube or Planet X bikes, that might just be me...
  - If you ever get seriously into Road Bikes, I would say that a great company to look for is MODA, beautiful handmade lightweight roadies...

 

[_Lee_]

Thanks chaps.

Well, the budget is £500 for the bike and helmet so i reckon ill be looking at around £400 plus for the bike alone. I wont be getting the cycling shorts and all that gear yet-id look like a sausage with deformities I really appreciate the advice.

I know giving up drinking and smoking is quite hefty, but with the 'C' word rife in the family id have hated my kids seeing me in that state-especially with fags helping it along. Also struggle to have a kickaround with Sonny which means losing weight

Thanks again.

Lee