What road bike...

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civicduty

Original Poster:

1,857 posts

202 months

Tuesday 5th August 2014
quotequote all
And clothing, shoes, helmet, goggles, lights and everything else?

Basically I need to get fit and due to a medical condition I can only do this as a non-weight bearing activity/impact activity. I know cycling should be okay because I have done some pottering around work and done some biking in the gym. But I dislike the gym and also paying for it.

So I am after everything basically but I don't want to spend alot of money. Infact I have no idea what I should be spending really so I thought I would ask everyones opinion. My total budget probably would be much more than £800 but I have no idea if that is enough anyway.

Thanks for your collective help in this matter.

Vocal Minority

8,582 posts

151 months

Tuesday 5th August 2014
quotequote all
The MX5 of starter road bikes, the answer to absolutely everything,

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-3-red-road-bike-...

Great value for money.

anonymous-user

53 months

Tuesday 5th August 2014
quotequote all
civicduty said:
And clothing, shoes, helmet, goggles, lights and everything else?

Basically I need to get fit and due to a medical condition I can only do this as a non-weight bearing activity/impact activity. I know cycling should be okay because I have done some pottering around work and done some biking in the gym. But I dislike the gym and also paying for it.

So I am after everything basically but I don't want to spend alot of money. Infact I have no idea what I should be spending really so I thought I would ask everyones opinion. My total budget probably would be much more than £800 but I have no idea if that is enough anyway.

Thanks for your collective help in this matter.
Trek 1.1 would probably be fine, anything around that price will be largely the same spec bike in a different colour.

Use toe clips and you dont need to worry about shoes, just wear regular trainers.

Cateye lights are pretty good adn a good set can be found for aroun £40, these will be enough to allow you to be seen rather than illumiate unlit roads though.

The rest is just down to personal fit and taste, Wiggle have a great returns service so buy a load of clothing on line and send back what you dont like or what doesnt fit. Helmet and gloves are worth buying in a store as fit varies wildly.

You dont need goggles.

civicduty

Original Poster:

1,857 posts

202 months

Tuesday 5th August 2014
quotequote all
Thanks for the help so far, I was half expecting 'you will need this carbon super doo-dah bike' and '£800, you must be joking my pedals cost that much'. biggrin

Will have a look at the two bikes mentioned, guess I should be able to do it all for a lot less than £800 which is good.

As for clothing, I already have walking shoe/trainers so that should do for footwear for now. I guess I need to spend a decent amount on shorts, (padded, lycra?), not sure what to do about tops as I am not wearing lycra tops (too fat).

Lights, a majority of my riding will be after dark as the days get shorter due to me only having time after work, so I will need something to actually see and be seen.

Thanks Pablo and Vocal Minority for your help so far.


TheLemming

4,319 posts

264 months

Tuesday 5th August 2014
quotequote all
Vocal Minority said:
The MX5 of starter road bikes, the answer to absolutely everything,

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-3-red-road-bike-...

Great value for money.
What he said. Thread sorted.

Bibshorts will be helpful (your ass with thank you), gloves and glasses are handy (any will do, wear sunglasses to start off with).

That's it for now.

A bit later when you're bitten by the bug, then look at upgrades biggrin
You wont "need" them, but if you're like the rest of us shiney new kit is difficult to resist.

anonymous-user

53 months

Tuesday 5th August 2014
quotequote all
Best bet is to go to a bike shop & find a helpful assistant . Evans etc will do all you need..

Gizmoish

18,150 posts

208 months

Tuesday 5th August 2014
quotequote all
Budget creep applies. Remember that a tank of petrol is £75 and you will soon find that cycling is a very cheap hobby.

But, just as an exercise, for £800 I'd buy;
- British Cycling Ride membership £32 http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/membership
- a Boardman Road Comp - £699 less £60 discount, less 10% (£64) for being a BC member = £576 http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/road-bikes/b...
- a helmet that fits your head properly - Specialized Chamonix is £40
- Altura Pro Gel bibs - £35 http://www.wiggle.co.uk/altura-progel-bib-shorts-1... and a couple of jerseys £22 http://www.wiggle.co.uk/dhb-active-short-sleeve-cy...
- Shimano M540 pedals £20, and some shoes to match - £75 http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Specialized-BG-Sport-Touri...
- an Elite Custom Race cage http://www.wiggle.co.uk/elite-custom-race-bottle-c... and a bottle.
- a track pump - £19 (after BC discount) http://www.halfords.com/cycling/tools-maintenance/...
Plus a puncture repair kit and a couple of spare tubes. (If you get a puncture, swap the tube at the side of the road and repair it later in the warm.)

Comes to £820 or so I think. And that'll do you for the first six months, seriously. smile


loskie

5,145 posts

119 months

Tuesday 5th August 2014
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Look at used bikes many folks spend big only for them to stay in the shed or garage.

Usget

5,426 posts

210 months

Tuesday 5th August 2014
quotequote all
Vocal Minority said:
The MX5 of starter road bikes, the answer to absolutely everything,

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-3-red-road-bike-...

Great value for money.
Sadly hardly any left nowadays. This is your closest equivalent.

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-500-se-road-bike...

As a T5 owner I would definitely agree with this - it's a great starter road bike.

That takes us to:
£349 for the bike
£100 for the kit that Gizmoish mentioned, minus the shoes which I'd recommend picking up off eBay for £30 max.
£108 (!!!) for a set of Fulcrum Racing 7s from ProBikeKit if you use their 10% discount voucher --> http://www.probikekit.co.uk/bicycle-wheels/fulcrum...
£50 for a pair of Continental Gatorskins (nothing like repeated punctures to put you off cycling initially, and the tyres on Decathlon bikes are st).
£20 for a Charge Spoon saddle.

That will get you an enjoyable bike for £620, leaving you £180 left over for a Garmin!

Edited by Usget on Tuesday 5th August 18:11

Fugazi

564 posts

120 months

Tuesday 5th August 2014
quotequote all
Usget said:
..the tyres on Decathlon bikes are st
Had the Triban 500SE eight weeks and just under 1000 km's on the potholed, glass strewn, speed humped, cracked roads that make up Liverpool's streets and never had a single puncture. They're certainly not the best tyres, but are perfectly adequate till the seasons start to change, although the main reason I want to change is to step up the width from 23 to 25's.

(Now I've said this, expect an expletive filled post tomorrow detailing my many punctures laugh )

civicduty

Original Poster:

1,857 posts

202 months

Tuesday 5th August 2014
quotequote all
Wow, thanks everyone for the really helpful comments and ideas. Looks like I might have a busy weekend.

As I work for a big company I am looking into the bike2work scheme. What does everyone think of this. Is it a viable way of picking up a better bike cheaper? Are there lots of pitfalls?

Usget

5,426 posts

210 months

Tuesday 5th August 2014
quotequote all
civicduty said:
Is it a viable way of picking up a better bike cheaper?
Yes.


civicduty said:
Are there lots of pitfalls?
Not really, but read up about it - there are various twiddles involving hire periods etc which prevent you from having to pay a fee at the end. Do some research and you should be fine.

m444ttb

3,160 posts

228 months

Tuesday 5th August 2014
quotequote all
I've just started too. Picked up my bike and (many) other bits today in fact. I won't list everything but it will have come to just under £950 when the cycle shop refund me some money on the bike (£699 charged but should have been £629 in the sale I think). I bought one of these to try and avoid 'upgraditus' for a bit:
http://www.cube.eu/uk/bikes/road-race/peloton/pelo...

b19rak

369 posts

216 months

Tuesday 5th August 2014
quotequote all
Like you i wanted a road bike and the BTwin 500se was the one i was going for until i saw and tried one of these....

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/hybrid-bikes...

I went for it as it was just a bit more comfortable then a road bike whilst still almost being a road bike. It's light and very quick. The big winner for me is that by using the BC 10% + Online discount code 10% + Halfords vouchers bought online with code 10% off; i got this bike from £499 to £364.

There is also a range of BTwin FIT bikes you should have a look at. Basically the road bike with better Shimano SORA set and flat bars.

Some Gump

12,671 posts

185 months

Tuesday 5th August 2014
quotequote all
Op,

Others have covered nice shiny bike bits. Now, the important part. To enjoy your new hobby, you have to be safe, conmfortable, and not stranded.

You know those wkers who you see when you're driving - cycling along wearing black-black-black in the early evening?

Don't be that guy. Buy some nicely horrible vivid gear, and you'll get buzzed by muppets less. Proper cycling tops don't need to be skintight, but are great for carrying things. Aldi / lidl do special days, but the decathlon stuff is decent enough too "mtb" cut is polite for "fatty"; "sport cut / race cut is for those strange stick men you see on telly. Get some lairy colours, and a long sleeved brught yellow nutter. The long sleeve will act as a high viz addition to your other cycle jerseys if / when you decide to get em.

Get an array of "be seen" lights. Planetx sell "phaart" ones for about a quid. They weigh bugger all, so i use 4 on front and 4 on back in night / winter - 2 on bars / bottom of fork / helmet. (Physiologists say humans say seeing a triangle see that about 30% sooner than a point source, for the sake of the weight of a flapjack i opt for 2 triangles..)

Get bib shorts - they're just so much more comfortable than normal shorts that end at the waist. If this makes you feel like a budgie smuggling sex pest, wear normal shorts over the top. These are designed to be worn commando - saves chafage.

For wet weather, you'll need a rain jacket. Imo a softshell is a good thing, 20 quid in aldi. I would say don't buy a waterporrf (like altura niht vision etc) because you just get drenched from sweat instead. Take all claims of "breathable" as lies on anything but the most expensive waterproofs.

If it's colder, you'll want base layers. Lots of people swear by merino wool - but they're often 30-40 quid. Top tip - decathlon cycling base layers are 20 quid; their skiing base layers (the same bloody thing) are 6.99.

Mudguards - to suit bike. Raceblades or Crud roadracers are a good shout.

Finally, overshoes - cold wet feet suck, get some neoprene ones and you'll have warm wet feet. This only applies if you're in cycling shoes though (which once you try, you'll never go back).

Now, anti- stranding. Get a wee saddle bag with:
Tyre levers
Inner tube
Punture repair kit - the proper one with glue
Punture patches (sticky kind). These are st because you'll have to fix again in a week, but awesome when you puncture in the rain and they get you home).
Tiny little pump jobbie (mine was 6 quid from velochampion, works well)
1 "quicklink" - you'll need the right kind for your bike (8/9/10 speed)
1 multitool (with crosshead, 4/5mm allan, pliers and chain tool)

And finally, (and this is the most important bit) - GET STRAVA. Log every ride. Marvel at your progress / journey and celebrate every milestone. You might not believe it, but if you get the bug, you WILL do a 100 mile ride next year. And then OKGO will tell you that your 100 mile ride is rubbish - but that is part and parcel of cycling - no matter what you do, some bugger on the internet will say it's not impressive (even if you win the tour de france) smile

civicduty

Original Poster:

1,857 posts

202 months

Tuesday 5th August 2014
quotequote all
Some Gump said:
Lots of really useful amazing stuff,
You Sir are amazing thank you for your input, especially will take on board the bit about wearing bright clothing (why do cyclists wear black-black-black, maybe a discussion for another thread).

I think I have the start of a list now of everything that I need to buy. Everyone has been brilliant will try and keep you updated on it all goes, will definitely look into the bike2work scheme as I can't resist getting something a bit blingy if I can afford it.

So thanks for all the hints and tips see you out on the roads soon.

Dammit

3,790 posts

207 months

Tuesday 5th August 2014
quotequote all
I'd not bother with the hi-viz stuff to be honest, get some decent lights and you won't need to dress like a car-park attendant, and research shows that motorists pass cyclists "in all the gear" significantly closer than they do those dressed (more) like normal people.

Some Gump

12,671 posts

185 months

Tuesday 5th August 2014
quotequote all
Dammit said:
I'd not bother with the hi-viz stuff to be honest, get some decent lights and you won't need to dress like a car-park attendant, and research shows that motorists pass cyclists "in all the gear" significantly closer than they do those dressed (more) like normal people.
IMO the risk isn't from aggressive wkers that pass you closely because they dislike cyclists (as identified in research). I think the risk is from wkers that "didn't see you." The first batch of wkers might want to scare you, but aren't murderers - the second mob are far more dangerous because they'll hit you and then realise they've dropped a ball.

anonymous-user

53 months

Tuesday 5th August 2014
quotequote all
Dammit said:
I'd not bother with the hi-viz stuff to be honest, get some decent lights and you won't need to dress like a car-park attendant, and research shows that motorists pass cyclists "in all the gear" significantly closer than they do those dressed (more) like normal people.
Please for the love of god, stop quoting this bullst flaw laden "research" as some kind of credible study....

apologies to the OP, thread hijack etc etc, be safe, be seen....

Dammit

3,790 posts

207 months

Tuesday 5th August 2014
quotequote all
What aspects of the research do you take issue with?

I'm generally referring to the University of Bath research found here: http://www.bath.ac.uk/news/articles/releases/overt...