Cycling to get fit etc - old Dawes Ascent
Discussion
So, its time to get my act together and improve my fitness level, lose some of the tyre that is starting to get comfortable around my waist etc.
Just moved home, and the area around me has lots of great routes to cycle etc. Figured it would a good way to kick start a new routine to go cycling at weekends.
Now, not wanted to be an "all the gear, no idea" type of person, I am reluctant to go splurge my hard earned on a new bike if I am not really sure how much I will get out of this. A friend has offered me his old bike that he no longer uses (and has no used for a long time). Its a Dawes Ascent. I know nothing about it apart from it being a MTB and that it has not been used for a good few years.
Some advice then:
1) Anyone know anything about this bike? Is it going to be better than a £150 halford jobby?
2) Is the bike pretty much irrelevant, since I am only using it for fitness/leisure - so it does not make much difference which bike I have?
3) To get this bike back in shape for use, what would need to be done to it (what needs to be checked, replaced etc etc - and can I do this myself?)
4) What advice would you give on the best way to go about this all and really getting the most out of cycling?
Anything else - please feel free to share!
Just moved home, and the area around me has lots of great routes to cycle etc. Figured it would a good way to kick start a new routine to go cycling at weekends.
Now, not wanted to be an "all the gear, no idea" type of person, I am reluctant to go splurge my hard earned on a new bike if I am not really sure how much I will get out of this. A friend has offered me his old bike that he no longer uses (and has no used for a long time). Its a Dawes Ascent. I know nothing about it apart from it being a MTB and that it has not been used for a good few years.
Some advice then:
1) Anyone know anything about this bike? Is it going to be better than a £150 halford jobby?
2) Is the bike pretty much irrelevant, since I am only using it for fitness/leisure - so it does not make much difference which bike I have?
3) To get this bike back in shape for use, what would need to be done to it (what needs to be checked, replaced etc etc - and can I do this myself?)
4) What advice would you give on the best way to go about this all and really getting the most out of cycling?
Anything else - please feel free to share!
Obviously this depends on where you live, but as well as cycling at the weekends for fun, try to make it part of your routine to use the bike for transport as well.
Even if you just use it for popping to the local shops, heading to the local pub, that sort of thing, you'll find that you rack up the miles quicker than you expect without the time and effort that a dedicated ride takes.
Around here it's the fastest way to get about as well.
Even if you just use it for popping to the local shops, heading to the local pub, that sort of thing, you'll find that you rack up the miles quicker than you expect without the time and effort that a dedicated ride takes.
Around here it's the fastest way to get about as well.
I'd probably take it to a LCB (local bike shop) and just get them to check it over and adjust it. No doubt cables will have stretched etc.
It'll only cost £40ish and will give you smooth gears, better brakes.
Then just get out and ride it! A more expensive bike will be easier, quicker, smoother. But get out there and enjoy it. Then when your ready, go test some bikes and get some gear.
It'll only cost £40ish and will give you smooth gears, better brakes.
Then just get out and ride it! A more expensive bike will be easier, quicker, smoother. But get out there and enjoy it. Then when your ready, go test some bikes and get some gear.
Cheers guys, thats what I was thinking that might need doing (service etc).
As for using it for transport - will try to do that also!
Anyone know anything about this specific make/model? All I can find on google is few references to "retro bikes" lol, and I figure this dates from around '88-'90.
Cant believe you can spend upto £7,000 on a push bike!
As for using it for transport - will try to do that also!
Anyone know anything about this specific make/model? All I can find on google is few references to "retro bikes" lol, and I figure this dates from around '88-'90.
Cant believe you can spend upto £7,000 on a push bike!
Firstly well done for making an effort which is exactly what ha0owned to me five years ago and I haven't looked back.
As a taster the bike is secondary to actually having the motivation however there id no doubt a shiny new machine has mote attraction than an old shed. As a ph'er you will know that LOL
However my biggest motivation was and remains having a mate to race.
There OS no bigger reason to get me on the bike for sneaky pea give than being beaten up a hill by the lads
Cheers
007singh said:
Some advice then:
1) Anyone know anything about this bike? Is it going to be better than a £150 halford jobby?
2) Is the bike pretty much irrelevant, since I am only using it for fitness/leisure - so it does not make much difference which bike I have?
3) To get this bike back in shape for use, what would need to be done to it (what needs to be checked, replaced etc etc - and can I do this myself?)
4) What advice would you give on the best way to go about this all and really getting the most out of cycling?
Anything else - please feel free to share!
1) Probably, info on these bikes is sparce to say the least, but it's a bike and not a BSO (bicycle shaped object) that a £150 Halfords / Supermarket bike would be. Give it some elbow grease and it'll last another 10 years.1) Anyone know anything about this bike? Is it going to be better than a £150 halford jobby?
2) Is the bike pretty much irrelevant, since I am only using it for fitness/leisure - so it does not make much difference which bike I have?
3) To get this bike back in shape for use, what would need to be done to it (what needs to be checked, replaced etc etc - and can I do this myself?)
4) What advice would you give on the best way to go about this all and really getting the most out of cycling?
Anything else - please feel free to share!
2) You're not wrong. You could spend pretty much any amount of money you like on a 'better' bike. But an more efficent bike will just mean it takes longer in time and distance to get the same work-out as you can get on a older bike.
3) Change the cables, make sure the brakes work (pads are pennies) and stick some air in the tyres. First ride will tell you if anything else is buggered. DO IT ALL YOURSELF even if the time taken is worth much more to you than the labour charge. Something will stop working one day, miles from home when it's raining - better to learn to fix stuff now. Bikes are dead simple. You can fix 99% of stuff with a small set of allen keys.
4) I have fought to stay / get fit for years and years. I'm a simple soul, if I plan to ride two evenings a week and a long ride on Sunday for fittness, it becomes a chore and I suffer from 'can't be arsed'. If I decide I'm going out for a ride for fun I can't get out quick enough - I'm that stupid I can actually fool myself. IMHO light off-road is far less hassle than trying to deal with traffic. Get a Helmet, some gloves, a helmet, some padded undershorts, a helmet, and if music is your thing some sort of MP3 player - did I mention a Helmet?
Plan to ride to places, rather than set amount of times and enjoy yourself! Distance / speed will come later if you want it.
Edited by P-Jay on Tuesday 12th October 15:38
For fitness you only really need to be cycling for a certain time, not distance. I go out for 2 to 3 hours on a Sunday on my 15yo bike so technically it doesn't matter how far I go, as long as I match last week's run, or do slightly better.
However, I have joined a few others who go out on Sunday morning too, and they have all modern bikes. They are leaving me for dead - and although I acknowledge that my level of fitness is below theirs - the quality of their bikes certainly helps them along.
I have been going since early summer, and I have bought suitable clothing to continue through the winter so I feel justified in spending a few hundred on a new bike now. When I first started I didn't have the confidence that our Sunday cycling club would continue so I refused to buy a bike at that time. I'd leave it a while before spunking cash on a new bike - and in the mean-time you can be saving more so that when you do buy, you buy something that's actually little better than the one you're riding now.
However, I have joined a few others who go out on Sunday morning too, and they have all modern bikes. They are leaving me for dead - and although I acknowledge that my level of fitness is below theirs - the quality of their bikes certainly helps them along.
I have been going since early summer, and I have bought suitable clothing to continue through the winter so I feel justified in spending a few hundred on a new bike now. When I first started I didn't have the confidence that our Sunday cycling club would continue so I refused to buy a bike at that time. I'd leave it a while before spunking cash on a new bike - and in the mean-time you can be saving more so that when you do buy, you buy something that's actually little better than the one you're riding now.
Pretty much agree with what's been said so far.
1) Dawes was/is a decent make of bike - should be okay. A lot of the cheap crap being sold is just that - cheap crap.
2) Get it serviced by your LBS and this is as good a bike as any to start with.
3) Best get it checked by a decent LBS. Look for a shop that sells decent kit but also welcomes service work on 'any' age/price level of bike. They do exist!
4) Keep it fun and stick with it. Enjoy!
Add to the above, you can never have too many bikes. If you want to give yourself a 'carrot' then puit off buying a new bike until you've used the old one for a few months.
1) Dawes was/is a decent make of bike - should be okay. A lot of the cheap crap being sold is just that - cheap crap.
2) Get it serviced by your LBS and this is as good a bike as any to start with.
3) Best get it checked by a decent LBS. Look for a shop that sells decent kit but also welcomes service work on 'any' age/price level of bike. They do exist!
4) Keep it fun and stick with it. Enjoy!
Add to the above, you can never have too many bikes. If you want to give yourself a 'carrot' then puit off buying a new bike until you've used the old one for a few months.
Edited by Digga on Tuesday 12th October 15:53
Do Not buy a Halfords £150 special it will be s
t enough to put you off cycling as something will almost certainly go wrong often enough that you get fed up of it being unreliable, think unserviced Friday afternoon K series engined with 80's Italian bodywork combined with French electrics even then that may be more reliable.
Just to give you a heads up I had a Halfords special Apollo FS26, Halfords have stopped selling them and they own the Apollo brand, save up. In the mean time get your mates bike looked over use it for a bit and buy a bike maintenance book and a few tools then keep it running yourself.
t enough to put you off cycling as something will almost certainly go wrong often enough that you get fed up of it being unreliable, think unserviced Friday afternoon K series engined with 80's Italian bodywork combined with French electrics even then that may be more reliable. Just to give you a heads up I had a Halfords special Apollo FS26, Halfords have stopped selling them and they own the Apollo brand, save up. In the mean time get your mates bike looked over use it for a bit and buy a bike maintenance book and a few tools then keep it running yourself.
I guess the £150 specials are a waste of time then! I will get the Dawes one off my mate and get it sorted out etc.
However, my other half also wants to come cycling, and has no bike. I was looking at a Trek MTB from Halford (since I have around £130 in halford vouchers to spend), and was thinking as a starter that would be good for her. Is Trek another one to be avoided the the plague?
However, my other half also wants to come cycling, and has no bike. I was looking at a Trek MTB from Halford (since I have around £130 in halford vouchers to spend), and was thinking as a starter that would be good for her. Is Trek another one to be avoided the the plague?
007singh said:
I guess the £150 specials are a waste of time then! I will get the Dawes one off my mate and get it sorted out etc.
However, my other half also wants to come cycling, and has no bike. I was looking at a Trek MTB from Halford (since I have around £130 in halford vouchers to spend), and was thinking as a starter that would be good for her. Is Trek another one to be avoided the the plague?
Halfords car order bikes in for you and price match.However, my other half also wants to come cycling, and has no bike. I was looking at a Trek MTB from Halford (since I have around £130 in halford vouchers to spend), and was thinking as a starter that would be good for her. Is Trek another one to be avoided the the plague?
Find a good bike, then order from halfords. Don't go into Halfords and chose one.
007singh said:
Is Trek another one to be avoided the the plague?
Have you heard of a guy called Lance Armstrong? He used to race on trek bikes - generally they;re not too shabby but, like all the big bike manufacturers, they build a range that goes from budget to stratospheric, so it depends on the model.This Lance fella, I think I might have just possibly heard of him 
In respect to quality at a certain price, I guess the ultimate question here is that would the Trek at £130 be any better than an Apollo (which as far as I can tell is a Halford only/own brand).
If not, then I might as well just buy a better bike used off ebay etc, and put the vouchers towards my "carrot" bike - the one I will aim to buy later down the line (assuming the vouchers are not going to expire within the next 6 - 12 months).
In respect to quality at a certain price, I guess the ultimate question here is that would the Trek at £130 be any better than an Apollo (which as far as I can tell is a Halford only/own brand).
If not, then I might as well just buy a better bike used off ebay etc, and put the vouchers towards my "carrot" bike - the one I will aim to buy later down the line (assuming the vouchers are not going to expire within the next 6 - 12 months).
My fitness level has gone up in leaps and bounds since I bought a Giant M1 hybrid off eBay for £180 in May of last year. Spent about £50 at the lbs to sort the gears and cables and got cycling.
Promised myself that if I was still at it a year later, I would buy something shiny and new.
Started testing bikes and discovering that 105 is better than Tiagra but at least Tiagra felt better than Sora etc so realised that the bikes I got on with were £1000 minimum.
Thus I went for a Specialized Langster for £400 with only one gear and that has improved my fitness so much more.
The idea now is if I continue with the Langster through the winter, I'll treat myself to an Allez Comp in the Spring.
To be honest I found my receipt for my Univega 501 mountain bike bought in '95 for just under £400 so I don't know why I found it difficult to get my head around the prices of bikes these days.
Promised myself that if I was still at it a year later, I would buy something shiny and new.
Started testing bikes and discovering that 105 is better than Tiagra but at least Tiagra felt better than Sora etc so realised that the bikes I got on with were £1000 minimum.
Thus I went for a Specialized Langster for £400 with only one gear and that has improved my fitness so much more.
The idea now is if I continue with the Langster through the winter, I'll treat myself to an Allez Comp in the Spring.
To be honest I found my receipt for my Univega 501 mountain bike bought in '95 for just under £400 so I don't know why I found it difficult to get my head around the prices of bikes these days.
Edited by croyde on Tuesday 12th October 17:24
This easter I decided to get fit again. 15 years of eating without excersise had added a good few inches to my waist. I got my 15 year old bike out serviced it and vowed to ride it every evening after work. I have only missed 3 or 4 days since then. I feel much fitter for my 5 miles off road every day. I even started riding 10 miles every saturday as well. this weekend I bought a shiny new rockhopper. might as well treat myself. I used to average 9 miles per hour on the old bike, today I managed 12 mph on the new one. a new bike will make a difference, but I guess it won't make you any fitter.
007singh said:
In respect to quality at a certain price, I guess the ultimate question here is that would the Trek at £130 be any better than an Apollo (which as far as I can tell is a Halford only/own brand).
£130 will get you a plain vanilla 'bike'. I'm tempted to say that, even at that price level, a Trek would be better than an Apollo, but I do not know this for a fact.What I do know is that it won't be much cop properly 'off road' and that unless your O/H has any real designs on mud-plugging riding, the type of bike she'd probably best take to and get the most utility from is a 'hybrid'.
P-Jay said:
007singh said:
Some advice then:
2) Is the bike pretty much irrelevant, since I am only using it for fitness/leisure - so it does not make much difference which bike I have?
Anything else - please feel free to share!
2) You're not wrong. You could spend pretty much any amount of money you like on a 'better' bike. But an more efficent bike will just mean it takes longer in time and distance to get the same work-out as you can get on a older bike.2) Is the bike pretty much irrelevant, since I am only using it for fitness/leisure - so it does not make much difference which bike I have?
Anything else - please feel free to share!
The way I look at it is this, say you go into a gym and you want a workout. Do you do 5 reps of 50kg or 5 of 5kg? Which is going to build more power?
Resistance is your friend.
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