Complete Cycling Newbie - Advice Please!

Complete Cycling Newbie - Advice Please!

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Discussion

BS30

Original Poster:

1,097 posts

104 months

Monday 27th July 2015
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Hi Guys

My partner and I have decided that we have had enough of being lazy, lethargic "indoor" people and that we need more fresh air and exercise in our lives. Cycling was the natural choice as it gives us the flexibility to venture further afield than walking/running, in theory, with the added benefit that using a car in Bristol is bordering on impossible these days...

Our trouble is our budget...we really want to spend as little as possible without it being a false economy. I'm very much a disciple of "buy cheap...buy twice" but on the flipside, we've just bought our first house and we just don't have the spare funds to dedicate serious money to something that we don't honestly know how long it will last (though I'm hopeful that we will both really enjoy it).

Having said that, we have no illusions of yellow jerseys...we just want to get some more exercise and get out of the house more, so hopefully our needs are fairly basic in terms of the "calibre" of bike we would need.

But I have simply no idea where to start...do we buy new/used? I have no idea about which stores are reputable and which I should avoid...I'm clueless about maintenance etc. and what additional gear we would need to get started...

If anyone could give me some beginner's advice or point me towards some good information, that would be much appreciated.

Cheers!

G321

574 posts

203 months

Monday 27th July 2015
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I would suggest if you have a Decathlon near you that it would be a good starting point. Very reasonably priced bikes that get decent reviews and they also sell all the required clothing and accesories

m444ttb

3,160 posts

228 months

Monday 27th July 2015
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Do you have a figure in mind per bike? That will help a lot. Plenty of good bike shops in Bristol for all sorts of budgets though.

BS30

Original Poster:

1,097 posts

104 months

Monday 27th July 2015
quotequote all
I'd never even heard of that store but a quick check of their website suggest there is nothing local.

m444ttb said:
Do you have a figure in mind per bike? That will help a lot. Plenty of good bike shops in Bristol for all sorts of budgets though.
Thanks for that, I was thinking maximum of £150-£200 per bike but I have no idea if this is a good bad or ugly budget. It's best to assume I know precisely bugger all at this point :-)

daddy cool

3,996 posts

228 months

Monday 27th July 2015
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...and you need to think about what sort of riding you are likely to be doing - pure off-road (in which case a mountain bike) or pure on-road, or something inbetween - some roads and also canal paths etc (in which case a hybrid might be best - a mountain bike look/feel, but with skinner tyres)

BS30

Original Poster:

1,097 posts

104 months

Monday 27th July 2015
quotequote all
daddy cool said:
...and you need to think about what sort of riding you are likely to be doing - pure off-road (in which case a mountain bike) or pure on-road, or something inbetween - some roads and also canal paths etc (in which case a hybrid might be best - a mountain bike look/feel, but with skinner tyres)
I would have thought that it would probably be a bit of both - we live in a typical city suburb where it's 90% residential so lots of roads but I like to think we'd be able to use them in an off road capacity as well as there's lots of nice parks and woodland etc in the local(ish) area

Daveyraveygravey

2,018 posts

183 months

Monday 27th July 2015
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I always advise against hybrids - to me they are just another way of the industry getting you to buy another bike (or two!). They aren't good enough for proper off road riding or light enough to give you much benefit on road. That's just me though; a cheap second hand hybrid may work for you and in 6 months time you'll have a better idea of what riding you enjoy, and what kind of bike you prefer.

I would say look on Ebay and Gumtree for something from one of the big name manufacturers. If you want a road bike, something like an Allez from Specialised. I bought my son a second hand one a year ago; it should retail for £600 and I got it for less than half that. It had hardly been used and wasn't massively inferior to the road bike I had at the time. I know I will be able to sell it on if my son doesn't take to it too.

Other things you need - stuff to fix a puncture. Sometimes you go hundreds of miles without getting one, then you'll get three in half an hour. The minimum for this is a spare inner tube, tyre levers and a pump or CO2 cannister. You could add patches too as these are miniscule these days. If the bike you have doesn't have quick release axles, you'll need spanners too for getting the wheels off. Maybe a multi-tool as well.

You should budget for a helmet, cycling shorts of some kind, and gloves. You don't have to wear lycra; you can get cycling specific under-shorts and wear them with baggy shorts. Sunglasses too - this time of year there are bugs as well as other small objects that can get in your eyes, never mind the scorching rays of the sun.

Shoes and pedals make a big difference. Non-cycling shoes flex and so waste your energy. You can get cycling shoes that don't make you look like a TdF wannabe, and there are 2-sided pedals; one side you clip in with, the other is flat so you can wear normal shoes with them.

BS30

Original Poster:

1,097 posts

104 months

Monday 27th July 2015
quotequote all
Thanks for the advice Davey.

In that case would you recommend a mountain bike as a good starting point? I'm making an assumption that a mountain bike will be better on the road than a road bike would be in the forest! I don't know if that's a reasonable assumption?

I seem to see lots of people on mountain bikes cycling around the suburbs and I remember us having mountain bikes as kids even though we only ever rode on the road, so to speak!

Whilst I'm definitely not against buying used in principle, my worry is that I know so little that I wouldn't really have any idea of what to look out for when buying used, ie red flags that an experienced cyclist would spot and I wouldn't.

2volvos

660 posts

200 months

Monday 27th July 2015
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I hope that you'll quickly find that cycling is a life affirming joy and the start of something you'll find rewarding and enjoyable. Nothing better on a summer's day than to head out not quite knowing where the bike will take you. You'll be surprised how far you can get in a few hours, even at a fairly gentle pace. Welcome to the club.

Sounds like that the sort of bikes you require are more of a (sorry) vehicle for active days out in the country rather than you specifically wanting a certain type of bike, so I would go down the hardtail mountain bike route. It'll give you so much more flexibility on where you can go. There are plenty of traffic free routes around you - Bath to Bristol locally, and further south west are the Camel and Tarka trails. Across the Severn are a few trail centres in South Wales as well. And the Forest of Dean is brilliant. Canal towpaths are usually good as well.

Also agree about Decathlon - have had several childrens' bikes from there and they have all been good. Good value and choice of clothing and kit as well. But keep an eye out for Lidl and Aldi weekly specials, they regularly get cycling stuff in too. Definitely get some padded shorts, gloves and helmet for starters.

Enjoy!


nagsheadwarrior

2,779 posts

178 months

Monday 27th July 2015
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Riskng a flaming due to the dislike of all things Hybrid,Halfords and Carrera but as a first bike that isn't a bike shaped object a Carrera Subway would do a good job and can be had in budget during Halfords many sales.

A mountain bike in that budget will be heavier and harder work than a subway and not needed for general urban riding, a road bike isn't really newbie friendly and would struggle on towpaths etc

In have a roadbike too now after two years on a Subway but I still keep it for wet weather and winter riding and its only 2-3 mph slower than my admittedly cheap roadbike and has coped admirably with deep mud and ruts on paths etc even with the Scwalbe semi slick tyres ive fitted.

daddy cool

3,996 posts

228 months

Monday 27th July 2015
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Indeed - i mentioned Hybrid above because that was my entry into the world of road bikes.
A 2nd hand Cube SL Cross Comp off ebay for £200 which lasted me a couple of years before i took the plunge and bought a road bike. It served me well for commuting (on road) and wasnt completely awful for off road duty either. Didnt lose much on it when i sold it on.

jeevescat

880 posts

210 months

Monday 27th July 2015
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Have to agree with the advice above. Scour eBay and Gumtree for secondhand versions if a new Carrera is out of budget, loads of people buy them new with great intentions that they never follow through with.

I have a Halfords road bike I picked up on eBay for 50 quid that I've now covered 1,500 miles and about 80,000ft of climbing that will carry me around the London 100 on Sunday. Yes I'm now going to replace it with something significantly better, but at least I now know what it is I need and want, so won't be spending a fortune on something that will languish in the garden shed all year.

Main thing, get out there and enjoy it.

jeevescat

880 posts

210 months

Monday 27th July 2015
quotequote all
Have to agree with the advice above. Scour eBay and Gumtree for secondhand versions if a new Carrera is out of budget, loads of people buy them new with great intentions that they never follow through with.

I have a Halfords road bike I picked up on eBay for 50 quid that I've now covered 1,500 miles and about 80,000ft of climbing that will carry me around the London 100 on Sunday. Yes I'm now going to replace it with something significantly better, but at least I now know what it is I need and want, so won't be spending a fortune on something that will languish in the garden shed all year.

Main thing, get out there and enjoy it.

Equilibrium25

653 posts

133 months

Tuesday 28th July 2015
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I started out on a hybrid a few years back and had many enjoyable rides on it.

Just replaced it this year with my first road bike, which i am enjoying riding.

For rides beyond 40-50 miles definitely think about a roadbike instead as the single position of a hybrid can become wearing.

I wouldn't even think about a mountain bike for road use, having seen how much my friends struggle to keep up with me on the hybrid. They can make for very hard work on the road.

I'm in Bristol too and have found some good routes north of the city (only moved here at the end of last year).

ETA - I keep telling myself that I am about to stick my Giant Hybrid on gumtree. Ping me if you would like to consider it and I will fill you in on the detail :-)





Edited by Equilibrium25 on Tuesday 28th July 12:12

Daveyraveygravey

2,018 posts

183 months

Tuesday 28th July 2015
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As well as the repair kit, I always take a tenner, a bank card, some id and a phone. Might even be better to take 2 fivers, that way if your inner tube is defective and a nice kind cyclist stops to help, (as will likely happen) you can give them what the tube is worth.

Devil2575

13,400 posts

187 months

Tuesday 28th July 2015
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anonymous said:
[redacted]
This x 100.

My first bike was a Carrera Subway hybrid and it is capable of on and of road. It helped me to decide which way I wanted to go when I got another bike and for the 18 months I used it I did about 3000 miles of on and off road riding.

Devil2575

13,400 posts

187 months

Tuesday 28th July 2015
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anonymous said:
[redacted]
Indeed biggrin

yellowjack

17,065 posts

165 months

Tuesday 28th July 2015
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anonymous said:
[redacted]
I always stop to offer assistance, even if it's only an outside chance that it's needed. Even if I have to turn around and ride back a way to do so. I hope that by doing so, Karma will remember me when it gets to be my turn to have an issue I can't fix wink

My best 'knight in shining armour' moment? Two teenaged girls, approximate contemporaries of my youngest son, pushing their cheap MTBs away from our local lake. Turns out they had no phone with them, it was on the way to getting dark, and they faced about a two mile walk home after one had suffered a puncture. I couldn't supply them a tube, as I have Schrader valves on my MTB, they had Presta, so I patched their tube and sent them on their way. A couple of weeks later I bumped into them again at another local pond, and the repair was holding up just fine. Mostly though, when I offer help, the rider is just taking a rest, or has pulled over to take/make a phone call.

The twice I've needed help none was forthcoming. First time, I punctured and found I'd forgotten my pump - three MTBers rode past without a second glance. I ended up walking home. On the second occasion, I had the saddle clamp bolt on my "off road" road bike vibrate loose, and it was a nightmare trying to stay on the saddle with the nose pointing straight down. Sadly, I had a cheapo multi-tool with me, that didn't quite go up to the Allen key size required. Two young women out on their MTBs did stop to ask what was wrong, but sadly they were not carrying a multi-tool and couldn't help.

I wouldn't take any money for a tube if someone needed one. I'd probably just swap it for the holed tube on their bike, and repair it later. Most of my spare tubes have a patch or two on them, especially the MTB ones.

richardxjr

7,561 posts

209 months

Tuesday 28th July 2015
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Devil2575 said:
anonymous said:
[redacted]
This x 100.

My first bike was a Carrera Subway hybrid and it is capable of on and of road. It helped me to decide which way I wanted to go when I got another bike and for the 18 months I used it I did about 3000 miles of on and off road riding.
Me too.

Carrera Subway, not cheap though, spent bloody thousands over the last couple of years thanks to that being a good enough first bike to not put me off.

Sold my disk braked one for about £70 locally on ebay.




Kell

1,708 posts

207 months

Tuesday 28th July 2015
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I'm not normally a fan of hybrids as such, but that Carrera looks more like an MTB.

Doesn't seem quite as 'sit up and beg' as most hybrids.

I do think if you're going to get only one bike it should be an MTB type (Carrera now included) rather than a road bike unless you plan on doing no off-roading at all.

I know you could argue that a CX bike might be better suited to road work, but I think MTBs are more user friendly for someone who's not ridden for years and wants to do a mix of forest trails, tow-paths and the like.

They're just more comfortable and there's nothing short of proper downhill courses that you couldn't do on one. The limiting factor will be speed on the road.