First bike in a long time! Bit of advice needed

[Ki3r]

Good evening PH.

I'm trying to shift a bit of weight, and looking at getting a bike to help. I enjoyed the bike at the gym, but hated that it was boring just staying still.

I have no idea what is worth looking at and what isn't and hoping someone from here could help.

I popped into Halfords (no idea if they are any good for bikes), just to have a look and there are so many different types I just looked lost.

I'm 6ft 4 and 18 and a half stone, so need something that can cope with this!

Budget wise, around £500/£600, maybe a little more if its worth it.

I have no idea what type I want. I like the idea of one that I can use off road (IE gravel tracks, not massive mountains!).

Any advice would be great . Going to have a look around at some of the other threads and see what I can find myself.

Thanks.

[Ki3r]

deadtom said:

Halfords tend to be a bit hit and miss... often more miss than hit

Do you have a reputable independent bike shop nearby?

Any good shop will be happy to spend a bit of time talking you through the basics.

I thought that was the case with them!

No idea, can anyone recommend somewhere in Dorset? Ideally Poole/Bournemouth/Christchurch area?

[Ki3r]

BoRED S2upid said:

eBay? You could pick up a giant mountain bike or equivalent for half your budget especially if your new to it and get twice the bike halfords could offer then upgrade in a few years.

I've had a look on there, but looking for a shop I can ideally go to and try sitting on them.

Do shops do test rides? Or is that unlikely?

[Ki3r]

Thank you for the replies.

I have looked at second hand, but I as I don't know what I'm looking for, ideally would like a shop. Plus it is most likely going to go on the credit card.

[Ki3r]

Hoonigan said:

As per my post above, do have a look at the voodoo Bizango, you'll struggle to find a better reviewed bike for the money (MBR hard tail of the year last two years) and from my experience it really is very good, also it can be yours for less than £450 if you can be bothered...

Edited by Hoonigan on Tuesday 23 September 08:31

I thought I had replied to this, clearly not lol. I'm going to pop down to Halfords either tonight or tomorrow and have a look at it.

Rather than starting a new thread, what else will I need to get myself riding?

Helmet wise, what do I need to look for? Is it like motorbike helmets, get the best fitting? Light wise, any brands better than others?

And what about security? I've got a shed, however its got a stty lock on it (that most the time everyone forgets to use!). I have a motorbike on the drive with just a disc lock and haven't had any problems in the year and a bit I've had that, and we live in a fairly safe area. Are D locks still the best type of lock?

[Ki3r]

Popped down to a local bike shop today, very friendly and helpful member of staff. Had a look at a few, sat on a couple. I'm 95% sure I'm going to go back and buy a Scott Sportster 30 on Sunday.

Can anyone think of a reason why I shouldn't?

[Ki3r]

Cool. Will have a think about it (so not to rush into spending £600!). Friend has kindly offered to help me as well which is good.

Do I need anything else? Going to have a look at helmets and lights, and want one of those computers to see my speed/distance. Which ones are worth looking at?

[Ki3r]

Right, complete change of plans at the moment.

Friend let me ride around works car park on his bike, its a Ridgeway, with drop bars (can't remember the model), it was very nice to ride. Didn't take long to get used to the drop bars either.

I've decided to go for a road bike, not fussed about going off road.

I've been looking at the Specialized Allez 2014/2015 (2014 is cheaper, but not many left).

The reviews seem good, its £500 for the 2014, or £600 for the 2015. If I can get the 2014 I'll get that, but is there anything else that is worth looking at?

[Ki3r]

Look what I have .



Sadly its chucking it down, so not going to take it out just yet. Hopefully tomorrow.

Its a Giant Defy 3, 2014 model (£100 off compared to the 2015 one). Looking forward to taking it out. Got a new helmet as well. Just need to get some lights and some padded shorts.

Thank you for the advice, no doubt I'll be back asking some more questions as and when .

[Ki3r]

First ride done earlier today, it wasn't too bad! 7.7 miles in 38ish minutes I think, lots of hills though, horrible things!

Arse was killing me, ordered some padded shorts to try out under my normal shorts.

Enjoyed it though, good fun .

[Ki3r]

DUMBO100 said:

I'm happier off road and bought a Kona Blast Deluxe recently I paid about £525 for it and am delighted with it,especially how light it is

I do wish my bike had some kind of suspension...it is very bumpy!

[Ki3r]

Been out on it every day since Sunday, first ride was 7.7 miles, I was dead by the end (lots of hills and very sore arse), yesterday was a 3 mile ride to collect my mums car, and today was 4.3 miles after a full day at work, trying to find a few routes that aren't too challenging at the moment.

Arse isn't as sore anymore. Wish I had got a bike sooner!

[Ki3r]

WinstonWolf said:

You'll be planning your first half century before long

One step ahead...looking at 100 mile training plans. Some of them don't look that bad to begin with, until week five or so. Not going to run before I can walk though, slow and steady to start with .

[Ki3r]

WinstonWolf said:

Just get the miles in and you'll get there

Another 4.6 mile ride before work, pretty much the same as yesterdays but took the road rather than the cycle path, avoid the wet leaves and added 0.3 miles on. Slightly slower than yesterday, 13.4mph average, compared to 13.9mph, but can't complain.

Out again tomorrow, want to try and make it 5 miles, then I think the next chance I get will be Monday, as I'm going for a few night shifts at work.

[Ki3r]

Yeah, made that mistake when I used to go running.

Don't like how close some cars pass though!

[Ki3r]

Didn't think of sticking my light on! Will do that next time.

Not too close, around a foot or two? Figured if they have to go further into the oncoming traffic they won't try and squeeze past. Most the time people are ok. Get a few knobs though.

[Ki3r]

So I may have been messaging someone on a dating site, got talking about cycling, and turns out she likes it as well, so pre arranged a date to go for a ride together...

I love cycling even more now

[Ki3r]

First ride in a week I think. Mixture of work and oversleeping stopping me going out.

Found a nice route that is just under 6 miles, couple of hills nearer the end (nothing too bad though).

Treated myself to some padded shorts, and I can safely say the best thing I've got for the bike so far!

Not able to get out tomorrow due to work, but Wednesday before work should be doable. Took just under 25 minutes today.