Get on it laddy

[Lukas239]

Morning all,

Currently 25 and finally in my first career role. Have been desperate to get my licence for years. Unfortunately SWMBO also wants a house by the end of the year so I have this calendar year to get it done before I commit financial suicide.

So a few questions if you will;
1) best place to get solid training around Essex/Suffolk? I don't mind paying more for good teaching and habits.

2) worth doing a CBT and riding 125 for a bit or is it just too limiting? I used to ride off road in my teens but haven't touched a bike since.

3) best place to try reasonable gear? I'm probably gunna go cheap on my first set of kit on the basis I may fall off a bit.

Thanks for any help

[black-k1]

Lukas239 said:

Morning all,

Currently 25 and finally in my first career role. Have been desperate to get my licence for years. Unfortunately SWMBO also wants a house by the end of the year so I have this calendar year to get it done before I commit financial suicide.

So a few questions if you will;
1) best place to get solid training around Essex/Suffolk? I don't mind paying more for good teaching and habits.

2) worth doing a CBT and riding 125 for a bit or is it just too limiting? I used to ride off road in my teens but haven't touched a bike since.

3) best place to try reasonable gear? I'm probably gunna go cheap on my first set of kit on the basis I may fall off a bit.

Thanks for any help

Can't help with number 1 - sorry.

For number 2 - do a DAS if you can. You'll be grateful you did.

For number 3 - eBay and Gumtree. Lots of "little use" kit available from those that tried biking, bought all the kit, then didn't like it. Get a list makes/models of good quality kit you'd be happy with and just keep your eyes open.

[sc0tt]

I can personally recommend these guys in essex.

https://www.bikesinmotion.co.uk/

[Lee_sec]

To help with no1 - I used ART (http://www.artridertraining.co.uk/) in Laindon Essex last year and know a few people who have - cannot recommend them highly enough.

[CookieR32]

sc0tt said:

I can personally recommend these guys in essex.

https://www.bikesinmotion.co.uk/

+1

Dave is awesome, passed with them last year

[Lukas239]

sc0tt said:

I can personally recommend these guys in essex.

https://www.bikesinmotion.co.uk/

Pricing looks spot on and more than one recommendation does the job. Cheers guys

[MrAverage]

Lukas239 said:

So a few questions if you will;
1) best place to get solid training around Essex/Suffolk? I don't mind paying more for good teaching and habits.

My mates all learned using ART as already mentioned. They recommend them to everyone.

2) worth doing a CBT and riding 125 for a bit or is it just too limiting? I used to ride off road in my teens but haven't touched a bike since.

Just do the Direct Access.

3) best place to try reasonable gear? I'm probably gunna go cheap on my first set of kit on the basis I may fall off a bit.

I bought majority of my gear from 'ultimate bike gear' it's an eBay shop but he has a physical shop in Leigh on sea. It has gear to suit every budget.

Edited by MrAverage on Thursday 15th March 15:19

[Bordtea]

Regarding kit - my personal experience through skimping on quality to begin with is it's cost me a lot more in the long run (with potential safety implications). Buy some good kit from the off. RST do some good stuff jacket trousers and boots wise. Under no circumstances skimp on a helmet!

Get the best kit you can afford

[black-k1]

Best helmet, as far as safety can be judged, defined here: https://sharp.dft.gov.uk/sharp-testing/

[bozzy.]

black-k1 said:

Best helmet, as far as safety can be judged, defined here: https://sharp.dft.gov.uk/sharp-testing/

I made the mistake of thinking SHARP 5* was the be-all-and-end-all and plumped for a Nitro Aikido as my first lid due to its 5* rating. What a cheaply made, poorly designed piece of st that turned out to be.

The visor mechanism broke despite light use and never being dropped and the internal padding collapsed meaning the helmet tried its hardest to separate from my head at speed. It also had poor aerodynamics, was noisy, had none functioning ventilation, weighed a ton and had poor peripheral vision.

I’ve now replaced it with an HJC RPHA 11 (3* SHARP) It’s night and day better than the Nitro in every way apart from cost.

Does it bother me that it loses a few stars? Nope! I don’t plan on falling off, and I’m sure the increased comfort and vision will actually help me avoid a collision. Also, the HJC only loses out in safety on a side impact in an area that wouldn’t realistically be impacted due to the shoulder being in the way.

[Donbot]

I passed with ART and they were very good at the time (was a while ago).

Do DAS if you can, though there are a lot of good back roads in East Anglia for 125 fun.

[Condi]

DAS is the way forwards.

As for kit, buy once, buy right. Doesnt need to be the newest, or the most expensive, but buying cheap gear with the intention of replacing it in 2 years time is more expensive than buying what you want first time round.

[Lukas239]

Condi said:

DAS is the way forwards.

As for kit, buy once, buy right. Doesnt need to be the newest, or the most expensive, but buying cheap gear with the intention of replacing it in 2 years time is more expensive than buying what you want first time round.

I've always been of the 'buy cheap, buy twice' mindset, so this makes sense to me. If your gunna do it, might as well do it properly.

Potentially stupid question, can I do a DAS without a CBT? I thought you essentially had to pass a CBT to be eligible for module 1 & 2?

[Bungleaio]

You need to do a CBT before you do anything. Think of it as a taster session to see if you like riding.

For the road ride part of my CBT I went out on a yamaha MT07, I've never ridden anything but a 'big bike' on the road.

[Lukas239]

Got a CBT booked in with www.bikesinmotion.co.uk, spoken to the infamous Dave already and seems a nice chap. Theory test booked up too. Next I’ll want a bike...

Cheers for your help gents

[308mate]

Lukas239 said:

I've always been of the 'buy cheap, buy twice' mindset, so this makes sense to me. If your gunna do it, might as well do it properly.

I have a Dianese leather jacket that I bought in 2001 that I still use as my summer commuter. Buy once and buy well.

[black-k1]

bozzy. said:

black-k1 said:

Best helmet, as far as safety can be judged, defined here: https://sharp.dft.gov.uk/sharp-testing/

I made the mistake of thinking SHARP 5* was the be-all-and-end-all and plumped for a Nitro Aikido as my first lid due to its 5* rating. What a cheaply made, poorly designed piece of st that turned out to be.

The visor mechanism broke despite light use and never being dropped and the internal padding collapsed meaning the helmet tried its hardest to separate from my head at speed. It also had poor aerodynamics, was noisy, had none functioning ventilation, weighed a ton and had poor peripheral vision.

I’ve now replaced it with an HJC RPHA 11 (3* SHARP) It’s night and day better than the Nitro in every way apart from cost.

Does it bother me that it loses a few stars? Nope! I don’t plan on falling off, and I’m sure the increased comfort and vision will actually help me avoid a collision. Also, the HJC only loses out in safety on a side impact in an area that wouldn’t realistically be impacted due to the shoulder being in the way.

I agree completely. I've just bought a new 3 star Schuberth C3 Pro because of the fit, quietness and build quality. If there was another helmet with the same fit, quietness and build quality for the same price, but with 5 stars, I would have chosen that, I wont sacrifice fit, quietness and build quality for a couple of stars. (I'd think twice if the Schuberth only had 1 star though!)