Tips/critique for a new rider
Discussion
tertius said:
I know I’ve said it before (on other threads) but I would not discount going used. There are some real bargains out there. I recently bought a Storck Fenomalist with full Ultegra 6800 (2x11); Easton carbon bars and seatpost; Hope/DT Swiss wheels all for £700.
Now I recognise that it’s about 10 years old, but it’s still fifty times better as a bike than I am a cyclist, and it’s absolutely sublime to ride. I guess it was a 5 or 6 grand bike when new.
Oh 100%, I would always lean towards secondhand normally for the potential bargains out there. However, the C2W came to my attention and it certainly seems worth weighing up against secondhand for the reasons above. Availability seems to be the biggest drawback but I'm in no rush.Now I recognise that it’s about 10 years old, but it’s still fifty times better as a bike than I am a cyclist, and it’s absolutely sublime to ride. I guess it was a 5 or 6 grand bike when new.
deeen said:
We were having this discussion last weekend... all you need to enjoy cycling is your current bike, you can keep getting fitter for free! Then a new £300 bike from Halfords has the advantage that nothing will break for a year or two... you could ask yourself, if you spend 5 times the money, will you enjoy it 5 times as much? It was also interesting that one of our regular Club riders said he was swapping back from discs to rim brakes!
The one guy in the Club who has noticeably gone from slower than me to faster is still on the same bike, but he bought a Wattbike and trained through the winter, so he used his cycling budget to make performance gains another way.
Ok deliberately putting a point strongly here, to provoke thought, lol
Conversely, if you get a £2k bike with the tax breaks etc and look after it, can't see you losing much money for a couple of years?
The one guy in the Club who has noticeably gone from slower than me to faster is still on the same bike, but he bought a Wattbike and trained through the winter, so he used his cycling budget to make performance gains another way.
Ok deliberately putting a point strongly here, to provoke thought, lol
Conversely, if you get a £2k bike with the tax breaks etc and look after it, can't see you losing much money for a couple of years?
z4RRSchris said:
the c2w scheme if you are on a 40/45% rate is a no brainer, you wont lose money and would probably make some if you decide to sell a decent bike.
As to if a better bike makes you a better rider, probably not, but if it gives you the motivation to go out and ride your bike more then that's a win. One of the lads at work bought a top spec canyon aeroad on C2W, he is 60 and uses it to commute 10km each way. why not.
buy the bike you want to ride, and go ride it!
I do agree with you deeen as I am certain you are right and that 5x the bike is not 5x the fun but then I suppose none of us really live by this view given that we are on PH and likely have cars that we want rather than we need!As to if a better bike makes you a better rider, probably not, but if it gives you the motivation to go out and ride your bike more then that's a win. One of the lads at work bought a top spec canyon aeroad on C2W, he is 60 and uses it to commute 10km each way. why not.
buy the bike you want to ride, and go ride it!
To Chris's point I think it is simply a case of having a nicer bike = wanting to do more with it. If I'm being honest I just like to have nice things!
defblade said:
I couldn't ignore C2W in the current market (and being into the 40% tax band). With tidy second hand mountain bikes being priced only slightly less than new a lot of the time, it was too good to pass up.
Ironically, if I did ever cycle to my current job, it'd not be the C2W-ed mtb I'd ride
There's not been quite so much change in the road bike world over the last decade-ish as there has been in mtbs, though, so I'd still keep a close eye out for older proper-nice bikes at decent prices... the balance of value isn't quite so obvious.
Would you mind telling me the RRP of the bike and the subsequent hit to net pay please? Would be a helpful yardstick.Ironically, if I did ever cycle to my current job, it'd not be the C2W-ed mtb I'd ride
There's not been quite so much change in the road bike world over the last decade-ish as there has been in mtbs, though, so I'd still keep a close eye out for older proper-nice bikes at decent prices... the balance of value isn't quite so obvious.
Fair comment but at the moment my two priorities are burn calories and not fall off! Seriously though, wedding in 10 days or so, I am playing it safe, sticking to a route I know (where all the potholes are etc) as I cannot afford any hiccups.
Once all that is out of the way I promise to be more adventurous. I am looking at bikes already the bug has bitten for sure.
Once all that is out of the way I promise to be more adventurous. I am looking at bikes already the bug has bitten for sure.
Talking of new bikes help me out here fellas.
So firstly I wasn't aware of how restrictive the C2W scheme is. I wrongly thought that "C2W" was an umbrella term for all the schemes but I now realise it is its own thing and very Halfords/Tredz-centric. I have seen a lovely titanium Planet X that I really like the look of but they only use "Cyclescheme". I also like a particular Canyon (a pink one!), but same story. Because I don't *need* a new bike I can only really justify it by taking advantage of the scheme, so buying one of these outright is not really a good option for me.
So... take a look at these for me. Particularly the sizing. I am 179-180cm so 5'10"-5'11". The Tifosi L is for 5'10"-6' but the top tube is 58cm which seems very big. On the Orbea 179-180 puts me between the 53 and the 55, the 55 having a top tube of 56cm (why can't they all be listed the same way!) which seems more reasonable. I think there is a question in there somewhere?!
The bikes:
https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Tifosi-Auriga-Disc-Ultegr...
https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Orbea-Orca-M30-2022-Road-...
So firstly I wasn't aware of how restrictive the C2W scheme is. I wrongly thought that "C2W" was an umbrella term for all the schemes but I now realise it is its own thing and very Halfords/Tredz-centric. I have seen a lovely titanium Planet X that I really like the look of but they only use "Cyclescheme". I also like a particular Canyon (a pink one!), but same story. Because I don't *need* a new bike I can only really justify it by taking advantage of the scheme, so buying one of these outright is not really a good option for me.
So... take a look at these for me. Particularly the sizing. I am 179-180cm so 5'10"-5'11". The Tifosi L is for 5'10"-6' but the top tube is 58cm which seems very big. On the Orbea 179-180 puts me between the 53 and the 55, the 55 having a top tube of 56cm (why can't they all be listed the same way!) which seems more reasonable. I think there is a question in there somewhere?!
The bikes:
https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Tifosi-Auriga-Disc-Ultegr...
https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Orbea-Orca-M30-2022-Road-...
Not updated this thread for a long time, partly due to much less frequent rides over winter.
However, perhaps inevitably, I have now upgraded my bike! With that and better weather coming I intend to get properly back into the swing of things. I also treated myself to a load of new gear (clothing, glasses, few tools, etc) and, both most importantly and most worryingly, some clip-in pedals! I've gone for Look Keo Max and all I need now are the shoes (awaiting delivery).
Can't wait to get out on the new bike with all of the above. I have been around the block with trainers on and it feels light, smooth and shifts very nicely (Ultegra R8000). As before, I will use this thread to seek some advice if that is ok and a couple of questions will follow but I'll share the bike first:
However, perhaps inevitably, I have now upgraded my bike! With that and better weather coming I intend to get properly back into the swing of things. I also treated myself to a load of new gear (clothing, glasses, few tools, etc) and, both most importantly and most worryingly, some clip-in pedals! I've gone for Look Keo Max and all I need now are the shoes (awaiting delivery).
Can't wait to get out on the new bike with all of the above. I have been around the block with trainers on and it feels light, smooth and shifts very nicely (Ultegra R8000). As before, I will use this thread to seek some advice if that is ok and a couple of questions will follow but I'll share the bike first:
Edited by WhisperingWasp on Saturday 15th April 20:51
…it looks tiny in that second pic for some reason
So, questions:
1) when I rode it there is a slight rubbing sound coming from somewhere. I assumed brakes or tyres (tyres are a chunky 28) but I put the spare wheels on (25) and it was the same. I can’t replicate the noise on the bike stand so I think having my weight on the bike is causing it/bringing it out. I know I’m not giving much to go on here but - if not the brakes - any ideas?
2) I notice this hole in the frame (looks like a mounting hole). Can I/should I plug this with a rubber bung?
Cheers all.
So, questions:
1) when I rode it there is a slight rubbing sound coming from somewhere. I assumed brakes or tyres (tyres are a chunky 28) but I put the spare wheels on (25) and it was the same. I can’t replicate the noise on the bike stand so I think having my weight on the bike is causing it/bringing it out. I know I’m not giving much to go on here but - if not the brakes - any ideas?
2) I notice this hole in the frame (looks like a mounting hole). Can I/should I plug this with a rubber bung?
Cheers all.
Edited by WhisperingWasp on Saturday 15th April 20:52
So I've just done a) my first ride on my new bike and b) my first ever ride with clip-in pedals! I thought I'd share my thoughts for anyone to comment on and for the benefit of other novice riders.
On the new bike firstly:
+ felt very smooth and more comfortable than my old bike - 28 tyres and lower pressures a factor here I guess
+ it seems to coast a lot better in that it carries speed better, perhaps due to the higher quality wheels
+ having 11 gears probably the biggest difference for me. Where before I would get to that point, downhill, where you pedal but it doesn't give you any more 'go' I did not experience this on my new bike. Even in the fastest sections on my route I was still able to add more power through the pedals. This gave me the feeling that this is a bike I can grow into, in that it is more capable than me, which I like
- saddle not as comfortable as my old one but I expect that is just a familiarity thing
- could I feel the lower weight on the go? Hand on heart I'm not sure. I'm sure my body feels it even if my brain doesn't if you know what I mean. In any case, when getting into it last year I lost ~9 kilos so the improvement needs to come from me rather than the bike in this regard! Easier to carry the bike over the car on the drive though!
And the pedals:
+ most importantly, I am fine clipping out of them! I was sure I would forget I was clipped in at some point but I didn't thank god and found the little rotation you have to do quite easy (pedals are on their lowest tension I believe)
+ I'm fairly confident the pedals had a positive effect on my speed but given I have a new bike too it is difficult to say for sure of course
- feet ached a bit. Nothing to do with the shoes I'm sure but more a case of not being able to rest my feet as such, ie they are constantly rooted to the pedal, can't move them about
- back ached when stood up and climbing. Not sure if due to the fixed nature of my feet or just getting used to new bike
- find it difficult to clip-in in the first place. Had a few moments where I came to a complete standstill until I could get one foot clipped-in. Luckily never with a car behind. I was finding the pedal needed to be in a certain position and then when setting off (right foot first) I found I was having to look down to seat my left. The pedal was often upside down and it didn't feel that safe to have to concentrate on doing that tbh. Sure this will come with practice but any comments/tips welcome
Overall, despite a number of faltering starts and being more cautious than I would usually be I managed 17.0mph average. Last ride was 15.6. The wind did feel quite favourable today so I won't read too much into this but I was pleasantly surprised with my time and pace.
Any thoughts/comments/tips welcome.
On the new bike firstly:
+ felt very smooth and more comfortable than my old bike - 28 tyres and lower pressures a factor here I guess
+ it seems to coast a lot better in that it carries speed better, perhaps due to the higher quality wheels
+ having 11 gears probably the biggest difference for me. Where before I would get to that point, downhill, where you pedal but it doesn't give you any more 'go' I did not experience this on my new bike. Even in the fastest sections on my route I was still able to add more power through the pedals. This gave me the feeling that this is a bike I can grow into, in that it is more capable than me, which I like
- saddle not as comfortable as my old one but I expect that is just a familiarity thing
- could I feel the lower weight on the go? Hand on heart I'm not sure. I'm sure my body feels it even if my brain doesn't if you know what I mean. In any case, when getting into it last year I lost ~9 kilos so the improvement needs to come from me rather than the bike in this regard! Easier to carry the bike over the car on the drive though!
And the pedals:
+ most importantly, I am fine clipping out of them! I was sure I would forget I was clipped in at some point but I didn't thank god and found the little rotation you have to do quite easy (pedals are on their lowest tension I believe)
+ I'm fairly confident the pedals had a positive effect on my speed but given I have a new bike too it is difficult to say for sure of course
- feet ached a bit. Nothing to do with the shoes I'm sure but more a case of not being able to rest my feet as such, ie they are constantly rooted to the pedal, can't move them about
- back ached when stood up and climbing. Not sure if due to the fixed nature of my feet or just getting used to new bike
- find it difficult to clip-in in the first place. Had a few moments where I came to a complete standstill until I could get one foot clipped-in. Luckily never with a car behind. I was finding the pedal needed to be in a certain position and then when setting off (right foot first) I found I was having to look down to seat my left. The pedal was often upside down and it didn't feel that safe to have to concentrate on doing that tbh. Sure this will come with practice but any comments/tips welcome
Overall, despite a number of faltering starts and being more cautious than I would usually be I managed 17.0mph average. Last ride was 15.6. The wind did feel quite favourable today so I won't read too much into this but I was pleasantly surprised with my time and pace.
Any thoughts/comments/tips welcome.
Edited by WhisperingWasp on Saturday 29th April 18:07
Edited by WhisperingWasp on Saturday 29th April 18:08
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