Please suggest a bike

[davemac250]

Suitable for someone who is looking to get back into riding a bike after a series of back injuries.

It has been suggested that I stop trying to run and accept that my knees are shot. The physio has suggested I try swimming or cycling, and as I won't be able to swim to a pub i think that cycling will win through.

I have been trawling ebay, reading threads here, looking at Evans Cycles and others trying to get my head around what I should be looking at.

I don't want a mountain bike, I find that the handle bars are always too close to me, if that makes sense, and I end up too 'hunched'. This also makes drop handlebars a no.

Which leaves me looking at hybrid bikes. But I don't have a clue what constitutes a good bike.

I've a budget of £300 to £500 in my head but don't know if that is reaslistic?

The bike needs to be as large as possible - I have a 35" inside leg with a good reach to the handlebars.

I've looked at the Cannondale Quick, but can only find them in smaller frame sizes, also looked at Land Rover bikes, which appealed but I fear they are trading on the name, and a couple of Trek variations.

[itsnotarace]

What surface do you want to ride it on. If it's road, look at flat bar road bikes like the Giant Rapid. This will give you all the speed of a road bike with flat handlebars.

If it's mild off road then look at a hybrid with 26" wheels and road orientated tyres

[anonymous-user]

go and get fitted, properly, not buy some spotty chav in a bike shop who tries to get you onto whatever they have in stock but by someone with an understanding of ergonomics and body geometry, if possible with a Retul fitting machine. explain all these issues with them, yes it will cost about £100 but getting this wrong will save you wasting £500 on a bike that doesnt fit that you wont use but you were pushed into buying by the spotty chav in the bike shop who insisted it was the right fit....

the giant rapid range is excellent, as is the specialsied sirrus. you should find one in the range to fit. also the boardman hybrids are good value and on sale at the moment (or at least in my local halfords!)

[TheFungle]

+1 for the Giant Rapid.

Very good bike, absolutely perfect for those who don't know if they want an MTB or Road bike.

[davemac250]

Cheers guys.

I'll be using the bike on roads and hard packed forest trails locally.

I'll have a look at those options.

Getting fitted isn't a real option unless I can find someone locally who does it, and although Luxembourg is the current 'home of cycling' as their latest ad coampaign is suggesting, chances of finding a decent service industry are somewhere between slim and none, and then they wouldn't have anything big enough anyway.

[anonymous-user]

sorry didnt see your location. do spend time with the fit though, sak if they can swop stems etc if it feels uncomfrtable, it might mean going early morning or on a weekday but its worth it. i'm sure its just the UK that fills the majority of its cycle shops with the inept....

[rhinochopig]

I have the same inside leg measurement, and have had back issues brought on from years of rowing and mountain biking culminating in 4 months off work a couple of years ago and intensive physio to help sort a badly pro-lapsed disc.

I'd echo what Pablo said re professional fitting but add the following:

It's worth speaking to the UK back care charity as they are very good WRT advice on mitigating back injuries and continuing with sport.

The advice I was given was:

• to avoid the traditional race posture of lower bars and high saddle. Big frames tend to exaggerate this posture too. Practically you need to raise the bars. Unfortunately though for tall chaps this typically rules out off the peg bikes as the steerer tends to be pre-cut, which limits bar height. I find on a hard-tail that I run the biggest frame they do, have a full uncut steerer and use a 2.5" riser bar. This means the saddle is still higher than the bars but has a similar ratio to a more normal sized bike. On a road bike I use a 62cm frame with full uncut steerer and a slight riser stem. My advice if you're going down the MTB route is to try and order one from somewhere that will supply it without cutting the steerer. I'd then junk the bars and get some 2.5" risers. Not the lightest but at least they reduce the sheer load on your back.

• Adopt a higher cadence - I used to (and still do too much probably) make use of my strength so I would just beast my way up a climb in a big gear with a low cadence, which is really bad for your back. I now tend to 'spin' more which helps.

• Periodically - after climbs for example - stop and arch your back a few times to mitigate against disc bulge.

• Adopt a stretching regime that increase back strength and flexibility. The charity has downloadable regimens.

Good luck getting back into it - I sympathise a lot as back pain is utterly debilitating.

ETA if you're anywhere near N Yorks you're welcome to come and try my collection of bikes for size. I have full susses, a hardtail, road bikes, and even an MTB tandem.

Edited by rhinochopig on Wednesday 21st March 17:41

[davemac250]

Thanks for the long explanantion.

Luxembourg is bit far to take you up on your offer.

With regards to handlebars and stems I think that here that would cost me a fortune - the cost of bikes in Lux is hugely inflated - we have an annual secondhand fair on at the moment and the prices are simply scary, nearly as bad as what the locals value their secondhand cars at.

I'll do some research on bike shops near where I visit in the UK and have a look there.

[Roman]

You should be able to get one of these in 63cm from a store just over the border. They produce some of the best value for money bikes around (but don't sell this one in the UK):
http://www.decathlon.fr/btwin-forme-5-id_8188896.h...

And if you want to raise position:
http://www.decathlon.fr/potence-relevee-110mm-id_8...

http://www.decathlon.fr/cintre-releve-vtt-254mm-al...

[crisisjez]

Having come into cycling after spinal surgery (ok that was 4 years ago) I would suggest a hard tail MTB with road tyres. You will get far less high frequency vibration than on any Road/Hybrid and the triple will also help improve your fitness without straining.
I started with a Rockhopper Pro and had no back problems whatsoever. I now ride a carbon road bike and have to be much more careful but as my overall fitness and strength has improved I am well able to manage this better as I have more bike time now.
I would suggest start with an oversize MTB and then trade up to a Road/Hybrid after a few months.
There is no point shagging your back trying to save a few pennies.

[Kermit power]

davemac250 said:

Thanks for the long explanantion.

Luxembourg is bit far to take you up on your offer.

With regards to handlebars and stems I think that here that would cost me a fortune - the cost of bikes in Lux is hugely inflated - we have an annual secondhand fair on at the moment and the prices are simply scary, nearly as bad as what the locals value their secondhand cars at.

I'll do some research on bike shops near where I visit in the UK and have a look there.

Could you not just pop to France? Or Germany? Or Belgium?

[davemac250]

I did. Getting something from stock was hard and my work has moved back to thr uk making time off to arse about driving around for this an issue

Then went back to Luxembourg and found a small bike shop in the arse end of nowhere run by a Dutch guy who is an ex tour rider.

Ended up getting a custom made bike - his own from design - all in the price range I was looking at and with the gear sets etc that the comparable Giant/Cannondale/Scott had on them.

Pick it up next week had to wait for the frame to be made, but no real issue as have spent the last two weeks in the uk getting settled.

I have to say, the difference between a small shop interested in helping and not pushing the €3k carbon framed jobby and the chain sports shops was greater than I thought it would be.

So much so I bought a second bike to use in the uk. That was not in the plan and landed me in the brown sticky with the oh. (wonder how she will view the new tvr when she next comes over )