Help with the basics!
Discussion
Hello all, I'm new to this section of the forums and the cycling world as a whole.
Basically, I've been an avid runner for years now and I've decided to try my hand at a bit of cycling.
I wondered if anyone could help with where to start with which bike to get as a good starting point for someone new to it all? I'm 5ft11/6ft so also any ideas on which frame size would be suitable?
Also any other advice or words of wisdom from seasoned veterans would be much appreciated.
Josh
Basically, I've been an avid runner for years now and I've decided to try my hand at a bit of cycling.
I wondered if anyone could help with where to start with which bike to get as a good starting point for someone new to it all? I'm 5ft11/6ft so also any ideas on which frame size would be suitable?
Also any other advice or words of wisdom from seasoned veterans would be much appreciated.
Josh
As RDC5 says you need to narrow down what you want to do on it.
At one end of the spectrum you might want to do loads of miles on the road as fast as you can and in that case you might want a road bike with drops. Slightly less extreme would be a road-oriented hybrid with flat bars. Still good for distances but you don't have to dress up like Bradley Wiggins and measure everything in KM's.
At the other end of the spectrum if you have a massive urge to bomb down hills off road you might want a full-sus mountain bike. Or a hard tail for less extreme terrain.
Then there are various hybrids and cyclo cross bike in the middle.
Narrow it down a little and then people can make some sensible suggestions.
At one end of the spectrum you might want to do loads of miles on the road as fast as you can and in that case you might want a road bike with drops. Slightly less extreme would be a road-oriented hybrid with flat bars. Still good for distances but you don't have to dress up like Bradley Wiggins and measure everything in KM's.
At the other end of the spectrum if you have a massive urge to bomb down hills off road you might want a full-sus mountain bike. Or a hard tail for less extreme terrain.
Then there are various hybrids and cyclo cross bike in the middle.
Narrow it down a little and then people can make some sensible suggestions.
I would avoid hybrid flat bar bikes, personally; I think they are the industry's way of getting you to buy something now and 6 months later you realise it is ok for some types of riding, and rubbish for others, and not great at any one thing, so you end up buying something else.
As you are a runner, I would assume you have good fitness and flexibility, and like the pain of exercise to some extent (!), so a drop bar bike should be ok. Drop bars have the advantage of letting you place your hands in several different positions, never mind aerodynamics; most flat bars have two positions if you are lucky.
If you have an Evans cycles near you, go and talk to them and see what they recommend. They have a brilliant demo scheme where you pay a deposit and give them your details, and they will let you demo ride anything they sell for over an hour. They have a wider range of bikes than most shops, and most shops only let you demo seriously expensive kit (like over £2k). As far as I know they don't offer a bike fit service, which can make a huge difference to comfort on a bike, but they should make some effort to size you and get you in roughly the right position so you can ride safely.
Having tried a few Evans bikes, I would buy a secondhand bike from one of the big manufacturers from Ebay, such as Giant Defy or Specialised Allez. These are very good bikes, and if you find you don't like road riding, you'll be able to sell them on easily and for very little loss.
As you are a runner, I would assume you have good fitness and flexibility, and like the pain of exercise to some extent (!), so a drop bar bike should be ok. Drop bars have the advantage of letting you place your hands in several different positions, never mind aerodynamics; most flat bars have two positions if you are lucky.
If you have an Evans cycles near you, go and talk to them and see what they recommend. They have a brilliant demo scheme where you pay a deposit and give them your details, and they will let you demo ride anything they sell for over an hour. They have a wider range of bikes than most shops, and most shops only let you demo seriously expensive kit (like over £2k). As far as I know they don't offer a bike fit service, which can make a huge difference to comfort on a bike, but they should make some effort to size you and get you in roughly the right position so you can ride safely.
Having tried a few Evans bikes, I would buy a secondhand bike from one of the big manufacturers from Ebay, such as Giant Defy or Specialised Allez. These are very good bikes, and if you find you don't like road riding, you'll be able to sell them on easily and for very little loss.
Daveyraveygravey said:
I would avoid hybrid flat bar bikes, personally; I think they are the industry's way of getting you to buy something now and 6 months later you realise it is ok for some types of riding, and rubbish for others, and not great at any one thing, so you end up buying something else.
I would agree with this. I started with a hybrid as the idea was to use it for commuting. It's great for that (ideal in fact), but I quickly found that it wasn't what I wanted for recreational rides on the weekends. So I bought a road bike as well. I still do most of my kms on the Hybrid as I commute 5 days a week, but I enjoy the road bike a lot more. Decide whether you want to ride on or off road and get either a proper road bike or a proper mountain bike accordingly.
Gassing Station | Pedal Powered | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff