Discussion
last time i owned a bike was aprox 15 years ago. The mrs wants us to start going out riding etc but i havent got the faintest idea what to go for or look for im about 6ft with a 32" ish inside leg (measured my self with a metal tape measure 
) initially i want it for road/cycle paths with the odd bit of off road no down hill just yet !
budget circa 500 but im flexible to an extent dont want to spend 1000's though
can anyone shed any light on it for me ?
) initially i want it for road/cycle paths with the odd bit of off road no down hill just yet !budget circa 500 but im flexible to an extent dont want to spend 1000's though
can anyone shed any light on it for me ?
come over to pedal powered, you'll get some good advice. You will need to
be really sure (and honest!) about your intended use is though, what percentage of riding will be on/off road, unsealed surfaces, dirt tracks etc as it will help people advise on the most suitable bike.
As an example, if only 10% of it will be on anything other than sealed tarmac, buy a flat bar road bike/hybrid as a mountain bike makes no sense but on the flip side, if 50% of your riding will be on gravel, towpaths, forest roads etc, then a mountain bike is the obvious answer.
be really sure (and honest!) about your intended use is though, what percentage of riding will be on/off road, unsealed surfaces, dirt tracks etc as it will help people advise on the most suitable bike.
As an example, if only 10% of it will be on anything other than sealed tarmac, buy a flat bar road bike/hybrid as a mountain bike makes no sense but on the flip side, if 50% of your riding will be on gravel, towpaths, forest roads etc, then a mountain bike is the obvious answer.
Edited by anonymous-user on Tuesday 26th June 08:25
I'll correct you here then.
You don't want a bike, you want several, each with a different purpose
I did around 24 miles last night, seeking out new routes. So I took a mountain bike. I ended up down the side of a canal which started off paved, and got gradually rougher. Canal towpaths are unsuitable for a road bike, but in all honesty a road bike I find better for smooth tarmac, including many of the Sustrans Greenway Routes, which in the main seem to be smooth tarmac.
Have you thought of, before buying a bike, getting out for a day or two, and taking a short walk in the kind of area's you would be likely to cycle?
You may find you prefer the traffic free cycle routes than roads if you get on them and use them.
You don't want a bike, you want several, each with a different purpose
I did around 24 miles last night, seeking out new routes. So I took a mountain bike. I ended up down the side of a canal which started off paved, and got gradually rougher. Canal towpaths are unsuitable for a road bike, but in all honesty a road bike I find better for smooth tarmac, including many of the Sustrans Greenway Routes, which in the main seem to be smooth tarmac.
Have you thought of, before buying a bike, getting out for a day or two, and taking a short walk in the kind of area's you would be likely to cycle?
You may find you prefer the traffic free cycle routes than roads if you get on them and use them.
You can really over-think this sort of thing.
This:
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/...
Will do everything you want to do, and more. Yes if you end up a riding everywhere on nice smooth tarmac it'll only be 90% effcient as a hybrid (figures are fictional) but you could always fit slicks and make it a hybrid if you want too later.
Check the sizing though, I looked at the spec/price rather than the size.
This:
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/...
Will do everything you want to do, and more. Yes if you end up a riding everywhere on nice smooth tarmac it'll only be 90% effcient as a hybrid (figures are fictional) but you could always fit slicks and make it a hybrid if you want too later.
Check the sizing though, I looked at the spec/price rather than the size.
I have thought of it before but the last house didn’t have anywhere to store 2 bikes so it was a non-starter.
The Mrs was saying she wanted to take them with us when we visit the in-laws so Galloway forest and she also said she wanted to use them in Dalby forest etc.
so if we go with that then i dont want a road bike ! would a hybrid with a change of tyres be a better way to go ? i like the look of the cannondale badboy and quicks BUT i have no idea
The Mrs was saying she wanted to take them with us when we visit the in-laws so Galloway forest and she also said she wanted to use them in Dalby forest etc.
so if we go with that then i dont want a road bike ! would a hybrid with a change of tyres be a better way to go ? i like the look of the cannondale badboy and quicks BUT i have no idea
Pulse said:
Go for the Voodoo. As you say, it gets rave reviews.
I bought one last year and its a super bike. At that time I was doing a lot of dirt tracks and off road paths, but lately I have been doing significant amounts or road work. I bought a pair of 26 x 1.5 slicks and what a difference on the road. The only critisism of doing this is that the top end ratios are a bit low as the circumference of the wheel is now smaller, but just means less gear changes on hills. I did an 85 mile trip 2 weeks ago with no issues what so ever.
During the summer, I plan on doing some of the 7stanes trails in the South of Scotland and I will simply change my tyres and its back to a good light mountain bike.
Not sure about the sizing but the price of this is a steal:
http://www.merlincycles.com/bike-shop/bikes/mounta...
http://www.merlincycles.com/bike-shop/bikes/mounta...
Dover Nige said:
Something I picked up in one of the mags and also saw it mentioned on a cycling forum.
Is it a load of rubbish? What's the advantage/disadvantage of having 29" wheels? *confused*
It might keep you rolling a little faster for a little longer when you're coasting, but look at almost any thread on "how can I improve my bike" and pretty much the first answer will be "upgrade the wheels".Is it a load of rubbish? What's the advantage/disadvantage of having 29" wheels? *confused*
The main reason for this is to reduce mass. More importantly, the reason for looking to do it on the wheels is to reduce rotating mass. If you spec exactly the same rims, spokes, tyres and tubes in a 26" wheel and a 29" wheel, then the 29" wheel will be quite a bit heavier than the 26" wheel, simply because there's more of it!
The circumference of a 26" wheel is 81.65", whereas that of a 29" wheel is 91", so you've got 11.5% more wheel/tyre/rim weight on your 29" tyres.
There is also a need to balance in the optimum size of wheels to match the size of the frame/rider, and you can have larger wheels on road bikes with less impact because they're so much lighter anyway, but comparing like for like, you'll use more energy moving larger wheels, and feel it most going uphill.
Kermit power said:
Dover Nige said:
Something I picked up in one of the mags and also saw it mentioned on a cycling forum.
Is it a load of rubbish? What's the advantage/disadvantage of having 29" wheels? *confused*
It might keep you rolling a little faster for a little longer when you're coasting, but look at almost any thread on "how can I improve my bike" and pretty much the first answer will be "upgrade the wheels".Is it a load of rubbish? What's the advantage/disadvantage of having 29" wheels? *confused*
The main reason for this is to reduce mass. More importantly, the reason for looking to do it on the wheels is to reduce rotating mass. If you spec exactly the same rims, spokes, tyres and tubes in a 26" wheel and a 29" wheel, then the 29" wheel will be quite a bit heavier than the 26" wheel, simply because there's more of it!
The circumference of a 26" wheel is 81.65", whereas that of a 29" wheel is 91", so you've got 11.5% more wheel/tyre/rim weight on your 29" tyres.
There is also a need to balance in the optimum size of wheels to match the size of the frame/rider, and you can have larger wheels on road bikes with less impact because they're so much lighter anyway, but comparing like for like, you'll use more energy moving larger wheels, and feel it most going uphill.
However, you're completely ignoring the drag effect of the impact angle of the tyre on anything bigger than a grain of sand...
Gizmoish said:
By that argument pro bikes would have 10" wheels. They'd be really light and really stiff.
However, you're completely ignoring the drag effect of the impact angle of the tyre on anything bigger than a grain of sand...
Problem with that is that you'd effectively end up with everyone riding racing Bromptons. Yes, they can be ridden quickly, but you're never going see people doing long distances on them as it would compromise too many other aspects of the bike. However, you're completely ignoring the drag effect of the impact angle of the tyre on anything bigger than a grain of sand...
The smaller the wheel, the faster it will be, in isolation, but these things can't be measured in isolation because of the need to consider the overall bike.
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