what bike? any good sales on?
Discussion
hello all, never posted in here before as i am a fat jabba!
i've been thinking of getting a bike for general exercise but i live in dubai and even the most bog basic chinese no name is a couple of hundred quid. i think a much better [and cheaper] idea would be to pick something up in the sales and take it back with me.
however i am clueless what to get and so would like some advice please.
i would be doing 90% on road riding. however i am leaning toward a hybrid with lockable front shocks as there are some trails in the desert and some good mountain routes within a short drive. mainly though it'll just be getting used for fitness on road and for relying less on the car for short trips.
not sure whether i need disc brakes and i'd rather have no suspension than poor suspension. i'm 6'2" so reckon i'm looking at 21-22" frames.
budget is sub £400 inc vat, the less the better. dealer must do tax free shopping.
went to halfords today and liked the look and feel of the boardman bikes. they are doing the hybrid race for £350 [£280 less the vat] which looks a great deal. i much preferred the mx race but that's not on sale at £500
any recommendations and tips for sale bikes? i'm in leeds but can travel.
i've been thinking of getting a bike for general exercise but i live in dubai and even the most bog basic chinese no name is a couple of hundred quid. i think a much better [and cheaper] idea would be to pick something up in the sales and take it back with me.
however i am clueless what to get and so would like some advice please.
i would be doing 90% on road riding. however i am leaning toward a hybrid with lockable front shocks as there are some trails in the desert and some good mountain routes within a short drive. mainly though it'll just be getting used for fitness on road and for relying less on the car for short trips.
not sure whether i need disc brakes and i'd rather have no suspension than poor suspension. i'm 6'2" so reckon i'm looking at 21-22" frames.
budget is sub £400 inc vat, the less the better. dealer must do tax free shopping.
went to halfords today and liked the look and feel of the boardman bikes. they are doing the hybrid race for £350 [£280 less the vat] which looks a great deal. i much preferred the mx race but that's not on sale at £500
any recommendations and tips for sale bikes? i'm in leeds but can travel.
tax free should be easy enough as long as i forwarn the shop.
hmm, not sure about a proper road bike. compromised how? i will try one out but i can't imagine the riding position will be my cup of tea. also i thought a hybrid would be 'tougher'. dubai is not bike friendly and i will likely be hopping kerbs and making minor offroad detours to avoid being squished.
hmm, not sure about a proper road bike. compromised how? i will try one out but i can't imagine the riding position will be my cup of tea. also i thought a hybrid would be 'tougher'. dubai is not bike friendly and i will likely be hopping kerbs and making minor offroad detours to avoid being squished.
Two things: firstly CX bikes are usually lighter (think beefy road bike rather than lightweight MTB), and secondly gearing is different because in a 'real' CX race competitors will hop off and run up a slippery hill carrying the bike rather than pedalling it.
Historically CX chainset would have been 48/36 or even 48/36, however my CX Team and the Comp model both come with a 'road' compact (50/34).
Historically CX chainset would have been 48/36 or even 48/36, however my CX Team and the Comp model both come with a 'road' compact (50/34).
Justin S said:
Brother in law lives in Dubai and has just bought a Btwin, so there must be a Decathlon out there. Just get something from there. For the sake of a few hundred quid and tax free and shipping......
shipping is easy, airline allows bikes to be carried FOC. sale prices minus VAT make a UK purchase very attractive.thanks for the pointers all, been reading up and it seems a cyclocross bike may well be the ideal. going to have a look at the boardman range and see what deals can be had.
it wouldn't be used on busy routes. i know dubai very well now and can easily make decent routes without needing to go places i would be wary of. there's a couple of 10km pedestrianised loops close by, industrial estates, housing estates [speed bump central] plus a new cycle park with around 80km of paved car free tracks. additionally the race tracks [yas and dubai autodrome] have free weekly cycling nights.
however, pointers on the better helmets on the market would be welcome
however, pointers on the better helmets on the market would be welcome
Justin S said:
Brother in law lives in Dubai and has just bought a Btwin, so there must be a Decathlon out there. Just get something from there. For the sake of a few hundred quid and tax free and shipping......
well i ended up not buying anything in the uk as i just couldn't fit one in the car [z3m coupe] along with all my luggage and guitar case.dubai seems to have a lot of bike shops but finding something at my level was difficult and all cx bikes were £1k+. in the end i thought it would be better if i just went with a low end road bike and see how i get on before committing money to something better.
so, with your post in mind i checked out decathlon and have just brought home a triban 3, the 5 was much better value but they only had small frame sizes in stock and it'll be 4-6wks til they get more in. with only 4-5 mths of decent weather left [before it gets too hot] i plumped for a 60cm '3'.
crap setup from the store and i plumped for a different saddle and padded shorts. still going to take some getting used to, haven't been on a bike in years and it's not what i would call comfortable! any recommendations for a different saddle would be welcome. also any tips for setting up the bike would be helpful, in particular the front derailer, it clicks when in one of the gears.
first ride planned for tomorrow, will let you know how i get on.
If you're new to riding then most saddles are going to feel uncomfortable for a while. Put up with the discomfort for at least a few weeks of regular riding and your arse will toughen up. The saddle may become quite comfortable, but you may find it just doesn't suit your arse (read up on sit bones). At this point I would research saddle options and try to find a shop with an 'arseometer' to measure your sit bone width (or DIY using cardboard/Alu foil).
Saddles are very personal and therefore its almost pointless asking for recommendations. Charge Spoon is a popular saddle which seems to suit a lot of people but you might not be normal.
Saddles are very personal and therefore its almost pointless asking for recommendations. Charge Spoon is a popular saddle which seems to suit a lot of people but you might not be normal.
Yep, agree with that. Important to remember that the saddle on a road bike isn't there to be comfy like an armchair, it's there to hold you up and stop you moving around so you can pedal smoothly and consistently. It's a perch, nothing more, and the smaller you can get away with the better.
As said, your arse isn't a single sold thing. It's some pointy bones that you actually sit on with a soft bit in between them, covered in muscle and flab: and everyone's pointy bones are different distances apart and they also move wider and narrower depending on how upright or not your position is. So, you need a saddle that supports your bones, and doesn't push up into the soft bit in the middle (can cause numbness and damage). But even if you have that - the flab surrounding everything will still get bruised from the vibration and movement etc. Your body learns not to store fat there (quite quickly - 2-3 weeks) but it'll be sore to begin with.
My arse doesn't like the Spoon, I must be odd.
As said, your arse isn't a single sold thing. It's some pointy bones that you actually sit on with a soft bit in between them, covered in muscle and flab: and everyone's pointy bones are different distances apart and they also move wider and narrower depending on how upright or not your position is. So, you need a saddle that supports your bones, and doesn't push up into the soft bit in the middle (can cause numbness and damage). But even if you have that - the flab surrounding everything will still get bruised from the vibration and movement etc. Your body learns not to store fat there (quite quickly - 2-3 weeks) but it'll be sore to begin with.
My arse doesn't like the Spoon, I must be odd.
team is actually in range less discounts, but that can wait for now.
i hear what you're saying re: saddles, i expected as much. i will follow the advice and give it a few weeks before looking again. the one i have was the 4th i tried in the shop so i guess it's a game of trial and error.
anyway, today i took the bike out for the first time and managed 38km in about 1hr 45mins, not bad at all i thought for my level of fitness. the cycle track extends to 84km total route, smooth as silk and quite scenic as it cuts out through the desert towards oman. the central 'hub' of the network has a bike shop, toilet/shower block, cafe and convenience shop with a big car park that seems to attract both MTB and road riders. big headwind on the return leg, didn't like that much! arse is sore but not that bad really.
was good fun, will be going out again on monday and i've a ride planned with a local cycle club on friday. cycling seems to have boomed here recently and is very social. friday ride is a 30km outward leg, breakfast, then 30km back to town. i will be in the 'decaf' group which is for slowpokes, but hoping to make friends and have fun.
i do need to sort the front derailer out though. alignment is well out, chain catching on the inner edge when on the largest front cog which becomes more pronounced when on the largest [innermost] rear. aiming to sort this out tomorrow night. otherwise fine, though i think i need more height on the seat and stem. can i space this out or do i need a different [longer] stem?
will take some pics next time i'm out, sunset over the desert is quite lovely.
i hear what you're saying re: saddles, i expected as much. i will follow the advice and give it a few weeks before looking again. the one i have was the 4th i tried in the shop so i guess it's a game of trial and error.
anyway, today i took the bike out for the first time and managed 38km in about 1hr 45mins, not bad at all i thought for my level of fitness. the cycle track extends to 84km total route, smooth as silk and quite scenic as it cuts out through the desert towards oman. the central 'hub' of the network has a bike shop, toilet/shower block, cafe and convenience shop with a big car park that seems to attract both MTB and road riders. big headwind on the return leg, didn't like that much! arse is sore but not that bad really.
was good fun, will be going out again on monday and i've a ride planned with a local cycle club on friday. cycling seems to have boomed here recently and is very social. friday ride is a 30km outward leg, breakfast, then 30km back to town. i will be in the 'decaf' group which is for slowpokes, but hoping to make friends and have fun.
i do need to sort the front derailer out though. alignment is well out, chain catching on the inner edge when on the largest front cog which becomes more pronounced when on the largest [innermost] rear. aiming to sort this out tomorrow night. otherwise fine, though i think i need more height on the seat and stem. can i space this out or do i need a different [longer] stem?
will take some pics next time i'm out, sunset over the desert is quite lovely.
Sounds good 
Bike fit is a dark art involving many arcane measurements and angles... if your knee is over the pedal axle with the crank horizontally forward, that's about the right saddle height. If you feel cramped up, you can increase the reach by fitting a longer stem or lowering the bars (both will move the bar further from the saddle). I maintain there's no such thing as a correct answer: pros mess about with their positions all the time.
shirt said:
otherwise fine, though i think i need more height on the seat and stem. can i space this out or do i need a different [longer] stem?
Depends Bike fit is a dark art involving many arcane measurements and angles... if your knee is over the pedal axle with the crank horizontally forward, that's about the right saddle height. If you feel cramped up, you can increase the reach by fitting a longer stem or lowering the bars (both will move the bar further from the saddle). I maintain there's no such thing as a correct answer: pros mess about with their positions all the time.Gassing Station | Pedal Powered | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff