Getting back into cycling

[cullen]

Hi Guys
Used to cycle a lot on the road about 20 years ago and really would like to get back into it again, having just split up with my girlfriend I have a lot of time on my hands!
This https://www.boardmanbikes.com/gb_en/products/2211-... has caught my eye as it seems quite a good spec at a good price also I think it looks cool!
I live in the sticks in a very hilly area would this be a good bike to buy, I know boardman are a bit frowned upon.
I would mainly be riding on my own to start with.
Thoughts please of and other suggestions at this sort of price point would be great.
Thanks in advance of any advice.

[cullen]

cullen said:

Hi Guys
Used to cycle a lot on the road about 20 years ago and really would like to get back into it again, having just split up with my girlfriend I have a lot of time on my hands!
This https://www.boardmanbikes.com/gb_en/products/2211-... has caught my eye as it seems quite a good spec at a good price also I think it looks cool!
I live in the sticks in a very hilly area would this be a good bike to buy, I know boardman are a bit frowned upon.
I would mainly be riding on my own to start with.
Thoughts please of and other suggestions at this sort of price point would be great.
Thanks in advance for any advice.

[deeen]

Nothing for or against Boardman, but that looks expensive to me, as a "starter bike"! Might be worth getting something cheaper to see if you really get the bug again? Also if you ride something basic for a year, it will give you a feel for what you want from your "expensive" bike.

Obvious advice for a hilly area is fit low gears, i.e. small ring on the front, big cog on the back.

[InitialDave]

deeen said:

Nothing for or against Boardman, but that looks expensive to me, as a "starter bike"! Might be worth getting something cheaper to see if you really get the bug again? Also if you ride something basic for a year, it will give you a feel for what you want from your "expensive" bike.

I'd agree with that, though if you definitely know what you like and you've got the money, it's always nice to have a shiny new toy.

Out of interest, aren't there "two" Boardman lines? The Halfords one being effectively a separate thing from these ones?

[cullen]

That giant looks good. Tbh I didn’t think these days £1500 ish wasn’t very much for a bike. Also I thought if I get a goodish bike I will be more likely to use it more often through guilt of spending that much if that makes sense?

[cullen]

InitialDave said:

I'd agree with that, though if you definitely know what you like and you've got the money, it's always nice to have a shiny new toy.

Out of interest, aren't there "two" Boardman lines? The Halfords one being effectively a separate thing from these ones?

Yes I don’t think you can buy these through Halfords, which is no bad thing!

[cullen]

deeen said:

Nothing for or against Boardman, but that looks expensive to me, as a "starter bike"! Might be worth getting something cheaper to see if you really get the bug again? Also if you ride something basic for a year, it will give you a feel for what you want from your "expensive" bike.

Obvious advice for a hilly area is fit low gears, i.e. small ring on the front, big cog on the back.

Just to qualify do you mean expensive for the spec or just for getting back into riding?

[Julietbravo]

Cycling weekly have a review here:

https://www.cyclingweekly.com/reviews/road-bikes/b...

Have a browse through for CW's recommendations separated by price point - then go and find one at the best price you can. The best road bike for you won't be the best bike for me; we have differing requirements - are you doing long days in the saddle and need relaxed geometry for a comfortable stress free ride, or do you want a twitchy race machine that leaps away like a startled cat, but would fatigue you unnecessarily after 8 hours in the saddle? Have a think about gearing as well; if you are in a hilly area then you want something with lower gearing until your knees and quads get back into their old routines...

I am a big fan of Planet X; they make a nice EC130 Aero - Ultegra 8000 and handbuilt wheels at a good price. https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/EBPXEC130R8000GS/pla...

[anonymous-user]

The Boardman 9 series, SLR & AiR are great bikes. They are discounted on their website at present.

The 8 series are the Bikes from Halfords. Still decent deals though

[cullen]

Thank you for all the replies so far, I’m getting more and more confused what to buy as there seems so much choice around the £1600/£1700 price point......also some bikes seem to come with disk brakes, are they worth it? Also what computer would be recommended as a good option without spending a fortune?

[InitialDave]

Hydraulic discs are very much worth having, yes. They really are just better than anything using a cable, lovely modulation.

Was your other query a spellchecker victim, do you want a commuter bike recommendation as well?

[Master Bean]

Boardman looks good. I'd be very happy with it. Spend as much as you like. If you regularly go up hills over 15% then it might be worth fitting a different rear cassette or buying a bike with a 50/34 compact chainset.

[anonymous-user]

My next bike will have discs.

If your budget is £1500, and you want a new bike, you’ll find one of the bikes in Giant TCR disc range to suit. You’ll have a local giant dealer too so you can have look, test and make sure it fits.

[cullen]

InitialDave said:

Hydraulic discs are very much worth having, yes. They really are just better than anything using a cable, lovely modulation.

Was your other query a spellchecker victim, do you want a commuter bike recommendation as well?

No I mean a bike computer/speedo thing there seem to be so many to choose from just wanted one from the start to track mileage etc.,,

[FredClogs]

Obviously I don't know your financial situation but add to this the price of your kit etc... You'll be into £2k. Really you don't have to, you can get a perfectly decent bike for half this that'll do you fine for years (Check out decathlon, or Google best bikes under £500)

Maybe you've got it to burn, I dunno, just saying.

[idiotgap]

cullen said:

No I mean a bike computer/speedo thing there seem to be so many to choose from just wanted one from the start to track mileage etc.,,

Just stick strava on your phone to begin with, for free you'll be able to gps track the rides and see how you're progressing. Then if the bug bites get a wahoo or a garmin so you can see the numbers on the go and navigate if that's where the journey takes you.

[cullen]

Okay please help me choose chaps, these are on my short list after getting so confused over the weekend! Also any other suggestions at this price point? Thanks.....

https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/EBPXEC130R8000GS/pla...
https://www.rutlandcycling.com/bikes/road-bikes/gi...
https://www.boardmanbikes.com/gb_en/products/2211-...

[idiotgap]

If I were you, I would buy secondhand at a much lower price point for two reasons.

1. You don't know if you are going to get back into it, if you buy new and then decide in 6 months or a year that it's just not getting used you'll only recover a fraction of the outlay. With a used bike you can probably get most if not all or more of your money back.

2. You don't know what you want at the moment. Getting on something cheap now and riding a few thousand km will give you a frame of reference to know far better what kind of bike to invest in when you reward yourself for getting fitter. Particularly around the geometry, guessing what you want now could well be a mistake when you find yourself craving a racier ride or in pain wishing you had more compliance and a more relaxed position.

I know it's not the sexiest advice and if you are rich beyond my wildest dreams, then ignore me, it doesn't matter. It might seem like I'm anti manmaths, this is not so... I'm saying get two bikes!

[andyb28]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

edit...

Sorry, I thought I had a Giant for a minute. I actually have a GT Grade.

Edited by andyb28 on Monday 10th June 08:00

[Master Bean]

The Planet X has the most suitable gearing so I'd go for that.