[Other Sport] Cycling geeks

[Stat Brother]

I'm looking to get myself a hybrid bike, I have a mountain bike at the moment but would like a bike to use on the road. My budget would be a maximum of 250pound. Any advice please..

At that price see if you can grab a Specialized or Boardman type bargain secondhand. Good luck though as the market is over inflated at the moment. Of course, best advice of all is if you want a bike for the road then forget hybrid all together and get a road bike. Despite what you may think, you'll be comfier as you'll have more options position wise with drop handelbars than you will a flat bar.

Ah 1066 you've ruined my fun.

Zukey, due to our advise being regularly sort but never replied too, we shall only provide a bike buying service upon receipt of the following legallyish binding document, signed and stamped in triplicate.


I, that's you, hereby agree to follow up my original enquiry with regular updates as to how my cycle purchase is going.
Up to and including the point I take a photo of my new bike.
I understand my bike needs may alter through this process, as will the advise sort.
Although I don't expect the advise to be 100% accurate, I will expect it to be better than anybody from Halfords.
I will provide all facts to be true at the time of writing, and won't ask for £250 advise then accidentally buy a solid gold Pinnerello.

(I can't think of anything else at the moment and have to go to work, so that'll do for now).

Signed

...

 

[Zukey Seagull]

At that price see if you can grab a Specialized or Boardman type bargain secondhand. Good luck though as the market is over inflated at the moment. Of course, best advice of all is if you want a bike for the road then forget hybrid all together and get a road bike. Despite what you may think, you'll be comfier as you'll have more options position wise with drop handelbars than you will a flat bar.

Thank you very much, the only reason I was inclined to look at the hybrid bikes was that if would sometimes go of road as well and not always stay on the road and wouldn't want to damage the tyres on a road bike.

 

[Zukey Seagull]

Ah 1066 you've ruined my fun.

Zukey, due to our advise being regularly sort but never replied too, we shall only provide a bike buying service upon receipt of the following legallyish binding document, signed and stamped in triplicate.


I, that's you, hereby agree to follow up my original enquiry with regular updates as to how my cycle purchase is going.
Up to and including the point I take a photo of my new bike.
I understand my bike needs may alter through this process, as will the advise sort.
Although I don't expect the advise to be 100% accurate, I will expect it to be better than anybody from Halfords.
I will provide all facts to be true at the time of writing, and won't ask for £250 advise then accidentally buy a solid gold Pinnerello.

(I can't think of anything else at the moment and have to go to work, so that'll do for now).

Signed

...

Where is the document? And I'm up for signing with yourself.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Thank you very much, the only reason I was inclined to look at the hybrid bikes was that if would sometimes go of road as well and not always stay on the road and wouldn't want to damage the tyres on a road bike.

If you are regularly going to use it off road, a cyclo-cross bike is the way forward. Much more suitable on and off road than a hybrid.

 

[Hamilton]

Men in Lycra? Not for me!

But for those who like cycling, take a look at my blog from today: http://www.mataroaming.com/2014/03/25/men-in-lycra-la-volta-comes-to-mataro/

Is that it? Not exactly enlightening either.

I got up, went to a cycle race, went home and put the telly on.

You've said nothing. Come on. You must try harder.

Nice pics.

 

[Pantani]

I'm looking to get myself a hybrid bike, I have a mountain bike at the moment but would like a bike to use on the road. My budget would be a maximum of 250pound. Any advice please..

Good Morning Zukey,

My advice on this will be mostly general as it is now quite a while since I have worked in a bike shop and as much as I like looking at bikes, £250 hybrids does not really fall in to the 'bike porn' category

So the standard advice of try as many bikes as you can, take your time and buy the bike you love, not the bike you think is correct, holds true here. I would say with hybrids you will need to try out an awful lot of bikes as there are so many varieties:

• Slick tyred mountain bike style hybrids like the Carrera Subway and Ridgeback Dual Track
• Almost but not quite Amsterdammer style hybrids
• Rack and mudguard, fat 700c wheel types like Ridgeback Speed and Jamis Commuter
• Flat Bar road bike, essentially a race bike with a flat handlebar, eg Specialized Sirrus
• Some will even come with a short travel suspension fork, Scott Sportster and the Trek 8. range. Though if you buy one of these do not tell me about it, as it will have been the wrong choice (imo).

So that is it really, get round the bikes shops and ride everything they have in available to try. Also try and find an extra £50 if you can, what you get at £300 is considerably better than at £250 in my experience, though prices have gone up, a cursory glance at website prices shows this still to be the case.

Finally, and as everyone else has done it, just buy a road bike. It really is the only way. Join us join us join us

 

[Bold Seagull]

Thank you very much, the only reason I was inclined to look at the hybrid bikes was that if would sometimes go of road as well and not always stay on the road and wouldn't want to damage the tyres on a road bike.

[MENTION=19321]Pogue Mahone[/MENTION] has got a friend that takes his road bike over the downs, on some serious paths!

Have you seen Paris Roubaix? Decent tyres on a road bike will take you over various quality paths. The roads at the moment are probably worse than a woodland track.

I suppose I thought the same, but I've taken my road bike over all sorts as well. We only think they're these fragile machines because of all the thick tyred hybrids and mountain bikes on the market. Fact is, they're as tough as old boots really.

B'Twin Triban 3 - £249.99

http://road.cc/content/news/72001-best-entry-level-road-bikes-under-%C2%A3500

 

[strings]

[MENTION=19321]Pogue Mahone[/MENTION] has got a friend that takes his road bike over the downs, on some serious paths!

Have you seen Paris Roubaix? Decent tyres on a road bike will take you over various quality paths. The roads at the moment are probably worse than a woodland track.

I suppose I thought the same, but I've taken my road bike over all sorts as well. We only think they're these fragile machines because of all the thick tyred hybrids and mountain bikes on the market. Fact is, they're as tough as old boots really.

B'Twin Triban 3 - £249.99

http://road.cc/content/news/72001-best-entry-level-road-bikes-under-%C2%A3500

I have the B'Twin Triban 5 - its my first road bike and I absolutely love it! Although it is a triple... http://www.decathlon.co.uk/btwin-triban-500-id_8239801.html

I would add though that there are two versions of the Triban 3 - the red version in the picture has a carbon fork, the later 'white' version does not have a carbon fork. So, it is worth trying to find the red version if you can.

Once I save a few pennies, my next upgrade is to go clipless. The main problem with this is finding somewhere that stocks roadie shoes in size 13! I don't want to buy online for my first pair, would much prefer to try and buy.

 

[Stat Brother]

Where is the document? And I'm up for signing with yourself.

That's now legally binding, you better not just feck off now.
Right here is the kind of advise you get from us, it would be really nice to follow it through.

Good Morning Zukey,

My advice on this will be mostly general as it is now quite a while since I have worked in a bike shop and as much as I like looking at bikes, £250 hybrids does not really fall in to the 'bike porn' category

So the standard advice of try as many bikes as you can, take your time and buy the bike you love, not the bike you think is correct, holds true here. I would say with hybrids you will need to try out an awful lot of bikes as there are so many varieties:

• Slick tyred mountain bike style hybrids like the Carrera Subway and Ridgeback Dual Track
• Almost but not quite Amsterdammer style hybrids
• Rack and mudguard, fat 700c wheel types like Ridgeback Speed and Jamis Commuter
• Flat Bar road bike, essentially a race bike with a flat handlebar, eg Specialized Sirrus
• Some will even come with a short travel suspension fork, Scott Sportster and the Trek 8. range. Though if you buy one of these do not tell me about it, as it will have been the wrong choice (imo).

So that is it really, get round the bikes shops and ride everything they have in available to try. Also try and find an extra £50 if you can, what you get at £300 is considerably better than at £250 in my experience, though prices have gone up, a cursory glance at website prices shows this still to be the case.

Finally, and as everyone else has done it, just buy a road bike. It really is the only way. Join us join us join us

Check out Bold's link for some cheap road bike ideas.

 

[Stat Brother]

Once I save a few pennies, my next upgrade is to go clipless. The main problem with this is finding somewhere that stocks roadie shoes in size 13! I don't want to buy online for my first pair, would much prefer to try and buy.

Oi Bigfoot, here's some news you don't want to know.

Generally roadie shoes come up small, plus your feet will expand during exercise.
It they are too constricting they will become cold very quickly.

As a rule buy the size larger than your feet.
I wish I'd gone 2 sizes bigger.

 

[strings]

Oi Bigfoot, here's some news you don't want to know.

Generally roadie shoes come up small, plus your feet will expand during exercise.
It they are too constricting they will become cold very quickly.

As a rule buy the size larger than your feet.
I wish I'd gone 2 sizes bigger.

Here's hoping that the LBS stock clown shoes...

 

[Stat Brother]

Is that it? Not exactly enlightening either.

I got up, went to a cycle race, went home and put the telly on.

You've said nothing. Come on. You must try harder.

Nice pics.

I've been mulling this oddity over since I replied.
I'm a little humpfy with myself for letting him off lightly.

- I'm going to an event I don't like.
- I have no intention of liking it.
- I'm not even going to do a basic t'internet search as to what's going on.
- Blimey that was rubbish, I didn't like that at all.
- I'm going home to watch something as far removed from my world as physically possible.

And yet here's some excellent photos of me at an international event, with most of the greatest riders available.
They are all being accommodating, and everyone but me is having a great time.

 

[Hamilton]

I've been mulling this oddity over since I replied.
I'm a little humpfy with myself for letting him off lightly.

- I'm going to an event I don't like.
- I have no intention of liking it.
- I'm not even going to do a basic t'internet search as to what's going on.
- Blimey that was rubbish, I didn't like that at all.
- I'm going home to watch something as far removed from my world as physically possible.

And yet here's some excellent photos of me at an international event, with most of the greatest riders available.
They are all being accommodating, and everyone but me is having a great time.

Agree 100%. He totally missed the point and clearly has no open mind.

I'm stunned that he didn't even manage to write a decent blog post slagging it off. It was all a bit 'nothing' and a waste of data space in the blogosphere.

 

[Stoichkov]

Look at this beauty:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/261435960089#ht_445wt_1347

 

[Stat Brother]

Sorry geeks I can't watch this awesome ride by Cancellara and not comment on it.

If ever there was a time to say he's got a motor hidden in his bike, its today.

 

[Stoichkov]

Great race this E3...

 

[Stoichkov]

Farrar is in that chase group.

I didn't back him....

 

[Stat Brother]

why would you!!!

I can't believe the leaders are all but sitting up.

 

[Stat Brother]

Great race this E3...

Deffo, well worth a watch, chaps.

It had a little bit of everything, right down to Farrar getting touched off in a sprint!!

 

[Pogue Mahone]

[MENTION=19321]Pogue Mahone[/MENTION] has got a friend that takes his road bike over the downs, on some serious paths!


http://road.cc/content/news/72001-best-entry-level-road-bikes-under-%C2%A3500

He's had his bike for about five years, it's an aluminium Trek 1.2, so not that highly specced. He's never changed his wheels...in fact it's only had cassette and chain changes. He treats it appalingly, but it keeps coming back form more.

It's not as if he's a little bloke either.