Cycling Thread - pleasure peddlers to serious cyclists sign in here!

[Thistledew]

Hi All

I thought I would start a cycling thread. It would be great if we could make it all inclusive, so whether you currently just enjoy bike rides but are interested in taking it further, or already train seriously, please post what you are up to and what your aims are. By sharing knowledge and experiences, hopefully we can spur each other on.

If you want to, please post a quick biog of how long you have been cycling, how much you currently cycle, and what your goals are.

And for those who wish to engage in a bit of bike porn, please feel free to post what sort of bike you ride!

Happy peddling!

If you want to tour then get a tourer eg a Dawes galaxy/Super Galaxy. A TriCross is a nice bike but not a tourer. It may be that you'll have something built for you although i don't regard 5'2 as a midget. You might want to look at

www.yacf.co.uk as they have a lot of good advice on there from forummers who do long distance and touring and people like Charlotte and Kirst do quite a bit of riding and commuting

Thanks, will check the forum out. I've been to test a Dawes Galaxy in a 43cm frame which is their smallest and its too big. Standover height is too big and the reach is too much of a stretch. Went to Spa Cycles and they said it was too big, felt too big as well.

So, I too am teetering on the brink of succumbing to the temptation of n+1 and taking up the really good deal I have been offered on a Specialized Tarmac.

My LBS said to me that it was available a couple of weeks ago but that it was a couple of hundred more than the budget I was thinking of. I finally took the plunge and took it for a ride yesterday, and apart from needing to swap the chain ring out for a compact, it is absolutely everything and more I could want in a bike.

The plus sides of going for it are that I am slightly falling out of love with my Tricross for weekend club runs, and if I continue improving at my current rate it is not inconceivable that I would be good enough to have a go at racing either this winter or by spring. I would not realistically be able to road race on my Tricross.

It is a stupidly good deal for a bike. The owner wants it sold to get some cash flow and is basically offering it to me at cost.

On the down side, it is still a huge amount of money to spend on a bike, and on something that is just a hobby. I would feel that I am slightly over-kitted for my current strength and ability. I would enjoy taking it out on club runs but really my Tricross is adequate. I don't know if I will ever get good enough to race.

DP and I would also have to buy a new shed, as his shiny bike is currently in our dining room, but there is not really room for two.

Also, DP and I are getting married in Spring. We really should be directing our finances at this, rather than spending loads on our hobby.

And one final thing is that we will be thinking of trying to start a family, maybe not next year but the year after. I am a bit worried about buying a bike that I will have a year or son's regular use out of, but then not be able to get so much out of when I am pregnant or with a new baby. On the other hand, this may be the last and best chance to make a big expenditure, when DP and I are both working full time and have decent disposable incomes.

Aargh! Decisions, decisions. I am quite bad at spending money on myself, so am wondering of this is what is holding me back rather than any real reason not to go for it.

What would you do in my shoes?

How have I not found this thread before now?? Hello everyone! I am mostly a mountain biker, I have a Kona Lisa hardtail for my big days out and a very old much loved Edinburgh Bike Co-op Cuillin for kicking about town, school run etc.

I am happiest when hurtling around Glentress or my local woods, I'm not very fast or very 'jumpy' but I have a lot of fun. I'm very slow on the uphill though and need to do some work on that. Which leads me onto my (n)+1 moment...

I am thinking about getting a road bike, I have recently discovered a lovely 40 mile circuit that is 95% tarmaced off road cycle path but it's absolute murder to do on the mountain bike because it's not set up for that. I have a fairly limited budget though so have been scouring gumtree but there's nothing o far. If pushed, I could dip into my savings which is what I think I'll end up doing. Has anyone seen any good bargains in the sales? I wish I was still at work and could do the cycle to work scheme, that's how I got my Kona and I paid buttons for it!

Get the Tarmac. It's a premium bike and for the money you won't get any better. If the bike is too good for you (whatever that means) it doesn't matter, you'll have a high quality bike for a long time

Thistledew if you can afford it now, and it's a great deal then get it. I am a SAHM now and have to eke out my savings for things like this now, hence me looking at gumtree for a secondhand bike. I look back in fondness at the days when we had two salaries coming in and had money to buy things as and when we wanted/needed them or saw a brilliant deal!

Thistledew My DP cycled with our club until 8.5mo or so, and solo until completion, and she will I'm sure gladly talk you through all her bike adjustments and similar that she did - she never actually stopped using her 2nd best race bike despite thinking she might need to go to the cross or MTB to be more relaxed. Now she's cycling as much as ever as we simply trade time spent with the baby and time spent riding we're both doing 10 hours a week at least - some of it towing a trailer around the park but not most.

So get the Tarmac if you want, I'm sure you can keep using it, certainly pregnancy, babies and more doesn't need to stop you if you don't want it to.

Mind you we got married for a total under 300 quid, and have 6 bikes each, so perhaps are not the best role models.

On racing, you could try cyclocross when it starts, but also find out how realistic it would be by doing a club race training day - I believe you're a member of a club who runs one, or Prime Coaching have days at Hillingdon for women.

I'm going tomorrow to try the tricross and also the ridgeback tourer. Someone I spoke to in another bike shop said I'd be much better with the ridgeback for long days in the saddle as its far more comfy. They said if it was just shorter rides then get the tricross. Maybe I should get both!

Really annoying thing is the woman in charge of the bike scheme at work didn't come back to me with details of how to get the voucher. She's off for two weeks now. So I need to be strong tomorrow and to just buy a bike when if I wait a few weeks I can probably get one for half price. I'm just so impatient!

forum.ctc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=43468

Some info in this link

thistledew In your shoes, I'd definitely buy it. I haven't regretted any of my bike purchases... whilst my DH bitterly regrets (and stills recalls at frequent intervals!) the ones he didn't buy!

I'm back from the bike hunt trip - without a bike!

The Ridgeback touring bike felt too big for me, I felt like I was at full stretch and with it been a heavy bike just wouldn't have been comfy. The Tricross even though its apparatnly a 2cm bigger frame seemed a much better fit.

Took it out for a ride and like it, though I seemed to get the gears a bit mangled at one gear change and I don't think it ever went back into gear properly as it was making funny noises. But it was comfy, well balanced, didn't feel like the centre of gravity was too high. Gear changes would take some getting used to I think, I kept braking instead of changing gear!

I didn't get it though as I've got first refusal on a 2nd hand Thorn Sherpa which I haven't seen yet. If I don't like it I'll get the Tricross.

One thing I noticed on the Tricross was y=that it seemed comfier on the flat bars rather than the drops. Maybe because I'm not used to drops? Not sure? But then out on the mtb in a strong headwind this afternoon and thinking how good drops would be! The Sherpa doesn't have drops.

Thanks for the link Pedalleur, interesting reading. Its a shame the Ridgeback was too much of a reach.

Squeeeeeeee!

Deposit paid on the Tarmac!

Thanks for the encouragement to buy it. We can afford it even though it is a big expenditure (DP is paying half. Love him.), and as people have said, it is a bike that will be an investment for the future and I shouldn't need to feel I want to update it for a long time.

However, even when I was still dithering about whether to go for it and posting on here, apparently DP had already spoken to the owner of the shop about putting a deposit down (did I mention how much I love him?!).

Viva - I'm glad you are making progress on your hunt too. I'm not quite sure what you mean by it being more comfortable on the flat bars than the drops- most people ride their road bike on what is called the 'hoods' so on the top of the C of the handle bars, just behind where the brake/gear levers are attached. Going down on the bottom of the C, on the 'drops' is reserved for when you are really pushing hard or, as you surmised, when you are battling a headwind.

If you are meaning that it was only really comfortable for you to have your hands in the same position as if you were riding a MTB then it may be that the reach is too long for you, or it may just be not what you are used to and you will get the hang of it pretty quick. If you can reach the hoods and the drops with your shoulders relaxed (as opposed to up around your ears) and a slight bend in your elbow, it is probably just a matter of you getting used to the new feel.

Bear in mind as well that you can play around with the front end of the bike. Putting more risers in the headset, and/or replacing the stem with a shorter/ different angled one can all help make the reach feel more comfortable.

That's exciting thistledew, how long before you get it?

I think with me it's definetly just not been used to drops. The guy in the shop said the reach was fine. He told me ow if I look down at the front axle if it's infront of the handlebars the reach should be ok (it was), if it's behind the handlebars when you view it then the reach is too long.

This afternoon on my mtb the front axle is behind the handle bars, I've always suspected the reach is too long. Will look into a shorter stem for that.

That behind the axle/in front is not really a good measure as there are other factors at play - but if it feels right then try it. You can get butterfly bars or other sorts if you don't like drop bars. remember that drop bars can be anatomic or a curve and there are women specific bars that have a narrower width and a slightdifference in the curve - Bontrager VRfit for example

I don't think it's too bad a place to start though Pedallleur and yes one of the commonest things with women and handlebars is that they're too wide - I'm a 6ft male although not super wide shouldered admittedly but I still use 38cm wide bars, but even the smallest tricross comes with 40 and my sized one comes with 44! Women tend to have narrow shoulders than men (one of the few actual differences).

handllebars are pretty cheap to swap out though

I'm a newbie to this thread but I'm looking for advice on 2 things:

1. new bike - had my lovely, amazing, comfortable, fast avail advanced stolen on Friday . I'd be even er if I'd ridden in I'm the last two years more than a handful of times (pregnant, then baby!). I used to do lots of road biking and supporting DH on sportives etc. now I'd like something of equal quality in a hybrid so I can put panniers and a child seat on the back. Advice?

2. child seat: too many, all look the same, price from £35-£80. WTF- guidance needed!!!

Thank you

The Specialized Vita looks good for a hybrid. My friend has one and is pleased with hers, she's been touring on it so you must be able to put a rack and panniers on it. Its a womans' specific bike and gets good reviews.

Sorry you had your bike stolen btw, that stinks.

Child bike seat - I had the Co Pilot Limo as it felt the most secure. I particularly liked that it had sturdy sides - to my shame I once dropped the bike sideways when getting off and DD was perfectly fine and unharmed. I was totally traumatised though! The safety bar flips over the back of the seat when it's off the bike and turns it into a freestanding seat which is really handy on lunch/cake stops. The only downside is it's one of the most expensive, but I sold mine for £50 when I was finished with it, so that offset the cost a bit.

Anyone want to give me an opinion on this? I am on a strict budget and this has popped up in the sale and I quite fancy it. I'm totally a leisure cyclist, just looking for something a bit more suited to 20mile+ road/cycle path rides than my mountain bike.

Or this one? Bit more expensive but I could just about stretch to it.....

Oooh ooh can I join in please.

I've been cycling on OFF off for years. I have a trek fcr1 as my everyday bike, but I've just built a fixed wheel bike out of a spare frame I had in the shed.

Managing to get 8 - 10 miles on it most nights.

Would love to cycle my 17 mile commute, but not feasible atm due to nursery drop offs.

PiffPaffPoff I don't think the more expensive one is enough of an upgrade to make it worth the extra 200 quid, the first is probably a pretty good buy from a pretty reputable shop.