Bike help for a bit of a beginner...!

oli collett

oli collett

oli collett

Soldato
Joined
19 Apr 2004
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London
Right, so having not ridden a bike for about, 10 years, i've decided it would be a good idea to start cycling. I was never really interested in the past but having become a lot more active I thought it would be a good time to start. I understand that it is not difficult to get back to riding a bike after a long time and that it is relatively easy to pick it up again (:rolleyes:).

Primarily I'd like one to go on long-ish rides around the countryside, partly for fitness and partly for fun around quiet roads in suffolk and maybe on the odd holiday. I might also use it in London when I get a bit more confidence on the road so I guess that will mean a mixture of cycle paths/roads. I can't see myself ever using it for commuting.

Initially I was interested in the idea of a hybird, something like a Boardman Comp or Specialized Sirrus, thinking that it would give me some flexibility in terms of some ability when off-road, but now I'm not so sure. I don't see myself spending a great deal of time on any rough terrain but I would like the option to go down some gravel paths if possible, but from what I understand that won't be easy even with a hybrid.

So it leaves me wondering whether I should just get a road bike and forget taking it off the road? Will it hamper me in any other ways? Budget wise I'm looking at around £500. I'm probably going to go for a brand new bike given my current lack of bike knowledge - I don't want to end up with something that'll break in half whilst going around a corner!

Also if anyone knows any decent cycling shops around West London way that would be a great help. Every place I look at seems to have dreadful reviews!
 
A decent hybrid will handle your average gravel path with ease.

I would personally get a hybrid, as it sounds like it would cover most of your likely riding.

By buying a road bike, you'd be missing out on some beautiful trails, towpaths etc. of which I'm sure there are countless in Suffolk, not to mention pubs for a rewarding pint at the end of the ride (obviously pubs are on the road, that was just a side note).

I commute 8 miles a day on my hybrid and I love it, but it also allows me to go across fields and round woodland trails etc. I'm not serious enough to warrant having a road bike and an off road bike, so my hybrid fits the bill perfectly. It's only a Carrera Subway from Halfords and with £500 you'd get something far better than that, so if I manage fine on my £200 jobby, you'd more than manage with a £500 hybrid.

The hardcore boys will probably tell you to decide what riding you want to do and buy the bike for it, some can be a bit stuffy about hybrids as they're not 'pure'. My advice however is to kill two birds with one stone.
 
The only thing I have against hybrids is their lack of hand positions, apart from that they are fine because there are very few hybrid specific frames; they usualy start with either a hardtail MTB frame or a roadbike frame.
 
Hi oli :)

I ride a Specialized Vita which is just a girl's Sirrus.

It's fine on gravel paths - it will come with a 28mm tyre and will probably take up to a 32mm tyre (if not a bit more) which is a size commonly supplied with hybrid bikes.

Mine's been along all kinds of terrain - I get a little nervous about gravel but only because turning and breaking too hard on loose ground is a little sketchy - but that goes for any bike!

I say you could get a fast hybrid like you've mentioned OR a road bike, swap out the tyres for Schwalbe Marathon Plus as they're good on road but have a little extra tread and appear to be bomb-proof in terms of p*nctures, and enjoy :)

Oh, and as for hand positions - if you don't want drop bars, get some bar ends - even little ones help enormously, I have these: http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/product-SJSC-SJSC-Ergo-Control-Bar-End-Grip--Black-13134.htm

And, your other option is a cyclocross (CX) bike which are road bike in style (drop bars, etc) but have wider knobblier tyres as standard, which means the frame & brakes are a little larger with more space for you to chop and change in terms of tyre knobbliness and width...
 
Yeah if your looking at a few weekend trails as well as road use then a hybrid or even a CX if you can up your budget a little, both would suit you well. You may find a fair bit of "hybrids suck, get a road bike!" on some forums, but for some people they are ideal, just depends what you want the bike for.

Agree about the hand positions though, after 10 or so miles on my hybrid I get the same problem, but it's only a minor one.

Can't recommend any decent cycling shops around your area, unless you want to travel 300 miles :).
 
Cheers for all the replies!

Handlebars did put me off hybrids a bit as I'm not sure about long journeys with only a flat bar, but I guess it's easy enough to change!

Cx could looks to be ideal, are there any big disadvantages other than cost? I'm assuming with a wider frame they are heavier than hybrids? Otherwise they might well be ideal!
 
oli collett said:
Cx could looks to be ideal, are there any big disadvantages other than cost? I'm assuming with a wider frame they are heavier than hybrids? Otherwise they might well be ideal!
Click to expand...

Hybrids don't all have light frames. Home hybrid frames are taken from road bikes and some are taken from hardtail mountain bikes. A CX frame will generally site somewhere in between.

Tyring to compare something to a hybrid is difficult because there isn't a design expectation for hybrids; most bikes are designed for a type of terrain or a job whereas hybrids are designed to look like people's perception of the bike they think they want.

A CX bike will also come with fatter knoblier tyres than a 'road' hybrid so it will probably lose a little speed there.

Changing handelbars isn't that easy / cheap (depending upon your definitions); you'd also need to change your gear shifters and brake levers for the new set-up.
 
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Hmm, CX does seem to be my best bet. £700 is more than what I'd like to spend but the specialized tricross does tick all the right boxes:
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/specialized/tricross-2010-cyclo-cross-bike-ec020084

If I stuck a different set of tyres on in future would it improve road performance? i.e. if i went for something more narrow than 32 x 700c?

Also just noticed tredz seem to be stocking some specialized 2011 range bikes - do you think I might be able to pick something up on a sale if I wait for a bit?
 
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