20st and need my first adult bike!

[Monsieur]

Lot of inspiration on this thread!
Well done for trying to change your lifestyle - the hardest part will be actually getting out of the front door to ride a bike. Halfords have some good bikes in their stores for not a lot of money and, like any local bike shop, there are the good stores and the not so good stores. The mountain bikes/hybrids are pretty decent machines and I'd be keen on going into the store and actually sitting on one or two differerent styles to see what suits.

Keep us updated and I wish you the best of luck

 

[mattprince]

Lot of inspiration on this thread!
Well done for trying to change your lifestyle - the hardest part will be actually getting out of the front door to ride a bike. Halfords have some good bikes in their stores for not a lot of money and, like any local bike shop, there are the good stores and the not so good stores. The mountain bikes/hybrids are pretty decent machines and I'd be keen on going into the store and actually sitting on one or two differerent styles to see what suits.

Keep us updated and I wish you the best of luck

Cheers, there is my local Halfords that I will avoid as when I bought my youngest lads bike , the crank went after 3 months, they tried to say no crank on any bike is covered as its a moving part and open to abuse (the bike was immaculate considering a 7year old rides it , but then again he does like to keep his stuff in good condition and clean). I kicked off and only after contacting customer services did they repair it for free. I think I will read some reviews of Halfords that are localish.

Matt

 

[jack smith]

Go with whatever subway suits your budget and you like the look of they are all pretty much the same, resale value won't be too good but good enough to get something back when you upgrade, definatley stay away from suspension as it's not needed and will slow you down, stick some nice new tyres on to speed you up and offer abit more puncture protection for the city.

Stay away from the gel seat covers as they do nothing sports direct do muddyfox padded shorts into very big sizes that are much nicer than a gel seat cover, proper adjustment on the saddle and a few rides will wear your arse into it anyway, I ride on no totally carbon saddle so solid with zero padding and it's the most Comfy I've owned. But most of all enjoy it set off a lot earlier than you think you'll need on the first day to avoid any drama's and don't over do it but remember to keep pushing your boundaries when you feel ready

 

[g0kmt]

Subways are great bike, I have a Kraken though, got it on the Cycle to Work scheme. I weigh in at 24 stone, not done nearly enough cycling as I should. Winter was a wash out in more ways than one, wind is an issue for me. I am built like the proverbial barn door.

I would suggest checking the bike out for size before purchase. I made the mistake 3 years ago of buying a bike that was a little too big for me, I never felt good on it. I bought the next size down this time and gave my old bike to my brother for him to use - The nephew borrowed that one - doh.

I actually have a gel saddle and even after 20 miles I feel no chaffing. Go figure.... I took one look at the supplied saddle and thought .. Knife edge!!!

As for tyres, budget for a reasonable set of slicks or semi slicks. they reduce rolling resistance and let you go faster and further for less effort. No it does not reduce the effect of expending energy to that extent that cycling does not work. I lost over 2 stone last summer, but put it back on due to laziness. The knobblier the tyre the more the rolling resistance, the more effort you put in to get nowhere, the more demoralized you get.

As for suspension, my bike has front suspension but spends its time locked, it does give a little but not enough to cause problems.

Biking is fun :-) Its just the hills.........

 

[mattprince]

Well I've gone and done it

Ordered the Carrera Subway Hybrid Bike (the black one with disc brakes) and also some front and back lights and a lock all for £275 as Halfords have a 10% off offer for the next hour or so. Picking it all up tomorrow at 4pm so will be doing my first workout/cycle tomorrow night at about 9pm. Any advice for my first go?

 

[Nigelnaturist]

Well I've gone and done it

Ordered the Carrera Subway Hybrid Bike (the black one with disc brakes) and also some front and back lights and a lock all for £275 as Halfords have a 10% off offer for the next hour or so. Picking it all up tomorrow at 4pm so will be doing my first workout/cycle tomorrow night at about 9pm. Any advice for my first go?

aboard Matt. If you want a good front light one you can see where you are going on dark unlit roads have a look at these. Cree T6
This is a post from when i got my first one. http://www.cyclechat.net/threads/lights-cree-xml-xm-l-t6-u2-etc-thread.117285/

 

[mattprince]

aboard Matt. If you want a good front light one you can see where you are going on dark unlit roads have a look at these. Cree T6
This is a post from when i got my first one. http://www.cyclechat.net/threads/lights-cree-xml-xm-l-t6-u2-etc-thread.117285/

Cheers, I've already ordered the other lights with the bike now so will see what they are like. Halfords have just called me to confirm it will be ready tomorrow. Really looking forward to it now.

 

[vickster]

I would stick to back streets to start with and have some reflective stuff on your legs, especially if riding in the dark. Doesn't need to be hi viz though, unless you want

Oh and don't ride on the pavement

Enjoy the new bike

 

[mcshroom]

Don't overdo it on your first ride. Pick a loop near to home, and take some tools with you to adjust the saddle and bars as needed to feel comfortable.

Enjoy your bike

 

[mattprince]

I would stick to back streets to start with and have some reflective stuff on your legs, especially if riding in the dark. Doesn't need to be hi viz though, unless you want

Oh and don't ride on the pavement

Enjoy the new bike

I live smack in the middle of an estate so have plenty of back streets to abuse lol

 

[vickster]

Cool stuff

 

[mattprince]

Theres a loop that ive just calculated and its approx 2.5 miles. Might do that every night mon to fri for a few weeks.

 

[adscrim]

Any advice for my first go?

Matt, regards the saddles and covers or shorts. Be prepared that your bum and probably a number of other areas may hurt after your first few rides (and most likely during). You'll be using parts of the body that don't see a great deal of activity when moving around generally, particulary in relation to sitting on a saddle. The good news is that this is something that goes away of it own accord through continued use. So if you wake up on Friday and your bum's sore, hold off on changing anything for a couple of weeks and give your body a chance to accept it before you spend any more money.

Good luck and stick with it. Could be the best purchase ever.

 

[4F]

Well I've gone and done it

Ordered the Carrera Subway Hybrid Bike (the black one with disc brakes) and also some front and back lights and a lock all for £275 as Halfords have a 10% off offer for the next hour or so. Picking it all up tomorrow at 4pm so will be doing my first workout/cycle tomorrow night at about 9pm. Any advice for my first go?

My first piece of advise is to make sure everything is done up correctly. Some branches of Halfords are OK and some are utter **** manned by idiot spanner monkeys who have been known to supply bikes with the forks fitted on backwards.....

Start of slowly and gradually build your distance up. To start with the saddle will feel like a medieval torture device, give it a couple of weeks and your arse muscles won't complain as much

 

[Saluki]

to the world of cycling. Have a great first ride. We will need to hear all about it, good or bad.