kerndog
Well-Known Member
Hi
I just signed up after lurking for a couple of weeks or so. This forum is great so I thought I'd join up... then I had an idea for a thread to maybe help fellow noobs make all of those tough decision you know nothing about. Im not saying I know anything, cos I dont. Im a freaking noob!
I recently decided to ditch my car, gave up smoking and got a push bike, not just to get me around but also to get fit on, I'm creeping towards 40 and growing outwards at a steady pace, i also think i may be entering the throws of a mid life crisis so I though, mistress? Speed boat? Sports car...? na bike.
To start with I wasn't really sure what I was looking for, all I knew was that my old MTB was slooooooow. after loads of reading, and some more reading, I decided it was a road bike for me. I had a small budget of about £400 when I started my search. i looked at new bikes at first, then did some research and decided maybe second hand was the way to go, what was it I read... "A new ford focus or a second hand BMW". So I did some more research, then some more and finally upped my budget to £450 for the bike and £100 for accessories (mmmm accceeeesssooooories).
As it happened an Allez sport compact came up on ebay just down the road, i frantically researched Allez's, I looked at specs, realised I had no idea what it meant then looked at reviews and read forums to hear what people who knew thought of them. I looked at original price, price for it new now, others on ebay etc etc. After far too long researching I decided it was the one and snapped it up. Well I say snapped it up I actually got a bit carried away as you do on ebay and by the time it came down to the final minutes I had persuaded myself it was the best bike on the planet and I was getting it whatever, I ended up paying £450.
Its a cracker of a bike. The guy I bought it from had it under a year from new, it'd done under 200 miles and is spotless. It also came with a saddle bag with inner tube and tools, a cateye double wireless speedo thingy, a pump, look pedals, shimano shoes and a water bottle cage and bottle.
So I went about writing a list of accessories and went shopping!
Blimy! Its bloody endless the stuff you need. I had no idea. I bought shed loads of stuff but I got really good deals and think I managed to get most of the stuff I really need and a few bits I could probably do without, all for about £150 I hoped.. maybe a touch over..
so anyway I love the bike. I love riding and I love learning about the bike and fiddling. I've already decided that my 11/25 cassette (didn't even know what that was 2 weeks ago!) was too hardcore for me and was making it hard to climb hills (and where I live theres a LOT of hills), so I swapped it out for a 12/27 after watching a bunch of you tube videos and buying the tools to do it. I also put flat pedals with toe clips on it for the first few weeks as I didn't want to spend out on shoes and wasn't too sure about clipless pedals... then after loads more reading decided to go for spd pedals so have now fitted a pair of them, which I'll use for the longer weekend rides and use the toe clips in the week for pooing to the shops or commuting.
Anyway, awesome bike and (nearly) full kit for around £600 (well that's what I thought until I wrote this thread and added it all up!!!). Here's a breakdown of the kit I bought, hopefully this is the bit that helps fellow noobs get started and give some idea of what your looking at having to fork out, if like me your a new age Bradly Wiggins.
Bike £450 that came with:
pedals
shoes
pump
cage
bottle
spedomiter
I then went out and bought:
Helmet - £30 - a must.
Gloves - 10 - a must.
Lock - £15 - yep a must.
chain lube - £7 - a must.
padded shorts - £20 - I like my dangly bits.
waterproof cycling jacket - £30 - another must.
crud mudguards - £30 - I like to not have a streak up my back - and a clean bike is a happy bike.
lights - £25 - a must.
pedals and toe clips - £20 - yep.
a couple of retro cycling jerseys from ebay - £12 - there sooooo coooool!
standing bike pump with gauge - £10 - those little pumps arent really up to 120 psi.
tire pressure gauge - £5 - for the road, probably could have done without this...
mirror - £10 - safety first! well it makes me feel safe anyway, I highly recommend a mirror.
ok so a LITTLE over budget at about £225... but I think that's the way it goes.. I think that list looks excessive but actually it's all stuff you need if your gonna go riding a lot... well that's what I tell Mrs Kerndog anyhow... Anyway it goes on...
Then I get technical and buy myself a new cassette, but I get a bargain on that at £14 from wiggle, the tools to change it and some spd pedals and shoes.
so add another:
cassette - £14 - bargain on wiggle
tools to change cassette - £12
Pedals - £17 - another wiggle bargain
shoes - £20 - rubbish muddy fox ones from sport direct, just to see how I get on with them.
I sold the look pedals and shoes for £30 so it covered some of the above...
£50 odd quid... oh oh, now its getting pricy (best part of £800) ... anyway its at this point that im pretty much ready to go for big rides and be prepared for breakdowns, have the tools I need to maintain the bike and the clothes to keep me dry, warm and comfortable. Oh and Mrs Kerndog has banned me from buying anything else, which is good.
The scary thing is Im sure theres plenty more I could get and probably need, like a spare tyre, another inner tube, another water bottle and cage, new tape for the bars, spare battery's for the lights, better shoes, fingerless gloves, cycling tights, bib thingies, better helmet, more tools... you get the idea!
and actually I have a friend who just spent £90 on a second hand bottom of the range claud buttler, 40 on pedals and shoes and £10 on tights and he's mad for it! I also went for a ride today with a guy with an old apollo and a 15 year old helmet and he has as much fun as anyone... dont tell my wife that though!
sooooo useless advice from a complete noob for other noobs..?
Research, loads. Then some more. Look at bike sizes, read about how your supposed to sit on it, go to shops and test ride bikes, look for bargains and then do some more research, this forum is a brilliant source of info populated by nice people. also:
Sort your budget then double it.
Be prepared to spend a lot on accessories just for the basics, but theres plenty of bargains out there.
Get strava on your smart phone if you have one. it's free and great!
ok so there it is, hopefully of some help to noobs like my self. Im also sure there are plenty of other things people who actually know what they are doing could also mention... maybe this thread will turn into a huge 'need to get' list... or maybe it will be read by 3 people then disappear
Also Im not sure if this allowed but maybe people could post link to bargains here as well for people looking for kit on a budget?
just a thought
Kerndog
I just signed up after lurking for a couple of weeks or so. This forum is great so I thought I'd join up... then I had an idea for a thread to maybe help fellow noobs make all of those tough decision you know nothing about. Im not saying I know anything, cos I dont. Im a freaking noob!
I recently decided to ditch my car, gave up smoking and got a push bike, not just to get me around but also to get fit on, I'm creeping towards 40 and growing outwards at a steady pace, i also think i may be entering the throws of a mid life crisis so I though, mistress? Speed boat? Sports car...? na bike.
To start with I wasn't really sure what I was looking for, all I knew was that my old MTB was slooooooow. after loads of reading, and some more reading, I decided it was a road bike for me. I had a small budget of about £400 when I started my search. i looked at new bikes at first, then did some research and decided maybe second hand was the way to go, what was it I read... "A new ford focus or a second hand BMW". So I did some more research, then some more and finally upped my budget to £450 for the bike and £100 for accessories (mmmm accceeeesssooooories).
As it happened an Allez sport compact came up on ebay just down the road, i frantically researched Allez's, I looked at specs, realised I had no idea what it meant then looked at reviews and read forums to hear what people who knew thought of them. I looked at original price, price for it new now, others on ebay etc etc. After far too long researching I decided it was the one and snapped it up. Well I say snapped it up I actually got a bit carried away as you do on ebay and by the time it came down to the final minutes I had persuaded myself it was the best bike on the planet and I was getting it whatever, I ended up paying £450.
Its a cracker of a bike. The guy I bought it from had it under a year from new, it'd done under 200 miles and is spotless. It also came with a saddle bag with inner tube and tools, a cateye double wireless speedo thingy, a pump, look pedals, shimano shoes and a water bottle cage and bottle.
So I went about writing a list of accessories and went shopping!
Blimy! Its bloody endless the stuff you need. I had no idea. I bought shed loads of stuff but I got really good deals and think I managed to get most of the stuff I really need and a few bits I could probably do without, all for about £150 I hoped.. maybe a touch over..
so anyway I love the bike. I love riding and I love learning about the bike and fiddling. I've already decided that my 11/25 cassette (didn't even know what that was 2 weeks ago!) was too hardcore for me and was making it hard to climb hills (and where I live theres a LOT of hills), so I swapped it out for a 12/27 after watching a bunch of you tube videos and buying the tools to do it. I also put flat pedals with toe clips on it for the first few weeks as I didn't want to spend out on shoes and wasn't too sure about clipless pedals... then after loads more reading decided to go for spd pedals so have now fitted a pair of them, which I'll use for the longer weekend rides and use the toe clips in the week for pooing to the shops or commuting.
Anyway, awesome bike and (nearly) full kit for around £600 (well that's what I thought until I wrote this thread and added it all up!!!). Here's a breakdown of the kit I bought, hopefully this is the bit that helps fellow noobs get started and give some idea of what your looking at having to fork out, if like me your a new age Bradly Wiggins.
Bike £450 that came with:
pedals
shoes
pump
cage
bottle
spedomiter
I then went out and bought:
Helmet - £30 - a must.
Gloves - 10 - a must.
Lock - £15 - yep a must.
chain lube - £7 - a must.
padded shorts - £20 - I like my dangly bits.
waterproof cycling jacket - £30 - another must.
crud mudguards - £30 - I like to not have a streak up my back - and a clean bike is a happy bike.
lights - £25 - a must.
pedals and toe clips - £20 - yep.
a couple of retro cycling jerseys from ebay - £12 - there sooooo coooool!
standing bike pump with gauge - £10 - those little pumps arent really up to 120 psi.
tire pressure gauge - £5 - for the road, probably could have done without this...
mirror - £10 - safety first! well it makes me feel safe anyway, I highly recommend a mirror.
ok so a LITTLE over budget at about £225... but I think that's the way it goes.. I think that list looks excessive but actually it's all stuff you need if your gonna go riding a lot... well that's what I tell Mrs Kerndog anyhow... Anyway it goes on...
Then I get technical and buy myself a new cassette, but I get a bargain on that at £14 from wiggle, the tools to change it and some spd pedals and shoes.
so add another:
cassette - £14 - bargain on wiggle
tools to change cassette - £12
Pedals - £17 - another wiggle bargain
shoes - £20 - rubbish muddy fox ones from sport direct, just to see how I get on with them.
I sold the look pedals and shoes for £30 so it covered some of the above...
£50 odd quid... oh oh, now its getting pricy (best part of £800) ... anyway its at this point that im pretty much ready to go for big rides and be prepared for breakdowns, have the tools I need to maintain the bike and the clothes to keep me dry, warm and comfortable. Oh and Mrs Kerndog has banned me from buying anything else, which is good.
The scary thing is Im sure theres plenty more I could get and probably need, like a spare tyre, another inner tube, another water bottle and cage, new tape for the bars, spare battery's for the lights, better shoes, fingerless gloves, cycling tights, bib thingies, better helmet, more tools... you get the idea!
and actually I have a friend who just spent £90 on a second hand bottom of the range claud buttler, 40 on pedals and shoes and £10 on tights and he's mad for it! I also went for a ride today with a guy with an old apollo and a 15 year old helmet and he has as much fun as anyone... dont tell my wife that though!
sooooo useless advice from a complete noob for other noobs..?
Research, loads. Then some more. Look at bike sizes, read about how your supposed to sit on it, go to shops and test ride bikes, look for bargains and then do some more research, this forum is a brilliant source of info populated by nice people. also:
Sort your budget then double it.
Be prepared to spend a lot on accessories just for the basics, but theres plenty of bargains out there.
Get strava on your smart phone if you have one. it's free and great!
ok so there it is, hopefully of some help to noobs like my self. Im also sure there are plenty of other things people who actually know what they are doing could also mention... maybe this thread will turn into a huge 'need to get' list... or maybe it will be read by 3 people then disappear
Also Im not sure if this allowed but maybe people could post link to bargains here as well for people looking for kit on a budget?
just a thought
Kerndog
) better get another one"........and off we go again.
