mmace said:
Hi, I'm new here and new to cycling (so new I haven't started yet!)
My work is about to move to 6 miles away from my home (it's currently walking distance) and I figured it would be better for me and cheaper to cycle there. I'm quite fit so I can handle the distance (not much for all of you!) and I will go out on a weekend to get used to it first!
The questions I have are:
What bike should I get?
I'm wanting to get to and from work as quick as I can but I'm also wanting a bike that's easy to maintain and ride (comfortable). I don't have a lot of money, about £450 and that needs to include accessories and I will be buying from
www.halfords.com (I have credit there).
Possibly a carrera subway, not the one with fangled hub gears though.
Steer clear of "full-suspension" MTBSOs (mountain bike shaped objects) for that price though, they're gash and meant only for chavs.
mmace said:
Can you recommend anything I may have forgotten too apart from: lights, helmet, trip computer, repair kit (?), lock chain, padded shorts.
Pump. Repair kit's not much use without one!
That's the essentials covered. You may find you want other things the more experience you get, such as clipless pedals/compatible shoes, base layer/bib longs/cycling jacket, etc etc etc, but the above will see you right to start off with.
mmace said:
Another question is, what sort of speeds or time should I be looking at?
luckily the majority of the journey is flat (there's 8 metres height difference between home & work and no hills) and it's all on road but there's quite a few traffic lights on the way but also cycle lanes nearly all the way there. I know it varies from person to person, but I literally have no idea what sort of speeds people go at on a road. My brother thinks 9mph but I thought it would be faster than that?
If you're fairly fit 9mph on the flat is fairly slow, but if you've got lots of stop/start traffic lights etc then it's feasible it could drop to that.
Further to that though, it doesn't really matter what you
should be aiming for - it's not for us on the forum, or even your brother or yourself for that matter - to tell you what speed you
should be averaging.
Just cycle at a speed you feel comfortable and see how long it takes you, and then that's your basemark.
Bear in mind that various factors will affect your time, such as how much traffic there is, how windy it is (big one), how tired you are, etc.
Also bear in mind that the average speed that your computer records may be faster than your total distance divided by the time it's taken you, as they often only count average speeds when you're actually cycling, not when your'e stopped.
mmace said:
Also, what do people wear?
Don't fancy the skin tight lycra stuff and don't want to look stupid when not on the bike!
If you've got somewhere you can get changed, then I'd recommend getting bib longs, base layer, synthetic tshirt and cycling jacket, and getting changed into e.g. jogging trousers/jeans and t-shirt when you get to work, but i'm only saying that 'cos it's what i personally do.
mmace said:
also, is it a good idea to listen to music with earphones (just in one ear)?
I'm not too sure about this as I wouldn't be able to hear the traffic but it will help the time pass quicker and if I play faster music then I tend to go faster (when in the gym anyway!)
Nothing wrong with it. I can hear the traffic perfectly well with both ears in, I don't currently but only 'cos i haven't got round to buying a personal radio yet and I'm bored of all my music.
. Anyway whatever levels of traffic you'll be fine, I just think listening to music takes away one of the input advantages you have on a bike and what could be dull about cycling? And as for motivation, cycling is its own motivation.
