[BOUGHT] New Bike - New Hobbie

[EeZee]

After doing a bit of research i today bought my first EVER road bike. As most people probably do i naively thought i could get into the hobby for under £200 and soon realised that this was not realistic. I quickly decided that it was wiser to get a decent second hand bike than to buy a really cheap new one, and after ringing decathlon to check their stock on the now discontinued 2012 Triban 3 (unsuccessfully) i pulled the trigger on a second hand Viking Circuit Tiagra for £240.

I'm told that the carbon fork and shimano tiagra groupings are worth around £200 on there own. Could anyone here confirm this? The bike itself has had barely any use and it looks brand spanking new.

I've got the bike, i just need some beginner gear to get me started. If anyone has any tips on quality beginner gear then be sure to let me know. Any beginner tips at all are welcomed, like i said I'm completely new to this but very eager and keen to learn.

 

[vickster]

Enjoy

What gear do you mean? Clothing?

 

[EeZee]

Helmet, clothing and i've been advised to look straight into clipless pedals?

Yes i am very under prepared at the moment

 

[midliferider]

Judging from what you spend on the bike (no offence intended), I assume you do not want to spend hundreds and thousands on gear.
You can get reasonably good stuff from Decathlon.
Aldi has very good gear (except helmet) in my opinion. Yesterday I bought a winter cycling leggings for £5 and leg and arm warmers, pair of each for 99p. They were on sale.

 

[EeZee]

Judging from what you spend on the bike (no offence intended), I assume you do not want to spend hundreds and thousands on gear.
You can get reasonably good stuff from Decathlon.
Aldi has very good gear (except helmet) in my opinion. Yesterday I bought a winter cycling leggings for £5 and leg and arm warmers, pair of each for 99p. They were on sale.

You're exactly right, it's only my first bike. I'll invest in an expensive bike next summer if i get the use out of this one.

 

[Goonerobes]

It looks like you've got yourself a £5-600 bike for better than half price so happy days.

As previously said get yourself down to Decathlon & they will have all you need at a reasonable price.

 

[vickster]

www.cycle-clothing.co.uk worth a look

Helmet - go to your local bike shop and try some on and buy there - helmets are very specific to each. Evans have a good selection and often some deals

 

[Cyclist33]

That Viking looks ok although I've never ridden one, did go out on a forum ride once this year with a bloke tagging along who had a Viking and was happy enough with it.

As for price, I don't want or mean to discourage you but did you ask on here before buying? Because I suspect you could have got a decent condition used bike from ebay for the same money that could've been lighter and with a better reputation for quality than Viking has.

The proof of the pudding is in the eating though, and if you really get into it you can always will almost certainly be buying a posh bike in a year's time .

Stu

 

[EeZee]

That Viking looks ok although I've never ridden one, did go out on a forum ride once this year with a bloke tagging along who had a Viking and was happy enough with it.

As for price, I don't want or mean to discourage you but did you ask on here before buying? Because I suspect you could have got a decent condition used bike from ebay for the same money that could've been lighter and with a better reputation for quality than Viking has.

The proof of the pudding is in the eating though, and if you really get into it you can always will almost certainly be buying a posh bike in a year's time .

Stu

Thanks for the reply stu, i did quite a considerable amount of research before buying the bike, and having looked at eBay / Gumtree this was the best second hand bike for under £300-400 at the time. I also came across this thread on this website (which gave me great optimism for the viking and also encouraged me to join this site )

http://www.cyclechat.net/threads/first-bike-viking-circuit.137648/

 

[Cyclist33]

 

[kennyb]

No matter what bike you start of with, just enjoy yourself and be careful..them motorist knock anybody off no matter what bike you ride...

 

[midliferider]

@EeZee, I was in your position exactly a year ago. I had a budget of just £350 to get started on road cycling. I was fortunate to get a B Twin. I spent just about another £50 for other stuff. What is essential is a good quality correct fitting helmet which I bought fro about £20 from Decathlon. Then you can buy leggings, jacket and gloves from what is left.
Start slowly, first go on more quieter country roads. Get used to the bike gradually. If you are a complete novice, have a look at few you tube clips and learn how to peddle, use gears wisely and techniques of climbing. By summer, you would be super fit.

 

[goody]

That's not a bad price, but it would be better asking yourself the same question in a years time, if after a year you've had loads of problems and hardly ridden it then maybe it wasn't such a good buy. If however you've done a few 100 milers, climbed the biggest hills you can find and opened you eyes to all that is good in cycling then maybe it's a bargain.
You can buy cheap gear to get you started but you'll eventually replace it with quality stuff. IMHO decent shorts, shoes and helmet are a must most other things you can save on but good quality stuff tends to fit better and lasts longer.

 

[biggs682]

planet x have deals on helmets at moment

 

[AndyRM]

You've got a good deal there, assuming it's a full Tiagra groupset.

Look out for sales at Aldi/Lidl. They have cheap gear and it's decent quality.