Cyclopathic
Veteran
- Location
- Leicester.
I'll try just here...Hello, I'm new. Brand new.
Erm...Hello. Have I put this in the right place?
- Thread starter Cyclopathic
- Start date
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Sittingduck
Legendary Member
- Location
- Somewhere flat
Hello 
numbnuts
Legendary Member
- Location
- Gone over the hill and far away
Hi & 
to CC
to CC
Thelma
New Member
- Location
- Manchester
Hello brand new
Gerry Attrick
Lincolnshire Mountain Rescue Consultant
Don't keep us in suspense, tell us a bit about yourself. You are welcome anyway.
DTD
Veteran
- Location
- Manchester
Hello there.
cyberknight
As long as I breathe, I attack.
- Location
- Land of confusion
Hi !!
shhh be careful hes a cyclepath
shhh be careful hes a cyclepath
OP
OP
Cyclopathic
Veteran
- Location
- Leicester.
Hello and thanks for the welcome. Sorry to have been so brief but no sooner had I sorted out registering and my first post, I had to go and fetch chinese food. But thanks again for the warm welcomes.
I'm a 40 year old man who lives in Leicester. I have cycled all my life and still enjoy it almost as much as the first time I got my first proper bike. (A standard gents bike with Sturmy Archer 3 speed.) Since then I have remained fairly well at the budget end of cycling and I enjoy tinkering with and improving my bikes. I currently ride a Python Quantum, I think it is called, which I am enormously pleased with especially for the price it was at the time which was just before prices started to go up sharply. I also have on the road a Barrosa (sub division of Dawes) Havana mtb which I am enormously dissapointed with especialy for the price I paid at the time. I also have a few project bikes that I'm fixing up but it's slow work on a tight budget.
I've always enjoyed tinkering with my bikes but recently have become much more interested in the whole subject. I suspect that I am like many in the respect that I would like to now get a job in the area of bike maintanance and building etc.... My knowledge is pretty much restricted to the bikes that I've owned and there is so much more to learn and to this end I volunteer at a local bike charity caled Cyclemagic where I am getting the experience and know how that I hope will help. And if not then it's still great to have the opportunity to work on and play with loads of bikes I wouldn't ordinarily come accross. Despite having ridden all my life I still feel like a complete nuby in the area of bike maintanence.
I am hugely in facour of cycling and think that everybody should have and use a bike. No doubt that would bring problems of its own but they are problems I'd rather have than the ones created by cars. I'm not anti cars as such (I used to be a taxi driver so can really see the issue from both sides) but I just wish that we weren't so reliant on them but this is more a collective problem rather than the fault of the motorist , many of whom really do need a car. I could go on but I'm sure that here people are aware of these things.
So that's me in a nutshell and I look forward to meeting and talking with you all out in the threads.
I'm a 40 year old man who lives in Leicester. I have cycled all my life and still enjoy it almost as much as the first time I got my first proper bike. (A standard gents bike with Sturmy Archer 3 speed.) Since then I have remained fairly well at the budget end of cycling and I enjoy tinkering with and improving my bikes. I currently ride a Python Quantum, I think it is called, which I am enormously pleased with especially for the price it was at the time which was just before prices started to go up sharply. I also have on the road a Barrosa (sub division of Dawes) Havana mtb which I am enormously dissapointed with especialy for the price I paid at the time. I also have a few project bikes that I'm fixing up but it's slow work on a tight budget.
I've always enjoyed tinkering with my bikes but recently have become much more interested in the whole subject. I suspect that I am like many in the respect that I would like to now get a job in the area of bike maintanance and building etc.... My knowledge is pretty much restricted to the bikes that I've owned and there is so much more to learn and to this end I volunteer at a local bike charity caled Cyclemagic where I am getting the experience and know how that I hope will help. And if not then it's still great to have the opportunity to work on and play with loads of bikes I wouldn't ordinarily come accross. Despite having ridden all my life I still feel like a complete nuby in the area of bike maintanence.
I am hugely in facour of cycling and think that everybody should have and use a bike. No doubt that would bring problems of its own but they are problems I'd rather have than the ones created by cars. I'm not anti cars as such (I used to be a taxi driver so can really see the issue from both sides) but I just wish that we weren't so reliant on them but this is more a collective problem rather than the fault of the motorist , many of whom really do need a car. I could go on but I'm sure that here people are aware of these things.
So that's me in a nutshell and I look forward to meeting and talking with you all out in the threads.
cyberknight
As long as I breathe, I attack.
- Location
- Land of confusion
Another hi from up the road, i am near Burton upon trent 
Kind of a cross post but as you said you tend to be looking at bikes at the lower end of the cycling price bracket, there is nothing wrong with "cheaper " bikes if it does the job you want it for and avoid what is called a BSO (bike shaped object) which are the bikes sold at places like argos and supermarkets and the apollo range at Halfords used to get a lot of stick as they tend to either have substandard parts or are put together badly.
I use a second hand carrera TDF for commuting which cost me just over £100, and my "best " bike is only £400 brand new in the shops , but i got it for £250 off a private add in a cycle forum .If you know what to look for and can shop around you can get cracking bargains.
If you want to learn more about bike maintenance then look at this website as it is very handy !
http://bicycletutor.com/
When you have the tools you can save a lot of money, i recently replaced the gears + chain on my bike and it cost me £30 for the parts and maybe 20 minutes for the whole job, i would not even like to think how much a bike shop would charge me for it .
Kind of a cross post but as you said you tend to be looking at bikes at the lower end of the cycling price bracket, there is nothing wrong with "cheaper " bikes if it does the job you want it for and avoid what is called a BSO (bike shaped object) which are the bikes sold at places like argos and supermarkets and the apollo range at Halfords used to get a lot of stick as they tend to either have substandard parts or are put together badly.
I use a second hand carrera TDF for commuting which cost me just over £100, and my "best " bike is only £400 brand new in the shops , but i got it for £250 off a private add in a cycle forum .If you know what to look for and can shop around you can get cracking bargains.
If you want to learn more about bike maintenance then look at this website as it is very handy !
http://bicycletutor.com/
When you have the tools you can save a lot of money, i recently replaced the gears + chain on my bike and it cost me £30 for the parts and maybe 20 minutes for the whole job, i would not even like to think how much a bike shop would charge me for it .
OP
OP
Cyclopathic
Veteran
- Location
- Leicester.
@Cyberknight. I would rather have spent my cash on a Halfords special than on the Barrosa. More to the point about half the cash.
@The Velvet Curtain. Why is it good to be from Leicester and who is the hilldodger. (If it is someone from Cyclemagic I would just say I've not known them very long and don't know any knicknames yet.) I'm off now for a quick browse of the bicycle tutor. Sounds familiar so I wonder if it's one I've come across. I would much rather spend any money on tools and then learn how to do particular jobs. I may be slow at first but I get there and I know it's been done.
@The Velvet Curtain. Why is it good to be from Leicester and who is the hilldodger. (If it is someone from Cyclemagic I would just say I've not known them very long and don't know any knicknames yet.) I'm off now for a quick browse of the bicycle tutor. Sounds familiar so I wonder if it's one I've come across. I would much rather spend any money on tools and then learn how to do particular jobs. I may be slow at first but I get there and I know it's been done.
cyberknight
As long as I breathe, I attack.
- Location
- Land of confusion
Looks like the barossa is on the same level after a quick google, i was not trying to be nasty just trying to help.
Angelfishsolo
A Velocipedian
- Location
- Cwmbach, South Wales
Hello there and welcome to the mad house 
OP
OP
Cyclopathic
Veteran
- Location
- Leicester.
Oh hells bells. I didn't think you were being nasty. Sorry if I gave that impression, I apreciate your opinion. The only thing that wasn't bargain basement about the Barrosa was the price I paid. There are machines just as good for about half the price.
I hope you accept my apology. The last thing I want to do is piss people off. Not on my first day at least.
The bicycle tutor is a great little sight. I've come across it before and he explains things very well. Another source I have found to be very useful is the latest Haynes bike manual. I was stoked when I discovered it as it is every bit as good as its automative counterparts.
