First bike for 15-20 years - Advice please

[sleaver]

Ive been looking to get a bike recently because although a run 30-40k per week, I'd like to give my joints a rest from constant pounding while still keeping fit.

I'll apologise for the length of the post now, but I've been out to Evans Cycles and Halfords this morning and now have a few bikes in mind but would appreciate some other opinions.

Firstly, with Evans, I wasn't expecting to be able to ride them but they let me ride down the road and back. After not having ridden a bike for 15-20 years that was quite interesting. It was a case of how stupid could I look weaving all the way down the car park

Hybrid wise, Evans suggested the Specialized Sirrus Sport 2012 Hybrid Bike | Evans Cycles and said it was a good make because make most of their spare parts as well.

Halfords suggested the Halfords | Boardman Performance Hybrid Comp Bike 2011/2012 - Large 21" because it probably meets my needs and the Halfords | Boardman Performance Hybrid Team Bike 2011/2012 - Large 21" doesn't really add that much for the price. They also suggested the Halfords | Carrera Gryphon Hybrid Bike 2011/2012 - Large 21"

Road bike wise, Evans, although they didn't have it out, suggested the Specialized Allez Compact 2013 Road Bike | Evans Cycles as it's within my budget and is a 2013 model. Halfords suggested the Halfords | Boardman Road Team Bike 2011/2012 - Large 55cm because they advised against the Halfords | Boardman Road Race Bike 2011/2012 - Large 55cm for reasons I'll come to in a moment.

Evans Cycles were explaining that on road bikes, they gear selectors can be in different places. The bikes in my budget had the brakes as one selector but the other was in a position that you couldn't reach if you had your hands on the drop bars. Where as, on the more expensive bikes, both were on the brake levers and could both be reached on the drop bars. So, although my budget kind of decides what I go for, is having one of the selectors out of reach when on the drop bars going to be a problem?

Now, Halfords suggested the more expensive road bike because of the bottom bracket being a BB30 one and that there would be no point in going for the Comp because in 6-9 months time, everything will have a BB30 bottom bracket and it's apparently so much better. Is that true or should I be looking at the Team instead of the Comp?

Halfords also said, because of the roads, I should probably go for a Hybrid as they may be tough going for a road bike and wear it out. Probably the best way of describing the non A roads around me is that there pretty much normal B roads compared to the standards in this country. Uneven and quite a few pot holes. The following is the worst that I could think of and even then I probably wouldn't use it as It'd stick to a wider road parallel to it: Smallfield - Google Maps. This is close to where I live: Smallfield - Google Maps

Lastly, after riding a hybrid and road bike, the road bike felt more comfortable because with the hybrid, I seemed to be supporting my whole body weight with my arms dead straight, where as with the road bike, they were more bent and relaxed. My back did ache a bit but then it does when I've been standing still for quite a while and I assume it's not used to riding which if the later is the case, I assume it would get used to it and adapt after a while.

So if that lot hasn't sent you to sleep, what are your opinions? I think the main things I'm thinking about are:

• Road or Hybrid. I think I would prefer road but will some roads around me allow it! Although I have seen road bikes around here as well as hybrids.
• Gear selector positions although my budget will probably be the deciding factor on that!
• Opinions on the bikes that have been suggested to me.
• Are Halfords right about the BB30 bracket?

P.S. Evans Cycles said that a 58 sized bike is probably right for me however, Boardmans only seem to go to 21"/55cm. Would that be a problem?

Oh, and I can safely say, riding a £1200 road bike is quite nerve racking considering I have never ridden a proper road bike in my life!

 

[wheres_my_beard]

I'll keep this short. Have you considered a Cyclocross bike? Halford have a nice Boardman CX bike (link) and I have one of these Whyte bikes, available from Evans (link although mine doesn't look so weird in real life) which I am still over the moon with after 8 months. They're like a road bike but can take some serious rough stuff.

 

[sleaver]

I have actually looked at the Cyclocross today. Is it basically a hybrid with drop bars?

I forgot to mention that my budget is ideally between £500-£600. However, after discounts and cash back the Boardman Cyclocross could be a possibility.

Also, where I live is a bit hilly in the surrounding areas, there's one 12% hill that I know of, so the lighter the better but I understand that there will be a trade off with my budget.

 

[wheres_my_beard]

CX bikes will probably come in lighter than hybrids, as they are aimed at a slightly more sporty end of things, around the 10-10.5kg mark. Take one for spin if you can. Gearing and riding position will help you more up hills and CX are meant for challenging terrain > here's a random youtube clip <

 

[goody]

I ride around your way quite a lot on the main roads, a road bike will be fine. If you get a hybrid now it won't be long before you start wanting a roadie it sounds like you prefer one now. Some bikes in Halfords might be ok but the advise they gave is BS. if the bike you decide on comes with a bb30 bottom bracket then fair enough but I wouldn't choose a bike for that reason.
Visit some more bike shops a get some better advice £1000 is a lot to spend on the wrong bike. As for sizing manufacturers use different ways of specifying frame sizes the old way of using the seat tube length is not so important with sloping top tubes, the more important measurement is the horizontal top tube length (distance between seat and handlebars). If you really need to change gears when riding on the drops (which won't be much of the time) then you need shimano tiagra at least or campagnolo or sram (shimano is much more common on bikes under £1000). I don't think I'd get any of the bikes you've listed, I'd consider a Giant defy 1 (or 2 if that's pushing the budget too far) or maybe a Cannondale CAAD8. I think this time of year most of the popular models will be in short supply.
I typed that before you posted your budget of £600, you should be able to find tiagra equiped bikes for around that price.

 

[vickster]

New Tiagra bikes are more like £700-800+ - Giant Defy 2 can be got for £650-700 at the mo, but very short supply. Up to that price, almost all are Sora or even 2300

Cyclesurgery on Purley Way have a few deals at the mo - did a couple of weeks ago anyhow!

It sounds like the hybrid you test rode was too big!

A CX bike will allow you to go on more rough terrain

 

[Scilly Suffolk]

• Road or Hybrid [or cyclo-cross]. I think I would prefer road but will some roads around me allow it! Although I have seen road bikes around here as well as hybrids.

Before deciding what style of bike you need, you need to decide what style of riding you will be doing; also bear in mind that the categories bike are sold in aren't cast in stone and owe a great deal to the marketing departments of bike manufacturers and retailers.

What you have written suggests that you will be cycling for exercise and recreation on the road, for which a road bike would be best suited.

The idea that a hybrid is necessarily more hardy than a road bike is crap; apart from which, this is England and not the back of beyond and our roads are fine: don't ride straight through pot holes at full speed, is good advice whatever type of bike you're riding.

• Gear selector positions although my budget will probably be the deciding factor on that!

The three main component manufacturers use different methods to change gear:
- Campagnolo use a button and a lever, but it's a better design than Shimano's and gear changes are possible from all hand positions. However you are unlikely to find Campag on bikes in your budget.
- Shimano use a button and lever on budget groupsets and two levers above that. As has been pointed out you can't use the button from every position, but how often you will be changing gear from the drops is another question.
- SRAM use one lever to change both up and down: either tapping it once or twice.

There are far more important considerations when buying a new bike than this alone.

• Opinions on the bikes that have been suggested to me.

Only in general terms: you will have to try very hard to buy a "bad" bike for £500/600. Boardman bikes in particular have a great reputation for being good quality and great value; Halfords on the other hand have quite a poor reputation for after-sales service and the quality of their spanner work.

• Are Halfords right about the BB30 bracket?

No.

Firstly, if this is your first bike I will put money on you having sold it before it needs replacing: BB last ten, fifteen, even twenty years, so it is irrelevant.

Secondly, you can still buy "old" style loose-bearing BB some twenty years after cartridge BB were introduced, so even if BB30 did suddenly reign supreme, it doesn't mean that every other type will suddenly become unavailable.

 

[sleaver]

Thanks for all the advice so far. I think I am thinking more of a road bike, because after all British roads are what they are like!

Been out looking again today and went to a different Evans who suggested the following:

Fuji Newest 3.0 2012 Road Bike | Evans Cycles
Fuji Newest 1.0 2012 Road Bike | Evans Cycles

This one mentioned about the number of gears on the back and said that 10 is better than 8 or 9. Is that true and is that something I even need to worry about?

Out of the two above, he said that for the extra £100 I would get Tiagra shifters and 10 speed. So what are people's opinions?

I'm also going to go to a bike shop after work tomorrow who stock Giant bikes. It has been run by 4 generations of the same family so hopefully I'll also get good advice in there.

Goody - What area's do you tend to ride in around here?

 

[Scilly Suffolk]

Are you a) intending to go touring with panniers or b) live in a very hilly area?

Both bikes have mounts for racks and triple chainsets, so they are built with relaxed touring in mind (although the lack of mudguard mounts is a curious omission). Nothing wrong with that, just as long as you know what you're buying. The 3.0 looks quite over-priced for the specification and the 1.0 isn't unbeatable by any means.

Whether ten sprockets at the back is debatable: rather than a much wider range (ie faster/harder and slower/easier gears), they will be more evenly spaced so that there is not such a jump from one gear to the next: important if you are racing and need to keep a constant cadence, less so for us mortals.

A more important consideration is that the cost of chains, cassettes and chainwheels increases with the number of gears; but as the cost rises the life span decreases! There is only the same amount of space between the dropouts to fit the extra gears, so the parts have to be thinner and more closely spaced.

Having said that, you'll struggle to find a new eight speed bike and, as ten has become the "standard", nines are becoming less readily available.

More generally, as the Summer draws to a close and the 2013 bikes are released, you will soon be able to pick up some great bikes: now is not the best time to be buying new!

 

[Alembicbassman]

I wouldn't worry about the paddle shifters on the Tiagra and above, for pootling the 2300/Sora level is fine. I have used them both and now prefer the button shifting on the lower end stuff. I hardly ever rode in the drops, and when I did I set the gear I wanted and only changed when I went back to the hoods or tops.

The flat bar bikes have the mountain bike 'rapid fire' shifters which are fine also. The revoshift ones aren't great, although some people love them.

I have had a few Carrera bikes including the Gryphon V spec. They are heavier when compared to the big names. The Gryphon was 14kg (heavy for a road bike) The Valour I had was aslo on the heavy side.

Prices have gone up massively in the last 4 years. I nearly bought a 58cm Trek 1000 (Shimano Sora) in 2008 for £375, the equivalent model now is £600 ish. Quantitative easing, high metal prices and the weak pound have contributed to this.

I bought my full Shimano 105 Raleigh road bike on clearance in 2009 for £500 and just sold it for £500.

I have just bought one of these, which I thought was great value at £499.http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/products/revolution-audax-12

Reynolds 525 steel frame, Sora mixed with other own branded components. Full mudguards - essential for UK.

This cross bike is a bit of a bargain at £359 - wider tyres and a bit of an all rounder http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/products/revolution-cross-12

Very similar to the Specialized Tricross, but a lot cheaper, can ride on paths and trails also, pot hole friendly.

I am not a club racer, but do go out with a local CTC group on occasion and ride up to 70 miles with them. The club I rode with once were more concerned with replica kits and full carbon. The CTC like cakes, bacon butties and mugs of tea.

You should be able to get some deals now the 2013 bikes are on their way. If you budget £500 you should get a decent bike.

I found a drop bar more comfy over long rides than a flat bar, some race bikes will have a more aggressive riding position, others like the Giant Defy will be more upright and designed for more relaxed rides.

Don't forget to budget £100 for clothes and accessories.

Ash cycles have some deals on the Defy range. Evans have the Jamis Satellite Sport and Comp for £449 and £599 respectively. Both look like nice bikes.

 

[sleaver]

I'll mainly use it to split up running until about April/March next year when I plan on cycling more than running because of the impact running causes. So basically I would like a bike that will help keep me fit and in shape. I'm not made of money so it will have to last a while or possibly be upgradable because I won't be able to afford another bike in 6-12 months. Where I live is sort of hilly, but they are the sort of hills that I can run up without losing to much pace but there is one 12% gradient hill that I know of but I still managed to run up that.

My problem is that I like to get the best that I can and all the people in the shops saying "This is better than that" doesn't help. However, I think I just need to get a bike that fit's me and that I like in my budget and just forget things like Tiagra is better than Sora, 10 sprockets is better than 9. Yes they may be better, but I just want to have fun and stay fit, it's not like I'm going to be doing the Tour de France next year!

Does that help with any other suggestions?

More generally, as the Summer draws to a close and the 2013 bikes are released, you will soon be able to pick up some great bikes: now is not the best time to be buying new!

I thought now was a good time because shops are starting to sell off their 2012 stock.

Cloths and accessories, I was told this morning that I would probably just need helmet and a pair of padded shorts to start off with. Is there anything else that will add to the cost. I did think of a Garmin, but then the Forerunner 410 I have can be mounted and used with a cadence sensor so I don't need a bike specific computer yet.

 

[Scilly Suffolk]

Sorry, what I wrote is a little contradictory: I meant that now is a little early to be getting the best bargains, you won't see much discounted for a month or so..

If you were to twist my arm, I would say that you won't be disappointed by something from the Boardman range, but will probably want to take it to a proper shop for servicing. As you're on a budget you shouldn't ignore the Triban range from Decathlon: outstanding value, plenty of recommendations from happy riders and great service; the only fly in the ointment is that you might have to travel to find a branch or buy over the internet.

They also sell great budget clothing and accessories. DHB, which is Wiggle's in-house brand also offer good value clothing. As well as shorts you should get a top; your running tops might be suitable in the short term as you want something to wick the sweat away from your body.

Stiff soled cycling shoes would be next on my list, but then you need to consider what sort of foot restraint you want to use, so for now I would leave that to one side.

See how you get on with the 4th generation bike shop tomorrow: they sound quite promising and a good relationship with a good shop is worth a lot of cash in the long run.

 

[Alembicbassman]

I would not recommend an external bearing bottom bracket on a cheap bike, if the shell or seat faces are misaligned, the threads not cut properly or the bearing pre-load is set incorrectly it will fail much more quickly than a standard sealed cartridge or cup and cone type. Water and dirt ingress seem to be an issue too. A sealed cartridge unit costs £10 to replace as opposed to £30 for the external units.

 

[sleaver]

I would not recommend an external bearing bottom bracket on a cheap bike, if the shell or seat faces are misaligned, the threads not cut properly or the bearing pre-load is set incorrectly it will fail much more quickly than a standard sealed cartridge or cup and cone type. Water and dirt ingress seem to be an issue too. A sealed cartridge unit costs £10 to replace as opposed to £30 for the external units.

Is there an English translation? I guess because I asked that question, it's not something I need to be worrying about!

 

[Scilly Suffolk]

Two websites that will prove invaluable:
- for straightforward, no BS explanations of all things cycling, head over to Sheldon Brown.
- for straightforward, no BS explanations of all things mechanical, head over to the Park Tools blog.