Hello from Captain in Bristol

[Captain]

Hello to all,

I've come across this forum whilst trying to get into Cycling.

My new years resolution this year is to get fitter having not been to 'in-shape' since I stopped climbing regularly. I work for the NHS so the typical BikeScheme has come around offering to get about 15% of the bill for a new bike and all the gear, so what better time for a bike.

Currently I walk to work which takes about 40mins so I'm hoping that the bike will improve this by at least 15mins, and also I want to ride the bike for fun and fitness on the weekends. I am also a PS3 gamer so not much exercise except for work.

My real problem at the moment is choosing the right bike for me now and in the future. I have only been doing internet research so I haven't even sat on a bike since I was about 16, now I'm 22.

The bike I'm thinking most about at the moment is the Boardman Bikes Hybrid Comp but I'm also torn by the, also Boardman, MTB/HT Sport. As this is my first bike in adult life I'm not sure how often I would need the bike to handle off-road and to what degree, having looked at the hybrid first I noticed that the wheel size is rather narrow - does this mean that I will have to be really careful when riding over things like steps? bumpy grass? even cobbles? (these are all things actually on my journey to work.)

Also, hello! I've been talking about myself too long, sorry, please do tell me if this warrants a new thread in the main forum.

Captain.

 

[aJohnson]

Hello and

Good that you want to get fitter. For commuting I'd personally say a Hybrid would be easier and quicker, but it's dependent on whether or not you want to do off-roading. I'm sure someone will pop in with better advice than me though.

 

[summerdays]

Hi (from Bristol), - for me I was going to say with the Sport as it has the triple rings at the front and I can't do hills very well, but its got front suspension and I would prefer the non-suspension bike - probably lighter and faster. As for whether narrow wheels will cope - my friends seem to manage OK and they have narrower tyres than me.

As you are in Bristol did you know that you can get 1 hours worth of training for £5 (after that the price goes up to £30) - the information is on the Better by Bike website.

And if you are in the centre then Evan have the Bristol cycle maps just inside the door - otherwise most other bike shops (probably not Halfords) have them too.

 

[bauldbairn]

Welcome to the Forum Captain.

 

[Captain]

cheers for the hi's!

@summerdays: I was wondering where I would find those kind of maps cheers!
I don't know what kind of use the wheels will stand up to, can wheels be changed for wider or narrower ones? (are the hubs standardized?)

@aJohnson: I don't think I'll be going off-road properly, I'm just worried in case I go over bumps to fast and bend a rim.

I think the Hybrid is my choice at the moment.

what is commuting in Bristol like? many problems? Cycle City helping?

 

[Jamesb]

Hi, if you are not going off roading then hybrid is the best chioce. Like summerdays said evans cycles has maps of cycle routes.

It has a decent cycle track, i get on there at fishponds and out towards bath and further, i dont go on there any closer to the city centre because people get mugged and attacked.

Cycling on the road is ok but i have encountered some occasions where drivers dont want you on the road but i haven't seen that in a while now.

 

[summerdays]

I've cycled on lots of bits of the cycle path on my own (female) during the DAY to get to different bits of the city. I wouldn't go on it at night time. Its very quiet on a wet cold day, but other than that there are usually quite a few people whether walking or cycling on it.

That said there was someone attached recently on it and their bike stolen.

Commuting in Bristol is fun, exhilarating, exhausting and sometimes annoying.

As to whether Cycle City is helping - I think so - lots of new stands all over the city (still not enough yet), and I'm certain there are more people cycling (but you can't separate out whether that was due to cycle city or not). All my kids have had cycle training through school. I've had several of our bikes tagged, and I use the upgraded path joining the Muller Road and St Werburgh's quite a bit. I think its certainly good having a team on the council with a cycling perspective. I just hope the council manages to find funding to carry on after the Cycling England grant runs out.

 

[Jamesb]

i go on the cycle track in the early morning, there is not much about then and when it is raining there is no one.

 

[summerdays]

Fishponds is the furthest I get up the path for commuting purposes - and I tend to use it in short bursts - for example today I will be on it for less than half a mile ... but its a nice bit of quiet.

 

[bauldbairn]

I think the Hybrid is my choice at the moment.

Similar situation myself at the moment - but it's between the Team and the Pro. There's also the incentive of the £100 free accessories before 28th Feb.

 

[Captain]

Hi Guys,

I'm going into Halfords (I know the evil H word) to buy my bike and gear, is there anything I need to watch out for? should I assemble my bike myself or should I get them to do it in-store?

Also does anyone know where to get reflective material? I wanted to sew it onto the back of my gloves for super signalling.

Captain

 

[summerdays]

Reflective wise - I believe Arch bought a cheap Hi-Viz from a pound shop and un-picked the reflective bits from that. It was posted on here about a month or two ago.

Halfords - which one - I heard of getting bad experiences at more than one of them locally - but both ones I heard about were a year or two ago and I expect staff change. What is your level of mechanical knowledge like - are you able yourself to check the bike over afterwards?

We bought a kids bike from there many many years ago ... and it arrived in a box, and we just had to put on pedals and straighten the handlebars if I remember correctly. However I wouldn't recommend their kids bikes. But the Boardman isn't in the same league (luckily).

 

[Jamesb]

Hi Guys,

I'm going into Halfords (I know the evil H word) to buy my bike and gear, is there anything I need to watch out for? should I assemble my bike myself or should I get them to do it in-store?

Also does anyone know where to get reflective material? I wanted to sew it onto the back of my gloves for super signalling.

Captain

evans cycles do a good range of reflective clothing, i bought a coat from them and i do stand out when it is dark. Halfords do a six week check up on your bike after you have bought it so take advantage of that.

 

[Captain]

I am planning to go to the Halfords store at Cribbs Causeway, they probably get a lot of business there so I'm sure they'll have plenty of staff up to the task.

Good move on getting hold of some reflective material - I must have a look around.

My level of mechanical knowledge is pretty good although my level of bicycle knowledge is minimal, I'm generally good at looking at a device and working out how it works/what might fail so I'm not worried about the maintenance that much - also I just discovered my uncle-in-law owned a bike shop and still services bikes regularly so I'm sorted!

Cheers for the info JamesB I'll take a look in there tomorrow, I've been looking at this jacket in Halfords.

 

[summerdays]

No idea about the jacket - I have a Altura Nightvision Jacket which has lots of reflective bits on - mines in a particularly fetching shade of bright pink!!! But I suspect that's probably not the colour you were thinking about.

Keep an eye on the bargin thread, I've found several good offers there.