Brand X
Guest
I rode my first bike when I was 5 years old, and I've used bikes on and off ever since for short distances, usually less than a 3 mile round trip, never more than about 30 if I was feeling particularly adventurous and at an average speed of overtaken-by-little-old-ladies. But I thought maybe it's time I bought myself a half-decent bike to give myself some motivation to get out there more, so I have just purchased a 2014 Boardman Sport hybrid; not the most expensive bike in the World and with a 15% weekend-special discount it cost me under £330 (that's $500 in foreign money) but it's rated highly and a more expensive, lightweight version isn't going to make any difference at my level of riding.
The question is... now that I've bought it, how do I ride it?
To most people who aren't seriously into cycling, there are four basic types of bicycle:
• Mountain bike (sic)
• BMX
• Racing bike
• Normal bike
The bikes I have mainly ridden are comfort-hybrid bikes - ie, normal bikes with fairly high handlebars. The Boardman is a hybrid, but it is not a comfort-hybrid, it's closer to a flat-bar road bike, and I really don't know how to ride it yet. All I know how to ride are "normal" bikes.
I did try a drop-handlebar tourer once, but it was probably too big for me and I am of the firm opinion that the brake levers are in the wrong place; it is not humanly possible to squeeze the brake levers without either (a) contorting your wrists to a strange angle and trying to press the levers without the aid of your thumbs, or (b) letting go of the handlebars. What I think of this design I shall refrain from typing due to forum rules restrictions.
So, that's why I went for the hybrid. If I can't learn how to ride it then I've made a poor choice and I would have been better off buying a comfort-hybrid, in which case I'll fit a different stem or maybe sell up.
I have asked at about five or six different bike shops over the years about how to ride a "racing style" bike, the response I got in Halfords (large chain store) was like:
Staff guy: "oh, they're fantastic"
Me: "Yes, I've seen a lot of people on road bikes around.."
Staff guy starts talking about his bike and his favorite routes..
Me: "umm.. yeah, but how do you ride them?"
Staff guy: "ummmmm.....err .....ummmmm"
And my local friendly independent bike store....
Staff guy: "oh, they're fantastic"
Me: "Yes, I've seen a lot of.."
Staff guy starts talking about his bike and his favorite routes.. deja-vu...
Me: "umm.. yes that's nice, but how do you ride them?"
Staff guy: "ummmmm.....err .....ummmmm"
And then my local small bike chain..
Staff guy: "oh, they're fantastic"
Me: "Yes, they do seem to be very popular, but.."
Staff guy starts talking about his bike, favorite routes, his other bike and how much do I want to spend..
Me: "umm.. yeah, but how do you ride them?"
Staff guy: "ummmmm.....err .....ummmmm"
I am beginning to see a pattern here. No one seems to be able to explain how the hell you ride those things.
Does anyone know? It's just like when I challenge people to explain how they know how to park their cars in a tight spot when they cannot see the front or rear of their own vehicle. It's like trying to ask a squirrel how it knows where it's nuts are. It's a mystery.
I'm just about barely comfortable on my old Marin Kentfield, which is significantly more upright than the Boardman; even from riding the Boardman home which was less than a mile I can feel an ache in the small of my back (time for an ibuprofen) so when the weather improves (blowing a gale out there at the moment) I'll have to look at playing with the seat height and position. But I doubt that alone is going to be enough. I need to learn how to ride.
The question is... now that I've bought it, how do I ride it?
To most people who aren't seriously into cycling, there are four basic types of bicycle:
• Mountain bike (sic)
• BMX
• Racing bike
• Normal bike
The bikes I have mainly ridden are comfort-hybrid bikes - ie, normal bikes with fairly high handlebars. The Boardman is a hybrid, but it is not a comfort-hybrid, it's closer to a flat-bar road bike, and I really don't know how to ride it yet. All I know how to ride are "normal" bikes.
I did try a drop-handlebar tourer once, but it was probably too big for me and I am of the firm opinion that the brake levers are in the wrong place; it is not humanly possible to squeeze the brake levers without either (a) contorting your wrists to a strange angle and trying to press the levers without the aid of your thumbs, or (b) letting go of the handlebars. What I think of this design I shall refrain from typing due to forum rules restrictions.
So, that's why I went for the hybrid. If I can't learn how to ride it then I've made a poor choice and I would have been better off buying a comfort-hybrid, in which case I'll fit a different stem or maybe sell up.
I have asked at about five or six different bike shops over the years about how to ride a "racing style" bike, the response I got in Halfords (large chain store) was like:
Staff guy: "oh, they're fantastic"
Me: "Yes, I've seen a lot of people on road bikes around.."
Staff guy starts talking about his bike and his favorite routes..
Me: "umm.. yeah, but how do you ride them?"
Staff guy: "ummmmm.....err .....ummmmm"
And my local friendly independent bike store....
Staff guy: "oh, they're fantastic"
Me: "Yes, I've seen a lot of.."
Staff guy starts talking about his bike and his favorite routes.. deja-vu...
Me: "umm.. yes that's nice, but how do you ride them?"
Staff guy: "ummmmm.....err .....ummmmm"
And then my local small bike chain..
Staff guy: "oh, they're fantastic"
Me: "Yes, they do seem to be very popular, but.."
Staff guy starts talking about his bike, favorite routes, his other bike and how much do I want to spend..
Me: "umm.. yeah, but how do you ride them?"
Staff guy: "ummmmm.....err .....ummmmm"
I am beginning to see a pattern here. No one seems to be able to explain how the hell you ride those things.
Does anyone know? It's just like when I challenge people to explain how they know how to park their cars in a tight spot when they cannot see the front or rear of their own vehicle. It's like trying to ask a squirrel how it knows where it's nuts are. It's a mystery.
I'm just about barely comfortable on my old Marin Kentfield, which is significantly more upright than the Boardman; even from riding the Boardman home which was less than a mile I can feel an ache in the small of my back (time for an ibuprofen) so when the weather improves (blowing a gale out there at the moment) I'll have to look at playing with the seat height and position. But I doubt that alone is going to be enough. I need to learn how to ride.