Hello all
I'm having a late mid life crisis, and considering spending some of my 'motorcycle' savings on a bicycle - hence me hanging around here (thanks for the acceptance though :-))
Seriously, I've got to 61 and realised I needed to do summat about the drawback to my desk bound job, and my general lack of exercise. Having just joined a gym, I'm thinking, why not get a bike too. The motorcycle savings aren't going as well as planned, and I reckon dipping into them a bit for a pedal powered set of 2 wheels will light a different spark for the next few years while I carry on saving for that fix. I'm not giving up motorcycles just yet :-).
So anyway - I'll post a question on the proper 'What bike' tab, as suggested, as I've no idea where to start really, but my initial thoughts are a nice cyclocross or gravel bike will probably serve me well. I'm just keen to get something fo recreational use, getting fit, mostly road, bit of bridalway etc - you know, just a good all round capable bike that will serve well for a few years. Then when I've got one, no doubt I'll start the whole upgrade/add on toy thing.......what fun!
I'm well aware that my timing in buying a bike couldn't be worse - but I'm happy to go secondhand - oh yeah, all advice welcome in that dept too, as I'm sure there's many a pitfall I haven't accounted for - though my motorcycle buying/owning years may give me a clue ;-)
So apart from the bike, and joining quality forums like this, where do I start to educate myself about all things 'cycling' ?
I've got a local friend who's into mountain bikes, whose taught me a couple of things, and even sold me his unused carrera cyclocross bike a while back (but I needed to sell that last year for various reasons - yeah, I know, what a plonker!).
Are there any recommended 'maintenance' books, how do I educate myself about components, frame quality, tyre choice etc. For instance, how does a novice know a good groupset from a bad one (apart from price and "it's on a £2000 bike thus it must be good" ). How do you learn all these things apart from just years of being in the market, as it were. I'd like to educate myself a bit before taking the plunge.
So anyway that's me for now. Shropshire cycling wanna be, hoping to learn, enjoy and contribute to the whole cycling scene.
Cheers - great forum by the way - seems to have a mass of super educated and helpful folk on here - not like some of those dodgy motorcycle forums ha ha!!
I'm having a late mid life crisis, and considering spending some of my 'motorcycle' savings on a bicycle - hence me hanging around here (thanks for the acceptance though :-))
Seriously, I've got to 61 and realised I needed to do summat about the drawback to my desk bound job, and my general lack of exercise. Having just joined a gym, I'm thinking, why not get a bike too. The motorcycle savings aren't going as well as planned, and I reckon dipping into them a bit for a pedal powered set of 2 wheels will light a different spark for the next few years while I carry on saving for that fix. I'm not giving up motorcycles just yet :-).
So anyway - I'll post a question on the proper 'What bike' tab, as suggested, as I've no idea where to start really, but my initial thoughts are a nice cyclocross or gravel bike will probably serve me well. I'm just keen to get something fo recreational use, getting fit, mostly road, bit of bridalway etc - you know, just a good all round capable bike that will serve well for a few years. Then when I've got one, no doubt I'll start the whole upgrade/add on toy thing.......what fun!
I'm well aware that my timing in buying a bike couldn't be worse - but I'm happy to go secondhand - oh yeah, all advice welcome in that dept too, as I'm sure there's many a pitfall I haven't accounted for - though my motorcycle buying/owning years may give me a clue ;-)
So apart from the bike, and joining quality forums like this, where do I start to educate myself about all things 'cycling' ?
I've got a local friend who's into mountain bikes, whose taught me a couple of things, and even sold me his unused carrera cyclocross bike a while back (but I needed to sell that last year for various reasons - yeah, I know, what a plonker!).
Are there any recommended 'maintenance' books, how do I educate myself about components, frame quality, tyre choice etc. For instance, how does a novice know a good groupset from a bad one (apart from price and "it's on a £2000 bike thus it must be good" ). How do you learn all these things apart from just years of being in the market, as it were. I'd like to educate myself a bit before taking the plunge.
So anyway that's me for now. Shropshire cycling wanna be, hoping to learn, enjoy and contribute to the whole cycling scene.
Cheers - great forum by the way - seems to have a mass of super educated and helpful folk on here - not like some of those dodgy motorcycle forums ha ha!!
. I really do tend to overthink.
- and funnily enough, the 
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