My advice to newbies.

[Alan O]

Newbie here.

Not cycled for nigh on 20 years and my wife and I feel it's time to lose some weight and get out there. Our 8 year old has been badgering us too as she loves cycling.

Went to oi local shop at the weekend and bought a forme peak trail 3 for me and a python Daytona for the missus.

Can't wait to pick them up next Saturday.

I started cycling again last year after a similar break, and it's one of the best things I've done - I really wish I'd got back to it a lot sooner. Enjoy your new bikes, your return to cycling, and your time at this very friendly and helpful forum.

Alan

 

[Philhh]

Just remember that getting the right fit is more important than getting a good deal on a bike. You may find that the bike you think is right for you is a wrong fit.

You are so right-Getting the right fit is really important for men but especially for women-the girls my lady cycles with all have cross bar brakes for example -because shimano levers are too big for their hands (she has campaignolo which are thinner) she has a ladies saddle and a shorter stem and it took quite a bit of time getting her bike right but now it is right she loves it (them-a ribble 725 and genesis 30)This can make all the difference to your enjoyment look at Victoria Pendleton comments and british cyclings solutions regarding saddle positions for girls if you are fitting a bike up for a lady

 

[GuyBoden]

Dark Sunglasses can at times make it difficult to see pot holes in the shady parts of the road, obviously this can be a dangerous combination.

 

[Bonacentral]

If you are new or 20 years off search Google for articles and what type of bike you will need.

MTBs were all the rage in my youth in the 90s. Everyone had them. The closest I ever got to a "mountain" was the heath an old BMX track and old railway lines. I guess we were all young, dumb and full of come and expended excessive energy that never really got us anywhere!!

If the majority of your riding is going to be on roads or cyclepaths you really don't need suspension.

For most people a double - 2 chainrings with 18 - 22 gears is more than enough.

For most people a COMPACT double with chainrings 50 and 34 teeth is more than enough

You are infinitely better off losing weight off your body before you start paying to lose it off your bike.

Get a decent lock. Get decent lights - and use them and ensure they stay charged or you get batteries. Use a rear in the daytime.

Remember to use the "lifesaver" - look over your right shoulder and basically have good vision and awareness. The amount of drivers who don't is dangerous.

You don't need a bell. If you on a shared path and someone isn't aware of you slow down and say "excuse me"....

Hopefully you get the gist haha!!

 

[emilyisfun]

Wondering what sort of bike to buy? Start here.

pretty much everyday there is a post on this forum saying,

'hi newbie, which bike?'

This is good, the people on this forum are passionate about helping people begin cycling.

Unfortunately there are so many, that the responses can be somewhat sporadic. It's not that people dont want to help but it really does get asked an awful lot. These are my views, there are a lot of people with more experience than me on here, but i have been in the same position as most people asking this question as i only got back into cycling over the last couple of years. i have included a lot of generalisaton but these tend to be comonly expressed views on this forum.

So what have you got?
First things first, i'm fairly sure that most people on here have, in a deep dark corner of the garage 'an old bike'. Well thats good, drag it out hose it off and assess the beast. Put some air in the tyres (i KNOW that theyre flat!). My guess is that this bike will do 90% of people who are getting back into cycling, at least for the first couple of months. If it has been in there, unused for a good while, say 4 years plus treat it to a service at your local bike shop (LBS). This should cost you about £60. Use it, enjoy it and if you are lucky you will have no need of new bikes.
If however there is no 'old bike' in the garage or it is completely inappropriate or unsafe then read on.

Firstly a bit of background
You can buy bikes EVERYWHERE nowadays. so lets have a look at the options.

Internet - Great deals - Little service, problems with sizing, not for the uninitiated
Discount suppliers - Motorworld and the like - Very Cheap, Bikes from about £80. The reason theyre cheap is because they're crap. Avoid at all costs.
Specialist bike chains - Buy a bike mag, the big swanky adds will be bike chains, Evans, Edinburgh Cycle co-op. and the like. They offer great choice, decent service and keen pricing. - A bit too corporate for some tastes (not edinburgh cycle co-op which i beleive is a proper co-operative)
Local Bike Shop-Every town has at least one, they dont always have the greatest choice but they do have almost without exception a passion for cycling, and a desire to see you leave on the right bike for you. Fnd a good one and you will treasure it like your firstborn child. These men and women know their stuff.

All things being equal - use your LBS, you wont regret it.

Halfords-One of britains biggest bike retailers, tens of thousands ride happiy on bikes from halfords. They are selling some pretty nice looking Chris Boardman bikes right now. But it is fair to say that they have earned a poor reputation on cycling forums like this. So use with trepidation.

You want a bike? WHAT FOR?
What sort of journeys do you have in mind? This is THE crucial question to deciding what bike you chould buy. I reckon the easiest way to adress this is to look generally at what each type of bike does, then match it to your needs.

ROAD BIKE - A racer as most of us used to call them when we were kids. If you are of a certain vintage then you will find things have changed... A LOT! They are as light as a feather and very quick. But by far the biggest change is that there are no more levers to change gear any more, they are incorporated into the brake levers and it was an invention bordering on genuis!! Dropped handle bars, thin wheels and tyres, anywhere between 10 and 27 gears. These are light fast, used for commuting where your journey is by road (or very good quality cycle tow path). Used for keeping fit, club and sportive (long timed rides). Not great for hooking up child seats trailers etc. If it was a car it would be a Ferrari.
View attachment 162108


HYBRID - pretty much designed to be fast commuters. They have 'flat' handlebars, (more comfortable/better view) Good brakes and bits that commuters need such as screws for mudgaurds and panniers etc, Use on road and good quality cycle paths. not ideal for the 'sportier' side of cycling. If it was a car it would be a Golf GTI

View attachment 162109



TOURER - a sort of relaxed road bike, will do everything that the bikes above will and a hole lot more, if a tad slower. Comes with holes and screws for lots of panniers and racks in case you fancy going to Bolivia. A comfortable ride. If it was a car it would be a Volvo Estate.

View attachment 162110



MOUNTAIN BIKES

Heavyier and sturdier than the bikes listed above. They have different gearing too, which means it's much easier to get up hills on them but not quite so easy to tear along on the flat. Not my area of expertise but they generally fall into three catagories

Rigid - Similar to a Hybrid but a bit slower. Big fat tyres = comfy ride. great for tarmac and rougher trails and cycle ways. Ideal for fitting kids seats to it. A great all rounder used by lots of commuters. If it was a car it would be a Ford Mondeo.

View attachment 162111



Frount suspension - Great for rough x country rides and a little tarmac based riding. Quite slow as theyre heavy and 'bouncing up and down is an in efficient use of energy. If it was a car it would be a RAV 4.

View attachment 162112

Full Suspension - usually identified by a metal spring or similar connected to the back of the bike - these are really specialist sports bikes for full on mountain biking. If it was a car it would be a Land Rover.

View attachment 162113

Specialist bikes - recumbent, trikes, folders, bmx...... the list is endless but most people returning to cycling pass these by. No matter what you are interested in someone on these forums will have one or have ridden one so ask away


Now consider the original question, what journeys will you be using the bike for? Once you have an idea of which bike is for you then get on the internet and get out to the shops. The staff will help you and when you have narrowed it down to two or three models post here and people will find it much easier to advise you on specific bikes. Your big limiting factor is budget but there is something out there for everyone, even if youre skint the second hand market can usually turn something suitable up.

There you go, thats my advice i hope you find it useful. This should with luck enable you to begin making sense of the bike market today. Any feedback welcome.

Andy

Hey Thank you so much for this Andy, this post was SUPERRRRR helpfull!

Excellent stuff, andyfromotley.

Admin - should this be a Sticky ?

Agreeed, probrbly shoudl be, this can help allot of peolpe

 

[Ociessly]

Hi, I'm a newbie, and thank you for advice. Actually i wanted to start the professional cycling era in my life, but not so long ago i started to have some health problems related with sleep disorder and i just stopped my goal, and started to treat my disorder, but I'm sure that soon I'm going to feel much better, and all the advises that you have shared here are going to be useful for me. Thank you !

 

[mattp]

I've had a bike for years but would still class myself as a newbie. Very good advice :-). My question is though - how do you know when you're ready to go from a MTB to road bike? I've found that my MTB with road orientated tyres is just too heavy for long rides, but still don't know if Hybrid or Road is the way forward.

 

[stoatsngroats]

Matts, I would say it depends on what you'll be doing most, as road cycling is better than hybrid if all you cycle is along made roads. If venturing off tarmac, maybe a hybrid, but consider where you'll ride most?
I'm just selling my road bike, as my partner prefers tracks and unmade roads due to limited confidence, but my road bike has been great for 13 mile e/w commutes. A hybrid would have been ok, but the racer is much better!
We'll be getting emtb soon, and that will be the end of my road days!

 

[Wildsnoopster]

Very helpful. This aligns to most that I have read. However I have a range of questions that stem from the first question you are asked as a new rider. What is the purpose.

So my purpose is initially to provide a rest for my legs when running. So I run 4 times a week and want one of those to be a cycle to reduce impact injuries. I am not cycle fit but have run marathons in the past so am not generally unfit.

However my plan is that this bike will also be used for a commute into London once or twice a week once I have developed some cycle fitness and then there is also a desire to try out a triathlon at some point.

Will a roadbike with the appropriate eyelets for mudguards be OK for this. The commute would be c30k each way.

Also I wanted to ask what are the essentials to get other than the bike? I have cycle vest, padded shorts, shoes, lights and waterproofs down but there is so much to choose from and I'm a bit sceptical of what is needed and what is just cycle shops trying to make a profit.

 

[stoatsngroats]

[QUOTE="Wildsnoopster, post: 4925626, member: 52725]
Will a roadbike with the appropriate eyelets for mudguards be OK for this. The commute would be c30k each way.

Also I wanted to ask what are the essentials to get other than the bike? I have cycle vest, padded shorts, shoes, lights and waterproofs down but there is so much to choose from....[/QUOTE]

I use one of those removable mudguards, cannot remember which, and it's been fine.
I would have a spare tube, multi tool, scabs, etc, and a pump and co2 cylinder, all in the seat bag.
Oh, and a banana too!

 

[50K]

(Sorry, this post is in reply to page 1 where fellow users are saying you should go to your local rather than other options, here's my take on it)

I went to my LBS in the interest of keeping my money locally and trying to stop my high street from shutting down completely (there's quite a few close downs in the last couple of years,still empty).
Unfortunately for them, I did my time in a small bike / sports shop nearer to central London (as an assistant mechanic) so saw how some people exaggerate damage in order to up the repair bill, the minute he said ''oh noooo, your bottom bracket needs replacing, it's almost gone!'' I knew he was TTP and that was why I will have a hard time ever trusing a Family / Home bike shop because it happens all too often. So basically, he wanted to do £250 repairs on a £320 hybrid that was a little over a year old - I am a commuter and do perhaps 240-250 kms per week so yes, it needed some real repairs and I fully understand that as a business, he will be charging me a markup on the parts, but to lie outright like that thinking I was just another clueless commuter. The dead giveaway was he didnt even spin the crank before claiming the bracket was almost gone. So people like these individuals, claiming 25 years in the business, who are willing to risk their reputation by mosdescribing the damage deserve bad credit and exposing in my opinion. A good bike shop will have both normal cyclists who dont do any DIY and cycle fanatics who love stripping their bikes both saying that the service is great.

My only experience with Evans is purchasing and going in for the 6 weekly free service, as well as having something replaced under warranty which was a bad experience, they replaced a decent tyre with some glossy fong kong thing I could have bought on ebay for £8 and I was pretty much accused of overpumping the tyres which caused a blow out.

I went into Cycle Surgery once and unfortunately they didn't sell the part I needed, but the general service and advice I received was excellent and I now wish I had one nearby.

In conclusion, I am now a youtube / ebay DIY repairer which is good that I am learning new skills but sad for my local economy as I'm not too keen that some of my money goes to US big business ...

PS: this is my first post, not intended to be a rant, cheers

 

[50K]

Will a roadbike with the appropriate eyelets for mudguards be OK for this. The commute would be c30k each way.

Also I wanted to ask what are the essentials to get other than the bike? I have cycle vest, padded shorts, shoes, lights and waterproofs down but there is so much to choose from and I'm a bit sceptical of what is needed and what is just cycle shops trying to make a profit.

Order tyreliners online, one set should do fine, I initially ordered 2 sets but what happens is that they slide inside the tyre and end up slicing the sides of the innter tube, I also slice a line down the inside of an old inner tube and use this as a barrier between the tyre and the liner (which sits normally between the tube and tyre). This makes my tyres almost inpenetrable (I'm using low end kevlar guard tyres on a commuter hybrid), the only things which penetrate are serious shards of glass and sometimes pyracantha thorns / hawthorns. I get less than one puncure a month and I commute about the same as what you are planning.

Try hit the canals if you can for your commute to get away from the loonies!! trust me, this is essential if you can. DONT CYCLE THE CANAL IF YOU REFUSE TO USE YOUR BELL! <friendly warning

A proper lock! even if you think its alright you can store your bike somewhere at work etc. remember they WILL NOT let you on with a non folding bike on the tube or any other rail inside peak hours no matter what your physical condition is (TFL / LU are now a careless corporation that has zero compassion, it's rare to be able to find a human being who will give you a break at 4:01 pm to let you on with your bike). So may end up needing to lock your bike at a station if you end up with a serious bike issue etc. We used to see a few people come in, spend loads on the bike and accessories then buy a £5 lock (the shop I used to work in bought locks from 99p stores and resold them for £5!) only to come in a week later asking what is the cheapest bike we sold ... you can guess where the other one went.

Gloves, knee protection and kidney protection if you are going to cycle in the colder months.

Cycling with waterproofs is horrible, I only do it because I work outdoors and have nowhere to change / store other clothing. get good mudguards and waterproof shoes.

Decent pannier rack and bag/s (I got all mine online) because you get back pains / neck strain with backpacks over long distances like that.

Loud bell (people these days cycle / walk / jog with damn earphones in on full blast) not to mention they are zombified by their ''smart'' phones and can hardly walk straight nevermind properly navigate around a city ...

Pump with gauge, spare tubes, triangle allen key, adjustable spanner, philipps screwdriver etc.

I think that's it.

 

[Alan O]

(Sorry, this post is in reply to page 1 where fellow users are saying you should go to your local rather than other options, here's my take on it)

I went to my LBS in the interest of keeping my money locally and trying to stop my high street from shutting down completely (there's quite a few close downs in the last couple of years,still empty).
Unfortunately for them, I did my time in a small bike / sports shop nearer to central London (as an assistant mechanic) so saw how some people exaggerate damage in order to up the repair bill, the minute he said ''oh noooo, your bottom bracket needs replacing, it's almost gone!'' I knew he was TTP and that was why I will have a hard time ever trusing a Family / Home bike shop because it happens all too often. So basically, he wanted to do £250 repairs on a £320 hybrid that was a little over a year old - I am a commuter and do perhaps 240-250 kms per week so yes, it needed some real repairs and I fully understand that as a business, he will be charging me a markup on the parts, but to lie outright like that thinking I was just another clueless commuter. The dead giveaway was he didnt even spin the crank before claiming the bracket was almost gone. So people like these individuals, claiming 25 years in the business, who are willing to risk their reputation by mosdescribing the damage deserve bad credit and exposing in my opinion. A good bike shop will have both normal cyclists who dont do any DIY and cycle fanatics who love stripping their bikes both saying that the service is great.

My only experience with Evans is purchasing and going in for the 6 weekly free service, as well as having something replaced under warranty which was a bad experience, they replaced a decent tyre with some glossy fong kong thing I could have bought on ebay for £8 and I was pretty much accused of overpumping the tyres which caused a blow out.

I went into Cycle Surgery once and unfortunately they didn't sell the part I needed, but the general service and advice I received was excellent and I now wish I had one nearby.

In conclusion, I am now a youtube / ebay DIY repairer which is good that I am learning new skills but sad for my local economy as I'm not too keen that some of my money goes to US big business ...

PS: this is my first post, not intended to be a rant, cheers

There are rip-off merchants in any trade, but I do think a good LBS is worth a lot (if you can find a good one). At the moment I have a bike in with my local one (Quinns in Liverpool) for a tricky headset fitting, and they've quoted approx £20 - which seems perfectly reasonable to me.

 

[Randombiker9]

Tips to new cyclists. It's only been a few months since I started cycling to college.
The things I've learnt is always have a working bike make sure you do a quick check before you go out e.g air brakes chain quick release
Also when out on the road remember these 5 things
Be confident- if your confident you'll be fine with your bike handing
Be visible and heard- have lights at dawn dusk and night which is the law. Also reflective chlothing and flurescont is a good idea. If you don't have any of these and just cycle when it's light outside wear bright chlothing and if possible if you wear a helmet try to also get a bright colour
Be aware
Be alert
Be assertive
Be predictable (always signal and make eye contact when needed)
Locking tip- if you only have one lock. Put the lock through rear wheel, frame and stand. I see so many people making this mistake just putting there lock through stand and top tube. (If u do this anyone could easily steal your wheels especially if it has quick releases). Also avoid CABLE Locks.
If drivers or other cyclists are stupid just ignore them. Some cyclists don't know to Not cycle in gutter or away from parked cars.
Don't cycle in gutter as there's lots of potholes, drains and debris there. Stay away from the door zone of cars. This is to avoid getting hit by driver and passenger doors suddenly open.
Also if roads are narrow or have too many parked cars don't be afraid to take up the lane as this is allowed.
Follow road laws. Laws are there for every road users safety
Also some people might not agree on this last tip but because I live in an area where there loads of buses. That I prefer not to overtake them as if there about to pull out or turning you don't want to get clipped by a bus (same applies to HGV'S) as remember these veichles have more blind spots than other veichles. Plus isn't it just better to wait a minuite and be safer

 

[Shut Up Legs]

I hope you don't mind if I make a few comments on what you posted.

If drivers or other cyclists are stupid just ignore them.

Never ignore motorists. Yes, it's generally a good idea not to let them provoke you, but never ignore them, because if they do something unpredictable and/or stupid, you need to be prepared for it.

Also some people might not agree on this last tip but because I live in an area where there loads of buses. That I prefer not to overtake them as if there about to pull out or turning you don't want to get clipped by a bus (same applies to HGV'S) as remember these veichles have more blind spots than other veichles. Plus isn't it just better to wait a minuite and be safer

I agree with this. I generally do the same if I think a bus driver is about to leave his stop. I'll stop behind the bus, but not so close I get the full impact of the bus' filthy exhaust fumes, and I'll always stop in primary position, in case some motorist tries to squeeze past me.