New Bike at Wrong Side of 40..

[Fab Foodie]

a lot has changed in twenty years. Gear changers have improved out of sight. Carbon forks have removed a lot of tarmac generated vibration. Clothing has got better. Clipless pedals, a novelty twenty years ago, are commonplace.

Your priorities should be
1. weight - yours, not the bike. Attend to your diet and cut down on the booze (and I'm not the kind of chap to suggest that lightly)
2. comfort (1). I'm afraid to say that I disagree with FF about the type of bike because I think that keeping your arms in the same position for seventy miles is terribly wearing. If somebody offers you a hybrid that is an absolute bargain, give it thought, but my advice is that bar-ends are a must on a flat bar bike.
3. comfort (2) your sit-upon will need toughening up if you are going to ride for two days in succession. This happens over time. There's no shortcut
4. comfort (3) get in to the habit of distributing your weight between saddle, handlebars and legs. Let each take a share of the strain. Clipless pedals will enable you to roll your weight around a bit to take the load of arms and bottom (see comfort (1) and (2)) and put more weight on your feet.

If you do get the bug then whatever you buy for £200 or even £300 will become a utility bike in fairly short order, but this ride matters, and I'd spend a bit of effort chasing down the bike best suited to the job. Your nearest Decathlon branch is in Reading, but if you can get over there then the Triban 3 is a fantastic bike for the money, and well worth considering. I don't know of anything for that kind of dosh that comes close.

If you can stretch to a Triban, then that's peachy, they're really excellent bikes and I agree with dellzeqq that cofortwise in the long run a drop bar bike ofers more hand positions and back angles than a flat bar, even with bar ends. But if £200 is the limit you'd probably get a better bike overall from a hybrid. Bar ends or butterfly bars on a hybrid improve comfort notably for little cost ... Many touring and expedition bikes these days are flat-barred so 2 x 70 mile days IMO shouldn't be too much of an issue.

 

[snorri]

Not managing any original stuff tonight FF?


Edit. My post looks a bit odd now that FF has added his own views to the quote from dellzeqq

 

[Fab Foodie]

Not managing any original stuff tonight FF?

Mojo's knackered ....

 

[BGD]

Sadly, the side of 40 that makes things slightly less reliable and responsive ;D

Regarding a hybrid, eBay as one port of call seems to have tons within the price range, but is there a way to sort wheat from chaff? Some of them look quite heavy.

I realise with the sum proposed I am not going to get the best bikes on the block from that price. If it seems the best option I could go for the Triban and worst case, use % free plastic

 

[jowwy]

Sadly, the side of 40 that makes things slightly less reliable and responsive ;D

Regarding a hybrid, eBay as one port of call seems to have tons within the price range, but is there a way to sort wheat from chaff? Some of them look quite heavy.

I realise with the sum proposed I am not going to get the best bikes on the block from that price. If it seems the best option I could go for the Triban and worst case, use % free plastic

Go for the decathlon BGD - you won't regret the purchase, but you might regret a second hand hybrid of ebay when things go wrong with it - at least the decathlon will have warranty and you can get the right size ofr your needs, which will help with the comfort during training an the ride itself. Whats a hundred bucks extra between cycle chat friends hey.

 

[2pies]

To be honest, as Lance said, "it's not about the bike". I don't want to scare you off, but you are undertaking quite a challenge. You'll find it hard going on the best bike that money can buy. Cycling Plus magazine have started a series of "Sportive" guides this month that talks about preparing for rides like this. You'd do well to pick up a copy. Yours isn't a race, but the principles are the same e.g. preparation. Start getting your body used to riding asap. Start with 5 mile rides, then 10, then 20 etc. It is actually doable - cycling is one of the few sports that you can do well at a ripe old age because, unless you are really racing, its not an explosive exercise which only youth can accomodate.

As others have said, pop down to Decathlon and try out the Triban 3 and some of their hybrids for comparison. Also get some good padded shorts, they will make the world of difference. A breathable sports top will help too, you don't want to be riding for 6 hrs in a sweat-soaked cotton t-shirt.

Decathlon Road Bike - http://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-3-id_8167038.html
Decathlon Hybrid - http://www.decathlon.co.uk/btwin-fitness-3-id_8188895.html

 

[slowmotion]

BGD, you said that you have not cycled for 20 years. When you were cycling, did you ride a straight bar or drop bar bike? If you have never ridden a road bike before, my two pennies would be to stick with a straight bar bike for this ride. I'm a lot older than you and I have found that getting used to the road bike riding position is not something that happens overnight. If you are generally fit, the transition to a road bike may be easy however.

That Triban 3 looks an incredible deal!

 

[Tomba]

Get the March issue of Cycling Active mag. There's a piece on doing a 100 mile ride on four weeks of training.

 

[BGD]

2pies I hear you. It's not going to be instant and my gym visits have been curtailed for the last six months due to work so it's going to be tough going. Maybe I should take a tow rope for my fitter companions..I am also considering getting a turbo trainer thing for the house as a complement to road training, although I do fear they are as 'real' as running machines are to road running.

Slowmotion, my last proper bike for a few years was a mountain / hybrid bike used as a utility bike rather than a distance or exercise bike. Before that my longest owned bike was a dropped bar, but as was the trend among my circle (I blame the Eighties) towards the end I replaced the regular handles with these 'cow horn' monstrosities..so I guess I was generally more used to an upright stance.

Tomba, thank you I will do that, will look online, I assume larger WH Smiths sell them: (edit) they do but are currently on the April issue (!) so will have to ask the company directly for a February back issue.

 

[BGD]

Oops, just noticed that the Feb issue has Karen's 100 Miles and the March issue has similar (Get fit for 100 miles) so will probably be able to still get the March one. Happily, I have also just realised a friend works for IPC Media too.

 

[Paul J]

Hey BGD I am 43 and just got back into riding a bike after being away for 26 years and now being 15st 4lb! You can do it I have seen my distances improve in just over a week. Concentrate on distance rather than speed (read it somewhere on here), set yourself a target (mycyclinglog.com) and ride for as long as you enjoy it. If its not fun don't do it.

Good Luck!!

Paul

 

[BGD]

Thanks Paul and good to hear your training is working. Watched the Horizon programme last night on exercise and the large segment of non-responders in the population, hoping I don't fall in that segment! Will find out soon enough

 

[rollinstok]

Hi BGD,
I am 53 and have recently started cycling again.
In the past I have owned several mountain bikes and road bikes, I now have a hybrid which is perfect for any of the rides that I do both on or off road.
I would never consider a mtb again as I,m just not hard core enough to warrant it. I may consider a road bike but its low priority as the wealth of cyclepaths and trails that are open and added to on a regular basis mean that it may hardly ever be used.
If you are doing THE coast to coast a road bike would not be suitable for many sections and you would be pushing it anyway.
Look for a decent used hybrid ( preferably without suspension ) and fit some bar ends.
This ride is going to be very tough on you and there has been some good advice from other members re fitness, spend as much time on a bike as you can afford to break your arse and legs in.

 

[jowwy]

Hi BGD,
I am 53 and have recently started cycling again.
In the past I have owned several mountain bikes and road bikes, I now have a hybrid which is perfect for any of the rides that I do both on or off road.
I would never consider a mtb again as I,m just not hard core enough to warrant it. I may consider a road bike but its low priority as the wealth of cyclepaths and trails that are open and added to on a regular basis mean that it may hardly ever be used.
If you are doing THE coast to coast a road bike would not be suitable for many sections and you would be pushing it anyway.
Look for a decent used hybrid ( preferably without suspension ) and fit some bar ends.
This ride is going to be very tough on you and there has been some good advice from other members re fitness, spend as much time on a bike as you can afford to break your arse and legs in.

its a Beach To Beach bike ride that BGD is taking part in and its on roads only - going through the south downs - i am doing the same ride and on talking to many of last years participants via Facebook - its advised that a road bike be used.

hence my recommendation of the Decathlon range Triban 3.

 

[BGD]

Hello again!

Well, my plan was to see whether a couple of bikes on eBay came in at a bargain price making it worth the risk, or failing that going for the £300 Triban as recommended by so many of you.

I hope that I made the right choice, because my first eBay attempt landed me with a Giant SCR3 (I believe 2009; red and silver) for £180 that *seems* in very good condition considering, apart from a few scuffs on the top bar, possibly due to a clunky lock. Needs a light clean around gears etc too. The intention here was to get a recognisable brand so if I wanted to trade up after 6 months then there would be a fair resale value.

Being away from cycling for a long time I have to say I was surprised how light it is (I am sure to many of you it's heavy..) and also how worrying the gear combination look there on the handlebars. I also need to figure out the wheel size as I want to purchase a Turbo Trainer for those days with this sort of weather. maybe I'll have a look around the forum for some answers and if not post in the appropriate section.

Thanks to all the previous thread commenters.