New starter to cycling

[Rickshaw Phil]

If the new bike is alot easier I will aim to do 12 miles per day to get more fitness benefits. I have changed diet drastically to help get fit and feel better. Would also like to loose a bit of weight. I don`t look overweight but I feel I am and when I seen my doctor about depression the main thing he said was excersise releasing endorphins into my body to make me feel better. I used to cycle alot in my teens then when I got car kind of lost interest in it but now I much prefer cycling to driving my car lol. Really look forward to going out on bike.

Something I suspect a lot of people on here can relate to.

You asked about lights. These are very bright for not much money:
http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/LIPHAEN3W/phaart-aeon-3-watt-led-front-light
http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/LIPHBPDRL/phaart-bleep-dual-05-watt-led-rear-light

A couple of caveats though, the front is an ordinary round beam pattern (not shaped as with a car headlight) so you need to angle it so it doesn't dazzle and being fairly high power you'll use the batteries in just a few rides so a set of rechargeables would be a good idea. Maplin is good for batteries and chargers.

 

[cyberknight]

Something I suspect a lot of people on here can relate to.

You asked about lights. These are very bright for not much money:
http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/LIPHAEN3W/phaart-aeon-3-watt-led-front-light
http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/LIPHBPDRL/phaart-bleep-dual-05-watt-led-rear-light

A couple of caveats though, the front is an ordinary round beam pattern (not shaped as with a car headlight) so you need to angle it so it doesn't dazzle and being fairly high power you'll use the batteries in just a few rides so a set of rechargeables would be a good idea. Maplin is good for batteries and chargers.

The phaart lights are very good for the price , if your riding on unlit roads you might want to consider something to see where your going rather than a front see me light, an xml t6 front light can be had off ebay for less than £20
The subway is a cracking bike , assuming its been looked after you will immediately notice a difference, i use mine for winter commutes and over 10 miles its only a few minutes slower than my commuting road bike.

 

[Chaz32]

Thanks for advice on Lights. Bad news ebay seller has let me down so not getting the carrera now Will keep looking Are there any other hybrids that have been out a few years that have a good reputation funds are really tight at the moment due to moving house so not wanting to spend more than £150 on a used bike.

 

[Aunty Tyke]

Something I suspect a lot of people on here can relate to.

You asked about lights. These are very bright for not much money:
http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/LIPHAEN3W/phaart-aeon-3-watt-led-front-light
http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/LIPHBPDRL/phaart-bleep-dual-05-watt-led-rear-light

A couple of caveats though, the front is an ordinary round beam pattern (not shaped as with a car headlight) so you need to angle it so it doesn't dazzle and being fairly high power you'll use the batteries in just a few rides so a set of rechargeables would be a good idea. Maplin is good for batteries and chargers.

Definitely good advice! Get out in the air,enjoy! You sound very hard on yourself,be kind to you!

 

[Salar]

Thanks for advice on Lights. Bad news ebay seller has let me down so not getting the carrera now Will keep looking Are there any other hybrids that have been out a few years that have a good reputation funds are really tight at the moment due to moving house so not wanting to spend more than £150 on a used bike.

Welcome,
One or two us on here like our old steel framed Raleigh Pioneers, I was lucky and picked mine up, which is quite decent for £30 off ebay.

If you do buy an older bike make sure you allow for new tyres and tubes, the old ones could be perished.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

If looking for second-hand, +1 on the Raleigh Pioneer - mine has given me 17 years of good service and is getting steadily upgraded as bits wear out.

Also consider bikes from Dawes. They do a Trekking range (with mudguards and luggage racks - very useful) and a Discovery range which is similar but mostly without the guards and racks.

Ridgeback is another good make to look out for.

Plenty of others I could mention but the above are decent.

The only issue buying used is the condition. You may need to budget for maintenance to get them up to a rideable standard.

 

[howard2107]

Hi mate, i am still fairly new to the cycling thing, and like you i am about 5ft 10 and was 14 stone, now nearly 13 stone. There are lots of bikes about for your £150 budget, but i would very strongly advise against buying one without seeing it and trying it first. If you buy unseen and untested you may not get on with it, and this will kill the enthusiasm. The other advantage of seeing and trying, is that you can see if the bike is worth buying and what if any work may need doing and if its an ebay buy you can put a realistic maximum bid on it taking this into consideration.

I got a Claude Butler 400 voyager hybrid 2014 model in brand new condition, it was only 4 miles away so went for a look, made a bid and i paid £103 but put a maximum bid of £151, delighted. I was lucky, but if you are prepared to travel then you may get a good bargain, items in out of the way places tend to sell for less. I've ridden it to within inches of its life, gone into places it was never designed for, and it has not failed me at all, not even a puncture. I have had to re index the gears a time or two but thats cos i came off and it hit a brick, and its not really designed to go where i go on it. It is fitted with Scwalbe Landcruiser 700cc tyres, and they are fine on or off road, and surprisingly good on muddy trails as well.

All in all, a more than capable piece of kit, very easy to ride, it may not be the best bike around for the aficionado's, but well worth considering on your budget, and it gets a big thumbs up from me.

 

[Chaz32]

Thanks again for all the positive comments and quality advice. Missed my bike ride today due to picking up a carrera subway 1 model that is fitted with continental semi slick road tyres also has mavic wheels fitted. I had seen it on ebay at 7 am and managed to do a deal with seller for the price of £110 Bike has been serviced and has all new cables I did all the checks and everything seemed perfect no play in crank or headset brakes and gears work perfectly but have not had time to take it for a proper ride. The downside to this it was a 160 mile round trip in the car and about 30 quid in petrol. But bike looks great cannot wait to take it for a decent ride. Only thing I am slightly confused about is I thought the subway 1 came with disk brakes but mine has v brakes So not sure if they have been taken off. The bike has 24 gears and is shimano alivio groupset and has cannondale v brake levers.I will update this thread after my 8 mile ride on it tomorrow. I have been using the cycling app strava for iphone and will post the results compared to the raleigh full suspension bike I have.

Thanks again for all the help this forum has helped me choose a bike that will suit me. I would have been lost without it.

 

[Chaz32]

Well just took bike for a ride and am very disappointed the chain seems to slip badly Have inspected the drive train and found the bottom jockey wheel on the gear mech badly worn will change that later and see if it makes any difference I did not take bike for proper test ride so is my fault really

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

Glad you've found a bike. Shame about the slipping chain. It could be an adjustment issue, or new parts might be needed (you said it had been serviced - have they fitted a new chain but not a cassette? This is a classic cause of the chain slipping.)
Cassettes aren't expensive and are easy to fit yourself with the appropriate tools (chain tool + chain whip + spanner or ratchet to suit the chain tool)

Jockey wheels are available and aren't hard to fit either (as long as you get them the right way round ) - have a look here: http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/shimano-alivio-rd-m430-tension-and-guide-pulley-unit-5xg-9806-prod34581/

Ref the brakes, the current Subway 1 has discs but older versions were rim braked. If the frame has the tabs for disc calipers you could always upgrade at some point in the future.

 

[Chaz32]

Thanks rickshaw Paul quick update bike is still not working correctly found a bent link in chain have fitted new chain but still has issues. I finally have the chain length correct but the front crank looks like it is not straight there is no play in it but the rings seem to seem to be buckled Weather has been dreadful here today so not gone out to test it with correct chain length. The derrailuer jockey wheel I bought from the unhelpful local bike shop was the wrong size. When looking through packaging it is for a 9 speed derialluer not a 8 so not sure why the person in shop sold it me. Guy in shop depressed me so much basically saying my bike was rubbish and you get what you pay for. he had not even seen the bike. Decided to look the bike shop up on google and have seen many bad reviews. Wish I had just bought a brand new bike now. Hopefully feel more positive later today when I get bike out and finally get it running correctly. My lights have arrived and have a speedo fitted. when the bike is not jumping gears and the chain is not slipping it does feel much better than my old raleigh quicksand dual suspension. just seems a very temperamental bike and did not expect to have all this hassle with it. The raleigh was described as ready to ride and it was even though it had not been used for 6 months. I just sprayed wd40 all over it pumped tyres up and it was fine. This bike is the complete opposite. If I can`t get it working to a half decent standard I will part exchange it for a new bike that works properly. sorry for negative update just very frustrated at the moment.

 

[Crandoggler]

Buckled? How so? Have you spun it without the chain on and noticed movement?

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

Oh, really sorry to hear that you're still having trouble. Shame you're so far away or I'd offer to come over and help out.

It sounds a like the previous owner has been mixing and matching parts a little so may want some tinkering to sort it out. Everything mechanical on the bike is fixable so don't let it get to you too much and certainly don't let rude shop assistants wind you up - I wonder sometimes whether some of them would rather the customers stayed away .

As you've had a go at working on the drivetrain I'm guessing you can wield a spanner okay, so can I recommend the Park Tools website which has good instructions for pretty much everything you could want to do to a bike: http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help

None of it is rocket science and fixing problems yourself is another of those feel-good things about cycling (well, it is for me anyway )

Plenty of helpful people on here too if you want to get advice.

 

[Chaz32]

Ok Thanks rickshaw phil wish I lived closer lol. Parents originally lived Shropshire nice part of the country. I Fitted brand new rear derralieur and took 2 more links out of chain. And I have some success at last lol. Bike rides fine other than the 3 smaller sprockets on rear wheel. I had a very good ride on my usual 8 mile ride I loved it. The bike saved me 50 seconds on my steep uphill section and it felt so much easier to push along than mountain bike. Really pleased. However I did not have the confidence in the bike that I did mountain bike roads were wet and tyres are slick in middle so was braking alot down hills. Looking forward to gaining confidence in bike. Regarding the chain slipping I don`t really know what to do other than not use the last rear cogs on rear sprockets. But that does not worry me at all bike is great Only problem now is I don`t feel I have had a proper workout on bike so will start adding further rides. Bit worried about going on main roads round here. People drive so fast. So will work out more country road routes Thanks again for all the help here.

 

[Chaz32]

Another quick update changed the rear sprockets and now bike is not slipping at all in any gears managed to do my 8 mile ride twice today Bike is much easier than mountain bike would never have been able to do that ride twice on the mtb. Normally I just cycle at a recreational pace but 2nd ride today I pushed myself and managed to beat all my records on stravia. Other than the downhill one bike feels faster than the mtb and I need to brake down hills. In my teens I would never brake down a hill ever lol. God how age changes things. lol