Newbie/night owl from West Yorks

[fortunatemango]

Hi all,
22 years young and never been more eager to get out on a bike!
The biggest stumbling block currently is that I don’t own a set of wheels.

Having done a bit of research, I’m not too keen on a road bike right now as my extremely low fitness coupled with asthma that is easily triggered when working out rule out uber long rides altogether.
Very much like the idea of a cx/gravel bike as they’re perfect for most terrains and have the versatility of being able to put on thinners tyres which basically gives you 2 bikes in one, right?
Is there another type of bike that may be better for me? Have owned a hybrid in the past which I bought as a commuter but that never came in to fruition. Was used every blue moon for fitness but the handlebars became uncomfortable after around the hour mark, hence the appeal of drop bars.
Also, as it would be a starter bike, looking to spend as little as possible.
Look forward to hearing from you all. Hope I haven’t rambled too much!

 

[DCLane]

A CX bike, which is what I use as a winter commuter, is useful with two options - but budget for a second set of wheels rather than swapping tyres over. People have been moving to 'gravel' bikes which are similar but can fit mudguards/pannier racks/etc whereas a cross bike won't have this ability. A CX (cross) bike gives more flexibility than a hybrid but it'll not be as quick as a full road bike, so it's worth recognising that limitation.

You may find that riding a bike doesn't affect asthma as much; it helps to work the lungs but without major pressure on them. Unless you're riding a major hill! I've moderate asthma and only need to use a reliever before racing as a precaution. Riding a bike has massively improved my own asthma management.

Try a 'wanted' post on Yorkshire Cycling Sales Facebook group as a start if you're trying to find something. eBay usually has a few bikes but often over-priced.

 

[fortunatemango]

A CX bike, which is what I use as a winter commuter, is useful with two options - but budget for a second set of wheels rather than swapping tyres over. People have been moving to 'gravel' bikes which are similar but can fit mudguards.

You may find that riding a bike doesn't affect asthma as much; it helps to work the lungs but without major pressure on them. Unless you're riding a major hill!

Try a 'wanted' post on Yorkshire Cycling Sales Facebook group as a start if you're trying to find something. eBay usually has a few bikes but often over-priced.

Thanks DC!

Ah yes, a CX bike was what I had in mind so I’m glad to hear that someone else agrees too. Cheers for the heads up re 2 sets of wheels, note taken.

You’re right about that - fortunately I had 0 issues on flat ground. Unfortunately, my usual route, took me up what was (for me) a major hill and that had me knocked for six! A few puffs of the inhaler got me back up to steam but not a great way to start most rides.

Will certainly consider posting in to the Facebook group you’ve mentioned.

Lastly, am I a dreamer for wanting a CX bike under £200 mark? After a cheap runaround so that I can then decide whether to upgrade, get a different type of bike or find a new hobby altogether! Obviously looking at used in my budget, however I’ve found very few listings of CX bikes under £350 (used) across a few diff platforms.

 

[raleighnut]

 

[DCLane]

Lastly, am I a dreamer for wanting a CX bike under £200 mark? After a cheap runaround so that I can then decide whether to upgrade, get a different type of bike or find a new hobby altogether! Obviously looking at used in my budget, however I’ve found very few listings of CX bikes under £350 (used) across a few diff platforms.

You might get a budget second-hand one from an odd make. A 'wanted' advert's probably your best opportunity.

A basic, but decent, used Carrera Tanneri would certainly come in your budget. They're generally around the £150 mark - 16 speed with rim brakes.

 

[ColinJ]

Very much like the idea of a cx/gravel bike as they’re perfect for most terrains and have the versatility of being able to put on thinners tyres which basically gives you 2 bikes in one, right?

I found that my CAADX wasn't quite perfect for me on some of the steep climbs up from the bottom of the Calder Valley! After my first ride up this...

... I decided that I wanted lower gears so I did some mods which lowered my bottom gear from 36/30 to 34/36 (a 21% reduction). It was the difference between struggling up the steep stuff and spinning up it.

 

[fortunatemango]

I found that my CAADX wasn't quite perfect for me on some of the steep climbs up from the bottom of the Calder Valley! After my first ride up this...

View attachment 540074

View attachment 540075

... I decided that I wanted lower gears so I did some mods which lowered my bottom gear from 36/30 to 34/36 (a 21% reduction). It was the difference between struggling up the steep stuff and spinning up it.

That’s very interesting/useful to know Colin, cheers for the heads up. Hopefully once I’ve managed to source a bike and I’m a bit more savvy with them - can also look at making some upgrades.

 

[fortunatemango]

You might get a budget second-hand one from an odd make. A 'wanted' advert's probably your best opportunity.

A basic, but decent, used Carrera Tanneri would certainly come in your budget. They're generally around the £150 mark - 16 speed with rim brakes.

Morning DC,

After trawling through Facebook I have found a Specialized Tri Cross 2011 going for £250. Apparently has been sat around since 2016.

It’s 56cm and I’m 5’11..initially was looking at 54cm but after scrolling through a fair few discussions I think I might be swayed to 56cm.

Coincidentally, found an ad on here through Google of yourself selling the exact same bike back in 2014.

What are your thoughts on the bike in general and the price it’s going for?

 

[DCLane]

They're decent bikes. At 5' 8" it was just a bit too big for me but should be fine for your size. Edit: I've seen the advert and it's a 24 speed with Shimano 2300.

Given the current Covid-inflated prices £250 is fine as long as everything works: it's probably a good use of the new bike voucher scheme to get it looked at. Mine sold for something like £375 from memory back in 2014; I've long-deleted the auction result as it was kept on the now-defunct mycyclinglog.com website.

Depending on condition budget for a new chain and cables. Potentially a new bottom bracket and brake pads. As it's 8 speed components with a square taper bottom bracket these won't be too expensive.

Don't expect to keep up with full road bikes on it, and the Tricross isn't a 'proper' cross bike, however it's a nice compromise between the two and is probably akin to the new gravel bike craze.

 

[fortunatemango]

Can’t find the model number anywhere on the listing or through various Google searches. This is the link when it was on sale here however: https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/specialized-tricross-56cm-large-2011-24-speed.156075/

Couldn’t find a model number on that link or the eBay one but it is early for me!

Will see if I can apply for a voucher, cheers for forwarding link on 👍