On the verge

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Koi

New Member
When I was younger... a lot younger! (I'm now 51) I was a very keen cyclist. I was in the CTC & besides going for a club ride every Sunday I also rode my bike to & from work & did lots of extra miles in the evenings too.

Sadly, when I was about 18 I discovered beer, cars & women (not necessarily in that order) & suddenly I had no time for cycling, I duly sold my bike to fund the purchase of my 1st car & never looked back... well actually I've often looked back at the great times I had on my bike.

So, about 14 years ago, I decided to purchase a bike again, I wasn't planning anything to adventurous but just wanted the opportunity to get back in the saddle & do some pottering around when the mood took me.

With this in mind I purchased a Brompton folding bike... a far cry from what I had been used to all those years ago, but it offered me what I wanted & also the convenience of being able to put the new bike in the boot, drive somewhere interesting, pleasant, safe... & relatively flat! to ride my new steed.

Since owning the Brompton I have used it spasmodically, a few times initially, but then I went a few years without touching it. 3 years ago I started up again & have used the bike a few times, in summer, ever since.

This year though I have really got the flavour for cycling again, so much so that I'm thinking of getting a proper bike. The Brompton is fine for short journeys (e.g. less than 15 miles) & flat routes but the small wheels & Sturmey Archer gears make it less than ideal for distance & hills.... I've never trusted Sturmey Archer's on hills!

I went to my local cycle shop last week for a browse & was amazed how much the tehnology has advanced since I owned my trusty Mercian. This has wetted my apetite even more & I plan to do so more research to find the best bike to buy (for me) before taking the plunge.

So far a Scott road bike & a Giant Audax have taken my eye. I'm hoping to get into cycling on a regular basis again, not as heavily as when I was younger but enough to make me much fitter & able to enjoy rides of 50+ miles, if I enjoy it as much as I'm hoping I even have a dream of training & getting fit enough to cycle from Lands End to John o Groats! (Summer of 2011 or 2012)... but we'll see... one rotation at a time!

Anyway, that's me... looking forward to visitng some more cycle shops this weekend to focus in on the bike I should get.

Mike.
 

Vincealot

New Member
Location
Coventry
Hiya Mike,

Although 22 years your younger I also was amazed at how bike technology has changed over the years. I only started cycling again because a. I dont drive and b. there is no public transport available at my times of work and the distance from home to work is roughly 6 miles. The first few months were a killer. I hated getting up early, cycling in the rain, snow, sleet etc etc but now I love it and after 10 months of commuting I've had 4 bikes ;) The first being a BSO my dad gave me which fell apart, cheap hybrid trial bike chinese import thiny, my shiny Carrera Vanquish road bike and a Giant Boulder MTB which goes out now and then when I feel like some off roading.

So what type of bike you gonna go for? I see your interested in the Scott and Giant road bikes. Habe you had a look at the Treks and Bianchi's? They do some lovely bikes also. I'm also thinking about doing the LEJOG. Ive even managed to rope a couple of mates in.

Anyway I hope you find the perfect bike and enjoy getting on the saddle again.
 

Globalti

Legendary Member
Greetings. I followed the same pattern as you, only rediscovering cycling 22 years ago; I'm now 54. Having made the odd desultory attempt to take up cycling during the motorised years I have to admit that it was the arrival of mountain bikes with their greater comfort and better gearing and the overlap with mountaineering that brought me back to cycling. However last year I got back into road riding and it was only the acquisition of a beautiful carbon sportiff bike (Specialized Roubaix) that ensured I stuck with it. The bike is so comfortable and so efficient that I have become a full time roadie and have hardly touched my MTB in the last year.

So try a few bikes, look at the carbon sportiff bikes by Spesh, Ribble, Orbea and plenty of others and I think you'll be surprised; they are designed for people like you and me.
 

bauldbairn

New Member
Location
Falkirk
Hello Koi and Welcome to the CC forums. :angry:

Good luck finding a new bike with the massive choice now available. :angry:

All the best.


p.s. the Specialized "Tricross" and "Secteur" seem to be among the most highly rated bikes on here lately. Maybe worth seeing what all the fuss is about. :angry:


p.p.s. before Norm, Potsy or IanRauk mention it to you. :angry: - ;)
 
OP
OP
K

Koi

New Member
Thanks for the comments & advice guys.
I had a good look around a few shops on Saturday & I quite like the look of the following:

Scott Speedster S30
Bianchi Vianirone & ALU Tiagra mix Compact
Speicialized Allez Elite
Trek 1.5T

They're all around £800, which is as much as I want to spend really, so although some of the bikes you mention look very nice, I'm afraid they're above budget.... Thanks for pointing me in the direction of the manufacturers though.

I think my next step is to arrange a trial ride on at least 3 of the bikes & hopefully one will scream at me... BUY ME!

Then it will be the accessories & clothing, who knows I might be on my shiny new bike wearing the latest lycra before the month is out.

Happy cycling.
 
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