Where to start?

[chrismisterx]

Hi there,
New to the forum and new to the hobby of cycling.

So a little background me and my wife are starting this new hobby of cycling together, couple of weeks ago we got a couple of well used old bikes, tires worn out, gears not working great, brakes are feet on the ground to help with stopping, a real fix it up job, but since we got 2 bikes for £25 you really couldn't complain.

Anyway since we both hadn't cycled for over 30 years we thought super cheap second hand bikes just to relearn how to stay on a bike!

My wife's bike is a Dawes bike looks really old but works better than mine, brakes work at least lol.
Mine is an old raleigh bike, has been fine to get me able to relearn how to ride.

Now I know your going to tell me off, but these old bikes are all we have in the form of cycling gear, we don't even have our helmets yet

We learnt on the local wagon ways and have kept off the roads / busy public places, but now after a few weeks and we feel we have the hang of riding again and really enjoy it, its time to kit out properly.

I am also hoping years of being unfit and a couch potato can be cured by getting off my butt and on a bike, really hope it helps me lose weight and get fit!

So where to start?

The first question is repair or replace the old bikes, bikes have nothing extra on them, so would need all the little things like bells, lights etc, plus some bigger things like gears fixed, brakes fixed, new tires etc.

Also what gear do we need and whats recommended?

Helmet of course, but what type whats best?

Clothing and extras needed?

I tried googling some answers and boy is there a lot of info out there, two much in fact, its quite confusing to be honest!

If it helps we hope to be riding together, visiting places, we also hope to take our 2 small dogs with us and maybe even go camping on our bikes, not sure how far we could manage to peddle even going a few miles on the wagon ways we found quite hard going. I think we would be staying on cycle paths more so than roads when we can and like the idea to go on dirt tracks sometimes, so we can have picnics near the river and such.

Our budget to get started isn't the greatest which is why I have come here for advice on how to proceed to spend the cash the best way and avoid some mistakes hopefully.

Lastly we hope to one day peddle from north shields to Berwick ( she loved the town as a child ) along the coast, what is the best way to train or learn how to go long distances like that?

thank you for taking the time to read and sorry for all the newbie question and I look forward to your replies!

 

[Brandane]

we don't even have our helmets yet

Don't worry; they are the last things you need. If you feel you want to wear one for whatever reason then fair enough, but don't fall for all the hype and marketing. More info on this sub-forum which might help you decide their importance, or not!

 

[Ming the Merciless]

See if there are local bike maintenance courses you can attend. You will quickly kearn how to sort out the gears and brakes yourself. On older bikes they really are quite simple affairs. Mostly levers and cables.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Welcome!

Bit more info/photos on tbe 2 bikes would be useful to help decide whether they are worth spending money on doing them up. Sometimes new tyres and tubes and a bit of TLC is all that’s required.

Secondly the bikes need to fit you reasonably well.

Thirdly, you don’t need much kit to get started, learn some roadcraft and get the legs turning. Keep it simple. It’s winter, so you want layers and a light waterproof/windproof jacket and some nasic leggings like Ron Hills or similar tracky/walking bottoms. Decathlon do some basics at a decent price.
Basic ski gloves and a warm hat are useful.

Start some specific threads on clothing, lights etc.

A good LBS (local bike shop) can be very helpful.

Take care, it can be addictive and spendy ;-)

 

[chrismisterx]

Bit more info/photos on tbe 2 bikes would be useful to help decide whether they are worth spending money on doing them up. Sometimes new tyres and tubes and a bit of TLC is all that’s required.

Thank you for your reply,

what sort of info would be required?

My bike is a 15 speed index Raleigh Ascender with SIS gears ??? ( that's what I can find on the frame anyway lol )

has a little rust, but brakes are not working well, seat has a tear, tires are no good with splits on sides and the gears don't change from the middle gear on the front set back gears all seem to work. At £12.50 I think I got a bargain to be honest, just not sure if its work getting a new bike or trying to fix this one up cost wise.

My wifes bike is at her friends, so not able to get further info on that atm, but hers is in better nick than mine to be honest.

 

[nickyboy]

Thank you for your reply,

what sort of info would be required?

My bike is a 15 speed index Raleigh Ascender with SIS gears ??? ( that's what I can find on the frame anyway lol )

has a little rust, but brakes are not working well, seat has a tear, tires are no good with splits on sides and the gears don't change from the middle gear on the front set back gears all seem to work. At £12.50 I think I got a bargain to be honest, just not sure if its work getting a new bike or trying to fix this one up cost wise.

My wifes bike is at her friends, so not able to get further info on that atm, but hers is in better nick than mine to be honest.

Nice solid bike. For tootling about it'll be fine. I would get new tyres if they have splits in the sidewall. They will expire soon.

As for clothing just wear loose fitting clothes in layers ideally so if you get a bit warm you can take something off to cool down

Fixing brakes is easy, have a look at some YouTube videos.Probably all that is needed is a bit of adjustment of the cable that connects the brake lever to the brakes. And learn how to fix a puncture at home. It will happen and you don't want to be doing your first fix out on a ride ideally

 

[tom73]

Can’t fault you for the bargain bike. Should get you going and be fine well you find your feet and get use to things. Like others have said best replace the tyres if they are looking past it. The breaks are simple fix as with most maintenance Calvin Jones becomes your friend. (YouTube parktools) Carry on with what you are doing and you will be soon well away. Plan a few routes that you can mix and match a bit to keep them from becoming boring. Have a look for some published local routes. Build slowly get to know your bike how it handles and how the gears work. You will have bad days we all do but the good days keep you coming back.

You hear a lot about best advice is “just ride” well I can tell you even in my short time on a bike that it’s so true don’t get too bogged down just ride and have fun. The rest will come in time if you are anything like me if am not in the saddle I’m reading about bikes, riding tips, YouTube watching and slowly you will get to know what , what and how to improve your time in the sadle

 

[HLaB]

A lot is down to you on the repair or replace front. You've got a good solid bike to build around and if you enjoy it and the fettling, repair, if you find it frustrating save up and replace

If you do develop to do longer distance cycling you probably want to invest in padded shorts but they are not essential for what it sounds like you are doing. Just loose fitting clothes which you can move in but not too loose to be baggy and catch things like the wind.
Gloves and eye protection can be useful but they're not essential either.

Gear wise a spare inner tube or tubes tyre levers and a pump are probably wanted but you don't really need anything else other things just make it easier.

In fact the only thing you really need is a bike and a desire to use it

 

[wisdom]

As others have said the raleigh is perfect for getting started on both riding and learning maintainance.
A good starting point after replacing the tyres.Would be to pop new cables on maybe just the inners will do.They are only a few quid each cable.That could easily sort out all of your issues once adjusted.And everything is lubricated.A good lbs will help immensely.They may fit one whilst you watch then you can fit the others.On here will be a big source of help.Maybe a local cc'er could also help.
Most of all enjoy your bikes.

 

[chrismisterx]

thank you for the replies and advice, think maybe repairing for now might be a good idea, that way I get to learn some bike maintenance.

Which brings me onto the next question or questions....

How much should I attempt to change myself?

looking over the bike, the seat and tires are damaged so could use replacements, the brakes don't work as intended, so does that mean I should just replace the pads or the whole brake system, gears don't work as intended again should I replace and upgrade the whole system?

Should I buy parts online or look for a local bike shop?

Being new its hard to judge when its more cost effective to replace the bike compared to upgrading the different parts.

Also how do I know what parts are compatible with this bike, I have a friend who is throwing away two mountain bikes both have some damage he says, could I strip parts from them to use on this bike ( one bike has disc brakes he says ) could I swap out the disc brakes from that bike to this one?

thanks again for all the help, on a side note what sort of price would I be looking for a new entry level bike either a hybrid or touring bike ( think thats what I would need?? ) As i have just been reading about Bike shaped Objects and that I should stay away from them as they are more trouble than they are worth, any brands to avoid like the plague?

 

[NorthernDave]

Aldi recently had some cycling items (clothing, lights, maintenance, etc) on special and quite reasonably priced.
They might have any remaining stock marked down now.

That said, Poundland do a 5 LED rear light that is more than adequate for anyone's needs.

 

[tom73]

Better members than me to tell you about how to go about fixing up your bike. GCN have a clip on you tube about doing up a bike and checking it over. So that may help. (GCN is handy for all thing bikes and cycling) some things on your bike maybe just need a good clean and some TLC. Online is a good place to start pricewize. As for what bike well see what’s about read some buyers guides ( try road.cc site to start with) then make a list what you want from a bike. Flat or drop handle bars ( they really are not that scary) , mudguard mounts, a few gears or lots of them. The list go’s on really once you have an idea what you want set a budget and see what you can find. ( be warned you may once you get looking finding yourself upping the budget I did )
Avoid cheep lumps you want to enjoy the ride.

 

[I like Skol]

Most bikes in the condition you describe i can usually resurect just with servicing and adjustments. Perished tyres obviously need replacing but gears and brakes often just need the cables cleaning and adjusting. It really doesn't have to cost much to be riding safely.
As for wearing a helmet, unless you are prone to falling over and bumping your head in day to day life I wouldn't bother.

 

[sleuthey]

If it were me I would personally do the following.

Keep the bike and repair

Remove mudguards and rack (as they annoy me).

Give the chain and sprockets a scrub with a brush and white spirit before drying with a rag and oiling.

Clean the saddle and if it's comfortable keep it.

For the sake of £4 from Asda, replace and adjust the inner and outer cables for both brakes and gears before you replace anything else, that way if the gears still malfunction you know there's potentially a more serious problem and you have the option to quit before spending more money.

You have Cantilever brakes, visually inspect The pads alignment with the rims, adjust if necessary, test and if they work keep them, if they squeal or are poor spend another £4 on eBay or Asda and replace.

Take a photo of the worst bits of the tyres and upload to here where someone can advise whether to replace. Meanwhile check their pressure a week apart and see if they are air tight.

Do the above using YouTube videos but if your not confident working bon brakes then consider using LBS.

 

[Ticktockmy]

Now is you chance to self learn about cycle maintance, first of all have a good look at the bike, make a list of thoseitems you think need work on or replacing, then go online look for videos on how to do repairs for those items, also come back on here and post close up pictures so we can give advice. That way you will learn how to do your own repairs, most cycle repairs are very easy and only need just a few simple tools, Just take your time and resist using a big hammer.