What bike?

[mealsonwheels]

I am thinking of getting myself a bike this summer and would like to ask other forum members what type they would recommend for cycling out from countryside CL's. Terrain will vary from town roads and country lanes to bumpy tracks. If you have a bike you would recommend, I'd love to hear what type to go for.

Mrs Meals on Wheels

 

[BigAl1]

A motor bike.......LOL

 

[Marc1]

A tandem, then let the other half do the pedaling. :0)

Marc

 

[JTQ]

We chose Hybrids because they were light weight and featured low rolling resistance tyres. Just wanted to keep the physical effort to a minimum, but have something more rugged for caravanning use than our road bikes.

By and large you dont need suspension systems unless you really want to do serious off road work, so save weight of that kit and use the money to buy really hight quality frame etc and a soft saddle.

The down side of hybrids is that they are larger than "mountain" bikes so require a bit more space.

Cheap bike are unfortunately just that and more likely to put you off cycling for life.

 

[Mel]

Whichever one you get, make sure you have a comfy saddle, them narrow hard ones really chafe. You can also get padded cycling shorts that offer a bit of comfort in delicate areas. "Hardened" cyclists may not have this problem but it is a consideration for occaisional cyclists.

 

[MikeP]

You definitely get what you pay for. Particularly avoid "2 for

 

[clivea]

Hi,

I agree that the town and country bikes are likley to be best. If you don't get one with puncture resistant tyres then buy some 'Slime' anda inner tube protector tape. I have not hhada puncture now in over 5 yaers since I used these two together.

Giant have a good range of bikes and so do Claud Butler, and for less than

 

[RiaandJames_374303418]

We took up cycling again some year back to get fitter and lose weight, many nice looking bikes are imported Asian/Chinese builds and can be bought for a song. We jumped in and bought two bikes that both suffered stress fractures as the metal was inferior quality.

As bikes were even cheaper we just bought two cheaper ones again and were fine we thought until we went cycling with friends who had pricy mountain bikes.

Our bikes were so heavy compared to theirs and they glided along freewheeling on fine quality wheel hubs as we had to keep working hard.

Our local specialist bike dealer was a Marin agent so we bought two Marin Bobcats and now have full suspension Marins as well.

A specialist dealer will make sure you buy the correct size of frame bike for your height so that you ride in the optimum position.

We also still have our original Bobcats that are as good as the day we bought them.

Between

 

[Angus1]

I really can`t get my head around some of the `bike` thingys.

I`ve got a couple of Makro specials gathering cobwebs at the back of the garage which I`ve had for about 15 years, you know the sort - `mountain` bike, 21 gears centre-pull brakes all that rubbish, but I`ve still got to pedal them (and they cost about as much as a packet of Daz.

Anyway, at a neighbours barbie a couple of weeks ago (remember the sun?), the neighbours son-in-law turns up on his new bike which he got cheap (over a grand less than list price!)as a replacement for his old one which had set him back

 

[MikeP]

Angus - you've got to be into it to "see it"! I've got a mountain bike and a road bike, as I didn't want to compromise. They didn't cost loadsa money, but I could have purchased a cheap car for less ... I'm doing about 2,500 miles per year, but this is actually quite low compared to the real enthusiasts.

Each to their own - I don't understand why anyone would be interested in football, rugby, smoking, drugs, heavy drinking or fast cars. Give me a bike and a country lane or the south downs instead any day.

 

[RichardS1]

We are also keen cyclists and good advice has been given already on buying a quality bike. If you are prepared to pay

 

[pat3]

Hi all,

good to hear that so many people are getting back to the way of cycling. some of you have touched on the "full suspension" frame, these frames were designed for down hill racing with the rider being out of the saddle and pivoting about the knee. when you ride a fixed frame the position of your knee is fixed to one cycling movement, if you have a springy frame your knee can be over stretched by the saddle moving downwards towards the rear wheel and can damage your patella tendon. My advise would be to go for a front suspension only and the smallest frame size you could get away with ( makes it easier to control ).

By the way small saddles are better, less surface area to get sore.

Pat ( British Cycling Coach )

 

[mealsonwheels]

Very many thanks to you all for your replies. It's a whole new cycling world out there since I last had a bike and you have given me some good ideas and suggestions. I'm really looking forward to getting one again!