Advice

[Karlt]

Thanks for your replies guys been very helpfull screen shot of the bike i fancy in the sale

That looks like a standard double and probably a 14-28 on the back, as there's not much else available in 7 speed. I'd not try to ride the Welsh mountains on that. You want something with a triple chainset or a compact double. For your money the Decathlon Triban 500SE would be a far better bet, but even then you might want to obtain an 11-30 cassette to swap out for this ride. That'd give you a 1:1 bottom gear which you'll be thankful for once the road rises again at the 140 mile mark.

I suspect the Halfords bike is 7 speed (which is very old tech) because it's using a freewheel rather than a freehub. In which case it's using bargain basement components. The Decathlon bike I mentioned is far better specced and is at least 21st century.

This is assuming you're on road and you're not actually going from Snowdon itself.

 

[Ticktockmy]

Thanks for the quick reply the route im doing is mount snowdon to swansea so im led to believe its more downhill and flat than hills my budget is not that alot under 500 seen a bike i was looking at aluminium frame light weight drop handle bars but only 14 speed and was not sure if 14 would be ok for this challenge

Some years ago I draw a line on the map of Wales from Caerphilly to Caernarfon, cycling the route using main and back roads I was surprised just how steep some of the roads were, mainly short and sharp and normally hidden around bends, so you hit them in the wrong gear. I would suggest you go for the most gears you can get that gives a much smoother gradient of gears to play with. If you post your rough route I feel that the local peeps will be able to give you much more details info and advice for the route.

 

[mjr]

That looks like a standard double and probably a 14-28 on the back, as there's not much else available in 7 speed.

The MF-TZ21 14-28 is the most readily available, but there's also MF-HG37 which is 13-28 and the megarange MF-TZ31 which is 14-34 but I suspect few road mechs will cope with that. I've not seen the 13-28 in real life, but I've used the two TZ ones. There are compatible 7-speed freewheels from 12-20 to 11-32, but I've not tried any. If it's too difficult for a 40" gear on a lightweight road bike, I'm OK walking

 

[Heisenberg71]

Just read through the thread. How complicated do you lot make it sound?

You need a road bike (drop handlebars) It needs to fit you - work our how tall you are and as a guide medium is about 5'7"-5'10"'. You need gears - go for 20 speed with 2 rings up front and a 10 speed cassette wither biggest cog at least 28 teeth at the back. You want indexed gear shifters - you can change gear up front on the hoods (brakes). Then you need to adjust your seat heat to suit your leg length - more or less straight legged at bottom of stroke. Slide the seat back and forth to find the right position - front leg / knee at 90degrees when pedals parallel to the ground. Adjust your bars for comfort. Then you just need to get out and ride it!

Bugger Halfords and their crap 14 speed Carrera Zelos! Get on eBay or Gumtree etc and find a good second hand one as you will get a lore more bike for your money. You can pick up a second hand corker of a bike for a lot less than your £500 budget.

Don't over-think it, buy a bike, set it up and ride it. You will soon be off and running. Job done.

 

[PeteXXX]

Maybe I missed it, but is the 150 miles in one hit or over a couple of days?

 

[Profpointy]

There is no Mount Snowdon. There is Snowdon.

That aside, you've been utterly misled. A ride cannot be "mostly downhill" unless it starts high and finishes low - you don't mean you're starting at Snowdon summit? I can't for the life of me imagine a bike that'd be suitable for riding down Snowdon on the bridleways up there and also for a further 150 miles. For the first you'd need a MTB with at least front suspension and possibly full bounce; for the latter you want a road bike with slick tyres.

Whatever, once you're off Snowdon it's going to be as much up as down, and some will be steep. Any chance of a route?

'course it's mostly downhill - Snowdon's at the top of the man and Swansea's at the bottom - downhill innit :-)

Pish take aside, to the OP, that'll be pretty hilly and I would get low gears, even though I suspect you're pretty fit. These days 14 speed is likely not a high quality machine. Whilst ideally (controversially) a triple front chainset would be a good thing, given the budget you'll probably not have the choice and will have to get a "compact double" which can have somewhat low gears - 18 or 20. As others have said it's the range that matters, not the numbers. My point pooh-poohing the 14 speed is not that 14 is a low number, but that 14 speed is not (these days) high quality kit. I would get drops - (a) because personally I'd get drop handlebars . for anything, (b) the long distance ride you're doing - drops gives you different positions and gets you out of a head wind (c) you sound like a fit sporty bugger, so will likely do more long distance or semi-competitive stuff for which drops are much better.

Mudguards are very much a good thing, but I suspect you'll struggle a bit to get them at your price point on a "road" bike.

Google "audax bike" - that'd be the ideal thing for what you're about - then see what looks closest to that your price-point - a £500 road bike should be doable, even though you'd have to sacrifice some of the features / quality of the £1500 blingtastic audax bike proper

 

[Doyleyburger]

If your riding anywhere in Wales you need low climbing gears. Do not be fooled into thinking it's mostly downhill. I live in West Wales and there are Fricken hills everywhere. .....big ones.
I would steer way from halfrauds bikes these days unless you end up getting a boardman. In previous years the budget carrera bikes had decent sti flight deck shifters, but these days they seem to have gone for cheap and nasty shimano tourney components.
As someone mentioned above, get on ebay and you'll pick up a cracking second hand bike for within your budget. Pick one up and then take it to your LBS or a friend who knows his way around a bike for a once over.
A bike I would recommend is the Felt Z85. I bought one in 2014 for £650 which came with a shimano 105 groupset, which is brilliant. Also had an 11-32 cassette on the back which is great for climbing. Should be able to pick one up for your budget.

 

[mjr]

You need ... It needs ... You need ... You want ... Then you need to adjust your seat heat to suit your leg length - more or less straight legged at bottom of stroke.

Just read through and blimey, how little choice you think there is! Mostly currently fashionable opinions which may or may not be right for the rider.

Also, that bit about leg being more or less straight seems dangerously wrong. Definitely less than straight, with no chance that a bump in the road will leave your hamstrings overextended.

 

[Sharky]

Just read through and blimey, how little choice you think there is! Mostly currently fashionable opinions which may or may not be right for the rider.

Also, that bit about leg being more or less straight seems dangerously wrong. Definitely less than straight, with no chance that a bump in the road will leave your hamstrings overextended.

The leg bit, usually, the starting point is straight leg with heal on the pedal, then when the ball of the foot is on the pedal, it should be about right.

 

[Heisenberg71]

Just read through and blimey, how little choice you think there is! Mostly currently fashionable opinions which may or may not be right for the rider.

Also, that bit about leg being more or less straight seems dangerously wrong. Definitely less than straight, with no chance that a bump in the road will leave your hamstrings overextended.

The leg bit, usually, the starting point is straight leg with heal on the pedal, then when the ball of the foot is on the pedal, it should be about right.

Exactly.

In advising the OP I was trying to keep the headlines simple to get him into the right ball-park, not give him a 'virtual' bike fit and lesson in physiology. The thread had and does over-complicate what was actaully a simple question from the OP. Keep it simple.

 

[cyberknight]

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-520-road-bike-sora-black-red-id_8322663.htmlWhat about the decathlon triban range,triple chainring

 

[Karlt]

Decathlon often gets overlooked.

 

[youngoldbloke]

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-520-road-bike-sora-black-red-id_8322663.htmlWhat about the decathlon triban range,triple chainring

^ - and looks like you can fit muguards.

 

[rob01792]

Have a look in tredz and action bikes halford llansamlet is a good store speak with jake or chris. broadman bikes are good bikes that halfords sell they get knocked a bit on here but they good . gear wise i would go for 34/50 front 12/30 back

 

[mjr]

The thread had and does over-complicate what was actaully a simple question from the OP. Keep it simple.

Simple questions often don't have simple answers. "There is always an easy solution to every human problem – neat, plausible, and wrong." (HL Mencken)