Beginner bike choice wrong?

[Banjo]

Your mountainbike wont be wasted.Good to have for any canal path or dirt trail rides or even just going to the pub or whatever.

A decent lightweight hybrid will fly by comparison.

Ultimately I suspect you may end up with a road bike with drop handlebars so you may be better off to move straight up to it. You spend most of your time riding a road bike with your hands up on the brake hoods anyway so its not a hugely different position to a hybrid,once you get comfortable on it getting down in the drops makes a big difference battling into a headwind or on a fast descent.

Good Luck

 

[MisterStan]

I bought a flat bar road bike on the CTW scheme and though I love it, I wish I'd bought a bike with drops. Still that means I get to buy a shiny new bike this month and can now sound posh and say I have a 'Sunday best bike'!

I'd advise you to try a couple of drop bar bikes at your LBS, try and do a few miles if you can on the tests, if you don't get on with them, buy a flat bar bike.

 

[Norm]

I havent been on a racer for years and I never felt comfortable on them when i did own one, obviously things have moved on a bit from then, just wish I could maybe take one out for a good cycle and see what its like before parting with money...

That depends where you live. My LBS is happy to give test rides of over an hour, and the last bike I got from them I took out for a test ride on a Saturday afternoon and didn't return until Monday afternoon with a cheque in my hands.

Halfords, however, don't do test rides and that is one of the reasons that I don't use them.

 

[MisterStan]

That depends where you live. My LBS is happy to give test rides of over an hour, and the last bike I got from them I took out for a test ride on a Saturday afternoon and didn't return until Monday afternoon with a cheque in my hands.

Halfords, however, don't do test rides and that is one of the reasons that I don't use them.

I was in Halfords last week with my brother and sister in law, they wouldn't even let her take the bike she was after around the car park! I asked how they could expect her to spend £250 without being able to try it and the answer was 'Why do you need to test it? A bike's a bike'!

My bro and sis will be returning to the LBS we visited to try out matching specialized hybrids very soon.

 

[CopperCyclist]

Which was the point of getting a bike anyway until i found lap times

Screw lap times, have you found Strava.com and the relevant (and free) phone app?

You can thank me (or hate me for making you obsessive!) later

 

[User16625]

Your mountainbike wont be wasted.Good to have for any canal path or dirt trail rides or even just going to the pub or whatever.

A decent lightweight hybrid will fly by comparison.

Ultimately I suspect you may end up with a road bike with drop handlebars so you may be better off to move straight up to it. You spend most of your time riding a road bike with your hands up on the brake hoods anyway so its not a hugely different position to a hybrid,once you get comfortable on it getting down in the drops makes a big difference battling into a headwind or on a fast descent.

Good Luck

What? Thats a new one to me as Ive always ridden with my hands on the drops. Do most people ride road bikes with their hands on the brake hoods? Wouldnt that make braking awkward?

 

[Norm]

What? Thats a new one to me as Ive always ridden with my hands on the drops. Do most people ride road bikes with their hands on the brake hoods? Wouldnt that make braking awkward?

Hoods for me, I guess I'm on the drops for about 5% of the time. And I have cross-top levers so I can brake on the hoods and tops easier than on the drops.

 

[Kiwiavenger]

im on the hoods all the time and only hit the drops into a headwind or a fast descent. i have long fingers though so can reach the levers nicely! lol

 

[youngoldbloke]

What? Thats a new one to me as Ive always ridden with my hands on the drops. Do most people ride road bikes with their hands on the brake hoods? Wouldnt that make braking awkward?

IME most people most of the time. It is easy to cover the brakes with your fingers if you have the bars and levers set up right, as in -

 

[HLaB]

Likewise I'm on the hoods most of the time and I feel I brake better from there.

 

[Nebulous]

Screw lap times, have you found Strava.com and the relevant (and free) phone app?

You can thank me (or hate me for making you obsessive!) later

Well, fortunately or unfortunately I cannot blame you - but I registered a few days ago and think there is a real likelihood I will become obsessive! I'm already altering my route to take in additional segments.

 

[Philk]

be aware that not all racing bikes are comfortable, so try and test ride some first....I had an allez elite (aluminium frame), it was ok but after 20 miles or so I was in agony, switched to a trek madone (carbon frame) pain issues gone, which then starts the conversation , which frame material is best?

 

[Nebulous]

Why were you in agony? Did the allez fit? Were they both the same size?

I have an allez elite and absolutely love it - but then again I don't really know much else. I'm unlikely to be going carbon any time soon, but would probably go for the tarmac, which is pretty much the very same frame in carbon.