Building stamina, strength and confidence..and what bike to get?!

[anna_w]

This is great, thanks everyone for the advice.

I've heard good things about the Edinburgh Bike Co-Op, and luckily, that is where I'm based, so I'll have to get myself along for a talk through options.

 

[LosingFocus]

Oh god the Halfords bashing has started again. YAWN.

 

[Hebe]

From my experience of starting out... If you end up with a bike with a front suspension fork, make sure you can lock it on/off. I started out thinking the more suspension the better, but that's really not true and I waste a lot of energy bobbing up and down on my hybrid. A decent saddle and good padded shorts are all I need. Even on the mtb, the fork is locked off more than on. Minx-girl is the best place I've found for women's bike wear, the service is brilliant and the clothes are great. Still on shorts, don't put anything underneath them (at all), and arnica tablets are helpful for any post-ride soreness.

I learned to ride on a hybrid, then bought a Specialized Hard Rock for off-road riding, and now I have a Specialized Vita for road riding. If I knew then what I knew now I would (a) go for the women specific Myka over the Hard Rock, and I'd not bother with the hybrid and go straight for the Vita. It really isn't a case of what you "deserve", it's getting a bike that will meet your needs and that you love to ride.

 

[smutchin]

If you're in Edinburgh then pop along to the Edinburgh Bike Co-Op (http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/). They have 15% off their own brand bikes until Sunday.

Their staff are excellent, you'll get better advice than you would at Halfords.

+1 to this. EBC are excellent, a very good local bike shop to have.

d.

 

[Fubar]

This is great, thanks everyone for the advice.

I've heard good things about the Edinburgh Bike Co-Op, and luckily, that is where I'm based, so I'll have to get myself along for a talk through options.

EBC are good, lots of kit and choice - though you may find your budget a bit restrictive for a road bike (if that is what you are going for). As mentioned previously the Triban 3 from Decathlon is an excellent entry level road bike and at £300 will leave some cash in your budget for all the "essential" kit you WILL need - there is a Decathlon at Hermiston Gait Retail Park, worth adding to your list to visit.

Most of us will have started out on cycle paths and migrated to the road (which you will once you get fed us of pedestrians, dogs, horses, neds, broken glass, etc) - keep an eye on the "CC Informal Rides" section, there are quite a few East-coasters on here who go out for the occasional spin.

Regards, Mark

 

[Pat "5mph"]

Anna. All the above are spot on ime, specially Globaldi advice to make friends with your lbs while getting bike experience.

 

[lulubel]

In theory, I'd be starting out on cycle paths and roads, but weekends would be for having fun and heading into the local hills and forests (of which there are plenty here in Scotland :P )

How far away is work? What kind of surfaces will you come across in the hills and forests?

The reason I ask is because a lot of people are advising you to get a road bike, but your plans for weekend fun rides are suggesting it might not be suitable. If you're going to be riding on some rough stuff at the weekends, and your commute isn't too far, you might be better off with a mountain bike with suspension forks that you can "lock out" for riding on the road.

But it does depend a lot on the kind of rides you're going to do at the weekend - whether you need a MTB or whether a hybrid could handle it - and also how far away work is. A MTB will obviously be much harder work and slower going on the roads.

 

[alans]

Do you know anyone with some cycling experience?Such a person could provide help & support when visiting the lbs or riding the road

 

[Garz]

Oh god the Halfords bashing has started again. YAWN.

To echo this sentiment, my first road bike was a boardman comp. I plumped for this after doing some research and the fact that my mate (whom bought a bike at the same time) got the one at the lbs which was a similar priced trek.

Halfords bashing is valid for branches that employ the wrong people, however not all of them are like that. If anything I would be going for the fi - boardman range as they look absolutely ace (for a female rider)!

My boardman has been a great servant and definitely made my road experience a good one. The sticking point will be the price, as it will be severely weak on the quality in the £400 bracket. Either go to Decathlon for that price or invest more in a halfords cycle to work female machine at approx £600 IMO.

 

[Alan57]

Hello Anna, here`s my two pence worth. You need to decide what sort of riding you want to do , road, offroad or a mixture. Lots of people buy mountain bikes and then realise that off roading is not for them and spend more time on the road. For commuting a hybrid or road bike is better , having said that I read a lot before buying my road bike as I was torn between hybrid or road. Most of the forums I checked seemed to have people that had bought hybrids but then transfered to full road bikes. I have a mountain bike which is great for off road and trails although on road it is very heavy. After searching around for a commuter bike and getting as much info as possible , I went for a road bike over a hybrid. It was mainly because, as I said , many people on the forums seemed to start on hybrid and then go for road. I bought a Triban 3 from Decathlon which is fantastic and I smile each time I get on it ,I may not be the fastest on the road but I love it . Halfords sell their Carrera road bike but it is around £50 dearer than the Triban and does not have the carbon forks , which really soak up the bumps, and does not have the triple chainset which you may need for the hills.Local bike shops have a great deal of knowledge but you are going to pay more for a beginners bike unless they have last years on offer. This is just my experience of buying a road bike and hope it helps.Good luck.

 

[defy-one]

Alan, you have relayed my thoughts exactly.

Had a hybrid - loved it
When the kids started riding - I bought them (and me) and front suspension mountain bike - good for them, not great for me, as I want to go faster and on roads.
Now I'm looking at drop bar road bikes.
Go for a bike with 25c tyres, and a frame that can take even wider tyres for the winter - something like 28c tyres

 

[gary in derby]

see if you caqn get a deal on a specialized tricross, i know its a male specific bike.but, i got mine off the web for under £400. i does everything you could ask.