hello from a newbie

[alecstilleyedye]

what's your budget flowergirl? there's no end to what you can pay for a bike, but you should be able to get a satisfying ride for less than £300, provided you don't want to ride the tour de france or take up downhill mtb racing.

 

[Arch]

And I'll watch out for the old men with sweets!!!

Yeah, you do that! I should know...

Yes, you're right to think about buying locally - apart from getting to try the bike, if you buy it from a local shop, you will be building up a rapport for when you need to take it in for repairs or whatever. Plus, it's good to support local business.

Don't know what budget you have in mind, but it's worth remembering that with a new bike, you might want a better lock, maybe a few cycle specific accessories or clothes, so budget for that as well. A good lock is especially important, if your bike is nice and shiney - don't rely on a flimsy cable lock or anything like that.

 

[flowergirl]

I don't think I'd want to spend more than £300 alecs, so I'm glad I can get something nice for that... But if I'm going to take the plunge, it might as well be as nice as I can afford. With a bit of birthday money, and with saving on petrol I guess 200-300 would be my budget.

Good point about the lock Arch, my Mum's bike is a bit old and girly, so I guess it's not so tempting. What sort of locks are best?

 

[bonj2]

Basically, hub gears are an absolute work of crapola - if not only due to the fact that you have to NOT be pedalling when you change gear, which loses you momentum.
Also you should think twice about trusting something you can't see.

You should probably go and buy a bike with proper gears to be honest.

Thanks for being honest about that.

There are pesky members on here who pretend not to be ladies when we know full well who they really are

The username's a bit of a giveaway really, isn't it.

 

[Mr Phoebus]

And I'll watch out for the old men with sweets!!!

Damn right too!!! Unless you've got a taste for Werther's originals?

 

[Keith Oates]

You can also get Rohloff hub gears that are a little bit more expensive but some say can give you a good spread of gears equal to the cog type!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[asterix]

Hills aren't the only reason for gears! If you are battling into a headwind, it's nice to be able to change down a notch or two..

BTW, would you like a humbug?

 

[Elmer Fudd]

Hills aren't the only reason for gears! If you are battling into a headwind, it's nice to be able to change down a notch or two..

BTW, would you like a humbug?

If I'm battling with wind I try to get away as fast as possible !!!

And I'll have a humbug please .

 

[Arch]

Basically, hub gears are an absolute work of crapola - if not only due to the fact that you have to NOT be pedalling when you change gear, which loses you momentum.

Not necessarily, many modern hub gears shift fine under pressure

Also you should think twice about trusting something you can't see.

You don't trust the inside of your computer then? Or air? You often look inside your van's gearbox?

You should probably go and buy a bike with proper gears to be honest.

Hub gears are proper gears, bonj, they have been for decades and they will be for further decades.

The username's a bit of a giveaway really, isn't it.

Yes, dork, in flowergirl's name it is. But there are plenty of others with neutral names that don't give it away, and that's what Mr Paul was talking about.

Flowergirl, the best thing is to go to a good bike shop, and ask to try a few bikes, maybe some hub and some derailleur and go with what you feel comfortable using. Hub gears are perfectly fine, if they are what you want and Blonde's early post pretty much summed up the advantages of each type.

 

[peejay78]

good old bonj, ever the voice of reason, the fascist at the core of the liberal.

 

[flowergirl]

oh right, Im guessing mistermeg was having a joke with me then!

I have to say, I've got on fine with my Mum's bikes gears. It had been in the shed for years and Dad just got it out and put a bit of oil on it and we pumped up the tyres and away I went. I guess I should get him to show me how to fix a puncture - I watched him when I was a kid, but I've forgotton...

Anyway, I'll have a look round over the weekend and see what's out there, and maybe ask you all for some opinions next week! Have fun everyone, they say the suns gonna shine for a change!

 

[Elmer Fudd]

oh right, Im guessing mistermeg was having a joke with me then!

Maybe not so much having a joke, just treat bonj like the enigma machine, remove every second word and you'll get the real answer

 

[bonj2]

You don't trust the inside of your computer then? Or air? You often look inside your van's gearbox?

Er... well, I can see the inside of my computer 'cos I don't bother putting the side back on. And i can see my van's engine just by lifting up the seat, that's good enough for me. And anyway on a van or car when it comes down to it no i don't trust it, that's why i get it serviced every 10,000 miles by people who know a lot better about how it all works than I do.

Hub gears are proper gears, bonj, they have been for decades and they will be for further decades.

Nope, nope -they're dying out. They had their heyday on wartime bikes and in the sixties, but now they're like steam trains - mainly for pure nostalgia value. Nothing wrong with a bit of nostalgia, but that's what they are at the end of the day, and that's the only reason they won't die out completely because people like nostalgia.

 

[Chuffy]

Nope, nope -they're dying out. They had their heyday on wartime bikes and in the sixties, but now they're like steam trains - mainly for pure nostalgia value. Nothing wrong with a bit of nostalgia, but that's what they are at the end of the day, and that's the only reason they won't die out completely because people like nostalgia.

Low maintenance, less fragile than derailleurs, less messy and massively more practical on urban commuter bikes and work bikes. You're right as always, they're complete rubbish. Oh. One more word for you. Rohloff. Hugely unpopular and regarded as complete crapola by anyone who knows what real gears should look like. End of.

Oh, Flowergirl, welcome on board! Don't mind Bonj. He's just part of the furniture. We put our feet up on him when he's not spouting his gnomic words of Northern wisdom.

 

[Keith Oates]

Just to let you know Flowergirl, Chuffy is the proud and satisfied owner of a very good bike that's fitted with Rohloff gears. If you look in www.sjscycles.com you can find out more about them.