New Bike - Where to start?

[Maisie65]

I haven't been here in a very long time, but I just read back on this thread and it made me chuckle. I now cycling to the lake and around it and then home again. It's 8.5miles in total. A far cry from scooting around my garden. It's taken 2.5years to get to this stage. It took me a year to learn to go downhill without my brakes on,lol. So I have also lost a little weight in this time, about 2 stone which is slow going but better than being 2 stone heavier which is very possible if I didn't have my bike.

I just want to thank everyone here for the encouragement, because although I may have forgotten all about you until today, without you I would not have gotten further than the garden path.

 

[montroseloon]

websites like plotaroute.com are handy as you can work out a loop that doesn't take you too far from home or if you fancy going further afield you have a good idea of what is in store mileage wise

 

[Maisie65]

Thanks Montroseloon, I'm just checking that out now.

 

[Big Dave laaa]

Glad you stuck at it. If you're worried about being too far from home and getting stuck, try and plan circular routes with home as the centre if thats possible where you live. That way you're never too far away from home. You really shouldn't worry though. You'll be capable of far more than you can possibly imagine you just need to have belief in yourself.

 

[Maisie65]

Thanks Big Dave. I would really like to ride out into the countryside, but my biggest concern is the winding country roads, high hedgerows and cars that drive fast around blind corners. Otherwise I'm stuck in town unfortunately.

 

[Big Dave laaa]

If you pick your times carefully the lanes can be good. Weekday mornings should be avoided at work time for obvious reasons. Early mornings at weekends are ok by me but you'll know your area. Don't shy away from them you're missing out on a treat.

 

[Maisie65]

Well I'm considering upgrading my bike as 6 gears is really not working for me anymore, now that I'm travelling further. As you can see from my first post I made the mistake of buying an Apollo Metis from Halfords and it's seen me good for the last 2.5 years.

The problem is I don't really have much money to spend and need something around the £250.00. Not wanting to go back to Halfords, I looked on Google for my nearest LBS (yes I've been reading the forums) and the one with the best reviews is Edds Bikes in Stevenage. I rang this morning and they suggested a Dawes Discovery bike that would suit my commutes on the cycle paths (tarmac) and gentle rides on cycle tracks (gritty stuff).

http://dawescycles.com/product-cate...scovery/2016-bikes-discovery-bikes-discovery/

I wondered if anyone knew if these were suitable, and if it would be okay to go for the lowest end bike £219.99 discovery trail. An additional problem is that the shop does not have any Dawes bikes in stock but would order in according to size and then fit to me. So I don't get to see it in the flesh really before it's ordered. Although they did say that if it didn't fit then they take responsibility for that and I wouldn't be forced to buy it.

Any thoughts greatly appreciated.