Would you ride this to Paris?

[Cathryn]

Tell her about Assos cream as well!! My world changed forever after the first tingle

 

[4F]

oops, didn't notice downtube shifters, how did people ever manage to ride with those in the olden days

Oi cheeky, People manage with them just as well now as when they first came out thanks

 

[Paulus]

Looks like a reasonable bike for the cheap price. As for down tube shifters, they are easy to get on with. I had them for many years before indexing came along so you had to feel the gear changing, before getting a moden bike with STI levers. it should do the job of getting to Paris. It is only 250 ish miles from London.

 

[yenrod]

Girl here at work is riding to Paris for charidee

Young and in good nick works out in the gym, plenty of cycling in the gym on a machine, knows nothing about bikes and as the one eyed man I've been asked for advice

Budget of nothing

I steered her away from something second hand on gumtree with front suspension and made noises about hybrids and maybe even a road bike if she wanted to go for it

She's seen this in Decatholon and I've said it's a good idea for the budget if she 's keen

Agreed?

I looked at this site and the mileage is a ton day yes 80mls minimum and thats only one day. Ever ohter day is 100mls at least...

All the best to the girl.

Tynan: I would also advise the girl to get a good saddle esp. if shes speeding hours rdiing upto a ton a day !!!!

The bikes quite a good go really for a 1sty !

 

[John the Monkey]

oops, didn't notice downtube shifters, how did people ever manage to ride with those in the olden days

thanks all, she picked that herself, I did suggest flat bars/hybrid, drops if she really fancied it

That model won't take mudguards, as far as I know (other than the crudcatcher/race blade type) or a rack, if that matters. Shifters should be fine, as the problematic rear one is indexed - as long as she anticipates gear changes slightly, and can ride with the hand doing the changing off the bars, they'll work out ok.

As other posters have said, another £50 would get her Sora shifters though, which can be changed from the hoods.

 

[Tynan]

another £50 ups it bu 40%, working with a budget stinks doesn't it, when a bikes that cheap, almost any change is significant

 

[yenrod]

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=london+to+paris+cycle+ride&meta=

The one I looked at was over 3 or 5 days and you had to stick a couple of hundred quid up front...

Which site? Are all the charity rides to Paris that mileage per day?

 

[col]

I know an upgrade would improve things,but it just crossed my mind,that years ago we never did,and managed with the basic bike.It would be interesting,how this basic bike fares,with this ride,just to see if it can do what its supposed to be able to do,without upgrades.

 

[Tim Bennet.]

Here's a comment from Mrs TB:

What's with all the patronising comments about drop handle bars and riding position? If she's a young, fit, intelligent women, let her make her own decision. There's plenty of us who never found drop handlebars a problem, or 'aggressive' riding positions, or complicated gear shifters...... Put a couple of inners and levers under your saddle, credit card, money, phone and UV lippy in your back pocket and go.

 

[John the Monkey]

I know I *always* mention this when the Decathlon Sport one is discussed, but a guy on ACF has been using one as his regular commuter, and reckoned it to be dependable enough (he'd done 1 month at last posting, 90 miles per week).

 

[Tynan]

yes yes yes, that chap's experience amongst other made me say yeah to the Decatholon one when ordinarily I'd have run screaming from a £120 bike

and yes to the what's the fuss, she asked the question as someone that's riddena bike once ever on hols I think, I've done my best to answer with my knowledge and I'm still saying go racer as long as you can hack it, hopefully she can and will and look and ride like a real cyclist rather than the cliched upright ladt cyclist

always like seeing girls on racers (who doesn't?) going quick, see a few most mornings, cycling is good for girls (if you like that sot of thing (I do)

 

[John the Monkey]

always like seeing girls on racers (who doesn't?) going quick, see a few most mornings, cycling is good for girls (if you like that sot of thing (I do)

When I did my commute later than I do now, there was a *very* quick female cyclist in Vlaanderen gear that used to pass me - and a lady who used to chat at the lights now and again up in Rusholme. Both riding drops, and both doing so very much better than me

Edit: Incidentally, and back on topic, given the sell off Decathlon are having at the moment, if she's quick she your friend may be able to grab a lot more bike for her money too.

 

[Tynan]

Yes, I slowly catch up with people sometimes, and think how well they're doing and am surprised that it's a girl, the odd one on drops

the sale is on right now I take it?

 

[John the Monkey]

Think so Tynan, Mr Paul posted the thing about the Triban being some ridiculous price quite recently...

 

[Tynan]

triban trail 7 is £279, crazy money

don't see nothing cheaper than that racer other than a couple of silly mountain bikes