I know nothing

Shines

Hey everyone,

Firstly, I know absolutely nohing about cycling in any form.

I was hoping for some adviceon how to gte started. Specifically what type of bije to look for. At the moment just want to start cycling to work and a few gentle weekend rides. I am 5'9" and have an inside leg of 30". Can anyone tell me the correct size frame? and also, what else do I need to consider?

Any advise would be great!

redddraggon

Shines wrote:

I am 5'9" and have an inside leg of 30". Can anyone tell me the correct size frame?

Well it depends on the frame really, but I'm about the same size as you and I generally take a 54cm frame. But then again I sometimes find a 56cm with a short stem more comfortable.

Best bet is to go to your local bike shop and sit on a few bikes.

feel

you are the same size as me and i have a 55cm frame Lemond. I reckon a 53 cm would have fit me ok as well. A lot of maufacturers produce sizes in even numbers so i would guess a 54 cm frame would then be ok. If you are fairly certain that you want to take road riding up i would try and buy a bike towards the top end of your budget because otherwise you might pretty soon want to upgrade it. If you are going to spend all your time on roads i would go for a proper road bike with drop handlebars - it will be much faster than others. I spent £750 on my bike in the summer and it has been the best thing i have bought in years - i love it

Rich Hcp

Yep.

But you need to decide what you want.

Get down to your local shop and discuss it with them.

Don't mention budget, say what you are looking for and then see what they say.

Also remember to budget in an equipment and clothing allowance, for helmet, gloves, padded shorts and tights, jacket, tops etc not forgetting maybe lights pedals and shoes

Avoid Halfords and the bigger stores, they will try to sell whats on offer and the best dea for them, rather than you.

And then walk away and think about it.

Then when you are sure go back and decide for sure.

giant_man

Welcome to the forum and good choice to find stuff out! All a friendly bunch over here, well most of us anyway lol,

my advice to you is get yourself measured properly, because although I am a similar size to yourself, frame geometries do vary so much amongst manufacturers, and what one bike in a 54cm might feel like, will be very different in a 54cm frame of another make. you may get away with a stock size to be finalised by a certain size stem and bars, but the seat tube and top tube sizes are very important.

John.T

Also be aware that all makers do not measure their frames the same way. Some measure from the bottom bracket centre to the top of the seat tube while others measure from the BB centre to the centre line of the top tube. My 52cm Ribble actually measures 56cm to the top of the seat tube. With many bikes having sloping top tubes now the length of the virtual (horizontal) top tube is often a better guage of size. Most bikes now have a lot of seat pin out so seat tube length is less important than it used to be.
As most posters have said 'try before you buy'.

meesterbond

Before you start getting into the complexities of sizing, you firstly need to think about what you'll want to use the bike for...

A road bike with drop bars is usually the best option if you're never ever going to take it off road...
If you think you might want to wander off the grey stuff and into the woods then maybe a mountain bike would be a better option (you can alway fit thinner, slick tyres for road use)
For mostly road, but a few canal paths and fireroads, then a hybrid might be the best option. Hybrids lie somewhere between road and mountain bikes and whilst they wouldn't stand up to any serious off road abuse, they'd handle the odd dirt track or unmade road considerably better than a roadie...

Once you've made that decision and had a think about budget, then you'll be in a much better position to identify a suitable bike, a decent shop to try it at and work out what size you might need...

ademort

First of all welcome to the cycling forum, there are some real experts on this site as i find out when i joined. As for you and your bike, size etc i would firstly decide what type of bike you are looking for, race,mountainbike or hybrid. The frame sizes do vary considerably depending on type of frame and manufaturer. Also your height, leg length does help determine the actual size of bike that you need, but there are other factors.However if your budget does allow it, then a visit to a specialist bike shop rather than your halfords is your best bet. A specialist shop will give you good advice on your size and show you the bikes available and once you decide which bike you like a test ride should be no problem.The bike shop will set the bike up so that it fits you correctly. If you do not see the bike you are looking for then shop around, a good bike shop will always welcome a new customer. It would be a great help if you could tell us what type of bike you are looking for and what is your budget and location. Whatever you decide i hope that you enjoy your new bike and wish you many happy miles in the future, regards ademort

Shines

Thanks everyone for all your advice so far.

I am really looking for a road bike, as I already have mountain bike which I will be keeping for sunday afternoon trips along the canal.

My budget is a maximum of £500, and I know I may not get much for that kind of money, but I don't want to spend too much on my first bike. Someone else asked my location, which is in Taunton, Somerset.

benny2891

You'd be surprised at how much bike you can get for £500.00. Especially if you are just starting out.

I'm new at this too, but the one bit of advice I would give you is make sure the bike feels good to ride. Don't worry too much about componenty (at that price of bike whatever you get should be fine, quality wise). The best way to make friends with your bike is to ride it often. That's not easy to do if it hurts you.

I'll just echo what's already been said here. A good LBS is invaluable for making sure you get the right size / type of bike.

fizz

Shines wrote:

Someone else asked my location, which is in Taunton, Somerset.

I live in Yeovil so not far from you, You might find it worth a trip to Yeovil and pop into Tri UK and have a chat with the guys in there. I've bought two bikes from there and I found their advice very useful and the staff to be knowledgable. I woulnt suggest a saturday though as they can get quite busy, pop in on a weekday and have a chat with them.

I'd echo what the others said, about fit, make sure you have a good idea of budget ( which you seem to ) and what you are going to use the bike for ( which you also seem to )

Dont forget extras like pedals and shoes and a helmet in your budget.

HTH