Please help me.......

meeru

Hi everyone I have just joined the forum . Im currently looking for a bike to use as a leasure everyday bike . Unfortunatly I dont have a job so the bike is going to be just used for recreation purposes , basically to get me out of the house to releive the bordom !
We live in the countryside with many back lanes which are tarmac and fine , I dont think I will be doing mountain type riding .
The really crazy thing is i just love the look of the Saracen Mantra 1 with its big chunky looks , but from what i have been reading the bike would be no good for me , is this true ?
Our daughter 11 years old has a Raleigh freeride mountain bike , some would say rubbish but it does her just fine .
I have an oldish Apollo excell I have been using for the time being but its really a bit rubbish to be honest .
I have approx £250 - £300 to spend , i have been looking at the comfort bikes from dawes , giant and raleigh . Are the comfort bikes any use , or just a gimmick .

Im also looking on Ebay to see whats available used , but really stuck as to what to get . I dont want to spend my money then only to find out the bike I have bought is rubbish . Understandably I dont think you will advise me getting an Apollo ?!?!

Any help will be greatly recieved , many thanks .

el_presidente

£250-£300 is plenty budget

Go to some shops & ride a few, see what you like

popette

hi, welcome to the forum.
I've been cycling for 10 months now so not too far ahead of you. I initially bought a hybrid with the intention of just getting fit after my fourth baba - i went for hybrid because the thought of being bent over on a road bike did not appeal to me at all. I immediately loved cycling and saw that it was going to be much more than getting fit for me. Fortunately, there was a problem with the hybrid and so I was able to swap it for a (fully bent over ) road bike. I went for a Giant SCR3.0 as I read that it was a more comfy riding position. I tried it out before I bought it (as well as a few other bikes) as I wanted to make absolutely sure that I had the right bike. I probably wouldn't buy off ebay but that's just my own personal choice and I'm sure there are many who have and been very happy. I would buy from a reputable online store now that I have slightly more idea about what I'm looking for. For a first purchase though, you might prefer to talk to someone in a store and try actually riding before buying. BTW, I don't think that the comfort position on the Giant is a gimmick - I ride my husbands bike on my turbo and the riding position is quite different and much more weight is in my arms and hands on that than on my Giant.
I also have a mtb but my preference is definitely for the road bike as i love going far and fast. Getting a new route planned and then going out seeing new places is brilliant. You may find that you want to get involved in sportives and other stuff in the future as well.
Good luck - what a wonderful sport you have chosen upon


(I think I have spouted on about this before so sorry if I'm repeating myself - I just do love it lots)

meeru

Many thanks for the replies , its great to read . Its so funny , as when I was a youngster my grown up bike then was a bsa hand me down with the 3 speed sturmey archer gears !
I painted it blue as I didnt like the shiney black , and put a set of cow horn handle bars on it ( who remembers them from their youth ! ) .
I was around 13 years old at the time I guess , so thats about 28 years ago now . I went all over the place on it , nowadays there are so many different types of bike available to me its a job to know what to get .

I have been looking also at the road bikes , but the ones with the straight handle bars not the drop ones . They may be something for me to look at , as maybe I will get brave and venture out on the main roads one day .Would be a little silly on a mountain bike .

grayo59

There is a lot of bike snobbery about, Meeru and if you're unemployed I'd guess you won't be chucking big dosh at a bike for leisure purposes.

I've used an Apollo aluminium framed "Transition" bought new in July 2005 for £150 from Halfords so that ticks all the boxes for wrong bike, wrong price, wrong dealer! But the gears are sweet and it takes a lot of rough use through its 1.95 tyres and front only suspension!

But I use it on tarmac, bike paths and muddy towpaths/railway track beds. It's helped me see what I want from a bike and I've just bought a Specialized Allez for roadwork only. My Apollo will still suit me for trails, family rides, cyclepaths, down the pub through countryside tracks or along towpaths and curb hopping through the centre of Bristol.

So if it's an all rounder but only on tarmac then why not go for a flat barred road bike with no suspension obviously and rather more robust wheels/tyres?

meeru

I really have taken a liking to this....http://www.saracencycles.com/index.php? ... Itemid=265

Its a Saracen pylon 2 .
Anyone have an opinion on it , or even own this make ?