Help me if you can Im feeling down! (First ever post)

cabinfever

Hey there guys,

I am toying with the idea of getting into road biking. I have been mountain biking for many many years but that came to a stop 4 weeks ago after I split with my girlfriend who gave away my bike, tools, clothes, shoes, even my big bag! Needless to say I was absolutely gutted!

Now I am at a crossroads, I have been interested in road biking for a while despite never having even sat on one, but I feel this is a good time to get into it as I am square one anyway.
I guess my goals with a road bike would be 2 - 3 hr rides, I wanna be comfortable but at the same time have a bike with a bit of performance. Looking to spend up to 800 quid ish. Not sure if its of importance but I am 1.85m and weigh about 13.5 stone.

In terms of manufacturer, I am not too fussed, been looking at entry level bikes by Colnago, EMC2, Scott, Trek, Merida, Bianchi etc but I am really not sure what to go with and whats good or not.

Any recommendations would be appreciated.

Cheers, Ben

Garz

Try out a few bikes in your lbs' to get the feel for the right one. The other alternative would be to get a boardman comp in the right size and spend the rest on your essentials.

Anonymous

Time to hit the shops and try some bikes for size!

nickcuk

cabinfever wrote:

Hey there guys,

I am toying with the idea of getting into road biking. I have been mountain biking for many many years but that came to a stop 4 weeks ago after I split with my girlfriend who gave away my bike, tools, clothes, shoes, even my big bag! Needless to say I was absolutely gutted!

Every cloud has a silver lining - once you get into road biking, the women will be CHASING you down the road. She's missing you already !

zedders

Soz to here about the ex there m8, but I suppose shit happenz.

Don't just trust one bike shop, go to several. The quality of service and advice out here is unbelieveable! IMO I would start off with something from a big brand like, Giant, Trek or Bianchi. I guess you can't really go to wrong if you do. Ref. your weight and size, it won't matter what you buy, as long as you make sure you get the right size frame.
Don't forget that frame sizes vary from brand to brand. So don't assume a 58cm in a Ginat will be the same as a 58cm for a trek etc.
Happy hunting. That refers to a new bike, and meaning theres plenty more fish in the sea!!!

MattC59

She gave away your bike and stuff ?!?!!?!?!?!?

Right, plan of action.........

1) Go round there and demand the cash value or that she gets your stuff back.
2) If the above doesn't work, set fire to her head.
3) Dance around the flames naked.
4) Sit back with a cup of tea and some cake and admire your handy work.
5) Trawl around the bike shops trying as many makes as you can.

I bought my first road bike a few weeks ago, and just like mountain bikes, two bikes by different manufacturers don't necessarily fit the same. As you've come from a mountain biking past, don't go for something too aggresive. The important ting that I found was the reach, getting this right without the saddle right back on it's rails, goes a long way to preventing a sore lower back.

I went for a Trek 1.9, which is great. the 1.7 is abut £900 I seem to remember and the 1.5 about £650.

Chin up and focus your energies on new bikes

Matt

zedders

MattC59 wrote:

She gave away your bike and stuff ?!?!!?!?!?!?

Right, plan of action.........

1) Go round there and demand the cash value or that she gets your stuff back.
2) If the above doesn't work, set fire to her head.
3) Dance around the flames naked.
4) Sit back with a cup of tea and some cake and admire your handy work.
5) Trawl around the bike shops trying as many makes as you can.

Not sure about 2,3, and 4, but #1 is definately a good idea. Obviously what happened is private, but did she have the right to get rid of your stuff? Surely its just her being a bit *****! I would be furious if something like that happened to me. Whethers its biking stuff or not. I'm sure it would be difficult but I would definately be having a word and demanding some sort of compensation from her? Or demand she gets it back etc. If she won't play the game take something from her of a similar cash value. Hold her to ransom, or sell it and keep the cash. I know this sounds very petty and you could be accused of all sorts, but I wouldn't give up without some sort of fight. Even if you pursuade her to give you half the value (and make her see its half the value) then several hundred pounds will be worth all the hassle and backstabbing you'll get from her. Good luck.

PS. many, many moons ago I had a relationship go sour, after I found out she has been tarting around, and I was gutted like you. I remeber just walking out and taking all my stuff and dumping it at my mums. It took several weeks to get over her. But now looking back it was the best thing I ever did!

cabinfever

Thanks for your responses guys...let me give you a quick run down on what happened on the relationship (sorry to veer of the subject of bikes). Basically, I was living with this Spanish girl for 2.5 years in New Zealand and Spain, I met her when I was traveling in NZ. After I finished my travels I came back to England worked for a bit then dropped everything and moved to NZ to live with her. That was the first mistake I guess, perhaps too much too soon, in hindsight it would have been good to do the usual courting before moving in but hey.

This girl was also 10 yrs my senior and I know this is not an issue but she kept dropping hints like her clock is ticking and all that, I got a bit freaked out with this, I am not exactly a spring chicken but I wanna wait a bit longer before I even think about having kids. The most important thing though is a just didn't love her anymore, the attraction went and I just wanted to be single I guess.

So to sum up i didn’t cheat on her and I was always faithful, however, I did break up with her over the phone, this is cowardly I know, but in the conversation we had a just snapped and said the words. I wish I could of controlled my feelings until I saw her but it just came out over the phone. In case your wondering we lived in Spain and the phone conversation occurred when I was back in the UK for a "break".

I haven’t been back to Spain since, but she says she is absolutely devastated (fair enough) and "claims" to have given all my stuff away including my bike. I am not sure if this is a bluff?? but she says she doesn't want to speak to me or even see me again.

Now here's the dilemma, all my stuff is round her mums house in which we lived whilst searching for flats. Do I email her mum and explain that I am sorry for what happened with your daughter and ask to get my stuff (if there is anything there) back, or do I email her sister and explain the situation??

Recommendations would be good guys and I am sorry to burden you all!!

One other thing, in spite of all this I want to get into road biking and my goal is to get hold of a road bike very soon.

zedders

cabinfever,
you don't do things by half measures do you! NZ, Spain, living with her parents! is it really worth going over there? guess you have to weigh up the cost of going over there to fetch it, bring it back, to the value of your stuff? is there a mutual friend over there who can assist in some way, first to make sure you have some stuff to collect? but if it comes to the worse, i would speak to her sis or mother anyway. maybe they want to get your stuff out of their house?
am not relationship councilor, and don't know a lot about women, (but who does) but i guess you need to have further words and get 'final closure' on the matter? whether that means going over there and collecting your stuff and seeing her/or her mother f2f, or having words via the net/phone and never going back, only you know.
But I would sort out your issues before getting a bike? better to clear your head first? I've made several impluse purchases before, and they have always been bad moves. the best purchases have always been when i've taken my time?
but hay what do i know! am only a bloke!

sicknote

I would say which one do you think would be easier to talk too about it, you should or at least have a good feeling about.

Try to contact them if you can and say its not the way you wanted to do it but its just the way it happened.

Find out if there is anything flat and decide want you wont to do but clearing your head and trying to move on plus all above is a good start.

Good luck with both

cabinfever

Cheers Zedders,
You are definately right, I will wait to see what happens with my current bike before I make any decisions. However, gonna look at some bikes this weekend and see whats about.

I have decided though to right a letter in Spanish to her sister, I got on with her quite well so hopefully she will be understanding.

Tough times, relationship splits are soooooooooo hard!!