Late 40s hooked on cycling - what to buy for self and wife

Tusboy

My wife and I got into cycling about 18 months ago and have really go the bug. We bought ourselves some decent upright commuter type bikes for around £400 each and have worked our way up to regularly enjoying rides of 40 miles+ in the London area.

Suffice to say we are now getting frustrated with our current bikes - great for dashing round West London but irritiating as lots of people fly past us.

With no kids but bags of enthusiasm we are keen to move up a notch and buy bikes that will allow us to do some longer rides at reasonable speeds - but where to start?

So hooked are we that we are prepared to spend up to £1000 each on next purchase but are wary of being duped in a store.

Help!!! Any guidance much appreciated......

markos1963

Welcome to the forum.
I would say that at a £1000 each its unlikely that you'll buy a bad bike, only an unsuitable one. I always think that a beginner should be asking where to buy and not what to buy at that level. Sadly I don't know your area very well so I can't recommend a LBS near you. You should be narrowing down what you want to concentrate on from your cycling, that way the choice of bike will be easier ie race,touring,sportive,club or just cruising around the countryside. Best of luck finding what you want, at least there's two of you to enjoy it, I've been trying hard to no avail to pursuede my wife to take it up.

mrushton

I think you should first think about whether you want to ride in autumn and winter and for how long. Riding for more than a couple of hours on wet roads or in the rain without mudguards results in wet feet and gritty @rse which isn't pleasant and can prevent you from being out so long, so an "audax" type frame which can have mudguards fitted is very useful. On the other hand a road "racing" bike with tighter geometry (that wont fit mudguards) will be great fun to ride and may feel easier to accelerate on. Of course you could get round this dilemma by having two bikes each, but if you do that you may find you end up with a garage full in no time. My partner and I now have 9 bikes between us and every single one is used regularly as they all have a different purpose.

Also I agree that you need to find a trustworthy bike shop with whom you can discuss your needs and who help you make an informed decision about which bike will best suit your requirements.

Tusboy

Thanks for the sage input.

We have been thinking a touring /audax option might be way to go so will go and have a look. I do also fear we may end with our shed rammed with bikes!


Will do a bit of due diligence on local shops. We will see which ones actually want to invest time with us as opposed to walking straight to the selection of bikes available.

Thanks to both again for good practical advice.

Mister W

If you fancy combining your bike shopping with a weekend away then I can recommend Epic Cycles in Tenbury Wells. If you get in touch with Chris before you go then he'll make sure he's available to spend time sorting out the perfect bikes for you.

rjeffroy

If you are around West London I would recommend a trip into to town to Condor on the Grays Inn Road

Anonymous

Defo go for Mudguard Compatible!

carrock

My suggestion would be looking for a deal now on a 2009 model-

my wife and I bought a pair bargain basement bikes in 2002 and have changed bikes every 18 months since, doing c2c rides along the way.

Now I have just bought a 2009 specialized roubaix elite for £1350- not a bad deal as the 2010 bikes are £1700- and wife has a bianchi camaleonte IV

Try to find a shop that has test bikes- specialized have a range of purple test bikes that you can take out for hours

Tusboy

Cheers to all - will definitely check out shops mentioned.