help i know NOTHING about cyling

moffmcewan

hi and thanks for reading my post, i am very new to cycling and wish to buy a bike, im sure your sick of this question but what do i buy? went to 3 shops and 2 patronised me but 1 really tried to help and reccomended the following bike, i love the look of it but the specs could be written in chinese

http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-GB/bik ... 861/38960/

they want £625 for it which is fine but ANY advice would be appreciated

thanks in advance

M McEwan

nochekmate

If £625 is your sort of budget, I would be looking to buy secondhand as you would then be in the realms of a carbon bike/shimano 105 groupset territory which would knock spots off the Giant that you have been looking at.

Cyclists are always upgrading their bikes and just occasionally you might come across a cracking offer at around that sort of price (although obviously it helps if you know what you are looking for!) Do you have a more knowledgeable friend who may be able to help you in your search?

If you PM me your email address, I'd be happy to offer some advice.

bobtbuilder

nochekmate wrote:

If £625 is your sort of budget, I would be looking to buy secondhand as you would then be in the realms of a carbon bike/shimano 105 groupset territory which would knock spots off the Giant that you have been looking at.

Cyclists are always upgrading their bikes and just occasionally you might come across a cracking offer at around that sort of price (although obviously it helps if you know what you are looking for!) Do you have a more knowledgeable friend who may be able to help you in your search?

If you PM me your email address, I'd be happy to offer some advice.

+1 for this. At that price point you could get a very tasty secondhand bike with a good frame. You could put a better groupset on it at a later date.

However, as nochekmate pointed out, you will need someone with good bike knowledge to help you avoid a dud one.

skyd0g

You also need to be sure when buying 2nd hand is that the shiny carbon bargain buy is actually the right size for you. (esp. if you can't test-ride it).

moffmcewan

Thanks very much for the replies it is much appreciated as I have no biking friends. I failed to mention though I am taking advantage of the cycle 2 work scheme so have to buy new as the shops near me don't have 2nd hand. I've signed up for couple of charity events and wish to use the bike for training as I can't go running due to a knee operation but my doctor said cycling would be spot on.

nochekmate

So does that put your budget at £1000 with the C2W scheme or is at £675 including the various allowances?

Obviously having to buy new means you can ignore my earlier posting. Nevertheless if you search this forum there are countless threads on the C2W scheme and suggested bikes to buy.

Mettan

moffmcewan wrote:

but the specs could be written in chinese
M McEwen

Hi - looking at the specs, this bike comes with a Triple chainset (3 chain-rings) - that'll give you plenty of easy gears to get you up any hill when training, in charity rides or Sportives - the other obvious option (as a new rider) is to go for a bike with a Compact chainset (2 chain-rings) - a compact chainset and a large 27 or 28 cassette is sufficient for many people to do charity rides and sportives - many/most people prefer compacts to triples for a variety of reasons - before you buy a bike, have a read through this forum for threads on Triples V Compacts for new leisure riders. It's worth spending some time finding a bike with the most suitable chainset-type, rather than buying one, then in 6 months spending quite a bit of cash changing it to another chainset-type.

http://www.bikeradar.com/forum/viewtopi ... ++compacts

http://www.bikeradar.com/forum/viewtopi ... s++triples

http://www.bikeradar.com/forum/viewtopi ... ++compacts

If your not sure about Triples and Compacts - ask again, before you purchase.

bexley5200

i know nothing about cycling ,im a pro snow boarder ha ha ha .

STEFANOS4784

I think what you need to do as a complete beginner is trust your instincts and buy from that shop, their future help will be invaluable IMO but not necessarily IME

moffmcewan

hi everyone thanks very much for your advise i really appreciate it, been to 3 shops now 2 were big flashy stores that werent really helpful but found a nice little family business that are real nice, going in at weekend to try out some bikes and think as a newbie i'll judge on appearance and how i like the ride as i have pleanty of time to upgrade and tweak what i buy when i get more educated on the subject, i will take all advise about triples and compacts with me and here what they advise.

thanks again