Newbie bike advise and other questions

HEDaniels

Dear all,
Firstly I will apologise, I am completely new to road cycling and quite frankly I haven't got a clue.
Anyway, I'm interested in getting into road cycling as I used to do spin at the gym and loved it, but unfortunately I can no longer afford the membership. I would also like to start communting to work as petrol costs are going up and I could do with getting fit. Long term I would like to get into time trials and so on, but I think my fitness levels are a way off that at the moment.

I think given that I loved spin so much, and the position that you are in on a road bike, this would be the best option to work my muscles in the same way, or as close as possible?

As far as bikes are concerned, I have only sat on a road bike once, and that was at GoOutdoors this afternoon. As I am a beginner and I am skint, I have been looking at the Raleigh Airlite 200 which seems to tick the boxes for what I would need as a beginner, and the best price I can get is currently £348. However, the reviews seem somewhat mixed for this bike??

Time for the numpty questions.
Most road bikes seem to be men's, I take it this doesn't matter if I get fitted for a bike? What is a best fit and what should I be looking for position and comfort wise?

With road bikes, I take it the clip on shoes and peddles (proably a technical name i don't know) are better? I have images of falling over sideways in a comical fashion at the traffic lights when I'm unable to get my feet out of the straps.
Are all clip-on's the same or do you have to get brand specific, e.g. Raleigh shoes for a Raleigh bike?

Can you go over cattle grids on race bikes? There is a really good network of tarmaked cycle paths near me, but they are dotted with grids.

Any help would be very much appreciated.

Hannah

wishitwasallflat

Best advice is ride it before you buy.

If it's for commuting, shorter distances and in traffic then you might be better with a flat bar hybrid for a more upright position in traffic. I started with a hybrid and now love my road bike but they do have their place.

If you are worried about cattle grids then maybe a mountain bike might be better for you - road bikes tend to have skinny tyres and while I have never done it if I went over one at any speed I would be out of the saddle, knees bent and taking care - I am sure someone who has will be along soon.

I would say fit is more important than gender specific - make sure the bike fits you well.
Raleigh Airlites get good reviews in C+

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/ ... mit=Search

Not sure about elsewhere. Carrera's from Halfords are also good bikes for the money. If you know anyone who knows about bikes you will get a better bike 2nd hand but I would say only go down that route if someone with experience can check it out for you or you are buying from a friend.

Clip less pedals (they are the ones you clip your shoes into via things called cleats on the bottom of your shoes) cleats must match pedals but not the bike itself. I have a specialised bike but use speedplay pedals. They are easy enough to use once you get used to them - but again if your new to cycling and especially in traffic I would say stick with ordinary pedals for a while until you are happy cycling and then get clipless if you feel like it. Clipless are better I got mine cause my feet were getting sore trying to cycle in Doc Martens shoes!

now is that everything ... welcome to your new obsession!

Muffintop

Hi Hannah,

Spin's definately good training for road biking - you are very much in the same position. However you may want to check the dimensions that to put your spin bike in (how high the seat is, where you position your handle bars etc). I always set my spin bike to a slightly more uncomfortable position than my road bike cos when I want to get on my road bike I want it to feel really good.

Difference between 'man's frame' and lady's frame'. I actually don't think there is that much difference to be honest. I have lady framed bikes (at 5ft tall they were available in the smaller size, for a mans I'd probably need an extra small) but ladies frames can be heavier. If the frame fit I wouldn't consider the gender specifics of the bike.

Getting it fitted - speak to the guys in the shop. You can always tweek it later provided the frames the right size.

Price - I would normally recommend you see if you could get something second hand for £300. But it was pointed out to me the other day that I have actually never ridden a £300 new bike so you could indeed get yourself a bargan.

Going over Cattle Grids - Probably can do on a racer but you feel every bump, and you'd have to be careful, wet rubber and steel not good.

Clipless Pedals - You're not a proper cyclist unless you've worn these for a year and don't fall off untill you forget one day in the highstreet having stopped at red light, and fall flat on your face. i have shamano (sp?) pedals and cleats, it's fairly easy to change your pedals. I started of with the cages - the ones you get at spin class where you slide your foot into. You can take the ribbon bit off of those and slide your foot out. I found them good practice when I wanted to go onto clipless as you get used to moving your feet into position before you stop. Might be a better idea if you're going to be crawling along cattle grids!

Fyi - Saddle - try and find one the same shape as you have in spin class. As you are already a wee bit used to it you'll find it alot more comfortable, and don't wear padded shorts! If you never wear them you'll never need them.

Mx

slowlanejane

Hi Hannah, novice lady cyclist here.

Firstly, I take my road bike over cattle grids all the time & its fine.

The main diff between men's frames & women's are that WSD (womens specific design, or some similar bulshite) :
- they tend to have narrower handlebars as we are not as broad shouldered as blokes
- they tend to have smaller reaches on the handlebars and brakes / gears etc, to accomodate smaller hands
- they tend to have geometry suitable for a longer leg length and shorter body length ratio
... but actually bike fit is a very individual thing as we are all different. I have narrow shoulders & small hands but also short legs and a long body. When I tried ladies models I felt cramped and instead got a bike fit done, and ended up with a small mans frame, swapping out the front end and fitting narrower bits & bobs. However, you can't take that as read either, because each manufacturer uses different geometry. Also at the time I had a generous (but not ridiculous) budget, soquite alot of choice.

First off, be sure whether you want a road bike and not a road bike type bike but with flat bars - a road based hybrid - you'll only know this by checking both types out and having a good think on it - also a good idea to borrow a bike too and ride it if you can.

Road bike fit is very important to avoid injury and for the ride to be comfortable. Know your inside leg measurement from crotch to floor, and your torso legth, from your hip pivot to your shoulder pivot. When you look at bikes, always check the geometry and make sure it'll be comfortable to standover and its a comfortable reach to the handlebars. Other things like cranks (pedal length) and handlebars etc can be swapped out later, but the frame is the frame and not alot you can do about it if you buy the wrong size. You can get a fitting - about £50 from a good local bike shop (not Halfords), which is often refundable if you buy a bike from there, or read up from this forum the background of a good bike fit. I'll rumage out a link.

You seem to want quite a versatile model - commuting, pathways, training, leisure rides, maybe races later on - and a limited budget. To be honest, in the lower price bracket most bikes fit this bill, its higher up the pricing tree that models become very specific. Just make sure you have the clearance (between the tyre and the fork / frame) and braze-ons (little blobs of metal with screws in) which will allow you to fit mudguards and racks so you can commute, removing this extra weight when training / racing later on.

Now price. The firts price point where many manufacturers compete (and therefore some great bikes to be had) is around £500. Often last year's model, still new, is sold cheaper online by big bike stores like Evans, maybe £150 off, so always worth a look. Its usually v big & v sml models in the sale, so good news for small frame ladies. But if you have less than £500 you have 2 options: A) cheaper, new bike - look at Halfords Carrerra range - I bought a 24/7 for my nephew and its a decent enough bike, but on this forum I've seen good reports for the Viking range and I've checked out Decathlon's B'Twin range and they look good - def good enough for a beginner. And about £300, which is a rally good price.

Option is to buy 2ndhand, and this is def doable, I've bought some cracking bikes at great prices this way, usually from here rather than ebay etc, but you do need to know what you're doing.

Hope this helps. PM me if you'd like help looking. Where are you based?

MichaelW

slowlanejane wrote:

Hi Hannah, novice lady cyclist here.

.......

Hope this helps. PM me if you'd like help looking. Where are you based?

+1 to all the above advice.

Dont underspend. What is your current commuting/local travel/keep fit budget, over a 5-year period.
Budget for accessories: rack, luggage, lighting, lock, repair kit, helmet and any bike-specific clothing.
Make sure you have some 3rd party insurance in case you cause a major pile up!! Bike insurance can be expensive; personally I dont insure the bike because I can keep a float of cash for replacement. You need to insure the things you cant afford to replace.

The process for fitting men and women is the same but the outcome may be different. Women's saddles are different to mens.

I'm not a huge fan of putting newbie riders on clipless pedals for riding on the roads. It is different if you race or ride on an indoor track or have a personal retinue of cars to protect you (like those sports-aid charity riders). When you are riding, your brain can get overloaded with information and you can forget simple things (like unclipping). As you gain experience, you start top ride on autopilot and free up some brain space.

One style of bike that I really like for everyday and fitness use is the cyclo-cross, disc brake style. This is a doitall bike rather than race machine and is good in all weathers, on road and trail.

slowlanejane

MichaelW wrote:

Budget for accessories: rack, luggage, lighting, lock, repair kit, helmet and any bike-specific clothing.

+1 for this. Costs for basic but good level: rack £25. Luggage (panniers) £20-50 - got mine off ebay. Lock £25-£35. Repair kit £25 incl inner tube spares. Helmet Basic from £35+. Clothing: Jacket £50. Gloves £20. Lights £20.

MichaelW wrote:

I'm not a huge fan of putting newbie riders on clipless pedals for riding on the roads.

+1 for this. I started on mine too early. I should have gotten used to the bike handling first, then added the pedals. You'll also add £100 to your costs for the shoes, cleats & pedals to get them straight off.

MichaelW wrote:

One style of bike that I really like for everyday and fitness use is the cyclo-cross, disc brake style. This is a doitall bike rather than race machine and is good in all weathers, on road and trail.

+1 on this too, my next bike purchase probably, as I'll be getting my son a CX soon, and I was looking at this very model. But alot of money if you're cash strapped. Halfords do do credit, and you might have a Cycle to Work scheme running at work? Ask your HR dept.

Anyway. seems michael & I agree on many points!

Pigtail

Cattle grids can be dangerous - particularly if you aren't used to them. I did a sportive last year, with a cattle grid really early on and a few people came a cropper.

Best way is to take them square on, not at an angle, and let the bike roll across, don't put a lot of power on - then you should be fine.

velohutts

+1 on the cyclo cross bike - I use mine for commuting , the brakes on the top of the bars as well as on the hoods make it easier to ride in traffic.
The thicker / wider tyres make it more comfortable ie soaks up bumps better , when more confident or going on the road a skinny (23) road tyre makes it almost a road bike , comes with eyelets for rack / mudguards etc.
There are always deals around on the internet but as said earlier go round a few bike shops , see what is most comfy - write down the model / make of bike and your frame size.
A bike shop locally if you pay full price may well be open to a bit of bartering ie pedals and shoes thrown in for price or a decent helmet.
Enjoy the shopping , I regularly on a shopping trip park so that on way back we pass the bike shop to go and drool over £3k supersteeds then buy an inner tube !!
A decent bike shop will spend time telling you about each bike , the pro's and con's is it a race frame , cross , sportive - basically how bent over you are - if they just try and flog you something go to another one.

Good luck welcome to the world of cycling , you will have a fleet of them before you know it if possible.

Joycie

+1 for take it easy on the cattle grids - a guy died on a road bike in Scotland last year and, whilst I don't have the details, his death did involve a cattle grid.