Need help Convincing my Parents

PimpMyBike

Hey guys . I saw a Giant Defy 2 (2011) on the Internet at a heavily discounted price of £500. My parents are saying i can't have it because it's a road bike and they will only let me spend £350 . I can save up the extra £150 that I would need . But they want me to a have a bog standard Hybrid .

So I was wondering how can I convince them that it's better to spend the extra money for a much much much better bike ?

( And I don't know whether this is the right place to post so move this if you want )

neeb

Tell them that you want to get into cycling as a sport, not just as a means of transport, and that a road bike is the only suitable bike for that. Getting a hybrid would be like trying to play cricket with a tennis racket.

yeachan153

You'll get fitter on a road bike, because it wants you to go harder & faster, rather then a lumbering unwilling hybrid

Cleat Eastwood

b0llocks I thought it said 'need help convicting my parents' - i had a great idea too,

andyeb

Tell them "If I get hooked on this, I'll be healthy for life" and if you don't have the right tool for the job, that won't happen.

Then you could find your local Strava segments and say "How am I going to beat these guys on a hybrid?". Actually, second thoughts...

MichaelW

The Defy can take a rear luggage rack and mudguards.
Rack and mudguards turn a roadbike into a decent everyday commuter and a passable touring bike. You get 3 bikes for the price of 1.
The ideal all-round roadbike would have quite generous tyre clearance and long-drop calliper brakes so you can use wider tyres in winter. Disc-equipped CX bikes are probably out of your price range. Check what size tyre you can fit.

thescouselander

What is it that your parents don't like about road bikes?

thefd

How old are you? Are they worried you will out grow the bike?

PimpMyBike

thescouselander wrote:

What is it that your parents don't like about road bikes?

I dont know to be honest they say that becuase it has drop handlebars i wont be able to use them and that itll break my back the way you sit (???) .

TheFD wrote:

How old are you? Are they worried you will out grow the bike?

Well im 13 and around 5 foot 11 so i dont think ill grow much more .

CiB

They probably imagine that a hybrid is equally as good on the roads, on cycle paths, on tow paths etc. Reality is that's it's not as good as the proper thing for any of those disciplines, so isn't really worth bothering with. So you need to convince them that you want the right sort of bike for the use that you intend to put it to, not some compromise that has only one inevitable conclusion, that you'll have to buy another bike in a year or so's time, the bike you wanted in the first place. Save your money and buy the right thing now.

The other conclusion we could draw is that they imagine you on a road bike with your head down doing all sorts of silly speeds and crashing through not looking where you're going as you're down on the drops. Point out that most riding on a road bike is on the hoods not the drops; road bike bars just provide a wider range of comfortable positions.

Edit - I see you've added some info. You won't hurt your back on a road bike, drops are just another option (see above). Can you get them to talk to someone in your LBS, someone who can explain how their misconceptions are just that?

father_jack

Could understand not getting a time trial, and my road bike is slightly less comfy than the the drop bar tourer, but break your back? And cannot stop? (although agree if you ride on flats you cannot brake) Could look into cyclo cross?

Those cost more though.

singleton

When I was a kid, we all had 'racing' bikes from about 10 up - there was no mountain bikes, hybrids etc - and we did okay.

Ask your dad what bike he had at 13 - if he's over 40 then he would have had a racer and he survived...

bails87

Why do other people have them? If they were painful or dangerous then they wouldn't be used would they?

dav3e

Maybe the bike isn't the issue....could it be the potential wearing of lycra that they are uncomfortable with.

smidsy

PimpMyBike wrote:

So I was wondering how can I convince them that it's better to spend the extra money for a much much much better bike ?

I do not have the answer sorry, but if you do find out what it is post it on here and I guarentee there will be 1000's of grateful blokes who can then use the same on their wives/partners.

This issue never goes away when you leave home you simply trade it for a different person to convince (and normally with graver consequences for ignoring them) :shock:

Good look

yeachan153

Or your parents may be road cyclists themselves and know about the inevitable downward spiral of endless upgrades that follow

singleton

I've got children who are a similar age to you. If I had a budget of £350 and they wanted to add another £150 to buy something better, I'd be delighted. They'll probably value the item more, look after it better, and get more long term ownership satisfaction out of it.

mikeabanks

My 11 year old son expressed an interest in a road bit - I was only too happy for him to get one even though I had a hybrid. Obviously I had to upgrade to a road bike not too long after :-)

FSR_XC

Working on the theory that it's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission:

Have a word with the guys in the bike shop, hand over your £150 and when your parents pay for the bike, take the Giant.


OR


Get your parents to speak to someone in the bike shop about safety, comfort and maybe local cycling clubs etc, so that you will be able to enjoy your new hobby.

rubertoe

Get new parents.

PimpMyBike

Thanks for all the help guys , but now my parents are making me keep my old bike because they are so sick of me going on about the road bike . So how can I say all your reasons because whenever I mention the bike at all they tell me to shut up ?

thescouselander

PimpMyBike wrote:

Thanks for all the help guys , but now my parents are making me keep my old bike because they are so sick of me going on about the road bike . So how can I say all your reasons because whenever I mention the bike at all they tell me to shut up ?

Well I guess it sucks to be young sometimes. Just remember - one day they will need you to support them and the boot will be on the the foot - I just hope they're not expecting to end up in a nice retirement home.

Wirral_paul

The main difference between a £350 bike and a £500 bike will be mainly the quality of the components fitted. Something like a Defy 2 will have decent quality items fitted and probably prove more reliable long term.

(even if its not true - it sounds good to most parents i'm sure!!)

Do you fancy doing any racing at all? Any local clubs with a junior section??

PimpMyBike

They're just not listening anymore guys . So I don't think I can do anything else to sway their opinions .

Wirral_Paul wrote:

The main difference between a £350 bike and a £500 bike will be mainly the quality of the components fitted. Something like a Defy 2 will have decent quality items fitted and probably prove more reliable long term.

(even if its not true - it sounds good to most parents i'm sure!!)

Do you fancy doing any racing at all? Any local clubs with a junior section??

I would but I dont know if there are any clubs near me at all .

rubertoe

what are you currently riding?

Rushmore

Tell them if you can't get a roadbike... you'd get a boyfriend instead....

PimpMyBike

rubertoe wrote:

what are you currently riding?

An awful no-name £100 mountain bike . I absolutely hate it .

yeachan153

Whack some slicks on at the least if you can't get the bike

springtide9

Start saving for the new bike. I bet when they see you are actually committed (and maybe have £200 towards it) they'll help you out.

At the moment all they can probably hear is ... "I want.. I want... I want..."

rubertoe

springtide9 wrote:

Start saving for the new bike. I bet when they see you are actually committed (and maybe have £200 towards it) they'll help you out.

At the moment all they can probably hear is ... "I want.. I want... I want..."

This.

Save hard, get a paper round (do they still exist?)...Cut lawns..speak to your grandparents, aunts, uncles, birthday coming up.

Show your really committed and they will come round.

mattshrops

Do an internet search for local cycling clubs - if your lucky they may have a facility like ours where we have an off road tarmac circuit for "safe"(for parents benefit) training. they may also lend you a road bike to use on the circuit as a trial. Most decent clubs will also have some british cycling trained coaches(again good things to drop out in front of the parents) safety, training and coaching blah blah.
Agree about saving up , maybe they'll see you're serious as previously said, maybe not. Either way save enough and buy it yourself if yopu have to. Good luck.