Hello - New on the road

markp80

Hi all,

I've been reading the forum for quite a while now and I've picked up some great help and advice from it, but thought it was time I joined in - so, hello everyone!

I'm new to road cycling. I have an old Saracen MTB but that rarely gets used, and eventhen it's on a leisurely cycle path with MrsP. However, I had quite a bad knee injury playing rugby a year or so ago, and I need to get some fitness back. Gyms aren't for me, but I've always had an interest in cycling, so I've decided this is my opportunity to give it a real go.

My first thought was to go for a mountain bike, for no reason other than that seems to be what everyone buys and versatile. I gave this some thought though, and decided
a) - I wouldn't be strapping it to my car and going off on a weekend, I want something I can ride every evening, straight out the front door
b) - Even if I did have a mountain bike, I'd rarely go off road
c) - I just wanted a road bike and have done for years!

I have an old racer sat in the corner of the garage (that's what we called them when I was a lad!) but it's a bit tired and would need a bit of work to make it roadworthy. It's an old Dawes Debonair which my dad bought 2nd hand for me as a small boy many years ago - I reckon it must be nigh on 50 years old now. I rode that for many years, it has done sterling service, and riding that is probably what planted the seed many years ago. (Lovely engraved alloy handlebars and stem, and still on the original leather seat too!)

So, having done a bit of research, I've taken the splash and decided to treat myself to a Boardman Road Comp, which seems to be on offer at the moment and good value (unless of course the Halfords sale is a permanent "DFS"-type sale, which it could well be). I was cautious about shopping there, from much of what I've read about the service, but this seems a good bike and it would be a shame to dismiss it for that reason, so we'll see how it goes. Bike reserved at the moment and fitting due any day. (Any tips on what I should look for on the fitting?)

Anyway, really looking forward to getting out on the road and doing some serious miles (well, serious for me). I will no doubt be back here asking plenty of questions and sharing my experiences. So, if you see someone riding in the Aberdeen area with reasonable quads on one leg and a pipe cleaner on the other side, that will be me!

Cheers,
MarkP

daveski12

I think the Halfords experience very much depends on the staff in the shop, hopefully your local shop is a good one.

Welcome to road cycling!

buzzwold

Welcome to the club. Enjoy the riding.

As far as fitting is concerned, check out the many youtube videos. Some of them are a bit amateurish but they give the basics with regard to seat height, reach to handlebars, leg position over pedals, etc. Get armed with some info but don't be surprised if the Halford's experience doesn't match up. As already commented, some are good some are bad. Get friendly with a local bike shop once you've made your purchase. They're usually helpful and can provide some advice once you've got the Boardman.

You'll soon be bitten by the bug and in full lycra trying to beat your personal bests on every outing. Once it gets really serious then you'll probably want a proper bike fit.

Gizmo_

Welcome

One recommendation - sounds obvious, but remember the bike has lots of gears for a reason. Don't sit grinding away at a difficult gear, you'll only injure your knee again. Get your cadence up and your feet spinning, it feels much easier.

markp80

Thanks for the feedback and the advice guys - I'll let you know how I get on!

MarkP

markp80

Well, I've taken delivery of the new bike and I'm absolutely delighted with it! I've only ridden the few short miles from Halfords back to my flat but I can see I'm going to really enjoy this.
My experience of Halfords has left me with mixed feelings. The guys in there were very friendly and helpful but I'm not so convinced by the pre-delivery assembly and inspection. First job was to remove all the ridiculous reflectors hey had fitted which I presume they fit to meet a legal requirement. Then I noticed the bell was clamped not only around the handlebar but also a gear and brake cable. Now I'm no expert but I know enough not to clamp over cables. Next I thought I'd try out my new pump to make sure I could use it properly before I need to do it in anger. That was when I discovered both tyres only had 50psi in. Again, I'm no expert but that's not enough is it? I was expecting to find 80-100.
Anyway, I'm happy with everything now. The guy in the shop got me a bit of extra discount on some bis too, so overall I think I ended up with a good deal. I just can't help having mixed feelings about the service though.

Cheers,
MarkP

markp80

To add to the other bad set-up niggles, I was reading through the manual and saw a feature on the brakes with a little lever to open up the calliper when you remove the wheel. Pardon my ignorance, but clever idea I thought as its not something I'd seen before.
Except when I checked, the brakes on my bike had been set up with the lever in the open position. Moving it to closed clamped the blocks tight on the rim.

I had initially given Halfords the benefit of the doubt but they have made so many stupid errors in assembling my bike I can only conclude they are either useless or just don't care.

Cheers,
MarkP

adm1

Welcome to the road cycling club!

Just look at the lousy Halfords experience as an opportunity to learn how to maintain your own bike properly :-) It's fun and will give you a good sense of achievement. Plus you'll end up getting the bike running like a dream. You don't need much more than a set of metric allen keys and a couple of screwdrivers at first.

The Boardman bikes are great bits of kit for the money (I have one of their Pro MTBs from a few years ago and it's a cracking bike) - mine was also really poorly set up. It's just a shame they only sell through Halfords as they are a pretty shoddy outfit.

Still - you've got the bike which is what really matters. Now you can start riding it and fettling it to your heart's content.