 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi all,
Not sure if this is posted in the right section (apologies if it isn't!), but it's sort of fitness / exercise related!
After discussions with my physio, I've come to the conclusion that due to dodgy back / knees I should give up running and take up cycling as a way to improve fitness for skiing.
So, I've looked into it, and my employer is registered with one of the "cycle 2 work" schemes which will enable me to "lease" from them (at a very reasonable rate) a bike, safety equipment etc etc.
Sounds good so far, however, the last "road" bike I owned is about 20 years old and rusting in my parents garage, and I have no idea what I should be getting, where from etc etc.
So, my budget is around £850 ish (paid monthly over 12 months less the tax benefit), and was hoping some of you would have some suggestions on the sort of machine I should be looking for?
Cheers for the help, and sorry for the long rant 
Matthew
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Which cycle2work scheme? Find out who it's with as it may limit you to a particular retailer/brand of bikes.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Boardman bikes only sold through certain branches of Halfords  are very good value for the spec, I guess you'll be looking for a hybrid.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Sideshow_Bob, it's with "cyclescheme.co.uk", which according to their website has a network of over 1800 independent bike shops. I assume I can turn up at any of these 1800 and buy any bike I want from them?
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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jbob, are they supposed to be decent then? I think I'm looking for a road bike - I currently have a mountain bike I use for messing around on trails etc, I want something I can get a bit of mileage on to build fitness / leg strength.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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jellemr, yes. Note that some of the cheaper online retailers will charge an 'admin' fee for bikes bought on cyclescheme. Whereabouts are you based, and what kind of cycling are you planning on doing? Miles on the road, or will you be doing bridle paths/trails as well? Prob best to go to a reputable local bike shop or two (ie not Halfords) and get an idea of what suits and what size you'll need - more important to get a slightly lower spec bike that fits you well than a better spec bike that's poorly fitted and uncomfortable to ride or unsuitable for what you want to do. For £850 you're probably looking at an aluminium-framed bike with carbon forks and a Sora or Tiagra groupset as a rough guide.
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Sideshow_Bob, thanks for the replies, much appreciated .
Based in the south west (Devon / Cornwall border), and there are a few affiliated shops in Plymouth & Exeter so will try those this weekend. Pretty sure I'll be doing miles on the road rather that trails etc.
Ok, so for the budget I should be able to get something half decent that should last a few years as I (hopefully!!) improve??
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Check out Bikeradar for reviews. Specialized Allez, Trek Madone, Cannondale CAAD or Synapse, something like that if you're after a road bike. Bear in mind in September-ish retailers often start to discount to get rid of 2013 models. You can also put accessories through the scheme I think so allow for lights, lock, hi-vis, pump etc
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| jellemr wrote: |
| Sideshow_Bob(Devon / Cornwall border)? |
Get a triple 
Boardman do a nice aluminium frame with carbon forks with 105 running gear for around your budget.
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jellemr, I assume that you've checked The Rules before committing yourself to anything?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Jonny Jones, I have issues with rule 4 and 47, specifically, 4 it's all about the drugs, and triples are allowed in the Alps and Devon.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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+1 for the cycle to work scheme, not all shops sign up for it so shop around, and stay independent if you can. i got £1000 level Cube road bike which is more bike than I'll ever need, but great for 2-3 nights training in the summer. Dont stress too much about the rules, i didnt have to particularly cover up the fact that i work from home, my work address is legit, but I didnt either have to convince people i cycle a 100mile round trip today to get to HQ 
if you're undecide abut bikes, get into a few good shops who are participating, they generally aim to please and care about what they sell you
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jbob, thanks, that's one of the ones I'd seen.
Jonny Jones, Jonny Jones, I will be going through the rules in detail
barry, cheers, I will be using it to cycle to work on occasion, more often once I get myself fit!! I certainly intend to use independents if at all possible.
Thanks for all the comments and help all, much appreciated!
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You know it makes sense.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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jbob, triples are NEVER allowed!
Keep an eye on Slane Cycles, they seem to get some decent deals every now and again, and are now accepting C2W vouchers according to an email I've just received from them
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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If you have a bad back then beware of the aggressive riding position of a road bike. Drop handlebars don't suit everyone. Have a practice before buying.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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kitenski, pretty sure you'd have to add 10% to the prices on PX and Ribble, as I think they charge for using a cycle2work voucher
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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kitenski, I got a Planet X Pro Carbon with Dura Ace gears and decent other bits for about £700 on fleabay. Planning to upgrade the frame to one that fits me a bit better at some point, but most of the other stuff can transfer straight over
Think they are going the Pro Carbon with Ultegra for about £1200 now, which looks like a very good deal
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| Arno wrote: |
kitenski,
Think they are going the Pro Carbon with Ultegra for about £1200 now, which looks like a very good deal |
That sounds like a fantastic deal. At that price bracket you'd be looking at Tiagra in most makes
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Batman_123, Arno, cheers, eyeing up an upgrade myself with a cycle2work scheme, but I can only opt in at the end of the year....
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Can highly recommend Ribble's Stealth frame (May be called something different now), had one up until about a year ago and it was fantastic. Would probably still be riding it if it hadn't been broken 
All this talk of bikes reminds me that I should really be on the turbo trainer now! Nothing like procrastination...
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Looks like the Ultegra deal is gone but worth signing up for Planet X emails or following them on Facebook to get the latest
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Batman_123, I'm happy to give in on the Alps but am going to dig my heels in for Devon, have you ever cycled in Devon?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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jbob, unfortunately not but hope to one day! Steep hills?
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Sideshow_Bob, X2 on the proper fitting. My bike has been a good starter but the frame isn't an ideal shape for me. The problem is I have short legs and a long body and it's tough finding off the peg frames which are the right shape for me
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You know it makes sense.
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Use the various review site people have recommended, there are a lot of bikes in that price bracket of varying value. Aim for as high a groupset as possible on a bike with aluminium frame and carbon forks.
Look around for the shop as well, a lot of places now include bike fitting when you purchase from them and some places servicing for life etc etc so definitely save money in the long run.
As michael stocking, said, the bike season is around September - September so deals start cropping up around then... Which is annoying if you want a bike to use for the summer!
I was in you position about a month ago, and went for a Bianchi via Nirone and love it.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| Frosty the Snowman wrote: |
| If you have a bad back then beware of the aggressive riding position of a road bike. Drop handlebars don't suit everyone. Have a practice before buying. |
^ +100
You can get a lot of use out of a road commuter hybrid as well.
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Poster: A snowHead
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For about £850 my recommendation would be get a reasonable hard tail mountain bike with a second set of wheels fitted with dry tyres. If you are doing it for fitness rather than racing, a heavier mtb would make you work harder, then you could hoon around off road whenever you fancied too! 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Mosha Marc, thanks for the link
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Pete88, good advise, cheers. All the tips here are giving me a bit of a checklist, so I certainly feel a bit better equiped (sp?)!
Servicing isn't really something I'd thought about, but I guess these costs could really add up over the 3 / 4 / 5 years of ownership, so a good tip.
That Bianchi looks lovely btw
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Those Planet X deals are very good though. I built up one of their alu frames with carbon forks and good campag wheels and groupset for well under £1000 a few years ago.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Mosha Marc, Alloy, Yuk!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| CH2O wrote: |
| Mosha Marc, Alloy, Yuk! |
Didn't seem to do the current world champion much harm riding an aluminium frame out of choice to win the Amstel Gold in 2010 or the Liquigas team riding CAAD 10s in last year's Tour of Britain. A decent alu frame like the CAAD 10 is much better than cheap-end carbon.
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Alloy and Tiagra (edit: think that's 10speed now?) both perfectly functional and serviceable. Does the job and is in that budget range. Unless there are aspirations to race or do sportives etc. Think I'd rather have a €200 alu frame than a €300 el cheapo string+glue one, as a general riding about to get fit bike.
PX, Boardman, Ribble all good choices, and assuming mail order and "hope" the sizing/fit is right, then I might be tempted to put Canyon on the list too - usually pretty decent spec for the price, and if you don't like it or the size is wrong, you can send it back within 14 days and get a different size or even model/spec. Personally, i'd at least get down a local shop.
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My advice would be to buy an 'older' Steel bike, made from Reynolds 531 or Columbus steel. I have tried various Aluminium frames, but I prefer steel. Some of the older steel bikes look gorgeous too - reference to rule 4.
Probably rubbish advice actually.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Buddy1664, Similar. We bought a Boardman Urban in a deal from them for £599. My wife loves it but after a few weeks the bloody crank arm fell off damaging the crank fixing thingy beyond repair. Perhaps we should have checked the bolts but just didn't think to.
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FAQ
I bought a cyclocross bike from them last year to do some adventure racing. They assembled the bike before I picked it up. At home I did a normal maintenance check before going out on it. ALL OF THE BOLTS WERE FINGER TIGHT!! If i'd ridden off without checking I could have written off various components at best and at worst myself, when something like the headset came loose. 
