Newbie - need advice regarding bike

Kiera20

Hi guys. I intend to take up cycling during the summer. I'm hoping to join a local cycling club. I'm thinking of buying a bike in the next few weeks so that I can cycle on my own for a while to build up my fitness. Anyway I'm totally clueless when it comes to what sort of bike I would need. I'm female, 26 years old and six feet tall. Could anyone recommend a bike that would be suitable, bearing in mind that I'm just beginning and don't have a huge amount of money to spend. Also what other gear would I need apart from the bike? (See, told ya - totally clueless!)
Thanks.

Freddy687

Best place to start is in your local bike shop.
Get fitted properly so you know what size of bike will fit. Most of the big bike makers Giant, trek etc make road bikes for women. Shorter top tube and a few minor other changes. Although at six feet you will probably end up with a mans bike.
Again giant, trek etc will have bikes that start at €700 and go up to the moon.
Buy the best you can afford, you will be sorry if the cycling bug bites and you scrimped on the bike.
Buy the best helmet you can afford, after that clothing is each to their own.
Always hard to tell someone what gearing to go for as it depends on the roads and type of cycling they want to do. A good all round setup would 50/34 (compact) on the front with a 12 -25 cassette on the back.

Hungrycol

Good advice from Freddy. You budget will dictate things hugely. What is it?

kenmc

So the other things you will need at a minimum:
Padded shorts
Cycling top (there's a boards.ie one getting designed!)
Gloves
Helmet
Shoes and pedals (you will get away with runners and toeclips for a while, but if you want to do more you will probably get clipless pedals - ironically named, as the the shoes have little cleats in the sole which clip into the pedal!) You may not even get pedals with the bike, depending on the bike, so bear that in mind.
Bike pump (2 ideally - a track pump at home to get high pressure into the tyres, and a small 'get you home' pump for out on the road), tyre levers, spare tubes, puncture repair kit, Water bottle(s) and cage(s), saddle bag for the tube/levers/puncture kit, ideally you would also want a set of allen keys, some spanners etc for simple repairs/adjustments like changing the saddle height, adjusting the brake blocks and gears and so on.
You might want to get a cycle computer to track your distance and time etc.
In winter you will want lights and possibly mudguards, but you should get away without them for the next 6-6 months or so.
Hope this helps.
It all adds up.

SomeFool

A good tip is to check what your local bike store is offering against the web stores. chainreactioncycles.com, evanscycles.com, wiggle.co.uk are some good ones. Some offer introduction packages with a basic road bike and all the kit you will need which might be cheaper and easier than getting it all yourself.

Caroline_ie

Hi Kiera

I started cycling a couple of years ago, I got me a TREK 1000 at the time, fitted with a woman saddle, added a saddle bag, a helmet, a few spare tubes, a couple of pumps ( one for home and a small one for the road ) a pair of shoes, pedals, gear ... was a bit of an investment at the time .. but that was nothing compared to what I spend on cycling stuff now ... no more fancy make up and nice tops ... I ever only buy cycling stuff ! hehe

In regards to a club, I know that my club doesn't take any new members now until next year but I know there are a few girls spins during the summer that I sometimes go to where we go off for a few hours at a time. If you want to PM me your eMail address I can let you know when these start again this year.

All the best

i have two good bikes lying around at home, one is nearly brand new and the other is around 3 years old but has around 400 euro worth of upgrades.

both in good working order

will sell for around 400 each