I want to buy a bike

peanuthead

Hi

Im not a hardcore cyclist at all now, but Im looking to get a nice bike, reasonably priced, to go cycling in the evenings. Can anyone tell me the shops that are the best value? I would just go to eurocycles because its the only one I know of, but if there are any small local places (local to anywhere in Dublin) could they let me know?
thanks
peanuthead

Caroline_ie

1st of all .... what kind of cyclist are you? Are you a cyclist? What kind of 2 wheeled cycling thing are you looking for and what kind of ' evening' cycling are you thinking about?

Have a read through this http://wiki.boards.ie/wiki/Category:Cycling and this one in particular http://wiki.boards.ie/wiki/Buying_a_bicycle

Hope this helps.

DirkVoodoo

Caroline_ie wrote: »

what kind of cyclist are you? Are you a cyclist?

There are cyclists (nods head approvingly) and cyclists (shakes head from side to side) .

peanuthead, you have come to the right place. Wherever you decide to go, make sure you go in with a clear idea of what you want and get fitted accordingly. A budget and the type of cycling "in the evening" you plan to do would be a start.

For all the accessories you would nearly be best buying from wiggle.co.uk or chainreactioncycles.com.

barrabus

peanuthead wrote: »

Hi
I want to buy a bike

I think that at least one a day.
TBH I usually think I want to buy many bikes....:)

peanuthead

I think I'm a cyclist (shakes head from side to side)

I just wanted to get a bike to go out for a cycle two to three evenings a week, just around the area I live. Just some exercise on the days I can't get to the gym.

When you say "what kind of cycling do I want to do", I dont know what that means, so I guess that answers your question really!!

Im not a cyclist, but would like to start off cycling a bit for exercise, and to get out of the house too. I would probably go for a one hour cycle around the roads where I live, around Clondalkin Village, that area.

My bf's sister bought a bike to do a triathalon last year and has never used it since, would a bike like that suit me for just leisure, or are they particularly designed for a certain type of cycle? I would be cycling at a steady pace, not flying along, but not going so slow that Im about to flop off it either!!

I know I must sound really silly, but I just decided to try something new so I dont know much about it all!!

DirkVoodoo

I'm not sure what bike would suit you actually, I think if it is just for short 1 hour spins then really preference and budget would be your deciding factors because nearly any bike could be used for that.

Chances are, you might like cycling and become a saturday morning regular, so an entry level road bike is probably the way.

What kind of dosh would you be willing to part with?

Some of the lads have got the BeOne bikes from chainreactioncycles and they seem like a pretty good deal, well specced bikes for reasonable prices.

Remember, the bike is one part of the equation, helmet, lights (vital at this time of year) and other little bits and pieces all add up and can come to a substantial amount of the overall purchase.

Raam

Would your BFs sister's bike suit you? You could save a bit of cash there and use it to buy a better bike in the future if you decide to keep it up.

niceonetom

peanuthead wrote: »

When you say "what kind of cycling do I want to do", I dont know what that means, so I guess that answers your question really!!

it does indeed :P

right so... spins of about an hour at a decent pace. i'm going to suggest a hybrid (sometimes called city bikes). these are generally aimed at people who want to commute / leisure cycle exclusively on road but who don't feel quite ready for a full on road bike. flats bars. no suspension. reasonably light. thinnish road tyre (not big knobly mountainbike ones). sound about right?

what do you think of these, for example?

link
link

what's your budget??

peanuthead wrote: »

My bf's sister bought a bike to do a triathalon last year and has never used it since, would a bike like that suit me for just leisure, or are they particularly designed for a certain type of cycle? I would be cycling at a steady pace, not flying along, but not going so slow that Im about to flop off it either!!

what type of bike was bought by that triathlete? a road bike or a triathlon/time-trial bike? because if it's the latter, well i wouldn't really recommend it for a beginner such as yourself... however if it's a road bike, and it fits, then see if you can take it for a quick spin. see if you like it.

peanuthead

niceonetom wrote: »

it does indeed :P

right so... spins of about an hour at a decent pace. i'm going to suggest a hybrid (sometimes called city bikes). these are generally aimed at people who want to commute / leisure cycle exclusively on road but who don't feel quite ready for a full on road bike. flats bars. no suspension. reasonably light. thinnish road tyre (not big knobly mountainbike ones). sound about right?

what do you think of these, for example?

link
link

what's your budget??



what type of bike was bought by that triathlete? a road bike or a triathlon/time-trial bike? because if it's the latter, well i wouldn't really recommend it for a beginner such as yourself... however if it's a road bike, and it fits, then see if you can take it for a quick spin. see if you like it.

Thanks for all the input!

I have no clue what bike she bought, I will find that out. I will also look at the links posted earlier. My budget, including all the extras would be about €500. But again, I dont know how realistic that is, I might need more. I suppose I have to look into this a bit more, and figure out the difference between all these different types of bikes!! haha!!

DirkVoodoo

I got a Trek 7.0 FX for my brother to commute to and from college, €400 in Joe Daly cycles Dundrum.

Very basic but it suits him fine for an 8km each way commute (when he feels like not getting a lift, the lazy bugger!).

Nice and upright, light enough.

peanuthead

Okay, after looking at those pics, her bike is definitely a road bike!!

Also, looking at the prices, my budget is ridiculously low!! :eek:

Im hoping, seeing as she doesn't use the bike, maybe she will sell it to me. It looks alot like the road bike you have pictured actually. Its really nice.

TinyExplosions

Based on the fact that you aren't 100% sure what you're looking for, I'd suggest going into cyclesuperstore in Tallaght and having a look around there.

I'd suggest the LaPierre RCR100 at €495 -it's a flat bar racer essentially (meaning it's fast and nippy,), with a decent spec for the price -a great bike to start out on.
On top of that, you'll need a set of lights. If you're just commuting on it, and not really going out in the dark, a set like this €37.50 is a good choice for around town.

On top of these, you'll need a helmet (about 50 quid), and if you're getting serious, some cycle specific clothing (shorts and jerseys and stuff) -oh, and maybe clipless shoes/pedals -but that can come with time

Lumen

You should at least consider used bikes. The depreciation is lower, so if you choose badly you should be able to shift it on and get something better.

For example:

http://www.gumtree.ie/dublin/36/28606936.html
http://www.gumtree.ie/dublin/60/30977260.html
http://www.gumtree.ie/dublin/45/26836145.html

Always find out the new price and never pay more than 60% of that, unless it's absolutely mint and very new. Used bikes advertised privately are often priced too high.

Or find something new on sale. Now is a great time of year to snap up discounted models:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=25457

Having owned a hybrid myself then moved on to a proper road bike, I'd be inclined to start with a road bike. The greatest motivation is speed, and you'll always go faster on a road bike. For short rides (up to an hour) you're unlikely to find it uncomfortable, unless the roads you train on are badly (and unavoidably) potholed.

SerialComplaint

If you are in employment, you might want to wait until January and use the 'bike to work' scheme to get a good discount on your bike.

farmchoice

Hello all I am a long time lurker on this site and thought I would post my first reply on this thread as this was the position I was in last spring. I went to a local shop and spent about €350.00 on a Raleigh mountain bike (I did not know of the existence of this site at the time so my decision was an easy one). while I have now realised my bike is crap it has served me well and since last April I have clocked over a thousand miles on it I am at present saving up for a nice road bike and will be buying one in the spring.
I have fallen in love with cycling and cannot wait to get my new bike.
my only advice to peanut head would be not go mental now just get something cheap enough and see how you get on although I would recommend a hybrid.

AstraMonti

From my recent experience on bike search, i found that Dublin shops are noticeably more expensive when they get down to bikes prices. In the online shops i found i could get a 2-3 times better bike (gear wise) in the same price that i would get an entry level in some of the Dublin shops and i 've visited every big Dublin store. Apologies if thats not the case for every store.

L'Enfer du Nord

I would always recommend an entry level hybrid from a reputable brand for someone starting off. Apart from training one hour around clondalkin on it, you can use it to go to the shops, visit friends etc. You could of course do this on a road bike, but with traffic, poor road surfaces etc. I’d say a hybrid is much better for shorter city spins. Also less likely to get parts nicked off it when parked in public.

If you really take to cycling which hopefully you will you can always upgrade to a road bike. In my opinion its always useful to have a hybrid with a carrier and mud guards, especially on Dublin’s cr*py roads. I like the Trek F.X. series. I have a fairly low spec four year old Dawes Mojave, which I like.

Turbulent Bill

peanuthead wrote: »

Im not a cyclist, but would like to start off cycling a bit for exercise, and to get out of the house too. I would probably go for a one hour cycle around the roads where I live, around Clondalkin Village, that area.

Seeing as you're in Clondalkin, it might be an idea to pop into Wheelworx - they're based in the Mill Centre. Never bought a bike from them, but they're helpful and seem to have a good range.

I've no affiliation to them by the way!

peanuthead

farmchoice wrote: »

Hello all I am a long time lurker on this site and thought I would post my first reply on this thread as this was the position I was in last spring. I went to a local shop and spent about €350.00 on a Raleigh mountain bike (I did not know of the existence of this site at the time so my decision was an easy one). while I have now realised my bike is crap it has served me well and since last April I have clocked over a thousand miles on it I am at present saving up for a nice road bike and will be buying one in the spring.
I have fallen in love with cycling and cannot wait to get my new bike.
my only advice to peanut head would be not go mental now just get something cheap enough and see how you get on although I would recommend a hybrid.

Thanks for the info everyone!!

Well I got my bike, and I didnt go mad at all. I bought a mountain bike also, for €130 - half price, from Halfords. Now fair enough it may be pretty crappy by a proper cyclists standards, but it will do me fine for now.