@MOD's: A FAQ/Template for New Bikes

72hundred

Hey,

I've had an idea for some time (maybe its done already!). But what it entails is that there would be a thread stickied to the Cycling form. In this sticky and locked thread there would be a template asking all the potential questions to narrow down the choice of bike. The person wanting new bike advice would copy and paste this template and add in their own answers. So the next guy to offer advice would know exactly what they want = load of time saved!

DRAFT TEMPLATE:

What type of bike do you want? (MTB / Hybrid / Road Racer)

Where will you be using it?

What's your budget?

Do you want to ride before buy or happy with online purchase?

Do you need attachment points for a rear rack?

Do you want aggressive geometry or more comfortable?

What gearing? Fast, easy or fixie?

Any preferences on brand?

Any preferences on components?

Any preferences on weight?

Will it be locked in public? If so where - do you have a good enough lock?

Are full length mudguards required?

Do you need to use it off road (answer: no you don't and you won't and potholes do not require front suspension)

Are you concerned with speed?

What distances will you be doing?

Do you have a bike/bike(s) already and how comfortable are you with them?

That's just a few questions that came off the top of my head but you can get the idea. All the common questions that arise in each individual thread could be answered by the potential buyer quickly at the start with a template, allowing the boardies with the knowledge of current bikes for sale to come in. Also with a good template it'll cover comprehensive, so for example the guy wanting to commute on a aluminium racer won't be left without mounting points for a rack (albeit with p-clips available).

So any thoughts? Better questions to be asked in template?

blorg

Some ideas:

Are full length mudguards required?
Do you need to use it off road (answer: no you don't and you won't and potholes do not require front suspension)
Are you concerned with speed?
What distances will you be doing?
Do you have a bike/bike(s) already and how comfortable are you with them?

Some of this needs to be rephrased though, a newbie doesn't necessarily know whether they need standard/compact/triple/fixed gearing (answer: they need triple or compact.)

cdaly_

It would probably be worthwhile making links to the wiki for each of the questions too.

Obviously somebody's going to have to write articles to suit...

72hundred

Yea, great ideas.

@C Daly; Personally I don't think the Wiki works well in this situation (BTW in general I really like using Wiki's). A template shows the OP all the things he/she needs to consider and then they can but their preference down and ppl can help from there.

abcdggs

Someone posted this bike buying flowchart a while ago

Lumen

Although it might be possible to produce a serious version of this, I think it would be easier to just produce a long list of subjective statements and get people to research them all before asking the question.

For instance:

- Drop handlebars are best for fast, long distance cycling, and are essential for group cycling in a club.
- An upright seating position is not necessary for urban cycling.
- Hybrids can be a good choice for utility cycling and tend to be cheaper.
- Cyclocross bikes are practical and versatile but have relatively crap brakes.
- Clip-on mudguards are convenient but may cause paint damage.
- Child seats (or anything else which clamps the frame tubes) are not recommended for carbon fibre frames.
- Road bikes need to be sized properly and require some basic fitness to achieve comfort.
- Suspension is not necessary on the road.
- You should probably not buy a full suspension mountain bike.
- Narrow high pressure puncture resistant tyres can be scary in wet or icy conditions.
- Crap wheels are annoying. Fancy wheels will not make you go faster.
- It's not about the bike. You need more than one bike.

etc

I mostly can't be bothered to argue with the millionth person about whether hybrids or drop bar road bikes are better for a long commute. It's a personal choice.

ROK ON

Would it not be easier to cone up with a piece of softwear that if a which bike thread was started to just divert the thread starter to PX website and then lock the thread?
Just asking.

Idleater

ROK ON wrote: »

Would it not be easier to cone up with a piece of softwear that if a which bike thread was started to just divert the thread starter to PX website and then lock the thread?
Just asking.

I was going to say that a la Godwin's law for internet discussions in general, every 'what bike' thread boils down to "no you don't want a hybrid you want a px".

72hundred

ROK ON wrote: »

Would it not be easier to cone up with a piece of softwear that if a which bike thread was started to just divert the thread starter to PX website and then lock the thread?
Just asking.

Haha, yea. That would be the inevitable end of a lot of threads. But that wouldn't be very social for a site with "now ye're talkin'" as a tagline!

Lumen wrote: »

Although it might be possible to produce a serious version of this, I think it would be easier to just produce a long list of subjective statements and get people to research them all before asking the question.

For instance:

- Drop handlebars are best for fast, long distance cycling, and are essential for group cycling in a club.
- An upright seating position is not necessary for urban cycling.
- Hybrids can be a good choice for utility cycling and tend to be cheaper.
- Cyclocross bikes are practical and versatile but have relatively crap brakes.
- Clip-on mudguards are convenient but may cause paint damage.
- Child seats (or anything else which clamps the frame tubes) are not recommended for carbon fibre frames.
- Road bikes need to be sized properly and require some basic fitness to achieve comfort.
- Suspension is not necessary on the road.
- You should probably not buy a full suspension mountain bike.
- Narrow high pressure puncture resistant tyres can be scary in wet or icy conditions.
- Crap wheels are annoying. Fancy wheels will not make you go faster.
- It's not about the bike. You need more than one bike.

etc

I mostly can't be bothered to argue with the millionth person about whether hybrids or drop bar road bikes are better for a long commute. It's a personal choice.

Yea, a few general tips before laying out answers would be helpful. But teasing out exactly what ppl want might open more potential bikes than they knew about initially.

Civilian_Target

72hundred wrote: »

What type of bike do you want? (MTB / Hybrid / Road Racer)
Probably a tourer or hybrid

Where will you be using it?
Commuting, weekend tours

What's your budget?
< €1000

Do you want to ride before buy or happy with online purchase?
Happy online

Do you need attachment points for a rear rack?
Yes

Do you want aggressive geometry or more comfortable?
Whatever suits

What gearing? Fast, easy or fixie?
At least a range of 300%

Any preferences on brand?
No

Any preferences on components?
No

Any preferences on weight?
Budget and strength are more important

Will it be locked in public? If so where - do you have a good enough lock?
Yes. Yes.

Are full length mudguards required?
Yes

Do you need to use it off road (answer: no you don't and you won't and potholes do not require front suspension)
A little. Not enough to justify anything you could call a mountain bike

Are you concerned with speed?
Who isn't?

What distances will you be doing?
100km a week + occasional extras

Do you have a bike/bike(s) already and how comfortable are you with them?
Yes. Very.

See http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055860097

72hundred

Civilian_Target wrote: »

See http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055860097

Sweet! Wanna include it in your own thread so that when guys/gals pop along they've got an ideal of what you're thinking straight away?

Hermy

Lumen wrote: »

For instance:

- Drop handlebars are best for fast, long distance cycling, and are essential for group cycling in a club.

Silly question perhaps and a bit off topic but can I ask why the above?

blorg

Hermy wrote: »

Silly question perhaps and a bit off topic but can I ask why the above?

Faster as they are much more aerodynamic, particularly in the drops. It is a phenomenal difference from flats. More comfortable for distance as they have a much wider range of hand positions and the default hand position is vertical rather than horizontal. Bikes with drops also tend to distribute your weight better between saddle, pedals and bars while ones with flats tend to just put it all on the saddle; you will notice this after any distance. Road clubs require them for group rides for a number of reasons; flat bars would be too wide for bunch riding and it would in general be difficult for a rider on flats to keep up with a bunch.

Hermy

blorg wrote: »

Faster as they are much more aerodynamic, particularly in the drops. It is a phenomenal difference from flats. More comfortable for distance as they have a much wider range of hand positions and the default hand position is vertical rather than horizontal. Bikes with drops also tend to distribute your weight better between saddle, pedals and bars while ones with flats tend to just put it all on the saddle; you will notice this after any distance. Road clubs require them for group rides for a number of reasons; flat bars would be too wide for bunch riding and it would in general be difficult for a rider on flats to keep up with a bunch.

Sorry blorg, I should have phrased that better. It was specifically in relation to Lumen saying drops are essential for group cycling in a club that I wondered why but thanks for your comprehensive answer nonetheless.

wayne0308

This type of thing would be a good idea I think, I've been thinking of getting a new bike myself and will probably ask for advice later on. I'll probably follow your ideas in this post.