Leisure Cycling Bike Recommendation

LFCFan

Myself and my girlfriend are going to get bikes soon, mainly for leisure cycling on the roads around our area and for general use around the area. What sort of bikes would you recommend for either of us? Initially I was thinking mountain bikes but I'm edging towards a hybrid now as they seem to be a lot easier to get around on and we're not too likely to be going off road. We're total novices when it comes to cycling so any help would be great. Thanks!

grizzly

You'll get lots of good suggestions here, but I'd say it's a dood idea to call in to a shop and spend some time taking different bikes out for test cycles.

This will give you a great feel for the different weights of bikes. Many people I know buy the first bike that looks well and doesn't cost too much, but then curse the weight of it afterwards.

Irish Gunner

LFCFan wrote: »

Myself and my girlfriend are going to get bikes soon, mainly for leisure cycling on the roads around our area and for general use around the area. What sort of bikes would you recommend for either of us? Initially I was thinking mountain bikes but I'm edging towards a hybrid now as they seem to be a lot easier to get around on and we're not too likely to be going off road. We're total novices when it comes to cycling so any help would be great. Thanks!

I was in the same as you a complete noobie(still am) and went with the Bike to work scheme if you can get it via your work I would recommend it. Get the gear included ie Helmet,lock etc.

After buying a bike my advise is to go to your local bike shop and do a test run as that's how I made my decision. I tried both the mountain bike and the hybrid on the roads and went with the Hybrid as its lighter. Only issue is that what you save in lightness does take a little comfort out ie going over a pothole. I only use it for leisure and for going to work and I am getting good use of it now, I know where the potholes are so avoid them.

That's my 2c

LFCFan

Will be using the Bike to Work scheme. Great scheme. Do Halfords let you take bikes for a test run? Our workplace only use a limited number of shops to buy from and Halfords seems to be the best option for me. Was looking at the Boardman hybrids. The handlebar set up looks a bit dodgy though. Can they be adjusted for a more upright riding position?

Was looking at this one

Cee-Jay-Cee

LFCFan wrote: »

Will be using the Bike to Work scheme. Great scheme. Do Halfords let you take bikes for a test run? Our workplace only use a limited number of shops to buy from and Halfords seems to be the best option for me. Was looking at the Boardman hybrids. The handlebar set up looks a bit dodgy though. Can they be adjusted for a more upright riding position?

Was looking at this one

There is another thread here about it, halfords won't let you test ride the bike outside only the shop floor which is pretty pointless unless its a massive store with a couple of hundred meters of floor space (which I'm fairly certain none of them have)

Coronal

LFCFan wrote: »

Was looking at the Boardman hybrids. The handlebar set up looks a bit dodgy though. Can they be adjusted for a more upright riding position?

Adjusting upwards can be tricky, but the saddle height shown there may not be the correct saddle height for you. Either way, a bit of drop to the bars is fine; you don't want to sit up too straight, it gets annoying after a while of cycling around. Looks like a decent bike, SRAM make nice components and disc brakes are also good, especially in the rain.