recommend a bike

Francescoli

Hi guys I am looking for some advice.I have decided to buy a bike as I want to regain fitness but I have no idea what I should buy.Here is some of the things that will effect my decision.

I will be cycling on roads but half of them are badly surfaced and Im not sure if a road bike will take the punishment.Road bike or Hybrid?

I don't have a big budget (>€400) as Im not sure if this will be a regular thing as initially its just to get fitter ,so I don't want to spend a fortune on a bike that will get > 50KM use a week.

I live in the midlands and will buy online or in a local shop.whichever have best value.

any advice would be really appreciated.

Skerries

YORE ....nah can't do it

Lumen

A road bike would be fine but they're more expensive than hybrids and your budget is limited.

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-3-id_8167038.html

Don't ship to ROI but there's a shop in Belfast.

Francescoli

forgot to say I can use the Bike to work scheme.

Tonyandthewhale

Francescoli wrote: »

forgot to say I can use the Bike to work scheme.

So does that mean your budget is actually more like 800e?

Either way, rough roads won't hurt a road bike. Generally speaking, road bikes are better than hybrids, especially if you're riding recreationally/for fitness.

Francescoli

Tonyandthewhale wrote: »

So does that mean your budget is actually more like 800e?

probably about €600 going by some of the calculators .

Colonialboy

Francescoli wrote: »

probably about €600 going by some of the calculators .

600 limits you a fair bit for road bikes.
Do you know anyone who has a road bike that might give you a go, let you take it for a 10-15k spin on it. just so you can decide if its something you will stick with.
If you want to just get fit then a hybrid bike will do that too, pick up a second hand one and try that out , its handy to have a second bike even if you do get the road bike.
remember the bits and pieces for a roadbike can add aother 150 euro to the final cost.
you have a few months to decide , its not spring yet, roads are still mucky and alot of people wouldnt be riding their best road bike these days, theyd be on winter road bikes or even hybrids. So take your time about deciding unless theres a time limit on the btw scheme your availing of.
visit a few shops learn a bit of the lingo and have a look at the other threads, that will help you make a decision. It might help too if you saw a bike you were interested in that you posted that name and detail and hten boardsies can give feedback

Francescoli

Colonialboy wrote: »

600 limits you a fair bit for road bikes.
Do you know anyone who has a road bike that might give you a go, let you take it for a 10-15k spin on it. just so you can decide if its something you will stick with.
If you want to just get fit then a hybrid bike will do that too, pick up a second hand one and try that out , its handy to have a second bike even if you do get the road bike.
remember the bits and pieces for a roadbike can add aother 150 euro to the final cost.
you have a few months to decide , its not spring yet, roads are still mucky and alot of people wouldnt be riding their best road bike these days, theyd be on winter road bikes or even hybrids. So take your time about deciding unless theres a time limit on the btw scheme your availing of.
visit a few shops learn a bit of the lingo and have a look at the other threads, that will help you make a decision. It might help too if you saw a bike you were interested in that you posted that name and detail and hten boardsies can give feedback

I have used both road and hybrid bikes before and have no real preference I wont be doing a huge amount of cycling as I said it is to get fit and a bit of a pastime.
I was hoping to buy a bike in the coming weeks,no time limit on my btw scheme but I would like to get the new year of to a good start,

FunkyDa2

http://www.halfords.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_11101_catalogId_15551_productId_892919_langId_-1_categoryId_212377


I bought one of these, today....they get generally good reviews

Francescoli

OK folks I have done a good bit of research the past few hours and I have decided that I can afford to go a bit higher with the cost of the bike as I will be paying it off every month and using the on-line calculators I can spend between €850 and €900 and the final cost will be around €600.For that I would like to have everything essential got which I suppose is lock,helmet,mudguards,lights and spare tubes/pump.
I have been looking at numerous websites and Giant bikes seem to be well regarded and there are few that would be in my price range(Defy 4 or 5 and 3 at a stretch)looking at on-line reviews they all get good marks/results.They are also sold in a couple of the local bike shops which I would rather buy from if at all possible.

any help/comments or advice on which bike/accessories to choose from would be really appreciated.

Cee-Jay-Cee

Spend what ever your full budget is on the bike and buy your accessories/clothing from online stores which are considerably cheaper. To get started you need padded shorts/tights, a helmet (if you plan on wearing one) pump and spare tubes/repair kit. If you plan on cycling at night then you'll also need lights. Everything else you can gradually pick up as you go along.

Online sites to use are

www.chainreactioncycles.com
www.wiggle.co.uk
www.bike24.com
www.bike-discount.de
www.ebay.co.uk

Francescoli

CJC999 wrote: »

Spend what ever your full budget is on the bike and buy your accessories/clothing from online stores which are considerably cheaper. To get started you need padded shorts/tights, a helmet (if you plan on wearing one) pump and spare tubes/repair kit. If you plan on cycling at night then you'll also need lights. Everything else you can gradually pick up as you go along.

Online sites to use are

www.chainreactioncycles.com
www.wiggle.co.uk
www.bike24.com
www.bike-discount.de
www.ebay.co.uk

cheers for the info

Unregistered.

Also, check out cycling adverts on here for bits and bobs, saves a fortune!