Beginner cyclist - what type of bike? so confused!!

dubdub123

Hi I started cycling a bit last year on a trusty (ancient) mountain bike and it has served me well. But now I want to ramp up and participate in a longer cycling event where a local club are going to do the Ring of Kerry in May. I need a much lighter bike but no idea what I need to be looking for ? What sort of frame? Would a racing bike suit or a hybrid?

Would you mind giving me some very basic pointers? I want to be able to keep up instead of spinning my wheels as I was on the mountain bike, working hard but it hardly moving.

And any good retailers out there, either in Mayo or Dublin ? I need to get out training asap. Thanks so much

Alanstrainor

Road bike for sure. What kind of money are you thinking?

Darkglasses

dubdub123 wrote: »

Hi I started cycling a bit last year on a trusty (ancient) mountain bike and it has served me well. But now I want to ramp up and participate in a longer cycling event where a local club are going to do the Ring of Kerry in May. I need a much lighter bike but no idea what I need to be looking for ? What sort of frame? Would a racing bike suit or a hybrid?

Would you mind giving me some very basic pointers? I want to be able to keep up instead of spinning my wheels as I was on the mountain bike, working hard but it hardly moving.

And any good retailers out there, either in Mayo or Dublin ? I need to get out training asap. Thanks so much

For the kind of cycling you want to do, you definitely want to get yourself on a road bike (a.k.a. racing bike) rather than a hybrid. Events like the ROK can be done on a hybrid, but everyone here will agree that if you want do distances like these with any regularity, you will want a road bike!

As for budget, the more you save up, the better. If it's really really not possible to get more than say 600 together, most would suggest you look into the second hand market. Adverts, Donedeal, Gumtree, and our own Adverts forum are good places to look. Feel free to post links up to bikes you are considering buying if you want a second opinion.

If you have got that kind of money, or more, you can definitely start looking at new bikes. The list of good quality brands is pretty much endless! I myself am a fan of Giant bikes. If you have something in the 1,000 euro region, an increasingly popular approach is to buy online for great value, from brands such as Rose Versand, Ribble, or Canyon, among others.

There are loads of great bike shops in Dublin. My personal favourites are ThinkBike and McDonald's cycles, but there's plenty of other good ones.

Best of luck! Feel free to ask more questions, the more information you provide the more we can help!

dubdub123

Great thanks so much for the info! If I do the ROK and it goes well I'll definitely want to do long distances regularly. There's a good few cycles on but a lot of them are 60K + At the minute the most I've cycled is 30K but that was on a heavier bike. I was thinking of spending about 300-400 euro, BUT.. I was going to see if the cycle to work scheme is still on and ask a family member to purchase it for me, as my employer is no longer participating in the scheme. So I may be able to stretch to say 600 euro.
whereabouts are those bike shops in Dublin ? I'm heading up soon and will try and take a look if I can. There's a Halfords near me as well - would they offer good advice/options? I am really excited about getting into this - I enjoyed cycling last year on my old mountain bike, but now I want to get involved in group events so need a decent bike.
I might check out some of the second hand bikes once i've a bit better idea of size etc that i need. Really appreciate the advice on this including names of bikes, so I can check some out

Darkglasses

Thinkbike is in Rathmines, McDonald's cycles is on Wexford St.

Personally I'd say you can't go wrong with a Giant Defy, hugely popular bike especially for beginners. All reliable and easily serviceable components.

Halfords is a tricky one...It seems to be very hit and miss. There are some hugely experienced cyclists and racers working there, and then there are some who may have no interest in cycling whatsoever and have just taken a 1 day training course. There's no doubt that their bikes are good quality and good value, but you may get very unlucky regarding who assembles it for you. I would say it's a good place for people who are comfortable assembling and servicing the bikes themselves. Otherwise, I would point people towards a trusted local bike shop (LBS).

Zyzz

Buy a second hand road bike, with a decent frame (carbon fork a bonus) and a trusty group set that won't let you down. Keep an eye on done deal/adverts for some and if you see one you like, post it here and you'll get some helpful advice/feedback on whether or not it's a good idea to buy etc

I will add though that even with the best bike in the world it'll be useless if your engine isn't very good, aka your legs

RoboRat

Started cycling myself last year and I have a Giant Defy 4 and I have to say its great. Light, strong and stable and easy use. I got MTB clips and they are quite easy to get used to as they are double sided as some clips are single sided and I have heard a few other newbies that I started with complaining that it ca be a pain.

In regards to where to buy, shop around and make sure you get a deal. Can you get it through the bike to works scheme? If you can I REALLY suggest you do! Personally I think Staggs in Lucan is a great place, my father is really into cycling and has been for over 20 years (used to have a Concorde ala Sean Kelly) and he has always done his business with Jimmy Stagg. There is also great value online, some really good deals with the likes of the Ribble Stealth.

Best of luck with it and you will love it!

dubdub123

Hey thanks for all the feedback - I'm going to look into the bike to work scheme but I really can't go above 300 euro so i'm hoping with the bike to work scheme that might bring me in the 500-600 range. spotted a shop near me that sells Giant bikes so I'm going to check that out. Really need to get a bike as I'm just signed up for duathlon training and there's no way I can do it on my ancient old bike. Is there any other stuff that I need to purchase - few people mentioned pedals - will i need shoes as well to clip on? tonight someone mentioned a bar for the bike. what about lights etc ? just trying to factor in what i need so that if i go to buy i can get a deal on everything. i have a helmet and will pick up extra gear as I go so really just bike + accessories for the bike. Thanks so much for all the info !

route66

dubdub123 wrote: »

Hey thanks for all the feedback - I'm going to look into the bike to work scheme but I really can't go above 300 euro so i'm hoping with the bike to work scheme that might bring me in the 500-600 range. spotted a shop near me that sells Giant bikes so I'm going to check that out. Really need to get a bike as I'm just signed up for duathlon training and there's no way I can do it on my ancient old bike. Is there any other stuff that I need to purchase - few people mentioned pedals - will i need shoes as well to clip on? tonight someone mentioned a bar for the bike. what about lights etc ? just trying to factor in what i need so that if i go to buy i can get a deal on everything. i have a helmet and will pick up extra gear as I go so really just bike + accessories for the bike. Thanks so much for all the info !

Giant are probably the world's biggest manufacturer of bikes - and they make good stuff. A version of the Defy road bike won Bikeradar's 2013 bike of the year. A friend of mine got a Defy 3 recently on my advice. I would consider this the minimum spec for a decent road bike
(i.e. Aluminum frame, Carbon fork, Proper gear selection from the brake levers, etc). The problem for you is that they retail for about €850... There are cheaper Defy's, but if you get one of these, you'll only want to trade up once you see what else is out there.

Halfords do cheap road bikes - i.e. their Carrera range - and they will fit your budget. But they are heavy and have a very minimum spec. Again, you'll probably want to trade up soon after purchase.

Another alternative is the Decatleon B'Twin 3 - do a search here for some positive comments about them - they can be got from their store in Belfast.

I'd say your choice is to stretch a bit to get the Defy 3 or go secondhand. If you have the BTW scheme available to you, then you can save (up to) half the cost of the Defy bringing it to a bit over 400. Even if it doesn't work out, you could sell it off and get your money back.

RoboRat

There are cheaper Defy's, but if you get one of these, you'll only want to trade up once you see what else is out there.

Speaking from experience, this is true. I have a Defy 4 Triple and I am looking to get something a bit better with better gearing, perhaps a carbon frame.

I am even looking at a self build over a few months:

• €360 for carbon frame, forks and handlebar (hong-fu FM001 Frame, FK001 & HB003, includes delivery),
• €441 for 105 groupset,
• €200 for Shimano WH-RS30 wheelset,
• €19 for Gravity Gap Seatpost
• €25 for Deda Elementi Zero1 Road Stem

so working out about €1050 for an excellent carbon bike - I have an uncle who can build the bike and a friend who decals cars so I am working on a custom design.

Mcofferon

Hi DubDub
Just to pass on my own - novice - experience and what I've learnt from forum members.
Looking at doing those sorts of distance you will be best off with a road bike, once you start it's infectious and you'll find yourself doing more and more. I'd be leaning towards getting a second hand bike to start with. If its in reasonable condition to start with it should be easy enough to maintain and you won't take a big hit when you sell it on yourself.

You might want to save the cycle to work scheme option for the next bike - you'll have a much better idea what you want long term by then? Get an idea of the size of frame you need and try to stick closely to that when buying. There's a host of online guides for sizing, try the manufacturers websites when short listing bikes for sale.

It's easy to underestimate how much you "can" spend on accessories and clothing but there are also bargains to be had and the lidl/Aldi stores have regular cycling specials (just check for fit!). Come back to the forum if you have any questions or wan opinions on a specific bike.

dubdub123

hey guys thanks so much - i got a loan of a racer the other week to try out and felt the difference from my old heavy mountain bike, but i didn't get the spec of it. I'll find out though.
someone else gave me a loan of a Thompson racer - apparently this one is quite expensive but they have a lower range.Any thought on that range of bike?

HivemindXX

Thomson is a brand that seems to be turning up more and more in Irish shops. There have been a couple of people asking about them on here.

Here's a thread from a couple of months ago
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=83203130

merc230ce

This:

Mcofferon wrote: »

You might want to save the cycle to work scheme option for the next bike - you'll have a much better idea what you want long term by then?

Go cheap or secondhand for now. It's not easy to find bikes secondhand in my experience, you need a bit of dedication / luck. I found a 4 year old Trek 1.2 for €325 on here after what seemed like months of trying (probably 4 -6 weeks in reality) and I'm very happy with it, BUT a good part of my time is spent wishing / dreaming about my next one The CTW scheme isn't an option for me (being self-employed), but if it was I would hate if I had 'wasted' it on a new entry-level bike.

The best 'cheap' new bike out there IMO is the B'Twin Triban 3 from Decathlon in Belfast. Bought one for my son - great bike, superb value at €400ish.

dubdub123

hey guys - thanks for all the info on the different options. I've taken a look in a few places and to be honest every shop is recommending different models.. halfords mentioned carrera but were very keen on boardman - they seemed pricer than similar looking bikes in another bike shop - i can't remember the brand but they are italian parts which apparently seemed relevant.. any info or help? I am thinking now that I might stretch to spending more on the bike and just have a decent one done and dusted as I plan on getting out a lot over the summer. I've had a lend of a thompson and the difference is unreal - i really want to be able to cycle in a group and it's not feasible if i have a much heavier bike I think as I don't have the power to make up for it. so any feedback on boardman or other bikes in the 700-800 range? really appreciate the help.. thought it would be much easier to figure out to be honest !

dubdub123

hi guys I'm narrowing this search down and really interested in a thompson 6200 @ 600.. I've tried out a thompson 7200 for a few weeks and this is a similar model i'm told just different brakes. There was also another one i tried briefly tonight - i think it was called gemina or gimina .. not quite sure and that was coming in at 600 euro.. but i think that was a little heavier. anyone know that brand ? i'm told they are popular but i may not have the name quite right.. any help would really be appreciated as I'm hoping to make a final decision tomorrow as the bike to work scheme in my place is finishing up... thank you so much for all the help

dubdub123

I found out the name of that bike properly gepida bandon - any comments regarding that @ 600 vs the thompson 6200 @ 800?? I think it felt a bit more of a stretch and a little heavier, but may be suitable for what i need.. thanks