Cycling for fitness

faganface

The leaving cert has taken its toll on me, and since i have been told I can't return to GAA with injury I have been looking into new ways of getting and keeping fit. I just dont really know how to start off, firstly I need a bike but the budget of an 18 year old keeps my options very limited, are the 200-300 road bikes decent to start off with? I'm 6ft-3 so what size should i be looking at? If there's any other advice ye could give me it would be greatly appreciated

Cee-Jay-Cee

With your budget you would be better off buying a second hand bike as you'll get a better spec'd bike for that price. Donedeal and Adverts.ie have plenty advertised so check them out. Buying new will only get you a very low basic spec bike which won't be good quality or reliable, especially if you plan using it on a regular basis. For your height I'd say you will need a 58-60cm frame.

A_Sober_Paddy

faganface wrote: »

The leaving cert has taken its toll on me, and since i have been told I can't return to GAA with injury I have been looking into new ways of getting and keeping fit. I just dont really know how to start off, firstly I need a bike but the budget of an 18 year old keeps my options very limited, are the 200-300 road bikes decent to start off with? I'm 6ft-3 so what size should i be looking at? If there's any other advice ye could give me it would be greatly appreciated

Be looking for a large frame 56-58 i'd say(but bike sizing can be complicated)

Halfords have some decent starter bikes, you could also try your local bike shop for a second hand bike, you can often pick up a serious bargain, or even look on adverts.

Might be worth going to the bike shop, and getting yourself measures for a bike as already said, it can be complicated for some people

Qualitymark

You could start with this:

http://www.broadsheet.ie/2013/06/13/your-rocket-powered-bike-has-arrived/#comment-610351

Seriously, though, where are you? Boardsies probably know of local cyclists who can help and advise on nice cycle routes, etc.

If you ask around the uncles and family friends, you may find that someone has a big old bike abandoned in the shed.

And you could look at the monthly Garda auctions of unclaimed bikes (usually here http://www.wilsonsauctions.com ) for good bikes at a good price.

Oh, and get a good lock if you're locking it in Dublin, home of the thieves. The New York Kryptonite is usually recommended; I like the sound of the Fuhgeddaboutit (purely for the name), but don't know if others would recommend it. I use another lock (fingers crossed).

Be careful where you buy a secondhand bike; you don't want to buy someone else's darling that's been stolen.

quozl

If you can stretch to this http://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-3-road-bike-white-id_8239800.html it gets fantastic reviews here and on other sites.
It's 299 sterling, about 350 euro

faganface

Thanks a million for the reply lads, i'll have a look into them just one more thing, how should i go about getting into shape with it once i make the investment? Any suggestions?

faganface

Qualitymark wrote: »

Seriously, though, where are you? Boardsies probably know of local cyclists who can help and advise on nice cycle routes, etc.

I'm based in athlone at the moment

Tonyandthewhale

If we're talking road bikes then the triban from decathalon is the only new bike worth looking at for anywhere near the money you're talking about. Halfords have the apollo fusion which is a lump of junk and the carrera zelos which is probably usable but not worth the money when you could get something much better second hand or for a little more money from decathalon. Further up the price chain you have the carrera virtuoso and vanquish which are decent starter options which might be out of budget but they frequently have sales (also, if you or someone you know has an insurance policy from axa you can get a 15% discount in halfords).

Personally I'd be more inclined to look for something second hand. You could post a wanted ad on the cycling adverts subforum here or look on adverts.ie, donedeal or gumtree. If you can get up to Dublin you might be able to pick up something affordable in Rothar in Phibsboro.

Don't be tempted by cheapo options such as apollo, viking, barracuda, trax, coyote etc. Also, make sure to figure out the brand and model of any bike you're looking at second hand and give it a google to find out how much it costs new. I've seen plenty of lads on adverts and donedeal who've bought a heap of junk coyote road bike or the like off ebay for 200 quid and then put it for sale at 300 or 400 claiming it's a 'professional race bike' or some other bull**** like that.

Once you have the bike buy some clipless pedals and shoes and joing a club as soon as you can.

faganface

Tonyandthewhale wrote: »

If we're talking road bikes then the triban from decathalon is the only new bike worth looking at for anywhere near the money you're talking about. Halfords have the apollo fusion which is a lump of junk and the carrera zelos which is probably usable but not worth the money when you could get something much better second hand or for a little more money from decathalon. Further up the price chain you have the carrera virtuoso and vanquish which are decent starter options which might be out of budget but they frequently have sales (also, if you or someone you know has an insurance policy from axa you can get a 15% discount in halfords).

Personally I'd be more inclined to look for something second hand. You could post a wanted ad on the cycling adverts subforum here or look on adverts.ie, donedeal or gumtree. If you can get up to Dublin you might be able to pick up something affordable in Rothar in Phibsboro.

Don't be tempted by cheapo options such as apollo, viking, barracuda, trax, coyote etc. Also, make sure to figure out the brand and model of any bike you're looking at second hand and give it a google to find out how much it costs new. I've seen plenty of lads on adverts and donedeal who've bought a heap of junk coyote road bike or the like off ebay for 200 quid and then put it for sale at 300 or 400 claiming it's a 'professional race bike' or some other bull**** like that.

Once you have the bike buy some clipless pedals and shoes and joing a club as soon as you can.

Thanks very much for your help i'll have a look into it

Gilbert Grape

I got this 2 weeks ago,30% off http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_810675_langId_-1_categoryId_165710