Advice on Road Bikes and Clubs for female beginner.

silly_dancer

Hi,
I really want to start cycling. I have no clue what I should look for, as there are so many options and I'm bound limited budget of about 500 maybe 600, I would be happy to buy 2nd hand as I realize that is quite low. Also I would be very interested in joining a club, are there any clubs geared towards women, or accessible to complete beginners ?
I do cycle, its just a terrible rickety old town bike with 3 gears and I have been thinking for a while that cycling is something I would like to do as a hobby.

Thank you

onimpulse

Hi there,

Re finding a club... now/soon is a great time to join as it's the end of the racing season & most members are winding down and the focus changes from racing to winter spins & building fitness.

As for which club... where are you based? There are a good few clubs around so I'd go with which ever is most convenient to You. Most have good beginner spins where you can progress into other groups over a few months.

As for a bike - can you use the bike to work? That would definitely get you a good bike & a new one for the net cost you're talking about...

jag con

Hi our local club Reservoir cogs based in Blessington Co Wicklow are starting beginner spins next Sunday the 8th of September if your living in our neck of the woods

silly_dancer

Hi Guys
Thank you for the responses. It would be a little while before I could afford that bike but determined to get one. Guess the best thing to do is keep an eye out. I asked a guy in a bike shop about 2nd hand road bikes and he said that most of them are passed down among club members, so maybe I should save a little bit longer and get a new one. Im based in Dublin city center and don't have a car so Blessington might be a little bit out for me..(unless I had a bike haha) but I love the name. Well when I finally get one I will definitely be in contact. Also on a side note, I am a mature student and sadly don't have access to the bike to work scheme.

quozl

Keep an eye on adverts.ie, donedeal and this forum's adverts sub-forum.
You should easily get a good 2nd hand bike for that money or a good enough one for less. It just might take a while as the most common sizes seem to be medium and large and you might want a smaller one depending on your height/inseam/reach. If you find one you're thinking about you can always ask for opinions on it in here.

All the clubs start accepting new members around the first or second week of October, so it would be ideal if you were in a position to join then. Most of the clubs suggest that you be able to do a 50 or 60k ride before joining as their first rides tend to be about that distance. The Reservoir Cogs beginners rides are a great idea as they only want you to be able to cycle 20k to join them and any reasonably fit person can cycle 20k.

daragh_

OP - would Dundrum be close enough for you?

Orwell Beginner Spins kick off in the Autumn. Tends to be fairly large groups. Always very well organised though. Details here. Meeting at Joe Daly Cycles under the Luas Bridge

If you prefer a smaller club than St. Tiernan's meet just up the road at Park Vale. Our Autumn/Winter Spins kick off in October. Details here. We are very nice if I do say so myself.

silly_dancer

Deadly. I did the 80km ride to electric picnic. the other day. I dont know how! I was misinformed by a friend that people used all differant crappy bikes......When I arrived with my little raleigh chiltern and its basket I nearly dropped....everyone had racers and mountain bikes. I made it in 4 hours though which isnt to bad as I had never cycled that distance before bar 20km the day before and accidently ending up on the motorway!!!! People made fun of my bike the whole way down and I got commended on making it there on the worst bike they had ever seen do the cycle so Im excited to give it a go. As i was saying about not working, is it possible to have someone who is working in a company that offer the Bike to work scheme avail of the offer on my behalf???

daragh_

Fair play! We've a lady member who did exactly that last year. Did the run down to the Electric Picnic on a borrowed bike , caught the bug and came out on a beginners spin with us last Autumn. Bought her first proper Road Bike in the Spring and is flying about.

There is a massive Thread on the BTW Scheme. Have a search in there. I'm sure someone has already answered your question.

silly_dancer

Thank you so much for the advice guys, I will deffo be coming to a club near you all soon

route66

silly_dancer wrote: »

SNIP

... is it possible to have someone who is working in a company that offer the Bike to work scheme avail of the offer on my behalf???

Yes - but not legally.

Well done on the cycle!

decosr1

Chainreaction cycles have a sale on. Nice Ridley bikes with sora/tiagra mix for 558 euros. Learn lot of bike for the money. Sale ends today though so would have to act fast

Skrynesaver

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-3-road-bike-white-id_8239800.html

MB Lacey

I'd deffo recommend Orwell aswell for women. We all went on a 100km cycle last month and there were about 40 of us.
They had a great women's beginner course which ran over summer, they also run women beginner racing courses, they have a leisure group that has a lot of women... you get the picture.

You could probably do better than this, but this is the cheapest women's specific entry level brand new road bike I could find (€739)
The components are all basic, but it has sti shifters, is a compact and has a decent beginner cassette ratio (11-28)?
If you get it fromhere you get free servicing too which can save a bit of money.

http://www.wheelworx.ie/bikes/road-bikes/womens-road/lexa-c-2014

Dermot Illogical

http://clontarfcyclingclub.com/ might be worth a look.
If you are going to join a club don't consider anything other than drop bars or you'll probably end up buying twice.

onimpulse

Don't get hung up on looking for a women's specific bike either. I ride a men's bike as do a lot of other women. I changed the handlebars to compact ones as I struggled to reach the brakes / gears on the standard bars, I also changed the saddle but once you do that there is practically no difference.

Re clubs Orwell or Tiernans in Dundrum or Lucan are all good clubs with good beginner groups. Go with whichever is most convenient to you.

silly_dancer

Hi,
Finally getting round to purchasing a bike and I was considering some of these, would anyone be able to help me on my decision it would be much appeciated. Here's what I came across.

http://www.mycycle.ie/Trek-1-1-Road-Bike-2014-p/tr1.1.htm
http://www.mycycle.ie/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=345346
http://www.mycycle.ie/Trek-Lexa-C-WSD-2014-p/tr1.1w.htm
http://www.cyclesuperstore.ie/shop/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=56926
http://www.cyclesuperstore.ie/shop/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=56931
http://eurocycles.com/ie/product/felt/f85
http://eurocycles.com/ie/product/corratec/dolomiti-miss-c-tiagra-comp-2013

Thank you Kindly

downwiththatsor

Snipped link to bike for sale.
50cm frame, if interested and suitable.

Invincible

silly_dancer wrote: »

Hi,
Finally getting round to purchasing a bike and I was considering some of these, would anyone be able to help me on my decision it would be much appeciated. Here's what I came across.

http://www.mycycle.ie/Trek-1-1-Road-Bike-2014-p/tr1.1.htm
http://www.mycycle.ie/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=345346
http://www.mycycle.ie/Trek-Lexa-C-WSD-2014-p/tr1.1w.htm
http://www.cyclesuperstore.ie/shop/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=56926
http://www.cyclesuperstore.ie/shop/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=56931
http://eurocycles.com/ie/product/felt/f85
http://eurocycles.com/ie/product/corratec/dolomiti-miss-c-tiagra-comp-2013

Thank you Kindly

I'd go for the Felt f85 from that list.
Some stores give 10% off the list price,mycycle and buildabike.ie(St Mary's Abbey) are 2 I know from dealings.
Have you looked at the Giant Avail 2 2014, €999, they're the women's range.
http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-gb/bikes/model/2014.liv.giant.avail.2/15013/66784/

silly_dancer

Cool, Im only 5ft 4 so the 50cm frame Might be too big for me. Thank you both. Silly question but are there bike sales after christmas???

Invincible

silly_dancer wrote: »

Cool, Im only 5ft 4 so the 50cm frame Might be too big for me. Thank you both. Silly question but are there bike sales after christmas???

No sales that I know of, although some 2013 models are/will be reduced as 2014 models are on sale. Try the bike for size before you buy, mycycle will let you take it for a spin around the block.

Qualitymark

silly_dancer wrote: »

Cool, Im only 5ft 4 so the 50cm frame Might be too big for me. Thank you both. Silly question but are there bike sales after christmas???

50cm should be fine for you. I'm 5' and by preference ride a 49cm bike.
The way to decide your frame size is to measure your inside leg, from crotch to floor. The right frame size will be about nine inches shorter than that. And the frame size is measured by the length of the bar the saddle sits into - from the top of that bar to the axle where the pedals turn.

nak

silly_dancer wrote: »

Cool, Im only 5ft 4 so the 50cm frame Might be too big for me. Thank you both. Silly question but are there bike sales after christmas???

It depends on the geometry of the frame. I am the same height as you and had a 50cm Trek, current bikes are 49cm (Ribble, Specialized) and 48cm (Kinesis). A 50cm in some brands is too big for me, check the geometry charts on the manufacturers website. Specialized have different sizing for men and women's bikes; I have a 49 in the men's range and would be a 51 in the women's range. Confusing I know! Best bet is to test ride a few different bikes.

The Orwell women's only beginner spins are a great introduction to cycling, I enjoyed them a lot and the 100km ride we did this summer was one of the most fun days I had on the bike this year.

MB Lacey

I'm 5ft 6½ and I'm a 52 frame, so I would echo what nak says and say at 5ft 4 you're a 49/50 frame.
Go visit some bike shops and get talking to someone working there about what frame size would best suit you.
As far as I can see only Specialised and Trek do actual specific women's frames.
I bought a Scott Contessa speedster (wsd) and if you look at the geometry charts the sizing for the men's and the women's is pretty much exactly the same.
Just smaller handlebars and a different saddle (and I changed the saddle anyway).
That said, the bike has fit me like a glove and I've since bought another wsd.

With regards to bike sales after Christmas, I think your best time to buy a bike might be now. Most stores have their 2014 stock in for Christmas and want to shift their 'old' 2013 stock.
I was in several bike shops at the wknd and there were massive savings to be had, like really big price drops, just to shift old stock.

Invincible

MB Lacey wrote: »

I'm 5ft 6½ and I'm a 52 frame, so I would echo what nak says and say at 5ft 4 you're a 49/50 frame.
Go visit some bike shops and get talking to someone working there about what frame size would best suit you.
As far as I can see only Specialised and Trek do actual specific women's frames.
I bought a Scott Contessa speedster (wsd) and if you look at the geometry charts the sizing for the men's and the women's is pretty much exactly the same.
Just smaller handlebars and a different saddle (and I changed the saddle anyway).
That said, the bike has fit me like a glove and I've since bought another wsd.

With regards to bike sales after Christmas, I think your best time to buy a bike might be now. Most stores have their 2014 stock in for Christmas and want to shift their 'old' 2013 stock.
I was in several bike shops at the wknd and there were massive savings to be had, like really big price drops, just to shift old stock.

Giant have a range of bikes specifically for women.
http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-gb/search/?countries_id=19&cultures_id=24&active_collections_id=10&mode=header&q=Avail&x=19&y=8

keppler

Two minute searching on donedeal and i see a guy in kilkenny selling a 50cm frame Focus Cayo. not sure what model it is but he says its full carbon frame and fork with an Ultegra groupset and Fizik saddle, look pedals.
He's looking 500 for it new but value is in the eye of the beholder if you ask me!
If this bike has everything he says it has it was worth 1500 new easily, probably more!
At you're budget (you quoted around 600 above) I just don't think you're going to get a lot of 'bang for your buck' buying brand new, at least not in Ireland without the bike to work scheme.
If it were me I'd be going second hand, try and get a good bike for around 400 and spend the rest of my cash on good quality winter cycling gear. leggings, jackets clip in shoes cleats etc Don't underestimate how much these will set you back.
If you blow all your money on the bikes you linked to above (which I see no real value in at all btw) you'll have no money to spend on a decent track pump, bike computer, spare tubes etc.

NamelessPhil

I'm 164cm (5'41/2") and riding a 50cm frame (Rose WRS-Pro Aluminium with Ultegra parts). As it happens it is a woman specific frame but that's because Canyon were out of my size at the time. I'd agree with Keppler's post above about looking for a well maintained second-hand bike on the budget that you've got.