Bike recommendation

It really *is* very difficult to try to work out what will
be right for you without trying it. Bikes have to fit their
rider like clothes and shoes have to fit their wearers. I
wouldn't recommend getting shoes mail-order unless you'd had
several of the same make and model without trouble.

I appreciate it's difficult to get out in your circumstances
but think you might have to go to a shop.

If you know any cyclists living nearby, they might be able
to help, both by knowing what's available locally and by
letting you try their bike to give some idea of sizing.

I agree that you are probably too tall for most women's
bikes. You'll probably be OK with a medium-sized men's bike.
You need to make sure *you* can handle the controls and lift
the machine, attach the tag-along etc. All these things are
very individual.

Where geogrphically are you based? Maybe one of us could
meet you close to home to help.

--
Helen D. Vecht: [email hidden] Edgware.

Purple said:

The bike has to be under the £400 pound mark and
preferable able to buy online as I don't drive and have a
young child that won't tolerate hanging around a bike shop
while I test drive every model.

Just sitting on a few bikes in a shop and getting some
advice in person will be a great help if actually test-
riding them is impractical for whatever reason. I think I
know a bit about bikes but I got the wrong size frame myself
when I mail-ordered one. Sizing is a tricky business.

~PB

in message <[email hidden]>, Purple

(') said:

I was wondering if anyone can recommend a good bike for
me, I have looked at every online bike shop I can but am
no nearer a decision to which make and model is most
suitable.

I won't be doing any road cycling only very good country
paths, cycle paths and park rides. The bike has to be
suitable to attach a child trailer or trail-a-long.

The bike has to be under the £400 pound mark and
preferable able to buy online as I don't drive and have a
young child that won't tolerate hanging around a bike shop
while I test drive every model.

You don't actually need front suspension for the sort of
riding you're suggesting, and you certainly don't need rear
suspension. You also don't need disk brakes and at your
price point shouldn't go for them. Since you are proposing
to ride almost all off tarmac and to pull a child trailer
low gearing would be a good thing, so you are looking at
something towards the MTB end of the 'hybrid' continuum.

Quoted message said:

I am 5'9 and my torso and legs are roughly the same
length. After looking at womens bikes online they may be
too small for me, the only plus point is that they come
with special saddles for females, but I can easily buy a
mens bike and just fit a new saddle?

Yes, you can. You ought to be able to get the shop supplying
the bike to swap a womens saddle on at no extra cost - my
partner rides Georgina Terry Liberator saddles on both her
bikes, and swears by them; but saddles are pretty personal
so be prepared to find you don't get on with the first one
you try. You may also want to get the shop to swap the tyres
which come with the bike for less knobbly ones, as the
reason you want low gearing is to pull the trailer, not to
tackle very muddy or rough tracks.

Quoted message said:

Can anyone recommend a suitable bike for me?

Dawes, Specialized, Scott and Giant all produce reasonable
quality hard tail mountain bikes at around the £400 mark.
Edinburgh Bicycle Co-op also have some own-brands under this
price and are good value for money.

If you want a one model recommendation you wouldn't go far
wrong with a Specialized Hardrock.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke)
jasmine.org.uk~simonOpen ↗ Das Internet is nicht fuer
gefingerclicken und giffengrabben... Ist nicht fuer gewerken
bei das dumpkopfen. Das mausklicken sichtseeren keepen das
bandwit-spewin hans in das pockets muss; relaxen und watchen
das cursorblinken. -- quoted from the jargon file

Purple said:

I was wondering if anyone can recommend a good bike for me,
I have looked at every online bike shop I can but am no
nearer a decision to which make and model is most suitable.

I won't be doing any road cycling only very good country
paths, cycle paths and park rides. The bike has to be
suitable to attach a child trailer or trail-a-long.

The bike has to be under the £400 pound mark and preferable
able to buy online as I don't drive and have a young child
that won't tolerate hanging around a bike shop while I test
drive every model.

My wife has a Trek 7200 FX with rigid fork and suspension
seat post. It's ideal for the type of riding you want to
do, there is a women's model (which you may or may not
want) and it's well within your price. A very practical
bike and easy to ride.

--
Dave...

Get a bicycle. You will not regret it. If you live. -
Mark Twain

"Pete Biggs" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Purple said:

The bike has to be under the £400 pound mark and
preferable able to buy online as I don't drive and have
a young child that won't tolerate hanging around a bike
shop while I test drive every model.

Just sitting on a few bikes in a shop and getting some
advice in person will be a great help if actually test-
riding them is impractical for whatever reason. I think I
know a bit about bikes but I got the wrong size frame
myself when I mail-ordered one. Sizing is a tricky
business.

~PB

Hi Pete

I know what you are saying is right and though if I order
the wrong size through the net most online stores will
exchange free of charge I will still have to fork out three
times for P&P.

My little girl is three and can not stand/sit still for
mnore than two minutes now keep herself to herself. She is
at the demanding stage and I know it will be nightmare if I
have to take her along, Just going to the supermarket is an
event I dread.

There's a shop in Derby that has a bike that seems suitable
so I'll go have a look next Sunday when my partner can look
after our little girl for me

Fran

"Simon Brooke" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

in message <[email hidden]>,

Purple (') said:

I was wondering if anyone can recommend a good bike for
me, I have looked at every online bike shop I can but am
no nearer a decision to which make and model is most
suitable.

I won't be doing any road cycling only very good country
paths, cycle paths and park rides. The bike has to be
suitable to attach a child trailer or trail-a-long.

The bike has to be under the £400 pound mark and
preferable able to buy online as I don't drive and have
a young child that won't tolerate hanging around a bike
shop while I test drive every model.

You don't actually need front suspension for the sort of
riding you're suggesting, and you certainly don't need
rear suspension. You also don't need disk brakes and at
your price point shouldn't go for them. Since you are
proposing to ride almost all off tarmac and to pull a
child trailer low gearing would be a good thing, so you
are looking at something towards the MTB end of the
'hybrid' continuum.

Quoted message said:

I am 5'9 and my torso and legs are roughly the same
length. After looking at womens bikes online they may be
too small for me, the only plus point is that they come
with special saddles for females, but I can easily buy a
mens bike and just fit a new saddle?

Yes, you can. You ought to be able to get the shop
supplying the bike to swap a womens saddle on at no
extra cost - my partner rides Georgina Terry Liberator
saddles on both her bikes, and swears by them; but
saddles are pretty personal so be prepared to find you
don't get on with the first one you try. You may also
want to get the shop to swap the tyres which come with
the bike for less knobbly ones, as the reason you want
low gearing is to pull the trailer, not to tackle very
muddy or rough tracks.

Quoted message said:

Can anyone recommend a suitable bike for me?

Dawes, Specialized, Scott and Giant all produce reasonable
quality hard tail mountain bikes at around the £400 mark.
Edinburgh Bicycle Co-op also have some own-brands under
this price and are good value for money.

If you want a one model recommendation you wouldn't go far
wrong with a Specialized Hardrock.

Hi Simon

I would ideally like a Hardrock as aswell as your
recommendation I have heard elsewhere that it is the best
in my price range but I can only find one shop near me that
stocks it and it is closed the only day I can get down
there dammit!

I take on board what you say and agree with you on both
suspension, disk brake and gears which is why the Hardrock
seems ideal.

Fran

Quoted message said:

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke)
jasmine.org.uk~simonOpen ↗ Das Internet is nicht
fuer gefingerclicken und giffengrabben... Ist nicht fuer
gewerken bei das dumpkopfen. Das mausklicken sichtseeren
keepen das bandwit-spewin hans in das pockets muss;
relaxen und watchen das cursorblinken. -- quoted from the
jargon file

"Helen Deborah Vecht" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

It really *is* very difficult to try to work out what will
be right for you without trying it. Bikes have to fit
their rider like clothes and shoes have to fit their
wearers. I wouldn't recommend getting shoes mail-order
unless you'd had several of the same make and model
without trouble.

I appreciate it's difficult to get out in your
circumstances but think you might have to go to a shop.

If you know any cyclists living nearby, they might be able
to help, both by knowing what's available locally and by
letting you try their bike to give some idea of sizing.

I agree that you are probably too tall for most women's
bikes. You'll probably be OK with a medium-sized men's
bike. You need to make sure *you* can handle the controls
and lift the machine, attach the tag-along etc. All these
things are very individual.

Where geogrphically are you based? Maybe one of us could
meet you close to home to help.

--
Helen D. Vecht: [email hidden] Edgware.

Hi Helen

I moved from North London (near you) to Nottinghamshire five
weeks ago as my partner was transferred through work. But
with him working 13 hour days six days a week with Sundays
off it makes life very difficult as I can't get to bike
shops during the week and most are closed on Sundays. I miss
the seven day shopping week that I had in London!!

Though I am getting out and meeting lots of people there
isn't really anyone I can leave my daughter with for any
length of time, especially as the bus into Nottingham is
only hourly where I live and then once on the bus it takes
another hour to get there, it is one fo those plodding
country buses that everyone in cities make fun of!

I have narrowed it down to a trek 7200 FX as pointed out to
me by Dave Kahn or a Specialised HardRock which I has been
reccommended to me in this group and I have also read
elsewhere that it is the best rigid in my price range.

My partner took my little girl out for lunch so I had time
to ring round the few shops that were open today, I even
rang as far afield as Derbyshire and only one shop stocked
either of the bikes I am after. It was a shop in Derby who
had one 7200 in my size except with front suspension.

There is a large shop in Nottingham that I am going to
phone tomorrow which according to their website stocks both
bikes and a lot more besides. It is just a case of getting
to the shop now.

There are quite a few shops round here that are open on
Sundays but they only stocked the very very low end of the
market/budget bikes which aren't suitable.

It was tempting to just shoot over to Derby today as my
partner could have driven me there and then looked after our
daughter but the bike they have in stock isn't exactly what
I am looking for and they don't have any other suitable
bikes which are suitable for me to compare with the Trek
they have.

What would the front suspension be like on the Trek 7200 FX
at £320? Does front suspension start to become reliable at
that price?

Fran

Purple said:

What would the front suspension be like on the Trek 7200
FX at =A3320? =

Does

Quoted message said:

front suspension start to become reliable at that price?

Not so much it's unreliable as just not doing anything very
useful.=20 It'll add to the weight and remove money from
things like the frame and=20 transmission. It would be good
for soaking up big bumps, but I doubt=20 you intend to take
very many of those! If you have no realistic easy choice
then front sus isn't going to be a=20 huge issue at this
price, but IMHO you'd do better without it for what=20 you
have in mind.

Another good rigid general purpose bike is the Kona Smoke,
you can get=20 details from a Google. This seems to be in
your price range, you're not =

wasting money on suspension and with mudguards fitted you
won't spray=20 the trailer with goop either!
Konaworld.uk.com has a dealer list, a=20 couple of the
general ones are in Nottingham.

Pete. --=20 Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer Tel 44
1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net
[email hidden] dundee.ac.uk~pjclinchOpen ↗

Purple said:

Though I am getting out and meeting lots of people there
isn't really anyone I can leave my daughter with for any
length of time, especially as the bus into Nottingham is
only hourly where I live and then once on the bus it takes
another hour to get there, it is one fo those plodding
country buses that everyone in cities make fun of!

Ha. Reminds me of the last time I took a bus from my home
village (as opposed to the village I live in now) into
Cambridge. After an hour on the bus, stopping at every
hamlet, farm and desolate cross roads, I looked out of the
window only to realise that *I could still see my house*!

On 4/7/04 3:36 pm, in article [email hidden],

Purple said:

My little girl is three and can not stand/sit still for
mnore than two minutes now keep herself to herself. She is
at the demanding stage and I know it will be nightmare if
I have to take her along, Just going to the supermarket is
an event I dread.

My little ones loved a child seat on teh back of the bike.
The Hamax (rebadged as Halfords own brand) or Rhode Gear
ones are really good and well worth getting if you want to
put your daughter on the back.

Budget about 60-70 quid for a good child seat.. It's
well worth it.

..d

in message <[email hidden]>, Purple

(') said:

What would the front suspension be like on the Trek 7200
FX at £320? Does front suspension start to become reliable
at that price?

Unfortunately they aren't well known forks so I can't find
out anything about them. Trek are not mickey-mouse bike
manufacturers so they're unlikely to be really bad; but at
this price point they're either elastomer or steel spring.
If elastomer (rubber-like synthetic material), then the
response of the suspension will vary with ambient
temperature and deteriorate over time; if steel spring, it
will be heavy. Elastomer is self damping; some cheap forks
these days have both elastomers and steel springs, which can
be a reasonable compromise. A sprung fork which does not
have elastomer should have an oil filled damper which will
require periodic servicing.

The other problem with cheap forks is that the telescopic
assemblies don't slide smoothly, but tend to be jerky and
notchy. You can get some feel for this in the shop: as you
lean your weight on them they should compress smoothly.

Most cheap suspension forks are not adjustable. Suspension
which is correctly set up for your weight should compress by
about a quarter of its total travel when you sit on the
bike. If it compresses much more than this then you are too
heavy for it. The makers of almost all elastomer or steel
sprung forks supply differently rated elastomers and/or
springs for different weights of rider. The shop _should_
offer to fit the correct one for your weight - but nine
times out of ten they don't because the time taken to strip
a fork and replace the suspension element is a substantial
chunk of the profit on a cheap bike. You should ask them
about this.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke)
jasmine.org.uk~simonOpen ↗ ;; Sending your money to
someone just because they've erected ;; a barrier of
obscurity and secrets around the tools you ;; need to use
your data does not help the economy or spur ;; innovation. -
Waffle Iron Slashdot, June 16th, 2002

On 4/7/04 10:35 pm, in article
[email hidden], "Simon Brooke"

Quoted message said:

If elastomer (rubber-like synthetic material), then the
response of the suspension will vary with ambient
temperature and deteriorate over time;

Completely non-existent at -10 Celsius.. but I found the
forks ended up rusting solid before the elastomers gave out.

..d

After lots of looking around online and much frustration my
partner was given a surprise afternoon off work today so we
went to FreeWheel in Nottingham. They had loads of bikes in
stock and I tried the Trek 7210, Specialised Hardrock and
Specialised Crossroads.

In the end I felt most comfortable on the Crossroads, it
seemed to suit me better than the other two. Even though it
wasn't a female model they tinkered with it in their
upstairs workshop while I waited and browsed downstairs.

I am so pleased I made into a proper bike shop and it worked
out for the best because the model I would probably have
gone for online didn't suit me when I tried it and the most
suitable model is one I hadn't considered looking at online.
It also turns out that the frame size I would have chosen if
I had bought online would have been too big for me.

I also get a free service after four weeks and 10% off all
purchases in the store until the service and then all
following services are discounted which I think is really
good and something else I wouldn't have got if I had
bought online.

Thankyou to all those who offered me advice it really helped
make me understand the technical terms the assistant used
and made me more confident about what I was looking for. I
feel really comfortable and confident with this bike.

Fran

in message <[email hidden]>, Purple

(') said:

Thankyou to all those who offered me advice it really
helped make me understand the technical terms the
assistant used and made me more confident about what I was
looking for. I feel really comfortable and confident with
this bike.

Great! I hope you'll have a lot of fun in it.

My niece bought her first adult bike today, an EBC Coast.
She too is extremely excited and pleased with it.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke)
jasmine.org.uk~simonOpen ↗

See one nuclear war, you've seen them all.

Purple said:

In the end I felt most comfortable on the Crossroads, it
seemed to suit me better than the other two. Even though
it wasn't a female model they tinkered with it in their
upstairs workshop while I waited and browsed downstairs.

Nice one! It's worth noting that though the "women specific"
thing has realised that women are often a different shape
from men, the marketing departments have failed to realise
that women are often a different shape to other women. Any
WSD piece of kit will only work if the model the designers
are working too are anything like the woman in question. And
there are certainly cases where men will be better off with
a WSD model, as well as women better off on notional men's
kit. A female pal of mine has a WSD saddle with super-duper
Body Geometry technology computer designed with reference to
Real Anatomy. Sounds jolly impressive, but she thinks the
traditional leather saddle on my folder is far more
comfortable, and when that was designed women didn't wear
trousers much, never mind ride bikes!

Quoted message said:

I also get a free service after four weeks and 10% off all
purchases in the store until the service and then all
following services are discounted which I think is really
good and something else I wouldn't have got if I had
bought online.

Let's hear it for a good sounding LBS! If you're towing your
moppet behind or they're on a childseat on the bike they'll
probably /really/ like mudguards, unless you think your
moppet looks best with a brown stripe! IIRC the Crossraods
doesn't have them as standard. SKS with mudflaps are the
best, though there are perfectly adequate ones for less.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer Tel 44 1382 660111
ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital Fax 44 1382
640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net
[email hidden] dundee.ac.uk~pjclinchOpen ↗

"Peter Clinch" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Purple said:

In the end I felt most comfortable on the Crossroads, it
seemed to suit

me

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

better than the other two. Even though it wasn't a
female model they tinkered with it in their upstairs
workshop while I waited and browsed downstairs.

Nice one! It's worth noting that though the "women
specific" thing has realised that women are often a
different shape from men, the marketing departments have
failed to realise that women are often a different shape
to other women. Any WSD piece of kit will only work if the
model the designers are working too are anything like the
woman in question. And there are certainly cases where men
will be better off with a WSD model, as well as women
better off on notional men's kit. A female pal of mine has
a WSD saddle with super-duper Body Geometry technology
computer designed with reference to Real Anatomy. Sounds
jolly impressive, but she thinks the traditional leather
saddle on my folder is far more comfortable, and when that
was designed women didn't wear trousers much, never mind
ride bikes!

The shop assistant noted that my limbs are longer in
proportion than most women and that a female frame would
have been to short as my arms are quite long.

They swapped the male saddle over to a gel saddle designed
for women which I didn't find that comfy when I actually
rode the bike at home but maybe I just need some more time
for my body to get used to riding again.

They said I could take a test ride before I bought the bike
but I wasn't confident enough to do that as I haven't been
on a bike in ten years. As it was it took me half an hour
just to get on the saddle once I got home, in the store the
assistant held the bike for me so it was easier to get on.
All in all it took me an hour of falling off, falling over
and generally spending more time on my bum than on the bike
before I got the hang of riding again! But once I figured
out how to get on the saddle and stay there it didn't take
me long to get my confidence back.

Also I have never used gears before. When I was riding ten
years ago I set the gears to one setting and just left them
there. Now I have front and back gears which are going to
take some getting used to but I can't wait to get back out
there practicing.

We also bought a child trailer from the shop which
(thankfully) my little girl loves! We are going to try out
the bike and trailer properly this afternoon on tarmac as
opposed to grass. I only used the bike on grass yesterday as
it made for a softer landing for me! :o)

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I also get a free service after four weeks and 10% off
all purchases in

the

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

store until the service and then all following services
are discounted

which

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I think is really good and something else I wouldn't
have got if I had bought online.

Let's hear it for a good sounding LBS! If you're towing
your moppet behind or they're on a childseat on the bike
they'll probably /really/ like mudguards, unless you think
your moppet looks best with a brown stripe! IIRC the
Crossraods doesn't have them as standard. SKS with
mudflaps are the best, though there are perfectly adequate
ones for less.

Valid point re mudguards

The shop assistant gave me lots of catalogues to read at
home and choose all the different accessories I would like
to be fitted while the bike is being serviced. Even though
the service is in four weeks time, I will have to book next
week as they are booked up three weeks in advance!

I don't think I will be doing much cycling in wet mud but my
little girl loves kicking a ball around even when it is
almost storm like (she's fearless!) so I can certainly see
myself out in the rain on the bike.

I have waterproofs already but they are hiking/rambling
waterproofs which are very very good quality but are quite
bulky. Can anyone recommend any suitable clothing I might
need so I can buy it before my 10% discount runs out?

If anyone lives in or near Nottingham I can certainly
recommend Freewheel in GooseGate, I am really pleased with
the service they offered me and they were very knowledgeable
and keen riders themselves

Fran

P.S. I am sure I recognise your signature from somewhere
Pete, do you also post in uk.rec.walking?

Quoted message said:

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer Tel 44 1382 660111
ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital Fax 44 1382
640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net
[email hidden] dundee.ac.uk~pjclinchOpen ↗

Purple said:

Also I have never used gears before. When I was riding ten
years ago I set the gears to one setting and just left
them there. Now I have front and back gears which are
going to take some getting used to but I can't wait to get
back out there practicing.

The amount you have these days can be a bit bewildering at
first, but Don't Panic! Think of gears as the one you're in,
lower, and higher rather than trying to remember if you're
in 13th or 14th or whatever.

If your legs are windmilling around with hardly any tangible
resistance you need a higher gear, if you think about
standing up to move the pedals around you need lower (try
and stay in the saddle: it's generally much better to change
down a gear rather than stand up).

To start with I'd put the front changer in the middle and
just get the hang of the rear gears as that's where you make
most of your changes. The front changer comes in handy for
big hills and/or heavy loads like the trailer, where you may
want the small/inner chainring, or for high speed where the
bigger/outer ring is best.

Many people, especially those who haven't been on a bike
much, will tend to use higher gears than they'd be best off
with, with legs moving around quite slowly. It's better for
you and the bike to spin lower gears, so your feet should be
moving around at a fair pace but not so fast you can't push
any harder on the pedals.

Quoted message said:

I don't think I will be doing much cycling in wet mud

Even cycling along a wet road after the rain's finished can
throw up enough spray from a wheel to be an annoyance.
Unless you're out for serious performance then mudguards
really are a Very Good Idea IMHO.

Quoted message said:

I have waterproofs already but they are hiking/rambling
waterproofs which are very very good quality but are quite
bulky. Can anyone recommend any suitable clothing I might
need so I can buy it before my 10% discount runs out?

As long as you're not busting a gut your walking waterproofs
will be a good start. What a lot of us have found is that
any formally waterproof coat can get a bit sticky inside if
you're cycling, so a lightweight windproof top is a very
useful piece of kit. Most of them will keep a brief shower
at bay and they're lighter, cheaper and more breathable than
full waterproofs. On the legs, something stretchy that moves
with you is very good, and most of these will be fairly
comfy even if they get a bit wet and dry very fast too. I
only wear overtrousers if it's sheeting it down and likely
to stay that way. Ronhill Bikesters are very good as general
cycling trousers: not only very comfy but they won't get
caught and/or oiled in the chain either. Padded cycling
shorts are very good on longer rides, or even on shorter
ones if you can't get comfortable on your saddle, but they
are a faff and a relatively expensive one at that so for
short trips a lot of folk don't bother.

Other things to spend your pennies on would be some luggage.
Rucksacks on a bike are a Work Of Stan, as you can find out
by trying alternatives such as panniers, bar bags, rack
packs and saddlebags. Of course, the trailer will be a
perfect place for stuff but if you're riding without it then
somewhere to put things that doesn't hang off you makes
riding more of a pleasure.

Other accessories worth getting would be a multitool (you
can do most things with a set of Allen keys on a modern
bike), a couple of spare inner tubes and a puncture repair
kit, a good pump, a serious lock and a good set of lights.
With the possible exception of the inner tubes you Get What
You Pay For on all of these (I think you realise that,
judging from your choice of bike).

Quoted message said:

P.S. I am sure I recognise your signature from somewhere
Pete, do you also post in uk.rec.walking?

Yup. Or
uk.rec.walking.totalnumptieswithattitudeaboutconservation as
it appears to be the last week or so :-(

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer Tel 44 1382 660111
ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital Fax 44 1382
640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net
[email hidden] dundee.ac.uk~pjclinchOpen ↗

Simon Brooke said:

in message <[email hidden]>,

Purple (') said:

Thankyou to all those who offered me advice it really
helped make me understand the technical terms the
assistant used and made me more confident about what I
was looking for. I feel really comfortable and confident
with this bike.

Great! I hope you'll have a lot of fun in it.

My niece bought her first adult bike today, an EBC Coast.
She too is extremely excited and pleased with it.

I need to buy a bike for my niece. Her mother has set a
budget of about 80 pounds, since that's what the Walmart
bike she had in the US cost. I don't think she's going to be
quite so extremely excited and pleased.

(Yes, I know, look for something second hand. I have a
plan....)

"Peter Clinch" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

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Purple said:

Also I have never used gears before. When I was riding
ten years ago I

set

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the gears to one setting and just left them there. Now I
have front and

back

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gears which are going to take some getting used to but I
can't wait to

get

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back out there practicing.

The amount you have these days can be a bit bewildering at
first, but Don't Panic! Think of gears as the one you're
in, lower, and higher rather than trying to remember if
you're in 13th or 14th or whatever.

If your legs are windmilling around with hardly any
tangible resistance you need a higher gear, if you think
about standing up to move the pedals around you need lower
(try and stay in the saddle: it's generally much better to
change down a gear rather than stand up).

I went out for my first proper ride this lunchtime and it
was fantastic. I'm not completely used to riding again but I
went a fair distance and I didn't get into any trouble.

There were two occasions though while I was experimenting
with the gears when I set it so the pedals were spinning
round but absolutely no resistance but I just had to switch
up a gear to fix that.

By the end of the ride I was beginning to gage correctly
whether to move up or down a gear or not. The hills were
hardwork as it was very hot and I was having to pull the
trailer aswell. Downhill was a scream though. I need to to
figure out how to slow myself going down hills using the
gears instead of using the brakes to do it as I will
probably wear them out very fast.

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To start with I'd put the front changer in the middle and
just get the hang of the rear gears as that's where you
make most of your changes. The front changer comes in
handy for big hills and/or heavy loads like the trailer,
where you may want the small/inner chainring, or for high
speed where the bigger/outer ring is best.

Many people, especially those who haven't been on a bike
much, will tend to use higher gears than they'd be best
off with, with legs moving around quite slowly. It's
better for you and the bike to spin lower gears, so your
feet should be moving around at a fair pace but not so
fast you can't push any harder on the pedals.

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I don't think I will be doing much cycling in wet mud

Even cycling along a wet road after the rain's finished
can throw up enough spray from a wheel to be an annoyance.
Unless you're out for serious performance then mudguards
really are a Very Good Idea IMHO.

Even on a dry day like today we ended up going through a
fairly large muddy puddle where water had collected n the
path under a bridge, suffince it to say the trailer and my
little girl got fairly well covered, but she thought it was
a hoot and asked to go through it again! Luckily she loves
the trailer and didnt want to come home, she wanted to stay
in it all day.

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I have waterproofs already but they are hiking/rambling
waterproofs

which

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are very very good quality but are quite bulky. Can
anyone recommend any suitable clothing I might need so I
can buy it before my 10% discount

runs

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out?

As long as you're not busting a gut your walking
waterproofs will be a good start. What a lot of us have
found is that any formally waterproof coat can get a bit
sticky inside if you're cycling, so a lightweight
windproof top is a very useful piece of kit. Most of them
will keep a brief shower at bay and they're lighter,
cheaper and more breathable than full waterproofs. On the
legs, something stretchy that moves with you is very good,
and most of these will be fairly comfy even if they get a
bit wet and dry very fast too. I only wear overtrousers if
it's sheeting it down and likely to stay that way. Ronhill
Bikesters are very good as general cycling trousers: not
only very comfy but they won't get caught and/or oiled in
the chain either. Padded cycling shorts are very good on
longer rides, or even on shorter ones if you can't get
comfortable on your saddle, but they are a faff and a
relatively expensive one at that so for short trips a lot
of folk don't bother.

I found that my legs were getting caught in the saddle as I
tried to sit on the bike but since lowering it a bit I
haven't had any trouble.

I have a waterproof throwover that folds down into a bag
when not in use which would be ideal, I don't know why I
didn't think of it when I wrote my previous post.

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Other things to spend your pennies on would be some
luggage. Rucksacks on a bike are a Work Of Stan, as you
can find out by trying alternatives such as panniers, bar
bags, rack packs and saddlebags. Of course, the trailer
will be a perfect place for stuff but if you're riding
without it then somewhere to put things that doesn't hang
off you makes riding more of a pleasure.

I'm going to ask Freewhell to fit a rack onto the back wheel
along with the mudguards when they do the service as though
the trailer has storage, when going downhill all the small
items shoot forward and end up underneath my daughters feet.

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Other accessories worth getting would be a multitool (you
can do most things with a set of Allen keys on a modern
bike), a couple of spare inner tubes and a puncture repair
kit, a good pump, a serious lock and a good set of lights.
With the possible exception of the inner tubes you Get
What You Pay For on all of these (I think you realise
that, judging from your choice of bike).

hmm changing tyres is something I won't be able to do!
Isn't there a two wheel equivalent of the AA? ;o) I am
going to have to learn how to change tyres, but for some
reason just the thought of it fills me with dread as I
completely technically dyslexic and am no good at all at
thigs like that.

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P.S. I am sure I recognise your signature from somewhere
Pete, do you

also

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post in uk.rec.walking?

Yup. Or
uk.rec.walking.totalnumptieswithattitudeaboutconservation
as it appears to be the last week or so :-(

I thought I recognised you. I only lurk in that group now. I
did post there a few years ago when my partner and I were
planning to do the C2C but as it turned out we went
travelling around Europe instead.

Quoted message said:

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer Tel 44 1382 660111
ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital Fax 44 1382
640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net
[email hidden] dundee.ac.uk~pjclinchOpen ↗

Fran