New rider

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

>> "Harry" == Harry <[email hidden]> writes:

Harry> Just a quick question. What type of bike would you guys recommend for a novice rider to
Harry> buy?

I started cycling to the city from about four months ago after a 12 year break. I use a Trek 1200
which I got mainly because I wanted a road bike and that's one of the few that have mountings for
panniers. Unfortunately I could be in one of three places so I have to take my laptop with me
wherever I go.

I fitted it out with a Topeak rack and Ortleib panniers and am very pleased with them. I went though
a lot of spokes on the rear wheel, about seven in two months, and ended up getting the whole thing
rebuilt. Since then I haven't had any problems with it. Oh and I also replaced the rear tire with a
Continental FPS which has pretty much stopped punctures.

Overall I'm very happy with it, although I sometimes wonder if a hybrid with road trues would have
been better for my purposes, seeing as it a commuting bike after all. But then again when the
panniers come off and I just go for a ride it sure does feel nice :-)

Harry> I'm just looking for something new to add to my fitness program.

Go for it :-) It's without a doubt the best thing I did for myself last year.

I will say though that you've got to stretch for about ten minutes at the end of the ride; it seems
pansy wansy and I didn't bother for the first couple of weeks. That's when I started to get back
ache from stiff hamstrings.

Harry> Obviously I don't intend on riding from Frankston to Melbourne anytime soon but figured a
Harry> could catch the train for a way and ride the rest. Any thoughts appreciated.

Bumped in to a guy (not literally) on the Nepean who cycles from the CBD to Frankston each way twice
a weak on a mountain bike. By his own admission not the fittest chap on the road by a long chalk and
it takes him about two and a half hours. Just thought you'd like to know :-)

--
Regards Euan

Visit as many bike shops as you can to get a good idea of whats available in your price range.

I'm no expert but IMO when buying a bike make sure you feel comfortable with the reach to the handlebars. The top tube length and stem length (horizontal stem that holds the handlebars) determine your reach. Even if you don't buy anything it would be good to go home knowing what length TT and stem of the bike you sat on that felt ok or the best to you.

This is handy to know as a dodgy bike shop may want to sell what they have in stock rather than order in a size bike more appropriate to you.

I think its best if you decide what type of bike you want since people commute on all sorts of bikes.

The following links are online forums on bike commuting which would be worth reading:

http://www.bikeforums.net/forumdisplay.php?f=20

http://www.cyclingforums.com/f39

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

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

>>> "Harry" == Harry <[email hidden]> writes:

Go for it :-) It's without a doubt the best thing I did for myself last year.

Quoted message said:

Bumped in to a guy (not literally) on the Nepean who cycles from the CBD to Frankston each way
twice a weak on a mountain bike. By his own admission not the fittest chap on the road by a long
chalk and it takes him about two and a half hours. Just thought you'd like to know :-)

--
Regards Euan

Thank for that Euan, much appreciated.

Quoted message said:

Harry<

gescom said:

Visit as many bike shops as you can to get a good idea of whats available in your price range.

I'm no expert but IMO when buying a bike make sure you feel comfortable with the reach to the
handlebars. The top tube length and stem length (horizontal stem that holds the handlebars)
determine your reach. Even if you don't buy anything it would be good to go home knowing what
length TT and stem of the bike you sat on that felt ok or the best to you.

Amen.

I'd like to add, that if the shop doesn't adjust the seat etc. to the correct position *before* you
take it for a test ride, then maybe you should be considering a better shop, or at least badger them
about it a bit. Some shops will go the whole way and set you up on a trainer, get the seat position
right, and check other things. This might be a bit impractical for test riding a 1/2 dozen bikes,
they should at least ensure it's somewhere near correct.

When I went to buy my first adult bike, I hadn't ridden since I was a kid. You test-ride the bike
around the parking lot, maybe up the street a little. It feels just plain weird, the difference
between one bike and another will come down to maybe things like the tyre inflation, or how hard the
seat is. I know for me, since it was so long since I had ridden, I was concentrating mainly on how
to stay upright rather than the subtle nuances of steering.

As you test-ride, think about how your legs feel... Is it like driving a car with the seat too far
forward - do you feel all crunched up? Or are you feel very reached-out, almost straining to reach
the handlebars ? It's important to get the basic frame size correct (as possible), because it can be
fairly easy to tweak seat and handlebar settings, but this has limits, and if the frame is too big,
then it can become difficult to make it fit you (notwithstanding specialised things like seatposts
with 'L' bends etc.)

Someone else mentioned swapping out the tyres for some non-knobbly ones - definately the way to go.

cheers, -kt

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

Quoted message said:

gescom said:

Visit as many bike shops as you can to get a good idea of whats available in your price range.

I'm no expert but IMO when buying a bike make sure you feel comfortable with the reach to the
handlebars. The top tube length and stem length (horizontal stem that holds the handlebars)
determine your reach. Even if you don't buy anything it would be good to go home knowing what
length TT and stem of the bike you sat on that felt ok or the best to you.

Amen.

I'd like to add, that if the shop doesn't adjust the seat etc. to the correct position *before*
you take it for a test ride, then maybe you should be considering a better shop, or at least
badger them about it a bit. Some shops will go the whole way and set you up on a trainer, get the
seat position right, and check other things. This might be a bit impractical for test riding a 1/2
dozen bikes, they should at least ensure it's somewhere near correct.

When I went to buy my first adult bike, I hadn't ridden since I was a kid. You test-ride the bike
around the parking lot, maybe up the street a little. It feels just plain weird, the difference
between one bike and another will come down to maybe things like the tyre inflation, or how hard
the seat is. I know for me, since it was so long since I had ridden, I was concentrating mainly on
how to stay upright rather than the subtle nuances of steering.

As you test-ride, think about how your legs feel... Is it like driving a car with the seat too far
forward - do you feel all crunched up? Or are you feel very reached-out, almost straining to reach
the handlebars ? It's important to get the basic frame size correct (as possible), because it can
be fairly easy to tweak seat and handlebar settings, but this has limits, and if the frame is too
big, then it can become difficult to make it fit you (notwithstanding specialised things like
seatposts with 'L' bends etc.)

Someone else mentioned swapping out the tyres for some non-knobbly ones - definately the
way to go.

cheers, -kt

Thanks alot guys. Great advice, I'm buying this weekend

cheers Harry