Somebody got in touch on twitter the other day and said "I want to get in to cycling but I don't know which bike to get there are so many choices." This is oh so very true, there are bikes for all kinds of uses and getting the perfect bike for your needs is difficult but not impossible. I think its two part process.
Are you going to use it to go to work?
Do you want a bike to get or stay fit?
Will you ride it on or off road?
Do you need to carry a load on it?
Do you want to look like a cyclist or a normal human whilst you are riding?
If you can spend between 300 and 700 pounds you will get a quality new bike, more on exactly what in part two. If you have a budget of much more than that, this article is probably not for you.
For some reason many people in the UK go for a mountain bike when they buy a first bike. They have some advantages over a race bike: you sit more upright and they have flat bars rather than the drop bars of a road bike, which make you aerodynamic but are more suited to experienced riders. To be honest though you need to spend £700 to get a good hardtail mountain bike (front suspension fork) and rather more than that for a decent full suspension bike.
For your cash you will get a bike that will be a good ride off-road and a bit of a disappointment on. With their fat knobbly tyres and relatively high weight, on the road they can be a bit slow and they are geared to climb steep hills so they have 24 or 27 or even 30 gears. You really don't need that many on the road even if you live in the Alps. I own a mountain bike at the moment. It's the bike I wanted but couldn't afford 15 years ago when I rode mountain bikes most weekends. It is a lovely ride but it should be, it would cost you £1200 for something as good now days. Quite a lot of people that end up road cycling on a mountain bikes buy slick tyres after a bit. Why not start with something that does the job you need? If you want to get into full on mountain biking and shake your fillings downhill a mountain bike is what you need, but remember its built for dirt and stones.
These are sort of the best of both worlds. You can ride them round town and they will cope with light trail riding and a bit of mud. They have bigger 700c wheels, thinner tyres and usually a less aggressive riding position and maybe 14 to 20 gears. Some have a front suspension fork and some also have a suspension seat post to soak up the bumps. Many of them will have the fittings for a rear pannier or bag rack and you can get some value in the £300 pound and up price range. If you ride round town but want to ride the rougher cycleways or go out cycling as a family on trails a hybrid might be for you.
These are what they ride on the continent, these are for people who need a bike round town and don't want to look like Bradley Wiggins at work. They often have a step through frame, so you can ride them easy in a skirt or if you are older and your hips don't work quite like they did. They often have mudguards so you don't get covered in mud, a chain guard so your trousers don't have a black slick up your leg and often hub gears and hub dynamos along with lights that need little or no maintenance. A bike to do a job rather than one that shouts "look at my bike."If you want a bike to get around town these are for you. A city bike is usually a bit more upright a commuter bike might be likely to go a bit quicker, the lines blur.
The new kids on the block for about town cool. Urban bikes are what you get if you strip a mountain bike down remove a few of the gears and put road tyres on it. You buy one of these to save having to strip it down yourself.
Take it one stage further and remove the gears and you get a single speed bike. these will make you fit and you will have to stand up out the saddle on hills.You get single speed mountain bike size and also one with the bigger 700c wheels. I'm forty something and I rode one to work for four years, no bother. As they have no gears there isn't much to go wrong and maintenance is super easy. As most of the weight has been removed you can get them going pretty fast too.
Take it one stage further still and remove the freewheel and 1 or both brakes you have a fixed wheel bike a "fixie". I wouldn't start riding one of these as my first bike, in fact wait a good few years as your bike handling skills need to be pretty good before you ride what is basically a track bike on the road. They are pretty cool at the moment and there are a lot about. If fitness is part of why you want to cycle you could do worse than look at one of these three. Certainly an urban bike or a single speeder. They might not have fixings for racks or mudguards though, these are all about speed and lightness.
These are bikes that are harking back to the bikes of the 1930's and 1940's the Sit-up and beg style, some with a modern upgrades on the equipment. Bikes were style is more important than weight or ride quality. Sort of the equivalent of owning a classic car. It might be out of date but boy does it look elegant. If you often wear a hat socially or own quantities of designer woollens & hand made shoes this maybe the bike for you. Pashley still make the same bikes they have made for years in the uk, too heavy for me but they are definately a statement. Lots of manufacturers are starting to offer them in their range to hipsters and ladies who cycle to lunch.
News just in these, but I'm seeing more and more about. Not cheap but cheaper than a moped. You don't need a license and whilst they are limited to 25mph that's pretty quick on a bike. If your older or getting into shape they can work either as motor only or pedal assist or you can pedal alone when the battery goes flat. Range is 30 to 60 miles, less if its super hilly. Charge times are 4 to 6 hours. Prices start around the 600 quid mark and go over 2000 for the high end stuff. Look for Lithium polymer batteries. I think these are going to be big.
The Big red bike co in Harrogate are nice people who know their bikes. Good for city bikes and they carry the Pashley retro bikes which are cool and built to last.
Part One - Work out what you are going to do with it.
It's very easy to see Mark Cavendish sprinting down the Champs Elysée leaving the peleton for dead and think I need a bike like Cav has. Unless you have realistic ambitions of making it as a pro or elite cyclist. Or you ride with a club and regularly cover 80 miles on a Sunday, a full on race bike will be more trouble than its worth to you. NO REALLY IT WILL. A bit like buying a Ferrari for the school run and the weekly shop.OK if a road bike isn't the solution what is?
Start by answering these questions, remember the answers you will need then in part two.Are you going to use it to go to work?
Do you want a bike to get or stay fit?
Will you ride it on or off road?
Do you need to carry a load on it?
Do you want to look like a cyclist or a normal human whilst you are riding?
Next consider your Budget
You can buy bikes new for under 100 pounds DON'T, really DONT. If that's your budget look for second hand, more on buying second hand at the end.If you can spend between 300 and 700 pounds you will get a quality new bike, more on exactly what in part two. If you have a budget of much more than that, this article is probably not for you.
Part two - types of bikes, and picking a type
Mountain Bikes
For your cash you will get a bike that will be a good ride off-road and a bit of a disappointment on. With their fat knobbly tyres and relatively high weight, on the road they can be a bit slow and they are geared to climb steep hills so they have 24 or 27 or even 30 gears. You really don't need that many on the road even if you live in the Alps. I own a mountain bike at the moment. It's the bike I wanted but couldn't afford 15 years ago when I rode mountain bikes most weekends. It is a lovely ride but it should be, it would cost you £1200 for something as good now days. Quite a lot of people that end up road cycling on a mountain bikes buy slick tyres after a bit. Why not start with something that does the job you need? If you want to get into full on mountain biking and shake your fillings downhill a mountain bike is what you need, but remember its built for dirt and stones.
Hybrids
City/Commuter Bikes
Urban Bikes, Single speeds and Fixies
Take it one stage further and remove the gears and you get a single speed bike. these will make you fit and you will have to stand up out the saddle on hills.You get single speed mountain bike size and also one with the bigger 700c wheels. I'm forty something and I rode one to work for four years, no bother. As they have no gears there isn't much to go wrong and maintenance is super easy. As most of the weight has been removed you can get them going pretty fast too.
Take it one stage further still and remove the freewheel and 1 or both brakes you have a fixed wheel bike a "fixie". I wouldn't start riding one of these as my first bike, in fact wait a good few years as your bike handling skills need to be pretty good before you ride what is basically a track bike on the road. They are pretty cool at the moment and there are a lot about. If fitness is part of why you want to cycle you could do worse than look at one of these three. Certainly an urban bike or a single speeder. They might not have fixings for racks or mudguards though, these are all about speed and lightness.
Retro Bikes
Electric Bikes
What to buy How to buy and Where to buy
So them's the main types but you only want the one bike so where do you go to get a good one?
Well in Harrogate at the budget end Halfords have lots of bikes but to be honest little bike knowledge. If you know what you want you could do worse. Avoid their Apollo budget range if you want to ride the bike more than a few times. the Carrera stuff is ok and the Boardman stuff is excellent value if more pricey. They have recently re-badged some city bikes aimed at women as Pendleton's after Victoria and its a growing range. Oh and don't let them near your bike with a spanner, you will regret it.
Specialized down on West Park in town have a good range, middle to top end on price but you get some value with specialized. Worth a look
The Edinburgh cycle co op on the edge of Leeds is definitely worth a look. They do there own ranges of revolution bikes which are good value and they carry a big range of other peoples bikes. They are happy to chat and they know their stuff, good value.
Cycle Heaven in York is a fantastic shop with a wide range of bikes its especially good for city and commuter bikes and they are really happy to have a chat and get you on something that meets your needs. Worth the trip
Buying tips
Ride it first
Don't buy a bike you haven't ridden, ever. If it feels wrong, its wrong. Whatever the salespersons says, remember they want to sell a bike.Last years colours
Bikes have a season and the old models start to clutter up bike shops stock lists by about November. This is a great time to buy. There is nothing wrong with these bikes, the shops just need to get rid of them so they can get new stock in. You can get discounts of 20 to 40% off list price especially if you are really tall or small as these often end up sitting around.
The cycle to work scheme
Or to give it its full title the Green Transport Plan basically you can save about a third of the cost of a bike if you "ride it to work". You don't have to use it every day or actually ever. You pay for the bike as a salary sacrifice before tax usually 1 or two years at the end of the "hire period" you make a one of payment and then the bike is yours . Ask your employer about it many will already know about it.
Get ahead get a hat and a pump and a lock
I wouldn't want helmets to be a legal requirement the data on whether or not they work is mixed and complicated but I usually wear one. A pump is a no-brainer tyres go down over time. Buy a lock spend 5 to 10% of the bikes value on it and then someone won't wheel your bike away.
Second hand
Some shops do second hand or ask you never know who has what. Ebay is good I have got a few off there myself make sure you know what you are buying, do your research. Expect it to need a few bits and bobs but bargains in the 100 quid area are perfectly achievable I sold a really nice single speed commuter with a fair bit of carbon fibre on it for that. If you can live with a few scratches a bike need not be expensive.
Right I hope this helpful if you need more advice email cyclehgt@gmail.com
Right I hope this helpful if you need more advice email cyclehgt@gmail.com
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