New bike help!

mystra

Hi everyone!


I moved to London in March and started cycling to work everyday pretty much, i really love it!

I have a B'twin 5 from Decathlon, http://www.btwincycle.com/IT/b-twin-5-27801814/ (sorry for some reason only the french site has a photo! english site for spec - http://www.btwincycle.com/EN/b-twin-5-27801814/)

Now to be honest, the bloody thing is doing my head in!! It weighs 15kg, and despite cycling everyday (morning and evening) i REALLY struggle with it. Every one and their dog seems to cycle past me with ease - even an old lady the other day lol!

I'm looking to buy a better bike in the new year (sales! :T) but have no idea...hence why i bought my current bike back in april...

my budget is around £400... just because i get the impression that's the price of a good bike.... but the lower the better!

We have a Decathlon round the corner and none of their other bikes really appealed to me.

My commute is only three miles (one way) but all on busy roads with lots of pot holes and a big hill to climb at the end! Need something light and nippy but not fragile and high maintenance. So no pencil thin tyres (i just see them and think :eek:) and i don't like the racing style bikes with the funny handlebars (sat on one it felt so vunerable and uncomfy - have neck trouble so i would rather sit upright)

Any suggestions?

discplayer

Try the forums at cyclechat or bikeradar. They're good for this sort of advice.

boyse7en

What you need is an urban or commuter bike. Look like a mountain bike but with semi-slick tyres (which produce much less drag than knobblies on tarmac).

Something like this

Or just pedal faster

pigeonpie

my sympathies. I am also a BTwin rider. Hills are murder and I get overtaken by everyone (and uphill even pedestrians sometimes LOL).
However - it is very well made (mine's made in Spain, defo not China), easy to maintain and service and stable as anything in winter or on potholed roads. I chatted to the lad at Decathlon when I had mine serviced and he said don't change the tyres until Spring, then you can fit slicker ones and....you will go faster! Well, a bit faster.
I looked at other bikes and quite like the Specialized but a decent one is going to set you back a lot more than £400 :-(

mystra

boyse7en wrote: »

What you need is an urban or commuter bike. Look like a mountain bike but with semi-slick tyres (which produce much less drag than knobblies on tarmac).

Something like this

Or just pedal faster

haha i'm pedalling as fast as i can without my legs dropping off!

the shame of it :rotfl:

thats a nice bike tho thanks for the tip

mystra

pigeonpie wrote: »

my sympathies. I am also a BTwin rider. Hills are murder and I get overtaken by everyone (and uphill even pedestrians sometimes LOL).
However - it is very well made (mine's made in Spain, defo not China), easy to maintain and service and stable as anything in winter or on potholed roads. I chatted to the lad at Decathlon when I had mine serviced and he said don't change the tyres until Spring, then you can fit slicker ones and....you will go faster! Well, a bit faster.
I looked at other bikes and quite like the Specialized but a decent one is going to set you back a lot more than £400 :-(

interesting...i was thinking about maybe i could just change the tyres... but another factor i forgot to mention was that i keep it in my flat as loads of bikes have been pinched from outside our block of flats (there was a sign up when i moved in!) so while i have room to keep it indoors it would be nice to heave a little less up and down the stairs (surely i should be built like wonder woman by now?!)


as for my budget i'm waiting for the sales and i don't mind buying an out of date model (as most brands seem to bring out a new model every year and the previous year's one comes down in price) plus i am hoping for a bargain in the January sales so fingers crossed it can be done for £400.

I'd do cycle to work scheme as work run it, but i've heard people paying about £40 a month... i could get a bus pass for that! and then don't you have to pay a fee at the end of the lease for the value of the bike anyway...just seems horribly complicated and i'd rather buy it outright - that way its mine and there's no faffing about.

thescouselander

Before you go out and spend loads of money you might want to consider your cycling technique. Yes, your bike is on the heavy side but even if you go for a more expensive one the difference in weight might only be around 5kg - thats not going to make the difference you're looking for.

My Tips,


1) Learn to use your gears properly - it always makes me laugh when I fly past someone trying to get up hill in the highest gear. Proper use of the gears will make things a lot easier. You should be peddling between 60-90 rpm, don't be tempted to use too high a gear.

2) Pump your tyres up hard - look on the tyre for the recommended pressure and use that - check the pressure with a gauge and top up each week as bike tyres tend to lose pressure quickly.

3) Raise the height of your saddle - most people don't have their saddle nearly high enough. Your leg should almost be straight at the bottom of the pedal stroke. having the saddle too low makes it harder to pedal.

4) Maintenance - make sure your chain is lubed properly for maximum efficiency. Also make sure your brakes are adjusted properly and not dragging.

Strider590

mystra wrote: »

Now to be honest, the bloody thing is doing my head in!! It weighs 15kg, and despite cycling everyday (morning and evening) i REALLY struggle with it. Every one and their dog seems to cycle past me with ease - even an old lady the other day lol!

One thing a lot of people do is ride with the saddle far too low, or worse buy a bike that's too small due to bad advice.

If you can put both feet on the floor while sitting on the bike, then the bike is far too small or the saddle is far too low.

Your leg should be slightly bent with the pedal at it's lowest point.... This gives maximum power and avoids the risk of damaging yourself.

When you stop, you should lean over onto one leg.

custardy

if you do buy again
maybe something like this will suit you better

http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/ebwPNLqrymode.a4p?f_ProductID=12412&f_FullProductVersion=1&f_SupersetQRY=C432&f_SortOrderID=1&f_bct=c003155c018333c018336

mystra

Strider590 wrote: »

One thing a lot of people do is ride with the saddle far too low, or worse buy a bike that's too small due to bad advice.

If you can put both feet on the floor while sitting on the bike, then the bike is far too small or the saddle is far too low.

Your leg should be slightly bent with the pedal at it's lowest point.... This gives maximum power and avoids the risk of damaging yourself.

When you stop, you should lean over onto one leg.

yeah i sometimes feel like it is too small... i have the saddle high enough so that i have to lean to one side to put feet down and the tyres are always at the right pressure... but i'm quite oddly proportioned... i've got really short legs (i buy short length jeans etc) BUT my top half is quite tall ( if i'm sitting at a table with someone who would be taller than me standing, i look the same height!) so i don't know if that contributes to me feeling like the bikes a bit small

mystra

thescouselander wrote: »

Before you go out and spend loads of money you might want to consider your cycling technique. Yes, your bike is on the heavy side but even if you go for a more expensive one the difference in weight might only be around 5kg - thats not going to make the difference you're looking for.

My Tips,


1) Learn to use your gears properly - it always makes me laugh when I fly past someone trying to get up hill in the highest gear. Proper use of the gears will make things a lot easier. You should be peddling between 60-90 rpm, don't be tempted to use too high a gear.

2) Pump your tyres up hard - look on the tyre for the recommended pressure and use that - check the pressure with a gauge and top up each week as bike tyres tend to lose pressure quickly.

3) Raise the height of your saddle - most people don't have their saddle nearly high enough. Your leg should almost be straight at the bottom of the pedal stroke. having the saddle too low makes it harder to pedal.

4) Maintenance - make sure your chain is lubed properly for maximum efficiency. Also make sure your brakes are adjusted properly and not dragging.

thanks for those tips, i always keep my tyres at the right pressure (invested in a foot pump - much easier and it has a dial displaying the actual pressure on) though you can certainly tell performance-wise when they need doing!

i did have my saddle too low for a few months but someone at work told me that gem of advice so now its high enough for me to have to lean over a little to put one leg down (or onto the kerb - always handy!) it did help but i really am still struggling...i think in general i just hate the thing now lol

i did try a slightly lighter one in decathlon the other day..i know it was just a ride round the shop but it felt better. i can see you're reasoning but i'm doing all the above and i'm fed up of getting into work feeling like my legs are made of jelly lol i am hopelessly unfit, i'll admit that - maybe someone more fit would have less trouble...but it's really killing me every morning. i'm asthmatic and until i started cycling i hardly ever used my inhaler... now i have to use it every morning at least. i'm 5 ft 4 and 10 stone... so i aren't overweight or anything either..just generally useless at activity lol :rotfl: