New bike help!

mystra

Rotor wrote: »

Before you go out and spend a lot of money let me just add that you're level of fitness makes much, much more difference to your speed ( and enjoyment). 15kg is on the heavy side but nothing unusual and I worry that you'll spend all this money expecting major speed improvement and you'll be disappointed.
Get out at the weekend for an hour a day ( 2 if you can do it without really hurting) for a month before you spend anything.
Can you briefly swap a bike from someone at work? give you an idea of where your bike is in relation to others

my level of fitness is terrible... but i'm basically doing 2 half hour sessions on it every weekday and have been since beginning of april...my fitness has only improved very slightly (ie after a couple weeks stopped feeling like i was going to pass out as soon as i got to my desk lol)

the only people who cycle at work have really expensive bikes, as they do pro racing and time trials and stuff like that... i don't think they would want to lend..also they're much taller than me so i probably wouldn't be able get on theirs haha

Most bikes i've looked at online weigh about 12kg and loads of people when i put mine away in the cycle park seem to comment on "oh goodness that looks a heavy bike!" (not just the racing bike ppl!)

I do enjoy cycling, it beats zonking out on the bus or tube and gives me something to think about and concentrate on in the morning and evening, but it just feels like it shouldn't be this hard.

I hardly ever normally use my asthma inhaler - now i have to use it everyday (sometimes halfway thru my morning journey i have to stop and use it) and now my doctor is making me take the brown one (the preventer) as well - i've never used one of them unless i've been severely ill with chest infections etc as a kid!. My friend is asthmatic and trained for 9 months and did the London marathon..sometimes i feel really down and think why the hell can't i just get to work with out all this exhaustion! Some people cycle LOADS further every day...

rev_henry

mystra wrote: »

i was thinking of asking if we could have some sort of mounting in the main hall way, but i can't see it happening - i think there's only me and maybe one person with a folding bike out of 12 flats so they wouldn't see it as worthwhile. Plus the main door is glass and the panels around it are glass... you can see straight in and lots of idiots like to not shut the door properly..it would just be a target. The building management left a note on someones bike once because they locked it to the banister (not in the way) saying it voids the insurance of the building.

Might try the handlebars tho didn't think that would make any difference so i'll try that - cheers!

I meant ask if you could install one yourself. Though by the sounds of it they'll say no just to be awkward. We have the same problem here in my block, but the doors aren't glass so...
Perhaps they'd like to explain how it voids the insurance exactly?

rugbyleague

Being the proud owner of 12 bikes a coach and the father of a youngster who rides at national and international level I can concur with a lot of the above advise (except carbon handle bars on a £400 bike!) bike fit is very important a quick check on saddle height is put the pedal in the lowest position to the ground and place your heel of your foot on it (in the right seat position your leg should be very nearl straight). Consider clip pedals which will allow you to push down and pull up rather than pedalling 'squares' with traditional pedals.

For gears start with middle/middle ie middle ring on the pedal end of your bike and middle ring on the wheel end of the bike, move the right shift to make pedalling easier or harder.

tyre pressure = 100psi unless wet where it should be less

to be honest a £400 bike isnt going to be much better than what you have.

hope this helps

ian

Pew_Pew_Pew_Lasers!

What you have is, I'm afraid, a bit cheap, and a bit rubbish. Sorry. I recently bought one of these for the winter:

http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/publish.asp?what=specialedition&page=1rw

I suspect its a bit above your budget but I can easily do 40mph on it without trying much. You'll struggle to ever see the other side of 20mph on the sit-up-and-beg you have now.

Have a shufty in Halfords, particularly at the Boardman range of road bikes. They're very good, and I think if you push your budget slightly up you'll be fine.

rev_henry

rugbyleague wrote: »

Being the proud owner of 12 bikes a coach and the father of a youngster who rides at national and international level I can concur with a lot of the above advise (except carbon handle bars on a £400 bike!) bike fit is very important a quick check on saddle height is put the pedal in the lowest position to the ground and place your heel of your foot on it (in the right seat position your leg should be very nearl straight). Consider clip pedals which will allow you to push down and pull up rather than pedalling 'squares' with traditional pedals.

For gears start with middle/middle ie middle ring on the pedal end of your bike and middle ring on the wheel end of the bike, move the right shift to make pedalling easier or harder.

tyre pressure = 100psi unless wet where it should be less

to be honest a £400 bike isnt going to be much better than what you have.

hope this helps

ian

My bike has 40psi printed on the sidewalls, my gf's has 30 to 55psi printed, should I still put them up to 100?

thelawnet

rev_henry wrote: »

My bike has 40psi printed on the sidewalls, my gf's has 30 to 55psi printed, should I still put them up to 100?

100psi is only if you have ultra-narrow tyres. Pump them up to what it says on the sidewalls, though if yours are only 40psi you probably have about a 2"? Try switching down to 1.5" and see the difference.

thelawnet

To the OP try something like this:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Trek-2009-7-6-FX-Mens-Hybrid-/250726960978?pt=UK_Bikes_GL&hash=item3a607dcf52

Much better than a £300 new bike...

mystra

thelawnet wrote: »

To the OP try something like this:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Trek-2009-7-6-FX-Mens-Hybrid-/250726960978?pt=UK_Bikes_GL&hash=item3a607dcf52

Much better than a £300 new bike...

cool well i don't mind second hand if its in as good nick as that! More for the money i suppose... but that ones too far away lol shame!

mystra

rev_henry wrote: »

I meant ask if you could install one yourself. Though by the sounds of it they'll say no just to be awkward. We have the same problem here in my block, but the doors aren't glass so...
Perhaps they'd like to explain how it voids the insurance exactly?

awkward is their middle name i think!

i think they said to the guy who did it that it violates the insurance because it would be classed as an obstruction. Even though it is at the side of a stairwell between a disused cupboard and a wall - ie not a place you would walk or even possible to walk! So yeah excuses springs to mind!

I certainly wouldn't be allowed to install one myself. I don't mind keeping it in my flat though to be honest - it's not in the way just awkward to get it up there trying to get it round the corners of the stairwell lol

mystra

Pew_Pew_Pew_Lasers! wrote: »

What you have is, I'm afraid, a bit cheap, and a bit rubbish. Sorry. I recently bought one of these for the winter:

http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/publish.asp?what=specialedition&page=1rw

I suspect its a bit above your budget but I can easily do 40mph on it without trying much. You'll struggle to ever see the other side of 20mph on the sit-up-and-beg you have now.

Have a shufty in Halfords, particularly at the Boardman range of road bikes. They're very good, and I think if you push your budget slightly up you'll be fine.

thanks i struggle to see the other side of 2mph nevermind 20 lol :rotfl:

it was a cheap starter bike, i think i was thinking maybe if it didn't work out it wouldn't be a huge investment wasted, i think about 180 for it new. My mum loves it though so i will just give it to her as i can't see it selling on for much and she would really appreciate it. She used to cycle a lot and wants to get her fitness up with the odd bike-ride. She's out of work so can't afford to even buy a second hand one so nice to give her something back!