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I want to buy a hybrid bike for city/town cycling.... Any tips? I want an aluminium one and my budget is about 200 will that be good and durable enough. I used to cycle allot as a kid but now it'll only be occasional use and I Mohr even try the hour long commute to work on it...

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minus Vettel

I am no expert on hybrid bikes. However I have read many times that Halfords own brand called Apollo are not much to write home about. I suggest going to a traditional bike shop and looking for a nearly new bike that perhaps cost a few hundred when new. If your willing to wait a few weeks to find one you'll get a better bike.

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Oh and Bernie, National flags should be raised not flipped. Sort it!

I will try to avoid halfrauds, thanks. I did see a couple of bikes that looked good else where. One is c called a giant but doesn't have any suspension the other looks very road bike with skinny tyres and everything but doors have suspension. Both seem light which is good and are above my budget but they look cool!

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minus Vettel

This is why I don't ride on busy roads or where lorries drive. I'm fortunate, because where I ride I can access alternate roads or cycling paths. I can be right in many cases, but it doesn't matter when I die because of someones mistake. I just avoid such a situations.

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Any old sap can pull teeth from a dead crocodile.
It takes a man to pull teeth from a live one.

Thing is, don't rule out a mountain bike. People assume hybrids are better for commuting on roads but if you get a mountain bike and switch the nobly tyres to much smoother ones, the rolling resistance is improved massively making it a commuting bike that can handle any pot holes you come across. It will also still work off road in all but muddy conditions and you can always pop the nobly tyres back on if you fancy a serious weekend off road.

Always staggers me how many kids bikes have huge nobly tyres. Switch then to smoother tyres and their speed on family bike rides improves immediatly making trips out with kids much better. You can actually get somewhere!!!!!

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Oh and Bernie, National flags should be raised not flipped. Sort it!

Darn technology. 93 miles cycled and I forget to hit record on Strava before I set off this morning.

OK, it's my fault not technology but I've got to blame something other than myself......

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Oh and Bernie, National flags should be raised not flipped. Sort it!

NOOOOO, KILL THEM WITH FIRE.


To put it plain

This. Slicks can give you 4-5 mph more than the nobly ones.

I would suggest getting a good cheap MTB and then slap on a set of Schwalbe's or something. You can always get back on the nobly ones and go off road.

I have to say though that for £200 I don't think you're going to get a Specialized or Trekk, unless you look in gumtree for a second hand one.

Cool story:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/0 ... 03380.html

Dammit the longer I look at bikes the more I feel i need to spend!

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minus Vettel

Buying the bike is only the start though. It's all the extras I didn't need to buy that cost.......

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Oh and Bernie, National flags should be raised not flipped. Sort it!

I still keep equipping myself. I just bought a chain wear tool, only £5, but still: it's so many little things that you can spend on!!!

I think you'll reach a point where you are going to find a nice bike that you like, see that the price is more than you expected (always is) and you'll think "aaah feck it" and dig deep into your pockets.

Happens a lot to me!

For a decent hybrid I'd expect something around the £300-400 mark.

Evans (though an expensive shop) has a few like this:

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/spe ... e-ec042520

You just need to look a bit more and then set your mind to it. The extras you'll accumulate in time, but I'd start with the essential basics (like helmet and hi-vis) straight away.

Yes, I just got over excited with my latest purchase. Cleat covers! 15 quid but they are pretty useful though.....

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Oh and Bernie, National flags should be raised not flipped. Sort it!

Thanks for the link, unfortunately there isn't an Evans Cycle shop where I live. All the cycle shops here are quite small and limiting, but I rather walk out the shop with a running bike I've seen and touched in the flesh.

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minus Vettel

Wow, never ever heard of them before!

My cleats are getting rusty actually, so that would make sense

Evans is expensive usually, I just looked for hybrids. It is worth checking one over the net (in any big chain shop) and then make the trip somewhere close to you and see it/test it, before you get it. Alternatively, see what you like and ask the shop if they can bring it in for you. Maybe they'll do that. Small shops are usually more flexible than the bigger chains, they can't afford to lose a customer that easily

Well spd-sl cleats are plastic and although they don't really wear down with cycling, it's walking in them on tarmac, gravel or whatever that ruins them. These at simply covers made of a slightly softer plastic/rubber which not only protects the cleats but also gives you much better grip. Anyone who's ever walked is sl cleats will know how precarious it can be..... They weigh next to nothing and fit in a back pocket when cycling. Useful for the weekend cafe stop or two on route!

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Oh and Bernie, National flags should be raised not flipped. Sort it!

Aaaah, I see. I don't really need them then, steel cleats don't break as easily!


Bit of news. Armstrong is to give an interview in Oprah next week, in order to answer a lot of stuff... Interesting to say the least

wow, I'm back in the forum after a short absence *cough* !

List of bike things to get next:

* second front light mount
* new (old) winter bike
* new jersey for the impending summer
* replacement tyres and inner tubes for the MTB
* turbo trainer
* new bib shorts

My best purchase this year though, apart from my bikes, has been the front and rear USB chargeable LED lights

Can you share a link? I want to see them (hehehe, maybe invest in some too!)


Ok, another thing I was talking to a friend about is tubeless wheels. Any serious advantages? They seem to have lots pros and some major cons, so I'm wondering if anyone had any experience and if you'd recommend them

Tubeless tyres tend to need a fixing agent as they can roll of under heavy cornering. This makes changing them s pain especially out on the road. Plus carrying a spare is more hassle than an inner tube.

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Oh and Bernie, National flags should be raised not flipped. Sort it!

But the good thing is that you can actually carry a tube and fit it in without hassle; they can be turned to tubes without much hassle if you are on the road.

Also they don't pinch flat ("snakebite"), they can be run in lower pressures (so you get more contact with the surface thus better grip) and while you have heavier tyres the weight gain is none, as you lose the tubes.

Downsides are that they are bloody expensive (you'll have to change wheels too if you don't want to risk with a conversion kit) and not easy to repair (although they have a little goo inside to sort out the small holes).

So I don't know if it is worth the money/risk. Has anyone tried them? Is the grip/ride so much better (to the amateur riders like me) to justify the change and money spending?

I can only speak from a road cycling point of view where running lower pressure is never s requirement. I've tried a few and really can't see much improvement. To be fair, so much more is down to the wheels and hubs that judging tyres on different wheels is near impossible.

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Oh and Bernie, National flags should be raised not flipped. Sort it!

I see. Thanks Asphalt!

Right so last week I had a budget of £200 for a bike. Today I walked out of a bike shop having ordered a £500 bike...!

Tomorrow I'm going to ring the the store and ask them to order in the 2013 model of the one I ordered instead for only an extra £25.

On top of that I'm spending another £145 on helmet/locks/mud-guards!

>_<

_________________
minus Vettel

So you've spent half your 1st year outlay then Ooh the clothing and accessories to come.........

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Oh and Bernie, National flags should be raised not flipped. Sort it!

Trully a madman then!

Depending on the seat, I'd invest into padded shorts. Very important with new seats, especially if you haven't used a bike in a while!


Which one did you go for then? Come on, I'm excited now!!!

(Did you check if you can have the cycle to work scheme?)

You're right about padding. Problem is, I'm so used to riding with padding and cream... cough that when I pop out for a ride, even for only a couple of miles with the family, I find it really uncomfortable.....

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Oh and Bernie, National flags should be raised not flipped. Sort it!

Cream?

Hmmmmm, I have no idea but I can speculate about what you're talking about there!

I changed my seat, the Cube had a racing seat with little gel, it was like riding on a wooden saddle. I bought a cheap £25 Charge seat and it rides like a dream. I've even tried it without the padding and I was absolutely fine.

I do less mileage than you obviously, but off-road your behind gets quite a lot of abuse (I know, I know, blame my English for the wording!)

http://www.udderlysmooth.com/

Couldn't ride distances without it. It's a true life saver!

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Oh and Bernie, National flags should be raised not flipped. Sort it!

I ordered a Trek 7.3 2012 model as it was on sale:

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/tre ... e-ec030282
And yes I discovered I could use the cycle to work scheme this week, hence a light bump in budget. However, apparently you can't get sale price bikes on the scheme, so they were charging me £500 instead of £450... So I ended up saying "alright then" at the £500 price tag...

But I would've bought the 2013 model which comes in a sexy red, I preferred the colour but when I thought the older model was going to save me £75 I didn't think it was worth paying extra just for red:

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/tre ... e-ec040356

Since it turns out I only have a £25 saving I'm ringing them up tomorrow to change my order and getting the red one afterall! Also I'm not buying from Evans but the LBS has the exact same prices.

I already want to buy "bull horn" type handles for the ends as my old bike had them and was really useful for hills and changing posture for a bit.

btw lol @ Udder cream

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minus Vettel

Nice looking bike. Will you use Strava, assuming you have a smart phone?

Oh and the cream was initially created for udders many years ago.......

Saves my vitals though :O

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Oh and Bernie, National flags should be raised not flipped. Sort it!

I do have a smart phone but the GPS on it is quite temperamental. I don't think I'll start recording what I do, but does it tell you what speeds you were doing.... I kinda want a speedo fitted on my bike now....

_________________
minus Vettel

Yes it records speeds but it's not like having a speedo. There are lots of good wireless computers on the market. I use a Cateye Strada sand Strava is for analysing the ride once I finish - of I remember to switch it on!

Best thing about Strava though is the details about how much you have climbed and descended along with the competitive aspects of segments.

_________________
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Oh and Bernie, National flags should be raised not flipped. Sort it!

Hmm well, i don't know what moden tubs are like. In the past (like 20 years ago when I used them after they became the "in thing") the main problems were
* coming unstuck at inopportune moments
* fixing punctures
The only advantage was that they many of the new aero rims were made for them and the whole wheel was a bit lighter. I have no idea what they're like these days.

Concerning the lights, after a lot of research I settled on:
* front light: MacTronic Front Light, white, BPM 300 L. It's waterproof, and importantly USB rechargeable, easy to mount, stable, 5 brightness levels, recharging and low-battery power indicator. I have only ever needed the 3rd brightest light level which lasts for many many hours.
* rear light: BBB Spark Rear Light BLS47 - again small, light, USB rechargeable, power indicator, 4 settings (2 flashing, 2 constant)...

Indeed, best thing about Strava is the segment leaderboards... if you have a bit of competitiveness in you then this will stoke your motivation a great deal... But as Asphalt says, you need to remember to turn on your device first... a beginner's mistake but an incredibly upsetting one

f1madman

Nice! Very nice! Well done.


Dom

Thanks, I read that the wheel is lighter and all, but the tyre is heavier, so overall is pretty much the same. They have some new lighter tyres, however they are not so strong (obviously), so there will be a bigger chance that you'd get a puncture. Oh well, I haven't seen anything that would convince me to make the leap, so I'll hang on the trusty Schwalbe's for now!

Thanks for the lights. I have one, but I wanna get more!

Wow, that front light is £70!

Hope it's good!

70GBP?! I paid €55 for mine from Amazon.. It is good and that's cheap at the price, relative to all the others. The majority have AA batteries so you have to keep buying new ones, plus the USB rechargeable one is generally a bit lighter and the quality of the product is very good.. Also it's a CREE LED which is one of the new generation ones.. as it turned out, I just don't need the power that it produces - I've descended at 75kph in the dark on the 3rd brightness level (I didn't realise at the time lol).

Regarding the tubs, I've seen carbon rims for tubs, but I guess it's slightly easier to form the rim shape with carbon layups than it is to form the "lip" required for normal tyres.

Me? I stick with my favourite Schwalbes