Okay, so Hub has requested some advice on buying him a new bike for his forthcoming birthday. And we are stuck in the midst of too much information on the web and wondered whether others had some advice. We are aiming to spend around $800ish and want to balance not spending a heap of money on something that he may not use too much, against not getting something which will be immediately poorly chosen if he does really get into it.
Okay, so any thoughts on brands, things to look for, things to avoid, things to splurge on, things not to worry about would be very appreciated. If it makes a difference he is a big guy (both tall and solid). He has been doing a lot of time on the exercise bike for about 4 months (10-15 hours a week). If he gets into it, we will upgrade to a better option in a year or so.
Oh, and if you have suggestions for car bike racks that would be appreciated as well.
EDITED TO ADD – Okay, in response to Andrew’s questions below – almost entirely this will be used on bike paths and roads. For now he anticipates this will be for rides of about an hour, an hour and a half or longer.
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March 14, 2011 at 4:41 pm
Andrew(AJH)
Deege, what you buy really depend on how you think it will be used. Is he going to want to ride only on the road, bush tracks, commute to work on the bike paths? This will really decide the type of bike you want buy. You may need to give us a bit more info
March 14, 2011 at 4:49 pm
Em
I would advise a bike rack that has a quick release, that is you affix the base to your towbar and it stays there and the main rack is attached with pins, it is a lot less hassle than attaching the full unit each time you want to take the bikes out.
March 14, 2011 at 5:33 pm
deege
Thanks guys – have tried to update the post with some info about what he will use the bike for. That sort of bike rack like Em described sounds much better. I remember the contraption we used to have growing up – it took forever to put it on and off, but we had 6 bikes going back and forth – much less interested in doing that for two people.
March 14, 2011 at 9:08 pm
morseyruns
When looking for a bike I was told:
- to get the best gears you can afford for the price
- if you are getting carbon then remember that it pretty much just makes the ride nicer so go for forks or seat post
- if you think you want to pay more and get a lighter bike, just remember it is probably better to lose the 5kg yourself
I spent $800 on my bike and I am still in love with it- carbon forks and Shimano Tiagra gears (they probably give these bike away in weeties packs now).
I have added cleats/peddles so that I clip in and out, cheap speedo and a VERY expensive seat.
I have a bike rack that goes on the towbar- you can borrow it and see if that design suits you (can bring it into the city ). Unfortunately you aren’t allowed to drive around with it empty on your car- so I spend a lot of time putting my bike in and out of my car.
Go to a bike shop where someone talks to you for ages without looking over your shoulder for someone else and you will get some good advice.
March 16, 2011 at 6:06 pm
Andrew(AJH)
I agree with Sara, the groupset (that’s the cycling name for the gears/drivetrain/brakes componentry) is important. The advice I was given for buying a roadbike was to go for at least carbon seat stay and forks (as Sara said the carbon absorbs the bumps better) and at least a 105 Groupset (this is the one just above Tiagra). My bike cost me about $1,700 so a bit dearer than Sara’s, but like her I love it and have got nearly 17,500km out of it in just under 4 years. I have a bike rack that sounds like Sara’s (you can see it here http://www.ezigrip.co.nz/mainmenu10/page83/Modular+Clamp.html) – I have the three bike model. It is a simple screw on/off the towbar, only takes 10 seconds to put on/off.