newbie which bike please -again!

patspost

Folks,
Yet another newbie looking for which bike to buy advice, please indulge me,
I would like to do some road cycling (quiet country roads) in evening / weekends, nothing too strenoous to start with, get a bit of exercise etc.

I had a Hybrid (cheepo) a few years ago and it was difficult to push, hence used very little.
I would like to get a cruiser maybe ( I understand this is a racing bike with a straight handle bar) something lightish,
Would a racer / cruiser be better or should I maybe try a decent Hybrid?

I havn't approached the LBS to try out anything yet, looking to get a bit of info first if possible.

I am 6ft 2" and weigh 105Kg, (only a little over weight),
budget around €500,
I don't mind buying second hand if in good condition.
Any advice please

TinyExplosions

patspost wrote: »

I had a Hybrid (cheepo) a few years ago and it was difficult to push, hence used very little.
I would like to get a cruiser maybe ( I understand this is a racing bike with a straight handle bar) something lightish,
Would a racer / cruiser be better or should I maybe try a decent Hybrid?

I havn't approached the LBS to try out anything yet, looking to get a bit of info first if possible.

I am 6ft 2" and weigh 105Kg, (only a little over weight),
budget around €500,
I don't mind buying second hand if in good condition.
Any advice please

Not sure entirely what you mean by the cruiser, as it sounds like a hybrid to me. 500 quid will get you fairly decent choice online -for example 382 will get you a Giant SCR 4. If you want a hybrid, this link to Chain Reaction Cycles gives lots of choice in your price bracket (399 at this exchange rate). Most of the bikes will be pretty similar, so have a look, and if you want more info on specific models, just ask!

blorg

OP may be getting this from Cyclesuperstore, who very confusingly use "Road Cruiser" to describe their sportier hybrids, with "Leisure Bikes" and "City Bikes" to describe the less sporty hybrids. Problem is that "crusier" more normally refers to "beach cruiser" which you _definately_ DO NOT WANT.

OP, hierarchy (increasing speed, decreasing weight) probably goes like this:

MTB-style hybrid ("leisure hybrid")
Flat-bar road bike ("sport hybrid", "performance hybrid", refered to by CSS as "cruiser")
Drop-bar road bike ("racer")

I think for your use, if you found a previous hybrid too hard to push, you would be best looking at a "flat-bar road bike" - something like a Giant FCR, Specialized Sirrus, or Lapierre RCR if buying from CSS.

Alternatively a drop bar road bike would indeed be worth considering if you think you are ready for that. If going down this road and you are new to it make sure you get either a triple or compact chainset, not a standard road double, which will be hard to push up hills.

patspost

column 1|column 2|column 3Tks Tiny & Blorg, yep I got the "cruiser" from the cyclesuperstore website,
as you say what it refers to is a flat bar road bike / sport Hybrid.
I will do a bit of research and vsit the LBS.
I feel prob better to start with one of those rather than a traditional racer with the drop handle bars.
All suggestions wellcome, tks folks.

patspost

Folks, I have been researching the following bikes, any opinions;

Lapierre RCR100 wheel width 28, weight 10.9
specialised sirrus 28
kellys saphix 38 14
Trek 1000 35

I will be doing leisure cycling, hopefully work up to an hour duration...
Is the wheel width a big factor, I will be on the road, quet country roads, reasonable surfaces.
Any ideas / opinions on the above bikes please
My own weight is 105kg, so I'm guessing the 3 kg diff in bike weight won't be important??
Tks

p

The Giant FCR 3 might suit you. It's a 'sport hybrid', basically a racing bike without slightly more gears and without the dropped handles. I have the FCR 2 and a friend has the FCR 3 and they're great bikes.
http://www.cyclesuperstore.ie/shop/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=38&idproduct=16575

The Lapierre RCR100 you mentioned and the Specialised Sirrus are both good bikes too, and my friends both have them and they did the trick. They're all a similar price range and category there's not a huge amount of difference between them. I'd probably pick based on looks or price at that stage.

One thing regarding those 3 bikes, they've all very thin wheels, like racing bikes. They're great on the road, but they're not exactly rugged and wouldn't really go on gravel or anything like that, so if you want an all-rounder bike, something with slightly thicker wheels would be worth considering.

For the type of cycling you're doing, any bike would really do, so an nice all-rounder could be more useful.

patspost

Tks for that P, esp about tyre width.
I was looking in the LBS today adn I will be getting a his & her, so looking for a bit of a deal on teh two bikes.
He said he would do a deal OK, esp with all the extras like mudgaurds & carrier etc.
Do people put on mud guards, I suppose it is a personal thing and depends on the type of cycling, but I was wondering do people bother with them & carrier.
I will be doing leisure spinning so I suppose the extra weight won't be an issue, is it just a case of gettign wet or not??
Tks for advice
Pat

blorg

Mudguards are essential if there is a fair chance you will be cycling in the rain, which you probably will what with being in Ireland. I have them on all my bikes except my road bike. A carrier is very handy and lets you carry stuff about without having to lug it on your back, again I would recommend, and have one on 3 bikes! Makes the bike that bit more practical too for things like shopping, if you wanted to use it for that.

blorg

3kg is a very significant difference in bike weight and will be noticable. You are right that it is relatively small in the overall system weight (a common aphorism is that it is easier to lose a kilo off the engine than the bike.) However a 3kg lighter bike will feel faster and more sprightly even if the actual difference to your speed is not so great on paper.

Tyre width will make a significant difference. The thinner tyres will be substantially faster, while the thicker tyres will be substantially more comfortable. Personally I'd go with the light fast 28s; out of those the Lapierre looks good (I suspect the Sirrus would be a bit heavier.)