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Fitness Bike - advice please

  • 31-03-2010 11:17pm
    #1
    doglover1
    Registered Users Posts: 9 ✭


    Hi,
    I want to purchase a bike to use for commuting to work and for fitness training. I'm planning on running the marathon this year and will use to cycling as part of training programme on non running days - I might even eventually get involved in Dualathons. I'm willing to spend about €400 on a bike. I've heard the Giant FCR series talked about quite a bit? Anybody any suggestions on what bikes I should be looking at and what things to look out for. Prefer the gents style bikes rather the ladies design. I'm 5ft 4" so go for a smaller frame. Any help would be appreciated as would like to go shopping this weekend. Tks. D


Comments

  • #2
    cdaly_
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,440 ✭✭✭cdaly_


    I'm running a Giant FCR 3 (cost €550) and loving it. It started out as a hybrid but I converted it to dropped handlebars and much prefer them now. It's a good commuter (I have put up about 18,000 km on it now with no real issues) and decent for leisure spins too.

    I would recommend something like the Giant Avail which is a decent road bike. It's a gents style frame in ladies sizes. One of my colleagues recently got an Avail 4 (IIRC) and it's a lovely bike. My recommendation of this over the FCR (or this year's equivalent) is for a few reasons:
    1. Some people say that a hybrid is better for commuting because you sit more upright and can see/manouvre better. Having ridden both straight and drops I have not found this to be an issue.
    2. Given that you're going to use this for training, you'll soon come up against the limitations of straight bars and will end up wanting to do a drops conversion.
    3. Once you get out there you'll soon come to realise that this marathon stuff was just a diversion on the road to becoming a true cyclist and, at that point, you'll be glad you got a road bike in the first place.
    4. If you find that you still want to go running, you'll soon enough add swimming and end up doing triathlons and you'll definitely want a good road bike. (Actually, at that stage you'll be speccing out a second tri-bike 'cos you'll be thoroughly addicted by now...)

    Your budget is a little tight. Can you avail of the Bike To Work scheme at work? It's worth up to about 50% off the price of a new bike (and gear). If not, poke and prod your boss until you can. It's very easy to administer for them and they even save some employers' PRSI as an added incentive..


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