Getting into Cycling

roamer

Im thinking of taking up cycling as a hobby. What initative do I need to take in Galway? What kind of bike would I need and where would I get it?

Also, would you lose alot of weight with this hobby?

randomname2005

roamer wrote:

Im thinking of taking up cycling as a hobby. What initative do I need to take in Galway? What kind of bike would I need and where would I get it?

Also, would you lose alot of weight with this hobby?

Im from Dublin so I cant make any suggestions regarding galway!

Any bike will do depending on how serious you want to be. If you just want to cycle around you wont need to be spending a lot of money. If you are interested in mountain biking you should spend a little extra to get a stronger lighter bike which will make your life a lot easier. If you are staying on road a racer would be the best bet as they are a lot less effort to cycle.

The best bet would probably go into your local bike shop and see what they suggest.

As for losing weight, it will help you lose weight (depending on intensity and heart rate you cycle at) but im open to correction.....!

leeroybrown

Decide what kind of cycling you'll be doing as this will tell you what kind of bicycle to get.

If you plan to take the bike offroad then you will need a mountain bike. If you're going to be doing set distances on the road then get a road bike. The third option is a hybrid which takes attributes from both types. I have a hybrid as I bought it for commuting but as I no longer cycle-commute I think I would have been better off with a decent road bike as I would have a better range of usage from it now. That said, I found it to be excellent for my commute and it's very handy for trips into town or leisurely cycles around the city area.

For a cycle shop (assuming you're in Galway City) I would definitely suggest Kearneys on the Headford Road (between Terryland Dunnes and the new Filling Station). I purchased my bike there and found them to have the best range of bikes by a long way, including a lot of better quality makes and they are also very helpful.

If you put in a consistant amount of cycling over time your fitness will definitely improve and you'll lose weight. I used to cycle-commute (6 miles x 2 per day) and I was getting very positive benefits. I like to think of 'losing weight' as a natural by product of fitness and a reasonably balanced diet.

roamer

leeroybrown wrote:

Decide what kind of cycling you'll be doing as this will tell you what kind of bicycle to get.

If you plan to take the bike offroad then you will need a mountain bike. If you're going to be doing set distances on the road then get a road bike. The third option is a hybrid which takes attributes from both types. I have a hybrid as I bought it for commuting but as I no longer cycle-commute I think I would have been better off with a decent road bike as I would have a better range of usage from it now. That said, I found it to be excellent for my commute and it's very handy for trips into town or leisurely cycles around the city area.

For a cycle shop (assuming you're in Galway City) I would definitely suggest Kearneys on the Headford Road (between Terryland Dunnes and the new Filling Station). I purchased my bike there and found them to have the best range of bikes by a long way, including a lot of better quality makes and they are also very helpful.

If you put in a consistant amount of cycling over time your fitness will definitely improve and you'll lose weight. I used to cycle-commute (6 miles x 2 per day) and I was getting very positive benefits. I like to think of 'losing weight' as a natural by product of fitness and a reasonably balanced diet.

Yeah cool, ill check out Kearneys, its near enough to me. As for losing weight, well, its actually the opposite. I dont want to lose it. It say it would be a racing bike, what are the best makes, I dont have a very big budget. What about second-hand?

GP

what's your budget ?

don't forget that you should keep some of that for a good pair fof shorts and shoes...and a helmet too probably

FergusF

roamer wrote:

Yeah cool, ill check out Kearneys, its near enough to me. As for losing weight, well, its actually the opposite. I dont want to lose it. It say it would be a racing bike, what are the best makes, I dont have a very big budget. What about second-hand?

It would be worth asking in Kearneys or Mountain Trail if they know anyone selling a road bike - the owner of MT and at least one of the employees in Kearneys are involved in local clubs so would know racers who are upgrading and selling off their old bikes. I know one guy who picked up a decent tri bike from Mountain Trail for about half the new price.