A bike for the beginner

admin

[quote author=movermeu link=board=20;threadid=2631;start=0#22593 date=1037191960]<br />Sound like VO2 has been in the bussiness for quite some time. I would go for the better frame but older bike so that I can upgrade it later as cash is availible.<br /><br />Is it possible to get a 2nd hand bike for under R3000.?<br /><br />[/quote]<br /><br />It is possible.....but its gonna be junk if your planning on racing/riding heaps.....if its just something to get to to and from work, or keep you fit then you should be able to get a bike that will keep you happy. You just need the right tool for the job.<br /><br />cheers!

Duckwah

Movermeu I'm just back in the road cycling game and so a few weeks ago i was having the same problem, i just wanted a decent bike to train on to keep fit without having any aspirations of racing etc.<br /><br />After looking around i discovered that it was impossible to get anything new and not a pile of crap for less than $1000AU ( i think about 5500 rand)<br /><br />i ended up with a Giant OCR 3, its got mostly Sora groupset with a few generic parts like hubs and an FSA crank (which i reckon looks better than the Sora one anyway) and so far i have barely been able to keep off it!<br /><br />I know its not the lightest bike and i'm sure in a few months i will need to replace some bits and pieces but so far i'm extremely happy with the bike. Also the frame appears to be good enough that when i upgrade i won't have to junk the whole bike and start again<br /><br />

__________________
Don Stevenson

Strength and Conditioning Coach

Octogen Fitness

www.octogen.com.au

fitness@octogen.com.au

Goat

I agree with Duckwah, an OCR3 is excellent value for money. <br /><br />But then again it all depends on whether you want the bike now or if you are willing to wait a few more months and buy yourself a decent entry-level bike.<br />

__________________
The true measure of a champion is what he does when nobody’s around

Wok66

__________________
Give up Just One Beer !
www.JustOneBeer.0catch.com

Duckwah

In retrospect if i had known how much i was going to enjoy riding i would have dug deeper into my savings and bought an OCR 1 because i now find myself looking at upgrading the 3 at greater overall cost<br /><br />so if you think you might do a lot of riding or develop the urge to race i would consider spending as much as you can afford on your first bike.<br /><br />That said the OCR 3 will do me for the moment

__________________
Don Stevenson

Strength and Conditioning Coach

Octogen Fitness

www.octogen.com.au

fitness@octogen.com.au

Rhodent

Other thing to remember is that it always looks cooler flying past people on a crappy bike :-\ Whereas being passed easily while riding some 20 grand marvel is always that much harder to bear

__________________
What do you mean there's no granny gear? How do you go up hills? Ahh, I see, you don't have hills.

Lazarus-g

I'd like to point out one thing - haggle on the price of what ever bike you choose.<br /><br />I went to buy an OCR3 but came out of the shop with an OCR2 because the shop owner was willing to drop his price.<br />I managed to cut the price difference between the two bikes by more than half and now that the 2003 models are coming out, I've seen 2002 OCR2 for the same price as OCR3'.

__________________
&quot;Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of mankind.&quot; - H.G. Wells

ewep

A second hand bike might be a good idea, if you buy it from a bike shop! The shop should be able to tell you whether the bike is the right fit and you could score a major deal (a friend bought a 2002 Trek 5500 for R12000, the bike had 300km on &amp;gt; ).<br /><br />I bought an Omega, and although the bike is not that well known, I was very impressed with what I got. You might look at the bottom of the range, which you will see at a lot of fun rides. Go to www.lifestylemd.co.za and click on the Omega link.

__________________
Biking or NOTHING!

Downhillracer

I started to ride about 6 months ago and bought a Geneses Hybrid from some really great guys in Midrand who have spent hours helping me ... I have clocked over 1700 km's on my bike and it still goes faster than I can push it so I will still be able to grow into it ... I used the money I saved to buy really neat Shimano Shoes and those tiny pedals and I really get a thrill out of entering all the races I can cram into my body (these also cost a fortune) ... I would eventually like to get a road bike but my question is that can I still be comfortable on a road bike between 3.5 - 4 hrs which is my current time over 100km races? Would it really be worth the financial trade off ... sometimes you just want to enjoy the scenery! Maybe this is what a beginner should consider ... a neat, comfortable, affordable bike ... <br /><br />Remember : it is no good buying a 40K bike if you dont have 40k legs ...