Robert wrote:
> I would like to buy a new bike and I don't know what I should be gettin=
g or
> looking for.
>=20
> Can anyone suggest what I should be buying.
>=20
> I want a comfort type bike I think, general road and track riding nothi=
ng
> too extreme.
> My budget is around =A3500.00 but I could do with a suggestion around =A3=
300
> too.
Probably a goodish hybrid, or a not quite so good, but still quite=20 acceptable hybrid on the lower
budget... I'd start at Dawes Discovery=20 and Ridgeback Velocity ranges, but they certainly won't be
the only=20 shows in town. Probably not worth getting suspension (seatpost sus=20 possibly excepted)
on this sort of thing IMHO.
But beyond that, don't forget that the budget might reasonably be spent=20 on stuff beyond the bike:
a good set of lights, clothes for nasty=20 weather, panniers (and maybe a rack to put them on) if
you'll be=20 carrying anything, some basic tools, a pump, and so on.
> One Bike I like is the Giant EZB anyone have any comments on it.
I'm not convinced, though with the caveat that I'm not convinced on=20 paper, haven't actually
ridden one (but I have ridden the R&M Equinox,=20 similar layout but rather pricier and more
sophisticated, see=20
http://kinetics.org.uk/html/equinox.html, and wasn't convinced by that=20 in
the flesh)... Though in theory it gives you "visibility benefits of the upright=20 position, with
the comfort and efficiency of a recumbent posture", in=20 practice the visibility benefits of an
upright posture are widely held=20 to be overestimated by those of us on full recumbents, and
having ridden =
the Equinox I know that putting a backrest behind a conventional saddle=20 isn't anywhere *close* to
as comfortable as a full recumbent with a=20 proper seat. And it's also the case that the more
upright recumbents=20 like the Spirit and BikeE don't actually give you particularly great=20
aerodynamics in any case, so I'm not sure what "efficiency" they're=20 banging on about. The list is
=A3595, and if I were looking for a very comfy new general=20 purpose bike at this price I'd much
sooner spend =A3500 on an HPV Wavey=20 (
http://kinetics.org.uk/html/wavey___streamer.html) than the
Giant. But =
neither would be much use on tracks, to be frank: a good hybrid with a=20 fairly upright position
and a good saddle won't actually be that much=20 different in comfort to the EZB, will work much
better on tracks (you=20 can shift your weight around if you need to) and it'll be much easier to =
get a selection of things like lights that will actually fit. It'll=20 also likely be a much better
"one bike does all" machine.
For the traditional crowd the EZB is a bit strange for little (any?)=20 gain, and for the recumbent
crowd it isn't really different *enough*,=20 still having things we don't like like all your weight
on a relatively=20 uncomfortable cutaway stool. Looks okay as a city bike for people that=20 would
like a Spirit or Cannondale Recumbent but can't afford one...
Pete. --=20 Peter Clinch University of Dundee Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Medical Physics,
Ninewells Hospital Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net
[email protected]
http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/
