What Bike?

[Tony B]

Sorry to be so lame, however here goes:

I am returning to cycling after 10 years off. I was incredibly fat, now not so but at 90kg still
er, large.

I want to cycle backroads, towpaths, a bit of town road and a little unsurfaced stuff. Nothing
extream, but easy bridalways would be nice. It's only for fun as I walk to work (just less than a
mile so hardly worth the effort of locking it up at the other end).

I'd like a low-maintenance bike, with a bit of cred, that will keep me happy.

Unfortunately for me, I'm vain enough to want something that looks the part with some cool bits on.

I quite like the look of Kona as a company, but only cos I have swalled their marketing hype

I live on the east side of Manchester, a good local cycle shop seems essential. Any recommendations?

Also what about cycle clothing, what do I really need eg posh shoes etc? Will my old Bell cycle
helmet be OK or do they "go off" like motocycle helmets do?

Again, sorry to be so far out of touch. Last bike I had was a Saracen TuffTrax with gripshift!
Which was nice.

tia,

Tony

 

[Martin Family]

On 12/2/04 10:04 pm, in article [email protected], "Tony B"
<[email protected]> wrote:

> Sorry to be so lame, however here goes:
>
> I am returning to cycling after 10 years off. I was incredibly fat, now not so but at 90kg still
> er, large.

I am also somewhat large. The good thing is that the bike takes all the weight.

>
> I want to cycle backroads, towpaths, a bit of town road and a little unsurfaced stuff. Nothing
> extream, but easy bridalways would be nice. It's only for fun as I walk to work (just less than a
> mile so hardly worth the effort of locking it up at the other end).
>
MTB/Hybrid should fit the bill. Don't buy cheap ****, It'll be a hate-hate relationship.

> Also what about cycle clothing, what do I really need eg posh shoes etc? Will my old Bell cycle
> helmet be OK or do they "go off" like motocycle helmets do?

Depends how far you are going. Comfy shorts are really good. I like having really stiff shoes as it
takes a lot of the ache out of the feet.

Helmets will get a mixed response from the group. If you want to wear one then I would recommend
ditching the old one, it is probably well outside it's design lifetime. Make sure it is properly
fitted and try to not use it.

As you realise, a good local bike shop is a good thing.

..d

 

[Chris Heys]

>I live on the east side of Manchester, a good local cycle shop seems essential. Any
>recommendations?
>
Bicycle Doctor come highly recommended. They're based in Rusholme. Website can be found at

http://www.bicycledoctor.co.uk

Cheers, Chris

 

[Mark Thompson]

> I live on the east side of Manchester, a good local cycle shop seems essential. Any
> recommendations?

www.bicycledoctor.co.uk are good - excellent customer service and a good range of bikes. They live
just off the Southern end of Rusholme.

If you've got plenty of cash you could try: http://www.harryhallcycles.co.uk They are under one of
the railway arches west of Oxford Road Station. They are a bit up themselves though.

There's also a traditional little bike shop in Withington. They sell all the usual stuff, and make
their own frames too if you want something that'll fit perfectly. They're at 28 Burton Road.
Customer service could do with a bit of a polish (like I said, traditional bike shop) but once they
get to you they're good (you just tend to stand around twiddling your thumbs while they deal with
another customer - they just pretend you're not there until they're ready to deal with you!). Have
been pleased with the work they've done tho, and charges for fixing things might be a bit lower that
the others.

 

[Arthur Clune]

Tony B <[email protected]> wrote:

: I'd like a low-maintenance bike, with a bit of cred, that will keep me happy.

I know what you mean, but unfortunately it's either-or here.

Low maintence = hub gears, no suspension Cred = lots of gears and full suspension

The latter requires a lot more maintence than the former if you want it to last.

: I quite like the look of Kona as a company, but only cos I have swalled their marketing hype

I like Kona. All their bikes I've ridden have been nice.

I'd suggest (to go with my split above)

* a hub geared commuting hybrid. Mudguards etc. Very low maintence and will cope fine with easy
bridleways etc OR
* a front suspension MTB. Lots of cred. More work.

I'd avoid a full suspension bike for what you want. They are more expensive (and the cheap ones are
****) and more maintence for no great benift for your purposes.

For helmets, yes, new one. It'll be a lot more comfortable for starters.

Arthur

--
Arthur Clune http://www.clune.org "Technolibertarians make a philosophy out of a personality defect"
- Paulina Borsook

 

[Tim Cain]

"Chris Heys" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> >
> >I live on the east side of Manchester, a good local cycle shop seems essential. Any
> >recommendations?
> >
> Bicycle Doctor come highly recommended. They're based in Rusholme. Website can be found at
>
> http://www.bicycledoctor.co.uk
>

I'll second that.

Very happy with the treatment and advice I got when I bought a bike there, and in subsequent visits.

Tim.

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[Ambrose Nankive]

In news:[email protected],
Arthur Clune <[email protected]> typed:
> Tony B <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> I'd like a low-maintenance bike, with a bit of cred, that will keep me happy.
>
> I know what you mean, but unfortunately it's either-or here.
>
> Low maintence = hub gears, no suspension Cred = lots of gears and full suspension
>
There are hub gear bikes with a bit of cred. My Scott Street G2 has a nice sleek black paint finish
and hub gear, and a general kind of modern shape. Oh, and a Carradice saddlebag to ruin the effect.

There's one by Ridgeback this year, too: the Switch Nemesis, with an 8 speed hub gear, disc brakes,
and other stylish stuff. see: http://www.ridgeback.co.uk/bikes/2004/bike.asp?seriesid=24&index=2

A

 

[davebee]

[snip]

> http://www.bicycledoctor.co.uk
>

I'll second that.

Very happy with the treatment and advice I got when I bought a bike there, and in subsequent visits.

[/snip]

and I will quite gladly third it. Very nice people, very good customer service. I use them quite a bit for small parts and advice. They aren't the cheapest though.

I don't like harryhall cycles.

 

[Simon Brooke]

Martin Family <[email protected]> writes:

> On 12/2/04 10:04 pm, in article [email protected], "Tony B"
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > Also what about cycle clothing, what do I really need eg posh shoes etc? Will my old Bell cycle
> > helmet be OK or do they "go off" like motocycle helmets do?
>
> Depends how far you are going. Comfy shorts are really good. I like having really stiff shoes as
> it takes a lot of the ache out of the feet.

Oh I do endorse this. For years and years I thought cycling shorts were for poseurs, and
consequently used to wear through the inner thighs of my jeans at a positively fearsome rate. Now I
can't bear cycling in jeans - they're so stiff and uncomfortable, and the seams dig in in all the
wrong places. If you don't go in at the waist, wear bib-shorts or bib-tights - very comfortable and
practical - and if you hear a peep out of wafflycat, taunt her about her bra.

> Helmets will get a mixed response from the group. If you want to wear one then I would recommend
> ditching the old one, it is probably well outside it's design lifetime. Make sure it is properly
> fitted and try to not use it.

They're supposed to have a lifetime of about four years, so you should ditch your old one. However
it is worth reading the research on helmets yourself first - it's not, actually unambiguously clear
whether they do much good and opinions are sharply polarised.

--
[email protected] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/ ;; Sending your money to
someone just because they've erected ;; a barrier of obscurity and secrets around the tools you ;;
need to use your data does not help the economy or spur ;; innovation. - Waffle Iron Slashdot, June
16th, 2002

 

[Simon Brooke]

"Arthur Clune" <[email protected]> writes:

> Tony B <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> : I'd like a low-maintenance bike, with a bit of cred, that will keep me happy.
>
> I know what you mean, but unfortunately it's either-or here.
>
> Low maintence = hub gears, no suspension Cred = lots of gears and full suspension

Rohloffs have lots of cred, and there's a current Cannondale hybrid with front suspension and
a Rohloff:

<URL:http://www.cannondale.com/bikes/04/ce/model-4SS5K.html>

*Very* nice.

Or you could get a Nicolai - any of their frames can be specified with Rohloff dropouts:

<URL:http://www.nicolai.net/>

--
[email protected] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/ ;; Sending your money to
someone just because they've erected ;; a barrier of obscurity and secrets around the tools you ;;
need to use your data does not help the economy or spur ;; innovation. - Waffle Iron Slashdot, June
16th, 2002

 

[David Hansen]

On Fri, 13 Feb 2004 12:35:07 GMT someone who may be Simon Brooke
<[email protected]> wrote this:-

>and if you hear a peep out of wafflycat, taunt her about her bra.

>They're supposed to have a lifetime of about four years, so you should ditch your old one.

However, an old helmet will avoid a lot of nonsense from the helmet lobby, even if it is even more
useless than a new helmet.

--
David Hansen, Edinburgh | PGP email preferred-key number F566DA0E I will always explain revoked
keys, unless the UK government prevents me using the RIP Act 2000.

 

[Tim Cain]

"davebee" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
[snip]
>
> I don't like harryhall cycles.
>

I don't like Harry Hall cycles either.

After the straw that broke the camel's back, I wrote a letter to the manager explaining exactly why
I'd never set foot in the place again: It was probably intercepted and binned by a minion before the
Mgr. got a chance to read it and have a good belly-laugh.

It's still on me HD somewhere, but it's probably a bit big to post here.

Cheers,

Tim.

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[Simon Brooke]

David Hansen <[email protected]> writes:

> On Fri, 13 Feb 2004 12:35:07 GMT someone who may be Simon Brooke <[email protected]> wrote this:-
>
> >and if you hear a peep out of wafflycat, taunt her about her bra.
>

A certain person posting to this group takes grave offence at people wearing straps over their
shoulders to suspend garments which would otherwise fall down. She even threatens physical
violence to people who wear such garments. But she doesn't like it pointed out that she wears such
a garment herself.

--
[email protected] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; If you're doing this for fun, do what seems fun. If you're ;; doing it for money, stop
now. ;; Rainer Deyke

 

[Tony B]

> <URL:http://www.cannondale.com/bikes/04/ce/model-4SS5K.html>
>
> *Very* nice.

hmm, yes very nice. Too rich for me though! Unfortunately.

Thanks for all the advice though, I have a bit of a better idea now.

bfn,

Tony B

 

[Steph Peters]

"Mark Thompson" <[email protected] (change warm for hot)> of
wrote:
>There's also a traditional little bike shop in Withington. They sell all the usual stuff, and make
>their own frames too if you want something that'll fit perfectly. They're at 28 Burton Road.
>Customer service could do with a bit of a polish (like I said, traditional bike shop) but once they
>get to you they're good (you just tend to stand around twiddling your thumbs while they deal with
>another customer - they just pretend you're not there until they're ready to deal with you!). Have
>been pleased with the work they've done tho, and charges for fixing things might be a bit lower
>that the others.

Withington Cycles changed hands recently and is now run by Malc Cowle who also makes frames (of
which I have one, and very good it is too) . Very handy for maintenance and repair jobs, especially
of the can you find a ... to fit here type. Traditional bike shop also in the sense of having lots
of the bits and pieces wanted for non-MTBs. I thought my bike needed a new headset, but they
correctly diagnosed it as loose and tightened it for me instead, for a trivial amount of money
rather than just selling me a headset anyway.
--
Boundary, n. In political geography, an imaginary line between two nations,
separating the imaginary rights of one from the imaginary rights of another.
Ambrose Bierce
Steph Peters delete invalid from [email protected]
Tatting, lace & stitching page <http://www.sandbenders.demon.co.uk/index.htm

 

[David Hansen]

On Fri, 13 Feb 2004 17:35:02 GMT someone who may be Simon Brooke
<[email protected]> wrote this:-

>A certain person posting to this group takes grave offence at people wearing straps over their
>shoulders to suspend garments which would otherwise fall down. She even threatens physical
>violence to people who wear such garments. But she doesn't like it pointed out that she wears such
>a garment herself.

I'm not a great fan of bras, but I thought that the aim of them is not to stop the garment itself
falling down. Rather the aim is to do things with parts of the body. Perhaps I am just confused

--
David Hansen, Edinburgh | PGP email preferred-key number F566DA0E I will always explain revoked
keys, unless the UK government prevents me using the RIP Act 2000.

 

[[email protected] U]

Simon Brooke <[email protected]> wrote in message
> Or you could get a Nicolai - any of their frames can be specified with Rohloff dropouts:

In fact our bikes have a Rohloff dropout as standard (apart from the Hardtail on which it's an
option). Cable guides can be supplied for Rohloff, conventional or both.