Cycling UK Forum

[XAP]Bob wrote:huh?

I'm assuming it's some sort of cryptic reference to http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-23492079

Mark1978 wrote:Along past comes the No.56 bus about two inches to my right and closing.

I had a similar thing on Saturday with the number 56 bus near Leyton High Road where it just pulled out of the bus stoop without even indicating and nearly wiped me out... Maybe TFL are using the 56 route for trainee drivers?

In all honesty, London Bus drivers show no consideration for cyclists at all and reporting them to TFL is pointless which is hte most frustrating thing... Reporting dangerous drivers to Police is pointless, reporting taxi drivers to the council/relevant taxi firm is pointless, reporting bus drivers to the bus firms is pointless, etc, etc.

One of the most frustrating things about being a cyclist is the attitudes and complete apathy regarding complaints you make!

Your best bet is definitely to go to a local independent shop but it's also important to go to a decent one... There's a big difference between a local shop that sells kids and family bikes to one that sells road bikes that suit the rider.

I'm sure if you give a rough idea of where you are based then people will be able to recommend reliable shops in the area.

As someone who has just gone through the same process as the OP I think the best advice I can offer is... Don't spend that sort of money!

First thing you should do is buy or hire a cheap road bike and get out on it and do some miles first. Moving from my MTB to a road bike was a very disconcerting experience for me.

The bikes are a lot more skittish, the riding position takes getting used to and even after loads of research and test runs i've had to adjust quite a bit on my bike.

I do have plans to get myself a bike in a similar price range to you but not until at least a year down the line on my current road bike. I picked up a Giant Defy 4 which came in around the £700 mark with accessories and it is MORE than adequate asa a beginner.

I've also had a ride on my uncles £1800 Cannondale and although I can see the difference it just confirmed to me that I would have been silly to spend that sort of money on my first bike and that I need a year in the saddle before doing that... Unless I want to spend all that money on a bike then realise a few weeks down the line it isn't the right bike for me!

My advice would be to go for an entry level bike around the £500-£700 mark for a year before spending triple figures... Or better still, pick up a second hand bike for less than half that and make all your mistakes on the before buying an expensive bike!

Yeah, I took it out for a trial last night and it's going to take a bit of getting used to having only ever really ridden upright but I could really notice the difference in speed v effort compared to my MTB!

Managed to haggle quite hard pointing out that the 2014 models are due out soon so the price on that is going to plummet and that I was also going to be buying a bottle rack, pump, saddle bag, couple of spare inner tubes and a set of lights so got a nice big discount.

After all the advice on here I have just come back from lunch having bought myself a Giant Defy 2

Had a 20 mile ride planned for tomorrow on my MTB which I knew was going to be punishing so looking forward to doing it on my new road bike instead which should be a lot easier!

There's a Birmingham to Cardiff route here, no idea how good a route it is but this site generally has a few route on it so should be able to find something comparable or that you can alter to suit

http://www.mapmyride.com/sc/victoria-en ... te-5719000

gentlegreen wrote:You said you were hoping to do 50 miles in a week

I've been working on a training plan for the last 6 weeks.

First week was a pathetic 20 miles over three rides accompanied by a lot of sore muscles... Especially on the bum! Next couple of weeks I managed about 30 miles a week in three sessions. I'm now up to 50 miles a week in three sessions which is a couple of 10-15 mile sessions then a longer 20 mile session at the weekend.

This week i'm going to be trying for two 15 mile sessions with a 25 mile one at the weekend.

At the moment i'm concentrating on getting the miles done rather than paying attention to the time I do it in. I've got another 6 weeks before the London to Brighton so in two weeks time i'm planning on introducing a set 10 mile 'speed' route once a week so I can start monitoring my time on that while the other two sessions will be more about mileage and hill climbs.

The plan is for me to be doing a 15 mile, 15 mile, 30 mile set of three runs the week before London to Brighton then just doing a few short runs in the week of the ride.

tykeboy2003 wrote:

One question I do have is that I know a Defy 2 is a higher spec than a Defy 3 but i've also seen different versions of the same model such as Defy 3 Triple or Defy 3 Compact. Not quite sure what those mean and what the differences are?

A compact is two chainrings at the front and a triple is 3 chainrings.

I assume a triple is more useful to a beginner and once I get fitter a double would be better? Is it easy enough to get it changed from one to the other?

"If your plans are to use the bike for both road and track/bridleways"

No, i'm going to keep my MTB for that and have this as a second bike purely for road cycling.

Well, i've spent most of the week buttering up 'she who must be obeyed' and am now at the point where

"You want to buy another new bike already!!!"

has become a much more palatable

"Well, if it's what you want then buy it"

I'm looking at a few different bikes so any comments on the following would be appreciated

Giant Defy (MK 2 or 3)
Specialized Allez 2014
Specialized Allez 2013 Compact
Scott Speedster 50 2013
Mekk Pinerolo AL 1.5 Tiagra 2013
Boardman Road Race Bike 2012/2013
Cannondale Synapse 7 Sora Triple 2013 Road Bike
Sensa Romagna Special

One question I do have is that I know a Defy 2 is a higher spec than a Defy 3 but i've also seen different versions of the same model such as Defy 3 Triple or Defy 3 Compact. Not quite sure what those mean and what the differences are?

Is he taking 5 or has he just been knocked out by that noxious green liquid in the pint glass!

Another question to throw in the mix, exactly how much difference is there between a road bike and a cyclocross one?

Looking at a few cyclocross ones online and they all seem to have dropped handlebars, thinner tyres, etc. I guess cyclocross sit in between road and hybrid?

Yeah, I was thinking that it records how long it takes to complete a circuit, rather than how many circuits it actually makes.

Ahh, thanks for that!