TrentVilla Posted November 18, 2020 Moderator Share Posted November 18, 2020 Does anyone have a Pelaton bike? I’m thinking of getting one but heard a lot of negative stuff about their customer service and delays with deliver. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darrenm Posted November 18, 2020 Share Posted November 18, 2020 48 minutes ago, TrentVilla said: Does anyone have a Pelaton bike? I’m thinking of getting one but heard a lot of negative stuff about their customer service and delays with deliver. I haven't heard anything good. But I think anyone would be better off with a wattbike and Zwift. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mjvilla Posted November 24, 2020 Share Posted November 24, 2020 (edited) Wondering if there's anyone here who knows a bit about bikes? We have a really good cycle to work scheme with my work and I'm considering doing it. I have no idea what I need to be looking at buying though. I want a bike that I can use on the road but also take off for picnics with the kids and stuff. I've looked at hybrids but just wondering what everyone's opinions on hybrids were? They sound ideal for what I need. Somewhere between £700 and £1000 is what I'd be looking to spend. Edited November 24, 2020 by Mjvilla Added budget Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LondonLax Posted November 24, 2020 Share Posted November 24, 2020 9 minutes ago, Mjvilla said: Wondering if there's anyone here who knows a bit about bikes? We have a really good cycle to work scheme with my work and I'm considering doing it. I have no idea what I need to be looking at buying though. I want a bike that I can use on the road but also take off for picnics with the kids and stuff. I've looked at hybrids but just wondering what everyone's opinions on hybrids were? They sound ideal for what I need. It really depends on what your budget is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mjvilla Posted November 24, 2020 Share Posted November 24, 2020 4 minutes ago, LondonLax said: It really depends on what your budget is. Yes, of course. Added to original post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darrenm Posted November 24, 2020 Share Posted November 24, 2020 35 minutes ago, Mjvilla said: Wondering if there's anyone here who knows a bit about bikes? We have a really good cycle to work scheme with my work and I'm considering doing it. I have no idea what I need to be looking at buying though. I want a bike that I can use on the road but also take off for picnics with the kids and stuff. I've looked at hybrids but just wondering what everyone's opinions on hybrids were? They sound ideal for what I need. Somewhere between £700 and £1000 is what I'd be looking to spend. Hybrids are awful. The worst of both worlds. They have skinny tyres like a road bike so you can only go on roads and good surfaces and flat bars so it's not a quick bike when you're on the roads. Gravel/cyclocross/adventure bikes are the opposite. Drop bars with hydraulic/disc brakes, big fat tyres and wide gear sets. They're the best of all worlds and what I most recently bought to use for anything my road bike can't do. This will be perfect: https://www.halfords.com/bikes/adventure-bikes/boardman-adv-8.9-mens-adventure-bike-2021---s-m-l-xl-frames-389606.html?utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=goldcastlemedia&utm_campaign=phgreferral This is me taking my gravel bike on everything and it being brilliant at all of it 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LondonLax Posted November 24, 2020 Share Posted November 24, 2020 I would also tend to agree with the above, a 'gravel bike' would be loads more fun than a hybrid. Proper drop handle bars and gearing so you can put some real speed down and compete in the morning 'commuter races' () but versatile enough to ride trails as well. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeyp102 Posted November 24, 2020 Share Posted November 24, 2020 (edited) Never used a road bike (infact my bike is nearly 30 yrs old, Hawk cycles mountain bike). How do they differ in ride? Are they different on the legs? Edited November 24, 2020 by mikeyp102 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LondonLax Posted November 24, 2020 Share Posted November 24, 2020 (edited) 24 minutes ago, mikeyp102 said: Never used a road bike (infact my bike is nearly 30 yrs old, Hawk cycles mountain bike). How do they differ in ride? Are they different on the legs? Yes, you sit a lot more in a crouched position compared to the upright position on a mountain bike, which is more aerodynamic and allows you to put down more power. The wheelbase is usually shorter (i.e. the wheels are closer together) so the handling is more nimble. The gears are set up towards having higher gear ratios which means higher speeds in the ‘hardest’ gears. Also it should weigh a lot less than a mountain bike so you don’t feel like you’re lugging it up hills with you. All these things considered should mean it is loads more fun to ride on tarmac. Take it onto any kind of dirt though and suddenly you feel like you are shuddering all over the place and feeling nervous about every bump or groove. Edited November 24, 2020 by LondonLax 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blandy Posted November 24, 2020 Moderator Share Posted November 24, 2020 I used to have a racer, but my last 2 or 3 have been hybrids. They are perfect for my use, which is (was before the fungus19 hit) commuting, but also just going for a ride. Less rolling resistance than a mountain bike, better gearing for the road, more manouvrable than a racer/road bike, and also lighter than a MTB. oh and if you ride on bumpy potholes streets then suspension is another feature you could get. Sure, Darren's right that for really serious cyclists they might be terrible, but for a mix of commuting and leisure I love mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lammy123 Posted November 24, 2020 Share Posted November 24, 2020 I'd agree with @LondonLax and @darrenm that a gravel type bike is a great alround option. Will let you ride on the road and do trails and some mild off road, probably the stuff you'd do with the family. Really depends on what surfaces and the type of distance you want to do, at what speed. Also what feels right for you to sit on to some extent will make your choice. (But remember you can do a lot to adjustment) My personal preference is go for the most expensive frame with a cheaper gears/brake set as those but will get replaced first if you do any sort of distance. But if you're not doing a lot of miles then a more balanced frame vs gears/brakes will be better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lammy123 Posted November 24, 2020 Share Posted November 24, 2020 (edited) Reading that back I've not been that helpful. Tbh there are so many options of decent bikes that you'll probably be happy with whatever you get, whether it Gravel or Hybrid. Although this comes from someone who now has 5 bikes. Just have fun riding. Edited November 24, 2020 by lammy123 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darrenm Posted November 24, 2020 Share Posted November 24, 2020 1 hour ago, blandy said: I used to have a racer, but my last 2 or 3 have been hybrids. They are perfect for my use, which is (was before the fungus19 hit) commuting, but also just going for a ride. Less rolling resistance than a mountain bike, better gearing for the road, more manouvrable than a racer/road bike, and also lighter than a MTB. oh and if you ride on bumpy potholes streets then suspension is another feature you could get. Sure, Darren's right that for really serious cyclists they might be terrible, but for a mix of commuting and leisure I love mine. I think there's a lot of crossover now anyway so what I might be referring to as a hybrid is closer to a flat bar gravel bike anyway. I just remember my Specialized Sirrus as being poor at everything but I think modern hybrids will come with wider tyres as standard and more gravel/adventure geometry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
veloman Posted December 7, 2020 Share Posted December 7, 2020 On 24/11/2020 at 08:03, Mjvilla said: Wondering if there's anyone here who knows a bit about bikes? We have a really good cycle to work scheme with my work and I'm considering doing it. I have no idea what I need to be looking at buying though. I want a bike that I can use on the road but also take off for picnics with the kids and stuff. I've looked at hybrids but just wondering what everyone's opinions on hybrids were? They sound ideal for what I need. Somewhere between £700 and £1000 is what I'd be looking to spend. Have you made a decision yet ? If so , what did you buy ? Just hope you didn't buy anything too big as often shops will try to sell you what they have in stock rather than what actually fits you. Don't have hybrid or gravel bike so couldn't add useful comment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidlewis Posted December 15, 2020 Share Posted December 15, 2020 I got my fork suspension mountain bike repaired after 15 years (yes that long!) and went out today on a bridal path and footpath trail. Was muddy as hell but great fun. I used this website to help me but does anyone know of any sites or apps which help you find cool places to mountain bike? https://footpathmap.co.uk im based in Warwick, I’m going to hit the canal as that’s right by me this weekend but proper off road is what I’m after. I hate cycling on the road so as little as possible is what I’m looking for. I got lost on the Warwickshire Golf Club trying to find the way through, I felt like Steve McQueen riding past the Germans (golfers), think they were a bit surprised seeing me zoom about the lake pulling skids like a teenager. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darrenm Posted December 15, 2020 Share Posted December 15, 2020 6 hours ago, kidlewis said: I got my fork suspension mountain bike repaired after 15 years (yes that long!) and went out today on a bridal path and footpath trail. Was muddy as hell but great fun. I used this website to help me but does anyone know of any sites or apps which help you find cool places to mountain bike? https://footpathmap.co.uk im based in Warwick, I’m going to hit the canal as that’s right by me this weekend but proper off road is what I’m after. I hate cycling on the road so as little as possible is what I’m looking for. I got lost on the Warwickshire Golf Club trying to find the way through, I felt like Steve McQueen riding past the Germans (golfers), think they were a bit surprised seeing me zoom about the lake pulling skids like a teenager. I tend to use a combination of Garmin Connect (because that'll be the thing I actually create the route on to send to the device) and these sites: https://ridewithgps.com/ - using the Opencyclingmap layer means you get a very accurate up to date map of the bits you can actually cycle on rather than a possibly out of date one on other web sites https://gis.worcestershire.gov.uk/website/Countryside/ - the Worcs rights of way interactive map is brilliant. If you zoom right in you get some great detail. The Warwickshire version isn't quite as good but just about usable http://maps.warwickshire.gov.uk/rightsofway/ but these maps are at least definitive. If you think you can cycle somewhere and Ridewithgps or Garmin thinks you can't, it's sometimes surprising to find it's just a footpath rather than a bridleway or byway. (mods, I can't really quote from an AJAX map above, please don't ban me) The thing to remember is, you're fine on anything which has horse signs on it but not on anything which doesn't e.g. footpaths with a walking man sign / yellow arrows / stiles and kissing gates. Sometimes some footpaths have been designated by the local council as cycle paths even though they're still legally just footpaths, or have no right of way at all. Bromsgrove have done this a lot and the legal status is a bit dodgy. I'm sure you're not technically allowed on them on a bike (or even pushing a bike!) but no-one can challenge you because the council sign says it's OK. Bizarre. Canal towpaths are technically bridleways but also aren't. They're owned by the canal and river trust who permit cycling while they're happy with the arrangement but can take it away at any time. The reality is that cyclists aren't allowed many places. I tend to break the rules a lot by cycling on certain paths that I'm not technically allowed. However I'm always slow and courteous. The rules in Scotland were changed fairly recently to allow cyclists on footpaths and it should be the same in England but the government are resistant to it. CyclingUK have been pushing this for years: https://www.cyclinguk.org/campaigning/views-and-briefings/public-footpaths-england-wales Quote Cycling UK believes that it is acceptable for cyclists to use footpaths, provided they do so in a manner which respects the safety of other path users and their peaceful enjoyment of the outdoors, and with regard for the environment and its ecology. These are the circumstances in which Cycling UK believes it is acceptable for cyclists to ride on footpaths: Where the surface and width of the path make it eminently suitable for safe cycling without causing disturbance or risk to pedestrians; or Where the path is lightly used, such that the likelihood of disturbance or risk to pedestrians is minimal; or Where a path is unlikely to attract such high levels of cycling that it will cause environmental damage (notably erosion); or Where there is a reasonable belief that the footpath in question might already carry higher rights, for example: where there is historic evidence (e.g. through enclosure award maps) demonstrating past use either by horses or by vehicles; where the path is shown on OS maps as an ‘Other Road with Public Access’ (ORPA), indicating an assumption that higher rights may exist; where there is regular use by equestrians, motor vehicles and/or by other cyclists 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidlewis Posted December 15, 2020 Share Posted December 15, 2020 Cheers for the tips, will definitely consider the footpaths. I didn’t realise bikes weren’t really meant to go on them. I went across a field yesterday that was like the Somme, barely stayed on my bike. the Warwickshire site isn’t very usable so not going with that. Your other website you linked to I’ll take a look for sure, especially if it can tell you where you can or can’t go, or where other cyclists have gone before Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hippo Posted December 15, 2020 Share Posted December 15, 2020 On 18/11/2020 at 22:09, TrentVilla said: Does anyone have a Pelaton bike? I’m thinking of getting one but heard a lot of negative stuff about their customer service and delays with deliver. Its like any of these linked up things - the prospects for it not working increase. Through in un realistic expectations and generally not understanding its limitations and you get a sense of the outrage. I am a road cyclist, and have dabbled with zwift (on line racing) - but only at the budget end, it was infuriating experience, calibrating the bike, checking the power meter , checking your HRM, then the otherwise reliable wifi dops out. It might be different with high end kit - like a wattbike atom, or wahoo kickr - but Im not about to experiment with £2k !!!! I decided to get myself down to decathlon brought a very simple but sturdy spin bike (£199 or £299 ) - minimal electronics. Its been great - its small and clean enough to have in my bedroom - sure I can't race online against others - but the fact I can just climb on, load up a youtube vid , and get a workout is great. Its probably not as good as peloton classes, but its much cheaper and there's less to go wrong. Bike I brough was the domyos 100 - its goes out of stock quite quickly - but the higher spec version is only £299. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darrenm Posted December 15, 2020 Share Posted December 15, 2020 2 hours ago, kidlewis said: I didn’t realise bikes weren’t really meant to go on them. That's the thing. Some people do know, some don't. Walkers and cyclists included. So you may as well use them, don't give anyone cause to complain and if someone moans just say "oh I'm sorry I thought it's a right of way?". Hardly anyone will know if it's a right of way which hasn't been changed to a bridleway, or the land owner hasn't given permission, or that the council haven't just put a picture of a bike up somewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darrenm Posted December 15, 2020 Share Posted December 15, 2020 This was my bike after doing a cyclo-cross race on Sunday. My bike really wasn't happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts