The Bike Thread

Discussion in 'Health and Fitness' started by Victoria, Apr 9, 2008.

  1. Victoria

    Victoria Pretzel In Training

    I could have sworn we already had a bike thread but I can't find it for the life of me...If someone else knows where it is let me know!



    This is a thread for the bike (cycle) lovers of MAP. Do you ride for fitness? Ride for transport (to/from work)? Do you mountain bike, road bike, or race/compete? Do you ride on busy (city) or quiet roads? How far do you generally cycle, 3 miles, 30 miles, 300 miles?

    Ask questions or discuss anything from charity bike rides, races and tracks, training, bike reviews, equipment, and anything bike related :)



    To kick off, a dumb question from me. I've always used a mountain bike for both off road and general on road use. Now I wouldn't attempt a race on road with a mountain bike, but what about general daily road use, would it make much of a difference to use a mountain bike? I imagine there would be less friction etc using a road bike on road, but for the sake of a few miles general use, is it really worth investing in a good road bike?
     
  2. davefly76

    davefly76 Valued Member

    i recently moved towns to be closer to work and where i wanted to train so now i bike to/from work and the dojang. on average i do about 30 miles a week.

    the main reasons are tha it saves me money on fuel and its easier and quicker than using the car but i've now come to enjoy it, whatever the weather!! its actually good fun and it can only help with my fitness. i've gone from doing about 1500 miles a month in the car down to less than 500, my car generally only gets used at weekends now. :)
     
  3. Su lin

    Su lin Gone away

    Nice thread, there was one but it went away somewhere! I love cycling I have a mountain bike and a road bike ,although they have been a bit neglected recently. I'm currently training for a 60 mile bike race, which should test me! I did a 54 mile one last year,zero stops and overtook many people.
    You need to cross it with other training I think- it's only great for cardio fitness if you push yourself hard. Road riding is pretty intense as it's all about pushing your limits speed wise,as well as endurance.
    Mountain biking is a whole other kettle of biky fish.You need endurance,strength for those tricky off road climbs, balls for the high speed descents and strong arms to soak up the bumps if you dont have full suspension (I have a hard tail xc bike).


    Oh yeah, did I mention, I'm doing a charity bike ride? :D
     
  4. Su lin

    Su lin Gone away

    Ok, I would suggest for road work either getting an entry level road bike, from about £300 ,or putting slick tyres on your mtb. The traction from the knobbly tyres really does make a huge difference and slows you down. I would suggest getting a triple chain set, which you often do on women spec road bikes, just so you have the options for the hills. I also really do recommend getting a helmet, it really is worth it.
     
  5. Banpen Fugyo

    Banpen Fugyo 10000 Changes No Surprise

    I ride mountain and have a Trek hardtail, and a KHS full suspension bike.

    I bring em out and get good and dirty on the trails, but I also ride them to and from school/work, which are about 5 miles both ways.
     
  6. Su lin

    Su lin Gone away

    I haven't tried a full susser , they scare me a bit. I love my Kona Caldera too much anyway to try anything else :D I have a Specialized women spec road bike which I also love a lot :D The bf is way better than me but he has been mtb'ing since he was young! I'm a bit of a girl when it comes to xc riding.I'm far better on the road as have quite powerful legs from riding on roads since I was young.
    I'd love to try track cycling actually!
     
    Last edited: Apr 9, 2008
  7. Banpen Fugyo

    Banpen Fugyo 10000 Changes No Surprise

    No offense but road biking is SOOOOOOOOOOO boring. Barf. I dunno how you can do it... especially for miles and miles and miles.
     
  8. Su lin

    Su lin Gone away

    Ahh see that's what I used to think, but if you really push yourself it makes it more interesting. I see it as excellent training and once you get a good pace and cadence I kind of get into that "zone". There's always a hill to try and get up quickly or a flat to hammer down :D
     
  9. Victoria

    Victoria Pretzel In Training

    What do you think of the hybrid bikes? They look ok for road with a few nobbly bits on the outside for a little off road.
     
  10. Victoria

    Victoria Pretzel In Training

    And how many miles do you guys ride to work?

    My work is about 7 miles away, which I'd attempt but I'm a bit scared of the city traffic. Maybe I could hop up on the pavement if it wasn't for the masses of students I'd run over :D

    I'm hoping to move a bit closer to work in a few months, 3 miles would be just fine :)
     
  11. Su lin

    Su lin Gone away

    I don't like them personally, they aren't great at either job from the reviews I have read in various bike mags. I prefer having a specific bike for the purpose, but when I do go mtb'ing a hybrid couldnt cope with the terrain up in the Cumbrian hills. However, if it's some gentle off road stuff you do,maybe some single track, then they may not be so bad. It's horses for courses really. For light use on and off road, they may well be fine but if you intend to do serious road work or tricky terrain I would stick to either a road or a mtb.
     
  12. Jamesm

    Jamesm Outraged

    Hybrids are for old men or for attaching shopping baskets on - avoid at all costs (unless you are an old man, who does loads of shopping).
     
  13. Su lin

    Su lin Gone away

    See,I knew he would pipe up about hybrids :D
     
  14. Victoria

    Victoria Pretzel In Training

    Looking at bikes today I didn't realise how little selection there is for women compared to men, wow! Mens bikes seem to go up to a much higher standard than womens bikes too. Saracen for example, the Saracen Zena 2 is the best ladies mountain bike I can find and yet the mens go up to the monster £2000 price tag Saracen Kili Flyer 2!

    I can see me getting a mans bike in future :(
     
  15. Su lin

    Su lin Gone away

    Believe me, there are a hell of a lot more for women out there these days ,as well as kit. You dont always need a women spec bike- Kona mtbs have good geometry for women- the tubing is shorter and slightly more angled,thats why I got one over a womens spec mtb. Essentially the womens bikes have shorter cranks, shorter down tubes, smaller handlebars ,so its possible to get a bike and just spec it yourself.
    Specialized are pretty good at women's. I got the Dolce road bike, it's pretty good and was only £499. I wouldnt worry about spending too much to begin with- if you get a decent light(ish) frame you can upgrade the components. I would make sure you get some discs (hydraulic not cable) on a mtb as v brakes suck when you make them deal with mud.
    There are some pretty good womens spec bikes,like I said,Specialized do some quality top end bikes as do Cannondale. I'm not a fan of Saracen really, they arent always eye catching, whereas Konas look good and I can't fault them.I started off with a Kona Fire Mountain, their entry level bike and kept adding decent parts, got some good Marzocchi bombers on and decent bits and it lasted me ages!
     
  16. Su lin

    Su lin Gone away

    Oh yeah,if you are looking for a decent bike with good after care don't go to Halfords! Find a good local dealer that specialises in bikes!
     
  17. Su lin

    Su lin Gone away

  18. Su lin

    Su lin Gone away

  19. Victoria

    Victoria Pretzel In Training

    I must be looking at the wrong sites then!

    I actually have a bike on the way (hence the interest) but it's cheapy cheapy steel frame front suspension mountain bike, just to see if I'll get back into biking before I invest in a good one again. I don't want to pay through my butt then decide I still hate the wind after all and chuck it in the shed :rolleyes:

    I'll definitely be getting a lighter frame, is there much of a difference between the aluminium and the alloy? (sorry, new to a lot of the spec jargon :D )

    I'll check out those brands now, Kona and Specialized look good. I'm quite tall (5'8) and I hate squashed up frames, so I may look for a mens that's just more angled so I don't bang my crotch.

    Cheers :D
     
  20. Victoria

    Victoria Pretzel In Training

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