New Bike Help

[TeaLeaf]

For fitness reasons I'm looking to clock up a lot more mileage on a bike this year than I have done in the past, so am looking to trade up from my 'Mary Poppins sit up & beg special' to something a little more appropriate for a man of my not inconsiderable size.    Last time I bought a bike the options available were a bell and a rear rack, so I'm in unknown territory here and in need of help & advice from the dMw 'cycler-ati'.  

I'm going to use the bike predominantly on paths and redways, some roads and occasional grass/canal path.    On the basis of this I've focused in on hybrid bikes.  I've also found that 700C wheels will probably suit my svelte frame slight better and avoid a lot of the tyre pinch I get on my current 27" rims.   Budget wise I do not want to go over £500.

My current favourite (from web research only) is the 2014 GIANT Roam 2.   Are there other bikes that would fit the bill that I should be looking at within my budget?

Are there any great discount places to buy bikes? (everyone online seems to quote precisely the same price with little competition).   I'd prefer to end up supporting my local bike shop, but if a sizeable discount allows me to get a £600 bike for £500 then it might sway me.

Finally, I want to be able to strap my Nexus 5 phone to the handle bars to keep it safe & visible whilst riding.   Does anyone have any recommended phone mounts please?

Many thanks in advance for the help & advice.

[Penfold]

Maybe Gandy can help? Worth asking anyway.

Evans Cycles always has a lot of bikes at good prices.

Whatever you go for I would invest in some of the padded underwear stuff. Looks and feels like a massive panty liner but certainly helps on the small saddles you get.

[Gandalf]

Have a look at 29ers Our range are here: http://www.whytebikes.com/2014/section.php?xSec=120&xPage=1

I've spoken with our product director and weight shouldn't be an issue with these as the wheels are a lot larger than 26" wheel bikes so they can take more. One piece of advice though, if you're just going to ride on road, change the offroad tyres to onroad versions. It's a lot easier to ride! (I have two sets of wheels, one set with offroad tyres and one set with onroad, but then I don't pay for any bike gear so it's easy for me!)

[Sn00ks]

You may want to look at getting a hybrid bike if you're not going to be doing a lot of offroad riding.? No point having heavy long travel forks if you're not riding technical off-road.
Whyte do make good bikes and I was looking at getting one of their T129-S's as a replacement for my old Marin.

[Gandalf]

You may want to look at getting a hybrid bike if you're not going to be doing a lot of offroad riding.? No point having heavy long travel forks if you're not riding technical off-road.
Whyte do make good bikes and I was looking at getting one of their T129-S's as a replacement for my old Marin.

A hybrid would be ok, but not too sure on the weight limits as they use thinner tubing. Which is why I suggested a 29er, they're more of an SUV of bikes.

And indeed we do make good bikes

[TeaLeaf]

Thanks for the feedback folks.

The GIANT Roam 2 that I listed in the OP was fine load-wise, so I don't need to up beyond that and it is a hybrid with lockable forks so can be set for on- or off-road (for the little off-road that I will do).   The Whyte bikes look fantastic, but they're not really in my price bracket, even the base 29 is over budget (let alone the scarily expensive T129-S).    I think I'm more after reassurance that the GIANT is a decent bike and not a pos, and whether there are alternative & similar hybrids that I should be considering within my £500 budget.

[Gandalf]

Giant are at the top end of the budget manufacturers, so yeah, they're ok.

[suicidal_monkey]

I can't help much with the bike choice as the bike on my shopping list is a 24" folder...

...but in case there's a way for you to use it,  you might be able to recover some of the cost by using the cycle 2 work tax breaks if you fill in the forms right. Realistically you can save 25%-35% if you jump through all the hoops (websites will claim 42% but that doesn't include the final "fair market value" you have to pay, but if it's your company selling you the bike then you might give yourself a good deal!)

As for wheels/tyres on a hybrid or mountain-ish bike that is mainly on road, my old bike has "schwalbe big apple" tyres, which were wide to cope with London potholes and gratings, and reasonably good at absorbing bumps, but if pumped up to the max 70psi had a very round profile so on good surfaces they have a tiny contact area and were pretty fast. There are other similar ones, generally labeled as for commuting or cities. Recommended :-)

[TeaLeaf]

Thanks for that, I was considering the scheme but I might run the risk of breaking the conditions as it is difficult to meet the 'qualifying journey' terms when I work from home.    I still might do it that way, but there is a risk to it.

[Gandalf]

Thanks for that, I was considering the scheme but I might run the risk of breaking the conditions as it is difficult to meet the 'qualifying journey' terms when I work from home.    I still might do it that way, but there is a risk to it.

For a £500 bike, its not worth the risk.

[Toxteth]

Maybe Gandy can help? Worth asking anyway.

Evans Cycles always has a lot of bikes at good prices.

Whatever you go for I would invest in some of the padded underwear stuff. Looks and feels like a massive panty liner but certainly helps on the small saddles you get.

I bought from Evans. Bike came with a punctured tyre but excellent customer service and they sent out 2 new inner tubes.

Maybe check out the ex-demo/soiled bikes TL, I got my Scott Aspect 640 from there for £199 (RRP £399) and it's in perfect condition aside from a couple of scratches on the forks.

You could settle for a nice road bike but also some decent Hybrids on there..

[TeaLeaf]

Thanks for all the advice and info, I did a lot more reading on it last night and went out and bought the GIANT Roam 2 from my LBS.   It's budget end of the market (which suits my budget!) and it seems to tick all of the boxes that I will need.

[sheepy]

TL Personally I would think that aligned to what Gandy is saying that a mountain bike with simply changing to slicker tires will be better rather than a Hybrid, mainly due to the fact that it should be a slightly more heavy duty frame - also if you can find one in budget possibly a 650b bike (27.5 inch wheels) provide the benefits of 29ers but are more like usual bikes to ride (29ers can be a bit cumbersome).

Also Stay well clear of EVANS - there customer service is terrible, I had such a bad experience with them.

[sulky_uk]

mate as im a spinning instructor could i also recommend one of these, not a spinning bike but a device which has the same characteristics as a spinner but uses your bike. I have one for the days when cycling is out of the question due to the weather


http://www.evanscycles.com/pages/turbo-trainers?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=%20turbo%20%20trainer&utm_campaign=Training%20&%20Energy%20-%20Generic&utm_content=mkwid_seGnSFbqA|dc_pcrid_35336624816_kword_%20turbo%20%20trainer_match_b_plid_¬ype=PPC&nocamp=Training%20&%20Energy%20-%20Generic&nosite=google&nosect=Training%20&%20Energy%20-%20Generic%20-%20Turbo%20Trainer%20-%20[BM]&noad=%20turbo%20%20trainer_35336624816&gclid=CLKojbqQz7wCFdShtAodHi4Acg&xid=159326

[kregoron]

easymode
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justtt kidding m8