Bikes

[londonblue]

I'm hoping some of you experts out there can help me out. We've just had a holiday in the New Forest and took the boys cycling in Moors Valley (Click here - amazing place for a day out). Anyway, myself and my wife hired bikes as we don't currently own any.

After that we've decided that the boys are old enough for us to go cycling as a family, but my wife and I have no idea what kind of bikes we should buy. The chances are we'll cycle on the road, but also off road (such as Moors Valley). We also have a Giant shop about a five minute walk from home but don't know if they're unnecessarily expensive, or even any good.

Any advice will be gratefully received.

 

[Firestorm]

You Probably wont need full suspension , but it depends on what you mean by off road, if you are going to go bumpy rough terrain , terrain like the sea wall path between Leigh and Benfleet , then a MTB with front suspension would probably be the better choice. If the trails are fairly smooth , compacted gravel , paths then a hybrid with 32mm + wheels would suffice

Giant are not the cheapest, but they do make a decent bike , have a look round a few places if you can .

 

[Pubey]

I'm hoping some of you experts out there can help me out. We've just had a holiday in the New Forest and took the boys cycling in Moors Valley (Click here - amazing place for a day out). Anyway, myself and my wife hired bikes as we don't currently own any.

After that we've decided that the boys are old enough for us to go cycling as a family, but my wife and I have no idea what kind of bikes we should buy. The chances are we'll cycle on the road, but also off road (such as Moors Valley). We also have a Giant shop about a five minute walk from home but don't know if they're unnecessarily expensive, or even any good.

Any advice will be gratefully received.

Moors Valley is great, my grandparents used to live nearby and we spent a lot of our childhood summer holidays there.

A hybrid with front suspension is probably what you're after, or a mountain bike if you're mainly doing off-road

Go to a few shops, get properly measured by someone who knows what you're after and knows what they're doing.

I'm guessing it isn't relevant to you, but many employers have good cycling schemes where you get a pre-tax interest free loan.

 

[RHB]

If you are prepared to make the journey LB, then a visit to Richardsons in Leigh could well be worthwhile. It also helps that Eric, the owner, is a Southend supporter.

http://www.richardsonscycles.com/

Our Ridgebacks came from there and we have never been disappointed.

 

[rigsby]

If you are prepared to make the journey LB, then a visit to Richardsons in Leigh could well be worthwhile. It also helps that Eric, the owner, is a Southend supporter.

http://www.richardsonscycles.com/

Our Ridgebacks came from there and we have never been disappointed.

Call in to Richardsons on the way to a home game. That's where I bought my Hybrid with front suspension for about £500. Perfect for road and cycle trails. Don't go for an expensive Mountain bike unless your doing extreme stuff in the Welsh mountains etc.

 

[Massimo Giovanni]

If you are prepared to make the journey LB, then a visit to Richardsons in Leigh could well be worthwhile. It also helps that Eric, the owner, is a Southend supporter.

http://www.richardsonscycles.com/

Our Ridgebacks came from there and we have never been disappointed.

I fully endorse this shop, and Eric too. Reasonable prices, very knowledgeable, great service & run by a Shrimper!

 

[Mad Cyril]

There is loads of great off road riding in this area.

Get a decent hard tail mountain bike.

Get some road tyres as well and you can swap them over for longer road rides.

 

[Mad Cyril]

Call in to Richardsons on the way to a home game. That's where I bought my Hybrid with front suspension for about £500. Perfect for road and cycle trails. Don't go for an expensive Mountain bike unless your doing extreme stuff in the Welsh mountains etc.

There is an Olympic mountain bike track in Hadleigh with lots of expensive mountain bikes on it...

The more you use your bike the more you wish you had spent more money on it...

 

[tottenham541]

Or once you choose your bikes I recommend the seafront cycle paths from chalkwell to shoeburyness, around 9 miles worth, plenty of pub stops for food or refreshments:thumbsup:

 

[londonblue]

There is loads of great off road riding in this area.

Get a decent hard tail mountain bike.

Get some road tyres as well and you can swap them over for longer road rides.

In this area too. Like the idea of different tyres. I hadn't thought of that.

 

[Mad Cyril]

In this area too. Like the idea of different tyres. I hadn't thought of that.

I was referring to this area.

Swapping tyres is a ten minute job.

Get a bike stand for maintenance. Park Tool do a decent one for about £70

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/mobile/park-tool-home-mechanic-repair-stand-pcs9/rp-prod5787?gs=1&gclid=Cj0KEQjwi_W9BRD_3uio_Jz-p8UBEiQANU80vvs6v8OmsrP0lBYFaNLA3MaVRYwrWRTtCqe0auFPPqcaAv8q8P8HAQ&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[Floval Flyer]

I've just been through the same experience, and did a lot of research. Ended up getting my wife and youngest son Specialized bikes, from Cycles UK and Freeborn cycles respectively. My wife has a 700c wheel Ariel hybrid, and my son has a 24" Hotrock MTB which is great for a 10 year old. I went to the specialized shop in Chelmsford, id'ed the bikes I wanted then Google for best prices, you'll get a much better deal than local specialist shops.

My eldest is nearly 14 and I managed to get him a mint condition 2016 Commencal bike, which retails at £650 for £250 on eBay, so eBay is another good place to get a bargain.

As others said Cycle Scheme is another option, if your employer runs such a scheme...

I now now need to get myself a MTB or trails bike as I'm still using my old Kona. I'm looking at bikes from Orange, Genesis, On-One, Ragley and Dartmoor as they seem to be better sepc'ed for the money.

Main advice would be to find the bike you like and get on the Internet. I did try Richardsons but they were rather top heavy on their pricing, been in Leigh forever, so must be doing something right.

Avoid full suspension - most pro riders use hard tail bikes these days due to the extra weight.

Oh and now is a good time to get a good discount on a 2016 bike as the 2017 models have just been released.

More than happy to recommend bikes if you LMK budget and ages of your kids - there are loads of options. If you have deep pockets for Kids bikes then check out Islabikes

 

[jstallan]

If you are prepared to make the journey LB, then a visit to Richardsons in Leigh could well be worthwhile. It also helps that Eric, the owner, is a Southend supporter.

http://www.richardsonscycles.com/

Our Ridgebacks came from there and we have never been disappointed.

Another endorsement for Erik and the folk at the shop. You'll get good advice, great service and if you're lucky, a nice discount ;-)

He'll advise you on tyres, just say you hate punctures and you'll probably get Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres put on. I've got these on my MTB and Cyclocross and while the rolling resistance is affected a little it's worth it for piece of mind knowing that I'm not going to stop and have to change inner tubes.

Alternatively, if you know what you want and are on a budget, then Decathlon seem to have to reasonable bikes.

 

[banjo saviola]

I used the cycle to work scheme last year to get myself a GT Avalanche MTB. I absolutely love it and, as others have said, there's some great places to go in South East Essex.

 

[Mad Cyril]

I've just been through the same experience, and did a lot of research. Ended up getting my wife and youngest son Specialized bikes, from Cycles UK and Freeborn cycles respectively. My wife has a 700c wheel Ariel hybrid, and my son has a 24" Hotrock MTB which is great for a 10 year old. I went to the specialized shop in Chelmsford, id'ed the bikes I wanted then Google for best prices, you'll get a much better deal than local specialist shops.

My eldest is nearly 14 and I managed to get him a mint condition 2016 Commencal bike, which retails at £650 for £250 on eBay, so eBay is another good place to get a bargain.

As others said Cycle Scheme is another option, if your employer runs such a scheme...

I now now need to get myself a MTB or trails bike as I'm still using my old Kona. I'm looking at bikes from Orange, Genesis, On-One, Ragley and Dartmoor as they seem to be better sepc'ed for the money.

Main advice would be to find the bike you like and get on the Internet. I did try Richardsons but they were rather top heavy on their pricing, been in Leigh forever, so must be doing something right.

Avoid full suspension - most pro riders use hard tail bikes these days due to the extra weight.

Oh and now is a good time to get a good discount on a 2016 bike as the 2017 models have just been released.

More than happy to recommend bikes if you LMK budget and ages of your kids - there are loads of options. If you have deep pockets for Kids bikes then check out Islabikes

I can recommend the Whyte 901

 

[londonblue]

Thanks for all the advice, but just a couple of points:

1. I can't use the cycle to work scheme as I work for myself, and I don't run a scheme!
2. I'm not going to go to a shop in the Southend area when I live in Hertfordshire. I'm not going to come down early on the morning of a game because I will have my kids with me, and my wife (who needs a bike also) will be at work. We have enough local shops for that to not be an issue.

What I really need is general advice about what type of bike I should be looking at, which I have received. It seems that a trail bike, or even a hybrid is the way to go.

The only spanner in the works is that I am seriously considering doing a triathlon sometime in the future and would ideally need a road bike for that. (Although I suppose I could borrow one rather than waste money on a bike that I might only use a handful of times.)

I can recommend the Whyte 901

Nice looking bike, but about twice as much as I would want to spend. That said, I don't want to spend too much just in case it doesn't get used a lot, but if it does get used a lot then I want one that is not going to fall apart or be uncomfortable, so maybe that isn't such a bad price.

I'm still confused!

 

[Mad Cyril]

Thanks for all the advice, but just a couple of points:

1. I can't use the cycle to work scheme as I work for myself, and I don't run a scheme!
2. I'm not going to go to a shop in the Southend area when I live in Hertfordshire. I'm not going to come down early on the morning of a game because I will have my kids with me, and my wife (who needs a bike also) will be at work. We have enough local shops for that to not be an issue.

What I really need is general advice about what type of bike I should be looking at, which I have received. It seems that a trail bike, or even a hybrid is the way to go.

The only spanner in the works is that I am seriously considering doing a triathlon sometime in the future and would ideally need a road bike for that. (Although I suppose I could borrow one rather than waste money on a bike that I might only use a handful of times.)



Nice looking bike, but about twice as much as I would want to spend. That said, I don't want to spend too much just in case it doesn't get used a lot, but if it does get used a lot then I want one that is not going to fall apart or be uncomfortable, so maybe that isn't such a bad price.

I'm still confused!

All bikes fall to bits unless you maintain them.

If you get into it you'll wish you had spent more...

Shop around for the 2016 model bikes which are being discounted.

 

[londonblue]

If you get into it you'll wish you had spent more...

Shop around for the 2016 model bikes which are being discounted.

Very wise advice, thanks!

 

[jstallan]

Look at the Boardman Cyclocross range then (known as CX) . Friend has one and very happy with it. Cost about £450 I think and he also has a £3,000 Cervelo road bike.

Did you say what your budget was ?

 

[Floval Flyer]

The only spanner in the works is that I am seriously considering doing a triathlon sometime in the future and would ideally need a road bike for that. (Although I suppose I could borrow one rather than waste money on a bike that I might only use a handful of times.)

How about a Gravel Bike? Cross between a Road bike and Hybrid Bike...?

I love this, but it's expensive... ON ONE BISH BASH BOSH :dim:

http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/CBOOBBB...bosh-sram-rival-1-hrd-adventure---gravel-bike

One MTB option is the Calibre Two Two, which is Go Outdoors own brand, it was in the best MTBs for 500 quid and under on Bike Radar, scoring 5 out of 5 - if you get a Go Outdoors membership card for a tenner you can buy for 399 instead of the RRP 500

Or Try EBay :-)