[SA Chris]

Mate of mine who commutes by bike to work has one of these to make his presence known to drivers.

http://www.bonthronebikes.co.uk/391-18591-11

It's amazingly effective, as loud as any car horn, and rechargeable with a bike pump.

[Obi-Wan is lost...]

I WANT one of those! Looks well weapon.

[Obi-Wan is lost...]

Now we just need an air powered EMP to shut down their stezzers/UV tubes/sat navs etc etc

[SA Chris]

Wouldn't that knacker your MP3 Player and bike computer too?

How cool to have one that just operated in a 1m radius though? Would do driver's (and mechanic's) head in.

[webbo]

are any of you boys doing this on sunday.http://www.legbreaker.co.uk.there appears to be one or two peak heroes of the past doing it.there are places left for those of you wanting to give your shiney new carbon/titanium steeds a run out.

[Percy B]

How was it Webbo? Enough climbing for you? Didn't enter this year - to knackered after a frantic couple of weeks work. Thinking about doing the Ridgeway Rumble in a couple of weeks though for a giggle - details on www.kilotogo.com
Might have got all the water out of my frame by then...... frigging weather!

[webbo]

i did'nt realise you could get tarmac to stick to things that steep.i was pretty battered at the finish,i probably went too hard early on but i got abit carried away jumping from group to group.i also had to walk twice going up to the flash inn.i was over geared with my 39x27 that will teach me to take the piss out of compacts.finished in 6hrs7mins which given the longest ride i've done in 5 years is about 4hrs i did'nt think was too bad.
its well worth doing if your up to it but its relentlus and the down hills are that steep and technical you don't recover much.it well sign posted which was just as well as the only time i knew where i was by gibb tor and newstones/back of the roaches.   

[Percy B]

Aye - never diss the compact.... I've tried to avoid them for as long as possible and might have finally found a solution by swapping my 39 ring for a 38. Means I can leave my 53 on but makes  life just that little bit easier on the really steep hills. Might even splash out and get a 12-27 cassette for the hillier sportives - my 12-25 still makes it tough going once the gradient goes towards 20%

[erm, sam]

Its not exactly leg shaving territory but I did my first triathlon today. It was a little one, 400m swim 20km bike and 5km run, but I was not untrepidous. Anyway, it was ace. It took me 1hr 17 and I really enjoyed it. The best bit was being over taken by peeps (a lot of 'em) during the bike stage but then over taking them back as they suffered during the running. Well, over taking some of them back.
I'm trying to find another one to do before the season is out, but the only one I can find has the swim section in a canal with wetsuits and a mass start (the one I just did was in an outdoor swimming pool with group starts). Might be a bit of a step up me thinks...

[chappers]

right then.
i dont feel i know enough to get involved in a cycling forum, so i wanted to ask a few questions here if that is ok??

im looking to spend pref under 600quids on a bike. to a) ride to work on b) ride to boulderuk on c) go out for rides at the weekend d) maybe think about doing a tri with my brother.

i live in preston so i am inclined to buy a Ribble. (i can go in and get a propper effort to have the bike fit well). is this a good move? for my money it seems that i will get an aloy frame with carbon forks. i dont know about the components, what should i look out for?

i have seen other deals on the web tho. will i get a better deal this way? how do i size the bike?
e.g. http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.aspx?Cat=cycle&ProdID=5360026040

i like this one (ace paint): http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.aspx?Cat=cycle&ProdID=5360030986

plus on wiggle you can get 50quid of free stuff so i could get some boss pedals.

all advice welcome!

ta, chapstick

[webbo]

if you've only got £600 to spend.then i would spend £550 on a good bike and £50 on a bike for work and going down the wall.if you leave a good bike anywhere in town no matter how good your lock it will get nicked.
ribble cycles are pretty hard to beat spec wise.the other option is to look at places selling off last years models.evans cycles usually has a lot of deals.

[webbo]

the focus you looked at gets good reviews in cycling weekly.their website has down loadable bike reviews.also cycling plus magazine does reviews in price ranges i.e best bike under £1000 etc.i've got a few at home i will look to see if there is anything in the ones i've got.for the life of me i can't remember how you size a bike.log on the cycling weekly forum and i'm sure you'll get a few suggestions.

[chappers]

thanks webbo. no need to worry about parking the bike, at school i have space in my stockroom inside my own classroom and at BUK ian will let me bring it in..i would'nt even give it two mins outside there!
ill check out those sites, was looking at evans before, they have some Bianchi bikes that seem alot more affordable than i imagined they would be. i think that i will go into an evans to get sized up, then search the net, i would feel a bit cheeky doing it in ribble then not buying from them.

[webbo]

i rate bianchi,i currently own 2.

[chappers]

yeah, it seems to me the way to go. the biggest name, with the best spec for the least money. plus in evans i will be able to blag some free stuff. and their bikes look ace in the mint green...

[webbo]

do you work at a school.my mate in york takes the kids mountain biking.he managed to get a load of bikes and tools at discount from evans.he himself gets 30% off even on sale stuff.you could try a bit of blagging.

[slackline]

If your going to be riding to work then you might be able to take advantage of the governments Cycle to Work Initiative which allows you to buy a bike up to  £1000 under a salary sacrifice scheme tax-free.  See the link for more detail and ask at work if theres anything in place.

[chappers]

do you work at a school.my mate in york takes the kids mountain biking.he managed to get a load of bikes and tools at discount from evans.he himself gets 30% off even on sale stuff.you could try a bit of blagging.

yeah, geography teacher. this sounds like a good start. thanks for the heads up, ill ask them tomorrow when i go in. cheers.

[moose]

Sorry about the partial hijack but I have a spell of unemployment coming up and figure that if I don't find something to do other than boulder my fingers will explode (and I'll run out of petrol money).  Cycling would fit the bill nicely (explore the countryside, get fit, visit far away pubs!) but I have bugger-all knowledge about bikes and could do with some advice.  So, I would be grateful for any advice on the following matters... and yes, I know a proper bike forum might be more suitable, but I fear I am too much of a dilettante for one, and I have had good advice from the kind folks here on all kinds of random things.

What kind of bike?
Use will be lengthy leisure rides on country roads - no proper off-road stuff but there may be limited opportunities to use the odd non-road cycle-way.  To my uneducated eyes these new fangled "hybrid" bikes look the best bet (Marin's "city" bikes, Specialized Sirrus, Ridgeback Velocity, Kona Dr Dew etc) - easy riding on the roads where I'll spend 90%+ of my time but enough robustness for the odd cycle-way etc.  But are they any good, or are they just crap attempts to be a jack-of-all-trades and I'd be best off getting a proper road-bike, squeezing into some lycra, and ruling-out ever going on trails (although thin tyres do make me nervous!)?  If there are genuinely good hybrids out there who makes them and what type are best?   It's all so very confusing - Marin alone do about 6 grades of hybrid (urban, city, sports-comuter, commuter, leisure...) with seemingly tiny differences in the degree of off-road character - are front-shocks overkill when you are almost always on the road - do they make that much difference for those rare bit of trail riding etc?

Recommendations / stuff to avoid?
Any sage words of experience either way on bikes / components would be appreciated - my max budget is around £500-600 quid (although I need a helmet, lights etc too).  Especially interested in stuff to avoid like the plague  e.g. are there certain gear-systems that are a by-word for hard to look after unreliability (all those different Shimanos....), which chain-sets make life easiest, what about disk brakes?  Are there any general makes other than the ones I have listed worthy of consideration.   Do any of the big stores have unexpectedly good bargains - I have heard good things about Decathalon and even some of Halfords' stuff (their Boardman and Carrerra ranges).

Where to buy?
I know the web is where the bargains are, but I suspect that if I am spending a fair amount on a bike I should make sure it fits properly (especially as I have a tall and gangley figure rarely suited to "standard" sizings).  Besides, I am a bit sentimental and like to buy things at shops run by enthusiasts.  I will be based in Selby - between Leeds and York during the likely purchasing period (probably mid / late August) - are there any shops in that area that will be patient towards an indecisive man with a freakish build?   If not, I plan to visit the Peak in the near future (Matlock area) so could spare time from bouldering if there is anywhere suitably good and worth the diversion / hassle.   

Any help would be much appreciated.  I know its a bit of a liberty, but the only reason I have dared impose by writing such a lengthy plea is that I am continually amazed by how helpful the people on this forum often are.  Cheers.

[SA Chris]

Personally, hybrids have never sat too comfortably with me. I would go for either a full on road bike or an off road bike, or end up with something not too good for either; bit like looking for one outdoor shoe suitable for everything from technical climbing to long mountain approaches. Makes both types of cycling a lot more enjoyable.

I know nothing about road bikes, but i think for any offroad riding a set of hydraulic discs are essential.

[webbo]

hybreds are a bit like those climbing shoes with the wedge and studs in the heel.i.e.they'll do reasonably ok but when you want to heel hook your fucked.likewise a hybred you'll be able to tootle along but if you want to go up hill or battle some block head wind with 50 miles to go you'll be fucked.
with regard to where to buy a bike.you will probably be better off at one of the bigger stores like evans at york or j.e.james in rotherham.their bikes are often discounted and the staff usually know what they are talking about.otherwise it takes years of grooming at your local independant dealer to get discount.you have keep going in and buying all sorts of useless and non essential shit to curry favour as well as be able to bullshit about your training regimes and of course being able to go the distance in the local chain gang.

[Bubba]

are front-shocks overkill when you are almost always on the road

I would say yes. If you're always road riding then it's just unnecessary extra weight.

do they make that much difference for those rare bit of trail riding etc?

If you're just going to be riding fairly smooth offroad trails then you can do without them too. If you're going to be dealing with rocks and drops then I would say you want some.

Also, a decent set of forks is going to eat a long way into your budget, and cheapo forks aren't really worth having.

[Yossarian]

i wouldn't get a hybrid. if i was going to get one bike for mostly roads / bit of trails then i'd maybe get a cross bike, but i think a proper road bike is probably your best bet.  if you got one with a bit more tyre clearance (like the ribble winter training type frames) then you could stick 28mm touring tyres on it, and they'd be ok down a forest track.

[moose]

Cheers for advice so far - suspected that a road bike would be the recommended option being as I plan to be almost aways on roads (the clue was in their name).  Just that to man of my incredibly indecisive nature they just seem so.... extreme - especially for one more interested in ease than speed (and I have nightmares about hitting a grate in wet weather and finding myself under a truck).  Still, I guess there's no point in mediocrity and pretending that I am in the Tour de France would make pedalling around Selby more interesting (and the steroid abuse might benefit my climbing).  Any recomendations for cheap road-bikes etc? 

[jfw]

i commute in sheffield and theres some right pot-holes, more than once i've been glad for the front suspension. currently riding my mountain bike with slicks (went on a 40 mile road ride in the peak not sunday just gone but one before - road surfaces much nicer out there - yes end up spinning out on downhills, but most glad of the wee ring on some of the ups).

all depends what riding position you find comfortable/are used to, while these are all hardcore roadies (on the leg shaving thread!) they are of course going to recommend road bikes. if you have got a similarly sized friend - borrow their road bike and see how it feels on a ride - preferably a bit longer than end of road and back.

go to a bike shop and sit on bikes (and ride them if they'll let you) and see what you think of the riding position. try different lengths/rise of stems as well as differnt frame size.