Buying a bike: Some general advice for new riders

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StevOz
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Location: Dunsborough, WA.

Re: Buying a bike: Some general advice for new riders

Postby StevOz » Fri Oct 30, 2015 8:26 pm

chandu wrote:hi everyone

I am planning to buy a bike for commute and fitness

I am planning to spend 700 dollars and I have researched some of the bikes available on the market they are

trek fx 7.2
trek duosport 8.2
Gaint crosscity 2

please help me with which bike in the above is good to fit my purpose and if possible suggest bikes from other manufacturers in that price bracket.
This is an alternative option worthy of consideration.

http://australia.fujibikes.com/bike/det ... solute-21-" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Realsteel056
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Re: Buying a bike: Some general advice for new riders

Postby Realsteel056 » Tue Nov 24, 2015 8:30 am

Hi everyone.

I am a newbie to the cycling world and havent ridden a bike for a good 15 years- i have done a few times here and there during holidays. I have spent the last 12 months improving my health and fitness and getting a bit bored of running so i want to take up cycling purely as a fitness thing. I plan to ride on mostly on bike paths and i have had a look and there are fairly decent bike paths around the neighborhood. The plan is to take it slow and do 10-20kms intitally, building experience and confidence and then take on longer routes - 30-50km and hopefully one day be able to do more than that >50-100km....

I have read this forum and i must say there is a lot of rich information here from experienced cyclists and it has really been helpful. I did go down to the local shop and had a look and plan to go down to a few more shops later this weekend to see a few more bikes and try them out. During my first visit to the local bike shop, I was recommended a hybrid bike based on what i told salesperson. this is one that they had on sale and i did like the look and feel of the bike.

https://www.bikeexchange.com.au/a/urban ... /102666642" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

My budget is $500 which i gather is not a lot given generally you might need to spend a little more to get a more decent bike. I am happy to stretch it a little more if required and i was wondering if someone would be able to assist me by giving their opinion on the bike above or recommend me something else which i can check out this weekend around the same price range.

I would really appreciate some assistance and i am really out of my depth and i am reading and trying my best to educate myself. Thanks

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rodneycc
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Re: Buying a bike: Some general advice for new riders

Postby rodneycc » Tue Nov 24, 2015 1:28 pm

Start a new Thread mate.. This thread is a "sticky" mainly for info... Cheers.
2013 BMC TM SLR01;2013/14 Bianchi Inf CV
2013 Lynskey Helix;2013 XACD Ti Di2
2013 Giant TCR Adv SL1;2014 Giant Defy Adv SL

Realsteel056
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Joined: Tue Nov 24, 2015 8:11 am

Re: Buying a bike: Some general advice for new riders

Postby Realsteel056 » Tue Nov 24, 2015 2:04 pm

Thanks, i have created a new thread. My apologies for putting this in the wrong spot.

Pawen
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Re: Buying a bike: Some general advice for new riders

Postby Pawen » Tue Apr 12, 2016 5:32 pm

Thanks , useful advice for new riders, like me.

rp
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Re: Buying a bike: Some general advice for new riders

Postby rp » Sat Dec 24, 2016 4:35 pm

Hi all

I currently have a giant defy 2 from 2009 which I have ridden hard. It still works but it might be time soon for an upgrade. It has Sora components.
I am looking to get an upgrade to 105 components. The new Defy 1 I saw has disc brakes - does this discount the roadbike aspect in peoples view? Does it make the bike a cyclo-cross bike rather than a pure road bike?

I do the occasional weekend ride and don't want to be laughed at!

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Defy The Odds
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Re: Buying a bike: Some general advice for new riders

Postby Defy The Odds » Tue Jan 10, 2017 12:16 am

rp wrote:Hi all

I currently have a giant defy 2 from 2009 which I have ridden hard. It still works but it might be time soon for an upgrade. It has Sora components.
I am looking to get an upgrade to 105 components. The new Defy 1 I saw has disc brakes - does this discount the roadbike aspect in peoples view? Does it make the bike a cyclo-cross bike rather than a pure road bike?

I do the occasional weekend ride and don't want to be laughed at!

There are disc versions on just about every model from just about every manufacturer these days. Discs are becoming more popular and I would hardly say they discount the roadbike image.

In any case, who cares what others think as long as you are comfortable. I am sure when I started riding beach road in my Anaconda jersey that I was laughed at but I didn't care because I enjoyed myself.

Get what you like, ride it and enjoy it !

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Rural Rider
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Location: QLD

Re: Buying a bike: Some general advice for new riders

Postby Rural Rider » Thu Feb 09, 2017 11:23 pm

This may have already been stated ... I'm not going to wade through 9 pages to find it, so here it is ... Bike Sizing? Don't believe the manufacturers advice on Frame Size. I just went through this with all data and charts telling me that at 183cm tall, I am a size 58 Frame! Went to the Bike store and right away the Sales cat says ... 'Oh no you're not' ... in complete contradiction of what the Manufacturing Frame Data states. Turns out I was absolutely perfect for a 56 Frame size and one size smaller than what that very Bike Company stated I should be on. So bottom line ... if you can, go physically sit on the bike - you'll save yourself a lot of trouble.

RR.
2017 Trek Emonda SL6
2016 Specialized Allez e5 Sport

TomSenke
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Re: Buying a bike: Some general advice for new riders

Postby TomSenke » Wed Apr 19, 2017 12:52 am

I have tested the carbon bike, they have a good range, and for all sales now!
Bought carbonbikekits.com. They also have a tool that can help the size of a selection box.

Nooby1980
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Joined: Thu Jul 27, 2017 3:31 pm

Re: Buying a bike: Some general advice for new riders

Postby Nooby1980 » Thu Jul 27, 2017 3:37 pm

Hi I'm wanting to start riding a bike to and from work (total distance there and back is approx 18km), for fitness and weightloss mainly. I'm 194cm tall and weigh 125kg.

I can't afford to spend more than $400 at the moment, and was looking at this bike: http://www.this link is broken/Totem-Swift?custcol1=51

Any suggestions, or opinions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

RobertL
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Joined: Wed Feb 17, 2016 3:08 pm
Location: Brisbane

Re: Buying a bike: Some general advice for new riders

Postby RobertL » Fri Jul 28, 2017 2:12 pm

Nooby1980 wrote:Hi I'm wanting to start riding a bike to and from work (total distance there and back is approx 18km), for fitness and weightloss mainly. I'm 194cm tall and weigh 125kg.

I can't afford to spend more than $400 at the moment, and was looking at this bike: http://www.this link is broken/Totem-Swift?custcol1=51

Any suggestions, or opinions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

Looks like a decent bike for the price. Go for it!

Kronos
Posts: 398
Joined: Mon Oct 16, 2017 6:36 pm

Re: Buying a bike: Some general advice for new riders

Postby Kronos » Sun Nov 05, 2017 8:18 pm

Realsteel056 wrote:Hi everyone.

I am a newbie to the cycling world and havent ridden a bike for a good 15 years- i have done a few times here and there during holidays. I have spent the last 12 months improving my health and fitness and getting a bit bored of running so i want to take up cycling purely as a fitness thing. I plan to ride on mostly on bike paths and i have had a look and there are fairly decent bike paths around the neighborhood. The plan is to take it slow and do 10-20kms intitally, building experience and confidence and then take on longer routes - 30-50km and hopefully one day be able to do more than that >50-100km....
This is all well and good but for anyone being off a bike for 15 years (myself included at one point) doing 10-20km is probably the limits of starting out. I'd also suggest a bike with a wide range cassette so that you have an easier gear. There's almost nothing worse with riding than reaching a 15% gradient hill starting out and then realising you don't have a gear to attack the climb your up against. You don't want to be "that guy" that's dropped and is now walking up the hill. "How embarrassment"
I have read this forum and i must say there is a lot of rich information here from experienced cyclists and it has really been helpful. I did go down to the local shop and had a look and plan to go down to a few more shops later this weekend to see a few more bikes and try them out. During my first visit to the local bike shop, I was recommended a hybrid bike based on what i told salesperson. this is one that they had on sale and i did like the look and feel of the bike.
It is possible to build a nice bike with $500. My steel steed is a Giant Kronos, with a SRAM Rival, SRAM Apex Derailleur and SRAM double tap shifters. I also have a Thomson Elite seat post and am waiting on a Nitto quill stem. Get to know "a mate" that can look out for you or even hand you down their old groupset if its "a bit worn" and they're suffering from upgraditis. It matters not what your bike is made out of when you're beginning its all about the fitment of the bike.

Get your fitment and gear right and you will have a bike you will want to ride every day. There are even some classic modern aluminum road bikes these days such as a CAAD5, or Giant TCR, etc that will fit in a $500 price bracket which are practically modern bikes for most intents and purposes. Know your size, and get someone who knows what they're doing to fit it for you.

hbaruas
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue Aug 20, 2013 6:29 pm

Re: Buying a bike: Some general advice for new riders

Postby hbaruas » Wed Apr 04, 2018 5:01 pm

I am a ~33 year old male looking to get into cycling as a hobby.
Want to start with an endurance road bike, and have my eyes on Trek Domane ALR5 disc 2017 model or Cannondale Synapse Disc ( both with Shimano 105 groupsets, and Aluminium versions)
Read some nice reviews of the Synapse, but I have not been able to find any reviews on the Trek Domane though. Wonder why this has not been reviewed much.
Do any of the fellow group members have anything to say about the Domane ALR 5 Disc.

Rorschach
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Location: Beeliar, WA

Re: Buying a bike: Some general advice for new riders

Postby Rorschach » Tue Jun 26, 2018 8:16 pm

hbaruas wrote:I am a ~33 year old male looking to get into cycling as a hobby.
Want to start with an endurance road bike, and have my eyes on Trek Domane ALR5 disc 2017 model or Cannondale Synapse Disc ( both with Shimano 105 groupsets, and Aluminium versions)
Read some nice reviews of the Synapse, but I have not been able to find any reviews on the Trek Domane though. Wonder why this has not been reviewed much.
Do any of the fellow group members have anything to say about the Domane ALR 5 Disc.
ALR4 review here. It's the lower spec one, but should be comparable.

viktorgodvin
Posts: 1
Joined: Wed Aug 01, 2018 8:39 pm

Re: Buying a bike: Some general advice for new riders

Postby viktorgodvin » Wed Aug 01, 2018 8:47 pm

Hello everyone,

I am coming to Sydney soon to study. I was looking for a bike, but I have never had one before. So i was searching online and i found this:
https://www.reidcycles.com.au/reid-vint ... dster.html
Would you recommend this option as a first bike? Should I take it as it is, or it would be better to change some parts for the better ones?
Also, talking about the additional stuff like lights and all these: where is it better to get them? from the store itself of there are some cheaper ways to get them online ?
I am short on the budget, so something around 250 AUD - 350 AUD would be great.

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redsonic
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Location: Brisbane

Re: Buying a bike: Some general advice for new riders

Postby redsonic » Thu Aug 02, 2018 10:51 am

viktorgodvin wrote:Hello everyone,

I am coming to Sydney soon to study. I was looking for a bike, but I have never had one before. So i was searching online and i found this:
https://www.reidcycles.com.au/reid-vint ... dster.html
Would you recommend this option as a first bike? Should I take it as it is, or it would be better to change some parts for the better ones?
Also, talking about the additional stuff like lights and all these: where is it better to get them? from the store itself of there are some cheaper ways to get them online ?
I am short on the budget, so something around 250 AUD - 350 AUD would be great.
You could do worse for your $300, but the bike is steel and will be fairly heavy. If the roadster look appeals to you, go for it.
Reid will probably offer you a good deal on lights etc, and you already have a rack on the bike. They will be able to choose the right size for you (only 3 sizes on offer), and show you how to adjust the seat, levers etc.
Just be aware that parts of Sydney are quite hilly; 7 gears should be enough as long as the gearing is low enough for you. Hopefully, someone here will chip in with other roadster suggestions.

Netti_bikes2
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Sep 06, 2018 2:28 pm

Re: Buying a bike: Some general advice for new riders

Postby Netti_bikes2 » Thu Sep 06, 2018 2:35 pm

Hi guys,
I’m a newbie to this forum and looking to buy an entry level bike for commuting (some days 5km, some days 15km), mainly on bike paths and city rds. Will generally ride bike around inner city (Melb). Currently have a Globe which feels like a tank! Don’t know what I was thinking when I purchased it…
Anyway, I’m tossing up between an Apollo Exceed 10 and a Trek DS 1 (both 2018 model, and both $500 on sale).
I like the fact that Apollo is Australian but heard that Trek’s tech is superior, hence parts, mechanics etc are better compared to Apollo.
Understand the specs are very similar for low entry bikes, but any major cons or pros between the two brands?
Cheers,
Netti

TeVoRo
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Re: Buying a bike: Some general advice for new riders

Postby TeVoRo » Thu Sep 20, 2018 8:24 pm

This thread is an amazing read. Thanks to all the posters in the past TEN years! (10 year old thread and the advice still rings true! :D :D )

XtremeCheater
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Joined: Tue Aug 21, 2018 2:17 pm

Re: Buying a bike: Some general advice for new riders

Postby XtremeCheater » Sun Sep 30, 2018 12:46 am

I'm looking at new bikes. I'm 167cm, and have budget around 800-1300 AUD. I have look at several secondhand bikes, and have seen some interesting ones. There are 2015 Giant Defy Advanced 3 Disc Tiagra size M for 500, 2007 S-Works Tarmac 105 size 52 for 800, and 2012 Pinarello Prince with Champagnolo Centaur size 51 for 1300 (without pedals and saddle). Between these three, which one is the best? I want the best bang for the bucks among them. Really confused.

Rawshack
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Re: Buying a bike: Some general advice for new riders

Postby Rawshack » Fri Nov 16, 2018 8:59 am

I just got a Giant Contend 1 - an upgrade from the Trek FX 2 I was riding. It's a great bike for me as it's a nice shift from flat to drop bar. A little more of an upright position than most roadies. Riding the drops is so, so much more fun (and faster) than the FX 2, but I don't have quite the same level of comfort and security in the CBD that I had on the FX 2... maybe though that's where fun is.

If - like me - you're not the most confident of riders and you're going to the commuting in traffic, I'd definitely recommend the flats to start off with. My FX2 wasn't the most nimble beast, but it was as tough as nails and felt like it would take an armoured vehicle to get me off it

Hi
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Re: Buying a bike: Some general advice for new riders

Postby Hi » Wed Nov 21, 2018 8:30 pm

Thoughts on this
Shimano Acera rear derailleur. Shimano disc brakes, Front forks XCT SR Suntour V2, Shimano drivetrain, almost new tyres and seat, and Fuji components all round
Asking 250$
https://ibb.co/eO5rHA

NASHIE
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Location: Perth, WA

Re: Buying a bike: Some general advice for new riders

Postby NASHIE » Wed Nov 21, 2018 9:48 pm

Hi wrote:Thoughts on this
Shimano Acera rear derailleur. Shimano disc brakes, Front forks XCT SR Suntour V2, Shimano drivetrain, almost new tyres and seat, and Fuji components all round
Asking 250$
https://ibb.co/eO5rHA
Are you looking for a MTB to buy ?. Last bike you posted was $1000. This one looks ok to run down the shops etc. Looks like only mechanical disc brakes so probably a $500-$600 bike new. If your looking for a bike to get off road your best keeping your $1000 budget.

Hi
Posts: 3
Joined: Mon Nov 19, 2018 8:34 pm

Re: Buying a bike: Some general advice for new riders

Postby Hi » Thu Nov 22, 2018 7:43 am

NASHIE wrote:
Hi wrote:Thoughts on this
Shimano Acera rear derailleur. Shimano disc brakes, Front forks XCT SR Suntour V2, Shimano drivetrain, almost new tyres and seat, and Fuji components all round
Asking 250$
https://ibb.co/eO5rHA
Are you looking for a MTB to buy ?. Last bike you posted was $1000. This one looks ok to run down the shops etc. Looks like only mechanical disc brakes so probably a $500-$600 bike new. If your looking for a bike to get off road your best keeping your $1000 budget.
Thanks

Paddywide
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue Dec 11, 2018 8:18 am

Re: Buying a bike: Some general advice for new riders

Postby Paddywide » Tue Dec 11, 2018 8:28 am

I am living in Sydney. Need to buy a hybrid or mountain bike to travel between home to office. It is 8km for a single trip. Personally I prefer mountain bike because of the width of the tyres. My budget is $500-800(can be a little higher). Can u guys suggest a shop or a specific model to me? I don’t need rear suspension. It does or doesn’t equip with front suspension.

Do you think a second hand bike worth to buy?

Is any post in the forum to talk about the discount or on sale bike?

Thank you.

eciuj
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Joined: Mon May 13, 2019 11:44 am

Re: Buying a bike: Some general advice for new riders

Postby eciuj » Mon May 13, 2019 11:53 am

I'm looking to get a bike for my wife. She wants one of those vintage cruisers (it's all about style with her!). Question, is there much difference between a steel frame and alloy/aluminium? Only seems to be 1kg difference in overall weight.

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