Noob looking for a new bike

[speedster99]

the last time i bought a bike was for my 12th birthday from kmart. i still have it. its a bit rusty, darn heavy and the gears dont work. it still fits me. im 19 now.
I live in melbourne and im looking to ride my bike to univeristy. its about 13km according to google maps. Im just wondering whether its better to buy a traditional road bike or a flat bar road bike. my budget is ~$800. Any advice? Anyone know of any good bike store with great service in melbournes south east. i would prefer to buy and try and ask a heck of noob questions before buying in person. Cheers

[BoardRider]

Hi ,
if riding to uni is the main use for it and you are going to leave it secured to a pole or in a bike cage my preference would be a second hand bike thats been built for comfort. Work out your correct size and it have fitted / serviced. A sturdy steel or alloy bike that isn't going to used for parts by others.If you have a great secure place to leave it, buy a new bike thats comfortable to ride.

[rodneycc]

Hi mate, think its going to depend on how you ride it. Are you going to ride it rain/hail/shine? Or just in good weather and take Public transport on the wet days. I agree if its going to be ridden to non secure/ high theft areas then secondhand might be the way to go.

Anyway here are my thoughts:

Wet weather and all purpose bikes:

2013 or 2014 Cell X2 City Bike with slick tyres (and mudguards and possibly a rack if you have stuff it carry)
2013 Giant Talon 0 29er with slicks
Trek 7.5fx flatbar maybe or a 7.4fx Disc
or possibly a Cyclocross bike (maybe check out Simon Sausage's Specialized Crux in the marketplace and see if that fits you! - seems a bit of a bargain)
http://www.bicycles.net.au/forums/viewt ... 25&t=74366" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


Dry Weather bike:

Cell Lapa 2.0
Reid Falco Elite
Secondhand Giant Defy 1 or 2.

Just my 2c... Good luck...

[speedster99]

Ive never rode a road bike before. will the lack of experience be a problem if ive never rode one?

[rodneycc]

You might be a little shakey to start with and think its bumpy as all hell but once you get use to it you won't regret it. Will get you from A to B in the quickest way possible. The cyclocross bike might give you the most flexibility starting out from zero and will be more relaxed if you didn't want to jump into a full roadie. Also more upgradeable than a flatbar or hybrid. But kind of depends on what riding you will be doing in what conditions.

Sent via Tapatalk so expect the odd typo and mis-posting!

[rodneycc]

Ps fit is everything on a road bike so just make sure its right for you above all else especially starting out which can make or break the experience.

PPS if you are about 175cm tall then Simon is your man for a great cyclocross bike to try out! Try bargaining down to $900.

Sent via Tapatalk so expect the odd typo and mis-posting!

[speedster99]

my route to uni shares quite a busy road with lots of traffic at peak hour. are road bikes safer than flat bar bikes in traffic?

[speedster99]

im about 186cm btw. id prefer to get sized out properly at a bike store being my first time

[yugyug]

my route to uni shares quite a busy road with lots of traffic at peak hour. are road bikes safer than flat bar bikes in traffic?

With flat bar bike you tend to have a higher riding position which can slightly aid vision and visibility. With road bikes you have increased efficiency, which can help somewhat in terms of manoeuvrability and confidence around cars. But its a minor issue - good road craft is independent of the bike you are using.

If you are concerned about mixing it up with traffic, I really urge you to do some reading in the safety and advocacy sub-forum. There is a member Il Padrone here whose signature says: "Riding bikes in traffic - what seems dangerous is usually safe; what seems safe is often more dangerous." In my opinion its worthwhile knowing the ins and outs of that statement.

[rodneycc]

im about 186cm btw. id prefer to get sized out properly at a bike store being my first time

Yep that is perfectly understandable, especially for your height.

Might be worth first up going out to Cell in Fitzroy Nth and comparing the Lapa 2.0 with the X2 city bike just for the different styles.

Sent via Tapatalk so expect the odd typo and mis-posting!