Help for a newbie.....

[Realsteel056]

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" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ... /102666642

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

[rodneycc]

Hi Mate, The Apollo Transfer 20, it looks ok but no, not for me, I think you can do probably better. I'm actually not a big fan of hybrids unless you haven't ridden a bike for a very long time or very unfit. If you have a decent level of fitness and plan on doing rides longer than 30km then seriously think about buying a drop bar road bike. If you really don't think a dropbar is for you then go for flatbar road bike with a rigid fork (cheapy suspension forks are pretty much useless and just increases unnecessary weight on your bike).

$500 is right in that price range that you might get a good one or you might get a lemon catergory. Secondhand is probably where the smart buying is in this range but if you don't feel confident then maybe look at the Reid Falco or Osprey range (you might find a runout model that suits unless its the Condor which you shouldn't touch with barge pole), Cell Bikes have the Lapa which looks good and Polygon have been producing some good budget bikes of late. On the secondhand market side of things the Giant Defy is great value and a very well built bike.

Anyway some food for thought. Cheers.

[Realsteel056]

Thanks for your thoughts mate. I will definitely look into those bikes. I do not have any issues with fitness but it has been a while since i have ridden a bike proper but i think, i should be able to get back on it with some kms under my belt. My legs would need some workout before it can handle the rigors of riding long distances....but that is for later. Thanks again for your feedback...

[Zippy7]

Not sure if you've bought your bike yet, but would give you a reply.

I haven't been riding as long as others on this forum, and I'm riding to/from work for exercise/fitness (and so I don't get frustrated with the trains).
From what I've seen, hybrids and mountain bikes are generally cheaper than road bikes.
Given your budget, then there aren't many drop bar road bikes to choose from - Cell do the Otway 1.0 for $469, but I don't know if it's worth buying.

You could always buy a second hand mountain bike or hybrid style bike (try to get one without any suspension). As stated by Rodney, front suspension forks are something to avoid.
In terms of timing, you have missed the runout sales of the previous year model bikes.
You might do better waiting until January to get a post-christmas sale discount.

Good luck.