Buying a Bike in the UK

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peteloafer
peteloafer Posts: 28 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I used to cycle a lot but older and less fit now hence MFT. (doh)

I am looking to buy a Hybrid to use possibly on roads to work but mostly on back roads paths cycleways but not too rough.

My question is can I get a bike to support 17 stone + or am I wasting my time and I ought to try and lose say a couple of stones first.

Hope that makes sense. I am buying a sturdy static bike to help with fitness and weight loss anyway. (incidentally most static bikes give the max weight of rider permissible)

Your comments welcome.

Replies

  • missybct
    missybct Posts: 321 Member
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    Bump - I'm wondering this too. I'm just shy of 17st.
  • kellehbeans
    kellehbeans Posts: 838 Member
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    I don't think you need to really struggle about the weight. 17 stone is tolerable to a bike. My boyfriend is 16 stone 4, and his bike seems to hold him well. He does have a mountain bike, though. (Carrera, Halfords own)

    I recently bought a bike from Halfords (again) (I gritted my teeth as I did, but I couldn't be happier). It is a Hybrid and it is an 'Apollo', so one of Halfords own. I see there was a bank holiday deal on Apollo's, male and female bikes, for £99, but after a lot of speculation and hunt around the reviews, I definitely decided against it.

    I would show you the one I purchased, but it doesn't appear to be on the website. There will be a male equivalent - I paid £200 for it, reduced from £289.

    I've had my bike just over a week and I have been cycling on Route 4 and Route 5 on the National Cycle Network and have successfully completed 32 miles. (It would be more if the weather wasn't so horrible!) This all loads of different terrain, including some gravel, pavement, woodland paths and also grassland. It would be perfect for a commute to work.

    Sorry if I have rambled, but I think you should just go ahead and find a bike that you would like and go and try it out if you're not sure! All good cycling shops would be more than happy to allow you to have a go - whether it be an independent store or a chain!

    Good luck. :flowerforyou:

    EDIT: Forgot to mention, my boyfriend has been doing the trails with me too and he seems to be holding upwards! And believe me, I have seen bigger men on pushbikes than your weight, so please, stop worrying! It'll help you get to your goal! And cycling is fun. :-)
  • m_a_b
    m_a_b Posts: 71 Member
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    The best advice is get into your local bike shop and have a word with the staff. They'll help you select the best fit. You'll also be able to sit on the bike and have a test ride.

    Personally I'm doubtful about hybrids. A mountain bike is designed for mountains. A road bike (my preference) is designed for roads. A hybrid is designed for neither.
  • kellehbeans
    kellehbeans Posts: 838 Member
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    The best advice is get into your local bike shop and have a word with the staff. They'll help you select the best fit. You'll also be able to sit on the bike and have a test ride.

    Personally I'm doubtful about hybrids. A mountain bike is designed for mountains. A road bike (my preference) is designed for roads. A hybrid is designed for neither.

    A canal towpath is not a mountain, nor is it a road - so what do you use? Hybrids are wonderful. Road bikes will just lose control on even the slightest of ground turf.

    EDIT: A colleague told me that he rode a bike at 20 and a bit stone and was absolutely fine, OP. And he rode a hybrid.
  • maca416
    maca416 Posts: 142 Member
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    This was a problem for me many years ago when I went to Halfords & got £150 MTB, within a week the spokes started popping so I ended up building my own bike up & had my wheels hand made, still have those wheels today on my new build & they have done many 100's of miles including lots of off road. At my heaviest I was 23st now I'm 19st & my bike is holding up well so I guess if you are looking at a hybrid then your looking at thinner/lighter wheels therefore you might get into trouble if you buy cheap. Take a look at Wiggle or Chainreaction for some good prices but always check out your local bike shop & ask questions, I would avoid Halfords if you can unless you know the staff are bike savvy.

    Sorry forgot, in answer to your question will 17 st be OK on a bike.

    Yes fine as long as you buy a bike with good quality components especially the wheels & running gear.
  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
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    Try Gumtree for a second hand bike. Like new cars, they lose half their value as soon as they leave the showroom! That way you can find a local one and try before you buy, as well as saving money.

    Halfords posted this answer to a question on one of its hybrid bikes, and I assume similar limits apply elsewhere.

    "Halfords bikes are tested up to a weight limit of 120kg with a luggage allowance of up to 20kg."
  • TheKeithEllis
    TheKeithEllis Posts: 155 Member
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    I did the Coast to Coast (Whitehaven to Sunderland) on a rubbish Halfords MTB while I was 18.5 stone. I couldn't get the highest gear on the bloomin' thing either, but it held up absolutely fine (I did walk a few of the hills though!) - MTB are sturdy things, but then I moved onto a very light road bike while still the same kind of weight. The only thing I have found is that with race grade wheels the spokes can break easily under the extra weight, but that only happened to me twice in over 3000 miles on that unit.

    I will say though that now I have down to the 15s, hills are a heck lot easier! :O)
  • Cal28
    Cal28 Posts: 514 Member
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    My OH got a bike off ebay that someone had bought using the cycle to work scheme (yep naughty, naughty)

    I have a hybrid: http://www.specialized.co.uk/gb/gb/bikes/multi-use/crosstrail and am very happy with it. I'd agreed with those who've said if you can get it fitted at a local bike shop, most are really good and its worth paying a little more for them to set up to your dimensions.
  • lts42uk
    lts42uk Posts: 162 Member
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    I don't think you need to really struggle about the weight. 17 stone is tolerable to a bike. My boyfriend is 16 stone 4, and his bike seems to hold him well. He does have a mountain bike, though. (Carrera, Halfords own)

    I recently bought a bike from Halfords (again) (I gritted my teeth as I did, but I couldn't be happier). It is a Hybrid and it is an 'Apollo', so one of Halfords own. I see there was a bank holiday deal on Apollo's, male and female bikes, for £99, but after a lot of speculation and hunt around the reviews, I definitely decided against it.

    I would show you the one I purchased, but it doesn't appear to be on the website. There will be a male equivalent - I paid £200 for it, reduced from £289.

    I've had my bike just over a week and I have been cycling on Route 4 and Route 5 on the National Cycle Network and have successfully completed 32 miles. (It would be more if the weather wasn't so horrible!) This all loads of different terrain, including some gravel, pavement, woodland paths and also grassland. It would be perfect for a commute to work.

    Sorry if I have rambled, but I think you should just go ahead and find a bike that you would like and go and try it out if you're not sure! All good cycling shops would be more than happy to allow you to have a go - whether it be an independent store or a chain!

    Good luck. :flowerforyou:

    EDIT: Forgot to mention, my boyfriend has been doing the trails with me too and he seems to be holding upwards! And believe me, I have seen bigger men on pushbikes than your weight, so please, stop worrying! It'll help you get to your goal! And cycling is fun. :-)

    I have a Carrera Hybrid from Halfords too - the man's version as I find ladies bikes too small. It's an excellent sturdy bike and great for riding on and off road. I cycle to work daily and love it!
  • rushandy
    rushandy Posts: 7 Member
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    Hi OP,

    I'm from the UK, and started cycling at 16 stone. My first bike was a Specialized Sirrus (also a hybrid - see http://www.specialized.com/gb/gb/bikes/multi-use/sirrus) which I've had for three years now, done well over a thousand miles on, and it's still going strong, so I've no doubt your weight would be absolutely fine.

    Whilst I love my Sirrus, it isn't ideally suited to canal towpaths, it's much better on the road, as it's more or less a road bike with upright handlebars. So if you want something that's going to be comfortable on both roads and rougher terrain, I'd look at a sturdier hybrid, maybe a Specialized Crosstrail (http://www.specialized.com/gb/gb/bikes/multi-use/crosstrail), or something similar from another brand. I ended up buying a mountain bike for that kind of stuff.

    Hope this helps! Good luck with your weight loss.
  • kellehbeans
    kellehbeans Posts: 838 Member
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    My OH got a bike off ebay that someone had bought using the cycle to work scheme (yep naughty, naughty)

    I have a hybrid: http://www.specialized.co.uk/gb/gb/bikes/multi-use/crosstrail and am very happy with it. I'd agreed with those who've said if you can get it fitted at a local bike shop, most are really good and its worth paying a little more for them to set up to your dimensions.

    Your bike is beautiful!
  • 3laine75
    3laine75 Posts: 3,070 Member
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    I used to cycle a lot but older and less fit now hence MFT. (doh)

    I am looking to buy a Hybrid to use possibly on roads to work but mostly on back roads paths cycleways but not too rough.

    My question is can I get a bike to support 17 stone + or am I wasting my time and I ought to try and lose say a couple of stones first.

    Hope that makes sense. I am buying a sturdy static bike to help with fitness and weight loss anyway. (incidentally most static bikes give the max weight of rider permissible)

    Your comments welcome.

    haha if you're near scotland my brother is selling his bike - he's a big guy.

    seriously though - get one now. i think it should be no problem getting one - 17 stone isn't that heavy for a guy.
  • little_miss_panda
    little_miss_panda Posts: 79
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    JMO - in my cycling career I've seen some major disasters come out of Halfords - badly set up and downright unsafe bikes. Don't go there if you want a bike that fits you and will last more than 5 minutes, or if you want to speak to staff who either know, or care, anything about bikes and riding.

    My personal recommendation? A 29er mountain bike (as in 29" wheels as opposed to standard 26"). Why?

    Larger wheels and larger frame carry weight better
    The larger wheels roll easy over potholes, ruts and uneven road surfaces - you get a much smoother ride
    You can do pretty much everything on it - most new mountain bikes come with lockout on the suspension forks, meaning effectively you can "turn off" the suspension when you don't need it (ie road riding). You could change the tyres for slicks when riding on the road for longer distances.
    Larger range of gears (helps if you're unused to cycling)

    I do have an old Ridgeback hybrid, saying that, which I've had since 2002 and despite owning some much newer and shinier bikes since, I've kept it because it's a faithful steed and has lasted like nothing else. They're a decent brand, they have hybrids starting around the £250 mark. If you're wedded to the hybrid idea, just make sure the tyres will stand up to off roading.
  • TheKeithEllis
    TheKeithEllis Posts: 155 Member
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    I will 2nd the need to stay away from Halfords, the MTB I got from there had to be replaced twice as the pedal threading had been damaged by whomever put them on!! I mean, how does that even happen! The pedal eventually fell off again on the last day of our C2C ride too, so I'm totally convinced that someone just didn't know what they were doing - very rare for that to happen! I will always look to use Cycles UK, Evans or specialist shops, I don't think Halfords truly train their staff to the standards required and I've nothing but praise for the Cycles UK and Evans staff I've dealt with thus far. They also seem genuinely interested in the hobby too rather than the disgruntled school leavers that Halfords seem to employ!
  • maca416
    maca416 Posts: 142 Member
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    + 1 Specialized bike's & equipment it's very good quality.
  • little_miss_panda
    little_miss_panda Posts: 79
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    + 1 Specialized bike's & equipment it's very good quality.

    In general they are - my road bike is a Specialized, my OH has a Rockhopper, and my dad has a Specialized Globe tourer. They do tend to skimp on tyre quality though, leading to more flats, so it would be worth investing in a better quality tyre than what comes with the bike.

    Their road bikes and mountain bikes are better built than the hybrids and touring bikes though, in my humble long term bike geek's opinion - my dad's bike has had a lot of mechanical problems, needed new forks due to a design fault, and the tyres were terrible. For hybrids, I'd look more towards a brand that leans more in that direction, like Ridgeback, Merida or Trek. The Evans cycles "own brand" isn't at all bad either - it's called Pinnacle, and because they're less well known, you can often get better value for money on those, ie better quality parts and spec for the same price as a branded bike of lesser quality. The guy who designs bikes for them used to design Genesis bikes, which are well known for quality and simplicity of design (I have a Genesis 29er MTB and absolutely love it). The look and feel of the Pinnacle bikes is very similar, clean lines, sturdy frames, almost retro feel.
  • leilaphoenix
    leilaphoenix Posts: 839 Member
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    I have a Ridgeback Speed for commuting and it has never let me down.

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