Which bike should I buy?

[Batty]

Hello people

 

I want to buy a bike for keep fit purposes but have no clue what to buy.  I took up jogging 2 months ago but im a big bloke and shin splints have kicked in so im worried I might cause an injury, so I think its time to get a bike.  

 

I was thinking of getting a hybrid, and want to spend just like 10,000 Baht.  Its only for 1 hour a day mostly around a lake on a concrete path.

 

It would be great if you could just steer me towards a brand?  There are a few bike shops around my area, I guess I want to head into the shops knowing which brand I should ask for.  Or at this price point does it realy matter?

 

Many thanks for your help

 

Batty

[StreetCowboy]

Don’t worry so much about the brand, sort out your specification first.

i am guessing you want flat handlebars, not drop bars (rams horns)

If your area is fairly flat then steel or aluminium frame will be fine.

if you’re not planning serious trails or jungle-bashing then don’t bother with rear suspension.  You could probably do without front suspension as well, if you are not planning to ride off-road.

 

if you are a big bloke, you probably want 29” / 700c wheels.  Try to avoid being sold a bike that is too small for you; they will probably try to sell you whatever they in the shop.  After you have had a sit on it and feel comfortable, and maybe had a ride round the yard, check that you can extend the seat post a couple of inches, because as you get used to riding you will want a higher saddle.

 

if the area where you live is flat then two chain rings at the front will be ok; if it’s hilly, 3 chain rings - like a mountain bike.  Your top speed is governed by your big chain wheel teeth to small back cog ratio, and really, 44-11 is fine.  You don’t need 50-11 unless you want to be hitting 70 kph downhill. For steep hills, it’s small chain wheel : big back cog, and I often wish I had lower than 34:28; I reckon there’s little point going below 1:1 as it’s hard to manage such low gearing on tarmac.

 

I would recommend spending so much that your eyes watered.  You’ll feel obliged to ride more, and the bike will not be your limiting factor.  On the other hand, maybe you should aim to spend as little as possible (I think THB 10,000 will be a struggle), and then once you realise how much you enjoy cycling, you’ll also have a better idea what bike you really  want.

 

Shop round, and make a note of the best two offers (best spec and best price)  at each bike shop.  Then, if you don’t have a clear winner, ask again for opinions, and ignore those from people  that don’t understand your values and concerns (that’s this post in the bin, then...)

 

one hour a day - say 5 days x  1 hours x 18 kph per week works out at 4,500 km per year, which is a lot.  But you’ll probably quickly start varying your route, riding further, it’s a great way to get out and about

[StreetCowboy]

For background, I had similar objectives to yourself four years ago.  I thought cycling would give me an alternative pastime, but I found that cycling interferes with my drinking much less than drinking interferes with my cycling.  

 

Anyway, it was a five-day public holiday   Weekend, so I walked down to my local bike shop. They were quite busy “I’ll be with you in a minute, sir” so I browsed and checked the prices and sucked my teeth and shook my head and my eyes watered.

”Can I help you, sir?”

”No, I seem to have come to the wrong shop” and I walked out.  I was sure there was another bike shop near by but I couldn’t find it.  I had a cup of coffee.  It was a five-day weekend.  It would be a long walk home.  

So I went back into the shop. “Do you have anything like this, but much cheaper?” I said, pointing to a bike more or less at random.

So he sold me a mountain bike two sizes too small for me; it’s the best bike I’ve ever owned, I rode about 10,000 km , all on road, but I was nervous the frame or seat post would fail from being over-extended (it was ok when I left the shop, but over time I raised the saddle).

I paid about THB 30,000 for that, and I was on the brink of tears walking out of the shop till I overheard the conversation of the farang behind me, who was speccing his bike; it was going to be THB 300,000!

 

I’ve since bought two more bikes, and cascaded that one to a friend.  Cycling didn’t limit my drinking but the health benefits of cycling may let me drink longer.  And I would say that it has really revitalised me.

[Batty]

15 hours ago, StreetCowboy said:

Don’t worry so much about the brand, sort out your specification first.

i am guessing you want flat handlebars, not drop bars (rams horns)

If your area is fairly flat then steel or aluminium frame will be fine.

if you’re not planning serious trails or jungle-bashing then don’t bother with rear suspension.  You could probably do without front suspension as well, if you are not planning to ride off-road.

 

if you are a big bloke, you probably want 29” / 700c wheels.  Try to avoid being sold a bike that is too small for you; they will probably try to sell you whatever they in the shop.  After you have had a sit on it and feel comfortable, and maybe had a ride round the yard, check that you can extend the seat post a couple of inches, because as you get used to riding you will want a higher saddle.

 

if the area where you live is flat then two chain rings at the front will be ok; if it’s hilly, 3 chain rings - like a mountain bike.  Your top speed is governed by your big chain wheel teeth to small back cog ratio, and really, 44-11 is fine.  You don’t need 50-11 unless you want to be hitting 70 kph downhill. For steep hills, it’s small chain wheel : big back cog, and I often wish I had lower than 34:28; I reckon there’s little point going below 1:1 as it’s hard to manage such low gearing on tarmac.

 

I would recommend spending so much that your eyes watered.  You’ll feel obliged to ride more, and the bike will not be your limiting factor.  On the other hand, maybe you should aim to spend as little as possible (I think THB 10,000 will be a struggle), and then once you realise how much you enjoy cycling, you’ll also have a better idea what bike you really  want.

 

Shop round, and make a note of the best two offers (best spec and best price)  at each bike shop.  Then, if you don’t have a clear winner, ask again for opinions, and ignore those from people  that don’t understand your values and concerns (that’s this post in the bin, then...)

 

one hour a day - say 5 days x  1 hours x 18 kph per week works out at 4,500 km per year, which is a lot.  But you’ll probably quickly start varying your route, riding further, it’s a great way to get out and about

 

Realy appreciate that buddy thanks so much - great advice.  I will take all of that into account when I nip to the shop.  By the way when I say 'big bloke' I probably mean bigger than average, but not too big.  Im 6 feet, 95 kilos.  45 years old, if that makes any difference.  I was 109 kilos 3 months ago but jogging and diet has helped.

 

I did buy a decent bike a few years back.  It was a budget bike I guess but at the higher end of budget with a 28,000 price tag.  Specialized brand.  I cant for the life of me remember what I even did with it.  I remember buying it, and riding it a little but at the time I wasn't serious about getting fit (not like now).  I guess I must have sold it to a friend or something -  blimey that was only 3 years ago and I have absolutely no idea what happened to it how strange.

 

So maybe 10K is just too cheap?  A few years ago I would have took no issue with spending 100K on a bike to get started but business has been pretty poor the last year or two and I cant afford to splurge.  Maybe I should look at something for 20K?  Will that get me something reasonable?  I cant realy afford anything over 20K right now.  Maybe thats enough to get started and further down the line if business improves and I enjoy this as a hobby I can splurge a bit.

 

One thing - I remember now why I didn't ride it too much a few years ago.  I got massive neck aches after riding for hours.  Obviously owing to bending forward but looking up.  Would you recommend buying raised handle bars?  I know there is something you can buy to raise the bars up and give you a more upright neck?

[Batty]

15 hours ago, StreetCowboy said:

For background, I had similar objectives to yourself four years ago.  I thought cycling would give me an alternative pastime, but I found that cycling interferes with my drinking much less than drinking interferes with my cycling.  

 

Anyway, it was a five-day public holiday   Weekend, so I walked down to my local bike shop. They were quite busy “I’ll be with you in a minute, sir” so I browsed and checked the prices and sucked my teeth and shook my head and my eyes watered.

”Can I help you, sir?”

”No, I seem to have come to the wrong shop” and I walked out.  I was sure there was another bike shop near by but I couldn’t find it.  I had a cup of coffee.  It was a five-day weekend.  It would be a long walk home.  

So I went back into the shop. “Do you have anything like this, but much cheaper?” I said, pointing to a bike more or less at random.

So he sold me a mountain bike two sizes too small for me; it’s the best bike I’ve ever owned, I rode about 10,000 km , all on road, but I was nervous the frame or seat post would fail from being over-extended (it was ok when I left the shop, but over time I raised the saddle).

I paid about THB 30,000 for that, and I was on the brink of tears walking out of the shop till I overheard the conversation of the farang behind me, who was speccing his bike; it was going to be THB 300,000!

 

I’ve since bought two more bikes, and cascaded that one to a friend.  Cycling didn’t limit my drinking but the health benefits of cycling may let me drink longer.  And I would say that it has really revitalised me.

Lol, tickled me that did thanks.  I was quite happy with jogging to be honest.  This lake that i visit has a load of serious looking bikers and every time they fly by me I always thought nah, happy with jogging I will stick with this.  These shin splints have totally put paid to it though.  I would have expected shin splints to be a thing when I first started jogging but for some reason it has only just kicked in now, 2 or 3 months after starting - just when I was getting quite good at it.  I googled it and cant find any evidence of shin splints from biking so I guess thats what I will have to do.  Just hope I learn to enjoy it as much as the jogging.  I hated it at first but realy grew to enjoy it after a few weeks.  

[bobfish]

I wouldn't add much more to SC's advice. But to agree: get an alloy 700c hybrid with a big enough frame. Too small will annoy you in the long run. You might get lucky with something for 10K 2nd hand - but I'd really try to double that to get better quality. Don't buy from Tesco or the like, it won't last [but there's always someone here to disagree with me].  At 10K[+/-], have a look at the lower end 'better' brands like Trinx, LA Bike etc /If there is a Decathlon in your area, they have their Btwin which is about the best spec/Bt. Avoid a suspension fork at that price point. Rim brakes with better gears is better than cable discs with dud shifting. Another consideration could be 650 wheels with fatter smooth tyres [not mtb knobbies] for a more comfortable ride. 

[Samui Bodoh]

Hi All

 

This thread is somewhat similar to one I started a year ago in the Samui section (below)

 

OP, I am just like you; I started cycling a few years ago as I thought that smoking was doing damage and I needed to counter it with exercise. I am now 1 year smoke free (Hooray!), but I still cycle 6-7 days a week, 20 KM every morning on pavement here on Samui.

 

Look through the thread, including all the different shops and sites; it is a goldmine!

 

I ride a 6 year old mountain bike on the road just before dawn almost everyday, and I love it! I was going to buy a new bike, but in the end simply bought a few new parts and kept going.

 

I don't check this part of the Forum very often, but feel free to PM if I can provide further info.

 

Cheers

SB

 

PS 10,000 might be low; expect about 20,000. But, if you are riding more than 4-5 times a week, spend the money.

 

 

[rebo]

On 9/23/2018 at 6:16 PM, Samui Bodoh said:

expect about 20,000. But, if you are riding more than 4-5 times a week, spend the money.

Can only second this. The better the equipment, and here I mean the shifting/gear system in first place, the more you will enjoy your rides.
For 10'000 THB you'll get not much more than - sorry! - cheap crap.

[JohnMc45]

Another vote for spending a little more know. You will enjoy it much more. I am bigger than you and I will fly past much younger and healthier people peddling for all their worth on there Walmart bikes. 

[StreetCowboy]

On 9/23/2018 at 1:18 PM, Batty said:

Lol, tickled me that did thanks.  I was quite happy with jogging to be honest.  This lake that i visit has a load of serious looking bikers and every time they fly by me I always thought nah, happy with jogging I will stick with this.  These shin splints have totally put paid to it though.  I would have expected shin splints to be a thing when I first started jogging but for some reason it has only just kicked in now, 2 or 3 months after starting - just when I was getting quite good at it.  I googled it and cant find any evidence of shin splints from biking so I guess thats what I will have to do.  Just hope I learn to enjoy it as much as the jogging.  I hated it at first but realy grew to enjoy it after a few weeks.  

Have you bought a bike yet?  Can you post a picture? Everyone likes pictures.

[ttakata]

I bought a fatbike for 15k, called a Totem KDS-D a few years ago.  It has proper Shimano XT 10 speed and Shimano hydro disc brakes, and can roll over any crappy roads with 4" wide tires.  They seem to be 19k nowadays, so that may be approaching a real bike brand status.  Anyway, maybe Totem sells a decent city or mtb for less money.  My friend had a Panther fatbike which was good for the money too so that brand might be worth a look.