WDB
Full Member
Posts: 7,352
|
Bike fit
Oct 26, 2018 18:54:58 GMT
via mobile
Post by WDB on Oct 26, 2018 18:54:58 GMT
Went all the way to Islington after work yesterday to visit a bike shop. Not one I’d visited before, but one I feel drawn to because of the quote unnecessarily warm welcome I’d had at their branch on ‘my’ part of London.
By which I mean I popped in last year on spec, when I didn’t really need a new bike, and asked what they had that I might like. And they just said, “Here you are, sir, try this,” put me on top of it and sent me out into the streets of London. Brilliant.
Anyway, that bike probably isn’t for me (although it might be if I could justify a whole stable for different purposes) and most of the type that are, they keep in, you guessed, Islington. So there I was, and yes, they say, of course they can find me a bike to suit. But will it be big enough? Well, sir, we ought to do a bike fit to make sure. That’ll be £90, but we’ll credit that against whatever bike you buy from us.
So should I? I went through a fairly basic measurement exercise in Reading last year that told me I should have 625mm of top tube and 405mm of reach. Will this super-duper one tell me any more?
They do have done really nice bikes there.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 26, 2018 20:42:02 GMT
If you're likely to buy a bike from them then it's a no brainer, surely?
If you're not likely to buy it from them, then perhaps you should get it done wherever you will buy. though I do hope their customer service will be rewarded.
|
|
|
Post by Humph on Oct 27, 2018 10:01:53 GMT
Well worth it if you're thinking of spending a bit, and looking at a potentially long term bike.
|
|
WDB
Full Member
Posts: 7,352
|
Bike fit
Feb 12, 2019 16:11:25 GMT
via mobile
Post by WDB on Feb 12, 2019 16:11:25 GMT
Still haven’t been back for my fit. A family emergency at the shop postponed my first appointment and I’ve not been in London enough to rearrange it.
Meanwhile I’ve talked to a couple of dealers nearer here and been disappointed to be steered firmly towards whichever is their preferred major brand — Trek here, Giant there. Not that there’s anything wrong with a big-brand bike, just that I was hoping I might feel the love a bit more from something more niche.
|
|
|
Post by Alanović on Feb 12, 2019 16:26:33 GMT
This is a somewhat less exciting update than my latest £70 on the Leaf.
|
|
WDB
Full Member
Posts: 7,352
|
Bike fit
Feb 12, 2019 16:48:36 GMT
via mobile
Post by WDB on Feb 12, 2019 16:48:36 GMT
To you, perhaps. To the bike-literate here (several more so than me) it might be an invitation to further discussion, preferred brands, sympathetic dealers, that sort of thing.
But you should keep those updates coming. Definitely. 😛
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Bike fit
Feb 12, 2019 21:12:19 GMT
via mobile
Post by Deleted on Feb 12, 2019 21:12:19 GMT
Several (at least ten) years ago I went to a local dealer and bought a lovely bike that was perfect for me. Think it was a sub-brand of Specialised. Anyway it got stolen. No one has been able to find me a bike that suits me as well for less than £1,000 whereas the original bike was under £400.
|
|
WDB
Full Member
Posts: 7,352
|
Bike fit
Feb 12, 2019 22:48:07 GMT
via mobile
Post by WDB on Feb 12, 2019 22:48:07 GMT
That’s pretty much where I am, Esp. The old bike was the bottom of a moderately upmarket range in 1997. I think I paid about 400 USD for it, which might be twice that now. But it just worked for me. Now I’m planning a shift to a slightly different, more athletic style of bike — and don’t have a full set of measurements of the stolen one — it’s proving a little difficult to simply pick something, knowing I’m at the edge of the major makers’ size range. A bike that’s too small is like shoes that are too small; no amount of fettling will make it right.
But I’ve found a dealer in Oxford — half an hour away — that stocks Surly, whose lightweight steel frames seem like good value and come in promisingly large sizes like 64cm. Worth a phone call to see what they can put me on.
|
|
|
Post by Alanović on Feb 13, 2019 8:14:29 GMT
To you, perhaps. To the bike-literate here (several more so than me) it might be an invitation to further discussion, preferred brands, sympathetic dealers, that sort of thing. But you should keep those updates coming. Definitely. 😛 Well I took your comment about the Leaf thread as humorous, and thought I was responding in kind. You know, how we tend to do here, give and take.
Hey ho.
|
|
WDB
Full Member
Posts: 7,352
|
Bike fit
Feb 13, 2019 11:35:29 GMT
via mobile
Post by WDB on Feb 13, 2019 11:35:29 GMT
OK — I didn’t mean to sound tetchy either. Sorry if I did.
|
|
|
Post by Alanović on Feb 13, 2019 11:47:38 GMT
|
|
|
Post by tyrednexited on Feb 13, 2019 19:30:36 GMT
...bloody snowflakes.....
|
|
|
Post by Humph on Mar 17, 2019 9:55:36 GMT
Halfords have a. deal on at the moment which is quite attractive. You can trade in an old bike, or even an old helmet against a new bike and get a 20% discount off a new bike.
The Boardmans and the Voodoos are actually very good for the money and at 20% off represent great value. Even the Carerras aren't bad as hack about bikes.
But, for example, if you went for a full suss Boardman that should be £1600 and traded in an old helmet against it you'd be saving £320. If I've read the terms correctly.
Not too shabby.
|
|
WDB
Full Member
Posts: 7,352
|
Post by WDB on Mar 17, 2019 18:33:52 GMT
Can't quite bring myself to shop at Halfords for something I actually care about. I went to Oxford yesterday and was quite impressed by one of these. www.cannondale.com/Europe/bike/Productdetail?Id=807f4937-3254-4a46-bcf2-b9840a6e08aaThe one they had was an L, which was too small but by less than I expected. The XL is about 40mm bigger in the important dimensions. Nice looking bike too. Or there's this, which I've not yet seen up close, but is by a brand the shop in Caversham can get. whyte.bike/products/friston?variant=17873336664122Bit more expensive, but it looks really well thought out - things like the wide bars and short stem ought to help with manoeuvring on rough tracks, while it's light enough to be usefully quick on tarmac. Bigger than 58cm suggests, too, and I really like the colour.
|
|