native son Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 Also, i discussed the idea of buying a lightweight mountain bike with the owner of a cycle shop. He said "you will only notice a marginal difference, it is down to how fit you are, that`s what make the difference" With a better bike its not only the weight, quality gear change, effective brakes are the things you notice and what makes a ride enjoyable . I was new to cycling 5 months ago and am now addicted. Oh and its not the rain that bothers me , I can soon dry out , its the wind that makes a ride difficult at times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hots on Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 Oh and its not the rain that bothers me , I can soon dry out , its the wind that makes a ride difficult at times. Tell me about it ! when the wind was particulaly bad a couple of weeks ago my journey home from work was hard work, the wind was against me all the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crayfish Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 I'm surprised that bike theft is that common in Sheffield. I've never carried around a chain lock in my life so I must get used to this. I think this is why bikes are relatively popular in Tokyo and not so much in the UK. That and the constant, soul-crushing rain. Tokyo winter weather has redefined my expectations of climate, I really have no idea why I am moving back to sodden England when I think about that. Anyway, I`m mulling a bike myself but not sure yet. Liverpool doesn`t have a great reputation as regards your possessions staying where you put them. You`d be fine cycling in Sheffield and it would be much cheaper than the tram, public transport is surprisingly expensive. Compared to other UK cities the crime rate is low in Sheffield (you`d still need a good lock!). Also be aware that cyclists are more expected to stick to the road in the UK rather than the pavement. I believe that wearing a helmet is a legal requirement there too [edit: I was wrong about this one, please disregard]. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyclone Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 There's no requirement to wear a helmet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyclone Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 Also, i discussed the idea of buying a lightweight mountain bike with the owner of a cycle shop. He said "you will only notice a marginal difference, it is down to how fit you are, that`s what make the difference" If you think about it, the difference between a 12 - 15kg £80 2nd hand bike (the one I bought last summer) and a modern 7kg £1000 bike is, about 7 - 10 kg. Naked I weigh 80kg. Dressed and ready to leave the house, probably 85+. So a saving of 7kg on the combined weight of me and the bike (coming close to 100kg) is <10%. It's only ever going to make a marginal difference to amount of energy required to shift the whole lot around. Decent bearings, low friction and loss of energy, they might add up as well, but unless you're in a time trial and cycling at a high level, an expensive bike won't make a difference to your performance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyclone Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 Cycling in sheffield centre you hardly ever have to go on the road, it is possible to take cycle paths most of the way round the centre. Cars are hardly allowed in the city centre anyway... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyclone Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 Cycle to and from work every day throughout winter including the snow days - can't remember the last time I got soaked (now I just KNOW what will happen this week) I got caught out a few times last year, I started keeping a change of clothes (and trainers) at work in case. On obviously soaking days though I just took the tram, so mainly I only got wet on the way home. Probably only once a fortnight though, nothing I couldn't cope with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spindrift Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 If you cycle to work in a half hour commute, for half an hour every day, statistically you only get rained on 12 times a year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyclone Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 Really, where do those statistics come from? I remember weeks where every single day has been continuous drizzle, which means in a single week you get rained on 10 times! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anywebsite Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 If you cycle to work in a half hour commute, for half an hour every day, statistically you only get rained on 12 times a year. I'm not sure where you get your stats from, or how you get home after work. I've heard that it rains for 1 in 3 hourly observations in some parts of the uk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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