Any clycling enthuiasts out there

Trick clyclist?

Too old to play for Celtic Flush so I need to do something to keep fit.

Modern technology, pah. It's all down to heart and commitment. Are you prepared to bury yourself to defeat the hill? Too keep going when your head tells you to give up and go home. Modern technology ain't no help there sonny. I suggest you take a good hard look in the mirror before you start dreaming. This is where the hurt starts!

Go for the modern replica.

This should be a popular thread. Lots of forumites like riding old bikes at the weekend.

paddletoe - bike technology had advanced so much in the last few years that I think it would be  a huge mistake to buy an old bike, no matter how retro it may look. It will break down regularly, be difficult to repair and you will end up hating it.

If you have £1000 to spend then you can't go wrong with a Boardman road bike - you get an excellent spec for the money and aestetically,they look great

Thank you Big H. Never thought how hard it might be to maintain an old original bike as you pointed out.

I had a look at the Boardman bike. I much prefer the look of the pashley though. It looks class. I will look like a young eddy merckx on it. The one I like best is the pashman clubman model.

Yes the Pashley Clubman  is a looker - reminds me of the old classic Peugeot bikes.

I wouldn't put you off buying it. Cool as.

Should have mentioned the clubman model I like is the urban version. Not going to lie. The look of the bike is going to come first. Its definitely the nicest I have seen so far. The timeless style of that bike is not going to go out of fashion ever!

Weight of bike is crucial. You'd be crazy to forgo the benefits of modern aluminium and/or carbon fibre frames and parts.

You would look more Eddie **** than Eddy Merckx if tackling climbs on a steel-framed machine.

What has Eddie Ye@ts done to get banned?

So would that modern relica be very heavy and hard to ride? I am not looking to join a cycle club but lets say I was a similar standard to everyone else would I get left for dead in a bike like the pashley? Just curious more than anything as I would not see it as a big problem going fast. If I have to work a lil harder in a particular bike I will get fitter quicker.

I would like the bike to be an enjoyable ride but I am looking for looks too and I love the look of retro and vintage racing bikes.

I bought a 25 year old racer off fleabay recently for about £120 and very pleased with it although it took a while to find something local, suitable and right size.  Steel is underrated - Reynolds tubing for example is good.  Heavy, durable, and the most comfy ride you can get.  Ideal for commuting or riding in the winter, ideal for getting fit. 

I do have a nice carbon fibre bike as well but I only ride it in good weather and won't leave it outside (even locked up) so it's not overly practical

The problem with weight is not so much the extra energy required on hills or the slower times (though they're significant enough - basic physics tells us that for every kilo you add to the weight of your bike or yourself you'll either travel approx. 1% more slowly up a 1:10 hill or expend 1% more energy).

The real problem is that you become more likely to encounter tiredness or sheer exhaustion. At that point your pedalling loses rhythm, you're straining against the gears and you lose all the efficiency of cycling. You don't become fitter, you just dismount. You become Eddy Berckx.

go to Halfords they'll help you

Steer clear of the urban model - a rather quirky item. One version has a two speed kick gear (ie you reverse pedal a bit and the gear changes to the other one) combined with a coaster brake (interestingly, also activated by a reverse pedal action) at the back and a drum (I think) brake on the front. The other version is at least simple, though more unforgiving - a three speed fixed(!) gear and no brakes at all!

I would pass on the Pashley Club man for two reasons; weight and gears. It weighs about 14Kg but you can get a carbon forked modern bike that weighs under 10kg for under £1,000. The Clubman has three speed Sturmey Archer gears, when you might as well have Shimano derailers and get 20 gears; you will appreciate the difference going up hill. I have a Trek 1.5 series and has the above spec and is a dream to ride' looks pretty cool too. Consider Giant, Merrida or Italian like Bianchi; all look pretty good. Good luck.

If you must have a retro bike the Pashley Clubman Country is an accurate replica of a 60's racing bike. It will weigh a bit more than the bikes from that era as it comes with mudguards  (which you can take off) and heavier wheels and tyres. The Urban is a bizarre machine and unlike anything which existed in those days. Both have a frame made with Reynolds 531 steel tubing. 531 was used in the majority of racing frames in the 60s and would have been used by Eddie Mercx and most of the other top pros.
A steel frame is much more comfortable than carbon fibre for general riding but is of course heavier.
This is a good time of year to buy a bike as there are a lot of deals going before the 2015 models come out.
If you want to buy from a big retailer Evans are good. Also worth looking at Chainreaction, Ribble and Wiggle. Or get yourself into your local independent bike shop. Halfords do have some good deals but it helps if you know what you are talking about before you go in as the staff often know more about selling than bikes. To be fair since they headhunted the main man from Pets at Home the company has improved.
Whatever you get make sure it's the right size for you. Most of the big retailers including Pashley have a size guide.
Have a look at http://www.pedalpedlar.co.uk/ for some genuine retro bikes.

Thanks for all the advice. Tried to find some reviews of the bike I liked but there is none online. I did come across the following comments on some forum about the pashley urban. In addition to the problems mentioned by others on here about the gears someone posted that its fashion statement for posers who want to look trendy riding around London village looking more athletic than they really are. They know me too well!

Actually, that's not true. I have three three hobbies in life, sport, history and traipsing around museums and art galleries when I have the time. I think a vintage racing bike blends all those elements in a way no other piece of touchable sport does. It epitomises strength, endurance, speed, mental and physical. Its a piece of history and one of the most wonderful pieces of asthetic art.   

Getting carried away a little but thanks again for all the advice.

go to Halfords they'll help you

The kids at Halfords haven't got a fekking clue!

You will be extraordinarily lucky to get one who is a cycling enthusiast let alone any real mechanical knowledge.

They would all rather be downstairs selling enormous woofers and tweeters.

"Let us build your bike"!!! They couldn't even build my grandsons balance bike. Kid came downstairs with it and the front
mudguard was loose, the brake didn't work and it wouldn't stand on it's stand, even on their level floor.

Try Evans or a small independent shop, run by cyclists, who are enthusiastic.

Or do what the last pillock did on here.

Talked about a budget of £700.00 (I think that's correct) and got loads of sound advice, and finished up buying a wreck from a neighbour,
that he said was "Cleaning up nicely"!!!!

No way would I want to go back to farting about with gear shifters on the down tube, rather than the super slick, efficient and more secure ones on the bars.

If you actually want to enjoy riding it then pound for pound this is nigh on impossible to beat:

http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/FBPXSLPULT6800/planet-x-pro-carbon-shimano-ultegra-6800-road-bike

Ultegra 6800 on a £900 bike? Incredibly good value, the frame is good too, I've had a go on a colleague's, it's probably £1800's worth of bike for half that.

Totally agree with you there Aunty. I've just built up a bike from a lot of the stuff I've got lying around in the garage from when I was racing in the 60's and 70s so it's very retro particularly the Major Nicholls frame (http://www.classiclightweights.co.uk/builders/majornichols.html)
Everything's fine except the gear shifters on the down tube are a pain so handlebars and brake/gear levers are coming off another bike. Spoils the retro look but so what.
When racing now it must be great to be able to change gear in the sprint(gallop). Something you couldn't do when you had to take one hand off and reach down to change gears.

Halfords is not quite so bad now after the change at the very top but I remember a 16yo lad I know getting a job there as a bike mechanic. Frightening. Trouble is those small independent shops are harder to find now Halfords have put so many out of business.

Ken, that looks like a steal! Only problem is, try to ride it and you will be in deep trouble!

I bought my daughter a "Fuji" carbon fibre road bike last year.

Got the very last one available in the livery, and it was brought up from Gatwick, to Evans close to us, and no it wasn't a sales close as,
after ordering it was not available on the website.

Might get into bother for talking about money again, but we preferred this to the new colour scheme, and otherwise there is no difference,
so £1,250 instead of £1,495.00.

Gemma got a real buzz when we saw a team riding the brand in "Le Tour".

Only problem is, try to ride it and you will be in deep trouble!

How come?

Look at the fekking photo Ken!"

Ah right, yes, one should also invest in a pair of pedals. Or some wooden spoons if the budget doesn't permit.

you buy the pedals separately.

Yeah I know. I was only joking, as people need different pedals, to suit their riding style.

This my ride......

Not an expensive bike but looks fantastic, and it is an all out road bike (not a hybrid) and the flat bars are much  more comfortable,
and secure for me.

The thumb shifters on the bars are slick and accurate, and whilst I've had it for six years they've never needed adjusting.

I'd have to second Ken's post paddle. Usually it is Wiggle or Ribble I think who come up with a comparable spec bike to PlanetX but sometimes one or other comes up with something a bit special and that is a hell of a lot of bike for the money. I race pretty much that bike in triathlons but bought it with some SRAM RED components for a similar price about 5 years ago. It's a belting bike and it's never given me any trouble.

The one question I'd ask is what do you want it for in terms of the actual riding? A heavy bike doesn't cause many problems if you are riding on the flat but if you live in a hilly area you don't want to be knocking your pipe out until your fitness levels have got to the point where you can handle the work.

Aunty
Nice bike but please adjust that saddle so it's horizontal. You may then need to move it back a cm or so.

Bix, the saddle is like that for a good reason, which is that otherwise all my dangly bits go to sleep!

Actually I need new pedals as these are designed as only appropriate with toe clips.

Had to take the clips off in the Summer, having fallen off twice due to not being able to get out of them quickly enough.

The strange saddle angle could partly explain the falling off. A forward sloping saddle pushes too much of your weight onto the bars and the pedals (and leaves too little where it should be - on the saddle). With the pedals supporting weight it will inevitably become more difficult to extract your feet from the straps quickly, just as removing shoes is easier when sitting than standing.

Indeed, with a saddle like that, clips or straps seem pointless. You wont be able to pull up on the rear part of the rotation if the pedals are also bearing an undue amount of weight.

I bought some of those gel cycle shorts but don't have a bike

Well of course that all sounds very scientific but in fact is not reality. I'm not sliding forwards and having to keep pushing back.

If it were a more pronounced slope you might have a point, but it's only enough to take some pressure off my bits (my botty is still on the rear of the saddle).

The fact is I fell off, one time, when the saddle was in  a straight position (so it's nothing to do with the angle of the saddle) but had to get off every couple of miles to get some blood flowing again.
There isn't much choice, as were it not for the saddle angle being a fix of the problem, I simply would not go off on it.

There is available a radical saddle design, where only the buttocks are seated, but it looks pretty stupid.

I'll have a look to see if there are any cycling shorts that would help but, in the Spring, I'm going to get another bike that is more comfortable
all round and more suitable for someone of my senior years!