Drooper

As I say, I'm not expecting anything from them. I was making sure that they knew I wasn't simply reporting a wee pothole. Any talk of financial implications will have had them on their toes, as the last thing they would want is to blank my email and for someone else to follow it up having taken a sore one only to find out that the pothole had already been reported. Credit is due for the speedy repair, and you are quite right, I'm just glad I didn't come off the bike or veer off into oncoming traffic. Anyway, you don't ask....you don't get

Schwalbe Ultremo ZX tyres retail at £37.99, though you could probably pick them up online for £30. I hardly think it's unreasonable to quote the recommended retail price in respect of any claim. The reason I'd covered 12 miles is because I'd had the bike (brand-new) for 2 days, and had only used it for one return commute to work prior to the blow-out. Had the tyres been worn, I wouldn't have bothered to even claim for a replacement. I don't expect to be compensated for the tyre, TBH. I suppose it is a hazard that you expect, but would you suggest that a motorist who sustained damage to his car as a result of encountering a road defect shouldn't seek recompense?

**UPDATE** So I emailed the cooncil on Saturday afternoon with various photos, a description of the area, and details of my mishap. I took another route on my commute yesterday, but decided to ride past the scene of the crime this morning, and, to my great surprise, the hole has been repaired! Credit where it's due, that was quick work, and the repair seems to be of a good standard, so no complaints there. I now await a response to my request for recompense in terms of the cost of a new tyre. I'm not overly confident that this will be dealt with so rapidly or to a satisfactory conclusion....

I wasn't too keen on the idea of drops having last been on a 'racing' bike as a kid (my treasured BSA Javelin!). I'm now glad I opted to try them again, though. They offer a better range of hand positions than a flat bar bike (even one with bar ends). Cruising along with your hands over the brake/gear hoods is the default option, and is pretty comfortable, giving easy access to the brakes (and gears is the bike is set up this way). Don't write off drops would be my suggestion. The Sirrus sounds like a good shout, though.

No shame there, mate. First off...good to hear you took the plunge with a new road bike. How are you finding it? I had a very similar experience a good few years ago when I tagged along on a MTB ride with a club based in Stirling. For the most part, they weren't very welcoming, and it seemed like a large clique. I suppose that's to be expected from any club. Pretty early on, I flagged. One guy was very decent and tracked back and was willing to hang back with me but I told him to join the others. The rest couldn't have given a shit. About 10 minutes later, after I'd chucked it and was tootling along at my own pace, another solitary rider past me coming from the other direction. He was clearly a pretty seasoned rider but stopped for a blether, asking if I was with the bunch up ahead. I told him about what had happened, and he though tit was pretty shitty, and invited me to tag along with him. He showed me some good tracks, and I enjoyed the rest of the day. I think that put me off club runes, but reinforced my belief that the cycling community as a whole consists of a pretty decent bunch of folk. In other news.... On my commute to work yesterday on the new Cube, a right fucking trumpet tried to pass me on the road as I passed a traffic island separating the single, b-road lanes. This funnelled me into the gutter area where I hit a hellish hole (I'll try to post a pic as I went back to the scene of the crime today to report the hole - it's shoddy patch up after utility co. work) and the back tyre immediately blew-out. Fortunately, I didn't lose control, and managed to pull in and change the tube by the roadside. When I got home, I noticed a bulge in the tyre wall. on inspection, I realised there is a tear in the inner tyre wall too. I'd covered all of 12 miles on the bike since new, and the fucking tyre is trashed. Shwalbe Ultremo ZX, at £37.99 a pop FFS! I've emailed the cooncil with pics, and I'm demanding money for a new tyre. Fancy my chances?

I've no intention of getting too heavily into it either. It has always been a leisure pursuit, though I now cycle to work most days and that is a great way of keeping the fitness up while not having to find too much additoinal time elsewhere. I try to vary my commute route at least 2 or 3 times a week to keep it interesting. A long ride at the weekend (ooh err missus!) to round off the week and I'm happy. I'm too old to get competitive about anything - I'll inevitably let myself down. Now on the wrong side of 40, I'd rather not make a monumental cunt of myself by trying to keep up with the young lads and the racing snakes. That's one of the things that puts me off the club scene, though I hear they can be pretty relaxed about things. It's like 5s, though - you invariably get invited along for a game on the promise that it's just a kick-about and a bit of a laugh, only to be subjected to fat, red-faced fuckers abusing you for misplacing a pass or dislocating their kneecaps I was never a skinny runner. I've lost more weight since I started cycling regularly. It's an odd one, that, because I trained quite religiously when I was running the odd half-marathon. Maybe I just ate more shite.

Watch the old knees if you use (or decide to change to) clipless pedals. They make a huge difference, but you need to make sure that you set them up correctly. I used to run, too, but wear and tear has resulted in me chucking it now. The last half marathon I finished in 2009 bored me shitless, and I actually enjoyed the training more - something else that leads me to believe that I'm a solitary beast at heart when it comes to either running or cycling. I love cycling. It keeps you fit, saves you money (if you know when to stop buying bikes and bits ), and gives you an excuse to feel a bit smug about the weightloss, fitness, and your environmental credentials - ie: all the things that people hate cyclists for feeling smug about, which is all the more reason to enjoy and flaunt them .

I've been swithering about joining a club. The whole etiquette thing gives me the heebeegeebees just thinking about it. I just can't be arsed with the effort of learning what is accepted practice, and what isn't on. I quite like the solitary element of a long bike run. Time to clear your head and enjoy the peace. It would be good to have a mate or two who were into road-biking, so we could have a sociable run now and again, and I'm currently working on that. In other news, I've had my maiden ride on the new bike (Cube Attempt). Super-skinny race tyres (Schwalbe Ultremos) inflated to 120 psi, off-set a bit by the carbon fork. Fantasic shifting with the Shimano 105s (though I spent about 3 hours swearing at them setting them up last night - one of the perils of buying online as opposed to using your local bike shop), and it goes like stink! Early days, but it feels good....very good. All going well, I hope to do a 40 mile or so run at the weekend. I'm sick of this shitty weather, though. It's harder to drag myself away from the wine aisle on a Friday when the forecast is for wind and rain on a Saturday monring, but hopefully a long ride on my new steed will do the trick.

Just received a text from my daughter to say that my new bike has been delivered Poor lassie. She is on study leave for her highers but I woke her up at 8.45am to make sure she was conscious in case the bike arrived early, and then called her from work after I arrived to make sure she hadn't went back to sleep I'll post a review once winter passes and I can actually get out on the fecker!

For £500 I'd seriously consider a 2010 bike from one of the bigger stores. You could pick up a bike that would cost at least 1/3 less than the 2011 version, so would be looking at either saving a few quid, or significantly upgrading your options. There doesn't look to be a great deal wrong with the bike you're looking at right enough.

Wise man. It's insane out there. We passed numerous trees down on the road home. Not a day to be biking it at all!

On the tarmac, the difference between a mountain bike wth knobbly tyres (or even semi- or full slicks for that matter) and a genuine road bike is huge. I alternate between my commute-adapted MTB - a good bike with very decent components - and a stripped back road bike for my journey to and from work depending on weather and a few other factors. The road bike flies in comparison, I mean really flies. To the guys that are trying to measure how well they're getting on, and how fast they are cycling, when using a MTB (especially cheap, heavy bikes with pretty basic to duff componentry - or BSOs as they are often unkindly known....bike-shaped objects) I'd say you are undoubtedly doing yourself a dis-service. I'm not a racing-snake, super-fit, heart-monitoring obssessive, by any manner of means, but hitting 40 mph on a push-bike has to be one of the most exhilirating experiences you can have without breaking the law. If you have a mate who has a road bike, ask for a shot. It feels pretty skittish and can be a nervy experience at first, but get a few miles under your belt and you'll be amazed at how quickly you will shift in comparison to using your old bike. It's night and day, and this is coming from someone who has used a MTB for the past 10 years and only recently started road cycling. I'm totally hooked now, to the extent that I've incurred the wrath of my missus by splurging out £1K on a shiny new bike. You don't need to spend anything like that kind of money to experience the benefits of a proper road-going bike.

MyTracks differentiates from moving time and stopped time (if that makes sense). It's a fantastic app - I use it on my Desire. Masses of information and charts the route on Google Earth.

It's chucking it down here, and more of the same tomorrow Had hoped to get out for a couple of hours this morning but I couldn't face it. Not quite hard core just yet

Aye, I'm just always on the lookout for a haggling opportunity, but it sounds as though you've got a good set-up for the money.

Looks good. Happy riding! Saddle looks a bit dodgy to me. I'd recommend a wee upgrade in the not too distant future: The Dug's Baws! Great saddles, and pleny to colour options and designs to customise your steed. BTW - £70 for the accessories you mention seems a bit steep. I'd be looking for a helmet too

It's Action Medical Research or something like that, though I'm doing it in memory of my father-in-law for the British Heart Foundation. As you say, the Boardman bikes get great reviews. I'm not keen on how they look, but that's just petty

There is that option. Sizing a bike and gettnig a feel for it is pretty important, no doubt about that, but the best deals are usually online. You get vast choice, too. My employer is opening up the Cycle to Work scheme again next week (I already have a folder on this), just a week after I arranged to get my new bike from Formby. I could cancel the finance and I reckon they'd be okay with refunding the deposit, but I want the Cube. I would get a good enough bike through the scheme but it is limited in choice and I'm not sure that I want to settle for second best here as I'm forking out a fair few bob either way. It's a similar situation with local bike shops. They usually only stock certain brands, whereas you can get literally anything online. The Cycle to Work folks are supposedly looking into ways in which I could get the Cube through them, but they haven't got back to me yet, and my bike from Formby should be ready for delivery over the next few days. Bit of a dilemma really....

I suspect you probably have to spend a minimum amount before qualifying for 0% interest from Formby (and most others). I'm paying £1K and will get 24 months. It might be £500 over a year or something similar (and £2K+ over 36 months etc.). That is the usual scenario. I'd be surprised if they offer the facility for less that that. If the master has £300 - £400 handy, then I'd agree that he'd be better opting for the Spec or Giant. I'd go for the Spec as noted above. If I didn't already have a MTB that I've adapted for the commute when the conditions are a bit too shit for the road bike, then I'd be looking at the Sirrus, no question.

Aye, I reckon the Speccy would be a very good option. It'll be a very decent frame, with plenty of scope to upgrade later if desired. That would certainly be my choice if I had that budget and was looking for a decent hybrid-type bike. Internal cable routing at this price is impressive, and with a mixture of Shimano and SRAM components, and decent rims, this is a very good package for the money IMO. Once you get into the habit of your commute, you'll feel agitated if you skip a day when you had planned to ride. I have a pretty short 12 mile round trip but there are hills at either end so it is pretty challenging at times, but I've now got into the mindset whereby I'll be taking the bike pretty much regrdless of the weather. I also often extend the route for a bit of a challenge and some variety. A 30 mile round trip is another proposition right enough, but your goal of commuting by bike 2 or 3 times a week sounds like a good plan, giving yourself rest days in between. My suggestion would be to sign up for an organised ride at some point - later in the summer perhaps. I'm doing the Glasgow 100 (mile) in August, so I need to get ride time under my belt. This can be the prompt I need to get my arse on the bike in the morning as opposed to taking the car or getting a life with the missus.

Just going by the pics.... The Meteor looks a bit more 'sit up and beg' to me - a more upright, relaxed riding position, if not very purposeful. The Velocity looks to be more of a chuck around, thrasher. The Velocity is probably a bit lighter, not least as it doesn't come with mudguards and a rack fitted. The Metoer is probably a bit more utilitarian, while the other Velocity no doubt has the option to add a rack and guards when the weather becomes shittier. A lot will depend on what you use the bike for. The Metoer would be practical for commuting I'd have thought, but might not be regarded as quite so cool. Ridgeback seem to be a decent enough brand, from what little knowledge I have.

Giant is a big name and they make everything from kids bikes to pro racing machines. Along the same lines as Trek in some respects. You get a lot for your money, and the quality is generally very good. I don't think you'll go far wrong. Don't write off second hand, though. ETA: remember that you'll also get good deals on 2010 models (up to 40% off in some cases) so shop around (though you seem to have clocked that already). ETA#2: well worth a look: http://www.evanscycles.com/products/specialized/sirrus-2011-hybrid-bike-ec023871 A more sporty option with good upgrade potential.

Sorry to hear that mate. To be honest, my purchase hasn't gone down too well, and I've been swithering a bit. It wasn't exactly an impulse buy, but I'm not sure that I thought it through given the prevailing financial situation at home. I got the bike from Formby Cycles with 24 months interest free credit. It's a long time to be tied in to a finance deal, but I figured I could easily piss £37 against the wall every month and at least this is a healthy use of the cash. To be honest, buying a new bike should be an almost religious experience, and, while I'm looking forward to the delivery, I'm not 100% convinced that I've done the right thing. This conscience thing is overrated

Played 5s yesterday for the first time in the last year, and I feel as though someone has set about me with a cricket bat. I thought I was getting in pretty good shape with the cycling, but it just goes to show how tough football is at times. Still managed to commute to work in the pishing rain on the MTB , though. The Cube should be with me by this time next week. Good times

I've placed a deposit on a Cube Attempt road bike (compact chainset). The bike won best 2011 bike for under £1K (albeit by a penny) in Cycling Plus magazine. My missus isn't best thrilled and I'm still trying to negotiate this one TBH. I wonder if her ire is more based on the fact that I'm getting more and more into this road biking malarky and I'm therefore more likely to come to a nasty end before my time. Alternatively, she might just think I'm being a greedy, unreasonable cunt. I'd like to think it is the former, but my head tells me it is the latter. Anyhoo.... I've registered for the Glasgow 100, opting for the miles route. I still intend to do the ride on my late father-in-law's Flying Scot, but the Cube would make training so much more enjoyable as the Scot is on the large side for me. I did consider a full carbon framed bike (Dolan Mythos), but I think this is more a case of all the gear, and no idea, than any considered deliberation as to what is the best option.