It’s been a ride. 🙃
You still have your first bike?
If you want to find one of these, so many cracking bargains on buycycle:
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My very first road bike I actually bought it on a year out backpack in Southeast Asia and Australia I bought it in Adelaide it’s a giant liver veil in 2014 it was an entry-level bike and it was around £400 and I basically learned how to ride
A road bike with this bike I didn’t even know how to use the gears when I got it and I really struggled riding 10 km it was a big effort from then I just carried on I did more Adventures I did aaes I did Coast to Coast I did bike
Pack in all of it was on this bike I absolutely love this bike and it’s safe to say it’s my most prized possession no bike will ever ever take its place but 10 years later how good is it to actually ride trusty bike you have no idea how excited I am
To go and take this out and I’m going to go out right now come on baby I’m going to do my my little local loop it’s 20K goes up ashth Valley which is like a really it’s pretty steep in places um climb it’s got a lovely
Descent on the other side really fast I have not climbed on this for so long ready biky does anybody else uh talk to their bikes uh and other inanimate objects like they’re Alive a whole bike’s feeling is not just a friend and the fork it’s the components the wheels and these aren’t the original ones that were on it I show you what I’ve got on it when I can actually breathe and I finish the climb but I’ve got the exact same Wheels
Exact same components on my second hand specialized and on my wind space and so I can get a a fairly accurate comparison because everything else is the same I love this climb so much this is one of the seest bits now and the bike he’s good he’s doing well
Honestly I thought it would feel this is like initial Impressions I’ve not like an odax on it but initial Impressions I thought it would feel really heavy and really sluggish because of the Nostalgia I was like I thought didn’t think i’ I’m trying to be really unbiased cuz I do have that obviously
History with this lovely bike and if it did feel heavy and sluggish I tell you she feels really nice I’m actually surprised at how good it does feel to say an aloy bike and all I’ve ridden over the past four years is carbon there are some differences I’ll check
About the top that I’ve noticed and I feel this is quite a good test because this climb is like steady little clim like this little bit is a steady bit there’s really steep sections and actually it’s really poth hold on even I just had to stop a lovely Postman called
Pet I’m saying this cuz I want Peter to see this just stop me just saying that he’s watched my videos and he’s lost loads of weight from doing zift and I’m just like good for you he’s just chatting about all things bike so hello Peter but I need to get going because it
Looks like it’s going to absolutely Chuck it down I also want to tell you the reason for doing this video and seeing what it rides like is because I do feel like the bike industry as you know if you watch any of my other videos it’s a little bit wild at the minute
Like bikes are so expensive and I do think that there are a lot of Bargains that you can get if you not necessarily going to go brand new right I’ve managed to get some shelter so I’ll chat to you for a minute about this little absolute Beauty so honestly I did
Think is it going to feel because it’s alloy and I think that we are I don’t know not told that carbon’s better but it’s so much comfier um and that can be the case but you can equally have have bad carbon and good carbon and good
Alloy and I guess bad alloy um and they’re all going to they’re going to feel different and I do think in this era of giant my friend Richard’s got a Sim it’s like the the uh the men’s version um a similar Rim break bike it’s
Blue and the I think it’s the Alloys the same because both of them we’re always shocked and people are always shocked when they feel how light the bikes are because they’re alloy and you always think that alloy is like really heavy these are so so light in short this bike is
Still amazing I I’ll give you some of the pros for it so the thing that I loved about this bike then and now is that all the components and everything on it can be adjusted so it’s not an integrated bar in stem for example so
You can change it whether if you need to change your bike for at any point so it’s going to be able to stand the test of time if you need to change it as you get older it’s also got a regular seat post I think it’s a 31.8 which means
That you can change it for any seat post um some of the bikes now are integrated I’m not a big fan or proprietary so they’re a different shape so if you need to get a different seat post for whatever reason it’s quite difficult and
What else do I love about it I love that it’s a really light alloy bike um and so when I’m traveling um and I have I’m much more precious overt taken a carbon bite than I would be I remember this I’ve chucked it in cardboard boxes I’ve
Got like a really cool little like it’s like a rook sack that you just Chuck it in um and travel with that so I’m a lot less precious about this bike although I’m very precious in that I wouldn’t want anyone to take it because it’s worth more to me than any amount of
Money could ever but that’s different um I just like how simple it is it’s got external cables and also the guy in the bike shop that did it was like oh I forgot how nice it is to work on these like simple it is a simple bike just
Very basic and I just love it a whole lot okay a couple of downsides downsides are um on a climb I will give it this on when you’re on a carbon bike say for example like that wind space that I’ve got when you really want to push the power it really
Like accelerates you feel like you’re really like being almost like pushed forward on that it doesn’t feel as as fast still fast but not as it’s not got the edge the carbon bite the light carbon bite well that wind space for example has got the edge on light if
You wanting to like push and get that every light every second counts out of a climb don’t know I’ve not done a really long ride on it yet so potentially if I’m going to be on a really long ride I might I might feel like the road was a
Little bit more as as opposed to coming where I wouldn’t but it’s that just in my head because that’s what we’ve been told I don’t know but I’ve got something very exciting to show you when I get back so I am going to head back now
Hopefully I don’t get rained on also I need to say a massive massive thank you to David at Carbon Tech because he basically restored um the fork the fork had started to erode because I just ridden it in all weathers salt everything and it was just starting to
Like wear down and kind of like I don’t know the paintt was coming away and it just looked terrible and because I want to prolong the life of this bike for as long as I possibly can he basically restored it and had it resprayed and it
Is like a brand new Fork I’m so happy with how good it is now it just means I can ride this bike for as long as I want so is this the original original that’s the original original in fact you can give me your opinion LIF it what do
You think of the weight pretty light actually that’s nice couldn’t tell it’s 10y old could you give a give a little I see what the hell don’t get me white socksy the floor that’s what look for agile is it best bike in the world is the bike that
You own Phil couldn’t say it better myself that’s why we’re friends I am back it didn’t rain and how nice was that bum into fell on the way home that was very unexpected look very nice and and I wanted to share something with you because it’s all very very well
And good me being like oh this entry-level bike from 10 years ago is still amazing today 10 years later if you can’t actually buy them because entry level bikes now are around £1,000 which is still well it always has been a very lot of money and so this is like
Perfect timing um I don’t think you’ve heard of bicycle so I’m basically partnering with them for this video because they have around 20,000 um pre-love bikes and before you ask like oh why is that different than eBay or like Facebook Marketplace this was set up by cycl so there’s lots of benefits
To it and be able to find a really good deal on there so the main one is you’ve got buyer protection for when you’re buying a bike basically So when you buy a bike the money isn’t going directly to the sell it’s in like a little like
Holding space until you receive it and you’re 100% happy with it and then the money gets sent to the seller also if you selling a bike um you get like options such as like being sent the bike box out and shipping labels it just makes it a lot easier I’ve bought and
Sold bikes on Facebook and eBay and it’s not it’s a bit of a faff to be honest um like for the specialized that I bought I’d looked for months on that because on E I guess those other marketplaces it’s just there’s just a lot of rubbish basically whereas I feel like with
Bicycle there’s lots more options to filter you know what you’re getting and so I thought thought I would have a look and show you a couple of different options that I would pick um I’m going to do two I’m going to do one under £500
And one around 2 and a half thousand the first thing you’ll notice is there are lots of different types of bikes so you’ve got road bike gravel Triathlon mountain bike downhill cross country trail and uro I’m going to stick with Road this is the other thing that I
Really like is there are so many filters you can find specifically what you’re after frame size I am a 54 Brands don’t mind price up to five 500 rain material right I’m actually going to look for a rim Break um this and then I’ll look for
A disc break in the other version I’m going to go Rim break I’m going to put very good condition component group shifting color refurbished I want one that’s been in really good that’s really good condition preferably been like not shown like in an old shed or something
I’m like one that’s been loved like mine has been loved giant TCR composite 2013 okay so it’s similar year to mine tiagra carbon condition very good also I will mention um in certain countries for bicycle if you buy a carbon B you can have it shipped via it’s like an
Additional extra that you can opt into that it’s then checked by like a carbon specialist if you’re not in a country where you’re able to do that you can actually um when you get it sent if you’ve like arranged to have like a carbon special look at it you’ve got
Like um a couple of days you don’t want to have be having it for weeks because obviously that money is being held so you want to do it pretty promptly but there is an option to do that that looks pretty nice oh look at this J it’s kind of like
Mine the paint job on that looks like pristine as well some 5 3,000k it’s had a service this year no previous owners and it’s full um Shimano tiagra and it’s also got the giant Wheels Giant tire so it’s pretty much as that came which is like I think that’s that look to me
Looks like it’s not been thrashed I think when you see bikes where they’ve got loads of M mismatched things I think M why is it all mismatch that looks almost like it’s just come from the shop to be honest yep I like that one so that
Would be my pick for the £500 one right now we’re on to the 2500 bite I want to do it to 2500 I’ll do it from like a th000 want hydraulic disc Brak I want very good condition TCR Advanced disc 2022 so this is only from like two years ago
,500 altegra is that all altegra regular condition also you can make offers so if it’s not necessarily the price that you want you can always offer it up and and yeah see if they take it so this has been ridden less than 500 km it’s never had a service no previous owners it’s
Got the receipt from purchase and that is500 let’s have a look at the pictures don’t know why why am I draw to Giants on this video that looks looks very good conditioned from the photos you see that’s what I’m always like looking at so are the shifters if
They’ve got loads of scuss I’m like has it either fallen on a wall has it fallen on the floor but I don’t know whether they’re just new shifters or whether they are that is very good condition to be honest if you’re after hydraulic Disc break bike that does look nice as well
Going and have a play on the website I’ve been doing it for about a month um every so often just keep having a little nip on just seeing what’s new anything there that I think is a real bargain because for me I feel like in 2024 there
Are are so many amazing bikes for sale um that are going to get you more for your money than necessarily buying new and again it’s like a more sustainable way um of getting a new bike I’ll leave all the links to Bicycle below if you still have your first bike where is it
What you doing with it um are you still riding it let me know in the comments I want to know here or your stories because I think you know that I just love mine so thank you so much for watching and um thanks again to Bicycle honestly I really like what they’re
Doing I’m going to be supporting them um again later this year I just think it’s just a really great sustainable way you get more for your money you get I just really like it it’s really in my like values of what I currently want to do
And where I want my channel to go so I appreciate um support from them as well so yeah I want to start waffling okay goodbye goodbye goodbye see you next video goodbye what’s going on here oh no I want oh God Jesus Christ
22 Comments
My first bike when I got back into cycling as an adult in the early 2000's was a Giant TCR C1 which came with Ultegra and alloy wheels. I did upgrade the wheels to some Mavic Cosmic aero wheels, which lasted me until I got my second bike a Fondriest TF1, which I had built up for me at the bike shop. absolutely loved that bike, still do but unfortunately, I had to sell it in 2021. My current bike is a 2016 Trek Domane, with Ultegra Di2, on which I have covered some 12000 km's on cause I did not do much the first few years and since then I average like 1500 km's per year riding basically once a week. As good a bike the Domane is the Fondriest would have been considered an early aero bike, which meant a little harsh a ride (a lot of vibrations), but oh it gave you the thrill of speed was better to me..
Thank you for an awesome video. I also have my first " grown up" bike. Bought it used. A 1968 Raleigh steel racing bike. Made in Nottingham. Campy gears. Brooks saddle.
I swear the front wheel weighs as much as my carbon bike entire.😅. Can't bear to part with it. I named him Sir Walter. ❤
My brother still has my original road bike, an Abeni custom build with campi parts from 1978 🙂
🚲 Still have my first all aluminum road bike. 2004 Giant OCR Black with yellow stripes. 130-140K mi. Many parts have worn out and been replaced,many times over but frame and fork still solid. 🙂 I use nail polish to cover any paint that comes off. This is my most comfortable bike for long rides 100+ mi. and have many adventures with it,mostly good,so will never get rid of it.
Hi Katie!
I bought my Scott Speedster 3, alloy, full 105 Shimano, new in 2005. It has had minor upgrades; saddle and bars and soon will have a fresh modern mechanical groupset! Still riding it and loving it, no telling how many miles she's done (a lot!), don't see any reason to change!
only demand! I have to a bike. is a good Fork.
and alu forks are so bad!
carbon is the best.
but steel forks can be quite good as well.
I have an old alu bike. weight 13kg that is heavy. with a bad alu fork. dont ever use it anymore
an alu Defy from 16 with 105 mek. disk. deasen bike got it used for 550£ He had 1 ride on it under 70km :):):)
and a Propel from 17 full carbon 🙂 I always go value for the money. Propel where on sale last year model for 1000£ deleivered to DK
My first road bike would be over 60 years old now. It was a Raleigh something, and it weighed a ton. I came back to cycling in 2002, and shortly after that bought a Cannondale CAAD8 R2000. I loved that bike! I still have the frame, but I dented it in a crash and haven’t trusted it since (light alloy bikes of that time are paper-thin). I have a Kinesis Tk3 that’s now 13 years old, and is still a cracking ride.
In theory yes, 2004 KHS flite 800 purchased second hand in 2006 instead of an entry level alloy bike. Steel frame and ultegra/105 drive train was the selling points. I say in theory, as everything has been replaced except the frame, lost the forks to a car running a red light. Still in regular use as is my 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th road bike. The advantages of have a large shed
2013 Orca bronze (3rd hand from my brother) and given to a work mate to get them into cycling (Still going strong).
I bought my first road bike like you to lose weight and I loved it! Cost less than 500 it was a pinnacle alloy with tiagra and I was on it daily! I was then lucky enough to be able to upgrade to my current KTM. I gave my Pinnacle to a friend who couldn’t at that time afford a bike and he still uses it to this day over 5 years later however I do wish I had kept it, I won’t make the same mistake with the KTM. Love the content Katie!
I'm still riding my 'first' bike from 2018, an alu cross bike I use for mostly gravel type riding, Norco threshold 2017 with hunt wheels I got after a while.
My next purchase during covid was a second hand Planet X pro carbon from 2014, and it's a joy to ride – second hand bikes can be such a treat when they're good! My partner and I have to draw lots over who gets the 'wee bike' (It is never me who wins somehow!). Hopefully with minor tweaks and maybe a groupset change in the future they'll both keep trucking on happily!
My 11 year old Trek Madone 3.1, Bernie, is my first bike. It has had numerous upgrades in its 20,000 mile life, so now sports full uUtegra & a DA crankset. It still makes me smile when I ride him from time to time. Mostly because of the memories of riding RAB & St Malo to Bilbao. He'll never be sold!
Katie and the gang would make great riding partners, such a cool vibe! Keep it up, and enjoy your rides 😉
Do visit Portugal for some bike riding 😉
I ride a Alegro Digari Nedi Road Gravel CroMo 4130 I bought 2010 designed in Melbourne Australia Northcote 1km down the road where i lived nearby Thornbury Preston
My first road bike was 43 years ago, saved up from my paper round to buy it. I loved the down tube shifters and the gears had to be Campagnolo or you weren't cool. It disappeared years ago. Took up cycling again when I retired and bought a LaPierre and gave that to my son when I bought a Scott (wanted disk brakes for the wet weather). The Scott is doing good service but tends to get beaten up in winter so I spoiled myself this year with a Wilier as a summer bike and am really looking forward to the sunnier days to ride that.
I ride a Alegro Digari Nedi Road Gravel CroMo 4130 I bought 2010 designed in Melbourne Australia Northcote 1km down the road where i lived nearby Thornbury Preston
Before that a 1962 Raleigh Robinhood made in Nottingham England
Same as Sheldon Brown
Super helpful video Katie! Thanks for this cool down to earth content! And the tips for BuyCycle! I think that this will go far to push back against the bike industry's insane prices!
I was so excited to watch this! I started following you because I had one of those too (silver & blue) and yes I talk to my bikes! 😊 I still have mine upgraded to within an inch of its life and am thinking of respraying it with something badass because there are a good few chips on it and I'm so attached!
Thanks for b cycle too, I've got a feeling it's something I've been looking for. I absolutely love how you show ways to make bike riding simple and accessible for many people ❤
Riding your old bike – just feels like coming home to comfy slippers! So much fun and shared adventures on 2 wheels! Yes I talk to my bike and always thank it after a ride!
The best bike really is the one that you already own! I have my 19 year old mountain bike that I've ridden everywhere over the years. When I finally got my roadie I wanted to make sure it would last that long too.
Great video Katie. What camera are you using these days?
Yes we know. We all watch durianrider come on already. Give us originality