That's me that is! In the photo, wearing the yellow jersey. It was taken when I was leading the Tour de France - I had a tan then, and bad taste in hats.
OK, it's not really me (had you all fooled, eh?), but I do own a bike. Did you know that 43% of the UK population own a bike, yet every week only 2% of the UK population ride one? (*see footnote). Makes you think, doesn't it?
Frankly my cycling ability is fairly poor, though as they say: Riding a bike - it's as easy as riding a bike. I haven't got stabilisers (yay!) but I am still pretty slow and turn into a gasping wreck on any steep uphill bits (or even any slight inclines!).
TOP 3 HUMILIATING MOMENTS ON A BIKE
No.3 Cycling uphill past a group of good-looking pedestrians and desperately trying not to sound too out of breath...usually proves impossible.
No.2 When you are cycling along, looking pretty tired, and two huge double decker buses full of school kids drive past, with all the kids looking out the back window and laughing/mooning/laughing and mooning.
No.1 When you are struggling up a hill and some freaky luminous lycra-clad cyclist with legs to die for speeds past at at least three times the speed you are going at.
On only one occasion have I overtaken another cyclist - and they weren't really a cyclist, they were laying down in this weird contraption with 3 wheels. With a flag attached to it. Powered by their arms. But I overtook them, so ha!
My bike is a Dawes Discovery 201 which I've owned for 6 months, it cost £199 when I bought it in August. I don't think you can buy them from Halfords (may be wrong!), perhaps try an independent bike dealer. According to the waffly Dawes pamphlet I got with the bike, it is handbuilt - "we simply do not mass produce bicycles, we handbuild them to the very highest quality standard".
The bike does seem pretty well made and I haven't had any problems with it since I bought it. According to Dawes, "only the finest quality and equipment is used. Right from initial frame building, through painting and finishing to final assembly, every stage is carried out by HAND". I don't know about you, but I always find it satisfying to discover that some people are still finishing off by hand ;)
The bike is painted blue and silver and has a red seat. Dawes provide a maintenance manual so you know exactly what to do should anything go wrong, and also how best to care for your bike. The components have a 1 year guarantee and the frame 3 years.
The Discovery 201 is a hybrid bike, which is like a cross between a mountain bike and a racer. It looks pretty much identical to a mountain bike but has thinner wheels, creating less friction and making cycling on roads easier (in theory!). Of course thinner wheels means it is less suitable for off road mountain-style biking, but having cycled up every single mountain in Leicestershire, I think I will be sticking to the roads.
The bike has 21 gears, which is more than enough for me. Gear changing is really straightforward and the little levers you press are located well within reach. The brakes are sharp and the saddle comfortable. The suspension is good but not fantastic. Looks wise it is quite good, although I'm a bit cautious that it might be nicked. The frame's made out of aluminium so it's pretty light.
Frankly all the other info Dawes have provided doesn't make any sense to me, but if you're interested (I doubt it!) the bike has...
Hope that helps. Having cycled to work every day I have to say I'm pretty pleased with the bike. I reckon it'll last me a good few years provided I look after it properly.
Dawes have a whole range of other (more expensive) bikes available, full details of which can be found at their homepage: www.dawescycles.com.
*Footnote: Entirely made up statistic, but it sounds vaguely plausible which is what counts...
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Good op on what doesn't seem like a bad bike. The £200 bicycle market is a minefield. Too often you see people posing on their wonderful full suspension bike that weighs more than a small car, which ultimately puts people off cycling for life. People have asked me before what the best bike is, and I think you've got it right. It's the one that you're happy with.
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