Go Cycle get a bike

It’s healthy, it’s fun, it’s cheap, it’s easy, it’s environmentally friendly... How many more reasons do you need to take up cycling?

Whether you have been inspired by the Tour de France, prodded by your conscience or nagged by a partner who thinks you could lose a few pounds, now is the time. Get a bike, get out there and start having fun!

But where do you start? A High Street chain, a pile ‘em high warehouse or a local independent specialist? New or second hand? The ultimate downhill off-roader or a sleek, lightweight racer?  The choices are many and the price for getting it wrong could be a machine that sits, unloved, in the back of the garage.

The best place to start is to think about what sort of cycling you plan to do. The current trend towards off-road, all terrain bikes tends to ignore the fact that most of us do most of our cycling on smooth tarmac. Ask your cycling friends for advice, but remember that they will tend towards the sort of cycling they enjoy.

A specialist bike shop is likely to give you the best advice on what to buy, but is likely to charge you more. They simply don’t sell enough machines to be able to wield the same buying power that the major bike supermarkets have.

Second hand may be a good option, but as with all second-hand purchases make sure you check the bike out well before parting with your cash. There’s not that much to go wrong on a bike, but you still need to take care and make sure you are buying a bargain, not a headache.