Buying a bike: advice, recommendations and chat

[bmd]

Hi all, I have decided that I want to get rid of the car and cycle to work instead in order to save money and get fitter. It's quite a challenging ride as there are a couple of massive hills involved. I also want to use it to ride off road sometimes as there is a great space nearby that has a lot of different tracks on.

I am thinking about £750 for the bike and I would also appreciate it if someone would recommend some clothing and a helmet too.

 

[DownwardDog]

How far is the daily ride?

An LHT is at least an 80% solution to any "What bike shall I get?" question.

http://surlybikes.com/bikes/long_haul_trucker_complete/

 

[gentlegreen]

A shame the Surly won't take disc brakes.
I'm currently waiting for a rigid Surly fork (which does) for my bike.

For myself, being heavy, carrying shopping, with short, hilly commutes on rough roads, I find my near-unbustable mountain bike to be almost perfect - there isn't much of my commute that I could sensibly do any faster - I daily witness selfish roadies thinking it's OK to go at racing speeds on busy shared paths.

 

[Cid]

Ask yourself if you're definitely going to take it on the trails, and how regularly... Most road bikes and hybrids are shit for anything decent. Cyclocross bikes will stand up to it of course, but whether you'd want to train regularly on one is another matter... I've taken my road bike off a few times (on-one pompino, so steel and kind of borderline cyclocross, fixed/singlespeed though) and it felt pretty good, but never done it for more than 20 minutes or so and not on anything difficult or muddy. Don't know if there are any cyclocross riders on here who know more.

MTBs can be ok for road use, it does kind of depend on the hills, your fitness and how much effort you're willing to put into. Ideally if you take that route you want forks you can lock out (a lot of them do this now) and road tires. Problem with road tires is they're shit for off-road and you don't want to be changing the tires all the time. Other than it depends on the bike of course, an XC whippet will carry you up most hills nicely, but the geometry isn't so good if you want to try any jumps/drops... Basically road bikes are shit for off-roading, but MTBs can be OK for roads - commuted in London for years on one (on an on-one in fact) with no problems except that i cycled off road a lot less because of not being arsed with the tire changing.

 

[dlx1]

Will work buy bike there a thread on the skeem.

Get a nice rockhhopper for test money.

 

[ExtraRefined]

+1 to what cid said. There are expedition touring bikes (Surly LHT is one if configured right, or a crosscheck) out there that will handle pretty rough stuff, and lots of loaded road miles, but they're not going to be anywhere nead as fun off road as a dedicated MTB.

 

[Sigmund Fraud]

For the money I would say MTB - better chance of getting something pretty good for that amount wheras you're scraping the bottom of the cyclocross pricepoint and hybrids won't offer any great off road ability.

For clothing I reckon have a look at the Endura range - good VFM and it lasts pretty well. Helmets...a £7.99 Lidl helmet is no better or worse than one costing £100, try a few out but don't be afraid of spending fuck all on one.

 

[fredfelt]

Probably best to buy from a bike shop - this way you can try a few out and see what you like. Check out if there is a cycle workshop near by - they may have really knowledgeable and enthuastic people and have a range of brand new and second hand bikes.

If you do go for a mountain I think it's probably best to make sure it's fully rigid. You'll also want slick tyres for your commute.

You may just be able to afford a hub gear bike on that budget. My partner swears by them - but if the hills are really big the range may not be big enough.

 

[fjydj]

Surly LHT is heavy, unless you want its slow but stable ride and load lugging ability.
A Specialised tri cross is probably closer to what you'd want for hills and bit of rough stuff, or a Cotic >X< looks nice and takes disc brakes… Or as mention a surly cross check would work.

 

[Crispy]

+1 for the tricross. I've taken mine on some pretty rough terrain (when I had the tires for it) and it was fun. But it also handles very well on the road. Nice and fast, but not too aggressively shaped

 

[gentlegreen]

You may just be able to afford a hub gear bike on that budget. My partner swears by them - but if the hills are really big the range may not be big enough.

will not. - certainly in Bristol - not for sensible money - though my front changer jammed this morning and I got up my steepest hill on a 29 inch gear - I usually have a 21 inch available. Lots of people would get off and push even with a 17. (22x34x26 inches)

 

[bmd]

Thanks for all the replies, lots to think about there. As far as the cycle to work scheme goes, does your employer have to pay for your bike and then you pay them back?

 

[Cid]

I thought the cycle to work scheme was basically just a glorified loan from your employers now, but it seems I was wrong... If they can claim VAT they will get it knocked off your bike (so that's 20% already), there are savings based on the tax paid on your earnings and National Insurance too, so definitely worth a look. Entered some values on one of the websites on google (assuming a £24k salary and monthly payments) and for your £700 you could get some £1200 of bike and accessories - I have no idea how accurate that is though.

e2a: evans calculator.

 

[Cid]

If you could do that on-one have introductory offers on their carbon bikes, the 'XC Whippet' can be had for a grand at the moment, which would be probably perfect for light-medium trail work and light enough to get up hills. It's amazing to see a carbon bike with that spec at that price point. Not as easy to arrange a test ride as popping into a good bike shop though (although that depends on whether you have a good bike shop).

I'm kind of glad I'm self employed, I don't have enough room for more bikes...

e2a: Worth noting that there are kind of price points with mountain bikes. Changed since I was cycling off-road regularly, but sub £400 is generally just good for country track and fire/logging road type stuff, £400-600 is stuff like the hardrock which will handle singletrack and less predictable terrain (e.g the odd rooty or rocky bit), £600-£850ish will get you a good bike that should hold up well on most trails but will be lacking in the suspension department (important as it doesn't just affect how much shock is absorbed - it's where you will see differences in the handling and general feel of the ride). Once you get over that point bikes start to specialise, so you'll get light XC bikes (like the one above) set up for shortish travel (although short back in the day used to be 60mm, that on-one can go up to 120mm which is loads), jump bikes with long forks and geometry better suited to throwing it around, DH bikes (bit more expensive) which will be full sus with massive front forks and geometry built for going very quickly downwards. Then there are sort of in between bikes that will cope with a bit of jumping and some technical descents... Tbh the line between XC and those is pretty blurred these days though.

Oh yeah, Carbon is good not just because it's light but because its ride quality is closer to steel than alu, so it'll absorb a lot of bumps in the rear.

 

[fredfelt]

will not. - certainly in Bristol - not for sensible money - though my front changer jammed this morning and I got up my steepest hill on a 29 inch gear - I usually have a 21 inch available. Lots of people would get off and push even with a 17. (22x34x26 inches)

If you spend crazy money on a Roloff hub their range is huge - but the hub alone costs around £1,000.

The Nexus is fine for the misses on just about all hills, unless she has touring kit on the bike. But she's an athlete and as fit as a butchers dog!

 

[moody]

Got a trek 7000zx, -last model 1999 around £750 basic factory set up, took off front sus and replaced with rigid carbon fork. also upgraded wheels to mavic rides with schwable marathon tires-semi slick. running deore xt groupo and have carblite bars and seatpost.

Very smooth and responsive ride.


I estimate around a £1k to buy today off the peg.

Plenty second hand treks floating, parts can be bought at good price if you take time to look. x

 

[DownwardDog]

A shame the Surly won't take disc brakes.

There's a Disc equipped LHT coming in 2012 - the Disc Trucker.

http://www.surlybikes.com/blog/

Rejoice at that news. I'll be getting one.

 

[Part 2]

This post on the Surly blog is a must

http://surlybikes.com/blog/2514/

I'm still reading through to find out what their 4.7" tyres are for mind

eta: Ahh a 'go anywhere bike', snow, ice and mud.

 

[Boycey]

i never really saw the appeal of a LHT or other 26" wheel tourers, unless you're fairly short the karate monkey and ogre will do a much better job IMO.

Got a trek 7000zx, -last model 1999 around £750 basic factory set up, took off front sus and replaced with rigid carbon fork. also upgraded wheels to mavic rides with schwable marathon tires-semi slick. running deore xt groupo and have carblite bars and seatpost.

Very smooth and responsive ride.

I estimate around a £1k to buy today off the peg.

Plenty second hand treks floating, parts can be bought at good price if you take time to look. x

that sounds like a sweet bike... and one that i reckon will become more fashionable in the next few years.

 

[little_legs]

Hi guys, I'd like to buy a bike, but I am total pea brain when it comes to choosing a bike. I would appreciate if you could recommend a bike that meets this criteria:

- 17 inch frame
- light in terms of its weight
- suitable for riding to work in the city but can be taken on the road
- simple speed/gear changing
- budget £400-£500

Thank you.

 

[weepiper]

Hi guys, I'd like to buy a bike, but I am total pea brain when it comes to choosing a bike. I would appreciate if you could recommend a bike that meets this criteria:

- 17 inch frame
- light in terms of its weight
- suitable for riding to work in the city but can be taken on the road
- simple speed/gear changing
- budget £400-£500

Thank you.

Specialized Sirrus £400ish

Revolution Cross £525 also makes a nice commuter if you like drop bars, you can always stick slicker tyres on if you want to use it solely on road

Other bike shops are of course available

 

[little_legs]

Many thanks, weepiper

Specialized Sirrus looks good, less than 13 kg.

 

[Bernie Gunther]

Kaffenback?

http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CBPXKAFF2TIA/planet-x-kaffenback-2-shimano-tiagra-road-bike

 

[little_legs]

Kaffenback?

http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CBPXKAFF2TIA/planet-x-kaffenback-2-shimano-tiagra-road-bike

This one will have to wait till I am rich, ma'am/sir.

 

[Bernie Gunther]

Yeah sorry, I was responding to the OP

 

[little_legs]

Whoops

The other thing that I am looking for in a bike is the possibility to avoid hunching over it, for some reason hunching over the bike whilst riding scares me. That's another reason that Sirrius 14 looks attractive.

 

[weepiper]

Yeah sorry, I was responding to the OP

I should hope he might have found a bike by now. 3 years is a long time to choose

 

[little_legs]

Hi guys, I'd like to buy a bike, but I am total pea brain when it comes to choosing a bike. I would appreciate if you could recommend a bike that meets this criteria:

- 17 inch frame
- light in terms of its weight
- suitable for riding to work in the city but can be taken on the road
- simple speed/gear changing
- budget £400-£500

Thank you.

Any more recommendations, guys?

 

[craigxcraig]

How far is the daily ride?

An LHT is at least an 80% solution to any "What bike shall I get?" question.

http://surlybikes.com/bikes/long_haul_trucker_complete/

When I was looking, it was a toss up between the LHT and the Genesis Croix de Fer - really wanted to love the LHT but for the money, the Croix IMO was much more superior in regards to the steel and the various bits and bobs attached to it.

little_legs On a ride to work scheme, will be just slightly over
your budget. E2A - just seen your additional post re the £4/500!

 

[gentlegreen]

Any more recommendations, guys?

Would need to know the sorts of mileages you'll be doing and how much stuff you'll be carrying.
I3 years on, I still struggle to justify exchanging my mountain bike for anything else - does me fine for commuting, shopping, and 40 mile rides on the weekend... and it's very safe - copes with surprise potholes and brakes / gears are always close at hand.