Bike Cycling help

tyrone2016 · 6 October 2015 at 2:11PM

Hi All

I am looking at the idea of getting another Bike for commuting to work about 2 miles each way and riding to the gym 3 miles aswell as just riding for lesuire.

The reason I said again is because Last year I bought a bike from Halford it was apollo one and cost £170 and it got buckled wheels broke breaks within 2 months.

I am not sure if my weight cause it but I am 100kg 15.7kg and 6ft tall So I was wondering if anyone could recommed me a some good bike brands and what size frame and tyres I should get. And which type do you think suits my needs the most i.e hybird,mountain,road bike
May even look for a well care for second hand bike for £200-£300 as I havent got £500-£1000 to spend on a bike

Thanks in advance

Strider590 · 6 October 2015 at 5:27PM

tyrone2016 wrote: »

Hi All

I am looking at the idea of getting another Bike for commuting to work about 2 miles each way and riding to the gym 3 miles aswell as just riding for lesuire.

The reason I said again is because Last year I bought a bike from Halford it was apollo one and cost £170 and it got buckled wheels broke breaks within 2 months.

I am not sure if my weight cause it but I am 100kg 15.7kg and 6ft tall So I was wondering if anyone could recommed me a some good bike brands and what size frame and tyres I should get. And which type do you think suits my needs the most i.e hybird,mountain,road bike
May even look for a well care for second hand bike for £200-£300 as I havent got £500-£1000 to spend on a bike

Thanks in advance

A cheap Halfrauds bike isn't really a bike, it's what cycling enthusiasts call a BSO (bike shaped object).

Have a look at "Evans cycles", they pretty much only sell the good brands and at this time of year you could land a bargain on clearance stock.

You probably want a hybrid, unless your planning on going offroad much.

What you need to aware of though, is theft, the nice brands are prime targets for thieves.

DKLS · 6 October 2015 at 8:00PM

Might be worth having a look at the used market, there are some bargains to be had, a colleague picked up a Specialised mtb for £400 which had a £1500 price tag a year ago. Apparently only ridden twice as the owner had great intentions which didn't materialise.

I know out of your budget Op but you get the idea.

Look out for some of the decent brands, Trek, Canyon, cube, Specialised, Cannonade etc etc

tyrone2016 · 6 October 2015 at 10:32PM

thanks for the advice guys and what lock would you recommend to keep it safe

Strider590 · 6 October 2015 at 11:09PM

An Abus Granit x-plus at the very least, but whatever you get the most important thing is where it's left locked.........

Speaking from experience of my whole office chasing off a gang of 6 "pike people", who were armed with crowbars, bolt cutters, claw hammers and a battery powered angle grinder. Police never turned up, because they're scared of going near traveller caravan parks.

AndyBSG · 7 October 2015 at 9:54AM

When it comes to bike security the first thing to understand is that no matter how good your lock is if someone really wants your bike they will get it.

Main tips are as follows

- Most bike thieves are opportunistic. So the answer is to make sure it's easier for them to steal another bike. The story about two men running from a lion and one says "we cant outrun a lion" for the other to reply "I don't need to, I just need to outrun you" is a good example!

- Lock it up somewhere very public with lots of passing pedestrians.

- Lock it to a solid object that it can't be lifted over.

- Lock it through the frame and back wheel(back wheels cost more than front wheels if they just decide to nick the wheel).

- Make sure there is no gap for them to get something in to lever it off. i.e. if using a chain make sure you wrap it tight as possible.

- Don't lock it near the ground as, again, they could use the ground for leverage.

- Try to use two different types of lock. Different tools are needed for different locks so two locks means they will have to have two sets of tools.

- Make sure the lock you have has a 'sold secure' rating. Preferably a 'Gold' rating.

- Make sure your home contents insurance covers your bike.

I use an Oxford HD Chain Lock, Abus Centuro 860 and a Kryptoflex cable for mine. The Oxford goes on rear wheel and frame, the Centuro on the front wheel and the cable is threaded between the two.

Strider590 · 7 October 2015 at 12:18PM

AndyBSG wrote: »

When it comes to bike security the first thing to understand is that no matter how good your lock is if someone really wants your bike they will get it.

Main tips are as follows

- Most bike thieves are opportunistic. So the answer is to make sure it's easier for them to steal another bike. The story about two men running from a lion and one says "we cant outrun a lion" for the other to reply "I don't need to, I just need to outrun you" is a good example!

- Lock it up somewhere very public with lots of passing pedestrians.

- Lock it to a solid object that it can't be lifted over.

- Lock it through the frame and back wheel(back wheels cost more than front wheels if they just decide to nick the wheel).

- Make sure there is no gap for them to get something in to lever it off. i.e. if using a chain make sure you wrap it tight as possible.

- Don't lock it near the ground as, again, they could use the ground for leverage.

- Try to use two different types of lock. Different tools are needed for different locks so two locks means they will have to have two sets of tools.

- Make sure the lock you have has a 'sold secure' rating. Preferably a 'Gold' rating.

- Make sure your home contents insurance covers your bike.

I use an Oxford HD Chain Lock, Abus Centuro 860 and a Kryptoflex cable for mine. The Oxford goes on rear wheel and frame, the Centuro on the front wheel and the cable is threaded between the two.

Good advice, but this one part is wrong. There are countless videos on Youtube where people have set up bike thefts in public places and even with a battery powered angle grinder slicing into the lock passing pedestrians didn't even look twice.

It really needs to be somewhere that is overlooked by people who know you, which is why many businesses and companies fail, they put the bike racks out of sight where they're an easy target.

I know of people who've DIY spay painted their bikes OR covered them in duct tape to make them less attractive to theives.

kaffenback · 9 October 2015 at 1:04AM

At Halfords the Apollo brand is not great but the slightly more expensive Carrera brand is much better quality and a lot better value for money than the flashy big name brands. A Carrera Subway would meet your needs perfectly IMO, you will want the 22" frame size.

AndyBSG · 12 October 2015 at 10:45AM

kaffenback wrote: »

At Halfords the Apollo brand is not great but the slightly more expensive Carrera brand is much better quality and a lot better value for money than the flashy big name brands. A Carrera Subway would meet your needs perfectly IMO, you will want the 22" frame size.

I've got a Carrera Subway 2 as my second bike and can second that.

Only suggestion will be that the tyres on it are useless so look at upgrading to a set of Schwalbe Marathons and also the wheels are notorious for spoke failure so may want to upgrade those at a future date.

HurdyGurdy · 13 October 2015 at 10:01PM

No advice on what type of bike/lock to go for, but have you looked into whether or not your employers take part in the Cycle To Work scheme, whereby you can purchase a bike tax efficiently?

Bike Cycling help

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