Saracen Mountain Bike Reduced

TJ27

I've been cycling the five miles to work for over a year now and am so glad that I switched from the car. It's far quicker, saves a fortune and I feel massively better. In fact I'm selling my car today and am going to do without it altogether. Most of the time it just sits on my drive.

I've got a very old but very good mountain bike, which was given to me for free. As many have said, tyres are pretty important. You will roll MUCH easier if you use road tyres. If punctures are a problem, use a tyre with puncture protection, like Continental Gatorskins. They go to a good high pressure too, which is better again, but you might need to buy a track pump.

In my opinion the best machine for multi purpose use has got to by a cyclocross bike, with knobblies for off road and slicks for on road. They can be a bit expensive though, so theft could be an issue.

Actually I could ramble on all day about cycling to work, so I'd better stop now.

TJ27

rdwarr wrote: »

Remember that a mountain bike is twice as much work on roads or cycle tracks than a road bike or hybrid. It's a good offer but I'd suggest only suitable for those intending to use a bike off-road.

I'd recommend this one instead - great all-round machine plus all the extras you need:
http://www.discountbicycles.co.uk/biz/product.php?xProd=3984

I'd partially agree with you. Certainly tyres are an issue but an adapted mountain bike is absolutely fine around town. I sometimes use a proper road racing bike for work and it's not massively quicker than my adapted mountain bike. City riding is a bit "stop start" so a quicker bike isn't a huge advantage. A set of panniers is a good idea.

TJ27

Another quick tip, get insurance. By that I mean third party insurance for if you have an accident. The best way of doing this is to join the Cyclists Touring Club. Membership is around thirty five quid per year I think.

OK I'll stop going on now. Honest.

cadmus

i have been cycling 10 miles a day for the past 7 or so years . ( sold my motorbike) . i have saved an absolute fortune , un clogged the roads , doing my bit for the enviroment ( carbon emmisions to a minimum ) and more importantly it has exercised my heart and body.
i recommend you all getting one of those little cycle computers that fit on the handlebars. they are so motivational as they show the time , time of journey , calories burnt , speed and average speed and more. i continually had targets to meet ,ie 5 seconds off the next trip to work and over the course of a few months you would of clipped approx 5 mins off your PB. and doing it gradually that way you will not over exert yourself and get super fit in no time .
just think about it . what you save in car expences in three months will have paid for your bike and helmet . even if you cycle for the best six months of the year and use the car for the winter ,your still save a small fortune and go a long way to reducing the ever increasing pollution we emit.

geri1965_2

TJ27 wrote: »

Another quick tip, get insurance. By that I mean third party insurance for if you have an accident. The best way of doing this is to join the Cyclists Touring Club. Membership is around thirty five quid per year I think.

No need to get it if you have legal expenses cover under your household policy.

DocProc

Even if it isn't raining, because it doesn't have a mud guard, you are going to get a 'wet bum' from the water on wet roads spraying up from the back wheel.

Ah well. I suppose you can always stuff a newspaper down your shorts to soak up the wet.

cadmus

DocProc wrote: »

Even if it isn't raining, because it doesn't have a mud guard, you are going to get a 'wet bum' from the water on wet roads spraying up from the back wheel.

Ah well. I suppose you can always stuff a newspaper down your shorts to soak up the wet.

theres plenty of cheap clip on rear mud guards that will fit on the seat post . hears a link if your interested
http://www.cyclesportsuk.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=738
another link
http://www.ukbikestore.co.uk/product/31/mudguards.htm

Mattybach

Don't forget if you use your bike for work purposes you can save money by buying through one of the government sponsored company bike schemes. This is where your employer gives you vouchers towards the cost of the bike in lieu of your salary, however you therefore save vat, income tax and national insurance (when compared to buying out of your net salary). The vouchers can be used for bikes or equipment (helmets etc).

There are a number of schemes - all the major suppliers offer something similar (Halfords etc). The savings can be significant, especially for a higher rate taxpayer. Try www.cyclescheme.co.uk/ as a start point - this site has a savings calculator. For example, a bike and accessories costing £700 would only cost a higher rate taxpayer working for a VAT registered business £360 over a 12 month period.

I think you essentially rent your bike from your employer for at least a year however you can then purchase it for a fair market cost (generally accepted to be a nominal sum - around 5% of the original sum). There are not many tax incentives left nowadays but this one seems a no brainer if your employer agrees to operate the scheme and you were going to buy a bike anyway.

TJ27

geri1965 wrote: »

No need to get it if you have legal expenses cover under your household policy.

Crikey, are you sure Geri?? I never knew. So if I have an accident on my bike and damage, say, a Ferrari, my household insurance will pay for the damage? Seems unlikely but I'll look into that. Ta.

cadmus

geri1965 wrote: »

No need to get it if you have legal expenses cover under your household policy.

this is true. i had a nasy accident in which another cyclist pulled out in front of me and i went over the handle bars and sustained some nasty head injuries.
to cut a very long story short ,i went to a solicitor and they agreed to a no win no fee and we managed to get compensation for my injuries via the culprits house insurance( settled out of court ) .