Car Vs Push Bike

TheRock

afternoon all.

i live 3 miles from my work and now i no longer need my car to get to work (i used to have off site meetings so car was essential) i would like to get a push bike rather than use my car, we have showers etc at work and a secure bike park. can anyone recommend a half decent bike, i will be cycling mainly on roads.
Dont really want to spend more than £150.

mickymellon

Im in a similar boat and went for a carerra subway from Halfords as I suspected it would either gather dust in the shed or be stolen

it was £180 and more than up for the job

for such little mileage, I would reccomend this or taking a look on gumtree / free ad's paper for any cheapie then upgrading should you feel the need or stick with it... or walk it as it will probably take you < 15mins to cycle or x2 or x3 that to walk it?

angeltreats

I found a fantastic Specialized bike worth about £700 for my husband on Gumtree for the silly price of £40. It needed a wee bit of work but nothing major. Gumtree is the first place I'd look.

catflea

I'd agree, check out the classifieds as you can find very good bikes at silly prices sometimes. Also, ebay can be an absolute goldmine as people dont tend to post bikes....

Billy-no-Money

If it's only three miles and not too hilly you probably won't need showers - a couple of weeks cycling and you'll do it without breaking into a sweat.

Second the Carrera Subway - but watch the prices, Halfords have a habit of doubling prices for a few weeks and then having a 50%-off sale!

At that price point don't buy a bike with suspension - you don't need it on the roads or most cycle tracks. If you get a 'mountain bike' with 26" wheels, budget for 'slick' tyres if it comes with knobbly ones - they're much less effort and faster.

...and congratulations on making the decision to use a bike - three miles is an easy ride.

custardy

does your employer not offer cycle2work?

TheRock

Thanks for the suggestions, i'll have a look on gumtree and see what i can find. sadly we dont have cycle 2 work, it was something that was looked into but didn't feature in the "overall business plan"....:mad:
i have two choices, either on the main road or there is a specific cycle path the runs then length of the canal....:)

Strider590

Take a look at online cycle shops like Evans cycles or Wiggle. Much better value for money!
I got myself a Kona Kikapu 2006 model worth over £1200, for £780 in 2007.

Last years models are a real bargain and for £150 you could probably get a £350-£400 bike.
I'd also been looking at getting a cheaper bike to use for work

I'd not touch anything from high street shops, they're overpriced and they get built by incompetent idiots. The above online shops send them fully setup, lubed, safety checked and ready to go with only the pedals needing to be screwed on.
You may even have one of those shops near to you.

I can't stress how important it is to have a bike setup properly!!

As for frame size, im 5'9" and use a 17inch frame.... Too big/small will damage your knee joints and be difficult to ride without fallign off... 18inch is more than enough for most people, 19inch+ is for those pushing past 6'5".
Standing equally on the pedals, the cross bar should be lower than your knee's

Saddle height..... You should have one leg slightly bent when the pedal is at it's lowest and be able to put one foot (not both) down when you stop. Too low puts too much strain on the knee's (very bad), too high is impossible to ride.

For the money your spending, going for full suspension will get you a very cheap/nasty bike which is not only heavy, but is useless off road and useless on road (sapping your energy).
(also more likely to get stolen)

Get the best quality hardtail you can get for your money, with the best "quality" parts. Being tempted into cheapo suspension and cheapo disk brakes etc will just be something you eventually regret.