What bike?

clg86

I'm thinking about riding a bicycle to work because
a) I'm about to go into debt with the amount of petrol i'm having to purchase and
b) I need to get fit. Doing 12 hour shifts makes it difficult for me to excersise as much as i'd like to.

Can anybody suggest what type of bike I would need to get? I've been looking at the Hybrid bikes but i'm a little baffled.

My journey is approx. 6.5 miles each way.

Thanks in advance

Tucker

What is the terrain? Road, off road, cycle paths, tracks, towpaths etc???

I do roughly 7.5 miles over a mix of roads, cycle paths and towpaths and a hybrid is best of suited. I've done it on a mountain bike and it's much harder due to the fat wheels and extra weight. Hybrids a great solution if you are not covering any rough terrain and they are much faster at accelerating etc.

I bought something similar to this and it's been a very good bike, provided it's kept clean, lubricated and looked after:

http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/product/26857/Ridgeback_Velocity_Mens_Bike_2009

therevelator

This co. offer some great value bikes IMO. Also, because they're an unknown brand it makes them far less likely to be nicked.

http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/comms/srv.a4d?f_pg=home.htm&f_Cardinal=1

MsHoarder

If you're on the road then a hybrid with fairly smooth tires should do what you want. Given your financial situation I assume you have a budget, keep that in mind and go to a bike shop (not Halfords/the supermarket), possibly more than 1, it took me 3 attempts to find a shop with staff who were helpful when I asked for a bike to ride to work on. A good bike shop should let you ride a couple to get the feel of them, and will set it up for you.

I've got a Ridgeback for a similar ride, but anything in that kind of style would be fine.

thescouselander

MsHoarder wrote: »

If you're on the road then a hybrid with fairly smooth tires should do what you want. Given your financial situation I assume you have a budget, keep that in mind and go to a bike shop (not Halfords/the supermarket), possibly more than 1, it took me 3 attempts to find a shop with staff who were helpful when I asked for a bike to ride to work on. A good bike shop should let you ride a couple to get the feel of them, and will set it up for you.

I've got a Ridgeback for a similar ride, but anything in that kind of style would be fine.

There's nothing wrong with Halfords - in fact some of their bikes are very good value - especially the Boardman and Carrera ranges. The only problem is that the advice in halfords can be somewhat variable but in my local sotre at least they are pretty good.

I wouldn't write them off anyway


I managed to pick up one of these (ex display) for only £200 - bit of a bargin if you ask me and it has stood up well to the abuse of going to and from work.

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/bikes/mountain/product/virtuoso-09-34691

poontang

clg86 wrote: »

I'm thinking about riding a bicycle to work because
a) I'm about to go into debt with the amount of petrol i'm having to purchase and
b) I need to get fit. Doing 12 hour shifts makes it difficult for me to excersise as much as i'd like to.

Can anybody suggest what type of bike I would need to get? I've been looking at the Hybrid bikes but i'm a little baffled.

My journey is approx. 6.5 miles each way.

Thanks in advance

You most likely need:

a bike with fairly smooth tyres (not knobbly mountain bike tyres), but not ridiculously narrow as seen on road bikes
probably 700c wheels rather than 26"
gears and brakes
a reasonably upright position (you don't want to be hunched over your handlebars) with flat bars (not road bike style bars)
mudguards
lights
probably a rack
pannier(s) (to go with the rack)

The last four can be bought aftermarket, but a bike that's fitted with them is a good choice.

This is more than adequate for the job:

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/riverside-5-men-s-141401402/

Note dynamo hub for trouble-free lighting

Also check ebay - you can buy used bikes (named brands only please!) for about a third of the new price.

Tish_P

Ha, MsHoarder / Tucker, I've got a Ridgeback Velocity too! I love it.

clg86, 6.5 miles is very doable - just enough to get you fit. Should be positively pleasant if you have a route that isn't too busy.

Bike:
The most important thing is that if your area is hilly, you need some good low gears (this is the consideration that stopped me splashing out on my dream bike, a Pashley Princess Sovereign - which is not a MoneySaving choice!)
I can't tell from your name whether you're male or female, but if you ever wear a skirt you'll want an open frame.
If your commute involves lifting your bike over e.g. a gate and your upper body strength is as rubbish as mine, weight matters.

Accessories:
If you need to look anything approaching professional at work, and can't change or shower, you need mudguards or you'll get a lovely mud stripe up your back.
Lights that come off and on the bike easily will save you time faffing with them when you get to work.
A rack and panniers are a good idea if you have to carry more than a handbag's worth of stuff.
Remember that a good lock is also essential. I have an ABUS folding one which was expensive but worth it - it's as strong as a D-lock but a lot more flexible, so you can get it around the bike rack, frame, wheel, and a helmet.

I'm sure that somewhere there is a Halfords staffed by competent and intelligent people but I've never found one, so I'd echo the advice about going to a real bike shop.

freakybacon

Hybrid or road bike is the way to go for tarmac. Try your local bike shop for advice- £200-£300 is plenty for a beginner. If you must go to Halfords- the carrera brand is decent kit, especially the subway range. My commute is 5 miles each way- takes about 25 minutes but I have been doing it for a while.

I run a Carrera Kraken with semi slick tyres but really should have bought a road bike or hybrid as I find I run out of gears downhill. In your case I would allow 35-40 minutes to start. Its usually easier to carry luggage on the bike so a rack is a good idea- you will find you get very sweaty with a rucksack. Full mudguards are an excellent idea for a commuter- you will find even in light rain you keep fairly dry with them, and only get wet through in heavy rain and really its never as bad as you think its gonna be! Poontangs suggestion is a good one- that Decathlon looks the ideal commuter hack. Just wants lights and away you go.

Lidl have cycling gear in next monday- well worth a look but you need to get there early-ish or you may find the clothing sizes you require are gone cos the keen cyclists will get there early. Miss this though and all is not lost as Aldi also do cycling gear occasionally- keep a check on their respective websites. You could really do with a small tool kit, spare inner tube (you don't want to be faffing about with a puncture repair kit on the way home after a shift or in the rain, that can wait 'til you get home.) and mini pump. Spend at least 10% of the bike price on a lock if the bike is left outside. The track pump looks especially good value on the lidl website for home.

Finally- for me, it does not really save that much money on petrol as cycling gives me an excuse to eat more pies!

poontang

freakybacon wrote: »

Poontangs suggestion is a good one- that Decathlon looks the ideal commuter hack. Just wants lights and away you go.

It has a dynamo hub powering built-in front and rear lights. No further lights required

no_more_cards_for_me

Don't buy a heavy bike with suspension, you really don't need it and the benefit is minimal on road. Whilst mudguards are a very good idea, if your trying to keep costs down then a rucksack will do the job.

thescouselander

Just something else to think about - this site provides a tool that lets you work out how much you are spending on petrol:


http://www.torquecars.com/tools/uk-mpg-calculator.php

Just as an example I plugged in the figures for your journey based on an average petrol car. If you were to spend say £350 on a bike and some equipment you'd need to cover nearly 1600 miles before you break even. Thats about 120 return journeys to work (about half a working year if you cycle every day).

So as money saving exercise you'll need to be very aware about what you're spending and you'll need to be sure you can keep up cycling to work regularly enough to make a return on your investment.