what bike?

doningtonphil

hello

My company is moving premises and will be within cycling distance from home. I have seen the various cycle to work schemes which seem to offer the opportunity of getting a bike on the cheap.

What is the opinion of the best commuter bike to buy, looking to spend up to 500.00 (before discount) and hope to also be able to use on trails in the Lake Districtwhen on holiday.

I have been looking at trek and Specialized so far

thanks in advance

Weird_Nev

Have a good look at your route - is it mostly roads with a few bits of "paved" track, or will you be hacking through forest?

Beware hybrids also - They tend to be a bit "jack of all trades" and lose out if your daily commute turns into a desire to explore something a bit more challenging off road.

If your commute is entirely road, and say 5-10 miles then I'd certainly consider a road bike. The lower riding position and thin tyres make all the difference over long distances on smooth tarmac, and you'll be able to go much faster. The gearing also makes maintaining higher speeds possible. I used to do a 13 mile each way commute on a road bike. It was possible on that, but on a heavier slower mountain bike it would not have been fun and I would not have been able to do it week in week out.

If your commute is a bit shorter, say 3-7 miles, then consider a "proper" mountainbike, and by that I mean front suspension NOT full suspension, with disc brakes, and then spend about £40 on a pair of semi slick tyres about 1.5" wide. That gives you much of the benefit of road wheels, on a bike that with a change of tyres can be ridden anywhere and be much more versatile. Many people also find the more upright seating position of mountain bikes more comfortable for shorter journeys and more causal riding. UNtil you're used to the arched back seating position of a road bike, it tends to give you a crick in the neck!

HAve a look at your budget, evaluate the riding you WILL do vs the riding you'd LIKE to do and see what takes your fancy. Trek and SPecialized are certainly solid propositions. Are you tied to any particular retail outlet? DOn't discount the C Boardman range in Halfords, they've offered exceptional specification for the money for a couple of years now.

gabitzul

Another thing to take into consideration is to buy used (especially if you are not sure this will work out well). I have bought 2 mountain bikes from ebay recently, a Specialized and a Giant and both were under £140. The Giant is basically new and the other one is very high spec; the RRP for both is over £400.

GT60

Trek 3900 or the 4 series range and like the above said get a hardtail bike
We have three trek's for our boys and i would not touch anything else again, and certainly not anything from the orange shed.

http://www.trekbikes.com/uk/en/bikes/mountain/sport/


for a bike lock wheelis direct have this New Kryptonite Series 2 D Bike Cycle Lock w 4 Ft Cable for £20 -

custardy

doningtonphil wrote: »

hello

My company is moving premises and will be within cycling distance from home. I have seen the various cycle to work schemes which seem to offer the opportunity of getting a bike on the cheap.

What is the opinion of the best commuter bike to buy, looking to spend up to 500.00 (before discount) and hope to also be able to use on trails in the Lake Districtwhen on holiday.

I have been looking at trek and Specialized so far

thanks in advance

have you checked what schemes your company use/allow?
that could dictate what choices you have(or don't have)
best bikes are always going to be personal opinon

I run a Boardman hybrid as my commuter
its a works well. I prefer the MTB style set up for commuting over a road bike drop bars.
however its much quicker that the MTB with 700c wheels and 28c tyres
however I have my MTBs as well,so off road capabilities don't matter bar the days I cut down the canal paths
however it can take wider tyres and would take 26"MTB wheels with not too fat a tyre.

Yorkie1

I have a Trek T30 commuter bike and it's great.

Mids_Costcutter

I'd avoid any suspension (front or rear) when cycling on-road, unless it can be locked. In my experience even just suspension front forks waste a lot of energy when cycling.

custardy

Mids_Costcutter wrote: »

I'd avoid any suspension (front or rear) when cycling on-road, unless it can be locked. In my experience even just suspension front forks waste a lot of energy when cycling.

good call
often see folks working away as the front end bobs away
depends on the st up
My bike fitted with old SID forks has no lockout.
however if i use it for work(rare) i can up the air pressure to little movement
my other forks have lockouts and im getting Rebas for the new bike

I would stick with rigid forks for a dedicated commuter. carbon fibre if you want to soften it up a bit

Weird_Nev

GT60 wrote: »

for a bike lock wheelis direct have this New Kryptonite Series 2 D Bike Cycle Lock w 4 Ft Cable for £20 -

Please DON'T use cable bike locks!
They're not fit for purpose - They take thieves no time at all to deal with. Especially cheap cable locks.
Spend £40 or so on a reputable D-Lock or a heavy padlock and chain, which ever suits your needs best, but cable locks alone are NOT fit to keep a bike unstolen.
Also, avoid combination locks - very easy to crack.

GT60

Weird_Nev wrote: »

Please DON'T use cable bike locks!
They're not fit for purpose - They take thieves no time at all to deal with. Especially cheap cable locks.
Spend £40 or so on a reputable D-Lock or a heavy padlock and chain, which ever suits your needs best, but cable locks alone are NOT fit to keep a bike unstolen.
Also, avoid combination locks - very easy to crack.

It is a D lock with a cable also.
Kryptonite is not a cheap lock either it is one of the best.

Weird_Nev

GT60 wrote: »

It is a D lock with a cable also.
Kryptonite is not a cheap lock either it is one of the best.

That'll teach me not to click links.

Good price, and fine for locking up mid range bikes. :beer: