Mens Hybrid Bike

4771_Miles_To_Caracas

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philhoggins

I recently bought a Raleigh Park Avenue 20" hybrid @ £179.99 There would be no issues for you on frame size with that and it comes with pannier rack on rear of bike. This bike has 18 gears which are more than enough in fact you probably won't use more than 6. It's not the lightest of bikes but the lighter they are the more expensive they are.

Personally I reccommend this bike for the type of cycling your planning to do as it's what I do with it.

I ordered mine online so had to build the bike myself. On one occassion I had to contact my local store for advice and they were very helpful. If you buy in store they will build it for you.

It's also worth looking at the 2nd hand market, you will get akit more bike for your money there are a few online sites dedicated to selling bikes.

Lugh_Chronain

Gears aren't necessarily always for speed, think of them more for comfort as well. I've seen people around where I live struggle unnecessarily up hills without adjusting their gears. Obviously they are inexperienced cyclists, I guess it comes more naturally to some than others.

I'd personally go for a bike with 18 gears as they may actually come in handy even if you don't use them all the majority of times you use the bike. You may need them in hilly areas.

What's comfortable to others may not necessarily be comfortable to you, adjust the gears to what suites your ability.

Size wise, I agree with Phil, 19 -20inch frame (55 - 57cm) should be OK for your height if you're thinking of getting a hybrid bike.

If you're looking for some decent panniers I'd recommend a pair of Altura's, I have a pair of Dryline 56 Altura's, not sure how many litres they are though they do hold quite a fair bit of stuff. Not sure if these are within your budget though as the ones I have cost £70 bought about 5 years ago. They do come in different sizes as well.

I'm not currently up on lights if you're needing some though I have a Cateye HL-EL520 Power Opticube front light and a Blackburn Mars 3.0 rear light. I got the Cateye from ebay a few years ago otherwise I would have paid something like £50.

Lights are improving all the time, you can even get decent ones for a fairly reasonable price nowadays as well. Don't go for cheapo ones though as you'll want to be seen. It's obviously important to see where you're going though being seen could be considered equally if not more important.

Might also help to do what Phil suggests and check out a site dedicated to selling bikes. There should be some where you can post similar requests as you've posted here if Phil can recommend one.

Also, consider this, cheap bikes tend to be made with substandard material these days. If you can get a secondhand bike, all the better.

My bike is kind of secondhand, it belonged to my dad, Timberline GT, fairly good bike too considering. Which reminds me, I need to sort the chain. Around here the chain tends to get very gritty due to where I cycle (Richmond Park), so needs to be cleaned and oiled quite frequently. My brother recommends to clean it at least once a month using plain water only (don't use washing up liquid as this contains salt) before lubricating. Always a good idea to maintain the chain as this will also prevent rust and will also help the bike to run smoothly.

For the lubricant use a brand that eveyone sells and is well known. I have a tin of 3 in 1 spray lube (manufactured by WD-40). Evans Cycles sell Finish Line Teflon Plus Dry Chain Lubricant for £8.99. Finish Line Dry Lube goes on wet, but then sets up in a dry, 'paste-like' film. Might actually be ideal for me as less likely to attract that grit. Again you would have to clean your chain a bit before using [any lube] with at least hot water (remember not to use washing up liquid as its full of salt) before applying it.

A Few good bike stores by the way are Evans Cycles, Chain Reaction and Wiggle though there are others as well. Chain Reaction and Wiggle are online retailers, you may have an Evans Cycles near you.

A good local bike shop should be able to give advice on anything you may need to know as well though don't feel obliged to purchase anything from them if you think they are a bit too pricey for your budget.

Sorry if this is a little more information than you were expecting and for what you are asking though thought I'd mention this while it's fresh in my mind.