Best bike for 10 mile commute

custardy

1886 wrote: »

IMO, the best kind of bike for a 10 mile commute is a mountain bike with road tyres. You can have front suspension and disc brakes so you can stop real fast when car doors open in front of you and you can drop down kerbs without your fillings falling out.

A hybrid would be okay but a racer limits you to the road quite a bit, jump up or down kerbs and you'll probably buckle a wheel not to mention hitting a pot hole. I've been out on a hardtail (front suspension) mountain bike before with road tyres and overtaken people on road bikes, fast and comfortable

At £250 the OP wont be getting disk brakes
any suspension fork will be a bouncer with no lockout
lots of wasted energy
You arent running road tyres on 26" wheels,you are running slicks
They are wider than road tyres

Strider590

With reference to the saddle and crossbar thing....

The bike should be sized so that when standing with feet flat to the ground and bum off the saddle, there should be about 2 - 3 inches gap between your person and the crossbar. The saddle should be set so that the knee is slightly bent when the pedal is fully down.

Yes, this means you shouldn't be able to put both feet down when on the saddle.

The saddle is a personal choice, but wide fat saddles are more uncomfortable than razor thin ones, because one group of muscles that you use when pedalling will be sat squashed on the saddle.

dandelionclock30

Places like the Edinburgh Bike Coop and Evans do cycle maintenance classes which include things like how to change a wheel,and a puncture etc.They are well worth it as you need to be able to do this as a bear minimum in case you get a flat tire at the back of beyond.
If you get a specialized bike from one of the specialized shops then they will let you exchange the saddle till you get something you find comfortable.
The specialized saddles you can buy separately and I've got a couple on my bikes and they were £25.00 each. You cant put a price on comfort.You dont want a big fat saddle like the person above says they are very uncomfortable.

Sanchsoot49

One of the Ridgeback Hybrids would probably suit you. TBH I would look at buying a better second hand bike than buying a new one from Halfords. I have a Ridgeback Velocity and I like it. It was about 350 new.

liz545

Do you have any bike shops (other than Halfords) near you where you could go and try some bikes out in person? There's really no substitute for getting on a bike and taking it for a test ride to see how it feels, and any bike shop worth their salt should be happy to let you do this.

For the money, perhaps the Ridgeback Motion or the Specialized Crossroads would be worth a look. If there's a branch of Decathlon near you I'd also consider the Network 5 as this also comes with extras like hub dynamo lighting, a rack and mudguards already fitted, which will save you shelling out for them as well. A well-maintained good quality second hand bike is also worth considering - a secondhand Specialized Vita should also be within your budget.

QuincyBella

liz545 wrote: »

Do you have any bike shops (other than Halfords) near you where you could go and try some bikes out in person? There's really no substitute for getting on a bike and taking it for a test ride to see how it feels, and any bike shop worth their salt should be happy to let you do this.

For the money, perhaps the Ridgeback Motion or the Specialized Crossroads would be worth a look. If there's a branch of Decathlon near you I'd also consider the Network 5 as this also comes with extras like hub dynamo lighting, a rack and mudguards already fitted, which will save you shelling out for them as well. A well-maintained good quality second hand bike is also worth considering - a secondhand Specialized Vita should also be within your budget.

There aren't any alternative bike shops in my area (that I know of). I'm definitely going to have to buy new as I want to buy through my work's cycle to work scheme, which I am assured will be operational by the end of the month. It is almost certain (from what I'm told) that halfords will be one of the approved providers but as yet it is unclear whether there will be any others in the mix. I do know that the out of town halfords let's people try out their bikes but this thread has helped a lot in terms of helping me articulate what it is I'm looking for. I really like the look of the ridgeback motion so will look for something akin to that if I can't get that exactly.

custardy

QuincyBella wrote: »

There aren't any alternative bike shops in my area (that I know of). I'm definitely going to have to buy new as I want to buy through my work's cycle to work scheme, which I am assured will be operational by the end of the month. It is almost certain (from what I'm told) that halfords will be one of the approved providers but as yet it is unclear whether there will be any others in the mix. I do know that the out of town halfords let's people try out their bikes but this thread has helped a lot in terms of helping me articulate what it is I'm looking for. I really like the look of the ridgeback motion so will look for something akin to that if I can't get that exactly.

If you are using the Halfords service,then you are limited but not tied to Halfords
You can use other companies,some will even tweak the system by allowing you to add money
If you email the C2W team,they can provide you with a list of dealers in your area who accept them
Robert.Frampton@halfords.co.uk



Leisure Lakes take them
Scotby http://www.scotbycycles.co.uk/
Theres plenty more.

thescouselander

1886 wrote: »

IMO, the best kind of bike for a 10 mile commute is a mountain bike with road tyres. You can have front suspension and disc brakes so you can stop real fast when car doors open in front of you and you can drop down kerbs without your fillings falling out.

A hybrid would be okay but a racer limits you to the road quite a bit, jump up or down kerbs and you'll probably buckle a wheel not to mention hitting a pot hole. I've been out on a hardtail (front suspension) mountain bike before with road tyres and overtaken people on road bikes, fast and comfortable

I really don't know where to start with this but most of the above is complete bolleaux. Road bikes are quite capable of jumping off kerbs and hitting potholes without problem. And if you put the same rider on a road bike and a mountain bike they're going to be faster on the road bike (while on the road).

Personally I hate riding my mountain bike on the road (even with road tyres). In comparison with my road bike it feels heavy and slow and the gears aren't set up for riding at higher speeds. The upright position is also a nightmare when going into a strong breeze.

If there's only a a small amount of packed gravel or other smooth off road sections on the OP's journey is say they might get away with a road bike and it might even be the fastest over all.

dandelionclock30

I agree that Road bikes are the best for on the road and most of them can cope with canal towpaths etc. I've got a cyclocross bike and a mountain bike and for general riding about and off road I prefer the cyclocross.
However OP said that she didnt want a bike with a crossbar.

Also Halfords do some very good bikes.However, its best to stay away from their budget range and if you dont know anything about bikes take someone with you who does. Their assembly can be a bit hit and miss.

Regarding buying secondhand thats o.k if you know a bit about bikes and can tell if something is worn or not, like how to check for play etc. If you dont know anything about bikes and dont have anyone knowlegeable to advise you, then I would get a new one.Then at least you have a years guarentee as a minimum and usually a free service.