Getting a bike

esuhl

Some great comments above.

I'd also suggest looking at cycle clothing. Initially I refused to wear any special clothes as I didn't want to look like a pro-wannabe. And cycling gear can be so expensive compared to, say, a t-shirt and jumper from Primark.

But the right clothes can make cycling so much more comfortable.

I started with a few jerseys (basically nylon t-shirts) as my cotton t-shirts would end up drenched with sweat. Jerseys are cheap too, so it's a no-brainer. I got some for £10 from Halfords, and some jogging jerseys from Trespass.

Then I got some base-layers, which are very thin, figure-hugging tops that you wear next to your skin. The idea is that they keep you a bit warmer than a jersey by itself, and wick sweat outwards so you don't feel clammy.

I also have some camping trousers that are designed to be lightweight, very slightly water-repellent and quick-drying. The legs detach to convert them to shorts, so it's easy to keep cool or warm as appropriate.

Padded undershorts are also good for reducing friction(!) and stopping you getting saddle-sore.

And I absolutely swear by merino-wool socks! Merino is soft, comfortable, doesn't get so clammy, and is naturally somewhat antibacterial.

Gloves are great for providing a bit of padding and extra grip. I bought some winter gloves too, but after ten minutes my hands get so hot that I tend to use thin, open-finger gloves in all weathers.

The one "expensive" item I bought (although I got it for 75% off!) was a Gore jacket. It's a wind-stopper, so it stops the cold, biting wind from freezing you, but it's breathable too, so you don't overheat. The arms unzip, and it's water-repellent too. Even at the full £160 RRP, it's really worth it.

If it's really cold, I wear a synthetic woven jumper under the jacket. It was £8 from Primark! Being synthetic and woven, it doesn't absorb sweat and is breathable.

And a baseball cap is handy to keep the rain off your head.

YORKSHIRELASS

My advice would be not to just go straight for a recognised brand. Do some research about the best bike components so you have an idea of what you are looking at. Decathlon bikes tend to be well specced for the money. Dont always assume that because a bike is expensive you are getting something decent.

I wouldnt buy a mountain bike if it's just for road use. A hybrid or even a road bike would be better. Frame size is important - try a few for size.

We found our small independent bike shops tend to only sell expensive bikes. The likes of Decathlon, Halfords and Evans can be hit and miss, you can find some good knowledgeable sales people and some who are useless. You need to go into a few shops and have a browse.

You will also need to set aside some money for a lock, lights, a helmet, a decent jacket and possibly some waterproof trousers and a comfortable rucksack. Do some online research to see the sort of things you might need.

If you are thinking of commuting to work think about the practicalities. Will you need to get changed? Where will you leave the bike? Where will you put your wet gear if it is pouring down? Are you comfortable with your cycling route into work? Do you know how long it will take?

I love cycling for so many reasons, hope you get it sorted.

Nasqueron

Nebulous2 wrote: »

You generally get more bang for your buck second-hand. The trick is to find a barely used one, rather than one with gears / chain / brakes / cables all in need of replacement.

Cycle to work will often limit you to a specific retailer, often Halfords. They have some ok bikes. Look at a Carrera as a minimum, avoid the Apollo. Something like a Carrera Subway might be a good starting point. Unfortunately it is the wrong time of year. Prices fluctuate, they often have 20% off all bikes, but Christmas is a big time for selling bikes and they may not discount again until January.

This is actually incorrect, the biggest (Cyclescheme) can be used at any shop that accepts it including online shops like WiggleCRC and Paul's Cycles and even the Halfords one can be used at other shops if the shop wants to accept them (my local independent accepts them amongst other schemes). Moreover, Halfords can, in theory, order in other brands for C2W though you may need to push it if the person in store isn't fully informed of the scheme

Nasqueron

esuhl wrote: »

Some great comments above.

I'd also suggest looking at cycle clothing. Initially I refused to wear any special clothes as I didn't want to look like a pro-wannabe. And cycling gear can be so expensive compared to, say, a t-shirt and jumper from Primark.

But the right clothes can make cycling so much more comfortable.


And a baseball cap is handy to keep the rain off your head.

Agreed on this, lycra is quick drying and wicks sweat away, I wear it even for commuting as I can hang it up when I get to work and it's dry long before I go home which say a cotton t-shirt won't be

On hats - you can get helmet liners with peaks rather than a baseball cap which are better

Nasqueron

YORKSHIRELASS wrote: »

My advice would be not to just go straight for a recognised brand. Do some research about the best bike components so you have an idea of what you are looking at. Decathlon bikes tend to be well specced for the money. Dont always assume that because a bike is expensive you are getting something decent.

I wouldnt buy a mountain bike if it's just for road use. A hybrid or even a road bike would be better. Frame size is important - try a few for size.

We found our small independent bike shops tend to only sell expensive bikes. The likes of Decathlon, Halfords and Evans can be hit and miss, you can find some good knowledgeable sales people and some who are useless. You need to go into a few shops and have a browse.

You will also need to set aside some money for a lock, lights, a helmet, a decent jacket and possibly some waterproof trousers and a comfortable rucksack. Do some online research to see the sort of things you might need.

If you are thinking of commuting to work think about the practicalities. Will you need to get changed? Where will you leave the bike? Where will you put your wet gear if it is pouring down? Are you comfortable with your cycling route into work? Do you know how long it will take?

I love cycling for so many reasons, hope you get it sorted.

Just to add to this, you can add any commuting gear onto the C2W voucher (lights, locks, helmet etc) and enjoy the tax saving as well

parking_question_chap

I looked into the cyle to work scheme but decided second hand was way better value. Ended up getting an aluminum hybrid, with mudgards, disc brakes, puncture proof tyres, hub gears and bag rack. Would be cost the previous owner about £550 and I paid about £100, plus £40 to get a full service.

Took a while for something to be available in my area, using a well known auction site, but im so glad I went used. Previously I went into a bike shop and the best I would find was a low spec hybrid for £200.

alexanderalexander

jamels2,

Before getting into recommendations of specific bikes, I think it best to ascertain what you actually want a bike for (e.g. length and type of trip) as well as your personal priorities on speed versus comfort.

Given that you mention buying a bike in the context of giving up a car and using public transport, I would guess you might be looking to do relatively short (say sub-8 miles) utility trips around town, going at a not-especially-fast speed which allows you to dress for the destination rather than the journey, and where you might be carrying things with you (e.g. shopping). You probably also want to be able to lock your bike up outside with limited risk of it (or components thereof) being stolen.

If I've surmised all this correctly, I'd suggest looking for a reasonably-priced town bike which comes "fully equipped" with mudgards and a carrying rack (to which you can attach a basket or panniers). Such bikes, whilst standard in much of Europe, are not ubiquitous in British bike shops as their stock is much more informed by the demands of leisure cycling (racers and mountain bikes) than every day utility cycling (if you're interested in this issue, and the problems it causes, there are blog posts here and here by two of my favourite cycling campaigners on it).

Again, if this is a correct surmise, you might want to look at brands such as Electra (their Loft range in particular), or bikes such as this one from Raleigh, this from Claud Butler, this from Dawes, or if you have a Decathlon near you they usually have quite a good range of such bikes in stock.

Mr_Singleton

Nasqueron wrote: »

B'Twin is obviously less premium than Specialized though I am surprised a £1500 one didn't have a full groupset including brakes as opposed to third party ones like Tektro

My £7000 S-Works Tarmac doesn't have a full Dura-Ace groupset so why should a £1500 whatever have a full groupset?

Also worth noting that Specialized is very well known for being very expensive for the spec of it bikes.

Mr_Singleton

Nasqueron wrote: »

Just to add to this, you can add any commuting gear onto the C2W voucher (lights, locks, helmet etc) and enjoy the tax saving as well

And just to add to that..... you can needlessly pay VAT on it as well which is a rather odd way of "enjoying the tax saving"

Just sayin

elverson

I commute 10 miles each way roughly once a week on a Decathlon/B'Twin hybrid and it does the job fine (I take the train the other four days). If I cycled in every day I'd probably get something a bit more highly specced, bearing in mind that I'd have some money freed up by not paying for the train.