Getting a bike

glasgowdan

I absolutely WOULD buy a hybrid for this, and not a mountain bike. Avoid any suspension at all, it's not needed and adds weight and maintenance.

Hybrids are easier to get full length mudguards for, they're lighter and have bigger wheels that roll better over tarmac/potholes. Get suitable commuting tyres pumped up to 60-70psi and keep the bike and drivechain clean. I personally get rid of the front gearing on any bike I ride as I find a 10-36t cassette and a suitable front ring is more than plenty. I used to commute on a nippy and light singlespeed which I really did love. It's so nice to see no front mech or chainguard/cables etc on the bike, just a bare front ring doing its job

And disc brakes are excellent on a commuting bike too as they are very tolerant of wheel dents/wobbles and rain/grime from the roads.

Nasqueron

Mr_Singleton wrote: »

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.

Because if you're fitting a 105 groupset, for example, it's more hassle to not buy the brakes and buy a 3rd party set like tektro, would make sense on the dirt cheap claris / 2300 setup but less so on 105. I didn't say it had to, just seems odd not to

Nasqueron

Mr_Singleton wrote: »

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

25% is more than 20%

Just sayin

AndyBSG

As mentioned, the main factors we need to know are your price range and what you want the bike for.

- If it's just for commuting and you're never going to go off road then a road bike would be best.

- If you're going to be doing dirt paths then a hybrid is the way to go

- If you're going to be doing real off road with drops and jumps then you'll be wanting an MTB with suspension... Which is probably the worst possible bike to commute with.

My suggestion is to get a Hybrid with no suspension and if it comes with bobbly tyres just swap them for a decent set of semi slicks.

Similar bikes i've recommended in the past are

Halfords Carerra Subway
Halfords Boardman Hybrid
Giant Escape
Claud Butler El Camino
Claud Butler Urban
Dawes Discovery
Cannondale Quick

In terms of accessories needed for commuting, you may find the total list ends up costing almost as much as buying the bike

- Water Bottle + Cage
- Saddle Bag
- Multitool(with chain breaker)
- Spare Inner Tube(much easier to swap the tube than repair a puncture at the side of the road in the rain!). I actually usually carry 2
- Tyre Levers
- Puncture Kit
- Mini track pump(hand pumps are useless unless you have an hour to pump the tyre up to a high enough pressure) This one is very good http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00DVLKN1Q?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00
- Bike Lock
- Front/rear lights(spare batteries are useful)
- Waterproof jacket
- Mudguards
- Long nose pliers if you have room in an already packed saddle bag
- Spare chain link
- Gloves

Nasqueron

Pff I have a Lezyne hand pump and it gets more than enough air in to complete a ride fine, 80 psi is easily enough, if not 100 and can be done in a minute

Johnmcl7

Nasqueron wrote: »

Because if you're fitting a 105 groupset, for example, it's more hassle to not buy the brakes and buy a 3rd party set like tektro, would make sense on the dirt cheap claris / 2300 setup but less so on 105. I didn't say it had to, just seems odd not to

I don't see it as an issue, a lot of bikes mix and match parts - my road bike used Tiagra shifters and derailleurs with an FSA crankset and Tektro rim brakes the latter which worked fine, they were simple brakes and little different to the Shimano equivalent or the 105 brakes. One of the mountain bikes used Deore shifters, an XT rear derailleur, a Sram X0 front derailleur, a Shimano cassette, a Raceface crankset/BB, KMC chain, Sram DB1 brakes, Bontrager hubs and SUNringl! rims. Big companies buy in bulk and will just fit whatever suits whether it's part of the groupset or not, even the mostly Shimano bikes mix parts from the different Shimano groupsets.

I just weigh up any issues I may have with the individual part against the cost of the bike and how much it is to change the part, the Sram DB1 brakes were fairly useless but the bike on the whole was decent so I just replaced them with Shimano brakes of my choice once I'd ruined them (they were worthless second hand)

Also I'm a big fan of mini track pumps over mini hand pumps, I find it much quicker and easier to get the tyre up to pressure with a mini track pump.

John

boatman

http://www.goodbikegear.com/bikes/hybrid-bikes/Marin-Fairfax-SC2-2016
Nice little Marin.

alexanderalexander

AndyBSG wrote: »

In terms of accessories needed for commuting, you may find the total list ends up costing almost as much as buying the bike

- Water Bottle + Cage
- Saddle Bag
- Multitool(with chain breaker)
- Spare Inner Tube(much easier to swap the tube than repair a puncture at the side of the road in the rain!). I actually usually carry 2
- Tyre Levers
- Puncture Kit
- Mini track pump(hand pumps are useless unless you have an hour to pump the tyre up to a high enough pressure) This one is very good http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00DVLKN1Q?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00
- Bike Lock
- Front/rear lights(spare batteries are useful)
- Waterproof jacket
- Mudguards
- Long nose pliers if you have room in an already packed saddle bag
- Spare chain link
- Gloves

Don't scare him off! I cycle 70-100 miles a week (purely as a mode of transport, not for leisure), and the only things on your list which I routinely take with me are a lock and (if it might get dark while I'm out) lights.

Re mudguards, for a general utility bike you would be well-advised to be looking at bikes which come fully equipped with mudguards (and carrying rack, for that matter).

adom_thomas

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elverson

alexanderalexander wrote: »

Don't scare him off! I cycle 70-100 miles a week (purely as a mode of transport, not for leisure), and the only things on your list which I routinely take with me are a lock and (if it might get dark while I'm out) lights.

Re mudguards, for a general utility bike you would be well-advised to be looking at bikes which come fully equipped with mudguards (and carrying rack, for that matter).

So you've never got a puncture?