new commuter- Bike Rec's

cberry
cberry Posts: 29
edited August 2007 in Commuting chat
Hi,

I used to cycle commute to work when I lived in the countryside, and my ride was about a mile. I now live just outside London and will be working in Central London, with a commuting distance of 12-13 miles. Trains take about 1h15 from where I live, so I'm pretty sure I could cycle quicker. Needless to say I'm dead keen on get a good commuting bike and cycling in. The problem is I no longer own a bike and am a bit short on cash. I'm wondering if people have any rec's for good commuting bikes in the £200-£500 range.

Thanks,
Chris

Comments

  • stu20001
    stu20001 Posts: 48
    Specialized Sirrus seems to be whats mostly recommended on here when this question is asked.
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  • A - W
    A - W Posts: 253
    stu20001 wrote:
    Specialized Sirrus seems to be whats mostly recommended on here when this question is asked.

    Agreed.

    I have the Elite and would thoroughly recommend it.
    FCN 10
  • mazcp
    mazcp Posts: 953
    Same here. Another Sirrus Elite owner.
  • cberry
    cberry Posts: 29
    Thanks for the tips- just checking up on the bike as we speak. I was wondering- for 12-13 miles at a decent pace would it be beneficial to us curved or dropped handlebars? My old bike (which was stolen) had curved bars and I never used the flat bit except to brake, so was thinking dropped might be a good option. Any thoughts?
  • A - W
    A - W Posts: 253
    Whatever your comfortable with.
    FCN 10
  • CarKiller
    CarKiller Posts: 60
    Drops just allow you to change hand position when you get uncomfortable. You get about 5 hand positions as opposed to 1.
  • cberry
    cberry Posts: 29
    Hi Guys,

    Thanks for your help thus far. I visited a few bike shops today and I'm now leaning towards a Light Touring or a Road bike as I want to get into day rides on the weekends and have always wanted a quicker bike. Just wondered if anyone has any advice on deciding between the two- most of the shops seem to push the road bike but then thats what they have the most stock of.

    I've been considering a GT R Series 4 for 480. Anyone with experiences with this bike?
  • alfablue
    alfablue Posts: 8,497
    A road bike is a good idea, and I would go for drops myself (for hand position), but I would reccomend one with a relatively upright riding position (as you will need to look around a lot on a commute) and one that has clearance and mounts for proper mudguards and a rack. Mudguards are very important on a commuter in my view - I am not sure the GT will easily take them. I believe the Trek Pilot meets these requirements, about £450.

    Alternativel how about a Dawes Audax Sport, which is possibly more comfortable with a steel frame, and slightly better suited to light touring and comes already fitted with mudguards.

    I think you need to get to more bike shops so you can see and try these different brands.
  • cberry
    cberry Posts: 29
    So I've been looking around- I'm sold on the idea of a slightly more upright bike, but can't really find any pilot 1.0's in my size (58 or 60) so I'm now deciding between the Giant SCR 2.0 or SCR 3.0. What do people think of this choice?

    Alternatively, does anyone know where I can still buy a 2007 Pilot 1.0 in a large size? And are there any other upright and comfortable road bikes sub-500 that I should be looking at?

    Thanks. Hope to buy a bike soon as all of these deals probably won't last.

    Chris

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