2008 bikes for commuting/fitness riding.

arge

Hi,
I am after a bike for my commute of 5 miles but will eventually be using it for longer fitness rides. I really like the look of the Giant FCR range and have heard good things about giant. My only concern is the tyres being skinny at 26. The roads on my commute aren't the best/smoothest and was wondering if the skinny tyres will be ok ??
Or should i be looking at a wider tyre bike ? (possibly the Giant CRS range - 35 tyres ?)

any input would be good,
thanks

redddraggon

arge wrote:

My only concern is the tyres being skinny at 26.

They are fat tyres. I run 23s and 25s on poor roads and they are fine.

gkerr4

the fcr will be fine - i'd say have a lok at the SCR range too - similar bikes but drop bars on the SCR give more hand position choices.

as above - 26mm is quite fat for a road tyre - with 23m and 25mm the usual choices (20mm are available)

daz51

Not sure about your budget but take a look at the Specialised Tricross range, they start at £699 with gears and its a nice bike. Thicker tyres and a nice strong, but light frame with carbon forks.

Giant are one of the largest bike manufacturers in world and are based in Holland. Their bikes are well equipped due to economies of scale. But there is something about them in my eyes that make them look a bit naff and this is why i have chosen the Specialized Allez over the SCR Giant range.

Daz

NWLondoner

I used to feel the same way about skinny road tyre. I used to ride (suffer) 38's!!!

I now realise that skinny is best.

I have rode on 25c and it was fine.

Hopefully illness and weather will NOT conspire against me again this week and i can finally get out on my 23c.

Sods law buy a new bike and so far only got out on it once :shock:

arge

thanks for the replys guys !

knowing that 26 tyres will be fine means i can now look at a few more bikes. few more questions...
- How do i decide wether i need flat bars with bar ends or drop bars ?
- What widths of tyre will fit on the rims of these bikes (bikes that currently have 26mm wide tyres) ?
- How do i find out what size frame i will need ?

thanks

Alibran

Whether you want flat bars or drops is really down to what you are comfortable with (and to a lesser degree the kind of riding you do). For your commute, people usually recommend flat bars for mostly town/city based because you get better visibility in a more upright position, and drops if you spend more time on the open road. Ultimately, though, if you ride on the open road and you're really not comfortable with drops, don't get them, or if your commute is mostly in traffic, but you want to do longer rides at weekends (for example) and want drops for those, then do get them. It's really down to your personal preference.

I would get down to your LBS (local bike shop) and have a try on as many bikes as possible. I hesitated to get drops at first because I was nervous about the riding position and having narrower bars, but once I rode with them, I found all my fears were unfounded and I loved it. Your LBS will also be able to help you with frame sizing, which is best worked out by trying lots of different bikes.

Rich Hcp

Skinny is best!

Make sure you have decnt p*ncture resistant tyres and keep them up to presure, so a Track Pump is a must

I'd recomend a Spesialized Allez, mine's great!

As is said above, get down tio a decent bike shop and take your time looking