Major help in choosing bike
speedygonzales
Posts: 7
Short version - need a bike!
Long Version -
Commuted to work for 9 months of last year on an Edinburgh Co-operative bought Ridgeback, 6 year old bike, doing roughly 16 miles a day, 5 days a week. Done reasonably well so thought I'd get a new bike this year. My work partakes in the cycle2work scheme thru Halfords so think 'that'll ding-dang-do'. Started with a budget of £700 and fancied the look of the Spesh Tricross as I reckon I'll be doing well to go back to drops rather than flat barring it! So orders the letter of collection after the nice lady at Halfords says the bike should take about 2 weeks to source. nearly 3 months later, the bike is still not forthcoming. Apparently the 3rd party that halfords use for Specialized bikes says my size can no longer be sourced (52cm frame). I have heard through my LBS that stocks of spesh bikes are a bit scarce just and I have no reason not to believe him. SO, I'm stuck with a 'LOC' to the value of £700 and can't get the bike I had my heart set on. This is where you guys come in - I'm looking for a fast commuting bike, something like a cyclocross as they offer strength, speed and tyres suitable for Edinburghs' roads. If I had to, I could stick with a flat bar, and in this range I've been looking at the Boardman bikes, performance Hybrid Pro that retails at about £700. I could if need be add another £300-400 on top of the £700 as it's been so long since I ordered, I've saved a wee bit more money.
Any Ideas/suggestions?
Many thanx in advance!!
Long Version -
Commuted to work for 9 months of last year on an Edinburgh Co-operative bought Ridgeback, 6 year old bike, doing roughly 16 miles a day, 5 days a week. Done reasonably well so thought I'd get a new bike this year. My work partakes in the cycle2work scheme thru Halfords so think 'that'll ding-dang-do'. Started with a budget of £700 and fancied the look of the Spesh Tricross as I reckon I'll be doing well to go back to drops rather than flat barring it! So orders the letter of collection after the nice lady at Halfords says the bike should take about 2 weeks to source. nearly 3 months later, the bike is still not forthcoming. Apparently the 3rd party that halfords use for Specialized bikes says my size can no longer be sourced (52cm frame). I have heard through my LBS that stocks of spesh bikes are a bit scarce just and I have no reason not to believe him. SO, I'm stuck with a 'LOC' to the value of £700 and can't get the bike I had my heart set on. This is where you guys come in - I'm looking for a fast commuting bike, something like a cyclocross as they offer strength, speed and tyres suitable for Edinburghs' roads. If I had to, I could stick with a flat bar, and in this range I've been looking at the Boardman bikes, performance Hybrid Pro that retails at about £700. I could if need be add another £300-400 on top of the £700 as it's been so long since I ordered, I've saved a wee bit more money.
Any Ideas/suggestions?
Many thanx in advance!!
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Comments
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Am I right in thinking Halfords can source from a wide range of manufacturers and not just the ones you see stocked in their Bike Huts? If so, you're a bit spoiled for choice as far as cyclocross type bikes are concerned! It looks like they are the next big thing, filling in the void left by the now tired and cliched singlespeed, fixed wheel craze (that's going to upset a few folk!).
Anyway, the Kona Jake seems to get consistently good reviews, around about your price range: http://www.ashcycles.com/power/index.ph ... urrency=BP
Or if you fancy something with a bit higher spec drivetrain, how about a Focus: http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.a ... oss%202008. Looks like it's got 105 10 speed set up rather than 8 speed like the Kona.
If you were happy with your old Ridgeback you could always stick with the same brand (well, same manufacturer, different brand anyway): http://www.evanscycles.com/product.jsp; ... tyle=87272
I've also been looking to replace my daily commuter, currently a Spesh Allez, with something that'll cope a bit better with shooping and commuting loads (shoes, suit etc...) and have just ordered one of these: http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/ebwPNLq ... 155c002912
Can't go too far wrong with a good old fashioned tourer, go on get a Dawes Super Galaxy... ...just remembered this is Bikeradar, not the CTC forum. Forget my last sentence!
HTH0 -
Forgot to mention, to speed up the buying process, the guy at my local Halfords says I should stick to the following brands, as these can be sourced easier (for Halfords).
Apollo, Boardman, Carrera, Condor, Dahon, Dawes, Diamond Back, Dolan, GT(Merida),Kona, Pashley, Pearson, Raleigh, Saracen, Van Nicholas, Voodoo.
Again, thanks.0 -
I think I'd go for one of the drop-barred Boardman bikes, if I liked a test ride on them. If your commute is all on road, then a road bike is probably the best solution.0
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Peyote wrote:Am I right in thinking Halfords can source from a wide range of manufacturers and not just the ones you see stocked in their Bike Huts?
HTH
They do say this, but speaking to my local Halfords yesterday, they say this can be tricky as some cycles come from 'grey' stockists, hence the issue I'm having. I know my bike of choice exists as I can buy it online from other stockists, but Halfords don't buy it that way and I now HAVE to use my C2W voucher as I'm already paying for it.0
