which is your favourite bike?

lark

I am looking to upgrade my bike thanks to cyclescheme.

I currently ride a hefty hybrid, and manage to crank out a decent speed but feel the need for something faster, more sporty and fun.

Please share your wisdom!

Which bike would be a good bet to meet these things?

Budget: £500 - £600
Me: female 5foot 8
Commute: 17 miles round trip across London. All on roads. Mostly flat, apart from one hill
Load: will need lugs for a pannier rack, as I just don't get on with a bag on my back


I like the styling of Bianchi and Lemond, but do they live up to their good looks?

Any insights gratefully received ...

phil_ss1

Hi,

why limit yourself to a bike with lugs for panniers, you may find a bag like this that just slides on and off very easily more practical for all your bits and bobs:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.a ... 20Bag%20DX

It mounts on a rack like this:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.a ... ear%20Rack

or one with the bag with built in panniers:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.a ... 20Panniers

and

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.a ... e%20Frames

these have given me 3 years of top service!

Good luck with the choice of bike.

Phil

monstadog

My wife has a Specialised sirrus. This would meet your requirements. Its light and fast, lots of fun, looks good and has mounting points for a rack. They certainly have models that fall well within your budget too.

meanwhile

First question: do you want a drop handle bike, or a fast flat bar? If you think you want a drop, have you ridden one before? I'd generally rate flat bars and bullhandles as being much safer in traffic, and flats easier to get with more powerful brakes, including discs, which still work perfectly in the wet. But don't reject a flat bar if that's what you want.

Second question: what are the roads like that you ride in terms of pot holes and other obstructions, and are conditions safe for you to swerve around them, or do you have to go over them fairly often? The more obstacles you have to ride over, the more room you need for wider bouncier tyres - which can still be very fast with modern technology. Regrettably, a lot of manufacturers skimp on designing their chainstays and forks to take a decent range of tyres (which is one reason I'd deprecate the Sirrus suggested.)

Third question: what are you like on doing regular maintenance? An expensive bike is an investment, you're riding quite a distance regularly, and more expensive bikes can be fussier. If you want to reduce maintenance, you might want to look for a bike with internal gear hub. The Charge Mixer is a dedicated "street fighter" with an IGH and discs. Its just above your price range. I haven't ridden one, but on paper its a great design for doing traffic fast.

lark

Thanks Meanwhile

Really useful advice - esp re durability and need for low maintenance. I have neither the time nor inclination to get greasy!

Charge Mixer - hmmm .... I'm off to the bike shop today so I will check it out.

el_presidente

You need a fixie

Mark_K

I Have a Mixer lovely bike and the hub gears work a treat! However Try before you buy as it is a short cockpit and one thing i have found with mine is the cheep shimano disc brakes let the pads ratlle in the calipers, which is driving me nuts atm so get that checked or upgraded !

meanwhile

That's very good feed back on the Mixer, Mark - thanks.

Another thought is that if the OP wants an alfine IGH, she could select almost any fast hybrid - like an Edinburgh Bike Co-op Revolution Courier - do a deal with the store to have the bike built up with an Alfine instead. The Nexus is a cheaper Shimano IGH and EBC sell a bike with it already on, but the feedback on the Nexus is really mixed. If you go IGH, get Shimano Alfine or one of the German SRAMs.

You could have one even on a drop handle racer using a bar end shifter, if your mechanic is clever. EBC do what's supposed (according to reviews) to be a really nice woman's racer for about £300. Deduct some money for trading back the back wheel and part of the power train, and you'd get an easy £250 to spend on a new Alfine powered back wheel.

If you do get an IGH always make sure that your d-bar or chain goes the through the back wheel when you lock the bike. An IGH is easy to sell for good money on ebay! Other downside to an IGH: some people claim that the few hundred extra grams weight on the rear wheel feels "wrong".

Otoh, don't let the question of maintenance scare you. It's not that bigger deal. A faster bike will have higher pressure tyres which you will need to keep pumped up, checking with a pressure gauge. You should protect the expensive power train by cleaning and lubing the chain and gears every month or two, and watch the derailer going out of adjustment for fear that the spokes will eat it and cost you a lot of money. (Adjusting is easy, or shouldn't cost much at your bike store.)

Mark_K

Just so you know the Mixer has a Ecentric (sp?) BB so changing from single speed Geared or In geared hub is no big deal, bar buying the wheel and bits