What kind of bike - Hybrid or Racing Bike?
Argos74
Posts: 5
I'm planning to get a new(ish... am stalking targets on ebay) bike fairly cheaply, around £100-200, probably at the upper end of that. It'll be used for commuting and solo fun rides in the Manchester area - which can get fairly hilly around the Peak District and rainy all the bloody time.
The roads are not in fantastic condition - it gets worrying when you think "I can see those wires through the hole in the tarmac. I think they might have something to do with those traffic lights...", and incidentally, I'd like to introduce the Manchester road planners to this wonderful new invention called "Roundabouts", instead of putting traffic lights every 75 yards.
I'm a reasonably confident and fit cyclist - used to do a 15 mile commute through central Hell / London, and longest ride to date was from east London to Reading in a shade under three hours. But left the bike in London with a mate.
A racing bike would be quicker and more fun, but not as maneuvrable in traffic. Also with winter coming on, I'm thinking about the wonders of cycling in rain and snow. A hyrbrid might be still reasonably quick, but be more able to handle the road conditions in terms of weather and potholes.
What do you guys think? Particularly those cycling in Manc, or similarly challenging areas.
The roads are not in fantastic condition - it gets worrying when you think "I can see those wires through the hole in the tarmac. I think they might have something to do with those traffic lights...", and incidentally, I'd like to introduce the Manchester road planners to this wonderful new invention called "Roundabouts", instead of putting traffic lights every 75 yards.
I'm a reasonably confident and fit cyclist - used to do a 15 mile commute through central Hell / London, and longest ride to date was from east London to Reading in a shade under three hours. But left the bike in London with a mate.
A racing bike would be quicker and more fun, but not as maneuvrable in traffic. Also with winter coming on, I'm thinking about the wonders of cycling in rain and snow. A hyrbrid might be still reasonably quick, but be more able to handle the road conditions in terms of weather and potholes.
What do you guys think? Particularly those cycling in Manc, or similarly challenging areas.
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Comments
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I would have thought that a road bike will be just as maneuvrable as a hybrid but anyway, if you're really that worried about the road condition, how about looking for something like a touring or audax bike that will allow you to fit full mud guards and tyres up to ~28 to give a little more comfort to a bumpy ride.0
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cyclocross bike.
fast like a road bike but more stable without getting into touring/audax bike realms.
Basically you're best off heading to a big local bike shop and trying a load of different bikes to see what you fancy.0 -
I cycle 5 days from marple to manchester . i would get a road bike but fit armadillos or schwalbe marathons . A good rain jacket and pants / tights have a look at endura .
For me its how to get home as quick as possible as light as possible0 -
Spot the newb... any mod on duty, feel free to shift this to the Buying Advice section.
Thanks for your advice, I'm gonna settle on a quickish hybrid, although may splash out on a tasty road bike next summer (money permitting), and try not to get too downhearted about the Tour-de-Manchester types breezing past me without breaking sweat. The Schwalbe tires do look nice though! I spent half an hour dribbling over their website. Mmm.
Found lots of nice biking groups in Manchester as part of my looking around though. That'll be the next step...0
