A whole can of worms....

Johnofthejungle

Hi everyone

I know I'll be opening a whole can of worms here.

I'm looking at the cyclescheme to get myself a new bike. I currently have a right knackered old bike, an Apollo I bought from Halfords in around 1995. I know, it's shameful, but I've outed myself there straight away.

I'm first of all wondering what sort of bike to get, be it a hybrid (I see it strikes fear into many people on here), or a cyclo-cross? I'll be mainly sticking to roads, for commuting and pleasure, and living in Lincolnshire, well near Newark, I won't be doing too many hills at all. The country lanes around here can be full of pot holes, so thoughts on that topic first?

Next, what make and what store? The cycle scheme has a number of outlets across where I live, the closest being Cycle zone in Newark, who specialise in only a few brands and they recommended Marin. They would be very convienent for servicing etc... (they throw three in the first year), but what about Specialized, Giant, Trek etc... If they might be better brands for my purposes, anyone recommend a store near here? So Lincoln, Grantham, Nottingham, or surrounding counties.

Budget wise, I know that any bike will feel hugely different to my old workhorse of an Apollo, but I'm looking at £400-£600. That would be reasonable enough surely?

Another point, my whole commute is over 15 miles (each way), so comfort should be important, will racing handlebars - are they called drop bars these days? - be comfortable for me? Not a lot of urban cycling, mainly country roads.

All advise will be warmly welcomed, especially if you know of an impartial store near me that I can go and speak with.

Best wishes


John

Paul E

A lot of people here say that drop bars mean you can't see over cars etc, you have a lot more hand positions on drop bars and on the hoods on the brake/gear levers I have found it very comfy and have had no problems seeing over cars so I am a convert.

I have done so far a mix of southern scottish country roads and a few dry run commutes and love my road bike and wouldn't go bar to a flat bar after years of commuting on my mtb.

tailwindhome

Johnofthejungle wrote:

I'm first of all wondering what sort of bike to get, be it a hybrid (I see it strikes fear into many people on here), or a cyclo-cross? I'll be mainly sticking to roads, for commuting and pleasure, and living in Lincolnshire, well near Newark, I won't be doing too many hills at all. The country lanes around here can be full of pot holes, so thoughts on that topic first?

...

Another point, my whole commute is over 15 miles (each way), so comfort should be important, will racing handlebars - are they called drop bars these days? - be comfortable for me? Not a lot of urban cycling, mainly country roads.

15 miles each way is a fair bit of commuting, even 3 days a week 45 weeks a year you're talking 4000 miles. I think that definitely puts you in the road bike category (cyclocross bikes are just a road bike variation) as the are lighter and more efficient, while still being strong enough to cope with reasonably rough conditions (google ParisRoubaix)

Drop bars are comfortable. The vast majority of us spend little or no time in the drops. Mostly we ride 'on the hoods' for the best combination of comfort and efficiency. Check out the beginners stickie at the top of the page.

The next thing to consider is how you are going to carry stuff. Can you keep stuff at work or will you need panniers. Or would you be happy with a ruck sack on your back for 15 miles.

In terms of brands there is probably little to chose between Trek, Giant and Specialized. Some have their preferences but TBH you'll not go wrong with either for a first bike.

For your budget your looking a a Giant Defy 3 or similar

Assuming you mean cyclescheme with a capital C the Ribble Winter Trainer is hard to ignore, Tiagra being a step above Giant's Sora groupset.

http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/specialed ... ERW&bike=1

suzyb

You don't need to see over cars, they come with windows

Johnofthejungle

thanks so far everyone

TWH, yes that is a lot of miles, hence the need for comfort, I'm liking the Ribble, esp. the mudguards!!

I can keep my gear at work, and we have showers so no problems about paniers etc.. although in the summer I do fancy doing the coast to coast with a few friends (lakes to east coast), so will need some paniers for that.

So far I think I'll try out a road bike, and wait for others to respond.

thanks so far



John

meanredspider

I do 30 miles a day in the Scottish Highlands and I use a road bike (Focus Variado Compact) which seems to work well (I picked it up half price as a Wiggle ex-demo - spec is pretty much the Expert spec - certainly better than I was expecting). Like you, I don't need panniers.

As suggested, get a road bike - being able to tuck down may well help on windy days. Fit some light mudguards to keep the worst of the crap off you on the wet days. Keep the tyres well-inflated to avoid pinch flats if you do hit a pothole. I have a small saddle bag for spare inner, levers, patches etc, and a belt/bum bag for phone, wallet etc. I have kevlar reinforced tyres (Continental Gatorskins) to prevent too many punctures as my route is pretty grim in places.

Proper shoes/cleats will help your speed as will tighter-fitting clothes. I've spent more on clothes than the bike cost me but then I'm expecting weather from -10 to +25C. Gloves I've found particularly important as well as shorts/tights for the other contact point...

HTH

AndyManc

My own choice would be a flat bar hybrid with bar ends (the bar ends can provide an aero-dynamic profile), also, I would prioritise having a rear rack and pannier, it's a long walk if things go wrong or the weather changes.

Visit a few bike shops, make a note of all the bikes you like the look of, then when you're home, search for reviews on the bikes you like.

It's worth taking a look at websites like Evans Cycles, they have many bikes on sale, often last years models.

When you're down to your favourite 3 bikes go for a test ride to see which you prefer.


Then ........... enjoy 8)

cyberknight

suzyb wrote:

You don't need to see over cars, they come with windows

And you can see over them when you roll over the top :shock:

Only Kidding

Cycling is safe way of travel if you are aware of other drivers are likely to do and cycle accordingly .

Aguila

If you want good shops in Nottingham, I'd recommend either Freewheel in town (who do specialized) or langdale lightweights who do some custom stuff. Both are on cyclescheme and have nice knowledgable, friendly staff. That said if I was buying again on the scheme I'd get a condor fratello:

http://www.condorcycles.com/fratello.html

They also do cyclescheme and will deliver to you. I ride an audax bike like this and think it is the perfect commute bike if you are all on road. I do 11 miles each way also on Nottinghamshire coutry lanes and it's ideal for it.

Johnofthejungle

thanks everyone to date

so is it a ribble or the condor?

i'll also pop to freewheel tomorrow.

I also like the look of the specialized tricross, and I've been to sherwood pines and they have a raleigh airlite 400 that has been hardly ridden for £475 (it's done about 6miles, bought on a whim apparently), should I get that and pop on mudguards and wider tyres?

thoughts?

Canny Jock

Well, the Fratello would be nice, but the £549 price is frameset only I think. You'd probably need to double that to get a full bike. A fully built up Ribble starts at about £520, although I would go for Tiagra which would make it closer to £600. I believe that Ribble may charge an admin fee for cyclescheme (not sure though).

Tricross is a good choice, but I think they start at £700 and the standard equipment is entry level at that price.

The Raleigh looks OK for the money, but are you sure you can get a 2nd hand bike on cyclescheme?

I would go for the Ribble on your budget.

Johnofthejungle

hi Canny Jock

that rules out the condor then, didn't realise the cost of a complete bike. If the raleigh was a good buy, i'd buy it away from the cycle to work scheme.
i do like the look of the ribble, but the tricross does look great, so a ribble at £500, a tricross at £700 or the raleigh at £475?

Canny Jock

To be honest, I don't know anything about the Raleigh but the equipment is OK for the money.

I've got a Tricross comp which is great for commuting, although it's a different frame, lighter wheels and better equipped than the standard one.

I've also got a Ribble winter frame which I've just built up as single speed, it's not quite as comfortable as the Tricross, and can't take tyres as large, but it's pretty good. I really think as a road commuter bike it's ideal at the money, although as I said I would prefer Tiagra (better positioned gear levers which you can use on the drops or hoods) and pay the extra over Sora - still under £600 though.

But if you get a chance to ride a few at a LBS give it a go - but even if you ride something you like, don't rush in, have a search on the internet for reviews and ask for more advice as well. If you can find a very good, reliable LBS, then it's worth paying a bit more as the advice and support they give will be worth it.

One last thing - whatever you buy, it's probably worth investing in some hardier tyres than those supplied as standard, have a search there are loads of tyre threads on here.

Johnofthejungle

the LBS sells Marins, any thoughts on those? they give two services in the first year as standard

Canny Jock

Do Marin do any road bikes? I thought they did mountain bikes and hybrids. Apart from that I haven't any experience of them, sorry.

dubnut71

You're right to ask the question, its kinda the same situation I found myself in a few weeks ago.

I started my commute (17.5 miles each way) on an old trek 1.2 hybrid that had flat bars and bar ends. It is reasonably fast and I found a good number of positions were achievable using the bar ends but it was mainly upright cycling.

So the search for a new bike commenced, I did look at an alfine hub'd bike but dismissed it due to the distance I cover. Because I use a towpath and some rutted concrete and up and down loads of kerbs I ended up looking at cyclocross bikes.
My LBS are good and let me test ride a range and I ended up with a Specialized tricross Sport. Road it for the first time this week and have to admit its the perfect bike for my commute (which doesn't necessarily mean it will be the same for you) but its very capable at dealing with the rough terrain and the bike feels fast and lighter compared to the hybrid. The drops are great (they are not hugely deep drops) and the positioning on them is much better than flats.
The big benefit came when I fitted SPD pedals on it, she absolutely flies now, loving the commute and loving the combination of speed/ruggedness the CX bike gives, as a matter of course I have fitted Schwalbe marathon kevlar's so I don't have the need to spend a morning in the rain (its always in the rain) fixing a flat!!!

Hope it helps mate, its just my experience of it all!!

biondino

AndyManc wrote:

My own choice would be a flat bar hybrid with bar ends (the bar ends can provide an aero-dynamic profile)

I don't think this is quite right - yes, you'll be lower, but as I understand it, the narrower your profile, the more aerodynamic, and bar ends on a wide flat bar won't be very narrow.

But it's only a small point

Johnofthejungle

dear all

I went to freewheel and also evans and did like the look of the Specialized Tricross, but the very nice man at Evans then mentioned the Pinnacle Expede 0.0, which is the same price as the Tricross but has better gear on it, shimano tiagra as opposed to 2300.

any thoughts? anyone any thoughts on the Pinnacle?


John

Kieran_Burns

It's not just about the peripherals - you need to ride them to see which suits you better (you can upgrade the components later but the basic bike stays the same)

SimonLyons

I live in Bottesford between Grantham - Nottingham.
Commute into Nottingham by bike ~3 days a week by bike year round.

You definitely want a roadbike - the roads are good around this area

Note that the new A46 bypass curently being built has been planned with cyclists in mind.

Bike shops I know about...
Freewheel (Nottingham centre) - Trek + Specialized
Evans(Nottingham centre) run their own cyclescheme so you would have to check if you are going to be on that one.
Halfords in (Netherfield/Nottingham) - Chris Boardman bikes. Again they do their own bike scheme.
Langdale Lightweights (Mapperly/Nottingham) - Langdale bikes + Giant.
Cyclesport(Grantham) - Trek.
Newark - not impressed by any of the bike shops.
Lincoln has quite a few shops but I haven't been in any of them.

I got a 2009 Giant Defy from Bunneys in Nottingham(near the railway station) but they aren't on the Giant suppliers list anymore.

If I was buying again on a bike scheme for commuting I would look for
1.road bike comfortable for all day riding.
2.can it take mudguards
3.can it take a rack (I got fed up with having a sweaty back).
4.convenient to get to for if things go wrong.

-- the Defy isn't perfect but it just fits this description 1-3.
I don't think Boardman road bikes fit this list.
Offhand Trek Pilot, Specialized Secteur, Giant Defy would be the bikes I would look at from the big makers.
I think I am prejudiced against Cross bikes - I would rather have a tourer.

Pinnacle are specific to Evans -again check with them to see if you use them on your cyclescheme.

Headhuunter

Canny Jock wrote:

Well, the Fratello would be nice, but the £549 price is frameset only I think. You'd probably need to double that to get a full bike. A fully built up Ribble starts at about £520, although I would go for Tiagra which would make it closer to £600. I believe that Ribble may charge an admin fee for cyclescheme (not sure though).

Tricross is a good choice, but I think they start at £700 and the standard equipment is entry level at that price.

The Raleigh looks OK for the money, but are you sure you can get a 2nd hand bike on cyclescheme?

I would go for the Ribble on your budget.

Yes, Ribble charge a £65 admin fee if you buy through Cyclescheme. I've just ordered a standard 7005 horizontal with Tiagra (not the winter trainer version) and if you add in the £65 admin it still only tips in at £630 ish which is pretty competitive for a bike with carbon forks and full Tiagra group. Most of the generic Giants, Treks and Specialized only through in a Tiagra rear mech and possibly front mech at that price.

Salsamander

I'd really recommend trying out all the bikes you have mentioned and going to a ride and seeing which one you fall in love with. No amount of knowing you have better parts is going to make up for riding a bike you don't enjoy riding.