Rehab Bike

lurk

Hello there, this isn't specific to road bikes but it's where I thought it would be best placed, my apologies if it's not.

Here's the deal:

I recently injured my back so I have a long and dull 3 month rehab period to go through before I can go back to my usual activities.

I have another 2 weeks of complete rest before I am allowed to do any excercise at all, so I want to use this time to decide on a bike which I will be using later on in rehab when I am allowed to start cycling.


This is where I need your help, I don't have a lot of money going spare at the moment so I have a very small budget of £200 and no more to spend on getting the right bike.

These were my initial thoughts:

A bike that is light (so that I can use it with minimal effort)

Upright handle bars (being hunched over probably won't be too great for the back)

Don't care about fancy breaks

Don't really want/need suspension

Would like thinner tyres and smooth gears (ideally)



Any suggestions or advice would be very, very much appreciated as have sod all to do right now and getting this done would be a step forward.

Thanks a bunch.

James

Stuey01

Carrera Subway.
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_779779_langId_-1_categoryId_165534#dtab

Is it hilly where you live or could you get away with a single speed?

Also try the commuting forum, this is the exactly the type of bike a lot of people use over there. You'll get some helpful responses.

lurk

I wondered about the subway but wasn't sure if it was really what I was looking for.
wouldn't the bigger wheels/tryes make it heavier?

I don't get on with halfords after they sold me the heap of crap that was my last bike.

Shall i just post this again in the commute section?

beeroclock

To be absolutely honest - you aren't going to get alot for £200 unless you go the second hand route. The above bike offers really good value I reckon and would probably suit you well.

If you go the second hand route try looking out for a Giant FCR - would probably work quite well for you.

cheers philip

lurk

I don't have a problem with buying second hand, if it's going to be a better option then I will happily look into it.

I'm not expecting an incredible bike for sub £200 but I would really like it to meet the points I've already layed out. Other than that I don't really need anything else from it.

Looking into the Giant now.

Stuey01

lurk wrote:

I wondered about the subway but wasn't sure if it was really what I was looking for.
wouldn't the bigger wheels/tryes make it heavier?

I don't get on with halfords after they sold me the heap of crap that was my last bike.

Shall i just post this again in the commute section?

I don't understand what you mean by "bigger wheels and tyres". It has MTB sized 26" wheels, smaller than a road bike, and it has skinny slick tyres on it.

Comparing the Subway and your requirements:

A bike that is light (so that I can use it with minimal effort)

- you aren't going to get anything really light at this price point. 13kg is not bad for £200.

Upright handle bars (being hunched over probably won't be too great for the back)

Yup

Don't care about fancy breaks

Well, it has disc brakes but they are basic mechanical ones.

Don't really want/need suspension

Yup.

Would like thinner tyres and smooth gears (ideally)

Yup, skinny road tyres.
Basic shimano gears are as good as you will get at this price, shimano renowned for being smooth.

Basically it meets every requirement you've given.

Do post in commuting, I expect you will get more contributions over there.