getting a proper bike for commute.... but what??

EKE_38BPM

sfichele wrote:

required_number_of_bikes = n + 1

Yeah, but n+1 on a bike that I wouldn't even be able to ride?
OP, I hate you (unless I enjoy the project).

miss_mystra

EKE_38BPM wrote:

sfichele wrote:

required_number_of_bikes = n + 1

Yeah, but n+1 on a bike that I wouldn't even be able to ride?
OP, I hate you (unless I enjoy the project).

:P lol i was just a good excuse for you to find another project bike i reckon... perhaps i'm not a real person... just your conscience that has got hold of a keyboard and tempting you into buying more bikes :P

miss_mystra

booooo not a single boardman in stock at any halfords... why the hell doesn't it just say out of stock in the first place! not on home delivery either... i'm guessing i've missed out!

sfichele

doh!

miss_mystra

sfichele wrote:

doh!

lol halfrauds must have heard me calling them names!!

well that just leaves the b'twin fitness 1.. and the rest of the bikes i like that i have yet to discover properly!!

EKE_38BPM

I was outbid in the last 5 seconds. Quite glad really as I don't really need another bike, especially not what would turn into a minor project.

Back to the OP

miss_mystra wrote:

But beyond decathlon i haven't a clue Sad been recommended Specialized and they seem nice but i'm yet to find one in the flesh!!

Just looking at the Evans website, I found these.

Specialized Vita 2011, £350.

+: Should be plenty fast enough for you
-: Not disc brakes


Mongoose Crossway 350 Disc 2011, £390.

+: Disc brakes, step through frame
-: Pointless front suspension

Pinnacle is Evans' own brand, £300

+: Price, step through frame
-: Spec ain't great. Weight

Dawes Mayfair 2011, £300

+: Price, step through frame, basket, mudguards, kickstand, looks(?), singlespeed (?)
-: WEIGHT, looks(?), singlespeed (?)

Ridgeback Velocity 2010, £310

+: Brand name, looks very comfortable
-: Price, doesn't look fast

Trek T30 2009, £350

+: Step through frame, mudguards, rack
-: Looks heavy with all that stuff on there

There seem to be loads in your price range. Get thee to Evans.

wizzlebanger

doh! Sorry for the wild goose chase.

I don't know what size you require but they do have stock of the L in London. Bear in mind hybrids are generally a little shorter in length to get the more upright riding position so it may be you could use a L???

A number of reviews often state that 'this or that bike is perfect but go for the size up'.

They also have size S in brixton and wandsworth if your vertically challenged.

When I bought my bike I ended up with a size bigger than the stated size table recommended.

Food for thought?

miss_mystra

EKE_38BPM wrote:

I was outbid in the last 5 seconds. Quite glad really as I don't really need another bike, especially not what would turn into a minor project.

Back to the OP

miss_mystra wrote:

But beyond decathlon i haven't a clue Sad been recommended Specialized and they seem nice but i'm yet to find one in the flesh!!

Just looking at the Evans website, I found these.

Specialized Vita 2011, £350.

+: Should be plenty fast enough for you
-: Not disc brakes


Mongoose Crossway 350 Disc 2011, £390.

+: Disc brakes, step through frame
-: Pointless front suspension

Pinnacle is Evans' own brand, £300

+: Price, step through frame
-: Spec ain't great. Weight

Dawes Mayfair 2011, £300

+: Price, step through frame, basket, mudguards, kickstand, looks(?), singlespeed (?)
-: WEIGHT, looks(?), singlespeed (?)

Ridgeback Velocity 2010, £310

+: Brand name, looks very comfortable
-: Price, doesn't look fast

Trek T30 2009, £350

+: Step through frame, mudguards, rack
-: Looks heavy with all that stuff on there

There seem to be loads in your price range. Get thee to Evans.

booo to you being outbid

been recommended specialized a few times... but the local evans seemed to have bog all in and didn't want to sell me/demo anything under £500... mind you there's a billion and one branches so i'll try some different ones! i'm off friday so i know what i'll be doing!

i don't really need a rack or anything like that as all i take with me is my lunch and spare tshirt... i manage to cram everything i need into a tiny backback! so that should save me some weight

what is the advantage of disc brakes over normal ones, i'm guessing that they're better - but is it a necessity in my life if you see my point? should i be aiming to have them if i can find a bike with them in budget?

thanks again for your help and suggestions

miss_mystra

wizzlebanger wrote:

doh! Sorry for the wild goose chase.

I don't know what size you require but they do have stock of the L in London. Bear in mind hybrids are generally a little shorter in length to get the more upright riding position so it may be you could use a L???

A number of reviews often state that 'this or that bike is perfect but go for the size up'.

They also have size S in brixton and wandsworth if your vertically challenged.

When I bought my bike I ended up with a size bigger than the stated size table recommended.

Food for thought?

that's weird - i did a local stock search - said nothing there, so i did the find stock nationwide type option - still nothing!

i don't think i'd manage a large - i'm 5ft4, but its my legs that are pathetic and tiny lol i'll try to track down the small in brixton tho... hopefully its not too small

EKE_38BPM

Disc brakes have better stopping power in the wet as (unless you are going through some VERY deep puddles) the actual disc stays dry, whereas rim brakes (that bikes have had for decades) lose a bit of stopping power when the rims get wet.

Not a big issue. If there are two identical bikes at the same price but one has rim brakes and the other has discs, go for the disc version.

I strongly suggest that you do some research and make sure you buy a bike that fits you. I bought a bike in a rush once and it was the wrong size for me. I cursed that bike every time I rode it for more than 5 minutes (the length of the test ride).

Buy in haste, repent at leisure and all that.

The more I look at the Boardman, the better it looks.

miss_mystra

EKE_38BPM wrote:

Disc brakes have better stopping power in the wet as (unless you are going through some VERY deep puddles) the actual disc stays dry, whereas rim brakes (that bikes have had for decades) lose a bit of stopping power when the rims get wet.

Not a big issue. If there are two identical bikes at the same price but one has rim brakes and the other has discs, go for the disc version.

I strongly suggest that you do some research and make sure you buy a bike that fits you. I bought a bike in a rush once and it was the wrong size for me. I cursed that bike every time I rode it for more than 5 minutes (the length of the test ride).

Buy in haste, repent at leisure and all that.

The more I look at the Boardman, the better it looks.

cool, good to hear the technical reasons behind them then (other than my reasoning 'they are more expensive so are just better" lol)

the more i look at the boardman - the less it bloody exists lol

hstiles

Wiggle seem to have some great deals on 'urban and commuter' bikes

Giant Seek 3 2010 model

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/giant-seek-3-2010/

wizzlebanger

It would be remiss of me not mention the bike I own and love. I have been commuting for 18months on a Trek 7.5 FX. It has been a wonderful affair so far!!!

Trek do make women specific variations of the FX bikes labelled WSD. However, the mid range bikes are where I would point you but are over budget compared to the £400 (rrp £500) boardman.

2 questions arise from this train of thought.....

1. Are men's bicycles out of the question? Lots more options when you factor 'unisex' in.
2. Can you track down something in a store and haggle a better price.

Example there being I went in to test a 7.3fx but they didn't have one ready. I noticed they had 3 7.5 fx's in the same frame size so took one of those for a spin. I loved it so made them an offer that as they didn't have what I wanted but did have surplus of another.

Net result I saved £80!!!!

However, you can never say what kind of haggle reaction you will get and it often depends on what they have in store. Positive point here is a lot of shops will be currently trying to flog the surplus 2010 stock they have.

sfichele

My girlfriend has a Ridgeback Element 2009 and its a really nice bike. Its was around £430 then, not sure what it costs now. Fairly light and very fast.

I'd keep trying with the Boardman perhaps they might get new stock to your local store. It is a bit crap though that the website doesn't mention stock at all, and lets you reserve it

sfichele

http://www.ukbikesdepot.com/products.php?plid=m18b3s18p3226&rs=gb



£389 in small size a bargain!

miss_mystra

thanks everyone i know have such a better idea of what to look for

not bothered about women specific frames, if its fits i don't care who it was made for

i'm up for a good haggle lol got this friday off to do the rounds can always look and try in store... then go and buy online for less...or use it in my bargaining favour muwahahah

miss_mystra

well i spent a whole (beautifully sunny) weekend searching for the 'right' bike... and guess what i got in the end?!

The b'twin fitness 1!!! XD after trying out lots of different bikes, including many of the recommendations, it was my favourite! It just seems the lightest and least fussy, and after a week on it i can't believe the difference and it was the cheapest one.. i was seriously up for spending a lot more than i did so it feels insane to only have spent £260

it's shaved off about 5 mins on my usual journey time without me even pushing myself.. and i feel more inclined to push myself on it because it's only myself i'm up against rather than the bike lol

treated myself to one of those nice Bern helmets - i always wear a hat under my helmet to keep my head/ears warm but it would dig in and leave a lovely mark on my forehead for the rest of the morning, and i like hows these have all different things that clip in underneath, and i like the look of them better than the normal style helmets, i know its not a fashion parade but hey i like em!

the only thing i'm trying hard to get used to is not having suspension - i need some better gloves to ease the pressure on my wrists if i do go over a bump, and i need to not lean on my arms so much (lazy me). i usually just wear wooly fingerless gloves just for the sake of keeping my hands warm etc but i think i need a pair with padding or something just to take the edge off.

Plus - i'm already cutting down on the gears i use - the bulk of the weight in the bike is in the gears at the back. give me a few months i reckon i could ride it in just one gear - making it the perfect bike to turn into a single speed once i learn how... i don't think i could do it to a £500 bike

EKE_38BPM

No matter what anyone says, the right bike for you is the one you enjoy riding.
I'm glad you got a bike you like and paid less for it than you were willing to part with.

Because that bike (the Fitness 1) has vertical dropouts (the little notch where the back axle fits) rather than horizontal dropouts it may not be entirely straight forward to turn it into a single speed, but it can be done if you decide to go SS in the future.
Sheldon Brown explains it all here, but to give you a taste of what he says:

Sheldon Brown wrote:

Most newer frames made for derailer use have vertical dropouts. This is convenient when you're actually using a derailer, but causes a complication when you wish to simplify your drive train, either to singlespeed, fixed-gear or an internal-geared hub. The simplest way around this is to install a chain-tensioning pulley of some sort.

If your wrists are giving you gyp, consider getting cycling specific fingerless mitts (or full fingered gloves if the temp is low). I use Specialized Body Geometry mitts and I think they are great. I have more than one pair (different colours to match my jerseys, oh the shame of it) and I don't buy more than one of something if I think they are no good.