Yet Another Help me choose a bike thread.

guerilla

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guerilla

I've looked pretty hard on the internet but not knowing much i 'm after some advice.

Ive come across these

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_165534

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_165534

but havent got a clue on the build quality of a halfords bike.

this looks a good deal

http://www.thebikefactory.co.uk/product ... ctid=56238

and then maybe this

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/tre ... gn=froogle

I appreciate any help and im not limited to these bikes,

Cheers

phillipjohnson

The Carrera Subway looks like the best deal out of those... that's the one I would go for.

You have to be careful with Halfords "reduced" prices... they bloat the prices for a few months then "reduce" them so they look like a good deal when you are just really paying what the bike should be priced at anyway. That one looks a good price for what you are getting though.

The thing buying from Halfords is it can depend how good the staff are at your local store at indexing gears etc. You might find the gears don't shift as smoothly as they should straight away and need to be taken back to fine tune. Having said that though they give you a free 6 week tune-up anyway so you should be alright even if it's not optimally tuned to begin with.

The Trek and other Carrera look similar quality and would be equal peggings for me behind the Subway.

The Dawes looks a bit outdated... although it is cheap and you get the mudguards and a rack.

jeremyrundle

Did you say 2 miles

Walk

(Oh and don't forget the additional £100+, decent bike lock, helmet, lights, pump, puncture repair kit) :twisted:

walkingbootweather

I know this is a cycle forum, but controversially I'm with JR on this one. If your commute is only 2 miles and your objective is to loose weight / get fit, then you'd be better off walking or running. Cycling this distance will take little effort and therefore not help much with your stated objectives.

Cheap bikes are generally heavier and lower quality than something a little more expensive. If you could push you budget a little higher you might get a significantly better bike, especially if you were prepared to buy used.

If there is one close to you either Edinburgh bike coop or Decathalon sell inexpensive OK bikes. Halfords are hit and miss. Some deals to be found on the interweb, but you won't get to try before you buy, and won't get the useful first service / adjustments.

As JR says you can easily spend another £100 on useful/essential accessories.

kopite1979

The original poster did say to start off with, he`ll ride straight there...
I`m guessing the plan is once fitness increases, he will take the long way there and back, and then I`m assuming will extend rides into the weekend and so on

guerilla

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phillipjohnson

Its nice to have the option to extend if you want... if the weather turns midday and you end up coming home in the rain its good to know you only have 2 miles.

I have a folder and really like the fact that if the weather is rubbish I can just jump on the bus with it rather than cycling 14 miles home in the wind and rain.

tailwindhome

guerilla wrote:

Anyway Im off to look at the bikes today.

That's your best plan

Go to Halford, look at the Subway, Carrera Gryphon and Vulcan MTBs sit on them and see which feels right to YOU.

All in your price range, the Carrera Vulcan MTBs are good for the money and with a set of slick tyres would be decent short distance commuters

This bit in CAPITALS cos it's really important.

WHEN YOU ARE IN HALFORDS YOU WILL SEE APOLLO AND TRAX BIKES WHICH ARE REALLY CHEAP AND YOU ARE GOING TO THINK THEM'S THE BIKES FOR ME.

DON'T BE TEMPTED.

guerilla

Firstly thanks for all the advice so far. Went to look at all the bikes i mentioned today and i went with the trek (perhaps partially to the employees in the the local shop seeming much more clued up than those in halfords). Well i tried to get it but they had none in stock so offered me the trek 7.1 for a little bit extra.

can anyone recommend a kit for what i'll need daily. I guessed a set of lights, a little pump, puncture kit/spare tubes, tyre levers and a multitool jobby.

Have i missed anything? (I've got a lock and helmet already. Can this all be had for about 50 quid?

walkingbootweather

The Trek looks a sound choice. The answers to most of your questions can be found in the sticky at the top off this page http://www.bikeradar.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12645896. Road tyres or slicks will be much more efficient if you are sticking to the tarmac. Depending on where you are parking it, you may want to consider a secondary lock. How are you going to carry this kit?

guerilla

I can park it in an enclosed cage thing with card access while Im at work and it'll live in the garage while at home so I think ill be okay with one lock.

I already take a backpack to work so i suppose itll all go in there.

jeremyrundle

guerilla wrote:

Firstly thanks for all the advice so far. Went to look at all the bikes i mentioned today and i went with the trek (perhaps partially to the employees in the the local shop seeming much more clued up than those in halfords). Well i tried to get it but they had none in stock so offered me the trek 7.1 for a little bit extra.

can anyone recommend a kit for what i'll need daily. I guessed a set of lights, a little pump, puncture kit/spare tubes, tyre levers and a multitool jobby.

Have i missed anything? (I've got a lock and helmet already. Can this all be had for about 50 quid?

You say you have a loock already, but, without sounding rude, is it any good, a decent one will set you back £50+, a good one £70+

phillipjohnson

As well as a multi-tool I also carry a small adjustable spanner... I find that comes in very handy.

The wheels on 2 of my bikes aren't quick release and I find the tool in my puncture repair kit is a little bit slack on the wheel nuts and rounds them off.

Make sure you have tyre levers if they aren't included in your puncture repair kit.

guerilla

jeremyrundle wrote:

guerilla wrote:

Firstly thanks for all the advice so far. Went to look at all the bikes i mentioned today and i went with the trek (perhaps partially to the employees in the the local shop seeming much more clued up than those in halfords). Well i tried to get it but they had none in stock so offered me the trek 7.1 for a little bit extra.

can anyone recommend a kit for what i'll need daily. I guessed a set of lights, a little pump, puncture kit/spare tubes, tyre levers and a multitool jobby.

Have i missed anything? (I've got a lock and helmet already. Can this all be had for about 50 quid?

You say you have a loock already, but, without sounding rude, is it any good, a decent one will set you back £50+, a good one £70+

Well i guess I've got a less than decent one. Can you recommend what i should be looking for?

walkingbootweather

Lots of info on locks here. For a bike worth up to £500 the absolute minimum standard I'd look at is a bronze rated D lock (like this, with a secondary cable or other lock to secure the front wheel. You can achieve this for £25, but I'd recommend spending more and getting better locks, especially if you have a more expensive/attractive bike, or are leaving it anywhere vulnerable.