Potenital New Roady Seeks Advice

Noodle Noggin

Hi there!

I am looking for a bike to use for commuting and for fitness/fun. I will be travelling on the pot-holed roads of North Yorkshire between 4 and 12 miles each way, depending on where I am based that day. I will need to carry a fair amount of kit with me each day (Helmet, Jacket, Work Boots, Uniform and most importantly my lunch) as I am a Student Paramedic so think that I will need panniers.

I have been researching online and have visited several shops but still feel none the wiser about what bike to go for. I have a grand total of £1000 to spend (NHS Bike Scheme) which needs to include helmet, lights, panniers/bag, bottle and cage and shoes (if I take the plunge and go for clipless). The bikes I have seen so far and liked are in the Giant Defy and Orbea Aqua range but I am open to any advice and ideas from anybody please?

I was originally thinking of getting a Hybrid or a Road Bike with Flat Bars as I have never ridden a Road Bike yet alone Drop Bars; but following advice from colleagues and at Bike Shops I am pretty sure that drops make more sense for what I want.
Many thanks in advance,

N

pinnaclered

The paramedic bikes I have seen about have all been flat bars, bit of front suspension and look very sturdy.
I'd def say go for flat bars, I find them useful on my Fixed Gear when I am moving around traffic and pedestrians. Personally I wouldn't choose a road bike for the purpose your using it for.
You probably need to attach a bike stand to it, so you can stand the bike up indepent of any walls or fences, You will most likely need thicker tires to be able to deal with difficult terrain, snow, ice etc. I would say if you really want something with drops at a push go for a cyclocross but otherwise I would say a competent hard tail mountain bike or a tourer.

I am not a bike expert by any means but, I work in retail in a busy city centre and have had chance to see paramedic bikes up close and they tend to be burly, competent mountain bikes.

Noodle Noggin

Hi Pinnaclered,

I won't be using it to work on; just for getting to and from work.

My fitness levels are a million miles away from being a bike responder!

Cheers,

N

pinnaclered

Sorry, i thought you were saying you were a bicycle paramedic. My mistake.
Sooooo ignore everything I said lol.

I'd prbably still go with a cyclocross they look fun and the cannondale is very nice in my opinion. http://www.allterraincycles.co.uk/product/122848.html

(Apologies again i speed read too much)

iPete

IF you don't want it to also be a lightweight weekend racer, I'd look at a Geneis Croix de fer, although at a glance a little out of budget considering you need all the other kit.

Try looking at 'audax' and CX bikes.

The Tifosi CK7 is a nice looking audax (Grey/White version) that is suited to carrying loads.

Alternatively, you could do what I did and modify a roadie to carry your kit. :twisted:



p.s. spend more on the bike and opt for shoes in the future.

Try coming over to the commuter area for more advice:
http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=40012

jonny_trousers

iPete wrote:

Try coming over to the commuter area for more advice:
http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=40012

This. You'll get plenty of useful advice over there from people who are used to loading up the way you need to.

Noodle Noggin

Cheers guys, I hadn't really considered a Cyclo Cross bike before as I will only be going on the road with it, although the roads are pretty nasty.

A bike I have taken a shine to is the Giant Defy 2 which I can get for £700. This will leave me plenty of money for accessories that I need and I am thinking that the toe-clips will do for now so won't need to fork out for shoes and can take some time getting used to a Road Bike before taking the plunge with clipless.

night_porter

The Giant would be a great starter bike and £700 is not a bad price from a local bike shop, assuming that they will help you get the right size and a reasonable fit.

If they have access to a 2010 Defy 2 it is slightly higher specced than the 2011 but probably not enough to worry about, check out what BR has to say about the 2010 Defy 2 here:

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/ ... -10-35307/

If you buy all of your kit from the same shop don't forget to ask if they could give you any discount (it costs nothing to ask) and you might even be able to get some SPD pedals and shoes for your £1,000 budget (you can always fit them later).

Good luck!

Noodle Noggin

I have narrowed down my search to two bikes and would be grateful for any comments on them please as I can't find any uptodate reviews.

They are both 2011 models and are identical in price @ £700

Giant Defy 2 & Trek 1.2

Many thanks,

N

iPete

See my signature link, my mates 1.2 did the job on tour. Pretty sure its a 2010 and it was easier to add a rack than on my Allez, seen above.

night_porter

Either ride them both and pick the one that feels nicest or choose by colour 'coz apart from who made them they appear to be specced almost identical.

White tape would get dirty quicker but a roll of tape costs a tenner.

Noodle Noggin

Thanks very much for your advice people.

I am currently 65/35 in favour of the Giant, purely on the looks!

The local bike shop has agreed to match a cheaper price elsewhere and they are doing a special bike fitting thing too which is nice.

Was also very tempted with an Orbea but was slightly concerned about the after-care as not many people around me stock them and I couldn't find a single review. I was also surprised by the lack of reviews in general for sub £1000 bikes; what's the reasoning behind that then?

I am going to stick to the toe-clips in the short-term as I have used them before and when I am used to riding a roady will change to some clipless.