Which Bike

Capman
Capman Posts: 5
edited August 2011 in Commuting general
Hello new here I am after a bike for summer commuting and maybe longer rides/fitness at weekends.
My commute is 11 miles each way with a steepish hill of around a mile.I'm 40 years old and fairly fit.
Mainly road riding but with the ability to handle UK roads and potholes

I like the look of
Trek T10 2010 Hybrid Bike
Specialized Sirrus 2011 Hybrid Bike

I am also tempted by a single speed but realise I will have to take some time to learn how to handle one of these properly

Comments

  • Capman
    Capman Posts: 5
    Budget is up to £400 and I am open to suggestions .



    I'm currently getting out on my crappy mountain bike and it takes me around an hour to do 11 miles (cheap tesco bike)
  • cjcp
    cjcp Posts: 13,345
    If your budget is up to £400, a single speed is definitely an option. Riding fixed will take some getting used to, but you might be able to get a SS bike with a flip/flop rear wheel, so you can choose between single speed and fixed gear.

    I don't have a SS, so there are folks on here much better qualified than me to provide some guidance, but these may provide some ideas:

    http://www.evanscycles.com/categories/b ... gear-bikes
    FCN 2-4.

    "What happens when the hammer goes down, kids?"
    "It stays down, Daddy."
    "Exactly."
  • The Rookie
    The Rookie Posts: 27,812
    For a solid low maintenance commuter one of these is very good value.
    http://www.cycleschemedirect.co.uk/cata ... m='Halcyon Yukon 8 Speed Nexus Town & Towpath Bike' (copy and paste due to the speach marks)
    Nexus 8sp hub gears and roller hub brakes.

    Simon
    Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.
  • Capman
    Capman Posts: 5
    edited August 2011
    The more reading I have done on the forums the more I am thinking of a road bike.Maybe a tourer.especially as I would like to (in the future maybe plan some long trips) unless 2 bikes would be better ,is there any disadvantage to a tourer bike for a daily commute and can anyone define a tourer is it just a road bike designed to be comfier
  • clarkey cat
    clarkey cat Posts: 3,641
    Do it. You won't regret it. But for £400 you would do quite well to have a look at some of the 2nd hand road bikes in the classified sections. You can get plenty of bike for that amount of money.
    Dolan Mythos
  • cjcp
    cjcp Posts: 13,345
    Have a look at this: http://www.adventurecycling.org/feature ... heroad.cfm

    No downside to having a tourer for the commute AFAIK. If you're going to use it for long trips, you will want to check the wear on the gear, rims and tyres etc to make sure it's up to the longer journeys.

    +1 for looking in Classifieds.
    FCN 2-4.

    "What happens when the hammer goes down, kids?"
    "It stays down, Daddy."
    "Exactly."
  • Chad_c_Mulligan
    Chad_c_Mulligan Posts: 78
    There is no way I'd ever recommend anyone who is new to cycling getting s single speed (especially a fixie) when they're moving from a cheap MTB and have a long hill in their commute.

    £400 is enough money to get a perfectly servicable bike for commuting. Something like a Btwin Fitness 2 from Decathlon is excellent value for the money.

    Fitness 2 - Flat Bar
    http://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/fitness-2-54-57-69567264/

    Triban 3 - Drop Bar
    http://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/triban-3-173178017/
    --
    FCN 9

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