Some bike advice pls

lockstock666

Hello,

Its cycletowork scheme time for me on 24th Oct - 4th Nov.

I have been cycling for about 6 months now on my dad's old MTB. It is squeaky, 10 years old and heavy but it has done the job.

My ride is only about 4 miles each way, all road/cycle path/bus lanes. I to ride over an occasional dropped kerb. It's a reasonably flat route, the only hills are at the beginning and end and over in about 60 seconds.

I really want a new bike. I am stuck between a road and a hybrid bike, I have never ridden a road bike and it seems they are a little too expensive even at entry level.

I really can't justify spending more than £500 - lower the better really, and also it will be kept in a shed so I would be too worried about it.

I have considered second hand and avoiding the cycle to work scheme but I also can’t really afford any lump sum.

I am very tempted by a Specialized Sirrus Hybrid as the 2011 model is available for between £300/350 and it really looks nice. I have seen the 2012 model for 370, so would be interested in knowing the difference. I really do not know what equipment is considered the best/worst as for chain sets etc.

Other than that the only racer I could afford would be the entry level allez.

I am really into the Specialized bikes just because I think they are the best looking, I know that might be foolish so are there any alternatives to these bikes that I should consider trying when I visit the shop? FYI I like cheap but not crap.

I will be paying a visit to my LBS's this weekend in order to sit on some bikes and hopefully try some out, maybe I am imagining that a new bike will give me this super speed boost but that's probably not the case.

In case it is important, I do not use a rack, I use a backpack. I would probably need to put some kind of rear mudguard on to protect my back and bag from spray. A seat post one does the job at the moment.

One more question, do these bikes come with pedals?

Thanks for reading. I will consider all responses and let you know what I end up buying.

Oh one more thing, I am hoping to take part (not compete if you know what I mean) in my first triathlon next year, its only a 20km cycle but this bike would also be used for that if that makes any difference.

The Rookie

Do your employer use a particular cycletowork scheme supplier or are you free to choose?

For sub £500 you'll always get the best value at Halfords or Decathlon, if you can go to Halfords the Subway and Gryphon (Hybrids) or the Virtuoso (road bike) are good choices.

Simon

lockstock666

Hi, According to what I have read I can't use Halfords or Evans.

The cycle to work scheme is On Your Bike if that helps.

hargrovescycles is about the only bike shop near me that has a decent website and i can visit, otherwise i need to order online from Leisurelakebikes or cyclesolutions which I may well do but I need to sit on and ride some in the flesh first.

phy2sll2

If you're thinking of doing some tri, I think you'd be best off with a road bike. If spesh is your thing then that means the Allez (racy) or perhaps Secteur (a bit more relaxed).

Generally though, you won't be able to buy any sale bikes on the cycle to work schemes.

mrtuk

phy2sll2 wrote:

Generally though, you won't be able to buy any sale bikes on the cycle to work schemes.

a few of the cyclescheme shops now allow you to use vouchers on sale bikes (e.g. cyclesurgery, evans) . This is a recent development though - not sure if the other schemes/shops are likely to follow suit.

lockstock666

K thanks for the replies, I am really looking forward to this weekend to do some bike shopping!

One other concern i had was glass - I ride through an estate on the way to work and there is a mutlitude of green glass just strewn around the place as if it were a decorative feature. Are hybrids/road tyres durable enough? Despite the glass and 10 year old tyres, I've not had a p****** yet - (Touches head).

I don't know how often the street sweepers visit but I'm sure the cleanliness would only last a day or two anyway.

lockstock666

* Please note that some of the bike shops are not part of the OnYourBike scheme
(such as Evans Cycles, Halfords, Edinburgh Co-Operative) and they’re unable to sign
them up.

I just read this in my company handout. Any idea why this is the case?

The Rookie

Evans Cycles and Halfords run their own C2W schemes so wont join another!

Simon

yocto

Go for what you can afford, but from experience if you don’t get a road bike now, you’ll only end up getting one later. Having said that if you get a road bike now you’ll end up getting a nicer one later anyways! You find a pattern will eventually develop and your better half may realise that you spend more money on your bike habit then on her!!

As you’ve mentioned mud guards are important, particularly over the coming winter months.

If the tri is a one off then a hybrid will get you round. However, if you feel you might tri some more then a road bike would be better.

Also,some bikes come with pedals. The higher end ones will not whereas the cheaper ones will. Make sure to ask. If you don’t plan to increase your 8 mile round commute then go for flat pedal. Otherwise, if you’re looking to increase your mileage (tri, audax, longer commutes etc) then you’ll want to consider spd and spd shoes. Note you can always change pedals and get cycle specific shoes at a later date.

Best thing to do is go to your LBS and try out a few and get a feel for what you'll like.

Good luck.

mountaincookie

Hi there

Theres quite a lot to conisder. I was using a MTB to commute...you can guess what happened (it got stolen....in the middle of the day....I should have used a D lock) so now have a hybrid. What a difference

As for your glass....puncture proof tyres? I have the swalbe marathon tyre...and a bit of glass got right through, not a shard just a little sharp 'crumble'. Through the main kevlar protected bit. :x

I don't know how prolific a cyclist you are but I'll assume you're use to the good ol MTB - Road specific (i.e drop handle bar racey job) may be a bit of a shock. They're not as versatile as the hybrid, attractive to theives, and generally ''full on''. I found with a ruck sack my racer was a bit precarious (it was a 1986 raleigh though...). I now ride a Kona dew plus. Kona did something apprently resulting in their bikes being very cheap - 15% off = happy mountaincookie
Compared to the sirrus this is more on the MTB side of hybrids (it's still 700c wheels). So I take it light off road, gravel paths, etc. For this I trade speed and roady stylishness. The sirrus would be a faster more road only hybrid.

These bikes do come with pedals. Horrible nasty pedals Try being clipped in it's amazing and not as scary as people think. yes it's takes a bit of getting use to, but you won't fall out. Otheriwise some grippy MTB pedals would be better.

Kerbs? Just shift your weight - I go down steps (ok....1 or 2 small ones) you just stick out over the rear wheel and take it slow.

I hope that helps and isn't too biased ( ) in a nut shell:
Road racey speedy bike: great fun but not great with a rucksack
Sirrus aka road specific hybrid: good choice if you have good roads to cycle on. Quick. BTW it's a beutiful bike
More all rounder hybrid: Great for a bit of everything, comfortable, and robuster trading speed.

As for price - best option to go for the best you can afford allowing for any upgrades you may need you might find the grips are so thin it hurts, the pedals are a joke and you just slip off etc.


I hope thats of some help too you

MC

essjaydee

I just purchased a bike throught the C2W scheme, but was limited to Halfords or Halfords, so went with Halfords

Decided as it was my first bike in a good few years to only spend £500. Spent £350 on a hybrid and used the rest for essential accessories (to me) which included lights, toolset, rack, panniers, comfier seat and a cycle computer.

No regrets with my choices at all, but have already spent another £250 getting some semi-decent cycle clothing, spd pedals and shoes, overboots and mudguards, oh and changed the tyres as kept getting punctures (not had one since, but that's just blown it!).

I am now looking at a road bike for next year, but kinda regret not going for a roadie in the first place now. the hybrid I bought will be my winter hack though, and it rides great and is comfortable enough for the disatnces i'm doing (24 miles/day).

Have a long hard think about what you want from cycling as this will decide your choice. I never envisaged wanting any more than cycling to work and home, getting a bit fitter and saving money from using the car, but now fancy joining a club, going on club rides and maybe doing a sportive or some longer distance charity rides next year :shock:

Good luck with your shopping trip, and I'm sure whatever choice you make you'll enjoy it

lockstock666

Firstly thanks so much for all the responses, very helpful.

Let me tell you about my day.

I went to three bike shops today:

First had the sirrus in but only a higher spec one, apart from that there were no others I was interested in really. They were a bit snooty in there so didn't really get much out of that visit. about 10 mins in there total.

The next shop sold Kona and was it discovery? They were good considering the prices but I didn't love the look of them. Kona were the best of bunch and for 450 seemed to have a lot of kit.

Third shop was very helpful, after talking with the sales guy he said I could take out a couple of bikes for a spin to help decide what I want.

First was a giant hybrid, it was big with front suspension when I took it down the road I was impressed wit the gearing and speed despite the semi off road tyres. I found the gearing hard and thought I must be in top gear when actually I was on middle large ring and half way up the rear cassete! Great looking and £375.

Next outing was a giant rapid. The guy described it as a flat bar road bike and wow I absolutely loved it. So bloody fast! Spine shattering. But so bloody fast! It was the grey/beige/white and it looked great too. £500.

Upon returning I thought to myself I couldn't really justify the price. So seriously considered the £375 giant. I took it out again and just wasn't feeling it. Felt slow and heavy like my current bike.

So now, the guy said he will bring in some cheaper flat roadies £400 ish. A Claude butler lavent and a land rover one too for me to look at.

I am still considering the specialised, I had a quick look at the proper road bikes too hmmm.

Sorry for huge post.

cornish1960

I have the Specialised Sirrus Elite 2011 which I use daily to commute in London. It is designed for the road and not any real off road.Even muddy paths would be a problem. The bike is well put together and fast. However with all the potholes you will suffer a lot of punctures as the tyres are thin. The wheels are easily put out of alignment.
My other bike is a Dawes Kalihari which is a hybrid but far sturdier and comfortable. I use this bike for my first run in the morning before I catch the tube and pick up the Specialised for another 30 minute ride. The Dawes has never suffered a puncture, the wheels are true and it has 21 gears so you can reach a good speed plus use it for mild off road and commuting.
If I was chosing again I would not go for the Specialised but something more robust as frankly you cannot cycle that fast in London as you will kill yourself very quickly.

HebdenBiker

OK, some thoughts. It sounds like you can't really afford a new bike at the moment, C2W or no C2W. And for 4 miles each way, you don't need one.

The triathlon issue: there's no way I would be buying a new hybrid just to do a sprint tri. Any type of bike will "get you round" a sprint triathlon, but for obvious reasons, the most suitable bike for a tri is a TT bike, or failing that, a drop-bar road bike. Don't use the triathlon as an excuse to buy yourself a new hybrid. You would just be swapping one type of unsuitable compromise (your dad's MTB) for another (a hybrid designed for commuting, not racing). If you get bitten by the triathlon bug, you will consider the hybrid an expensive mistake because you will then want a bike for racing.

Persevere with your dad's MTB. Do the tri. If you decide you want to do more triathlons, then your bike choices will become clearer. For some perspective, you don't need to spend a fortune on kit to be competitive in a triathlon. I raced an Ironman on a 2nd hand road bike I got for £300.

Save your money up until you have a bit more and you really know what you want. But to repeat, there is no way I'd be shelling out £500 on a bike just to ride 8 miles a day!

HebdenBiker

Some other thoughts: it sounds from your post that you are looking for something lighter and faster than your current bike. If you are absolutely determined to get a new bike, and your budget is below £500, then you need to be looking at the Carrera range of road bikes from Halfords. Or the Decathlon range. Many triathlon newbies ride these bikes, and they are perfectly fine. You will be wanting to change the crap tyres for commuting purposes though.

Mudguards - if you insist on a bike with mudguard eyelets then you will be narrowing down your choices even more, and you may be rejecting the "sportier" bikes that I think you really want, and will be the most suitable for your triathlon. What does it matter if your @rse or bag gets muddy on a 4 mile commute? (assuming you're getting changed when you get to work). If you really, really can't live without a mudguard, just use the seatpost one from your MTB. You'd be wanting to remove your mudguards for triathlon anyway. Why make it more complicated than it has to be?

If your C2W voucher limits your choice to a few shops, and excludes the shops with the most suitable and best-value bikes for you, then consider whether this is the best way to get a new bike. It does seem that the C2W scheme your employer runs is forcing you to choose from too narrow a selection, and (you imply there's a time limit) forcing you to make too quick a decision.

Your comment about wanting a Specialized because they are the "best looking" - not the best way to choose a bike and all the more reason to have a think about what you really want/need before you jump in.

turnerjohn

LockStock666 wrote:

K thanks for the replies, I am really looking forward to this weekend to do some bike shopping!

One other concern i had was glass - I ride through an estate on the way to work and there is a mutlitude of green glass just strewn around the place as if it were a decorative feature. Are hybrids/road tyres durable enough? Despite the glass and 10 year old tyres, I've not had a p****** yet - (Touches head).

I don't know how often the street sweepers visit but I'm sure the cleanliness would only last a day or two anyway.

Get some Schwable Marathone (or the plus if you really are worried) I've commuted for years on them and not a single issue (thats it jinksed it !) their very tough and great in all weathers. All your need is some road spec mudguards and your sorted ....just remember to swap the tires for that tri event !

HebdenBiker

turnerjohn wrote:

LockStock666 wrote:

K thanks for the replies, I am really looking forward to this weekend to do some bike shopping!

One other concern i had was glass - I ride through an estate on the way to work and there is a mutlitude of green glass just strewn around the place as if it were a decorative feature. Are hybrids/road tyres durable enough? Despite the glass and 10 year old tyres, I've not had a p****** yet - (Touches head).

I don't know how often the street sweepers visit but I'm sure the cleanliness would only last a day or two anyway.

Get some Schwable Marathone (or the plus if you really are worried) I've commuted for years on them and not a single issue (thats it jinksed it !) their very tough and great in all weathers. All your need is some road spec mudguards and your sorted ....just remember to swap the tires for that tri event !

I second the Marathon tyres, or Continental Gatorskins, which I currently use. Although be aware these tyres will add £45 to the cost of your bike. I would take a detour around that estate :roll:

mountaincookie

Hi lockstock666 again
Pricey eh? It is isn't it, unfortunatly. The thing is if you spend less than say 350 -400 I would suggest you'll regret it. My wifes MTB was 250, and we're upgrading now - it's not desighned for everyday use.

I've spent around 500ish on my bike - a hybrid. I only cycle a couple miles each way. HOWEVER I don't have the cash for another bike, so this is my everything bike - my interest is MTBing but I'm going to wait till I've got the money to get a 'proper' full susser. So I use my bike for lesiure too so lots of miles
If I had an MTB I would have bought a £100 racer off ebay and used that for commuting - nice, dosen't matter hugley if it gets nicked (RIP MTB that did ) and dosen't break the bank.

Bottom line? If you have another 'primary'bike just get an old racer of something with 700c wheels, can't go wrong. If you don't and you cycle outside of commuting, get a robust hybrid would be my advice from what you've been saying

Oh the triatholon - yeeeeeah you're gonna want a racer really (I've never done one but I would want a light racer tbh )

All the best

HebdenBiker

mountaincookie wrote:

Hi lockstock666 again
Pricey eh? It is isn't it, unfortunatly. The thing is if you spend less than say 350 -400 I would suggest you'll regret it. My wifes MTB was 250, and we're upgrading now - it's not desighned for everyday use.

I've spent around 500ish on my bike - a hybrid. I only cycle a couple miles each way. HOWEVER I don't have the cash for another bike, so this is my everything bike - my interest is MTBing but I'm going to wait till I've got the money to get a 'proper' full susser. So I use my bike for lesiure too so lots of miles
If I had an MTB I would have bought a £100 racer off ebay and used that for commuting - nice, dosen't matter hugley if it gets nicked (RIP MTB that did ) and dosen't break the bank.

Bottom line? If you have another 'primary'bike just get an old racer of something with 700c wheels, can't go wrong. If you don't and you cycle outside of commuting, get a robust hybrid would be my advice from what you've been saying

Oh the triatholon - yeeeeeah you're gonna want a racer really (I've never done one but I would want a light racer tbh )

All the best

Wow - erm - some "interesting" ideas there. You spent £500 on a bike to do a 2 mile commute, when what you really want to do is go MTBing? You could have bought a half-decent MTB for £500 and still used it for your eight-minute commute. Who told you you need a full suspension bike to go MTBing?

I disagree that you can't get a decent commuting bike for less that £350-£400. There are lots in this price range. There are also entry-level road bikes in this price range which will be fine for the commute and the odd triathlon. I rode a £400 road bike through the mountains in Australia last summer. See my blog.

mountaincookie

haha yeah, I know - I had a £500 hardtail (which got nicked) and was finding limitations (forks mostly). TBH I really wanted fox forks SLX groupset etc so decided that I would wait and do it properly when I had the money - I see how what I said seems Odd. Plus the hybrid was £380 (15% off) and I've added about £100 for a 2 mile commute and ALL MY OTHER RIDING - if I just did a 2 mile commute I'd wouldn't have spent more than £70 on an old single speed or something. Plus my £500 MTB was being used for my commute and got knicked - MTBs are thief magnets - so I won't be useing them for commuting again

Your right, on reflection I'm wrong about the price range. You can't get a decent MTB in that price range but as you say in road you can - I stand corrected.

Also, just been out on my first Club ride and struggled to keep up on the hybrid - obviously - so lockstock666 your best bet is read what we've said, THINK AHEAD, ignore my errors and get what you like

Full sus MTB - nobody. It's just I plan to do hardcore AM and thought about the stesses that would put on the rear hub etc and thought that if I'm going to have one MTB I'd rather have a full sus. Hard core hard tails are great but 6ft drops - I'm not keen. Of course I am speaking in ignorance so I'm happy to stan corrected

lockstock666

Thinking about it more today, yeah £500 seems a lot of mulah, but it isn't relatively speaking, I have done some calculations.

If I were to spend £600 total, including equipment. (enough for the rapid)

Actual cost to me would be £30 a month. That's a packet of smokes a week. I am prob buying 3-4 packs a week. I have been planning to quit for ages. I have quit lots of times before and I find it easy to quit for months at a time. I just find it hard not to start again eventually.

Priorities must change and they will. Winter makes it easy to quit. I quit as of tomorrow once I buy some patches.

I will check out these cheaper flat roadies too and if I'm happy with them I will go for one. If not I'm buying the Rapid. :-) Smoke free I might even be competing in the tri!

Thanks again for all the advice, will continue to keep you up to date on any other revelations.

mountaincookie

Good for you. Plus it'll give you incentive, something to focus on. It's a great exuse too as you get more into it to spend that would be smoked money on juicy kit

All the best mate

getnev

turnerjohn wrote:

LockStock666 wrote:

K thanks for the replies, I am really looking forward to this weekend to do some bike shopping!

One other concern i had was glass - I ride through an estate on the way to work and there is a mutlitude of green glass just strewn around the place as if it were a decorative feature. Are hybrids/road tyres durable enough? Despite the glass and 10 year old tyres, I've not had a p****** yet - (Touches head).

I don't know how often the street sweepers visit but I'm sure the cleanliness would only last a day or two anyway.

Get some Schwable Marathone (or the plus if you really are worried) I've commuted for years on them and not a single issue (thats it jinksed it !) their very tough and great in all weathers. All your need is some road spec mudguards and your sorted ....just remember to swap the tires for that tri event !

+1 on this. I had a set of Maxxis for a year or two but when they got a bit worn I kept getting punctures every couple of weeks. Put a Schwalbe Marathon on the back and have had only one puncture in 2000miles/7months, which was caused by me not fitting the rim tape back in properly after changing a broken spoke. I have a Gatorskin on the front but found it slightly too slick and not robust enough for the back as I carry panniers and a load of work stuff each day.

London_Falcon

I got the 2011 Specialised Cirrus Sport in August reduced from £450 to £350 in Cycle Surgery. IMHO it's a great bike for the cash and makes the 32 mile round trip commute very do-able. As the others have said though, it might just be that you get hooked and then, within a month or two, you are looking at road bikes......

HebdenBiker

LockStock666 wrote:

Thinking about it more today, yeah £500 seems a lot of mulah, but it isn't relatively speaking, I have done some calculations.

If I were to spend £600 total, including equipment. (enough for the rapid)

Actual cost to me would be £30 a month. That's a packet of smokes a week. I am prob buying 3-4 packs a week. I have been planning to quit for ages. I have quit lots of times before and I find it easy to quit for months at a time. I just find it hard not to start again eventually.

Priorities must change and they will. Winter makes it easy to quit. I quit as of tomorrow once I buy some patches.

I will check out these cheaper flat roadies too and if I'm happy with them I will go for one. If not I'm buying the Rapid. :-) Smoke free I might even be competing in the tri!

Thanks again for all the advice, will continue to keep you up to date on any other revelations.

Good luck with the quitting smoking. I really, really don't mean to be the voice of doom here; I'm just a bloke who, in his younger days, was impulsive and made every mistake going, and has learned from experience. A couple of things to think about:

1. Does your budget for this bike depend on you quitting smoking? Because what will happen if you don't quit, but are still committed to paying £30 p/m for your bike? If your monthly income and outgoings is so tight that you can only find £30 per month by quitting smoking, I'm not sure whether I'd be signing up to commit that amount every month to a shiny new toy.

2. What happens if you love the triathlon, and want to do more, but you have already spent your budget on a hybrid? A hybrid will be fine for your first few Super Sprint and Try-A-Tri type races, but if you want to move up to longer races, or compete more seriously at Sprint distance,or join a club, your hybrid won't cut it any more. Speed on the bike has more to do with aerodynamics than weight.

3. I still feel that the terms and conditions of your C2W voucher are forcing you to narrow down your choice, and steering you away from some real bargains and value.

4. Yesterday, you said that £500 was too much to spend. Today, you're looking at spending £600. This is classic Goal Inflation. All your "calculations" have done is split the lump sum into monthly payments. ONCE YOU START CALCULATING AFFORDABILITY IN MONTHLY PAYMENTS, RATHER THAN TOTAL SPENT, you know you are on a very slippery slope.

5. My advice (which you will not take): If you have calculated you can afford £30 p/m if you give up smoking, then give up smoking and save £30 p/m. If you can do it for three months, you will be £90 richer and you will know you have the discipline required, before you get yourself into DEBT. Because that's what the C2W scheme will be.

Anyway,it's your life and genuinely, good luck with whatever decision you make. I fear that you are in the grip of "new toy fever", or "commodity fetishism", as economists call it, in which you will convince yourself you're making the right decision, even when you're not.

lockstock666

HebdenBiker wrote:

Good luck with the quitting smoking. I really, really don't mean to be the voice of doom here; I'm just a bloke who, in his younger days, was impulsive and made every mistake going, and has learned from experience. A couple of things to think about:

1. Does your budget for this bike depend on you quitting smoking? Because what will happen if you don't quit, but are still committed to paying £30 p/m for your bike? If your monthly income and outgoings is so tight that you can only find £30 per month by quitting smoking, I'm not sure whether I'd be signing up to commit that amount every month to a shiny new toy.

2. What happens if you love the triathlon, and want to do more, but you have already spent your budget on a hybrid? A hybrid will be fine for your first few Super Sprint and Try-A-Tri type races, but if you want to move up to longer races, or compete more seriously at Sprint distance,or join a club, your hybrid won't cut it any more. Speed on the bike has more to do with aerodynamics than weight.

3. I still feel that the terms and conditions of your C2W voucher are forcing you to narrow down your choice, and steering you away from some real bargains and value.

4. Yesterday, you said that £500 was too much to spend. Today, you're looking at spending £600. This is classic Goal Inflation. All your "calculations" have done is split the lump sum into monthly payments. ONCE YOU START CALCULATING AFFORDABILITY IN MONTHLY PAYMENTS, RATHER THAN TOTAL SPENT, you know you are on a very slippery slope.

5. My advice (which you will not take): If you have calculated you can afford £30 p/m if you give up smoking, then give up smoking and save £30 p/m. If you can do it for three months, you will be £90 richer and you will know you have the discipline required, before you get yourself into DEBT. Because that's what the C2W scheme will be.

Anyway,it's your life and genuinely, good luck with whatever decision you make. I fear that you are in the grip of "new toy fever", or "commodity fetishism", as economists call it, in which you will convince yourself you're making the right decision, even when you're not.

New toy fever, yeah I think I've suffered with that all my life. PC's, consoles, phones, cars and motorbikes are my historical money black holes.

I am managing to justify this because yeah things can get a little tight money wise, however this doesn't stop me spending £90-120 per month on cigarettes.

Admittedly I'm not good with money but just so you don't worry about me I am on the right path. Some rather large loans are due to be cleared this year. So the money isn't going to be an issue after xmas. Stopping smoking now more than covers the cost til then.

I appreciate your advice anyway.

essjaydee

Just make sure you make the right choice of bike from the off

I'm committed to the C2W scheme for the next 12 months at £30/month, but wish I'd got a road bike now and wish I'd gone for a higher budget from the off :?

lockstock666

last night on the way home my dad's old MTB decided to protest, and the left crank (i think that's what it is called) fell off. It looks really worn so not sure if it will be just a case of tightening it back up.

I scooted half way home and got picked up. One pedal cycling is surprisingly hard.

I will borrow my brothers bike for a short while, he has got a giant MTB

HebdenBiker

LockStock666 wrote:

HebdenBiker wrote:

Good luck with the quitting smoking. I really, really don't mean to be the voice of doom here; I'm just a bloke who, in his younger days, was impulsive and made every mistake going, and has learned from experience. A couple of things to think about:

1. Does your budget for this bike depend on you quitting smoking? Because what will happen if you don't quit, but are still committed to paying £30 p/m for your bike? If your monthly income and outgoings is so tight that you can only find £30 per month by quitting smoking, I'm not sure whether I'd be signing up to commit that amount every month to a shiny new toy.

2. What happens if you love the triathlon, and want to do more, but you have already spent your budget on a hybrid? A hybrid will be fine for your first few Super Sprint and Try-A-Tri type races, but if you want to move up to longer races, or compete more seriously at Sprint distance,or join a club, your hybrid won't cut it any more. Speed on the bike has more to do with aerodynamics than weight.

3. I still feel that the terms and conditions of your C2W voucher are forcing you to narrow down your choice, and steering you away from some real bargains and value.

4. Yesterday, you said that £500 was too much to spend. Today, you're looking at spending £600. This is classic Goal Inflation. All your "calculations" have done is split the lump sum into monthly payments. ONCE YOU START CALCULATING AFFORDABILITY IN MONTHLY PAYMENTS, RATHER THAN TOTAL SPENT, you know you are on a very slippery slope.

5. My advice (which you will not take): If you have calculated you can afford £30 p/m if you give up smoking, then give up smoking and save £30 p/m. If you can do it for three months, you will be £90 richer and you will know you have the discipline required, before you get yourself into DEBT. Because that's what the C2W scheme will be.

Anyway,it's your life and genuinely, good luck with whatever decision you make. I fear that you are in the grip of "new toy fever", or "commodity fetishism", as economists call it, in which you will convince yourself you're making the right decision, even when you're not.

New toy fever, yeah I think I've suffered with that all my life. PC's, consoles, phones, cars and motorbikes are my historical money black holes.

I am managing to justify this because yeah things can get a little tight money wise, however this doesn't stop me spending £90-120 per month on cigarettes.

Admittedly I'm not good with money but just so you don't worry about me I am on the right path. Some rather large loans are due to be cleared this year. So the money isn't going to be an issue after xmas. Stopping smoking now more than covers the cost til then.

I appreciate your advice anyway.

OK mate, all the best and enjoy the bike, whatever you get. Just one thing - please, please consider whether a hybrid is going to be best for you BEFORE you commit yourself. Because, given your interest in triathlon, it seems like folly to me. You asked for bike advice and I am (with others) trying to give it.

Hybrids are NOT designed for racing. If they were, you would see them in races. But you don't. Because they're not.

You want a bike that you can race on, and do a very short daily commute. Don't buy a bike for very short commute that you then can't race on.

lockstock666

Ok, a quick update.

In the end I opted for a Claude Butler Levante - a flat barred road bike. Reduced to £400 from my LBS.

After a long wait for my company to cough up the money I picked up the bike on Tuesday.

I must say it is a very pleasant ride, and it feels very light and fast. My eyes are streaming due to the increased speed.

I had it fitted with black SKS full mudguards and they look great on it, hardly noticable apart from the metal support arms, which I am considering covering with black heat shrink.

My only two troubles at the moment are getting used to the toeclips, they seem fiddly and I have been left going very slow trying to get my other foot in. This will come with practice.

The other trouble is that the mudguard arms on the front protrude slightly and if i turn the wheel and pedal, occasionally my foot catches these mudguard supports. I checked and it would clear the actual mudguard no problems, it is just these arms.

I think I will just trim them down with a hacksaw or something! There is probably 1.5-2 inches clearance past the mudguard. Does this sound normal to you guys?

Will try show it off with some pics soon.

Thanks.

gosport_commuter

The support arms often end up too long, the usual approach is to cut them down as I did mine - I marked cutting lines on them whilst they were still on the bike, removed them, hacksawed them off, and refitted. If you have access to a dremel you could prolly chop em down while still on the bike - or some BEEFY wire cutters/bolt croppers.

Glad you are going ahead with your plans - I gave up smoking 4 years ago this coming march and took up bike commuting, I am still smoke free, and I cant impress enough how different my health is now! after the first 3 months I felt like a new man, and then ever since my fitness has lifted with each passing month. Good luck with your pursuit!