New Commuter Needed

spamalot

Hi All,

I love a forum or two so I thought I'd post this here. I currently have an Orange Gringo (around 2007 model) much like this one- http://www.wheeliecyprus.com/images/orange.jpg but with rigid forks. I've also replaced the tyres with semi-slick schwalbes and it's a great fast bike for my 8 mile round trip each day.

But I fancy something new...

I've been looking at Hybrid's, basically just an upgrade of what I have. A bike with the gears in the back hub would be nice as the clicks on my current bike bug me. I've been keeping an eye out for 2nd hand Cannondale Bad Boy Ultra 8s. Are they good or bad, they seem to tick most boxes.

I'd like to pick up something second hand to get the most out of my £500 budget.

Any suggestions?

dhope

R
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I'll leave the specifics to someone else.

Greg T

R O A D B I K E

Ditch the fat burd and trade up

spamalot

But... I want to be able to go up and down curbs and don't really like curly handlebars.

Sorry for being an amature.

navt

spamalot wrote:

But... I want to be able to go up and down curbs and don't really like curly handlebars.

Ahh, so he wants a B M X?

Widgey

Learn to bunny hop and get a flat bar - sorted.

cyclingprop

spamalot wrote:

But... I want to be able to go up and down curbs and don't really like curly handlebars.
.

Roadies go up and down dropped curbs. No bike should be going up a raised curb unless you're in a bike park?

jds_1981

navt wrote:

spamalot wrote:

But... I want to be able to go up and down curbs and don't really like curly handlebars.

Ahh, so he wants a B M X?

I hear 29ers roll over bumps quite well.

edit : - http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... NXhU#t=13s

Kieran_Burns

I think you should curb your enthusiasm for kerbs....

spamalot

Go on then, suggest me a used road bike for £500 then

clarkey cat

viewtopic.php?f=40090&t=12874083

touch over budget but he sounds keen to sell. depends how tall you are.

supersonic

For £500 try the Boardman Hybrid Comp.

Greg T

supersonic wrote:

For £500 try the Boardman Hybrid Comp.

AAAARRRGGGHHHHH

Hybrids suck - yes they do.

This however . . . .

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Raleigh-Racin ... 500wt_1168

50 Quid!!!

What a beauty

tailwindhome

If you want a hybrid you crack on. Nevermind what the cool kids say.

However if you want a road bike wait a couple of weeks til the sales start and some will fall into your £500 range.

I'd keep an eye out for a Cannondale Caad8

bails87

Or a CX for year round commuterproofness.

And a cape.

daviesee

spamalot wrote:

But... I want to be able to go up and down curbs and don't really like curly handlebars.

Sorry for being an amature.

Why do you want to go up and down kerbs?
Bikepaths usually have dropped kerbs?
Are you under 15 years old? If not, you should be on the road, not the pavement.

gtvlusso

daviesee wrote:

spamalot wrote:

But... I want to be able to go up and down curbs and don't really like curly handlebars.

Sorry for being an amature.

Why do you want to go up and down kerbs?
Bikepaths usually have dropped kerbs?
Are you under 15 years old? If not, you should be on the road, not the pavement.

Beat me to it.....!

Anyway, if I can bunny hop a drop bar fixie over pot holes, then a road bike is definitely bunny hoppable....

The Rookie

daviesee wrote:

Are you under 15 years old? If not, you should be on the road, not the pavement.

What on earth would being under 15 have to do with it, unless you're below the age of criminal responsibility it is still a criminal offence!

Carrera Gryphon......

spamalot

daviesee wrote:

spamalot wrote:

But... I want to be able to go up and down curbs and don't really like curly handlebars.

Sorry for being an amature.

Why do you want to go up and down kerbs?
Bikepaths usually have dropped kerbs?
Are you under 15 years old? If not, you should be on the road, not the pavement.

I live in the middle of town and go down ally-ways, through traffic... basically I weave. That's why I thought a hybrid would be good as it gives me most of the speed of a road bike with a little more of the ruggedness of a mountain bike.

Was I wrong?

supersonic

Depends on the hybrid, as they vary so much. The Boardman I suggested is very light and handles great - a good option, especially if you don' like drops.

bails87

spamalot wrote:

I live in the middle of town and go down ally-ways, through traffic... basically I weave. That's why I thought a hybrid would be good as it gives me most of the speed of a road bike with a little more of the ruggedness of a mountain bike.

Was I wrong?

Down alleyways, as in, on the pavement? Or down sideroads (which surely wouldn't have a kerb?)?

pangolin

spamalot wrote:

daviesee wrote:

spamalot wrote:

But... I want to be able to go up and down curbs and don't really like curly handlebars.

Sorry for being an amature.

Why do you want to go up and down kerbs?
Bikepaths usually have dropped kerbs?
Are you under 15 years old? If not, you should be on the road, not the pavement.

I live in the middle of town and go down ally-ways, through traffic... basically I weave. That's why I thought a hybrid would be good as it gives me most of the speed of a road bike with a little more of the ruggedness of a mountain bike.

Was I wrong?

His point was that unless those alleyways are cycle paths, you shouldn't be on them.

Road bikes or CX bikes are very tough, you won't have any issues with ruggedness. You can't just crash into a kerb and go up it like you could with a front suspension bike, but with any bike handling skills at all you will be fine. I bunny hop potholes, random bits of junk etc fairly regularly on a road bike and the wheels only fall off now and then.

On the road, you will find your new road bike much faster. Usually when people get a hybrid they soon regret it and wish they had got a road bike. Saying that, if you are already using a hybrid and are happy with it, carry on!

spamalot

supersonic wrote:

Depends on the hybrid, as they vary so much. The Boardman I suggested is very light and handles great - a good option, especially if you don' like drops.

Hi,

I do like the look of the bike you suggested but I don't really see it as much of an upgrade really, if anything bar the disc breaks it looks like a downgrade.

supersonic

Why not just keep what you have then and make a few changes? I turned my Zaskar LE into a commuter:



Cost about £250, weighs 20lbs, is light and fast around town and I don't really notice any loss of speed on longer road rides.

navt

spamalot wrote:

I do like the look of the bike you suggested but I don't really see it as much of an upgrade really, if anything bar the disc breaks it looks like a downgrade.

Now, now. Bit like comparing apples with oranges, isn't it.

JamesB5446

spamalot wrote:

Go on then, suggest me a used road bike for £500 then

I've got an old Peugeot I can sell you for that.

Big_Paul

I gave up riding my Corratec to work because it's just too bloody heavy, fair enough it was absolutely bulletproof but I found I wasn't enjoying it, so I started using my Vee-1 because it's pretty much the closest thing to a BMX I could find. I ride a mixture of backstreets, main roads and towpaths and I'm glad of the bit of extra ruggedness as I'm not a light lad.

I have a CX bike too, and I spent last sunday roaming around Rathlin Island on it, at least 75% of the vehicles on it are 4x4's so that gives you of an idea what the "roads" are like, potholes, gravel tracks, stoney tracks, cattle grids etc and the bike took everything in it's stride. I bought another set of wheels for it too and I have 700x28 slicks on them, but the main problem is that I'm still used to 1980's wheel technology and modern "skinny" wheels are so much more durable these days.

Edinburgh Bike Co-op have my bike reduced to £359 at the minute.