Newbie wanting a budget bike for short commute :-)

Bekki2308

Hi all,

I am Beks nice to meet you all. I will apologise in advance im a total noob when it comes to bikes having only ever owned childrens bikes then an ancient rusty steel framed thing that was bought for a 6ft 5 relative (im 5ft7, 33 in inside leg) so I have never owned anything other than awful bikes.

I need a bike for a 10 mile round trip a day on flat cycle routes 5 days a week and a 20 mile round trip once a week, I just get sick of being on over crowded busses that are late and go really long routes, it could actually be very much quicker to just cycle. I have a limited budget of £250 max for the bike, I am aware I am not going to get a quality bike for such a little amount but alas its all I have and hopefully by avoiding the lowest price £80 bikes im going to get something just about ok? I dont need a bike that will last a long time partly because it will be stored outside and also it will be chained up in public places so I dont want it to look flashy either. Halfords is my closest bike shop and I am going to have a look there tomorrow as its just around the corner, they do a carrera crossfire 1 for £249 in a sale is this even worth looking at? In terms of money buying a cheaper bike and then upgrading parts over time is something I could do really.

If anyone has any recommendations of bikes in the sub £250 range ideally at halfords, but there is an independant bike shop a few miles away I could go to also. I dont need comfort or style just something that will get me from a to b ideally :-)

Thanks in advance
Beks

alidaf

That budget really limits you so I suggest buying second hand. Giant Defy bikes are good so keep an eye out for a 2010 model, preferably a Defy 2. Ask at a local bike shop other than Halfords for any ex demo bikes they may have. Local bike shops rely a lot on return customers so may give you a discount if you seem likely to go back for servicing etc.

zx6man

crossfire would suit you perfectly I would go the extra 50 though for a crossfire 2 with disc brakes

zx6man

the subway, good call, forks on sub 500 bikes are a bit rubbish to say the least. (mine are almost 100% on lock out)

The Rookie

What style of bike are you happy with/want and what do you want on it?

Road bike (making rack and guards a bit harder) with drop bars, flat barred hybrid set up for road use or a slower ride like a 'victorian lady' may ride with a very upright riding position.

At that price point the go to stores for new are Halfords or Decathlon (do you have one nearby?).

Avoid front suspension, at that price it takes too much of the budget and will often ride less nicely than a rigid fork.

However if you are comfortable looking at bikes, you'll get a much better one used!

Bekki2308

Im an idiot when it comes to bikes ill admit that I know nothing about them and my previous experience is only of massively over sized bikes (hand me downs from older reletives) which were all mountain bike types so I dont know what I want to ride like I have always been forced to stretch out while riding and never really had an issue with that, but I did like the upright ride on my little trusty bmx years ago. I would definitely not be happy looking at second hands bikes, this may be blasphemy but a bike is a bike to me right now and I cant tell what is good/bad or broken by looking, my dad can change a bike tyre, fix a puncture etc so he will be giving me a crash course on that but he doesnt know anything about bikes really. In terms of what I want on it, I have no idea having last ridden a monstrosity of a bike that the wheels actually buckled/rusted spokes popped off on me that had 1 gear and the brakes barely worked anything will be luxury and some pink flower stickers of course would be nice. I will have to go over a dirt track once a week on my longer journey its usually pretty dry but would a road bike cope? As for a decathlon store the closest one is over 100 miles away :-(. Thanks for the heads up on forks/suspension etc

My lovely mum (Hi mum if you find this!) is putting my bike on her card and also taking me up to see the bikes at Halfords tomorrow afternoon if the subway is comfortable I may come home with one as its not much above what I have (ill have to ride home we're going on the bus and they dont let bikes on), I have cheekily reserved a subway in the ladies frame large size and one in medium as my leg length/height puts me in the middle of both sizes, so I guess I ill try both.

thanks all

zx6man

the hybrids will be fine on a bit of track.

Keep us posted :-)

MichaelW

Dont forget to budget for bolt-on mudguards, lights, lock, helmet, gloves, luggage rack, small repair kit, tools, pump, spare inner tube. The profit margins on accessories are high so ask for a few free/discounted extras, you have to haggle.
If you are trying to get to work on time, its worthwhile upgrading the tyres to something with good puncture resistance: Schwalbe Marathon are good, the Marathon Plus are much tougher and a bit heavier. You need medium width tyres such as 32-38mm (in hybrid 700c size) or 1.5-1.9" (in MTB size).

The Carrera Subway is good choice for everyday riding. They do a ladies version at £279.
Evans do their own brand Pinnacle Lithium One for £240.
Cheap aluminium frames are lighter than cheap steel ones and probably better.
Non-suspension forks are usually "hi tensile steel" or higher grade "chromoly steel"
Gears are usually 7-speed or better 8-speed systems by Shimano.

Bekki2308

Thanks for the note on the tyres I have seen that halfords do sell the marathon plus (found a thread on this forum about them and read all the reviews on amazon) but my local store does them as an order in only. My bus ticket is for the whole month so the rush isnt massive and pay day falls in 2 weeks so then ill be able to upgrade tyres, get new jazzy helmet and lights (got an ancient set of all the basics) etc then and before then ill just be out on the bike for "fun" so a puncture wont be an issue as such and I could do with getting riding confidence up as I havent ridden in years.

Im excited to go play with the bikes tomorrow and pick one, its the ladies subway large and medium frame I have reserved. I shall be riding it home if I like it which is about 6 miles so not far (well to an unfit sedentary student its a reasonable distance). *does a happy dance*

PBo

Welcome! Sounds like you're really up for it. For the distances/surfaces you mention, the subway will be great. I know that it's already over your budget, and still 2 weeks til payday, but don't scrimp too much on a lock!!!

nich

Hey Beks,

People have been raving about this lately:

http://www.vitusbikes.com/mountain-bikes/vee-1

I've either seen it on here or another bike forum I use..but yeah, check them out. No gears though, but you don't need gears, less to go wrong 'n lighter