Bike noob commute advice

Samdiana

Hi folks,

I plan on being able to ride to work soon.

Yay!

I need a bike and haven't had one for 15 years.

Uhoh.

I will be mostly riding on road and cycle paths, however a third of my commute will be dirt (farm/bridal) track with moderate inclines.

I like the idea of hydraulic disc brakes, front suspension and less numbers of high quality gears.

That said I am open to suggestion on the above.

I have no idea what makes to look at. I want to buy quality, I don't want a mega-pro top of the line bike but I am always willing to spend what it takes to get good quality and reliability within reason.

Your thoughts on makes, models, components and anything else bike related most welcome.

ThanksYouPlease.

Sam.

BigLights

Good on you! You'll actually enjoy the commute from now on.

I swear by the Specialized Sirrus as hybrids go - v fast, and the new ones have disc brakes. You might find the tyres a bit skinny for wet muddy type tracks though. In which case you might want to try something like a Marin Muirwoods 29er - biiiig wheels, bigger tyres, disc brakes. I had one in London and I really, really didn't like it but plenty of other folks do, so perhaps give it a try?

Otherwise, why not think about a Tricross type bike? Specialized do one, and so do some others. These are road bikes, but with bigger nobbly tyres so you can go on some dirt, too.

rubertoe

Speak to your local bike shop (LBS), Try some out and see what you like.

Big lights make some good suggestions, but dont limit yourself to Hybrids - road bikes are pretty robust, they manage to get through paris - roubaix ok, so i think they can handle a bit of dirt/mud.

Initialised

What's your budget?

shyretirer

Also, how far?

Samdiana

Budget is £400-£800 I think, it's only a 3.5 miles each way, 1 mile of which is bridleway.

The Rookie

For that almost anything will do, my Nephew uses a Voodoo marasa (Halfords) big tyres, fast on road but enough give off (no need for front suspension really) and decent disc breaks.

mr_eddy

Considering your qish list you may want to consider the ridgeback flight series.

The Flight 04 is almost perfect for you:

Shimano Alfine 8 Speed Hub gear system (basically nothing ever goes wrong) and just enough gears ( 8 speed)
Belt driven rather than chain so noise free and super reliable, no oil requred
Hydraulic disks front and back
Hybrid frame and forks with flat bars so comfortable but also FAST!
700c wheels with semi slick tyres so ideal for both tarmac and bike paths even gravel track
Weight is less than 10kg which is nice and light.

Its not that cheap at £999 but its a quality product and should be ideal for pretty much every situation you mentioned.

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/rid ... tch__plid_

Samdiana

Thanks that sounds intrestign not sure about all the new-fangled tech though, I will take a look though for sure!

markhewitt1978

Any old hybrid will likely suit you fine, I doubt you *need* disc brakes, but if you want them why not!

Samdiana

I don't *need* a new bike, I could get my 20 year old halfords special out and limp to work on that. However I want to treat my self to a relatively nice bike to make the experience quicker, less numbing and more fun. The more fun bit includes hydraulic disc brakes

I remembered a friend is nutty on bikes, he is presently talking to me about a cotic roadrat with carbon forks and specing the rest up. Mostly over my head but I trust he knows what he is talking about.