New commuting bike

patalair

Hi guys,

My current (and first) bike (Apollo Slant Mountain Bike from Halfords - bought it because it was cheap) has served me well during the last 2 years. It has some issues (holding the mudguards and racks with Sellotape, gear shifters are badly broken, tyres have slow punctures...), but I kind of lived with it...

... until I went on holiday. I have rented a bike to cycle around. And it was so much better than what I experience every day that I am now obsessed - I need to change.

I feel uncomfortable to pay lots of money (I find amazing that a mid/high-range bike can cost as much as a scooter, with an engine and everything), but well... Apparently it's not possible to find something decent below £200.

My needs are the following :
→ everyday usage to go to work (all kind of weathers - rain, snow). About 3km each way.
→ road is bad quality - in the park I cross, there are some gravels
→ need for mudguards, dynamo lights, racks and bags (for shopping and carrying stuff around)
→ sometimes used for small short tours and camping (light-weight -- nothing big)
→ needs to be sturdy - I weight 253lbs
→ easy to fix and take care of (I have proved to be terrible here, but I have clearly understood I need to learn that bit)
→ budget : I first wanted to limit the budget to £500, but I am now considering pushing to £800 or £900

As I was trying to sort things out and learn about bikes (I really started from scratch), I have started to look for "hybrid bikes" (that's what my friends told me) :
- Specialized Crossover
- Trecking Riverside 7 B'TWIN

... moving on to "touring bikes" (I like the idea of taking my bike all around the world, although it won't happen):
- Surly Long Haul Trucker
- Dawes Galaxy

... and now Cyclocross
- Salsa Casseroll (that one attracts me, although I find it really ugly as it is - which is good against thieves actually : http://www.tritoncycles.co.uk/m14b0s21p ... l-Complete)
- Surly Crosscheck

Today, I understand the different categories of bikes (brand new world to me !), and I think that Cyclocross is the category that would define me best.

That said, I am lost. I tried the "buy as cheap as possible" thing 2 years ago, and now I understand that if I want something comfortable that will last, I actually need to go further in terms of investment. Especially because I am quite heavy.

What arguments would you push forward to actually convince me to pay £800 or £900 for a bike ? Based on the context, what would you recommend ?

Thanks for your help

Pat

PS : I am French, so sorry for my English. Living in Warwickshire though !

night_porter

patalair wrote:

My needs are the following :
→ everyday usage to go to work (all kind of weathers - rain, snow). About 3km each way.
→ road is bad quality - in the park I cross, there are some gravels
→ need for mudguards, dynamo lights, racks and bags (for shopping and carrying stuff around)
→ sometimes used for small short tours and camping (light-weight -- nothing big)
→ needs to be sturdy - I weight 253lbs
→ easy to fix and take care of (I have proved to be terrible here, but I have clearly understood I need to learn that bit)
→ budget : I first wanted to limit the budget to £500, but I am now considering pushing to £800 or £900
/quote]

As you have already decided that a cross bike is what you are looking for then I will limit any advice to that group of bikes.

The easy to fix part of your list is the hard part to answer as any bike is easy to fix if you take the time to learn how to do it but hard if you do not, it really is down to how much effort you are willing to put in? All of your other criteria will be covered by a cross bike so no problems there.

The main differences when moving up the price range is more expensive components and different braking systems. So a 10 speed disk braked bike will cost more than an 8 speed canti braked bike but for your use both bikes would be suitable. Don't forget that when things do wear out the higher priced components will cost more to replace/repair so the cost of ownership is higher too. Incidentally a 10 speed bike will not make you faster than an 8 speed bike. I would recommend something with 9 speed Sora 3500 will give good strength and durability at a good price point, I run 9 speed Tiagra on my commuter bike and it is a good solid groupset and reasonably cheap to repair.

As far as which bike to choose why not choose an lbs (or 2 or 3) and go and talk to them, explain your requirements and see what they have to offer. This way you will have the support of people who know what they are talking about and can get you sitting on something suitable, help you to get the right size bike and assist with keeping the bike on the road. It is great getting a bargain on the internet if you are experienced and know exactly what you want but a good lbs will prevent you from wasting your money on something unsuitable or the wrong size.

Alternatively look on a website like Evans and check out what they have to offer from different manufacturers decide on your price range and ask them to get a couple into a local store for you to test ride. They have shops in Birmingham, Milton Keynes and Cheltenham so you should be able to access one of these to try before you buy. Or come down to Oxford and I could point you at some good lbs's that would help you out I am sure there are some closer to your home although I have no experience of them.

NP

The Rookie

£400 to 500 will get you 90% of the way from your slant to a £800 bike, so be wary of spending too much.

Be sure you get what you need......despite the negatives from many on here and good flat barred hybrid can be avery good commuter 9depending on where you ride), you don't need dropped bars necesarily.

Two possible CX
http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/product ... ross-bikes
http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/product ... ross-bikes

Consider also the Voodoo Marasa from Halfords, flat barred with good quality hydraulic disc brakes, a bit heavier but a lot of that is in the larger tyres and you can swap them for narrower/lighter/faster, solid gearing.
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_165534
My Nephew rides one on 700cx32 tyres and has dropped the bars a bit and averages around 15mph on 40+ mile solo rides.

Big_Paul

Another recommendation for the Rev Cross, but if you're only going 3 and a half miles a day why not a singlespeed like a Vitus Vee-1 or Vee-29 and spend the rest on mudguards, rack and a decent lightset?

patalair

I am not too fond of the singlespeed idea - it's a bit hilly on my way to work (although it is quite a short ride), so I prefer to have some flexibility.

In any case, thanks guys for the great help. To be honest I was very surprized - I was really expecting you to try and convince me to put more money on the table. I guess this is the difference between a (bad) salesman in a shop and unbiased people on the internet !

I'll check local shops first to see if everything is all right. The revolution bikes look very nice and sturdy indeed - I will see if there is a way I can check if that works for me.

Thanks again

unixnerd

If you want a tourer (which I'd personally prefer to a CX bike) have a look at Edinburgh Bicycles own brand models. They start from 429.99 http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/product ... tion-bikes

I've had mine for over a decade and it's a great bike. There's a disc version with a nicer groupset for a bit more. It has tyres that'll cope with a bit of gravel. Don't worry about dynamo lights, a modern light with 18650 batteries will run happily for two hours. Feel free to PM me for light advice that won't cost a fortune.