Bike advice PLEASE

[Koing]

Yup it is time for me to buy a bike and I need advice as I don't know a thing about bikes.

What I need the bike for

I need the bike to ride from my apartment in London that I'll be living in September. To the station. Stick it on the station then get off at my station 30 minutes on it. Then I will cycle to my parents shop. The distance is about 2 miles. I be doing this trip every week Friday and Saturday nights. It will be all road and pavement no off road.

I've read some things. And a racer looks the best way to go, but I am concerned if its not sturdy enough. Its light and quick.

Do you think a racer is the best way to go? Or a moutain bike? I know a moutain bike is much sturdier but how much slower is it?

I just want a quick, light, relatively strong just enough to take a few knocks and stuff in the road no off roading and fast bike.

I live in England my budjet is about £500. Can probably go a bit higher but only if the price is justifiable.

Also any good models you guys would suggest?


Koing

 

[Jejunum]

i have no idea but im in the same situation as u; so i can give u a bump and read other peoples comments

heh

 

[Migroo]

Have you got a Halfords near you? They are a car/bike parts/etc store. Probably have some nice catalogues there and some people who can answer your questions.

 

[Koing]

Yeah we have Action Bikes and a Evans bike shop. I'm just trying to find as much information as I can as I don't buy things without finding information about them if I don't know myself. And I know jack about bikes! I'll go to a shop on Saturday and ask for some advice.

Parents won't let me get the bike till i go to Uni though but at least mums putting in £150 for me

 

[Fausto]

Best bike IMHO for a commuter is a mountain bike fitted with slick tires. They are not too much heavier than a racing bike, but way more maneuverable in terms of dodging cars, hopping curbs/potholes, riding in bad weather, etc. Since you have a pretty reasonable budget to work with, get a mountain bike and then purchase an extra (cheap) wheelset fitted with you slick tires for commute duty. Makes swapping back to knobbies a snap should you choose to go offroad on the weekends. I might also suggest you look at aluminum frames since you'll likely get tagged by the occasional rainstorm and won't necessarily have the time to clean up the bike properly each day to prevent rust. No need to worry about this with alu frames, just keep the chain and cables clean and you're in good shape.

Fausto

 

[Brutuskend]

You might consider a "Hybrid", they have a more upright riding position like a mountain bike but they have 700c wheels like a road bike but with a fatter tire. Tyre for you English blokes..

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Originally posted by: Brutuskend
You might consider a "Hybrid", they have a more upright riding position like a mountain bike but they have 700c wheels like a road bike but with a fatter tire. Tyre for you English blokes..

Agreed. Havent beaten mine up yet and I am about 250 (lbs that is)

 

[Fausto]

Originally posted by: Brutuskend
You might consider a "Hybrid", they have a more upright riding position like a mountain bike but they have 700c wheels like a road bike but with a fatter tire. Tyre for you English blokes..

The downside to a hybrid is that they are terrible offroad (no matter what the sales guy tells you). If you have no intention of ever doing any trail riding, then a hybrid would fit the bill nicely.

Fausto

 

[Koing]

good advice guys.

Any perticular models you guys like??

They all look the same essentially but I know its the parts that make the cost of the bike. And I don't know if any of the parts are good or not.


Specialized
Rockhopper FS Comp ?01
? Specialized A1 Premium alloy frame ? RockShox Judy C suspension fork ? Specialized ForeArm II Comp crank ? Shimano Deore LX front and rear derailleurs ? Shimano Deore shifters (27 spd) ? Pro-Max SX-V232 ?V? style brakes with Shimano Deore levers ? Specialized alloy front / Specialized Megaphone rear hubs ? Mavic X-139 rims ? Specialized Team Control/Master Sport tyres ? Shimano M515 SPD pedals ? Specialized alloy bars and stem ? Specialized seatpost

Its £530. Is that any good or can I get better stuff with my money?

Koing

MTB bikes

Hybrids

Anyone you guys would recommend over another for about £500-£550 ish?

 

[ragazzo]

http://www.mtbr.com for reviews

i bought a gary fisher marlin over the weekend. i'm thinking about upgrading to disc brakes in the future

 

[DAPUNISHER]

I agree with Fausto1 (as usual) I don't even own a road bike and I do Way to much singletrack for a hybrid but putting semi-slicks on my mountainbike allows me to ride road and hardpack just fine and I swap tires out for serious riding. By getting the mountainbike you leave yourself greater diversity in riding options IMO.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Originally posted by: ragazzo
http://www.mtbr.com for reviews

i bought a gary fisher marlin over the weekend. i'm thinking about upgrading to disc brakes in the future

Yeah, I'm ready for discs myself. they use to be to expensive, hard to work on, and the only good ones were hydraulic, but that's all changed so I think I'll be moving up to a set of cable actuated (their biggest con is that you have to clean the cables frequently but no big deal) soon

 

[Koing]

Thats good advice lads AGAIN

I'm probably going to get a MTB and get some slick tyres

 

[Brutuskend]

The biggest advantage of a Hybrid over a mountain bike (for commuting) is that they are FASTER because of the larger diameter wheels. Also because the tires are narrower you get less rolling resistance so you don't have to work as hard. Less work = less sweat so you'll smell much nicer when you get where you are going..
The only real disadvantage IMO is that the larger the wheel, the less lateral strength the wheel will have. (They are easier to taco IE: Damage beyond repair.)

I have both a mountain bike and a road bike. My MTB sees NO on road miles as it's set up for off road use only. In order to have a MTB function well off road you must have a longer flatter stem in order to be able to keep the front wheel on the ground while climbing. (Your weight must be about 50/50 on the saddle and the bars)

If you plan on doing ANY off road riding DO get a MTB as you will loose the versatility with a Hybrid. But as it sounds like you don't plan on riding it off road, I still say a Hybrid sounds like the way to go.

 

[GermyBoy]

I'm in the same situation. I like to offroad, but that's what my mtb is for. I like to also do roadwork. Can't make up my mind though what to get for a cheap one for school. I'm not too fond of the notion of taking two, I just want a cheap one for about $200 to take from my apartment to campus and vice versa.

 

[Fausto]

Originally posted by: GermyBoy
I'm in the same situation. I like to offroad, but that's what my mtb is for. I like to also do roadwork. Can't make up my mind though what to get for a cheap one for school. I'm not too fond of the notion of taking two, I just want a cheap one for about $200 to take from my apartment to campus and vice versa.

So do the extra wheelset thing. Takes about 2 min to swap over to your "street" setup and costs a hell of a lot less than a whole second bike.

Fausto

 

[bmacd]

I thought you were talking about motorcycles. My bad =P

-=bmacd=-

 

[Fausto]

n/m.....flaming retort withdrawn.

 

[bmacd]

Originally posted by: Fausto1

Originally posted by: bmacd
this must be the 30th bike thread within the last 60 days. Check out these good threads from ATOT:

What motorcycle to buy?
motorcycle buying guide
motorcycles
what kind of mileage would this bike get?
moto help
bike insurance
good thread
what to look for in a used bike
what bike to buy

Or you could have done a search on AT yourself....

-=bmacd=-

Of course, you could have read the first post in this thread and seen that this is a BICYCLE THREAD and saved us all a big thread crap, dumbass.

Fausto

i read the first couple posts and it made no specific mention of motor/bicycles. Simmer down child.

-=bmacd=-

edit: thanks for the flame anyways, bud

 

[Fausto]

i read the first couple posts and it made no specific mention of motor/bicycles. Simmer down child.

He specifically mentions mountain bikes in the first post.....hence my annoyance. You will note I immediately withdrew my comment once you corrected yourself tho.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

In order to have a MTB function well off road you must have a longer flatter stem in order to be able to keep the front wheel on the ground while climbing.

The stem doesn't inhibit my road riding significantly and the climbing position is easily adjusted even without it by moving forward on the seat when climbing. I also find that having 27 gears allows me to pick a gear that permits me to ride very easily on the road and that after riding tough singletrack that the rolling resistance on pavement using my semi-slicks seems like floating

 

[exp]

Another vote for hybrids. I use mine for country trails with <5% slope, but it works quite well for city riding as well (since it's more durable than a roadie and has better traction).

 

[Thegonagle]

I like my hybrid a lot, though it's not really going to be the same bike as I started out with by the end of summer. I can really tear it up in the city, but it's very limited off road. It's fine for construction sites and dirt roads, but I just can't climb anything on it. I put some of the blame on my semi-slick tires. I'm going to try some cyclo-cross tires (knobby, but narrow, high pressure, and fast) to see how I like those.

I started with an Al framed 2001 Trek 7300 for cheap. The first order of business was to lose about 3-4 pounds. Gone are the heavy "comfort" seat, bouncy suspension seatpost, ferrous-metal handlebars, and adjustable neck.

Next on the list, I?m going to order some Mavic wheels with Ultegra hubs ($200 a set from Supergo), and some clipless pedals and shoes. Then I?m going to lose the department store looking Pro-Max brakes and levers, and the recockulous 11-32 rear cassette (11-32 refers to the number of teeth on the smallest and the largest sprockets of the rear gears, or cassette). A hybrid already has a granny gear on the front chain ring, so there is no need for a 32 in back. 26 to 28 is the largest gear I want or need back there.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

A hybrid already has a granny gear on the front chain ring, so there is no need for a 32 in back. 26 to 28 is the largest gear I want or need back there.

Since your complaining about it's climbimg ability already I would stick with the 32