What bike for a noob

[Sycamore]

Hi All.

Complete bike noob here so be gentle.

I have a ~6 mile commute and I'd like to start cycling in. Work has bike & gear storage which is also a big plus.

I could commute entirely by road, but likewise I could also use canal paths for quite a bit of the journey.

I've no idea what bike to get. My budget isn't enormous, and I'm leaning towards buying a cheap used bike off of eBay etc however I've no idea what I should be looking for (Suspension, geared, fixed-speed, handlebar style etc).

I guess I could do with a sort of middle-ground bike, in that I can use either canals or stick to the roads.
For such a short commute I can't imagine I need something all too amazing.

Cheers!
Luke

Edited by Sycamore on Wednesday 22 February 20:58

[Hell27]

Hi, I'd say for entry level cycling, try either a hardtail mountain bike or a hybrid. If you spend less than £500, you'll get a reasonable brand new entry level mtb or hybrid.
Evans pinnacle range is good as is halfords Carerra, voodoo or boardman - seen some awesome bikes for under £500 new

https://www.evanscycles.com/pinnacle_b

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/hybrid-bikes

Otherwise it's eBay secondhand - for not a lot of money there's a lot of nice stuff out there. However some of it will be stolen; not easy to work out which all the time.

Hope this helps, if you let us know budget it will help narrow down the search. Plus invest heavily in hi vis and lights.

[battered]

Good advice there. Fit mudguards, it keeps you dry (er). Suspension is no use for what you want, adds weight and it's one more thing to wear out.

Try to borrow a bike off a cycling mate for a bit of a play about. Size is the most important thing to get right. As stated, used is good. There are lots of little used bikes for not much money, just avoid the stolen and the worn out.

[Some Gump]

Commuting 6 miles, I'd look for a bike that suits all weathers, and has a rack so you can use panniers not a backpack.
Full mudguards for comfort: if you cycle in, you're cycling home even if storm meg hits at 4.30pm. When i say full guards, i mean the ones where the front guard goes way down with a flap, and the back goes around to stop cack getting your legs from behind too. Skinny semi slicks or fat road tyres, depending on MTB or roadie.

Personally, I love drop handlebars because you get to choose any position. Used to do big miles on my MTB but got sore wrists, now on road bike I use 4 different positions depending on comfort so don't get that issue.

I don't see the need for suspension unless you're fully off road, and even then you need to spend. Cheap suspension is heavier than lead, and mainly serves to sap power.

[W00DY]

For canal paths and road I'd go for a hybrid. I think as much as drop bars offer lots of hand positions they generally have a fairly racy position which might not suit a newbie as well.


With regards to ebay and second hand bikes, you have to be aware that a lot of the cheaper stuff won't have been looked after and a worn out drivetrain can cost a lot to replace.


Something like this would be excellent, but it depends how much you have to spend

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/hybrid-bikes...

[JustinF]

Agree on hybrid. You don't need a bike with suspension unless you plan on going off the beaten path, even the cheapest suspension costs more than a rigid fork so for the same budget you would be inviting compromise elsewhere; the more upright position of a hybrid over a drop barred bike will give you easier spacial awareness.
What is your budget including lights and lock?

[AC43]

I'd say get a hard tail MTB or a hybrid.

Three years ago I found a lightly used Trek Cobia on eBay for just over £500 - retail was typically £850-£900.

It's got a decent spec (air forks & hydraulic discs) and has survived three summers and winters of commuting across London.

If you can't stretch to something with a spec like that you might want to find a hybrid with carbon forks - they can take the chatter out.