Entire family needs bike recomendations!!
Discussion
Mission Control and I have decided that this summer is time to get back into cycling.
So, we have a need for two bikes, and are looking for any help/advice/recommendations
Bike 1 - for Mission Control. This is for her to nip down to the local shops for shopping and the like. She's only 5'1" tall, and not the most confident of cyclists. She'd also like to take our new sprog ocassionaly, so the ability to add a baby seat would be good.
Bike 2 - for me. To accompany the Dorris, but also to play on local tracks etc.
I have £800 for both, but happy with any second hand.....
So, we have a need for two bikes, and are looking for any help/advice/recommendations
Bike 1 - for Mission Control. This is for her to nip down to the local shops for shopping and the like. She's only 5'1" tall, and not the most confident of cyclists. She'd also like to take our new sprog ocassionaly, so the ability to add a baby seat would be good.
Bike 2 - for me. To accompany the Dorris, but also to play on local tracks etc.
I have £800 for both, but happy with any second hand.....
For her size, a nice lightweight bike with mounts for a rear kiddy seat would be best. If she's going to be 99.9% road or tow path at worst, then a narrow wheeled touring bike would be best. Halfords is a good place to start for this kind of bike, and is a chance to haggle a deal for the kiddys seat and kit included.
Assuming you can find something good for "Houston", and leave yourself just over 50% of your budget for yourself, then there are some great deals and bikes available for the "half a grand" ish mark. I can personally recommend the Specialized Hardrock range at this money, but there are also a lot of other great bikes, including the Kona range that your Halfords will also stock ... deal to two?
For that money, go for a hard tail (ignore lead tubed pseudo-off road full sus bikes - they are shiite) from a known brand with the best fork that you can find. Groupset is important, but more cheaply upgraded in the future. A shiite fork will make a good bike shiite.
Final tip for safe and fast fun, IMO, is to make sure the bike if fitted with good quality tyres and pedals. Too many bikes leave shops with rubbish plastic moulded pedals that will spit you off. I love DMR V12 flats, and a good pair of V8's should cost little, and make a massive difference to your ride.
Assuming you can find something good for "Houston", and leave yourself just over 50% of your budget for yourself, then there are some great deals and bikes available for the "half a grand" ish mark. I can personally recommend the Specialized Hardrock range at this money, but there are also a lot of other great bikes, including the Kona range that your Halfords will also stock ... deal to two?
For that money, go for a hard tail (ignore lead tubed pseudo-off road full sus bikes - they are shiite) from a known brand with the best fork that you can find. Groupset is important, but more cheaply upgraded in the future. A shiite fork will make a good bike shiite.
Final tip for safe and fast fun, IMO, is to make sure the bike if fitted with good quality tyres and pedals. Too many bikes leave shops with rubbish plastic moulded pedals that will spit you off. I love DMR V12 flats, and a good pair of V8's should cost little, and make a massive difference to your ride.
How old is the kid, how much shopping will she be carrying, and how hilly is it where you live? FWIW, my missus is completely reliant on her bike so we've tried a bunch of options.
Have a read of these
Riding with kids: Which bike set-ups work best?
Top tips for biking with babies (and toddlers too!)
If she is going to be on the bike more than you, get her sorted and then spend the change on your bike. If she isn't a confident cyclist, I'd suggest something traditional.
Something like a Pashley Princess or a Batavus Sunshine would be perfect if she doesn't have a lot of hills.
Those racks both take seats. The benefits of the sit-up-and-beg geometry and the low standover height will really help her confidence. Add the built in lights, chain and skirt guard, she won't feel the need to "be a cyclist" to make use of it.
For youself, spend the change on ebay. I picked up an XT spec Kona Kilauea for £200. Some absolute bargains out there if you aren't fussed about discs. I am sure if you started a "what ebay bike for <£200" thread, you'd be inundated with posts telling you how to spend your cash.
FWIW, We've been through the process of adapting MTBs for family cycling use (trailer, bike seat). In the end, we went the whole hog and bought a dutch child carrying cargobike (bakfiets) like one of these - http://blip.tv/file/916594 . It's overkill for most people, but my missus has failed her driving test 5 times, and it needed to keep our boy dry (ours has a full rain cover) and carry a couple of weeks shopping. It's been absolutely brilliant, notwithstanding the Dr Seuss aesthetic.
Have a read of these
Riding with kids: Which bike set-ups work best?
Top tips for biking with babies (and toddlers too!)
If she is going to be on the bike more than you, get her sorted and then spend the change on your bike. If she isn't a confident cyclist, I'd suggest something traditional.
Something like a Pashley Princess or a Batavus Sunshine would be perfect if she doesn't have a lot of hills.
Those racks both take seats. The benefits of the sit-up-and-beg geometry and the low standover height will really help her confidence. Add the built in lights, chain and skirt guard, she won't feel the need to "be a cyclist" to make use of it.
For youself, spend the change on ebay. I picked up an XT spec Kona Kilauea for £200. Some absolute bargains out there if you aren't fussed about discs. I am sure if you started a "what ebay bike for <£200" thread, you'd be inundated with posts telling you how to spend your cash.
FWIW, We've been through the process of adapting MTBs for family cycling use (trailer, bike seat). In the end, we went the whole hog and bought a dutch child carrying cargobike (bakfiets) like one of these - http://blip.tv/file/916594 . It's overkill for most people, but my missus has failed her driving test 5 times, and it needed to keep our boy dry (ours has a full rain cover) and carry a couple of weeks shopping. It's been absolutely brilliant, notwithstanding the Dr Seuss aesthetic.
Edited by Mekon on Tuesday 27th May 12:54
As well as Pashley, some big name brands from Holland are Gazelle, Sparta, and Batavus. They are pretty readily available in the UK. Azor are another good brand, and they can be ordered direct from www.dutchbike.co.uk
I'd suggest 7 or 8 speed hub gears (Shimano Nexus or SRAM) over derailleur systems, and hub brakes over v-brakes. Look for a skirt guard, built in lock, a decent rack, and mudguards. Pluses would be hub dynamo and extras like front rack and panniers. If you can find a model that comes with Schwalbe Big Apple tires, they are dead nice in terms of ride and puncture protection. The Azor Oklahoma Heavy Duty with the 8speed gears from dutchbike.co.uk would be perfect, but it's £750, which is a hell of a lot of money for what it is compared with the Gazelle Impala 7 speed.
Hope that helps. Hopefully there is a decent local bike shop that can help your wife find the bike that's right for her.
I'd suggest 7 or 8 speed hub gears (Shimano Nexus or SRAM) over derailleur systems, and hub brakes over v-brakes. Look for a skirt guard, built in lock, a decent rack, and mudguards. Pluses would be hub dynamo and extras like front rack and panniers. If you can find a model that comes with Schwalbe Big Apple tires, they are dead nice in terms of ride and puncture protection. The Azor Oklahoma Heavy Duty with the 8speed gears from dutchbike.co.uk would be perfect, but it's £750, which is a hell of a lot of money for what it is compared with the Gazelle Impala 7 speed.
Hope that helps. Hopefully there is a decent local bike shop that can help your wife find the bike that's right for her.
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