New Bike - shortlist and weights...

[robmug]

I'm looking for a new bike for wifey, she's changing jobs in July and will be based in Oxford Circus, so will be cycling...wants to change her current Giant hybrid for something newer.

So, I've looked at a few...shortlist is currently this: (not sure of budget yet) (oh, and I know they are all men's bikes, but I thik she'd be happier with these - better choice and she was happy with her Giant Terrago MTB)

I know she wants disc brakes (we've got them on the Giant Terrago), and she likes Specialized as a brand. I quite like the hub-gears (eg Shimano Alfine).

Giant Escape R Sub Zero. £675
http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-GB/bikes/lifestyl...

Cannondale Bad Boy Solo £1200
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/cannondale/bad...

Cannondale Bad Boy 8 £1000
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/cannondale/bad...

Specialized Cross Tail Expert £685
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/specialized/cr...

Specialized Globe Vienna 4 £500
http://www.specializedconceptstore.co.uk//detail/3...

But, for all the specs that are available, no-one quotes the weight of the bike.

Is it me, or is that not one of the critical pieces of information? I'd like to know which is the lightest bike...how much heavier the Shimano Alfine gears are comoared to full derailleurs etc. Any help?

Oh, and any comments on the shortlist?

[Fume troll]

Manufacturers are notorious for not supplying weights. And frequently the ones that do put on super-light tyres and tubes that you wouldn't actually want to use for long.

My advice would be go to a shop and try some, a couple of pounds either way probably won't make much difference.

Cheers,

FT.

[anonymous-user]

manufacturers tend not to quote weights as they all use different methods as bikes will vary dramatically dependant upon whether the bike includes pedals, most top end bikes dont, or whether they use a small or x-large to weigh? as there is no baseline, no one really bothers unless the bike is particularly light in comparison to the others on the market and they want to shout about ala lapierre.

i also think too many people get hung up about weight, when you stick a saddle bag on, put in a chain/multi tool, a tube and a few energy bars or strap two litres of water to your back and forget to have a pre-ride dump, you can be carrying a fair amount of extra weight.

personally i dont think the cannondale bad boy is worth the cash, over the others, spesh are ok, giant seem to be the manufacturer of the moment however so i would give them a closer look.

[robmug]

Thanks for those quick replies.

The spec of the Giant seems good...I found the same when getting the Terragos, basically higher spec Shimano gears/brakes etc over the equivalently priced Specialized.

Re weights...you're saying that they will all pretty much weigh about the same...or in the same ballpark.

[Fume troll]

The badboy is pretty light, probably 10kg or less. What I'm saying though is that it might not make much difference to how it rides.

Cheers,

FT.

[robmug]

Fume troll said:

The badboy is pretty light, probably 10kg or less. What I'm saying though is that it might not make much difference to how it rides.

Cheers,

FT.

Thanks; in fairness, I guess weight makes a bigger difference on gradients...it's pretty flat from Putney to Oxfd Circus...I guess tyres would make a bigger difference than weight.

Anyone got any experience of the hub gears?

[Marcellus]

Your wife needs to ride each of them and then decide..... impossible to say from the list which she will prefer!!

Just my thoughts...

[anonymous-user]

Marcellus said:

Your wife needs to ride each of them and then decide..... impossible to say from the list which she will prefer!!

Just my thoughts...

whlist i agree its all about fit and comfort, from the spec you can make observations about the relative cost and value for money of the bikes such as why on earth a hybrid bike requires Avid Juicy 5s ala the cannondale in comparison to the juicy 3s on the specialized.... they seem to have specced this bike with top end components forgetting that its going to be used on a daily commute thus require maintenance skills of a ninja to keep it operational and up to scratch, thus why so much high end gear unless its designed for bling factor...

[Si 330]

I'm currently looking for something similar I have been looking at the bad boy 700 retails at around £740 and weights around 11.4 kg. Also on my list is the scot sub range I was looking at the 10.

[Floor Tom]

Here are my thoughts on the matter. I worked in a bike shop as a mechanic for a year and a half so saw a lot of commuter bikes that had been riden and not maintained, not saying thats what you'll do but it gives a good indication of reliability.
Disc brakes to me are not required if the bike is never going to see the off road. They are heavier and more expensive. I would definately not use hydraulic discs on a commuter as the manky roads mixed with salt in the winter (you wont get much of that I dont imagine, compaired to us in Aberdeen anyway) will probably sieze the pistons. Juicys in particular, though no worse for the pistons siezing in the first place are a pain in the arse to replace once siezed. Avid BB5's are pretty much the only cable disc brake worth while and even then I'd rather have a decent V brake anyday. V's are much simpler to work on and cheaper to replace if you need to. On a flat commute you should still manage a decent amount of time from a set of pads and have all the power you need, especialy with skinny road tyres.
Hub gears are ok, make the bike look cleaner and are less likely to be damaged if the bike is dropped but if something goes wrong inside them they are pretty complex and not easy to get parts for. If I used gears for my commeter (I run a single speed) it would be a standard setup on a single front ring for weight and ease of maintenence.
Personaly I dont think you need to be spending a lot on a commuter bike, nice parts get wreaked just as fast as not so nice parts when it comes to this sort of thing. All you need a simple bike that doesn't weigh much.
Up in scotland this is a popular choice http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/ebwPNLqrymode.a4p?... if I was you I'd try to find something like that avaliable to you down in London (I think Edinburgh Bike Coop only goes as far south as leeds) and then spend the rest of the money avaliable to you on a good Goretex Jacket, lights, etc