I need a commuting bike recommendation

[tuscan_al]

I know lots abut cars and gadgets etc, but am clueless as what to get for riding to work.

My route is roads, bumpy B lanes and up down hilly around 4 miles in total. Right now I'm using a pool bike from work, no suspension knobbly tyres grip shift etc and its ok but hard over the bumps and takes me 15 min to cycle there.

So I'm looking for something to pick up second hand on ebay. Want something that I could use on the local trails so a hardtail MTB is what I'm looking at. Dont care about scratches etc. Would use some sort of slick/road trail tyre I would guess?

I'm 6'1 13.5 st. Not sure what size frames or wheels I should be looking for?? Any help appreciated.

[Chris71]

Price range?

Depending on how 'off road' you want to go you can either have a road-biased hybrid and stick knobbly tyres on it for the weekends or a trail-biased hard tail MTB and stick slicks on for the week.

If it's your only bike and the commute isn't too demanding I'd go for the more substantial MTB. I found that a full on road bike would be overkill on my urban comute and more like to buckle wheels and such like. I went for a hybrid as I already have a serious off-roader, but if you're looking for one bike to do it all then a light-ish XC hardtail is probably the way forward.

[tuscan_al]

Sorry price upto £150, know its not much but seems to be a few on ebay.

Whats the opinion on these?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&am...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&am...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&am...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&am...

[Chris71]

All look pretty reasonably. I'm really not knowledgable enough to make an informed decision (although glancing at them the Scott looks best geometry-wise). I'd say the main thing is condition and getting the right size. Maybe a cheeky trip to your local bike shop would give you an idea what frame size you need? Either than or someone who's local enough for you to try the bike before putting in a bid.

[john_p]

Definitely a lightweight hardtail, don't bother with disc brakes or massive travel forks as they'll just add weight and complexity. You can then use it to commute and also do the odd ride throughout the year and a little mud won't be a problem.

Don't forget bike lock, helmet, reflective stuff, waterproofs and lights for winter!

[tuscan_al]

Thanks for the advice guys. I have picked up a Carrera Subway 1 with SRAM quick fire and cat eye lights up, a work colleague is leaving soon and I got it for £20

Will do for the commuting but now I'm stuck as its not going to be any good off road, so I need a bike for purely downhilling and XC fun now!