What Bike- beginner/ commute

[Eddw86]

EDIT: Bike bought and first commute done, read the second page for updates!

Good afternoon all,

I've decided to join the London pedal powered commuters due to a desire for more fresh air, more exercise & getting to work when I'm not crammed on the northern line like a hot sweaty sardine.

My work is doing the cycle to work scheme, I think it's through halfords so I'm guessing the bike will have to be obtaine from them, as will helmet, locks & other gear.

My route is (or soon will be) clapham south to Soho so about 6.5ish miles each way. I'm going to be showering at work & leaving the bike locked up in the work car park.

So advice please,

what bike should I get? Thoughts on these?

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/...

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/...

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/...

Also as a complete noob to commuting, what do I need for the commute to work clothing wise?! Is 7miles each way doable for a relatively unfit (at the moment) beginner?

Anything else i should bear in mind?

I'm planning on having small pump, 2 inner tubes, puncture repair
kit & multitool wi me at all times on the bike as well as lights in the evening.

I know this is a bit of a rambling first pedal powered post but it's a lot to think about!!

Edited by Eddw86 on Wednesday 16th June 22:01

[936ADL]

Considering where you'll be you just have to go with a fixie, won't you?

[Roman]

Out of those for commuting the Zum without a doubt. Less £: Carrera Subway. More £: Boardman hybrid

[Eddw86]

936ADL said:

Considering where you'll be you just have to go with a fixie, won't you?

Sorry but I'm not sure I follow?

[936ADL]

Sorry for being a little cryptic.

Being serious for a minute, i'd absolutely stay away from anything with knobbly tyres if all you're doing is communting. Something with slicks will be far better.

HAve you considered the hub geared Carerra(sp?) Subway. I've not experienced one myself, but i've heard good things about them. The hub gear also seems ideal for commuting duties.

Cheers,

Andy

[Eddw86]

Ah I see, I've looked at these bikes a bit more & now I'm wondering if it may be better to get a 'proper' non hybrid bike to allow me to go biking at weekends if I choose to. Change the tyres to slicks commute & then back when I want to go somewere a bit more fun.

Something like this with lockable front suspension:

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/...

Thoughts on this idea?

Thanks for the advice so far.

[dtmpower]

Eddw86 said:

936ADL said:

Considering where you'll be you just have to go with a fixie, won't you?

Sorry but I'm not sure I follow?

www.lgss.com - fixed gear , track bred , no brakes, aggressive frame geometry... hip culture

[Eddw86]

Any further thoughts on these bikes? I may purchase this weekend & start the, costly if this subforum is anything to go by, transformation to becoming a cyclist. I even caught myself browsing cycle mags this weekend!

[Mr Gear]

Put simply, knobbly tyres are hard work on tarmac. I would go for the dedicated commuter bike for what you are doing.

[louiebaby]

Depending on budget, and what you want to do at the weekends, a hybrid is probably the best bet.

You will need:

Helmet.
Cycling gloves.
Scruffy clothes.
A good rucksack.

(The gloves are a must have in my opinion. In London, at rush hour, EVENTUALLY you will come off. They make landing on your palms slightly mor comfortable.)

I would also recommend some glasses with clear lenses. You'll look silly, but they do keep dust out of your eyes when it isn't sunny enough for sun glasses.

[louiebaby]

Oh yeah, and a decent lock and some insurance.

[Mr Gear]

You'll put him off if you carry on like that!

[angusc43]

I use a old non-suspended mountain bike on slicks.

Tough, light, simple, comfortable and you can batter over the potholes and broken tarmac.

Modern equivalent would be a hybrid - but I personally would avoid too-skinny rims and tyres becuse of the potholes. Also you can bounce of the passnger doors of Saab coveribles that pull off suicidal manoeuvres leaving you nowhere to go. This happened to me on Friday. The bike was fine.

Budget a reasonable amount for clothing. See separate threads. I have 2 x Goretex shell jackets, 2 x Goretex shorts, 2 x water proof socks 2 x thermal shirts 2 x micro fleeces 1 x thermal skull cap and 1 x pair water proof shoes. You don't need all the thermals now it warm but the rest very useful indeed. Plus good lights.

Edited by angusc43 on Monday 22 March 17:02

[anonymous-user]

essentially you want something with flat bars and reasonably slick tyres. after that the world is youtr oyster. to be honest, the gt aggressor looks like a steal at that price and locking out the suspension will help a bit.

flat bars put you in an upright position and help you stay visable, keep a clear line of sight anbd allow for rapid change of direction. skinny, semi slick tyres just help you keep up a good head of speed.

stay visable, if you can change/shower at work, wear the minimum to keep cool but wear enough bright cycle orientated stuff to be seen. as a minnimum i would recommend two lights at the back, one at the front if bristol is anyhting to go by. be confident, ride out of the gutter, signal, obey road signals and acknowledge motorists who give you space/let you out.

[Eddw86]

I was thinking of the GT posted above but changing the knobbly tires to slicks & locking the front suspension out. Would this be a suitable compromise? Or would I really be best getting the hybrid?

Budget is £500 including helmet etc so say £4-£450 on bike, has to be from halfords unfortunately.

Thanks for the advice on the equipment & clothing needed, im finding it invaluable as Im not sure at all about what clothing etc to wear for the commute- are proper cycle shorts, Waterproof top etc necessary? High vis jacket/ vest?

Edited to add that I'd pressed reply quite a long time ago then the manager came
over so had to minimise and by time I'd finally posted a few more replies have been added with some very useful info- I wasnt ignoring the advice re: clothing etc!

Edited by Eddw86 on Monday 22 March 17:45

Edited by Eddw86 on Monday 22 March 17:47

[Eddw86]

I was thinking of the GT posted above but changing the knobbly tires to slicks & locking the front suspension out. Would this be a suitable compromise? Or would I really be best getting the hybrid?

Budget is £500 including helmet etc so say £4-£450 on bike, has to be from halfords unfortunately.

Thanks for the advice on the equipment & clothing needed, im finding it invaluable as Im not sure at all about what clothing etc to wear for the commute- are proper cycle shorts, Waterproof top etc necessary? High vis jacket/ vest?

Edited to add that I'd pressed reply quite a long time ago then the manager came
over so had to minimise and by time I'd finally posted a few more replies have been added with some very useful info- I wasnt ignoring the advice re: clothing etc!

Edited by Eddw86 on Monday 22 March 17:45

Edited by Eddw86 on Monday 22 March 17:49

[Mr Gear]

Eddw86 said:

I was thinking of the GT posted above but changing the knobbly tires to slicks & locking the front suspension out. Would this be a suitable compromise? Or would I really be best getting the hybrid?

Budget is £500 including helmet etc so say £4-£450 on bike, has to be from halfords unfortunately.

Thanks for the advice on the equipment needed as Im not sure at all about what clothing etc to wear for the commute- are proper cycle shorts, Waterproof top etc necessary? High vis jacket/ vest?

Yeah, sounds good. A mountain bike on road tyres will be fine, and you can always whack some knobblies back on if you take the odd ride in the country.

[anonymous-user]

Eddw86 said:

I was thinking of the GT posted above but changing the knobbly tires to slicks & locking the front suspension out. Would this be a suitable compromise? Or would I really be best getting the hybrid?

Budget is £500 including helmet etc so say £4-£450 on bike, has to be from halfords unfortunately.

Thanks for the advice on the equipment & clothing needed, im finding it invaluable as Im not sure at all about what clothing etc to wear for the commute- are proper cycle shorts, Waterproof top etc necessary? High vis jacket/ vest?

Edited to add that I'd pressed reply quite a long time ago then the manager came
over so had to minimise and by time I'd finally posted a few more replies have been added with some very useful info- I wasnt ignoring the advice re: clothing etc!

Edited by Eddw86 on Monday 22 March 17:45

Edited by Eddw86 on Monday 22 March 17:49

nothing wrong with bikes from halfords, they are the same bikes sold anywhere else in the country though some cycle snobs are very reluctant to accept this! the gt will be fine on a commute and it will be a lot of fun offroad. the lock out will limit the suspension travel and slow down compression rather than locking it out fully but this might be actually be bettr for potholes etc. you can use hybrids off road, loose trails, forest fire roads etc but thats about it. for versatility a good mountain bike and some smooth tyres are ideal.

good cycling shorts are a necessity, the rest is up to you, your budget and what is comfy. i normally wear a thermal base layer, a close fitting thin fleece and a fluoro jacket which was cheap and cheerful. i figure i can use it for running etc too. its a bit waterproof but its well vented. i am certainly not rich so bought stuff that can be used on the bike as well as running etc. you can get cheap cycle stuff from a lot of places, have a look in sports direct etc cycle shops tend to be expensive even if the stuff is totally fit for purpose. i guess you may have to compromise a bit. come the summer, cycle shorts and a t shirt should be fine! :-)

[angusc43]

Eddw86 said:

Thanks for the advice on the equipment & clothing needed, im finding it invaluable as Im not sure at all about what clothing etc to wear for the commute- are proper cycle shorts, Waterproof top etc necessary? High vis jacket/ vest?

To me a Goretex shell is invaluable. If I were to only have one it would be the hi-vis one. They keep the wind and rains off but let you sweat properly. Plus they pack into a tiny space. Mine easily fit into my very small saffle bag. Plus, like Pablo, mine double up as running jackets.

They are expensive - £130-ish from Evans - but then again I've already done 1300 miles in mine in eight months and I've also been on lots of runs. And I wear the black one out and about lots.

Expensive in the short term but I use mine so much that they are worth it.

[walm]

One thing I would mention is to be realistic about your budget.

The clothing and accessories are not really that cheap when you add it all up.

For example (and trying to be cheap - think Decathlon, not Evans):
Bike £400
Slicks £40
Helmet £40
Lumo waterproof jacket £50
Shorts £25
Lock £25
Lights £25
Gloves £10
Innertubes, multitool, repair kit, £25
Trackpump £25
Handpump £15
Backpack £20+

Total £700

Plus you need to budget for consumables:
Batteries
Chain
Lube
Cables
Inner tubes
Tyres

Then you are likely to get all medieval on the accessories:
Bike computer
GPS
SPDs (pedals and shoes)
Goretex
Merino
Oakleys

I always think it is a little like cars: it isn't really the expense of buying the damn thing, it is keeping it on the road...!

Having said that - I ABSOLUTELY LOVE cycle commuting. Even in the absolute pissing rain last night at 10pm I was pretty happy!

The way I look at it, every time I cycle I save something like £5-10 on my commute (Zone 4).
That means every week I can afford a new gadget!