Jumpy Guy
|
| posted on 17/10/06 at 01:40 PM |
|
|
mountain or road bike suggestions
okay, i finally think that i'm gonna look at the possibility of cycling to work...
its 8 miles, single carriageway through the countryside, no town work, but dodgy condition of road....
will £250.00 get me anything usable??
any recommendations??
|
|
|
|
|
Stuart Walker
|
| posted on 17/10/06 at 01:54 PM |
|
|
quote:
will £250.00 get me anything usable??
Yes!
If you're planning to use it only for the commute to work, then some sort of hybrid is probably best (ie. part way between road and mountain).
There's no point wasting money on disc brakes or rear suspension but I'd probably look for one with some front suspension forks, either a
new one (possibly something like this) or a second hand one...
Or I'll build you a custom one  here
[Edited on 17/10/06 by Stuart Walker]
|
|
|
02GF74
|
| posted on 17/10/06 at 01:58 PM |
|
|
quote:
Originally posted by Jumpy Guy
okay, i finally think that i'm gonna look at the possibility of cycling to work...
its 8 miles, single carriageway through the countryside, no town work, but dodgy condition of road....
will £250.00 get me anything usable??
any recommendations??
biking - that is my bag; I used to do time trialling then converted to off-roading due to the bad attitudes and dangers of the road.
From your location, you are in Bucks - I used to live in that area, was member of HWCC, oh happy days ... and there are lots of bridleways so my
recomendation to you is mountain bike.
I'm gonna try & put the snobbery aside - I have frames that are worth 4x what you entire budget is 
For that price, stick to front suspension only. I would suggest going to halfords to get you an idea/try for size and then take a look on ebay.
There is also bonthrone bikes, in London, that sell previous years models for really good prices;
Brands to look out for Trek, Gary Fisher, Bianchi, Cannondale, Specialized, Kona, Scott, Giant, Marin, Saracen, Diamondback, MuddyFox (hmmm,
bascially keep away from those you see in Asda, Tesco  )
Make sure you ge the right size frame - rule of thumb is 1/3 of your height (too many peolpe buy far too large a frame,)
here you go
and
here
^^^ I'm not saying those are the best but you can do a lot worse for the money,
[Edited on 17/10/06 by 02GF74]
|
|
|
StevieB
|
| posted on 17/10/06 at 02:22 PM |
|
|
Any bike for £250 is likely to be half decent and more than enough for a normal commute.
What I would say is to get a mountain bike with hybrid or road tyres fitted - they're generally more comfortable to ride, but the thrum of
proper off road tyres on the tarmac will drive you insane after a while (plus you'll go a bit faster with road tyres).
Also - fit Crud guards to the downlink on the front of the frame (between the handle bars and peddles) and also over the rear wheel - save you
arriving at work with a black stripe up your back and a face spattered with muddy water!
|
|
|
jimgiblett
|
| posted on 17/10/06 at 02:35 PM |
|
|
Secondhand from bike shops may be a way of getting good value for money with a guarantee of some sorts.
Going a bit retro will also save cash / buy more. eg. look for V brakes rather than disks and forget about full suspension, front suspension may be
nice though.
Totally agree on the hybrid / road tires on an MTB will make life easier and give better grip on the tarmac.
- Jim
|
|
|
nre
|
| posted on 17/10/06 at 02:48 PM |
|
|
quote:
Originally posted by 02GF74
There is also bonthrone bikes, in London, that sell previous years models for really good prices;
here you go
[Edited on 17/10/06 by 02GF74]
Quick warning: Bonthrone went bust recently, so avoid. Their website doesn't seem to mention it. Naughty... A quick google will confirm if
you don't believe me!
I'm a long time MTBer (started in '88!). Take a look at www.paulscycles.co.uk as they have plenty of reductions on 'last
year's models'. If you have no intention of going off road, I'd go for a hybrid. If you think you might catch the MTBing bug, buy
a mountain bike... and spend more than £250! You will only end up upgrading...
Cheers!
Neil
Sylva Mojo Zetec on GSXR750 throttle bodies...
www.mymojo.co.uk - Facebook feed
JPSC Forum - A dedicated forum for discussion on all things relating to Jeremy Phillips designed cars
Including the Star, Leader, Striker, Phoenix, Fury, Jester, Stylus, Mojo, Riot, J15 & Vectis
|
|
|
mcerd1
|
| posted on 17/10/06 at 03:21 PM |
|
|
My brother and my dad are both into bikes in a big way
my brother goes for full on down hill and a bit of x-country - building and maintaining the bikes himself saves allot of cash (lots of people seem to
spend £20 to 50 + parts getting there bikes serviced, when the tools would cost you less than £50 !) - and I'd guess that you'll not find
it that difficult if you can build a car there is even a haynes manual if you want
defiantly v brakes - discs are a bit OTT for commuting
my brother has just fitted 4 pot calipers to his downhill bike with 200mm discs on the front and 180mm on the rear - because he was boiling the fluid
(dot 5.1) with his 160mm discs and 2 pots !!
but for what your doing they'd probibly send you over the handle bars
I'd say go second hand too - my last bike was a rusty steel mountain bike style frame that we found in the ditch at the end of the road (the
right size for me) - clean up, paint and fit the components of a few other scrap bikes that we found/ had + some tyres = perfectly good bike for
£20
as an added bonus no one wanted to nick it - my brother used it at college for a year or so in the centre of Edinburgh (often without locking it) and
no one even tried
[Edited on 17/10/06 by mcerd1]
|
|
|
mistergrumpy
|
| posted on 17/10/06 at 03:37 PM |
|
|
What can I add. Yeah agree with above. I was into road biking big time and have a Trek but the attitudes on the road now I've moved back down to
England put me off and the fact that after peddling 1000 miles Lands End to John O Groats (got a little lost!) my gonads came up like plums and
stopped me doing any sport for 2 years so I'll add, get a decent seat!
|
|
|
russbost
|
| posted on 17/10/06 at 05:06 PM |
|
|
Buy a racing bike - far easier for commuting than a mountain bike with those great chunky tyres. I don't understand why we need mountain bikes
any more than we need 4 x 4's - it's another marketing exercise. Try Sterling House
http://www.sterlinghouse.co.uk/, cheapest bikes in the country & they don't charge much to deliver to your door.
I no longer run Furore Products or Furore Cars Ltd, but would still highly recommend them for Acewell dashes, projector headlights, dominator
headlights, indicators, mirrors etc, best prices in the UK! Take a look at http://www.furoreproducts.co.uk/ or find more parts on Ebay, user names
furoreltd & furoreproducts, discounts available for LCB users.
Don't forget Stainless Steel Braided brake hoses, made to your exact requirements in any of around 16 colours.
http://shop.ebay.co.uk/furoreproducts/m.html?_dmd=1&_ipg=50&_sop=12&_rdc=1
|
NOTE:This user is registered as a LocostBuilders trader and may offer commercial services to other users
|
C10CoryM
|
| posted on 17/10/06 at 05:51 PM |
|
|
If you are doing on-road only riding or even light commuter trails you are best off with a full rigid with street (smooth tread) tires. I do XC and
some downhill and have a Kona hard tail with wide, knobby tires. They take probably double the effort to ride around on pavement than a set of street
tires. I need a dual suspension bike for the faster stuff, but Im too damned lazy to pedal one around XC. Shocks do take up the bumps but they will
also suck up your energy. Cheap front shocks aren't worth the weight IMO. For commuting I would think a rigid with narrow tires and the
lowest weight affordable would be your best bet. Road racing bikes are faster/easier to pedal but if you hit a stone wrong you'll fall.
Oh ya, lights and mudguards are probably very wise too .
"Our watchword evermore shall be: The Maple Leaf Forever!"
|
|
|
mistergrumpy
|
| posted on 17/10/06 at 07:15 PM |
|
|
Road bikes are great as said and the gearing's much better (get you home quicker!) but trust me, come a little rain or snow, you're on
your arse!
|
|
|
scoey m
|
| posted on 17/10/06 at 07:34 PM |
|
|
put another zero on the end of your budget and ive got one awsome machine available will take everything you give it very high spec 4 grand spent
bargain
pic in archive
|
|
|
mistergrumpy
|
| posted on 17/10/06 at 08:12 PM |
|
|
Try doing 16 miles a day on that bike with them gears, you'll have legs like a bas**rd gorilla. Good for off road but on road because of the
highly tuned suspension you go up and down rather than forward and they're geared for hills so you're legs just blur on the road. Nice
bike in the right situation though.
|
|
|
andybod
|
| posted on 17/10/06 at 08:38 PM |
|
|
try www.paulscycles.co.uk some very good deals on all types of bikes
|
|
|
Peteff
|
| posted on 17/10/06 at 11:10 PM |
|
|
I have a Giant hybrid with front suspension and a suspension seatpost which cost £200 new. Road tyres are best if you ride on the road (duh) as
offroad tyres take about 15% more effort to propel on tarmac, V brakes will pull you up from 45mph, mine do downhill. If you've any sense when
it snows you'll leave your bike at home  . You don't need an awesome machine to do 16 miles a day, I've done 20+ on mine no problem
and no swollen plums. Don't get carried away with all the hype
yours, Pete
I went into the RSPCA office the other day. It was so small you could hardly swing a cat in there.
|
|
|
Stuart Walker
|
| posted on 18/10/06 at 06:02 PM |
|
|
quote:
Don't get carried away with all the hype
Exactly. A hybrid with front suspension and hybrid or commuting tyres will be perfect for your ride. You can easily get something for £250 (or even
less). Go to a shop and get one that fits.
|
|
|
