Choosing a bike?

[big_si]

Hi to all those cyclists out there. Through work there is a scheme where I can "rent" a bike over 3 years with them and avoid paying tax / NI on the money which is taken to pay for the bike.

So I'm thinking of getting one. Thinking of a budget of about £250 and on looking at them I'm not really sure which features are worth getting and which aren't. Mountain bike? Road bike? Suspension? Disc breaks? Anything else?

Generally I think it will be road use but as we're in a fairly rural location there may be some dirty track, off road type riding too?

Any particular brands / models that you'd suggest in this sort of price region?

Thanks!

Edit - This is one of the bike shops nearby which participates in the scheme.
This could be the sort of thing I'd be looking at?
Ben Hayward Cycles: Online Shop - Marin Bolinas Ridge 2007

Or this?
Ben Hayward Cycles: Online Shop - Marin Pioneer Trail


Or another bike shop in the scheme
Claud Butler Stone River [STONE RIVER] - £239.00 : Cambridge Cycle Company, Bicycles, Cambridge, Cycle, Cycles, Claud, Butler, Pushbike, Bikes, Bike, Mountain Bike, Classic Bikes, hire, Bicycle, Cambridge, Cycle, Claud, Butler, Pushbike, Bike, hire

[scribley]

I wanted a similar thing, and in the end I went for a Ridgeback Element, however this is a bit more expensive than the price you wanted. The version below, the Ridgeback Velocity also looked good.

There are some nice Giant bikes out there too.
I looked at some of the Halfords offerings, and although they seemed to have more features the quality didn't seem to compare to the others.

[chrisch]

I'm a keen mountainbiker but mountain bikes are pants for road use. Without mudguards they are a wet and miserable ride to work/pub and back.

You can get hybrids that are mountain bike style but with thinner wheels (less rolling resistance - easier to pedal) road tyres and weather protection. They are less fashionable.

Suspension and disc brakes are off-road features.

Marin are excellent.

What about lights and stuff?

So many criteria, so little data.....

Tell me more young man.

Chris

[big_si]

I guess I could be a bit flexible on the budget. I'd be looking for the whole shabang... bike, lights, hat... all that sort of gubbins so was guessing £250 -300 for a bike and perhaps £50 - 100 for all the bits and pieces? Not ridden a bike since living in Holland for a year in 1996/97... Lots of bike riding on a rather antiquated looking thing with back peddle breaking!


It sounds like a hybrid bike is probably more practical... but then I might not be able to hang out with the cool kids as they would laugh at my bike

How do they cope if going off road? The new house is in lots of farm land which would be good to explore, also 'the heath' and taking the dog out (when we get one!) so think I'll be up for a bit of going out and getting muddy. Although as you point out... not that great if getting mucky/wet going to / from work.

To be honest I know very little about it all what else can I tell you to narrow it down?

[nickb]

I assume this will be used for a daily (or at least frequent) commute. How extensive is the journey and over what terrain?

What conditions do you expect to cycle in? Will you ride in all conditions or just fair weather?

What stuff will you be carrying with you? Laptops, books & paperwork, lunch etc.

IMHO £250 is nowhere near enough to spend on a bike that will be used daily in all conditions, although you should be able to buy something very good second-hand for that money. A lot of people splash out big bucks on a nice bike for commuting only to flog it when they discover that they don't really fancy it

If you buy a mountain bike, you'll eventually have to fork out for road-specific tyres and mudguards at the very least. I'd only use a mountain bike for a commute if I had to ride across fields. If your journey includes some hardpack trails, then a hybrid would be more appropriate but if the journey is on tarmac roads then a road bike is much better. You do not want suspension for road use.

I use a Cannondale mountain bike with no suspension, but it's been modified for road use: very narrow wheels and slick high-pressure tyres, mudguards and longer gearing.

Tell us more about what you will be doing with it.

[chrisch]

Originally Posted by big_si

....

It sounds like a hybrid bike is probably more practical... ...

...

Down to the tyres really. You have a MTB frame (cope with anything) but more road oriented. Mud will clog a mudguard (perhaps they should be called "rain" guard) and muddy conditions mean no grip with road oriented tyres. (This is why big SUVs get stuck on wet grass - they have road tyres) In dry conditions a hybrid is a good choice.

Chris

Here's a fairly comprehensive list of hybrids:
Evans Cycles: Department: Hybrids

[IanD]

I agree with Chris a hybrid is the way to go if you going to do most of your riding on the road. MB's are slow and heavy on the road, my ride to work used to take me over and hour on the MB but I could do it in 50 min on my road bike.
Talk to the bike shop they may be able to put together something for you. The shop I use built my bike for me using an unnamed frame that he imports himself from Belgium which saved me several hundred pounds. You just then pick the level of equipment you want on it to fit your use and budget.

But if you want a road bike I have one that I could sell to you, but it maybe to small for you big boy.

Ian

[nickb]

Originally Posted by big_si

It sounds like a hybrid bike is probably more practical... but then I might not be able to hang out with the cool kids as they would laugh at my bike

Nobody laughs at my bike, especially when I'm passing them at >30mph It is all black though

If I hadn't just splashed-out over £100 on a new crankset, cassette & chain I'd seriously consider going even more 'street' with my daily ride by removing the gears altogether and going 'fixed-wheel' like the courier guys (no-one laughs at them).

[IanD]

Originally Posted by nickb

Nobody laughs at my bike, especially when I'm passing them at >30mph It is all black though

If I hadn't just splashed-out over £100 on a new crankset, cassette & chain,
I'd seriously consider going even more 'street' with my daily ride by removing the gears altogether and going 'fixed-wheel' like the courier guys (no-one laughs at them).

They do when the forget they are riding a fixed and stop pedalling when approaching traffic lights, oh no wait, the don't stop for lights do they

[nickb]

Originally Posted by IanD

They do when the forget they are riding a fixed and stop pedalling when approaching traffic lights

I had similar problems when I went to clipless pedals