Road bike recommendation, please

Aaron B said:

I'm looking for a recommendation for a road bike. These are my
requirements:
Less than £300
Built for on-road use
Gears to cope with hills
Comfortable saddle - or able to be easily changed for one

The bike is for use in Oxford, getting me to and from the JR hospital to the
centre of town every day. This distance is about 2.5 miles or so.

Drop bars or flat?

At that budget, either one of the halfords road bikes (for drops) or
there is a wide variety of decent 'city bikes' from many
manufacturers.

...d

David Martin said:

On Jun 30, 9:11 pm, "Aaron B" <[email hidden]> wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

The bike is for use in Oxford, getting me to and from the JR hospital to the
centre of town every day. This distance is about 2.5 miles or so.

Drop bars or flat?

At that budget, either one of the halfords road bikes (for drops) or
there is a wide variety of decent 'city bikes' from many
manufacturers.

..d

with decent mudguards (not mountain bike type): hub gears would be
nice, but maybe not at that price point?

squeaker said:

Quoted message said:

On Jun 30, 9:11 pm, "Aaron B" <[email hidden]> wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

The bike is for use in Oxford, getting me to and from the JR
hospital to the centre of town every day. This distance is
about 2.5 miles or so.

with decent mudguards (not mountain bike type): hub gears would be
nice, but maybe not at that price point?

For what sounds like a regular commute and by implication a
low-maintenance reliable bike, yes, very nice. I think you need at
least another 100 quid, however, for more than 3 gears, and may well
need a bit more for accessories.

regards, Ian SMith
--
|\ /| no .sig
|o o|
|/ \|

in message <[email hidden]>, Aaron B

(') said:

I'm looking for a recommendation for a road bike. These are my
requirements:
Less than £300
Built for on-road use
Gears to cope with hills
Comfortable saddle - or able to be easily changed for one

The bike is for use in Oxford, getting me to and from the JR hospital to
the
centre of town every day. This distance is about 2.5 miles or so.

If you can get to your nearest Edinburgh Bicycle Co-op branch (Manchester
or Leeds), their Courier Nexus (faster) and Pathfinder Nexus (more
upright) models, both at £349, are the cheapest epicyclic equipped bikes
currently on sale in Britain, and for every day commuting an epicyclic is
a very good thing.

http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/ebwPNLqrymode.a4p?f%5FProductID=7837
http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/ebwPNLqrymode.a4p?f%5FProductID=7840

If you can't get there, the Claud Butler Classic at about £200 including
rack and mudguards is a good solid reliable buy and excellent value for
money.

http://www.falconcycles.co.uk/CORP/cb/classicM.html

Beyond this, you might look at the post I've just made to the 'How do I buy
a bike' thread, since this is a very similar question.

Don't buy a bike mail order or off the Internet unless you're really
certain it will fit. Fit and comfort are important.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/
Iraq war: it's time for regime change...
... go now, Tony, while you can still go with dignity.
[update four years after this .sig was written: he's gone!]

squeaker said:

with decent mudguards (not mountain bike type): hub gears would be
nice, but maybe not at that price point?

My Subway 8 came with mudguards and a Nexus-8 for about UKP280 - it was
last year's model at Halfraud's, bought in February. (I've had to
replace the back wheel because it wasn't up to the loads I was putting
on it, but maybe you'll be luckier.) Rack not included.

R

"David Martin" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Aaron B said:

I'm looking for a recommendation for a road bike. These are my
requirements:
Less than £300
Built for on-road use
Gears to cope with hills
Comfortable saddle - or able to be easily changed for one

The bike is for use in Oxford, getting me to and from the JR hospital to
the
centre of town every day. This distance is about 2.5 miles or so.

Drop bars or flat?

At that budget, either one of the halfords road bikes (for drops) or
there is a wide variety of decent 'city bikes' from many
manufacturers.

...d

Thnaks!
What are the pros and cons of each type of bike? I'm really cluless when it
comes to bikes...

"Simon Brooke" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

in message <[email hidden]>, Aaron B

(') said:

I'm looking for a recommendation for a road bike. These are my
requirements:
Less than 300
Built for on-road use
Gears to cope with hills
Comfortable saddle - or able to be easily changed for one

The bike is for use in Oxford, getting me to and from the JR hospital to
the
centre of town every day. This distance is about 2.5 miles or so.

If you can get to your nearest Edinburgh Bicycle Co-op branch (Manchester
or Leeds), their Courier Nexus (faster) and Pathfinder Nexus (more
upright) models, both at £349, are the cheapest epicyclic equipped bikes
currently on sale in Britain, and for every day commuting an epicyclic is
a very good thing.

http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/ebwPNLqrymode.a4p?f%5FProductID=7837
http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/ebwPNLqrymode.a4p?f%5FProductID=7840

If you can't get there, the Claud Butler Classic at about £200 including
rack and mudguards is a good solid reliable buy and excellent value for
money.

http://www.falconcycles.co.uk/CORP/cb/classicM.html

Beyond this, you might look at the post I've just made to the 'How do I
buy
a bike' thread, since this is a very similar question.

Don't buy a bike mail order or off the Internet unless you're really
certain it will fit. Fit and comfort are important.

Thanks very much. I'll look into all of those bikes. The Claud Butler looks
good for my needs.

Am Sun, 1 Jul 2007 22:25:17 +0100 schrieb Aaron B:

Quoted message said:

"David Martin" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

At that budget, either one of the halfords road bikes (for drops) or
there is a wide variety of decent 'city bikes' from many
manufacturers.

Thnaks!
What are the pros and cons of each type of bike? I'm really cluless when it
comes to bikes...

Firstly different bikes offer different riding positions. Many citybikes or
hybrids would allow a very upright position, so most weight is on your
back/saddle when cycling. This can be an advantage because you keep the
overview in urban traffic. And most not-so-well-trained people find this
position very comfortable. For longer distances though a less upright
position is more comfortable, especially if you are a bit better trained -
as less pressure is put on your bum :-)

Secondly different bikes are suitable for different surfaces. A road/racing
bike is great on tarmac, but you quickly struggle on more challenging
surfaces. A mountainbike on the other hand is suitable for extreme offroad
use, and less smooth too ride on tarmac. But expect to pay at least £300
for a real offroad mountainbike that is capable of going offroad without
falling apart :-) There are a lot of bikes out there that look like
mountain-bikes but are in fact not suitable for offroad use.
The other types of bikes (city/hybrid etc.) are somewhere inbetween these
extremes.

The third issue to consider is the number of components/ weight. Expensive
mountain/road bikes can be very lightweight. You can easily lift them with
one hand. On the other hand they are less suitable for day-to-day use, as
they lack such practical things as mudguards and a lighting system. A fully
equipped citybike (such as a Gazzelle dutch bike) comes with all features
you can dream off (hub gears, hub dynamo lighting system, racks, suspension
saddle, built-in lock) but can be very heavy - more than twice the weight
of a road bike. Again there are all options in-between with various other
types of bikes.

If you go to a local shop, I would try a number of different types of bikes
to see what suits you best. But bear in mind that even with the same type
of bike there can be huge differences in the frame geometry. Buying a bike
is a bit like buying shoes. You might know your size. But in the end you
have to try loads of shoes (bikes) until you find one that you feel
comfortable in ( or on). But as with shoes you sometimes can only tell if
they really fit after a couple of weeks, it might take a while to find that
with the bike. The good thing with a bicycle though is that you can make
some fine-tuning by adjusting the saddle-height/position and the handlebar.
Even half an inch can make a huge difference. Also it might take a while to
find a saddle that suits you.

For a more detailed explanation of the pros and cons of different types of
bikes have a look at this site:
http://www.whycycle.co.uk/whatbike.htm

Andreas

In article said:

squeaker said:

with decent mudguards (not mountain bike type): hub gears would be
nice, but maybe not at that price point?

My Subway 8 came with mudguards and a Nexus-8 for about UKP280 - it was
last year's model at Halfraud's, bought in February.

I believe they have discontinued the Subway-8, and last year's model was
the last available. Corrections welcomed.

Alan Braggins said:

I believe they have discontinued the Subway-8, and last year's model was
the last available. Corrections welcomed.

Twenty seconds on the web site gives me this year's Subway 8 at 400
quid:

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_240471_langId_-1_CarSelectorCatalogId__CarSelectorGroupId__varient__categoryId_60956_crumb_33980-33957_parentcategoryrn_60956

or

http://xrl.us/2m83

I've no idea how different it is from last year's model, but at full
price it's not really competitive with the EBC Nexus models as far as
I'm concerned.

Alan Braggins said:

In article said:

squeaker said:

with decent mudguards (not mountain bike type): hub gears would be
nice, but maybe not at that price point?

My Subway 8 came with mudguards and a Nexus-8 for about UKP280 - it was
last year's model at Halfraud's, bought in February.

I believe they have discontinued the Subway-8, and last year's model was
the last available. Corrections welcomed.

It's on teh website. I haven't been into a branch to check.

There was a rumour of a suspicion they were going to, from what source
I do not know.

regards, Ian SMith
--
|\ /| no .sig
|o o|
|/ \|

Simon,

I have a bike for sale that may do the job.
steqve.watqkin1 (at) btintqernet.coqm (remove the "q" and sort the "at"😉
Just shoot me an email if you want more info.

SW

"Simon Brooke" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

If you can't get there, the Claud Butler Classic at about £200 including
rack and mudguards is a good solid reliable buy and excellent value for
money.

http://www.falconcycles.co.uk/CORP/cb/classicM.html

I've had a look at this bike and did like it. The shop also showed me a
Claud Butler Urban 200 (£249) that seemed very good. It has a 24 speed gear
system, suspension on the seat post and a front suspension fork.
What do you think about this bike?

Thanks!!

Aaron B said:

"Simon Brooke" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

If you can't get there, the Claud Butler Classic at about £200 including
rack and mudguards is a good solid reliable buy and excellent value for
money.

http://www.falconcycles.co.uk/CORP/cb/classicM.html

I've had a look at this bike and did like it. The shop also showed me a
Claud Butler Urban 200 (£249) that seemed very good. It has a 24 speed gear
system, suspension on the seat post and a front suspension fork.
What do you think about this bike?

The cheaper classic appears better suited to the job to me; it has
mudguards (which are, IMHO, an essential comfort accessory for
commuting), a rack for carrying your stuff on (far more comfortable than
a rucksack) and no extra weight from suspension that you won't need.

The Urban 200 also seems to be 21 speed, not 24, with the same ratios
available at the front (the rear isn't specified).

There doesn't seem much in it in quality of the other components or the
frame, so you'd be paying £50 more for extra weight and less features
that are genuinely useful. I'd buy the cheaper bike and spend the rest
of the budget on panniers and a reasonable lock.

Matt

Aaron B said:

"Simon Brooke" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

If you can't get there, the Claud Butler Classic at about £200 including
rack and mudguards is a good solid reliable buy and excellent value for
money.

Quoted message said:

http://www.falconcycles.co.uk/CORP/cb/classicM.html

I've had a look at this bike and did like it. The shop also showed me a
Claud Butler Urban 200 (£249) that seemed very good. It has a 24 speedgear
system, suspension on the seat post and a front suspension fork.
What do you think about this bike?

I'd suggest avoiding suspension components, especially forks, unless
you actually need them, and for commute purposes I don't imagine you
do. (Unless perhaps it's cobblestones all the way?) A suspension
fork adds weight to the bike and will eventually wear out / break,
especially one from the cheaper end of the market as you will
inevitably end up with on a £250 bike. A rigid fork will go on
practically for ever, provided you avoid crashes and such like.
Unfortunately that limits the options available, since bike makers
seem to assume that everyone wants suspension forks nowadays.

I reckon the Classic would do you fine, and looks like a decent
starting point that will allow you to upgrade individual components in
the future if you feel the need. Remember that things like lights and
locks, etc., will add another chunk onto the final cost, so if the
whole budget is £250 then you won't be able to go much more expensive
than the Classic anyway.

Colin

Colin MacDonald said:

Aaron B said:

"Simon Brooke" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

If you can't get there, the Claud Butler Classic at about £200 including
rack and mudguards is a good solid reliable buy and excellent value for
money.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

http://www.falconcycles.co.uk/CORP/cb/classicM.html

Quoted message said:

I've had a look at this bike and did like it. The shop also showed me a
Claud Butler Urban 200 (£249) that seemed very good. It has a 24 speed gear
system, suspension on the seat post and a front suspension fork.
What do you think about this bike?

I'd suggest avoiding suspension components, especially forks, unless
you actually need them, and for commute purposes I don't imagine you
do. (Unless perhaps it's cobblestones all the way?) A suspension
fork adds weight to the bike and will eventually wear out / break,
especially one from the cheaper end of the market as you will
inevitably end up with on a £250 bike. A rigid fork will go on
practically for ever, provided you avoid crashes and such like.
Unfortunately that limits the options available, since bike makers
seem to assume that everyone wants suspension forks nowadays.

I reckon the Classic would do you fine, and looks like a decent
starting point that will allow you to upgrade individual components in
the future if you feel the need. Remember that things like lights and
locks, etc., will add another chunk onto the final cost, so if the
whole budget is £250 then you won't be able to go much more expensive
than the Classic anyway.

Colin

Oops - just checked the original post and the budget is £300. This
widens the scope a little if you want to get something with a bit
better quality components. The Trek T30, for example, goes for about
£250 and has more / better Shimano components than the C B Classic.
Similarly the Giant Expression LX has some reasonably nice bits on it
for around the same price. Ultimately it depends what you can find
locally to try out.

Colin

in message <[email hidden]>, Aaron B

(') said:

"Simon Brooke" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

If you can't get there, the Claud Butler Classic at about £200
including rack and mudguards is a good solid reliable buy and excellent
value for money.

http://www.falconcycles.co.uk/CORP/cb/classicM.html

I've had a look at this bike and did like it. The shop also showed me a
Claud Butler Urban 200 (£249) that seemed very good. It has a 24 speed
gear system, suspension on the seat post and a front suspension fork.
What do you think about this bike?

Cheap suspension forks are really, really not good on tarmac (and not much
good off it). They're also adding weight and complexity. If you can afford
it carbon fibre forks are good, but if you can't afford carbon then steel
is best.

A suspension seat post can be worth having.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; When your hammer is C++, everything begins to look like a thumb.

Colin MacDonald said:

Colin MacDonald said:

Aaron B said:

"Simon Brooke" <[email hidden]> wrote
> If you can't get there, the Claud Butler Classic at about £200 including
> rack and mudguards is a good solid reliable buy and excellent value for
> money.

Quoted message said:

>http://www.falconcycles.co.uk/CORP/cb/classicM.html

Quoted message said:

I've had a look at this bike and did like it. The shop also showed me a
Claud Butler Urban 200 (£249) that seemed very good. It has a 24 speed gear
system, suspension on the seat post and a front suspension fork.
What do you think about this bike?

I'd suggest avoiding suspension components, especially forks, unless
you actually need them, and for commute purposes I don't imagine you
do. (Unless perhaps it's cobblestones all the way?) A suspension
fork adds weight to the bike and will eventually wear out / break,
especially one from the cheaper end of the market as you will
inevitably end up with on a £250 bike. A rigid fork will go on
practically for ever, provided you avoid crashes and such like.
Unfortunately that limits the options available, since bike makers
seem to assume that everyone wants suspension forks nowadays.

I reckon the Classic would do you fine, and looks like a decent
starting point that will allow you to upgrade individual components in
the future if you feel the need. Remember that things like lights and
locks, etc., will add another chunk onto the final cost, so if the
whole budget is £250 then you won't be able to go much more expensive
than the Classic anyway.

Colin

Oops - just checked the original post and the budget is £300. This
widens the scope a little if you want to get something with a bit
better quality components. The Trek T30, for example, goes for about
£250 and has more / better Shimano components than the C B Classic.
Similarly the Giant Expression LX has some reasonably nice bits on it
for around the same price. Ultimately it depends what you can find
locally to try out.

I agree about suspension. I'd find something with a Nexus hub tbh, and
a hub dynamo if the budget stretches that far (presumably some kind of
lights/batteries are needed in any case). Mudguards are also a good
thing for commuting.

Simon Brooke said:

A suspension seat post can be worth having.

IMO good quality suspension seat posts cost considerable money and are
unlikely to be found on entry or mid level bikes. I replaced the
suspension post for a rigid one on my entry level bike because it was
ridiculously heavy and because it had too much friction which made it
useless during a ride. The only time the thing moved by springing up was
when I was stopped with a foot down, making it harder to reach the
ground. A mid range bike like a Specialized Sirrus is also known to have
a poor quality suspension seat post.

--
Membrane