Entertainment For Lively Minds
Bike shopping advice?
Having contributed to previous threads where new guitarists were looking for shopping advise, I'm hoping any cyclists among the massive can return the favour... I'm looking to buy a bike and could do with some recommendations. I want something fairly basic, single speed (but not fixed gear). I'm mainly going to be using it for bombing around the park instead of jogging to get fit this summer (rather than road riding). I'd prefer riser handlebars to drop handlebars (although I know I can get these replaced/switched so it's not a deal breaker). I can go up to about £400-£500, but would rather spend less.
Any tips or recommendations would be greatly appreciated. I've not ridden for about 15 years, so I'm pretty clueless. I've tried out a friend's Specialized Langster which was great, but not sure if I can justify spending that much (plus, I'd need to get the handlebars changed, upping the cost even further).
Also, I've been warned off second hand bikes due to the risk of it having had a knock which has turned it into a deathtrap-in-waiting. Given that I don't really know much about bikes, I think I'd be asking to get fleeced...
Anyway, thanks in advance for any pointers.
- More from JustinQuirk.
- Login or register to post comments
-
I've mentioned Edinburgh...
...Bicycle Co-op on this forum before, but they really are good. See here: http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/comms/srv.a4d?f_pg=site_info/single-spee... for a useful article on Singlespeed bikes. I bought a Revolution Courier urban hybrid a couple of years ago and it's been terrific for the price (about £279 the last time I looked). It's got a flip-flop hub which allows you to change from free- to fixed wheel if you wish. The fixies that are currently fashionable among urban hipsters are pretty much un-rideable and the cheaper examples with very narrow bars are impractical and not very well put together. At the price that Edinburgh charge it's not worth buying secondhand either
Horses for courses
Unlike guitars where 'one size fits all' I'd just get on and try a few at your LBS just to get a feel for what it is you're looking for, geometry and size wise. You might want to tweak your purchase after buying so don't forget to factor that into the cost. Some puncture-resistant tyres are a must if you're thinking of using your bike on the road, I fit Schwalbe Marathon Plus as soon as I buy a bike, and haven't had a puncture yet.
As usual the Massive came up with the goods here http://www.wordmagazine.co.uk/content/you-say-bark-i-say-bite which contains some useful pointers.
I should declare a special interest here.
I own a small bike shop. Having said that bikes are no different to anything else, you get what you pay for. As you've mentioned you like the Specialized Langster but don't want drop bars I'd recommend the Specialized Globe Roll 1. It's single/fixed gear with straight bars, great steel frame and decent wheels for the money. Comes in at under £500. If you can stretch your budget a little the Roll 2 is very nice, better wheels for a start (always the best upgrade). This is the bike that I use for jetting around on. Love it! Other brands are available.
Mr Bike Shop Owner
I have a question. I like to have gears on my bike, but I only do city cycling and don't need 21 of them. Is it possible to buy a bicycle that only has a rear derailleur, or does a bicycle need both front and rear sets to maintain the correct chain tension?
What I'd really like is a bike with a single cog at the front and a rear derailleur with five cogs - but I don't know if this even makes sense.
Hub gears?
As a confirmed hub gear aficionado I'd be bound to say this, but I reckon that might be the way to go. A Sturmey Archer 3-speed hub might even give you all the range you need, and they do 5 and 7 speeds if you want more. My Shimano 8 speed hub actually has the range of the average 21 speed derailleur system, with the increments being that much bigger - which doesn't bother me at all.
I've considered that
I spent two years as a courier, where you have to be capable of making minor repairs on the run (I used to be able to change a punctured inner tube in about two minutes), and I always liked the open, simple design of derailleurs - it meant I could always see where any problem might be, and be able to fix immediately. I don't think I'd feel as comfortable with a hub gear.
And there's me trying to teach my gran to suck eggs!
Haha, I didn't know that about you Fraser - I imagined you were a novice thinking of dipping his toe into the water...
but aren't
hub gears lower maintenance less troublesome because everything is tucked away from the dust and rain etc?
I'm sure you're right
But any serious maintenance would require it to be taken apart, which I where I tend to draw the line.
could just have
a spare wheel and swap them over the odd time they break. Must admit apart from punctures etc I tend to get my bike mended at shops they have all the kit etc spending my saturdays fiddling with gears etc gets a bit dull.
Mmmmm
Till they need adjusting, then it's a workshop job as they consist of about 15000 tiny bits which are totally unservicable to the average Joe (....I tried, I tried).
I had a 5-speed Disraeli gear on the rear only of a bike
i.e. With a single front sprocket. I seem to remember it was fairly commonplace 40 years ago.
Go 'retro' Fraser
My first two racing bikes going back nearly 30 years ago were five speed racers. I haven't seen any in years. I have the frames, cranks and chain set in my da's shed of you want to build one of them again? It would probably do him a favour.
Have a look on ebay for what I mean, Raleigh were particularly good at making these along with MBK and Dawes.
I have this
http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/ebwPNLqrymode.a4p?f_ProductID=13014&f_Su... as my around-town bike (well, last year's all-black model).
8 gears. Works well on Edinburgh's hills, anyway.
That's the kind of thing I'm thinking of
Thanks for confirming they're not extinct.
21 gears
People have asked me many times "But do you need so many gears?"
My response is that 21 is the maximum available range. The real consideration is 1) Do I use all 3 chain rings? Yes and 2) Do I use all the full range of 7 gears? Yes.
I don't think I've ever used the lowest possible gear, but one day I may find myself at the foot of Highgate Hill….
Also
You need the intermediate gears to get to the extremes - you might not thing, "ahh, 19 or 20 now..." but you can't physically move the chain from 18 - 21, it's too far. It needs to "step" across the other gears to get there. Also, without working it out, the combination of front and rear gears probably means some of the ratios are the same or very close. The real question is whether you need the extreme ratios. Steep hills, off road for example you can need the really little almost 1:1 ratio - used it yesterday in fact.
lightness
is the key. Only problem with cheaper bikes is how heavy they are as they often have clunky steel frames. Also many of the Halford's specials are fitted with chunky off road tyres which most users don't need and slow you down loads.
Also include some money in your budget for a helmet, a good lock, tools , decent pump etc .
Oh and red ones are best.
Yes but ...
Justin wants a bike to get fit ... so the heavier the better, surely? With enormous knobbly tyres creating great gobs of drag. Chaining a tractor tyre to the back might help too.
ha!
I'd advise...
...you against setting your ambitions too low.
Although you don't say how big the park is, I suspect that you'll soon find bombing around it a bit dull and will want to venture further afield. If you get the cycling bug (and that's quite likely, because modern bikes are fun) you'll need a more versatile machine.
reminds me of a mate
bought a bike with fattish tyres coz he wanted to get fit and didn't care about roll drag
asked why he was looking for a new bike after a few months...now I do he said
Cycling
Recently taken up commuting myself. Didn't have a big budget but did have theft concerns (due to city centre outdoor parking), so ended up spending £180 on a hybrid BSO from Halford's. It isn't too bad, but I'll be heading to my LBS to upgrade if I've still got the bug in six months.
Like Inky Fingers said, it's a hell of a lot of fun.
How about this one?
This looks like it might fit the bill, although personally I can't ever imagine using a single-speed bike, partly because I use mine such a lot, and I live in quite a hilly part of London. Having said that, some people do the 120 mile Dunwich Dynamo on fixies/single speeders [the bike I'm linking to can be both], so maybe I'm just a wuss.
Bike shop
Find a good local bike shop and talk to them. They might be able to point you to a good second hand one, or adapt one in stock. usually a shop will swap bars, tyres etc to suit you. Having a local relationship is also great for after sales service. My local shop, Paul's Bikes in Hitchin, have been excellent after selling me a Brompton which I then did 2000 miles on and had services, bits fall off etc. all dealt with promptly and often at no charge.
I got one from Halfords
I think it's called a Subway. £300 incl lights, mudguards, lock. I needed a bike as I am currently carless. It is lightweight, has sort of hybrid/road tyres and is a joy to ride. My brother (an aficionado) tells me you you need to pay several times that to get a decent bike. I am sure there are massive amounts of brand snobbery in the bike world (like anywhere else).
The Subways
with Shimano Alfine gears were recently on offer and were amazingly good value so I'd be surprised if there were any left in the country. I was seriously tempted but my old faithful has almost become part of me so I'm reluctant to change. I don't think a bike snob would take a Carrera in any model seriously but Halfords now have Boardman bikes to cater for that end of the market.
I've got one of those
And it gets me up the hills of Sheffield as did my previous Trek "Happy Shopper". Keep it as simple as possible. I've got a suspensionountain bike with disc brakes in the shed. It's rarely used and I'd have no idea how to fix it. Even a cack-handed twat like me can keep a Subway on the road.
Same here
Mountain bike, disc brakes, never used. I might as well sell it but I'd only get a fraction of what I paid back. Mind you, the disc brakes squeak alarmingly and have already had a warped rotor changed and work carried out on the back wheel so my confidence in it has evaporated.
The Trek Soho looks like a nice traditional style bike and even has painted metal mudguards too which is unusual to say the least.
My now ancient Raleigh with v-brakes and 18 speed derailleurs gets used almost exclusively, it's the bike equivalent of a pair of comfy slippers but it does the job for me.
My personal recommendation
A bike with a basket, a bell that rings and things to make it look good.
er...
could you lend it to me?
he can't
he borrowed it
IainIain
refers to the bike that I mentioned earlier, the Revolution Courier, although that one is the Race version and has a disc brake, too. Mine's reasonably light and with semi-slick Continental tyres - which are Kevlar lined to protect from punctures - pretty fast, too. Knobblies aren't worth it if you're not going off-road; they really slow you down. Fraser, the Couriers have 8 derailleur gears, which are enough for most situations and there's a hub option, too. The Guardian blog which someone above linked to has some useful links, one of which reiterates my point regarding cheap fixies
I got one in Halfords
A few years ago. Straight handle bars, 21 speed derailleur. Fairly light frame and tough tyres for rough ground. £150 quid I think. Why invest in something state of the art if all you want to do is get some exercise and enjoy the fresh air for an hour or two on Sunday morning?
Cheap, light, strong...
As with most things mechanical, you can have any two out of the three.
I've got a specialised Globe Vienna (http://www.evanscycles.com/products/globe/vienna-3-2010-hybrid-bike-ec01...) as my commuter bike, which I'd recommend, as long as you change the flat, gripless pedals.
Otherwise, when I lived in London and got fed up with having bikes nicked, I bought a heavy, seven speed beast from Decathlon for £120, which was similar to http://www.btwincycle.com/EN/b-twin-3-33276244/. It eventually fall apart, but no-one tried to steal it...
Massive thanks...
...to all of you who posted. Some great tips and advice and I'm veering towards the Specialized Globe Roll which was recommended above. Now, just need to find somewhere in London which stocks them, as I'd rather give it a test ride than just take a punt online...
Rest assured I'll be back on here in two weeks time when I've got my first mechanical problem and can't sort my arse from my elbow.
Ride the bike for a few weeks
and you'll soon distinguish your arse from your elbow ;)