£200 budget for commuting 14 miles a day.

[wmtlynx]

Good evening fellow cyclists. Having been experimentally commuting on my Ebay bargain Raleigh Wayfarer for a while now, I have decided to take this commuting lark seriously. There are various options open to me and would like the opinion of the established commuters out there. I am looking at either a new bike, pimping the Raleigh to give it more reliability, or getting a second hand bike.

The tyres are worn on the Raleigh - they have cracks in. I want puncture protection as the 35 minute bike ride turns into a 2 hour walk if my tyres fail. I can do my journey in top gear throughout (22t sprocket modification to the Sturmey Archer hub gear). So, do I need 21 gears? Brakes are an issue too , rubber on steel downhill in the wet is pretty terrifying!

Have looked at some budget tourers as well as the B'coool at decathlon. What are everyone's thoughts on where my 200 Pgold pieces should go?

Thanks in advance

 

[PaulSecteur]

General opinion says...

If £200 is your absolute max, then look at the Carerra Subway from halfords.

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/..._productId_840933_langId_-1_categoryId_165534

If you can squeeeze another £100 then the triban 3 from decathlon is the one to make sure you look at.

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-3-id_8167038.html

Be aware though, both of these are low budget bikeas and you might need to replace some bits sooner rather than later, such as brake pads, saddle and pedels. Also, tyres will be cheap and will probably be OK to begin with, but will not handle as well as branded ones and will offer littl puncture protection.

 

[musa]

Yh t3 been mentioned.

 

[subaqua]

does it have to have drops?

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/riverside-1-mens-id_8202744.html

or if you can squeeze an extra £50
http://www.decathlon.co.uk/btwin-fitness-3-id_8188895.html

this is the one i would go for .

 

[StuartG]

The Raleigh is probably better quality than cheap new bikes. The SA gears are much more reliable and being enclosed will not suffer when the weather gets nasty. I would be tempted to stick with it.

You have identified the major weakness - steel rims. So why not find a friendly LBS who can recommend some replacement wheels. You get better braking in the wet and lose weight (very noticeable when accelerating/deaccelerating). Other things to consider is a better saddle - the bike/rider interface is vital - similarary toe clips might help in keeping your feet properly positioned. Finally get some Kevlar protecting tyres (Marathons?). Decent ones can mean years between punctures.

And with what's left buy a track pump. People spend lots trying to make a bike go better but pumping up the tyres to, say, 90% of the rated capacity (90psi?) reduces rolling resistance and punctures spectaculary. Do all this and it will feel better than a new bike, be under budget and its prettier!

Don't forget to get a couple of decent locks ...

 

[wmtlynx]

Hi everyone. Thanks for all the advice, it was much appreciated. I have gone for the Riverside 1 from Decathlon in the end. The guy in the shop was very helpful and knowledgeable, and pointed out the pros and cons of all the features and specifications I wanted. And now I have 2 bikes to choose from

 

[biggs682]

only 2 bikes you need a few more