Advice for a £300 to £400 bike for a short commute.

[whistler]

Lovely. Well Monday seems to. Be the day planned for a little jaunt around, have a good look and see which one is right for me. Thanks

 

[whistler]

Well, ended up getting the escape 3. Along with a decent pump and mudguards. Pick up in an hour woohoo

 

[Cyclist33]

Pics, and let me know how it rides - I'm in the market for similar myself!

 

[whistler]

I will get you some pics once I have her home. Looking forward to the long ride from across town.

 

[Pale Rider]

Well, ended up getting the escape 3. Along with a decent pump and mudguards. Pick up in an hour woohoo

A couple of people in my Sunday morning group ride Escapes.

You'll not go wrong with one of those.

 

[Cyclist33]

i went (back) to one of my local shops this evening and basically got a bit of a pash on for the escape 2! sure, not as quick as the boardman, or as well specced as several other bikes currently on a discount, but good service, built up no hassle and not by me, a bit of customisation thrown in... its gonna be hard to pick a different bike now!

 

[whistler]

I was eyeing up the escape 2. The only thing that turned me away was I only had the £300 I could use and couldn't afford the extra hundred to top it up. The ride back was fantastic I must say, more to do with having a properly sized bike with decent gears. I think the thing that sealed it for me was it was a fun ride. And quick too, over double the distance of my commute and I did it in the same time as I would my normal commute. Good times for me.

 

[Cyclist33]

yeah it looks like itll be fun, there are certainly quicker looking bikes in the same kind of price bracket and genre but i have got two road bikes for out and out speed and the escape just looks like itll be fun, comfy and reasonably nimble, also plenty of clearance for some proper off road tyres should the need take me.

bloke in the shop offered to customise it for me eg better pedals and a flat bar at no extra cost. intersting to note that while i could get a much higher spec bike for less online, or indeed the escape 2 for 340 quid, the service from the local shop was the real clinching factor

 

[whistler]

Agreed there. Sometimes just the fact of being able to pop into the shop if you have any problems (great for a newbie like me) certainly leans me toward dealing with the shop on everything, even if it is that bit more expensive.

 

[MikeW-71]

Which is why I bought all my bikes from the LBS and not online

 

[Cyclist33]

Lovely. Well Monday seems to. Be the day planned for a little jaunt around, have a good look and see which one is right for me. Thanks

which paint job did you go for?

 

[whistler]

Black with blue trim. I will get some pics up when the little boy gives me a break.

 

[annirak]

Silly question time. Why is a free hub and cassette considered better than a freewheel?

Freehubs offer more options for gearing. The minimum size on a freewheel is 13 teeth, but it's hard to find the 13, most are 14. The minimum I've seen on a freehub is 11.

It's easier to change the cassette on a freehub.

More importantly, though, the axles in freehubs are more durable. I managed to break a freewheel axle in two years of steady commuting.

 

[whistler]

Well here we go. Not the best pics but havent had a chance to get her out n about today.
Upgraded to some semi ergo grips, hopefully stop my wrists hurting (yeah i am a wuss)
The mudguards also fitted.
And my boy likes it so much he cant wait to be big enough to have a play on it.

 

[Pale Rider]

Well here we go. Not the best pics but havent had a chance to get her out n about today. View attachment 80070
Upgraded to some semi ergo grips, hopefully stop my wrists hurting (yeah i am a wuss) View attachment 80071
The mudguards also fitted. View attachment 80072
And my boy likes it so much he cant wait to be big enough to have a play on it.
View attachment 80073

Nice bike, rubbish pics.