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

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whistler

Active Member
Location
Ipswich, suffolk
Hi everyone. newbie here. I am looking for some advice. I am looking at replacing my cheap small mountain bike for a new decent hybrid/commuter bike. I am going to be doing it through the bike to work scheme. I have already a £300 bike voucher along with the £100 accessory voucher, which for me will be pointless as i have lights/lock/pump and helmet already. I have heard tell of a couple of bike chops nearby to me that will add the accessory voucher to the bike voucher. So at the moment i am looking around the £300 to £400 mark. I have seen a few different makes, Dawes, Claud Butler, GT and giant to name but a few. I was wondering what the general consensus about these makes are at the moment? I have already seen alot of different models with failry similar specs.

Thanks in advance,
 
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whistler

whistler

Active Member
Location
Ipswich, suffolk
Sorry short commute, not shirt. Lol

[Title has been changed now]
 
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MikeW-71

Veteran
Location
Carlisle
Of the ones you have mentioned, Dawes, GT and Giant stand out.

Being more familiar with the Giant range, an Escape 2 at £400 would be excellent!

Otherwise, you've got the likes of Canondale, Trek, Specialized (to complete the "big 4") and lots of smaller manufacturers that will have something in budget. (Evans Cycles Pinnacle range is good for example. ) Then there's Felt, Merida, Fuji, Raleigh, lots and lots of choice. Avoid the supermarket own-brands and you'll do fine :smile:

Good luck! :biggrin:
 
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whistler

whistler

Active Member
Location
Ipswich, suffolk
I did have a look at a giant model and it was quite impressive. It was this one

http://store.cycle-revolution.net/product/78652/2015_Giant_Escape_3

To be honest I am not sure how it stacks up for the price seeing as the escape 2 is more. http://store.cycle-revolution.net/product/78653/2015_Giant_Escape_2

One of the Dawes bikes I have been eyeing up is. http://www.ranelaghcycles.com/m4b0s18p1157/DAWES-Discovery-Sport-3-2014

I have also seen this trek but as I said before I do not know how good the specs are
http://store.cycle-revolution.net/product/79752/2015_Trek_71_FX
 

MikeW-71

Veteran
Location
Carlisle
The Trek is a popular bike, it's comparable with the Escape 3.

For the cash, the Escape 3 has nothing wrong with it. What makes the 2 attractive (for me) is that it uses a freehub with a cassette rather than a freewheel. It spreads the gears out more evenly rather than having a huge gap to the largest cog. Also an alloy fork rather than steel. But it's also an extra hundred quid and the bike won't ride any different. Giant also offer the Escape 3 ready fitted with rack and mudguards for £350.

If you're riding only on roads, a suspension fork is a waste of time. It's just useless weight to carry about and does pretty much nothing for comfort.
 

Profpointy

Legendary Member
Sorry short commute, not shirt. Lol

I thought it was a genuine term for commuting in your office togs as opposed to lycra - oh well

To answer the question, if it were me, I'd get something with mudguards, drop handlebars and a pannier rack - and if truly a short commute, maybe even consider a fixie, but the latter's not for everyone, will be more limited use, but will be otherwise a better bike as the saving on not having gears can be re-invested in the rest of the bike.
 
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whistler

whistler

Active Member
Location
Ipswich, suffolk
I think I would prefer gears. A few slopes and a big ole hill to climb. It is a 25 minute ride so what I call short anyway. Never got on with drop bars myself and not too worried about pannier racks but I guess I could add them down the line if needed. Agree I would like mudguards though.


Also, another one to throw in the mix, mongoose? Has a free hub and cassette, no suspension etc
http://www.ranelaghcycles.com/m4b0s18p786/MONGOOSE-Artery-Sport-2014
 

Profpointy

Legendary Member
I think I would prefer gears. A few slopes and a big ole hill to climb. It is a 25 minute ride so what I call short anyway. Never got on with drop bars myself and not too worried about pannier racks but I guess I could add them down the line if needed. Agree I would like mudguards though.


Also, another one to throw in the mix, mongoose? Has a free hub and cassette, no suspension etc
http://www.ranelaghcycles.com/m4b0s18p786/MONGOOSE-Artery-Sport-2014

Gears are certainly a good innovation. I'd not dismiss the old drops though - If bike fits you, they do give you a lot of positions, not just the one you get from flats, and if you have a headwind - which has been known, or if you want to climb a hill, the option of different positions is very welcome. Same with pannier rack - I don't understand why people try and carry stuff on their backs when the bike can "take the strain" as it were - OK backpack can be done, but why make things harder? At least you're already sold on mudguards - apparently they're not cool don't you know? A wet arse looking like an attack of explosive dysentery is perfectly Ok though.
 

MikeW-71

Veteran
Location
Carlisle
Silly question time. Why is a free hub and cassette considered better than a freewheel?
It makes it much easier to change the gearing if you need to, and a cassette is often cheaper to replace than a freewheel. That said, the cassette on my oldest road bike is up to about 3000 miles and I expect it to last at least that much again before it gets replaced. It's a better system and higher level components will often prove more durable.

That Mongoose looks good to me. Rack and mudguard mounts on it, nice commuter :smile:
 
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