Hi all. Just joined specifically to ask all your advice about my bike options.
I've just started commuting to work (done it twice!). The distance is about 6 miles each way. It's fairly flat with just a couple of moderate hills.
The surface is mostly roads and paths, but there are a couple of places where I need to go through a park over grass and dirt track.
At the moment I'm on a Specialized Hardrock. It's an OK bike, but quite heavy. The tyres are really knobbly and chunky, and I'm finding it a little bit uncomfortable to ride - even a slight incline feels like a huge effort (maybe I'm just really unfit!). Slick tyes would help with this, right?
My work does a cycle to work scheme where I can get a new bike with a salary sacrifice scheme, i.e. before income tax, which would save me 35% probably on the cost of a new bike.
So, should I get new wheels with slick tyres, and a more comfortable gel saddle, or should I buy a new bike? If the latter, which type would be best suited to my journey.
BTW, it took me just under an hour to do the 6 miles. I really want to get that down to 45 mins or less, as that way it's only 50% longer than driving rather than double. My route needs a little tweaking to get rid of some corners.
I've just started commuting to work (done it twice!). The distance is about 6 miles each way. It's fairly flat with just a couple of moderate hills.
The surface is mostly roads and paths, but there are a couple of places where I need to go through a park over grass and dirt track.
At the moment I'm on a Specialized Hardrock. It's an OK bike, but quite heavy. The tyres are really knobbly and chunky, and I'm finding it a little bit uncomfortable to ride - even a slight incline feels like a huge effort (maybe I'm just really unfit!). Slick tyes would help with this, right?
My work does a cycle to work scheme where I can get a new bike with a salary sacrifice scheme, i.e. before income tax, which would save me 35% probably on the cost of a new bike.
So, should I get new wheels with slick tyres, and a more comfortable gel saddle, or should I buy a new bike? If the latter, which type would be best suited to my journey.
BTW, it took me just under an hour to do the 6 miles. I really want to get that down to 45 mins or less, as that way it's only 50% longer than driving rather than double. My route needs a little tweaking to get rid of some corners.