Advice On A Good Commuter Bike (£500-£600)

[sigod]

Hello all

First time poster who is looking for a little advice on a new commuter bike. I'm doing a little research but naturally, most websites are trying to sell you stuff so everything they cover is just 'fantastic', from the lowest 150 quid bike through to the £1000+ ranges. This means that it's proving a little hard to judge what is a reasonable purchase.

I have about £600 to spend but I'm not looking for an off road machine. It's purely a commuter bike. I'm in my 40's and although I'm not a road snail, I'm not as nippy as I once was. My main problem is that I have a back injury which means that drop bars are out of the question (old git that I am).

My current steed was purchased in the mid 90's (Renyolds 531 Frame, Deore LX gears) and almost everything has been replaced except the frame, the crank and the front mech. It has worked brilliantly for 15 years but is starting to show its age now. The trouble is that because the machine has worked so well for such a long time, I've lost touch with what is hot and what is not (hence this post I guess).

Any help or advice would be much appreciated.

 

[LLB]

I just got one of these from Leisure lakes (06 model), was on sale last month for £500

http://www.leisurelakesbikes.com/product.aspx?&id=2591

 

[Flying_Monkey]

Well, normally for that kind of price I'd recommend a Kaffenback from Planet-X as just about the perfect do-it-all commuting bike, except that they seem to be out of stock of all the frame sizes except Medium right now...

 

[magnatom]

I'm not the best with this sort of advice, so I will just say, welcome to the forum!

 

[sigod]

Brilliant stuff, thanks for the recommendations/links/welcome. Both bikes look very interesting indeed. If anyone else has any suggestions (matron), please let me know.

 

[Nigeyy]

How is your current bike showing its age? Is it an mtb?

Unless you really need a new drivechain and wheels, it may be worth looking at what you need to replace to make your bike roadworthy again, or if it is an mtb, consider putting higher pressure slicks on. 5 or 6 hundred quid can buy quite a few parts online.

Then again, I've never been known to dissuade someone from buying a new bike, never a waste of money in my opinion ;-)

 

[sigod]

How is your current bike showing its age? Is it an mtb?

Unless you really need a new drivechain and wheels, it may be worth looking at what you need to replace to make your bike roadworthy again, or if it is an mtb, consider putting higher pressure slicks on. 5 or 6 hundred quid can buy quite a few parts online.

Then again, I've never been known to dissuade someone from buying a new bike, never a waste of money in my opinion ;-)

It is indeed an MTB (purchased just before the first hybrids started to hit the market - grrr) but you make a good point. The machine is sound but like many people here, I've been seduced by the delights of cyclescheme and they only help if you buy a new bike .

It might sound really bizzare but there is another seemingly unrelated, angle to this proposed purchase. My fixed rate mortgage is up in the next 18 months which means that I'm gonna be very poor as the rates change. The upshot is that if I want a new bike, it needs to be sooner rather than later.

Credit Crunch + high interest rates = new bike: that's something I never thought would happen to me.

 

[LLB]

The marin will give you some change to get some SPD shoes and pedals

 

[Nigeyy]

Aaah, not familiar at all with cyclescheme, didn't realize you needed a new bike to participate (and I assume cyclescheme gets you something of value).

But I understand where you are coming from -go for it! Hope you are OK with your mortgage too, not good times.

It is indeed an MTB (purchased just before the first hybrids started to hit the market - grrr) but you make a good point. The machine is sound but like many people here, I've been seduced by the delights of cyclescheme and they only help if you buy a new bike .

It might sound really bizzare but there is another seemingly unrelated, angle to this proposed purchase. My fixed rate mortgage is up in the next 18 months which means that I'm gonna be very poor as the rates change. The upshot is that if I want a new bike, it needs to be sooner rather than later.

Credit Crunch + high interest rates = new bike: that's something I never thought would happen to me.

 

[sigod]

The marin will give you some change to get some SPD shoes and pedals

I like the Marins a lot and thats good advice about the shoes and pedals. A Marin was on my shortlist when I bought my previous bike.

 

[LLB]

Aaah, not familiar at all with cyclescheme, didn't realize you needed a new bike to participate (and I assume cyclescheme gets you something of value).

But I understand where you are coming from -go for it! Hope you are OK with your mortgage too, not good times.

They had these on the counter when I was in there so I assume that they also participate in the scheme (didn't look closely at it though as my company doesn't run it)

 

[sigod]

Aaah, not familiar at all with cyclescheme, didn't realize you needed a new bike to participate (and I assume cyclescheme gets you something of value).

But I understand where you are coming from -go for it! Hope you are OK with your mortgage too, not good times.

Cyclescheme is a way to get a tax free bike through your place of work. They buy the bike and you pay them back over a 12 month period without paying VAT. Not every employer has signed up but I think it's a bloody good way to get people back onto their bikes.

Is there a similar scheme like this in the USA I wonder?

 

[andyfromotley]

Hi, sigod.

marin do a nice commuter with hub gears for about £750. It's top of my wishlist at the mo.
Edinbrugh cycles do a nice one with nexus hub for £350, and theyve got a 15% off all bike promo coming. Again i think you are getting a lot of bike for your money there, and i think that nexus type gears are definitely the way forward for commuters.

andy

 

[Riding in Circles]

Cyclescheme is a way to get a tax free bike through your place of work. They buy the bike and you pay them back over a 12 month period without paying VAT. Not every employer has signed up but I think it's a bloody good way to get people back onto their bikes.

Is there a similar scheme like this in the USA I wonder?

They don't need to, every company can have a cycle to work scheme and use the blanket credit license issued by the government, they can then buy the bike from any dealer, not just cyclescheme dealers, the paper work is simple.

 

[Maz]

If anyone else has any suggestions (matron), please let me know.

Specialized Sirrus. Worth a test ride.