Chap at work has asked me for bike advice...

[jahlive905]

And 6 heads are better than one so please lay on any help!

A chap at work has been commuting to work on his mountain bike for the best part of a year. His commute is about 12 miles and the mountain bike is over 20 years old. It's a commendable effort so far.

Anyway, he wants to upgrade but just has a few stipulations:
- he still wants a bike that is going to allow him to go up and down kerbs with ease, as that is the way he is used to riding. To my mind, I think you can only really safely do this on a mountain bike right?
- he has a maximum budget of £400 and is happy to purchase second hand

Does anyone have any ideas of makes/models which he can go and explore further?

 

[MarkF]

He needs a mountain bike to climb a kerb? Does he need a hydration pack for when he reaches the summit?

My 700c hybrids do it fine, Sirrus & Discovery.

 

[jahlive905]

Cool thanks - that's just my lack of bike knowledge coming out. So I think a hybrid with fatter tyres would be the most beneficial shout for sure. I'll check them both out.

 

[bonzobanana]

Yes a strong hybrid bike seems ideal. If its just kerbs then strong double wall 700cc rims should be fine with large profile tyres or alternatively proper mountain bike wheels with low profile tyres. He doesn't need the weight of suspension.

However another possibly better option is a cyclocross type bike. A sort of strengthened road bike. Thats if he likes the riding style of those bikes but it will be much faster.

Voodoo limba is great value.

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/road-bikes/voodoo-limba-cyclocross-road-bike

Worth considering but I would always wait for an offer. Halfords are always doing promotions. It was available for £340 not that long ago.

 

[jahlive905]

Hadn't considered a cyclocross. Interesting! Thanks

 

[davidphilips]

Cheap option if his mtb has no suspension then just make sure he fits road tyres, dont know about anybody else but the difference in speed (for me anyway) between a well set up no suspension mtb and even a light weight road bike is only 3/4 mph.

 

[KneesUp]

Is he crashing into full height kerbs square on, or expertly 'lifting' the bike with the bars and pedals at an angle?

 

[Pale Rider]

Is he crashing into full height kerbs square on, or expertly 'lifting' the bike with the bars and pedals at an angle?

I would suggest his weight also comes into it.

A big bloke crashing over kerbs is a different proposition to a road whippet doing the same thing.

 

[Cycleops]

Strong wheels would seem to be the order of the day together with fatter rubber. Wouldn't fancy his chances with cheaper Halfords wheels.

 

[cyberknight]

Tell him to stick with his old bike untill he can learn to ride properly

 

[Sharky]

Why does he see a need to jump up and down kerbs? Is he intermingling between pedestrian areas and road areas? Can be more dangerous switching, than keeping a steady line on the road and is usually slower as well.

 

[MichaelW2]

Users of cheap suspension mtb in the city never develope the simple skills to absorb bumps using their arms and legs.
A 2*12mile commute is long enough to benefit from something high performance, with no suspension, medium width tyres, reasonably lightweight. A cx style or non sus hybrid with disc brakes will do the job. Add in mudguards, lock, lights, maybe rack and panniers
Why the £400 limit? How much do the alternatives cost, eg bus. Will the bike lastmore than 5 years? Then spread the price over 5 years.

 

[S-Express]

Users of cheap suspension mtb in the city never develope the simple skills to absorb bumps using their arms and legs.

They do, once the suspension has seized up, as it inevitably will.

 

[NorthernDave]

A Carrera Subway 2 from Halfords is the obvious choice.
It's under budget too, which will leave plenty of money for new tyres.

 

[smokeysmoo]

It's not necessarily what you ride but how you ride it

Mind you at around 10k the Pinarello in that video is a touch over budget!