Choosing a new bike

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nethack47

Regular
To the point,

I have been riding on a far to small fold-able bike for the last two years which was mainly because I had to fit it into the elevator and into a wardrobe at work.
Being 190 cm tall I'm not really comfortable on the Viking clone plus it's very heavy for my new 25 km a day commute and I would like to get something more suitable which I can also mange to carry up and down 6 flights of stairs at the office.

I have ended up liking the Specialized Sirrus Elite disc which does seem to be fairly ok thought of by the community in general but I feel like it's silly to just buy the first one I find so I need to ask for some advice and perhaps take a look at some alternatives.

What alternatives would you suggest for a commuting bike.
Under £1000
Need to add mudguards, a repairkit, pump and preferably a decent lock that doesn't weigh more than the bike. Perhaps some lights.

Suggestions or confirmation of choice appreciated.
 

vickster

Legendary Member
Something light and carbon without disc brakes!

Or the Whyte Sterling is around 9kg with flatbars and disc brakes.

Why do you need a heavy lock if you carry the bike into your office? Just get a hip lock then it goes on you not the bike
 
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nethack47

Regular
Whyte is a great idea. I tried the Whitechapel and looked at Shoreditch as it's lighter and has a nice carbon fibre fork.

The lock was a bit unclear perhaps so I'll try to elaborate. Mostly I'll keep my bike in the office or house but occasionally I have errands so locking the bike is still going to be required. Hiplock sounds interesting and hopefully not too expensive.
 

vickster

Legendary Member
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nethack47

Regular
Still looking but got sidetracked for a bit.

A colleague had a mates Specialized Global sport sitting in his flat now being used mainly for drying clothes. I am trying to get it working properly as it's a good start for a commuter but it has a few issues.

The Freewheel cassette was spinning a bit sluggish and both ways which I solved by picking it apart and giving it a good clean. Not quite happy with it yet but perhaps with more cleaning.
Rear gears also slipped and clattered which got better after adjusting the tension and alignment but it's still hasn't quite stopped rattling so I am thinking the derailleur might be a bit crooked which is probably quite obvious to more experienced people but not quite something I am seeing clearly.

To wrap it up I am spending some hours trying to sort out a bike I might buy for a bargain.

Still having dreams about something like a whyte shoreditch or perhaps whitechapel so we'll see what I end up with.
 

vickster

Legendary Member
Aren't the specialized globes heavy beasts...as well as being branded specialized zzzzzed :whistle:
 
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nethack47

Regular
Why yes they are quite heavy. I think I am lugging about 17 kg up the stairs which isn't really what I was expecting but for £70ish I thought I'd give it a go.

Been having some trouble getting the gears right but I am just not finding that sweet-spot where they all work without a bit of rattle. Handing it over to a professional will be another £60 plus parts making it double as expensive as initially suggested.

After trying out the Whyte (especially the Sussex) this is probably not going to be my choice for commuting.
 
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