getting 1st bike for commute to work. what to get?!

[quidditys_shore]

hiya all!

its my first post so be gentle!

i'm wanting to start riding to work. its a 10 miles round trip, all flat and 90% on cycle paths! lucky me!

i've not got much money so even £100 would be a stretch, but i've seen this cycle2work thing and was wondering how easy it is to get a bike. i work for morrisons and dont know if they run it (can i make them?). if i can hen i'd rather get it by that so i can get something decent! the missus used t e big into cyling about 10 years ago (built a £1000 bike!) and eveything in my price range she hates!

 

[Downward]

They should do a Scheme of some sort.
The Cyclescheme works on a salary sacrafice.
Benefits - It's like a 12 month Interest Free Loan and you save 30% ish on the cost of the bike (Factor in to buy after 12 months 5% of Purchase price + VAT (Works out about £30 on a £500 bike so it's very little)

So a £200 bike would cost you about £150 ish over 12 months or £12.50ish a month - Then to buy it you pay £4+Vat = £5.

So £155 for a £200 bike and you get to pay over 12 months.

 

[arranandy]

Try having a search on ebay for bikes in your area, you'll be surprised what you could get for £100. By the sounds of your commute a hybrid would probably be the ideal bike for you

 

[RedBike]

You can't make you employer join the cycle to work scheme. If you go into the fine details it's not amazingly good value for a £200 bike.

I'm afraid your ladies right. There's not much worth while at £100. Probably the cheapest way to get mobile is to buy a rigid mtb (one with no shocks), bin the tyres it comes with and then use slicks.

Decathlon sell a road bike for about £150 but to be blunt it's not the best.

Morisons are about to sell a fold up bike. I'm not sure I would want to ride 10 miles on it. (In fact i'm pretty sure I wouldn't want to ride 10 miles on it) but it is new and it's only £60. Probably even less to you with a staff discount.

Or (And my preference).
Keep your eyes open for an old steel road bike. If you look around hard enough, in the free adds, local tip etc you might just find one going for next to nothing. I found a beutiful Mecian that someone had fly tipped. I sold it on a year later for about £600, (admitidly I had spent a lot of time and money on it.)

 

[domtyler]

For an all off road commute for a beginner to cycling why not get a cheap mountain bike (MTB)? Would be cheap, comfortable and allow you to bounce up and down kerbs all day long.

 

[quidditys_shore]

You can't make you employer join the cycle to work scheme. If you go into the fine details it's not amazingly good value for a £200 bike.

I'm afraid your ladies right. There's not much worth while at £100. Probably the cheapest way to get mobile is to buy a rigid mtb (one with no shocks), bin the tyres it comes with and then use slicks.

Decathlon sell a road bike for about £150 but to be blunt it's not the best.

Morisons are about to sell a fold up bike. I'm not sure I would want to ride 10 miles on it. (In fact i'm pretty sure I wouldn't want to ride 10 miles on it) but it is new and it's only £60. Probably even less to you with a staff discount.

Or (And my preference).
Keep your eyes open for an old steel road bike. If you look around hard enough, in the free adds, local tip etc you might just find one going for next to nothing. I found a beutiful Mecian that someone had fly tipped. I sold it on a year later for about £600, (admitidly I had spent a lot of time and money on it.)

the folding bike went on sale yesterday. i know this as its mydepartment and i put it out! i was tempted to get it as its a small one i can take into the house but again, the missus doesnt like it!

 

[quidditys_shore]

what does everyone think about a diamondback eastwood 20" for £145 delivered? also what leg size is that for a 20" frame! cheers!

 

[Ludwig]

I would get a front sus mountain bike for a 10 mile round commute. Not as fast as a road/racer type bike but much safer in the wet, frost etc. Get a pannier rack, good lights etc. Won't get much for £100. Would up it a bit and the build and components will be much better.

 

[RedBike]

I don't think there's any need for front suspension while riding on the road. It just adds weight and robs the riders power.

Safer in the wet? Knobbly tyre don't grip any better on wet tarmac than slicks. In fact if anything they're worse.

I can't comment on how well made the DB is as i've never seen one. It certainly looks like the right type of bike though.

I would expect a 20" compact frame to suit a rider 6ft plus. i'm not familiar with the sizing of DB frames though.

 

[PrettyboyTim]

I think at that price bracket you're best getting a reasonable secondhand bike. A Hybrid sounds about right. Get something with mudguards and a rack. You can probably get something a few years old from a recognised brand.

 

[Scoosh]

Welcome to the Forum

the missus used to be big into cyling about 10 years ago (built a £1000 bike!) and eveything in my price range she hates!

Why not ask her/give her the task to find the right bike for you ?
That way, she can give you the benefit of her (considerable) experience, knowledge etc, you get to ask SWMBO to be involved - and you get a good bike for the job, maybe secondhand as she would know what to look for.
Sounds like win/win to me
I would agree that front sus would not be worth it on a cheap(ish) bike - and for the type of commute you are likely to be doing.

 

[punkypossum]

2nd hand subway?

 

[Andy in Sig]

I would say double your budget to 200 quid and then go second hand and you should get something quite good.

 

[snapper_37]

I sold a cracking Scott Sportster P1 on ebay a couple of months ago. Cost £900 5 years ago, in excellent nick and it went for £180. If you can drop on something like that, you'd be quids in.

 

[Arch]

I would say double your budget to 200 quid and then go second hand and you should get something quite good.

Um, for someone working at Morrisons, doubling the budget might be easier said than done...

Hi there, quidditys_shore (there must be a story behind that name!). I'd agree that second hand might be the way to go - in fact the sort of bike you probably want (hybrid, or the sort of thing that used to be called a 'roadster') is the sort of bike that is less 'fashionable', so you might get a bargain. I went to a Uni bike auction in my first year, and everyone wanted the MTB's, especially the red ones, so I got a lilac Dawes Galaxy tourer for £15.... Obviously, you may not have access to an auction like that, but scan the local paper/newsagent window for classifieds, or ask in your local bike shop if they sell on part exchanges, or see if they have a notice board with small ads on, some do.

Sounds like you don't need suspension, or knobbly tyres. If you're doing 5 miles each way, and it's fairly flat and on cycle paths, you could probably manage for a start with something old with a 3spd hub gear. The main thing is that it fits you and is comfortable. If you get the bug, you can start to really save for something newer...