sydney
Active Member
- Location
- Newcastle upon Tyne
I'm new to the forum and looking for advice buying a bike. If this post looks too long to read jump to the last line.
The office I'm working in is closing and the office I'm being relocated to is in the city centre so driving is out of the question as parking costs are too high. Buses are cheap and regular enough but I'd rather use this as an opportunity to lose some more weight and get a bit fitter. I'm currently 16 and a half stone having lost 3 stone since the pandemic with a combination of better diet, walking and even some cycling.
It's only around 3.5 miles to my current office and I can walk it in under an hour, cycling takes 15 to 20 minutes going in and, since half of it is uphill, around 45 minutes going home. The new office is around the same distance but hopefully not quite as steep a slope since it's pretty much uphill all the way home but less height difference.
I bought my current bike for £25 on Facebook marketplace just before the pandemic. It's an old heavy Apollo XC26, XL frame. It's terrible. It's also far too big for me as I'm 5' 10" (on a good day!) with short 29" legs. It was killing my back riding it home from work up the hill so I stopped riding it altogether.
Budget: As low as possible!
I've been looking at a Triban RC100 at Decthlon which is currently around £250. I could possibly stretch to a maximum of £350 but don't want to, but that would bring the Triban RC120 in as a possibility. I'm not opposed to buying something second hand and I'm currently watching an older Btwin Triban 500 on Ebay. If I go second hand I'd want to take it for a service etc so would want to spend a bit less on the bike.
I've mentioned Triban a lot but don't take that to mean i know much about them other than from what I've seen and read they seem to be good value.
Any advice or recommendations? From what I've read of this forum so far a used Carrera Subway could also be an option.
TLDR? Fat unfit bloke wants a cheap bike to get to work.
The office I'm working in is closing and the office I'm being relocated to is in the city centre so driving is out of the question as parking costs are too high. Buses are cheap and regular enough but I'd rather use this as an opportunity to lose some more weight and get a bit fitter. I'm currently 16 and a half stone having lost 3 stone since the pandemic with a combination of better diet, walking and even some cycling.
It's only around 3.5 miles to my current office and I can walk it in under an hour, cycling takes 15 to 20 minutes going in and, since half of it is uphill, around 45 minutes going home. The new office is around the same distance but hopefully not quite as steep a slope since it's pretty much uphill all the way home but less height difference.
I bought my current bike for £25 on Facebook marketplace just before the pandemic. It's an old heavy Apollo XC26, XL frame. It's terrible. It's also far too big for me as I'm 5' 10" (on a good day!) with short 29" legs. It was killing my back riding it home from work up the hill so I stopped riding it altogether.
Budget: As low as possible!
I've been looking at a Triban RC100 at Decthlon which is currently around £250. I could possibly stretch to a maximum of £350 but don't want to, but that would bring the Triban RC120 in as a possibility. I'm not opposed to buying something second hand and I'm currently watching an older Btwin Triban 500 on Ebay. If I go second hand I'd want to take it for a service etc so would want to spend a bit less on the bike.
I've mentioned Triban a lot but don't take that to mean i know much about them other than from what I've seen and read they seem to be good value.
Any advice or recommendations? From what I've read of this forum so far a used Carrera Subway could also be an option.
TLDR? Fat unfit bloke wants a cheap bike to get to work.
To the forum.
