Okay first time poster and first time commuter!

[jonny jeez]

Thanks for the replies

yes I was looking at the Carrera first but the Apollo seemed to have decent reviews at £60.00 less but if you think the Carerra is the better deal then I'm happy to go with that. If I buy the Carerra will it still be best to change the tyres? The route I will be taking with be 100% roads.

Thanks guys

Not sure, looks like it comes with Kenda K885's which sometimes have a Knobbly edge. you really want them as smooth as poss for 100% road riding...bit like this

 

[400bhp]

IIRC they verge between semi slicks and knobblies.

 

[Arjimlad]

Bon courage, well done. Your commute sounds interesting and the Go-sport ferry will make a nice break between the two legs. Are they doing duty free on it yet, by the way ?

 

[Yahwob]

No duty free on the Gosport ferry I'm afraid, just continous price increases!

 

[HovR]

The tyres are listed as Kenda K885. I think these were on the Subway ladies limited edition bike I bought my wife, but i can't remember as I swapped them straight off due to having what i perceived to be a better pair at the time.

IIRC, I think I bought those tires off you, and they were "Traveller City Classic" tires (unless you've bought another subway recently). They have some tread, but I wouldn't describe them as knobblies.

YahWob: From what I've seen in pictures and halfords etc, stock Subway tires are normally mostly slick, with a bit of tread (like in jonny's picture above), however they are fairly wide. You may want to switch to narrower tires to reduce rolling resistance.

 

[400bhp]

IIRC, I think I bought those tires off you, and they were "Traveller City Classic" tires (unless you've bought another subway recently). They have some tread, but I wouldn't describe them as knobblies.

YahWob: From what I've seen in pictures and halfords etc, stock Subway tires are normally mostly slick, with a bit of tread, however they are fairly wide. You may want to switch to narrower tires to reduce rolling resistance.

Hov-I have a his n hers Subway, both bought recently. I think the ones I sold you were off my Subway.

 

[HovR]

Hov-I have a his n hers Subway, both bought recently. I think the ones I sold you were off my Subway.

Ah, okay.

 

[400bhp]

Can't remember what I did with the ones of the Mrs' bike - must have sold them on here too?

 

[cloggsy]

Tyres make a BIG difference

Yup! The skinnier and higher pressure, the better

Good luck with the commuting; it'll be tough at first, but stick with it and it'll pay dividends

 

[clarion]

Echo the recommendation for the Subway over the Apollo.

But whatever you buy, make sure it's properly set up (and I'm afraid you can't rely on Halfords to do this really). See if there is a forum member near you who'd be prepared to give it a look over for the price of a pint or something. If you're new to it, you might get put off by something which can be easily remedied, but you might not know is wrong (bad gearchanging, slack brakes, badly adjusted saddle/bar heights etc.

Easier, and more puncture resistant, tyres are a worthwhile investment, though even the most careful do get punctures, and you just have to man up and deal with them

Be prepared to buy a different saddle. Everyone is different in this department, and it's very hard to tell what's going to suit you. Don't buy the most padded one in the shop, as that's likely to be, oddly, the most uncomfortable when you come to riding.

Errr, what other advice while I'm pontificating? Oh yeah - don't forget to get a decent set of tools (you don't need much) including a puncture repair kit (don't believe anything anyone tells you about Slime. It isn't worth the hassle. And take a bottle of water everywhere you go.

And keep your tyres pumped up.

Have you thought about how you'll be carrying your luggage? There's a whole extra discussion to be had on that...

 

[BrumJim]

If you are commuting every day, you will need a decent bike. A Halfords Apollo won't stand up to that sort of abuse. Most of the comments (and all the positive ones) will be made immediately after purchase, whilst still shiny and new. Most purchasers will either never get round to much cycling, or will have a problem on the first or second trip out, will get bored, and ignore it.

 

[gambatte]

Horses for courses. Our lass has an Apollo Corona, which I got her second hand 6(?) years ago. She doesn't drive. It's served for school runs, getting her to and from the allotment. Yeah a cheap bike isn't to the same quality as an expensive bike. heavy parts, old tech etc. But if you know and accept that from the start it's not going to be long before it's paid for itself and you can assess whether cycle commutings for you and whether a hybrids right etc.

 

[Pauluk]

Hi YahWob. I'm 59 and started to commute two weeks ago, 18 mile round trip. After my first day arriving home I was knackered, just didn't want to doing anything other than flake out. Now after a few days I'm fine and I love it.

Be careful for the first few days though, if you need to don't be ashamed to walk with your bike for a bit. I don't know how unfit you think you are or over weight so just take it easy and give yourself more time. Remember cycling on the flat continuously can be tiring because you are peddling constantly with no rest on down hills!

As the previous posters have said, it gets easier. Much easier. So don't get despondent if you find it hard to begin with.

In terms of the bike, its true you get what you pay for and the Carreras are quite good bikes for the price. I have a crossfire and a Crossfire 2. Both have 35mm tires but my commute is only 40% road, 60% uneven ground.

The Apollo may be a good choice until you know you are serious about it so will save money if you decide its not for you. If however you're not easily defeated and you're fairly well committed then go for the best bike you can afford.

I bought my bikes and my wife's Carrera from Halfords. All of them were set up poorly. My crossfire 2 went back 3 times since although I could have done it myself I wasn't letting them get away with it. The third time I went through the store manager. Halfords are variable with there service, they can be quite bad or very very good. Their products are quite good quality though.

If you are new to cycling on busy roads like me ( I've been driving a car for almost 40 years) then look at jonny jeez pdf file on this board and consider getting a copy of Cyclecraft by John Franklin. Invaluable reading.

You'll also get lots of encouragement and advice on here too, so good luck.

 

[400bhp]

Horses for courses. Our lass has an Apollo Corona, which I got her second hand 6(?) years ago. She doesn't drive. It's served for school runs, getting her to and from the allotment. Yeah a cheap bike isn't to the same quality as an expensive bike. heavy parts, old tech etc. But if you know and accept that from the start it's not going to be long before it's paid for itself and you can assess whether cycle commutings for you and whether a hybrids right etc.

Thing is, Carerra's hold their value, whereas Apollos don't.

 

[Pauluk]

Thing is, Carerra's hold their value, whereas Apollos don't.

Not sure I agree. I've seen a couple of seemingly good crossfire's go for less than £100 on ebay (one for £82) and a nearly new crossfire 2 for £199. IMO generally, the more you pay the more depreciation you have to pay finance.