What bike for beginner, eventually wanting to do 50 miles a day

[vickster]

Yeah but most cx bikes are so dull looking . The boardman team is at least not black or dark grey!

Did your wife have to make lots of changes though? Even at 5'10 i have to spec a mans bike differently to fit, different bars (38cm), stem (100mm), saddle, even cranks (172.5mm). One of the main reasons i built my Genesis rather than going off the peg, also due to wanting sram not shimano as my hands just don't fit the hoods for comfortable braking

 

[raleighnut]

Don't rule out steel frames. that Jamis Aurora Elite that Grumpygregory posted a link to looks a really good deal with a frame life measured in decades and quite high end components.

 

[w00hoo_kent]

I believe they still mucked about with the stem and she moved across the saddle she was using on her Giant as we'd sourced that already, aside from that it's pretty much as it came. We like the black and brown look of the Croix, which doesn't hurt. Then again all of our modern bikes are some variation on black (except for the all silver single speed).

Actually, tell a lie, she took it back after one ride and they dropped the levers down the bars a bit and rewrapped the bar tape because she couldn't get on with the angles as it came.

 

[Big Nick]

Wow, a 50 mile daily commute is a biggy!! That's around 90 minutes each way, give or take for most of us depending on terrain, roads etc

There's no way I'd get anything but a road bike with drop bars for that distance and I would agree that an aluminium frame would best suit for racks and mudguards although there's solutions to those with carbon bikes be it seat post racks or clip on mudguards if you go that route

 

[Cyclist33]

Cyclocross a good alternative. You can find at around 11kg, take rack and guards. Not many women specific ones though

Just get the Cannondale Quick Women's model and have done with it

 

[vickster]

I think drops are required. I have a bike like the quick. Would worry about spoke count with my weight on the awful roads round here

 

[John the Canuck]

''i can get a carbon framed bike ''

Maybe wrong here - but unless you have a secure 'lock-up area'' inside your workplace
i wouldn't leave an expensive bike unattended all day every day
thieves will soon see the pattern of your times

 

[w00hoo_kent]

That's true, don't forget your budget needs to cover all of your commuting requirments so you might need to add some clothing, luggage options, lighting and most definitely locks.

 

[idontlikecoffee]

''i can get a carbon framed bike ''

Maybe wrong here - but unless you have a secure 'lock-up area'' inside your workplace
i wouldn't leave an expensive bike unattended all day every day
thieves will soon see the pattern of your times

There is nowhere secure to keep the bike, it would just be in a large outdoor bike rack. I planned on leaving a couple of good locks attached to the bike rack at work all the time so i would not need to keep carrying them to work.

I"m also going to look at bike insurance, i've never had it for my mountain bikes as i've never left them alone for even a second. Another thing i was thinking off was perhaps spraying the frame (badly)when i got it, so it doesn't look like anything worth stealing, it might be hard to do that if the bike had a lovely paint job, but i'd rather it look low key and ugly than it getting stolen.

 

[Ganymede]

There is nowhere secure to keep the bike, it would just be in a large outdoor bike rack. I planned on leaving a couple of good locks attached to the bike rack at work all the time so i would not need to keep carrying them to work.

I"m also going to look at bike insurance, i've never had it for my mountain bikes as i've never left them alone for even a second. Another thing i was thinking off was perhaps spraying the frame (badly)when i got it, so it doesn't look like anything worth stealing, it might be hard to do that if the bike had a lovely paint job, but i'd rather it look low key and ugly than it getting stolen.

Someone may be able to supply a reference or a rebuttal on this, but I've heard women's bikes get nicked less often than men's, and also that (bizarrely) tying a plastic carrier bag over the saddle reduces the likelihood of a bike being stolen. I can't think how that second one can be arrived at scientifically but who knows.

 

[John the Canuck]

There is nowhere secure to keep the bike, it would just be in a large outdoor bike rack. ....... than it getting stolen.

''Budget wise, probably up to £1000.''
you need to rethink this.

NO BIKE LOCK IS 100%
better surely to buy a used low key ugly commuter say £300
and get a nice ''best bike'' at £700

 

[vickster]

Why would you want to vandalise a £1000 bike spend £800 on a good bike and £200 on a commuter clunker! Seems mad doing the other You'll also destroy any resale value and any bike will potentially be stolen regardless of what it looks like

Decent locks are no guarantee and if left out in all weathers they will eventually be affected by rust. Insurance, home policy cheapest but check conditions, excess etc

 

[vickster]

Cross posted with John

 

[w00hoo_kent]

My home policy covers bikes up to £500 by default, above £500 if informed and do new for old. Having the £400 Mongoose I was commuting on stolen still made me feel horrible though (you may react differently, naturally). I ride the 'clunkers' when going to campuses without the heavyweight bike store, or somewhere indoors I can leave the nice bike.

Unless bike theft really isn't a problem in your area, I'd go for something second hand, stick some upgrades on it to make it run nice, lock them on with security bolts.

 

[John the Canuck]

[QUOTE="w00hoo_kent, post: 3139582, member: 36674".............., lock them on with security bolts.[/QUOTE]

my nephew had his saddle stolen whilst visiting Oxford
not a major prob you say..?.........he had to ride home to Paris.......

i have just ordered some allen key saddle bolts - you can then Crazy Glue a ball bearing into the 'hole'