WHAT BIKE? Help....

[Posty27]

Hi. This is driving me mad on what bike to go for, budget is a £1000, I was thinking hybrid as I’m hoping to use the off road a little bit but mainly back country roads and I prefere upright cycling I think to back down Im thinking too the cannondale quick cx1 but out of stock everywhere. Then was looking at the Boardman hyb 8.9but wasn’t sure. I really want something that’s Easy to maintain as I don’t know much about bikes. Is hybrid the way to go for me, really want to get it right and use my full budget so if anyone could help would really appreciate it. Kind regards

 

[biggs682]

@SkipdiverJohn i will let you answer this one

 

[vickster]

Hi. This is driving me mad on what bike to go for, budget is a £1000, I was thinking hybrid as I’m hoping to use the off road a little bit but mainly back country roads and I prefere upright cycling I think to back down Im thinking too the cannondale quick cx1 but out of stock everywhere. Then was looking at the Boardman hyb 8.9but wasn’t sure. I really want something that’s Easy to maintain as I don’t know much about bikes. Is hybrid the way to go for me, really want to get it right and use my full budget so if anyone could help would really appreciate it. Kind regards

What is the specific spec you want?
Perhaps have a look at the Whyte Stirling or Cambridge perhaps, fast flat bars 👍 no suspension but you don’t need for country roads.

or if you must have suspension
https://whyte.bike/collections/all-terrain-leisure-c7-series/products/caledonian-v2

Trek do a £950 suspension hybrid
https://www.trekbikes.com/gb/en_GB/...al-sport/dual-sport-4/p/23176/?colorCode=grey

why do you need to spend the full £1000? do you have budget set aside for all the other kit you’ll need?

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

@SkipdiverJohn i will let you answer this one

If you want easy to maintain above all else, don't buy a hybrid with derailleur gears. In fact don't buy pretty much any modern bike. Get yourself an old 3-speed roadster with Sturmey Archer hub gears. Bikes don't come any lower maintenance than 3-speeds and single speeds, but the latter are not so versatile.
If having a wider range of gears is important, because of the load or terrain, then a hybrid is a sensible choice. Not a modern one costing anything up to £1k though. Look out for a 1990's era steel bike, ideally with a decent cro-moly steel frame. Most numerous ones secondhand are Raleigh Pioneers, but there are some other decent quality options to consider. Ridgebacks, Falcon Explorers, or even a Trek 720. They can be bought for peanuts, repaired for peanuts if required, and run on an ongoing basis for peanuts. I don't see the need to, or expect to, spend more than about £50 in total when buying and recommissioning an old steel hybrid or MTB.

 

[Posty27]

Thank you, I’m going to use the bike to work scheme so want to use to whole allocation up. I’ve spent 20 hrs searching but have now decided on a gravel bike. Not sure though between the Boardman8.9 the canyon 6.0 or the Cannondale Topstone Tiagra disc gravel but latter two bit more expensive

 

[vickster]

Thank you, I’m going to use the bike to work scheme so want to use to whole allocation up. I’ve spent 20 hrs searching but have now decided on a gravel bike. Not sure though between the Boardman8.9 the canyon 6.0 or the Cannondale Topstone Tiagra disc gravel but latter two bit more expensive

Don’t forget that you can use the C2W voucher for accessories and clothing

 

[biggs682]

Let's hope it all goes well and gets used

 

[Posty27]

Don’t forget that you can use the C2W voucher for accessories and clothing

Thank you bud, I didn’t know to be honest, was thinking more expensive better bike, pay for what you get. Just didn’t want in a years time to buy an even better bike and waste the chance on buying the wrong one now

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

was thinking more expensive better bike, pay for what you get. Just didn’t want in a years time to buy an even better bike and waste the chance on buying the wrong one now

Once you get above the outright junk/catalogue BSO level in cycling, the price of bikes increases dramatically faster than the quality does. Expensive bikes are not always any better than cheaper bikes in terms of durability, ride quality, or longevity. A lot of the pricing structure is marketing driven, and essentially boils down to how much the maker of a certain brand of bike believes the customer will pay to have one! The only trend that is fairly consistent is that the higher you get up the price scale you will find bikes tend to be lighter in weight, but the reduction is very gradual and the differences would not even be noticeable to many anyway.
Jumping in at the deep end and buying expensive machinery on the justification that it saves an upgrade later is a dodgy argument, IMHO. You only have to look at the amount of virtually as new, barely-ridden machinery on the secondhand market, to realise that the majority of people who go out and buy a new bike on a whim don't actually stick with cycling long enough to even think about upgrading it in a year's time. This is one of the reasons I generally advocate the purchase of secondhand, not new bikes. There is less money involved so if a rider makes an inappropriate bike choice, or gives up cycling altogether and leaves the bike gathering dust in their shed, they haven't lost so much.

 

[Brooks]

Thank you bud, I didn’t know to be honest, was thinking more expensive better bike, pay for what you get. Just didn’t want in a years time to buy an even better bike and waste the chance on buying the wrong one now

My advice would be get yourself a cheap 2nd hand bike, that would give you plenty of time to find out what kind of cycling you'd like to do. It would also give you a much better informed view of what kind of bike best suits you.
Reading the threads on this forum is an invaluable way to gain the knowledge you need to select the best bike for you.

 

[Posty27]

My advice would be get yourself a cheap 2nd hand bike, that would give you plenty of time to find out what kind of cycling you'd like to do. It would also give you a much better informed view of what kind of bike best suits you.
Reading the threads on this forum is an invaluable way to gain the knowledge you need to select the best bike for you.

Thank you for your feedback. I think it’s just be fitness really. It’s just the opportunity I have with the ride to work scheme which saves me any money at all

 

[Posty27]

Once you get above the outright junk/catalogue BSO level in cycling, the price of bikes increases dramatically faster than the quality does. Expensive bikes are not always any better than cheaper bikes in terms of durability, ride quality, or longevity. A lot of the pricing structure is marketing driven, and essentially boils down to how much the maker of a certain brand of bike believes the customer will pay to have one! The only trend that is fairly consistent is that the higher you get up the price scale you will find bikes tend to be lighter in weight, but the reduction is very gradual and the differences would not even be noticeable to many anyway.
Jumping in at the deep end and buying expensive machinery on the justification that it saves an upgrade later is a dodgy argument, IMHO. You only have to look at the amount of virtually as new, barely-ridden machinery on the secondhand market, to realise that the majority of people who go out and buy a new bike on a whim don't actually stick with cycling long enough to even think about upgrading it in a year's time. This is one of the reasons I generally advocate the purchase of secondhand, not new bikes. There is less money involved so if a rider makes an inappropriate bike choice, or gives up cycling altogether and leaves the bike gathering dust in their shed, they haven't lost so much.

Thank you for reply, yes it is a bit of a gamble buying a real good bike but just not having to pay out because of using the ride to bike scheme is to good deal to turn down. I used to do a lot of running but being a postman is taking its toll on my feet every day so now I can’t run I want to get into cycling as it won’t have any impact on my feet then. So when I do something I normally do stick with it 😬 hopefully will with this.

 

[Brooks]

Thank you for your feedback. I think it’s just be fitness really. It’s just the opportunity I have with the ride to work scheme which saves me any money at all

I understand mate. Two years ago I was I your position and I didn't have a clue what bike to get. A mate told me just get a 2nd hand bike and see how it goes. Well I bought a £90 bike and I still have it! I got lucky really because I didn't know a thing about bikes.
The real bonus of having a 2nd hand bike is it encourages you to have a good tinker and you'll soon learn the basics of bike maintenance.
The ride to work scheme will always be there and you can take advantage of it when you really have a better knowledge of a bike that really suits you. Whatever you do I wish you luck in your choice, I'm interested now in what route you'll take.😀🚴

 

[vickster]

Thank you for reply, yes it is a bit of a gamble buying a real good bike but just not having to pay out because of using the ride to bike scheme is to good deal to turn down. I used to do a lot of running but being a postman is taking its toll on my feet every day so now I can’t run I want to get into cycling as it won’t have any impact on my feet then. So when I do something I normally do stick with it 😬 hopefully will with this.

Don’t forget to budget for insurance (home insurance generally the cheapest way). The bike isn’t yours for at least a year but if stolen or crashed, you still have to make the payments

 

[Posty27]

I understand mate. Two years ago I was I your position and I didn't have a clue what bike to get. A mate told me just get a 2nd hand bike and see how it goes. Well I bought a £90 bike and I still have it! I got lucky really because I didn't know a thing about bikes.
The real bonus of having a 2nd hand bike is it encourages you to have a good tinker and you'll soon learn the basics of bike maintenance.
The ride to work scheme will always be there and you can take advantage of it when you really have a better knowledge of a bike that really suits you. Whatever you do I wish you luck in your choice, I'm interested now in what route you'll take.😀🚴

Yeah Ito so,tricky I will let you know for def how I get on. I am one of these people to just go all in and go for it 🤪 I’m thinking the Boardman 8.9 adv