What bike to buy?

[sambo241]

Good evening

As the title says, I’m just looking for some advice on choosing a decent bike for my needs. It’ll be mainly commuting to and from work, which is roughly 22 miles there and back each day 5 days a week. The journey is on a little bit of road, but the majority is on a canal tow path and branch line. Couple of decent sized hills on there too, one of which is quite muddy and uneven.

I believe it’s hybrid I’ll be wanting although I have been pondering the gravel bike scene? I know from a little research that suspension is not the way to go so I’ve steered clear from that of any sort. So the the bikes I’ve come across so far that aren’t too taxing on the wallet are:

Carerra Subway 2
Pinnacle lithium 3
VooDoo Marasa

Now these are just ones I’ve done light research on that seem to be of some decent quality and not too pricey. They also seem to be what I’ll need for the daily commute? The dilemma I’m hoping I’ll be more enlightened about is whether a gravel bike would be appropriate. I’d say the majority of the surface I’ll be riding is quite muddy, so I am unsure if a gravel bike is the right choice or whether that matters at all? I am hoping you wonderful people could kindly guide me on any recommendations and advice on a suitable bike. I would also love to see any new suggestions that I haven’t come across if there is for the £500 mark and below please. I understand that £500 doesn’t get you much these days!

Any help will be much appreciated!

Thank you

 

[sevenfourate]

Welcome aboard.

I have an original Subway as my do-it-all / winter bike. I’ve got Mountain Bike type knobbly tyres on it, with a few other not too serious ‘upgrades’ - and use it for gravel / towpath / light off-road riding amongst other general duties. To be fair it’s been pretty faultless amongst all the abuse it takes - and although the cheapest bike in my ‘fleet’ I do really enjoy it. And it certainly holds a soft spot for me as it’s been such a pain free bike to own. Perhaps belying its price point infact (?)

I also have a Gravel bike. To be fair that term is overused at present imo. And often denotes nothing more than wider / more off-road type rubber being able to be fitted to a road bike. Often that: just because of the wider fork clearance allowing that. Something a traditional type road bike often doesn’t allow.
Other more ‘serious’ machines have much stronger wheel-sets, flared drop bars for supposed control, a 1 x front gearing system (Only one cog upfront on the chainring) meaning less weight, less moving parts / less to go wrong / more precise shifting when everything starts to get clogged up with mud, altered geometry etc etc

But your useage doesn’t sound too extreme tbh, so gearing range and perhaps tyre choice is more important than how any individual manufacture chooses to label ‘your’ bike….

Good luck !

 

[tribanjules]

Decathlon Trivandrum rc120 well worth a look. Good review and good bikes

 

[Jameshow]

Good evening

View attachment 675446

As the title says, I’m just looking for some advice on choosing a decent bike for my needs. It’ll be mainly commuting to and from work, which is roughly 22 miles there and back each day 5 days a week. The journey is on a little bit of road, but the majority is on a canal tow path and branch line. Couple of decent sized hills on there too, one of which is quite muddy and uneven.

I believe it’s hybrid I’ll be wanting although I have been pondering the gravel bike scene? I know from a little research that suspension is not the way to go so I’ve steered clear from that of any sort. So the the bikes I’ve come across so far that aren’t too taxing on the wallet are:

Carerra Subway 2
Pinnacle lithium 3
VooDoo Marasa

Now these are just ones I’ve done light research on that seem to be of some decent quality and not too pricey. They also seem to be what I’ll need for the daily commute? The dilemma I’m hoping I’ll be more enlightened about is whether a gravel bike would be appropriate. I’d say the majority of the surface I’ll be riding is quite muddy, so I am unsure if a gravel bike is the right choice or whether that matters at all? I am hoping you wonderful people could kindly guide me on any recommendations and advice on a suitable bike. I would also love to see any new suggestions that I haven’t come across if there is for the £500 mark and below please. I understand that £500 doesn’t get you much these days!

Any help will be much appreciated!

Thank you View attachment 675447

Pinnacle lithium as it's 0.5 / 1 kg lighter than the other two.

I didn't see a decent decathlon hybrid.

Look at boardman also Ribble too.

 

[vickster]

Decathlon Trivandrum rc120 well worth a look. Good review and good bikes

Think that’s meant to say Triban!

 

[vickster]

Pinnacle lithium as it's 0.5 / 1 kg lighter than the other two.

Half price in the sale too (as long as not super tall)
https://www.evanscycles.com/brand/pinnacle/lithium-3-hybrid-bike-939173#colcode=93917302

 

[Sharky]

Are you doing that 22mile/day commute now? It will be quite a challenge if its a new venture.

But its a very good way of getting and keeping fit.
Good luck

 

[chris667]

£500 buys something really special secondhand or something mediocre new.

I would aim for a secondhand touring bike with mudguards, and possibly a hub gear. With all of the new ones you're looking at, you pay extra for mudguards.

There was a Koga Miyata on the classifieds here for £500. A different class of bike to anything you're looking at now. More comfortable, fast and reliable assuming it's in good condition. A similar new one would be at least £1500.

There's a Rohloff touring bike on a certain auction website for £700 at the minute. If you could only have one bike, that should be a strong contender. Most of the bits that let you down on normal bikes are no longer an issue with hub gears. A new Rohloff wheel is £1200 or so.

 

[cyberknight]

Are you doing that 22mile/day commute now? It will be quite a challenge if its a new venture.

But its a very good way of getting and keeping fit.
Good luck

I have to agree with this , you will be super fit if you can do it .
You will need to look at the time to ride that far , we dont know how fit you are and how hard you want to ride so your going to be looking at least 1.5 hours each way or maybe longer .Look at what you might need to carry so a pannier rack and bags are very helpful to keep the weight off your back , i carry waterproofs all year around just in case !
Mudgaurds are essential too as they can help keep water from the wheels off your feet and back and dont forget the essentials like spare tubes, tyre levers, pump and multi tool

 

[Alex321]

Good evening

View attachment 675446

As the title says, I’m just looking for some advice on choosing a decent bike for my needs. It’ll be mainly commuting to and from work, which is roughly 22 miles there and back each day 5 days a week. The journey is on a little bit of road, but the majority is on a canal tow path and branch line. Couple of decent sized hills on there too, one of which is quite muddy and uneven.

I believe it’s hybrid I’ll be wanting although I have been pondering the gravel bike scene? I know from a little research that suspension is not the way to go so I’ve steered clear from that of any sort. So the the bikes I’ve come across so far that aren’t too taxing on the wallet are:

Carerra Subway 2
Pinnacle lithium 3
VooDoo Marasa

Now these are just ones I’ve done light research on that seem to be of some decent quality and not too pricey. They also seem to be what I’ll need for the daily commute? The dilemma I’m hoping I’ll be more enlightened about is whether a gravel bike would be appropriate. I’d say the majority of the surface I’ll be riding is quite muddy, so I am unsure if a gravel bike is the right choice or whether that matters at all? I am hoping you wonderful people could kindly guide me on any recommendations and advice on a suitable bike. I would also love to see any new suggestions that I haven’t come across if there is for the £500 mark and below please. I understand that £500 doesn’t get you much these days!

Any help will be much appreciated!

Thank you View attachment 675447

If you are doing 22 miles each way on that sort of terrain, you will be spending 3 hours+ per day in the saddle.

With that amount of time, it is important that the bike be comfortable and robust enough to take it without constant fiddling.

Personally, I would be inclined to go for a gravel bike over a hybrid on the basis that you have more choice of hand position, which can make it more comfortable on longer rides. But make sure it has at least 35mm tyres.

You will need gear ratios that go quite low if you have significant hills on tracks - I personally would not be looking at a 1x drivetrain, though many gravel bikes do. If you do go down the 1x route, you will probably want a 12 speed at the rear, with cogs going up to 40 teeth. 2x drivetrains for gravel bikes are typically 46/30 and 11-34.

 

[Gwylan]

Think that’s meant to say Triban!

Thank you. Wasted several minutes looking at bike hire in India.

 

[Gwylan]

That's a lot of miles and a job to fit in. At 15mph that's going to take a while. Every day, day in day out.
In my youth, well 40s, I used to occasionally cycle the 35km from home to work. Cycling to work committed me to cycling home.
That took me about 75 minutes each way. Sometimes it was 90 mins each way. That makes it a long day.

A stream of rainy cold days might stretch your enthusiasm too.
Assume you are not starting from scratch. Because a week of that sort of trip will find muscles you have forgotten.

Have you got showers at work? To refresh, but also to thaw you out in the winter.

My experience suggests think about an ebike.
But that's money.

Otherwise, ideally, disc brakes, belt drive, in hub gears. Costs, but it makes for reliability.
I don't like suspension. It's my Guinness, don't like it, never tried it.

Capacity to take chunky tyres for the winter. All make for reliability and comfort.
Splash on decent puncture resistant tyres.
Also decent all weather clothing.

Have a plan B for travel to work. For those mornings when the gloss of cycling is a bit tarnished.

 

[vickster]

It’s a long way, unlikely you’ll get to 15mph on a tow path unless doing very early or late and even then. The 3 hours a day estimate sounds reasonable, plus building in time to lock up, shower and change (As well as the inevitable occasional puncture or mechanical).
in winter, off road can be very icy or very muddy or both, so may need to find a road option.
Halfords have a gravel option at around £500 but it has fairly basic components, you’ll likely want to upgrade the tyres for starters. Also budget for mudguards, rack and panniers as above
https://www.halfords.com/seasonal/t...oo-limba-adventure-bike---l-frame-452950.html

 

[wafter]

£500 buys something really special secondhand or something mediocre new.

I would aim for a secondhand touring bike with mudguards, and possibly a hub gear. With all of the new ones you're looking at, you pay extra for mudguards.

There was a Koga Miyata on the classifieds here for £500. A different class of bike to anything you're looking at now. More comfortable, fast and reliable assuming it's in good condition. A similar new one would be at least £1500.

There's a Rohloff touring bike on a certain auction website for £700 at the minute. If you could only have one bike, that should be a strong contender. Most of the bits that let you down on normal bikes are no longer an issue with hub gears. A new Rohloff wheel is £1200 or so.

Absolutely this.

Only thing I'd add is that the bike is bound to take a beating if you'll be piling on the miles in all weathers, so I'd caution against going for something too nice or new..

Many areas of the used market are really taking a hammering currently so you can get a lot of bike for your money. Personally I'd be looking at a decent steel tourer; although I appreciate that you might not have an appetite for drop bars given your selection. If you bide your time £500 used would probably get you a Genesis Croix de Fer or Tour de Fer.

By way of example, I picked up my Fuji Touring and the end of last summer as a utility hack - I had to put a fair bit of work in but now I have a pretty bomb-proof workhorse that's neither too expensive, new or minty to take out in all weathers. It owes me about £400 with the bags

Finally, good work on the commute - that's a good distance and I admire your enthusiasm. My commute's about the same although sadly done in the car.. I've done the round trip in a day once before on the bike, but I don't think I could stomach it on top of a working day. I am tempted to maybe give it a go in the summer though.

Good luck

 

[sambo241]

Thank you for all your replies

I think I may have confused people with the miles I stated to and from work. It’s 22 miles a day at 11 miles a trip. That’s 11 miles to work, 11 miles home. I’m sorry for any misunderstanding I should have been clearer.

I have been commuting on an electric bike that’s currently out of action. Don’t judge me on the pick, I was naive as I know nothing about bikes lol it’s a Pure Flux One. Learning a slightly little bit more about bikes, I’m assuming that the one I have is not very good. But it does get me to work in about 40/50 minutes. The problem I’ve got is is the belt drive. The teeth have worn to the point where I cannot use the bike. I think I may be at fault for that by pushing it passed it’s highest assistance when I get the opportunity to and pedalling faster. I believe I’m putting strain on the belt drive this way? It began slipping a few weeks ago and now there’s a gap in the teeth of the belt so it doesn’t grip at all. The brakes are also horrendous, I cannot get them to stop squealing!! Other than that it’s been fine…and a pleasure to cycle to work. Especially in summer!

I know it’s a massive jump into man powered riding. The nature of my job keeps me fit as it’s in the steelwork trade so I was hoping that would aid me in getting used to putting in the work on the bike all by myself. Although, now with the replies, I am starting to cast doubt on whether this would be the correct move. If I could get to work in an hour that would suit me greatly, and I realise that at first that’s going to be stretched… possibly a lot.

I am more than happy to provide the route I’ll be taking to see if anyone could offer any advice? I don’t know how I’d do that but I used Komoot when I first started cycling about 6 months ago and that led me through the canal and so forth. Beautiful route. And my aim has always been to avoid as much road as possible.

But please, I would love more advice even if it is to put me off going non-electric as I am very much new in the topic of cycling. But I do enjoy it!