Which bike should I choose?

[Moyster]

Hi everyone, please forgive me in advance for any nonsense I may come out with. I am a complete novice to cycling and new to actually having a need for a bicycle other than for fun. Me and my partner have basically decided to downgrade to 1 car and as part of that i'm going to commute to and from work which is a 8 mile round trip. It's relatively all road and flat so nothing to challenging. I have a budget of £500 but I can go over if its beneficial to. I've got a few bikes in mind that i've seen essentially chosen because they are in a sale. I'll list them below with the one i was going to choose aswell. The reason i have chose a hybrid bike is just because i might use it on a weekend for something else aswell depending on if i really enjoy cycling or not.

Trek FX 1 ST £375.00 ( This was my choice just based on price ofcourse)

Trek FX 1 Hybrid Bike £419.00

Trek FX 2 Disc Hybrid Bike £489.00

Pinnacle Neon 1 Hybrid Bike £519

Cannondale CX 3 Hybrid Bike £549

I've gone over budget on some just based on their discounts aswell but these gernally the choices i have right now but i'm completely open to anything else that's going suit me alot better for my commute and just generally be alot better long term.

 

[stalagmike]

Those all look like solid choices. I would check which ones have the eyes to fit a rack as you might find you’d like panniers to carry a laptop or change of clothes. I suspect they all will if they are sold as hybrids but worth checking. I understand that disc brakes will have more stopping power in the rain (I’ve never owned a bike with them so can’t say first hand), so that might swing it for you if you are going to commute all weathers.

 

[biggs682]

@Moyster welcome
What kind of a commute is it is there good secure storage?
Why not go second hand?
Something like an early non suspension MTB with slick road tyres is more than capable and would cost an awful lot less .

 

[Jameshow]

I would go for discs on a commuter bike tbh.

Also not too high a spec 8-9 speed as the cost of parts increase as you go up the price range.

Finally I'd avoid front suspension it's heavy and not needed.

 

[All uphill]

Hi and welcome.

I agree with the comments above, that any of these should do what you want. I'd check if there is a bicycle recycling project near you, where you could get a serviced and guaranteed used bike, along with some help to get the right size.

But I really wanted to say that one car and one bike is an upgrade from two cars .

 

[feckless]

Looking at those bikes I'd go for whichever of the Trek FX 2 or Pinnacle Neon fits you the best.

The two cheaper Treks are heavier with rather poorer components (and rim brakes). With the 'Dale you'll be paying for a suspension fork you don't really need.

 

[PedallingNowhereSlowly]

I'd say the Trek FX 2 Disc Hybrid Bike is the sweet spot in the line up.
There is also an 'Equipped' version which, if you jump through the appropriate hoops, you can get for £659

For an extra £170 relative to the price you've given for the unequipped version. For that you are getting lights, pannier rack and mudguard and a kickstand. That's probably about £130 worth of stuff, if you shop around for the best prices and fit it yourself. But, if you don't have that luxury, the extra money you spend might pay for itself in convenience/practicality.

Mudguards are highly recommended. As well as keeping you dry, they will help keep detritus off the bike so the drive train components last longer and don't need as much maintenance. A pannier rack is useful - it's much more comfortable strapping stuff to the rack or using panniers rather than using a bag pack. Lights are of course essential. I'm not sure on the quality of the lights supplied - but the ones I got with my Trek District 4 equipped, albeit dynamo powered, seem more than up to the job. And a kick stand I find really useful on a commuting/utility bike, even though there's quite a weight penalty.

 

[Moyster]

@Moyster welcome
What kind of a commute is it is there good secure storage?
Why not go second hand?
Something like an early non suspension MTB with slick road tyres is more than capable and would cost an awful lot less .

Hi! So the commute itself isn’t to challenging its all road and pretty much level all the way there so no hills etc… through mostly estates. Second hand is definitely an option actually I’m heading to a local bike shop tomorrow to have a look I assume they might have some second hand bikes so I can attach some pictures before I buy to see what everyone thinks!

 

[Moyster]

@Moyster welcome
What kind of a commute is it is there good secure storage?
Why not go second hand?
Something like an early non suspension MTB with slick road tyres is more than capable and would cost an awful lot less .

oh storage storage is no issue it will be in the office with me!

 

[Moyster]

Hi and welcome.

I agree with the comments above, that any of these should do what you want. I'd check if there is a bicycle recycling project near you, where you could get a serviced and guaranteed used bike, along with some help to get the right size.

But I really wanted to say that one car and one bike is an upgrade from two cars .

I’m going to a local bike shop tomorrow so hopefully they can help out a bit and second hand is definitely an option now after everyone’s comments!

Yep getting rid of the second car is a huge plus for us and also less money to spend on fuel. We’re trying to cut down to using the car a lot less during the week.

 

[Moyster]

Looking at those bikes I'd go for whichever of the Trek FX 2 or Pinnacle Neon fits you the best.

The two cheaper Treks are heavier with rather poorer components (and rim brakes). With the 'Dale you'll be paying for a suspension fork you don't really need.

I’m going to head to a local shop tomorrow so the bike choices might change actually they sell both of those bikes so I’ll keep to the 2 bikes you’ve chosen and also I’ll see what lighter bikes they have. I’ll keep you updated as may need some more advice on which to pick!

 

[biggs682]

Hi! So the commute itself isn’t to challenging its all road and pretty much level all the way there so no hills etc… through mostly estates. Second hand is definitely an option actually I’m heading to a local bike shop tomorrow to have a look I assume they might have some second hand bikes so I can attach some pictures before I buy to see what everyone thinks!

Sounds like a second hand machine would be ideal something like this Marin would be my choice.

 

[PedallingNowhereSlowly]

Second hand is definitely the way to go if you know your way around a bike; or you have a good Local Bike Shop (LBS) and you are prepared to pay them a few visits.

And by good, I mean, they are willing to use a bit of ingenuity to keep you going. Older bikes, like the good 90s rigid MTBs which do make great commuting bikes, the chances are they are going to have a few issues that need addressing. I've had a few myself with my 1993 vintage Ridgeback. Like the grease in the freewheel drying out with age so the pawls didn't engage. I got the freehub going again and it hasn't caused me any issues since. It took several goes to get the old grease flushed out, without dissassembling the freehub which isn't designed to come apart. And I had to heat up wet lube to get it to soak past the seal into the freehub to re-lubricate it.

I have a NOS freewheel for it btw, which has exactly the same problem. Didn't have it back then, acquired it since. Having the spare would probably mean I'd have risked pulling the seal out of the original freehub so I could disassemble it. Can still get new ones, but these are nowhere near as good as the originals.

And with some miles on it, it needs more repairs. So now I've got to choose between putting replacement cheap components on it or modernising it so it has modern hub spacing. That means probably and ideally getting a new wheel built and filing the dropouts to take a 10mm axle.

It's all doable and probably still come out a lot cheaper than a ~£500 new bike, but it is faff.
Every second hand bike I've bought has had issues. That said, there are some genuine bargains that do turn up - bikes that are a few years old, been ridden once or twice and then garaged. If you can find one of them, that looks like a genuine sale, then you are probably onto a winner.

 

[fritz katzenjammer]

I’ take the FX1 over the FX2. The brake components on the fx2 are entry level hydraulic, these won’t be as reliable or long lasting as the mechanical discs on the FX1. For my money I’d save for another while and buy the fx3… a much better selection of bits are used on it.

before anybody nails me to a post for the above please be aware that I’m a mechanic for Trek.

 

[biggs682]

before anybody nails me to a post for the above please be aware that I’m a mechanic for Trek.

Good solid advice from someone who knows