Author Topic: So this is just something ive been considering...  (Read 1742 times)

  • Offline PuNk

  • Posts: 702
  • Hero Member
So this is just something ive been considering...
on: April 30, 2007, 01:16:42 AM
Instead of driving, and getting the bus, part of my get fit regime could include buying a bike.

Itll just be used on roads really, but im really vein and I want something that looks good. btw, in my opinion, single speed looks good haha, i also heard it makes you work out harder? which would be cool.

anyway, ive no idea where to start, ive no idea how much im gunna spend yet, lets sayy £100-200?

anything, any ideas at all welcome :) clue me in !

So this is just something ive been considering...
Reply #1 on: April 30, 2007, 02:16:28 AM
£200 will get you a basic hybrid with 37-40mm tires which usually has gearing good enough for anything and brazeons for whatever you might want to mount on it. Not sexy, but certainly practical.  £300 gets ya a Kona Smoke, which is one of my fave entry level do-everything bikes that still looks pretty cool.

Single speed is lovely unless you have major hills in your area. Its moderately hilly around here, and it doesnt slow me down, though I should probably build up something with a few gears for those lazy days. :lol: For the dough youre suggesting, youll have to piece together something used, which is an adventure all its own.

or just get a Bianchi Rollo for £150:
http://www.bianchiusa.com/05_rollo.html

:D

  • Offline PuNk

  • Posts: 702
  • Hero Member
Re:So this is just something ive been considering...
Reply #2 on: April 30, 2007, 03:41:46 AM
well im willing to double that £200 budget tbh, i want something thatll last you know? something real sweet.

what are some good makes/manufacturers?

you see this is possibly going to replace my car (which i cant really afford to run when i move out). So it depends how much i get for my car, im hoping at least £600 really. (but i got overdraft to pay off!)

its either a cycle or a motorbike, i aint decided yet, but a cycle is sure cheaper to run and would get me fit !

Re:So this is just something ive been considering...
Reply #3 on: April 30, 2007, 05:47:31 AM
Quote from: PuNk
well im willing to double that £200 budget tbh, i want something thatll last you know? something real sweet.

what are some good makes/manufacturers?
!


Matters little these days. Most all bikes are made in Taiwan or China and have similar quality frames at each price point. Its not a fast rule, but generally true

Find something you like and that fits. Pretty much anything over 200GBP is going to be quite reliable these days. The weak point is almost always the wheels, not the components, but the assembly--even on fairly pricey bikes. I think its worthwhile to either pay the shop (cool shops might do it for nothing) or bring the wheels up to tension yourself.

Shop assembly is probably the most important thing. You could buy a very spendy bike that was built by a squid and youd find the braking and shifting to be awful. On the other hand, a good wrench can dial in a Sora or Altus system to shift like the mutts nuts.

So its a matter of first deciding what type of bike you want, then finding a physical example. Thats how I ended up with my daily rider, the Redline. I wanted something austere, but very sturdy and practical.

FWIW, if the used market in your local is reasonably priced, its usually the best place to go. Bikes depreciate fast, and a lot of people buy them to hang in the garage instead of ride This would be a local example of an insane deal

Anyhow, tell us what kind of riding youre planning on, and we can help ya troll the web t find it.

  • Offline SteveF

  • Posts: 1,743
  • Hero Member
Re:So this is just something ive been considering...
Reply #4 on: April 30, 2007, 09:09:51 AM
If youre commuting just dont buy a mountain bike - the tires will kill you :)

So this is just something ive been considering...
Reply #5 on: April 30, 2007, 11:11:43 AM
yeah first thing i changed imo.

  • Offline PuNk

  • Posts: 702
  • Hero Member
Re:So this is just something ive been considering...
Reply #6 on: April 30, 2007, 13:15:51 PM
well theres a little bike shop in town thats been there since i was born, real old guy but nice as they come, he normally makes sure everything is perfect before he gives it you, and offers free monthly servicing, as part of the price.

Theres always loads of used bikes but the idea of rust & stuff worries me, but that same shop offers servicing (at a charge) for bikes you didnt even buy from him.

Im after a road bike tbh, something quick and nimble, and itll only ever be used on roads, but like, the road from my house to my girlfriends is about 4 miles, bendy at 60mph, so you need to be going quite fast otherwise the traffic will get way pissed off at you.

Im going to go check out the local shop now.

would it be worth asking for particularly expensive(good quality) tyres/brakes?

So this is just something ive been considering...
Reply #7 on: April 30, 2007, 13:33:49 PM
unless you really want it. you can get it cheaper online and they are a doddle to fit. dont worry about second hand ones, just make sure he offeres a years guarentee, an youll be set.

Re:So this is just something ive been considering...
Reply #8 on: April 30, 2007, 13:44:48 PM
Quote from: SteveF
If youre commuting just dont buy a mountain bike - the tires will kill you :)


You can get slick city tyres, I have a pair and they are pretty good.

Re:So this is just something ive been considering...
Reply #9 on: April 30, 2007, 14:45:47 PM
Quote from: PuNk


would it be worth asking for particularly expensive(good quality) tyres/brakes?


Nah, I cant think of a brake Ive seen in years that didnt have the potential to be dialed in well. Both of my road bikes wear mid range Tektro kit from Taiwan--and it stops great. In the UK slop, running salmon colored Kool-Stop pads would be recommended. You can get the slide in carts if your brakes take that, or even use the Phat bmx pads on a road brake.

Tires are really personal. On my daily ride, Ive got IRC Tandems, which are basically "sport" tires with very supple sidewalls, with an additional layer of rubber in the middle. The extra rubber makes them a bit dead feeling, but not bad. Cross section ends up being oval. No flats. Bottom line is that youre going to have to decide what point between durability and liveliness you can live with. A fairly speedy 700c tire should weigh around 350g. Something racy and more supple with run 250g, and hybrid tires usually clock in at around 5-700g. So if you switch a hybrid bike from 37mm 700g tires to some 32mm Panaracer Paselas at 300g--thats nearly a kilogram of rotating mass, and will make the bike feel much nicer.

/blab

  • Offline Serious

  • Posts: 14,467
  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
Re:So this is just something ive been considering...
Reply #10 on: April 30, 2007, 16:55:12 PM
Quote from: Harry Monk
Quote from: SteveF
If youre commuting just dont buy a mountain bike - the tires will kill you :)


You can get slick city tyres, I have a pair and they are pretty good.


Ive used mountain bike tyres on roads and there is no problem, only issue is that there could be a little bit better grip at speed. If you arent going racing then there isnt a problem.

I got some slicker tyres a couple of months back but have still got to get around to changing them over :/

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.