Ive moved 4 miles from work, and parking is Ã,£18 a day.

Ive decided to augment my training with a daily cycle to and fro work.

BUT - I need a bicycle. Now, to me, they are all the same, a simple frame, a set of gears and a chain. My budget would be up to Ã,£500 for something to do the daily commute on.

Second hand best bet ?

Yes, and unless you live in a crime free town, get something thats not thief magnet. Four miles aint nothing. I used to commute 8 flat miles in Chicago on a Raleigh DL-1, same bike that the Flying Pigeon of China is modeled after. Beyond having a comfy saddle, trued wheels, and smooth running kit--it matters little.

If its not too hilly, thats a perfect distance for a classic British roadster. Or find a trashy used hybrid and throw some mudguards on it. Old mtb with road slicks...whatever.

But then theres the draw of the shiny new object, and face it, getting a new bike that gives you a new vehicle hardon is a lot cheaper than a new car hardon.

Buying new, you can get plenty of commuting bike for 300. No reason to spend more for a city ride. Heck, my fancy ass Brodie cost 260.  One thing Ill steer you away from, as it makes your bike a theft magnet and makes little difference in the city are disk brakes. Ive got them, they work fine, but Im a great wrench and can tweak them on the go--if my rims allowed for it, Id switch to shorty cheap tekro cantis in a heartbeat. Much less fussy. Mounting mudguards and a rear carrier is sheer hell with disks.  They do look swish tho.

About them being all the same, thats true to a degree. Most decent bikes in your price range are made in Taiwan, and they have solid bike factories there. Nothing to worry about. If its Shimano mechanicals, make sure the rear mech is either Alivio or Sora or Better. Dont let the sales guy talk you up to 9 or 10 speed, if you like the 8spd bike. Spares for 8spd bikes are MUCH cheaper, and you aint racing the grand Tour. V-brakes or cantilevers are fine these days, even the cheapest Tektros stop on a dime with proper adjustment. Branding matters little, but being comfy with the bike shop and bike fit are more important. Dont forget to budget for lock, mudguards, rack, and perhaps a rack mounted briefcase doohicky.

Stateside, Id send you rectly to my local REI for one of these bad boys, complete with internal transmission.




Looking at wiggle.co.uk, the only bikes I saw with your needs and budget in mind are the Focus Arriba, which has provisions for mudguards and rack, and is a go-fast sorta city bike. Specced smartly with Tiagra mech and Avid v-brakes, so mounting sh*t wont be a chore:

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Theres also the Focus Red Falls, a full on real European commuter, with fenders, rack--and get this, a front hub that generates electricity for front and rear lights silently. Cool, in a geekly or Dutch sort of way. 400

I like the look of the focus one. Ill go look on Saturday