Bike Recommendations - Commuting to Work

Butty

Hi

I'm moving house in Dublin soon and the bus commute is a complete nightmare so I've decided to take the plunge and start cycling to work. It's about a 5 mile cycle which I'm presuming will take a half hour at most.

Just wondering if anyone has any recommendations as to where to buy a bike at a fairly reasonable price? Should I go new or are there good shops around where I could pick up a decent second hand bike? What kind of price should I be paying to get something decent? As I said it's only for the commute to work so it doesn't need to be anything fantastic with all of the bells and whistles!!

I'm fairly new to this - I haven't cycled further than a mile since my school going days (I'm now 25) - but I'm fit so cycling a few miles morning and evening will be no problem.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers

Raam

with bikes, like most other things, you get what you pay for.
If you buy a cheap bike, then it won't last long. Components will break easier than on a more expensive bike. That's not to say that components do not break on expensive bikes.

Figure out how much you want to spend. Then go around the shops and see what is in that price range. Little Sport in Fairview do second hand bikes, AFAIK.

Test ride a few bikes and see which one fits you best.

RobAMerc

Hi,

I have a Claude Butler Levante 24sp for sale if you are interested.
These are flat bar road bikes, idea for commuting, alot of the couriers use them.

It weighs about as much as a sandwich and is ve fast. Mine has about 20kms on it, it really is as new. your for €500 - thats about €180 saving from new.

I have attached a pic. pm if your interested.

Rob

Civilian_Target

5 miles in Dublin city centre does take a good half hour, suburbs are obviously a good bit faster...

The advice I can offer is, avoid Halfords! I found Cyclelogical on the quays and Cycleways on Parnell St both to be good, but they're far from cheap, and ended up picking up a second-hand specialised commuters bike, and its served me well for the last thousand (or more) miles, mostly in a fairly rough & ready urban environment, and hope it to continue to do so for a long while to come!

Be aware than on top of the cost of the bike, you can expect lighting, helmet and clothing/bags to set you back a further €100...

RainyDay

I've found one of these to be great for commuting, though as I've only had it a few months, I can't say much about its reliability yet.

kona

civillian target: that is bullshat and you know it, i get alot of stuff from cycleways and cycological because i kinda know the guys there,and both are great and a cant fault them, i agree with you that some halfords stores are not as good as othersbut if you know what you want that shouldnt be a prob eh;) ,and i can fault some of their stores, but you cant tar them all with the same brush.
if you move away from the cheap apollo crap up to carrera and gt and kona, halfords are very compeditive price and quality wise, tbh if i was a newbie id avoid cycleways and cycological, those guys sell more proper bikes a la +1000 euro than mediocre bikes 200-400.
check out the carrera sub1, the 06 models are 250 i think, all with enclosed bearings, city gear ratios, and a 7005 double butted aluminium frame, and rigid steel fork, got my ma one and she loves it.really light for the price.
other than that the levante offered is a nice bike too.

Raam

kona wrote:

...stuff...

Dude, any chance you could punctuate your posts before hitting the submit button?
It would make them a lot easier to read

BeardyGit

kona wrote:

civillian target: that is bullshat and you know it, i get alot of stuff from cycleways and cycological because i kinda know the guys there,and both are great and a cant fault them, i agree with you that some halfords stores are not as good as othersbut if you know what you want that shouldnt be a prob eh;) ,and i can fault some of their stores, but you cant tar them all with the same brush.
if you move away from the cheap apollo crap up to carrera and gt and kona, halfords are very compeditive price and quality wise, tbh if i was a newbie id avoid cycleways and cycological, those guys sell more proper bikes a la +1000 euro than mediocre bikes 200-400.
check out the carrera sub1, the 06 models are 250 i think, all with enclosed bearings, city gear ratios, and a 7005 double butted aluminium frame, and rigid steel fork, got my ma one and she loves it.really light for the price.
other than that the levante offered is a nice bike too.

You really are a mixed bag of apples and oranges aren't you? One really never can guess what you'll come up with next. Will he praise Halfords or will he slate them. Answer me this - if one were to visit Halfords in Coolock retail park for example, would they get good service from everyone there? How about the stores you *can* fault - Which ones specifically would they be? Surely you know of course as you're such an authority on stores you'd fault or not.

OP, I think Halfords is a great chain for what it is. They're open late, have the basics in stock most of the time, and occasionally turn up a good deal. I spend a few quid there every month on bits and pieces for bikes. I also shop in Cyclogical quite frequently. Both have their merits and I've found both helpful and unhelpful staff in both stores, and a balance of bargains and high prices in each on different products. You'll get that everywhere though from what I can tell. Don't rule out online shopping too - CRC appear to be the most convenient and offer good service and value for money.

If you're on a budget but want a bike with warranty and a bit of backup, designed to meet your needs at least at a basic level, that Subway 1 is a super deal. I'd buy one myself. And unlike Kona, I don't work in Halfords - I just happen to recognise that they definately fill a hole in the market here.

If you're interested in any Carrera (Great value for money, very upgradeable etc) I'd recommend speaking to a guy named Tony out in Halfords in Carrickmines retail park, if you can make it out that way and want some real service. Helpful guy and he's a biker, he also understands that people have budgets and specific needs, instead of bottomless wallets and a shopping list right out of the last edition of MBUK. In fact, my experience there suggests all the guys in the bike hut section know enough to actually be helpful.

Cheers,

Gil

kona

point taken on punctuation,lol:o .

eh i dont work for halfords???

tbh gil i take your point on some staff being helpful and others not, its the same everywhere, person could be in a bad mood or whatever or could be new to the job.
but ive dealt with a number of halfords stores(funnily enough coolock is the best service as regards to maintenance and knowledge, and im not saying which ones are the worst im sure you know them yourself, but i wouldnt rate carrickmines in the top 3,but this is my opinion and others have different ones) and tbh i do find some better than others in general,and then id find some staff members cool and others that couldnt give a ****e.
but thats the same with arnotts, mc donalds, hmv, champion sports, ryanair etc.........even with the government

the parts i got for my jump bike came from cycological,cycleways and crc. crc were the worst as the sent me the wrong size rear mech and two front hydraulic brakes. and cycological and cycleways sorted this prob without me having to go and return them up north which in my opinion gets 100% for customer service and i cant see halfords doing the same.
i am a bit of a mixed bag, i just like to point out all pros and cons, i have to be fair and honest, i dont wanna give somebody biased ****ty advice like some other members here give.

people have budgets which is fair enough(i do too) but going straight for the cheapest mtb or one that says half price and expecting to use it doing proper mtb and dirt jumping is stupid. sure e1000 bikes are for eejits the e150 one will do fine, btw did anybody read the mbuk review of aldi bikes?? quite funny and shocking

Alkers

kona wrote:

btw did anybody read the mbuk review of aldi bikes?? quite funny and shocking

Ha, I'd love to read that.

Bettyboo2u

I have a Sirrus. I bought it around 2 years ago for €750. I like the bike though i find once you put a pannier on, it can get heavy. I would prefer a lighter bike. My commute is just over 20miles a day and some of the components are starting to give me problems. Overall though, i would recommend the Sirrus to you.

milod

Bettyboo2u wrote:

I have a Sirrus. I bought it around 2 years ago for €750. I like the bike though i find once you put a pannier on, it can get heavy. I would prefer a lighter bike. My commute is just over 20miles a day and some of the components are starting to give me problems. Overall though, i would recommend the Sirrus to you.

I have a Sirrus Sport too and recommend them - word of warning though, if you have problems don't bring it back to Cycleways - they may be the agent, but I've had nightmares with them over crank/bottom bracket parts (two separate problems due to wear and tear/mileage).

In each case I had to chase the issue up and the bike spent a total of two months off the road 'waiting for parts'. Funnily enough the chap in SquareWheels got them for me within three days...

kayakboy

Has to be a Had mine for Cannodale Bad Boy. Had mine for three and half years it kicks ass and looks cool.
bb_03.jpg

Titiritero

kayakboy wrote:

Has to be a Had mine for Cannodale Bad Boy. Had mine for three and half years it kicks ass and looks cool.
bb_03.jpg

Nice bike, kayakboy. However, I don't understand why companies make "commuting" bikes worth 800 or even 1,000 EUR. It would be crazy to lock a bike worth that much on the street, and commuting for me is using the bike for everything (going to work, to buy milk, to go to the cinema, etc.) and parking it anywhere.

Whatever the OP buys, something decent but at the same time that won't keep you worried every time you lock it to a traffic light... I'd say a 300/500 EUR budget will do the job, with proper mudguards!

ruprect

Many people can bring the bike into work, into a supervised carpark or indoors. I do 50miles+ per week, many would do 100+miles per week. A €300 bike in this case can be a false economy, fine if you go to the shops or a spin on weekends but with some peoples usage they will go through 4-5 €300 bikes in the same time as 1 €900 bike with good components. Also a decent bike is a joy to cycle.

The OP is doing 10miles a day, so 50 a week. I would recommend a pretty good one. You have to be careful where you lock it. If you commute to the same place each day you can get a massive motorbike lock and leave it there. I would advise against a flashy looking bike as it attracts thieves. I rubbed all the component markings off my bike, I also plan on giving it a really crap paint job.

Also they are not just for commuting it is just that they are recommended for it. A road bike is fairly uncomfortable, a MTB has low efficiency, so a hybrid/commuter can simply handle the crap roads. For every €1000 hybrid there is a far more expensive road bike, €1000 is about the limit they seem to go to.

Alkers

Titiritero wrote:

Nice bike, kayakboy. However, I don't understand why companies make "commuting" bikes worth 800 or even 1,000 EUR. It would be crazy to lock a bike worth that much on the street, and commuting for me is using the bike for everything (going to work, to buy milk, to go to the cinema, etc.) and parking it anywhere.

Whatever the OP buys, something decent but at the same time that won't keep you worried every time you lock it to a traffic light... I'd say a 300/500 EUR budget will do the job, with proper mudguards!

It's not a question of budget, a €300/500 can look just as attractive to thieves as a €900 one. Regardless of how much you spend you're going to have to make the bike appear cheap and hard to sell if you're planning on locking it in different public locations.

Titiritero

Not going to argue about price, or what´s the starting point to be getting a "good bike", as it´s usually a very subjective matter.

However, no matter how good a lock is, all are breakable, so I just wouldn´t be relaxed leaving a 1000 EUR bike on the street every day. Also, I wouldn´t spend that money in a nice looking bike like the Fat Boy to end up scratching the stickers or painting it over to make it look cheaper. But maybe it´s just me. :-)

A good trick that seems to be working for me is to do the opposite to what manufacturers do. Most people just look at the rear derailleur to judge the "worthiness" of a bike (hence why many factory bikes have crap components but a fancy Deore XT at the back), so I´ve put an ugly looking 7 speed Shimano Tourney on mine...

Civilian_Target

lol! By that criteria my bike wins, giving its completely lacking in deraileurs (someone did try to steal it though...)

ruprect

Titiritero wrote:

I wouldn´t spend that money in a nice looking bike like the Fat Boy to end up scratching the stickers or painting it over to make it look cheaper. But maybe it´s just me. :-)

I bought my bike for function not looks, I had a few bikes in mind but was turned off since they had those wheels with only a few spokes or disc brakes, both are not seen on cheap bikes. I was mentioning painting it pink in another thread and a search found a few sites where people did just that!, one guy had something like 5 bikes nicked in 2 years, painted it pink and doesnt even have to lock it now! If you think about it most bikes are nicked by scumbags, likely to be homophobic so wont be seen on it. Most cyclists are male and so resale goes potential. Most scumbags might be selling to fellow scum so punters will be even harder to find. Any crap paint job will lower the value. The bike is easier to spot, if they rob it and it is reported to the cops there is more risk cycling off on an all pink bike.

Titiritero wrote:

hence why many factory bikes have crap components but a fancy Deore XT at the back), so I´ve put an ugly looking 7 speed Shimano Tourney on mine...

I rubbed the XT off mine, somebody else mentioned they saw a MTB with really good forks but the label was taken off and replaced with a raleigh one.

Put aldi stickers on it, paint it pink, put streamers on the handle bars and a wicker basket on it and nobody will touch it. Also it will piss off serious cyclists on fancy road bikes in all the gear when you whizz by on an apparent bag of crap.

Titiritero

ruprect wrote:

I was mentioning painting it pink in another thread and a search found a few sites where people did just that!, one guy had something like 5 bikes nicked in 2 years, painted it pink and doesnt even have to lock it now! If you think about it most bikes are nicked by scumbags, likely to be homophobic so wont be seen on it. Most cyclists are male and so resale goes potential. Most scumbags might be selling to fellow scum so punters will be even harder to find. Any crap paint job will lower the value. The bike is easier to spot, if they rob it and it is reported to the cops there is more risk cycling off on an all pink bike.

Put aldi stickers on it, paint it pink, put streamers on the handle bars and a wicker basket on it and nobody will touch it. Also it will piss off serious cyclists on fancy road bikes in all the gear when you whizz by on an apparent bag of crap.

I agree that a pink bike is easier to spot, but don't count on it as a thieves-proof tool. A girl I know had her pink piece of sh*t stolen once in Moore St, was later recovered by the Gardai that same day, only to be stolen again 2 months later and never to be seen again. (the bike was called Betsie by her proud owner!).

I had to fix a few punctures for her, and that bike wouldn't even be worth 50 EUR, so in that point I agree with Simona that, no matter what the price is, if you can sell it, it'll be attractive to thieves. It's just that the sorrows won't be as bad with a 400 EUR investment than 1000 EUR, and wouldn't like to be influenced on when to use the bike or where to park it just because I'm afraid of it getting stolen. If it stops me from using it more often, then the bike is no good to me...