Help! need to buy a bike...

fungirl1

I have ar eally old heavy mountain bike which was cheap as chips. I am commuting circa 50km a week, doing the odd weekend cycle and take my bike on hols to west cork every year. I would like to buy a bike using the bike to work scheme.
I did a bit of research and thought a hybrid might be a good answer..but I dont really know. I went to a shop today - it was pouring outside so couldnt take any bikes out so thought it wasnt a good idea to buy based on a 10m circuit in the shop! I just didnt feel the shop was interested in helping though - for example the bike he was recommending cost €799 but the guy let the saddle down on it for me - with the saddle down my knees were quite bent when fully extended (which I think from spinning means the saddle should have been higher..) but as it was on the lowest setting I could only bearly touch the ground on my tippy toes...was the frame too big? I tried 3 bikes - c 250, 500 and 799 - i could see a huge difference between the two cheaper ones but other than the fact the most expensive one had v reactive hydraulic breaks i was stuggling on the difference between the other 2..(to be honest my current bike is so awful anything woudl be a major improvement
I left the shop fed up and more confused than when I went in ..any suggestions for a bike shop or a bike would really be appreciated...if I am spending these kinds of sums of money I dont want to and cant afford to make a mistake..
Thank you all

ray o

I would recommend wheelworx over in Liffey Valley. I brought my wife over and they were very helpful in explaining the correct setup for her size. They have a decent choice of hybrid Trek and Giant and I believe they were trying to get in more womens specific Felt bikes.

papac

If you are doing that kinda cycling on a heavy mtb you won't know yourself if you get a nice light Hybrid or Road bike.-Assuming you are riding on roads these would be your best options imo.

If you see yourself riding more and getting a bit more serious I would definately go for a drop bar road bike.( More comfortable as you have more hand positions and you can keep the bars up high to start with).
Most people start off prejudiced against drop bars but few who try them would ever go back to flat bars for road use.)

I assume you are female from your username. How tall are you and what is your budget.??

Worth bearing in mind that you generally get better value by spending a bit more and you can only use the btw scheme once (or maybe every hundred years.? not sure.) so you should try and get yourself a nice bike out of it.

fungirl1

Thanks guys - yes am female and 5ft 4. I am going to display my complete stupidity about bikes now - what are drop handle bars? Are they racer handle bars?
IN terms of budget with the CTW scheme you can sepnd up to €1000 andwhere I work you can only apply once every 5 years.
I am pretty open minded about how much I spend in that I think the CTW scheme will take the pain out of it, but for the budget I also need to factor in the cost of mudgards, a carrier and a new lock...
I really appreciate the help and advice

cdaly_

A colleague of mine spent the full €1000 on a Giant Avail 3 along with a bunch of accessories. Lovely bike.

To be honest I wouldn't worry too hard about not-fitted-to-the-bike accessories as you'll buy them a good deal cheaper on-line than in the local bike shop (LBS). I got my lock online for about €60 and would have spent around €120 for the same lock in Dublin. Clothes will similarly be cheaper online.

Best of luck and let us know what you get.

I found Duff cycles in Santry to be helpful enough when trying out bikes. Little Sport in Fairview were pretty good also.

Oh and yeah, drop bars are the racer type (as you'll see in the Giant link. Nicer to use once you get used to them.

papac

not-fitted-to-the-bike accessories as you'll buy them a good deal cheaper on-line than in the local bike shop (LBS)

This is a great point and one of the reasons why,imo, you should blow the budget on the bike. You can pick up the little things as you go along but upgrading the bike is a bit of a mugs game.

female and 5ft 4.

You pretty much need the smallest size in almost all adult bikes.Women smaller than you actually have difficulty finding bikes to fit.(I know because my wife is 5 feet exactly)

A word of warning-some bike shops will try to sell you the smallest bike they have in stock-it won't always be the right size.

Maybe have a good look around and see what takes your fancy. If you post more specific questions about models you like people can help more I think.

Some reading about bikes for petite women.
http://www.myra-simon.com/bike/petitest.html

SerialComplaint

Don't forget to include carrier and panniers into your budget - these will make a big differense to your comfort on that commute.

fungirl1

SC - you are right! I already have the panniers but forgot about the carrier! I am going to head out to wheelworx and see how I get on...its on the list of places I am allowed to buy the bike ...so will see what they say...thanks all for your help and advice...if i purchase I will post but am suspicious I may be back with more questions...

fungirl1

Hi all - thanks for the help - went to Wheelworx and the were great really helpful - a much better experience than yesterdays bike shop! I decided on a Felt x City 2..

http://www.wheelworxbikes.com/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=58&products_id=2052

very happy so now all I have to do is get it processed at work on Tuesday and hopefully I might be good to go by next weekend!!

:D:D

papac

Congratulations.Good solid easy to maintain bike I'd say.Looks cool in the black and not so much of a thief magnet.

Hope you have many happy miles on her.(Careful the bike bug doesn't bite you;))

fungirl1

Thanks all:D:D

BostonB

I was looking then the other day. Nice looking bike.