Bike Advice (City Bike)

seachto7

Hi folks,

Recently started cycling to work again after years of not cycling. I was given a pretty decent bike, that's like new. It's a Boardman hybrid.

Apart from the saddle breaking my bottom (my bum will harden up yet...) I find it a bit uncomfortable to cycle.

I find cycling the coca cola bikes comfortable, As in, sitting up.

So thinking of looking for a bike that would offer my a similar sitting position.

Not having done any research into bikes for years, I don't know where to start.

I suppose working out a budget would be the first thing to do.

The Boardman I have would have cost a few quid, but I wouldn't need to go high end. Any advice on what I could go for?

Lex Luthor

Trek FX 7.2 or 7.3

robyntmorton

seachto7 wrote: »

Recently started cycling to work again after years of not cycling. I was given a pretty decent bike, that's like new. It's a Boardman hybrid.

Apart from the saddle breaking my bottom (my bum will harden up yet...) I find it a bit uncomfortable to cycle.

I would have thought that a hybrid would be a fairly upright position by design. It is on my Giant Escape, which got me back into cycling before going on to a road bike. Is it just bum uncomfortable, or that you feel you are being stretched/squashed out of shape on the bike? It may be that the sizing isn't quite right for you.

You can either break in your bum, or break in a new saddle, but if it is the bike that is at fault, you really need to have it right first.

When I got the Giant, I had tried out a couple of others, including a Trek, and found the Escape to be the most suitable of the lot. Having not cycled for years before, I immediately felt at home on it.

It was not overly expensive too, with the entry level (Escape 3) coming in a little sub €400, though a city version in the current product year, with pannier rack and fenders would come in just over it.

The best advice I can give though, as I am far from an expert, is to try and work with your local bike shop, see if you can test ride a handful of different ones, and you will see where you feel most comfortable.

seachto7

I'm just hunched over like on a racer. Sitting upright Dutch style would be more comfortable I think

Chuchote

It's a funny thing that the bike manufacturers aren't responding to the huge demand for sit-up bikes - as a result, there's a boom in 'vintage' bicycles.

But if you want something light and still sit-up, you could look at something like this:

http://www.cannondale.com/en/International/Bike/ProductDetail?Id=36de0a39-bbfe-4eb8-89b4-885d871692cd&parentid=undefined

(I don't know if you're male or female - if you're male and particularly proud of your gender, this may be too girly for you? In that case, http://www.cannondale.com/en/International/Bike/ProductDetail?Id=55b19d57-d23b-4f39-8515-54bcba8fd397&parentid=undefined)

You can get a good bicycle if you go through the Bike-to-Work scheme, if it's available to you: http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/money_and_tax/tax/income_tax_credits_and_reliefs/cycle_to_work_scheme.html

rtmie

seachto7 wrote: »

I'm just hunched over like on a racer. Sitting upright Dutch style would be more comfortable I think

Try http://dutchbikeshop.ie they are in Dublin, south side I think.

seachto7

I'm male by the way. And I'm not latching on to a trend , I do find sitting up more comfortable (on a commute)
Funnily enough I always found the old "high nelly" comfortable to cycle but bloody heavy!

And yes I can avail of the bike to work scheme

Chuchote

seachto7 wrote: »

I'm male by the way. And I'm not latching on to a trend , I do find sitting up more comfortable (on a commute)
Funnily enough I always found the old "high nelly" comfortable to cycle but bloody heavy!

And yes I can avail of the bike to work scheme

No, no, I'm not saying you're latching on to a trend, I was just commenting that it's strange that bike makers don't supply light versions of the sit-up bikes when so many people want them.

Those Cannondales are light. Not sure how much they weigh, but take a look in Google using "Cannondale adventure" and "lb" or "kg" and you should find some assessment of the actual weight, if you hunt a bit. For some reason, manufacturers are strangely shy about stating the weight. I know this differs from small to large, but so does standover, and they generally state this in the 'geometry' part of the description.

forestgirl

Check out Brompton folding bicycles,fab up right position while cycling,really really fun to ride you can go anywhere even pop in for a coffee fold it up take it in with you and if it rains fold it up and hop on a bus or train and when in work it will sit really neatly under the desk and no one will even know it's there.

seachto7

Chuchote wrote: »

No, no, I'm not saying you're latching on to a trend, I was just commenting that it's strange that bike makers don't supply light versions of the sit-up bikes when so many people want them.

Those Cannondales are light. Not sure how much they weigh, but take a look in Google using "Cannondale adventure" and "lb" or "kg" and you should find some assessment of the actual weight, if you hunt a bit. For some reason, manufacturers are strangely shy about stating the weight. I know this differs from small to large, but so does standover, and they generally state this in the 'geometry' part of the description.

I hear ya.

Donie75

I've seen a few Dutch style Vanmoof bikes that look really interesting.
I find a lot of Hybrids have a very hunched riding position also. I would also be very interested in an upright town bike. I rented a very simple upright bike in Florida before and it was lovely to cruise around town on. It had a back pedal or coaster brake.

BabysCoffee

I have a Gazelle which I got from The Dutch Bike shop - love upright cycling!

tomasrojo

forestgirl wrote: »

Check out Brompton folding bicycles,fab up right position while cycling,really really fun to ride you can go anywhere even pop in for a coffee fold it up take it in with you and if it rains fold it up and hop on a bus or train and when in work it will sit really neatly under the desk and no one will even know it's there.

I have a Brompton which I dearly love, but it's not as upright as a Dutch bike. It's still a little bit hunched forward, depending on your height and what handlebar style you choose.

Another advantage of Dutch-style bikes, or roadsters, is the totally enclosed chain. I had a look at my bakfiets chain yesterday after 3+ months of variable weather, including quite a lot of rain. The chain was utterly pristine. I oiled it anyway because I'd gone to the bother of getting the chain case off, but that's remarkable when you're used to exposed or semi-exposed chains.

I think that's another beauty of Dutch-style bikes: very little maintenance. On the other hand, when something does go wrong, I suspect it's often pretty hard to fix.

tomasrojo

The Dutch Bike Shop is in Goatstown, by the way.

Chuchote

Hunt around for a recent thread where someone was complaining of a very sore arse. It was instantly fixed when he brought his bike back to the shop and they changed the height, tilt and placement of his saddle to suit him.

seachto7

I could do. If I could raise the handlebars, twould be good, but I don't think it's that type of bike.

Ah the sore bum will go away after a few weeks. Probably like getting up on a horse for the first time...