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    Anyone cycle to work? Bike buying advice needed

    Looking for some advice buying a new bike.

    I'm looking to get back into cycling at the weekends but also to and from work. It's 6.5 mile trek into Manchester with some steap hills near me on the way back.

    I've been doing some reading online and prices get ridiculous pretty quickly. The B'TWIN Hoprider 100 seems like a decent bet at £299 though?

    https://www.decathlon.co.uk/hoprider-100-urban-hybrid-bike-id_8405477.html?iv_=__iv_p_1_g_61980150214_c_31643 2703506_w_aud-308557097973la-295628810540_n_g_d_c_v__l__t__r_1o1x_pla_y_1517702 1_f_online_o_2391695_z_GB_i_en_j_295628810540_s__e __h_9046663_ii_

    Would this be good enough for daily use? Or would a different bike be better?
    Last edited by Cepp; 26-08-2019, 19:10. Reason: typo

    #2
    I recently bought one of these from Halfords for some evening rides as cardio

    It's nice but seat not the best for extended periods...needs a bit more padding really

    Same price as yours but disc brakes & front suspension

    Shop our range of Mountain Bikes online and in-store. For the trail-blazers and the MTB enthusiasts. Home delivery or Click & Collect.


    Neil

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      #3
      Originally posted by Soundwave View Post
      I recently bought one of these from Halfords for some evening rides as cardio

      It's nice but seat not the best for extended periods...needs a bit more padding really

      Same price as yours but disc brakes & front suspension

      Shop our range of Mountain Bikes online and in-store. For the trail-blazers and the MTB enthusiasts. Home delivery or Click & Collect.


      Neil
      Cheers man, it looks nice but I think I'd be best off with a hybrid, especially on the way back home. the roads get really steep near me.

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        #4
        I'll chuck my two penneth in, I don't cycle to work much now due to loads of travelling around the country so tend to work from home, that said when I go into the office I cycle, have been doing so for over twenty years and an also in the NW.

        The general guidance for a work bike (even in the bike mags in the early nineties) is start at £500 and then spend what you can.

        If you don't want to stretch to £500 here's some pointers that may help. More money gives you a lighter bike, no point in pedalling some 17kg monster when you can get something a good few kilos less. Also more money gives you better components, components that will not only outlast the ones on a cheaper bike but make you more efficient - cleaner gear changes and also safer - much better brakes, having better brakes means you can potentially stay out of trouble from the other numpties driving in rush-hour traffic.
        Talking of brakes, disks aren't the be-all and end-all, a good set of V's beats any cheap set of disk's.

        Hybrid is a good choice but there is no industry defined spec for hybrid, you either get one based on a mountain bike or a road bike. Personally if I was going hybrid I'd get the road version. Mountain versions tend to have cheap and heavy front suspension which is basically pap.

        Other things to look for are does the bike have quick release (QR) wheels, the bike at Decathlon you linked doesn't, so if you get a puncture on the way to work how are you going to fix? QR hubs mean you get the wheel off and the tube replaced in a few minutes.
        Also, try to look at any tools you may have to carry, better bikes will simply require a couple of allen keys to adjust things like seat post slip (this also could be QR), bottle cages, other seat adjustments and so on. The Decathlon bike looks like you'd have to carry a full toolbox around with you (only joking but you get the idea).

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          #5
          I don’t know what it’s like in Manchester but, if you were cycling in Dublin, the one piece of advice I would give you is don’t spend more than you can afford to have stolen. You’re cycling a good distance but in my uninformed (and yet extended) experience, most bikes these days are pretty good and the premium you pay for the more expensive ones might bring nice things but might not equal the added cost.

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            #6
            Originally posted by Dogg Thang View Post
            I don’t know what it’s like in Manchester but, if you were cycling in Dublin, the one piece of advice I would give you is don’t spend more than you can afford to have stolen. You’re cycling a good distance but in my uninformed (and yet extended) experience, most bikes these days are pretty good and the premium you pay for the more expensive ones might bring nice things but might not equal the added cost.
            Most cheaper bikes probably are, a low end Halfords or Decathlon is much better than an Emmelle from the early 90's but the point remains about components, geometry and wear, our lovely British winter road grime makes mincemeat out of mech's and chainrings and the cheaper one's wear out quicker.I'm on an MTB not suited for road but even I breeze past plenty of the cheap bikes in a morning.

            As for the stolen bit, forgot to add make sure you get separate bike insurance so then if you drop into Leisure Lakes in Bury and get a bit carried away and drop £5000 on a wonder bike it's not a problem if it gets nicked once insured.
            Also, your insurance will give you personal liability thrown in. I use ETA which are good value but Laka is supposed to be pretty good too. I pay about £65 a year for a £1200 bike.

            Basically spend what you can.

            Comment


              #7
              You can learn a lot riding a cheap bike. Avoid front suspension at that price cos it will be useless. Get rigid forks.

              Get v brakes at that price. Get QR.

              Does it have to be new? You could get a bargain on ebay for that.

              I spent £60 last week on a new rear tyre

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                #8
                Also check classifieds on pinkbike

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                  #9
                  I second the rigid forks. You don’t need suspension on a commute bike. All suspension does is take away your energy and unless you spend hundreds on the forks the suspension is garbage in addition to taking your energy. Likewise on the brakes. Discs might be tempting but they’ll be crap on a cheap (under £500) Nike so stick to V brakes; easy to maintain yourself. Good luck!

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by charlesr View Post
                    You can learn a lot riding a cheap bike. Avoid front suspension at that price cos it will be useless. Get rigid forks.
                    I know it's not quite what we are discussing but...


                    Originally posted by charlesr View Post
                    I spent £60 last week on a new rear tyre
                    Aye, my pedals cost me about £300.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      "it was much more fun without the chain"

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Cheers fellas, lots to mull over here. I might go for a £500 bike if it's going to make life that much easier. Getting a puncture on the way to work is something I'd like to be as quick and easy to fix as possible so QR wheels sound like a good shout.

                        Originally posted by Dogg Thang View Post
                        I don’t know what it’s like in Manchester but, if you were cycling in Dublin, the one piece of advice I would give you is don’t spend more than you can afford to have stolen.
                        They get robbed all the time here too. Luckilly work has an onsite bike rack behind a secure gate in a shed with a keycoded door so it should be safe.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Originally posted by Cepp View Post
                          Cheers fellas, lots to mull over here. I might go for a £500 bike if it's going to make life that much easier.
                          Glad we could help out.

                          Does your company offer the cycle to work or cycle plus, you can save some cash going that route.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            You can buy tyres with a lining in them to help prevent punctures. I've used them for years and they work well.



                            I have a 19 years old Trek hybrid for commuting. No suspension (well some in the seat post), aluminium frame and old school V brakes. Cost the princely sum of £380 back then. Has done me well.

                            If you have the option of the cycle to work scheme via your employer it is well worth a look. Can save you a lot of money.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Originally posted by Anpanman View Post
                              Glad we could help out.

                              Does your company offer the cycle to work or cycle plus, you can save some cash going that route.
                              Originally posted by CMcK View Post
                              You can buy tyres with a lining in them to help prevent punctures. I've used them for years and they work well.



                              I have a 19 years old Trek hybrid for commuting. No suspension (well some in the seat post), aluminium frame and old school V brakes. Cost the princely sum of £380 back then. Has done me well.

                              If you have the option of the cycle to work scheme via your employer it is well worth a look. Can save you a lot of money.
                              They do as it happens via Evans Cycles - https://www.evanscycles.com/b2b/ride-to-work-employee. That might be the way for me to go.

                              Thanks for the tip on the tyres CMcK.

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