Haven't cycled in a decade... I now need a bike, help!

[almoststew1990]

I will be commuting to work by cycle due to an office move. It will be a 25 minute commute (so I'm allowing 35 minutes cycle time, plus 10 minutes faffing time at either end). Can someone help spec me a bike (or at least a type of bike).

I can see bikes can vary in price from £100 for a basic halfords bike to many thousands for what to me look pretty similar. A local cycle shop sells 'refurbished' second hand bikes from £80 to £200+. I am hoping to spend max £300 and I am getting a bit worried that some local shops ranges seem to be from £400 and up!

I think I'll want something "reasonably light" because I am fat and I remember liking my old Gripshift gears (if they're still a thing). I'll be commuting on a mix of roads and paved off-road (through a park) but I don't want to fall over if it's a bit wet or I go on a little bit of grass so I suppose that rules out racing/road bikes (which I assume are the lightest).

Being a shorty (5ft 9) I have googled that I'll need a medium frame - 55cm. What determines what wheel sizes I need?

Any brands to avoid?

Is it worth buying a decent saddle?
Can anyone recommend a helment for someone with a higher than average of a) falling off and b) being flattened by a bus?
Any other accessories (I'm tempted to get a speed/mile computer)

 

[NickK]

A bike frame has to fit you, then there's the geometry and finally the other bits.

You can go sky's the limit. However I'd keep it cheap but with a decent frame (steel is good for absorbing but can be heavy as pig-iron) then update bits as they wear/or you find the need. A good seat is useful so you don't get problems going male numb.

UK helmets should cover your head for a single impact as minimum. They're not going to protect against a crushing impact though. Also add the cost for lights front and back, a bell and some high-visibility bike wear.

If I was commuting - a good waterproof backpack for trousers etc for work, then I would have SPDs (you have to be used to these). My current MTB frame is too large so I would be tempted to get a new frame, then transfer the other bits. You want a good pump, spanners, Allen keys, inner tubes etc all in a small pack that you can detach from the bike.

City slick tyres are good for road and don't suck energy out of you compared to knobbly MTB tyres. I used both kevlar weave and puncher protecting inserts when doing the London to Brighton on slicks.

 

[UTmaniac]

I will be commuting to work by cycle due to an office move. It will be a 25 minute commute (so I'm allowing 35 minutes cycle time, plus 10 minutes faffing time at either end). Can someone help spec me a bike (or at least a type of bike).

I can see bikes can vary in price from £100 for a basic halfords bike to many thousands for what to me look pretty similar. A local cycle shop sells 'refurbished' second hand bikes from £80 to £200+. I am hoping to spend max £300 and I am getting a bit worried that some local shops ranges seem to be from £400 and up!

I think I'll want something "reasonably light" because I am fat and I remember liking my old Gripshift gears (if they're still a thing). I'll be commuting on a mix of roads and paved off-road (through a park) but I don't want to fall over if it's a bit wet or I go on a little bit of grass so I suppose that rules out racing/road bikes (which I assume are the lightest).

Being a shorty (5ft 9) I have googled that I'll need a medium frame - 55cm. What determines what wheel sizes I need?

Any brands to avoid?

Is it worth buying a decent saddle?
Can anyone recommend a helment for someone with a higher than average of a) falling off and b) being flattened by a bus?
Any other accessories (I'm tempted to get a speed/mile computer)

What areas of Southampton are you travelling between? I've been commuting between Bitterne and Shirley on and off for ~12 years. I find the main roads very hostile on my way home early to mid afternoon, but tolerable on the way in at 0600/0630 (albeit I discovered the quickest route means deviating off the main road just after Northam Bridge and then heading up Rockstone Lane/Place).
On the way home, I use quiet backroads such as Cemetery lane and Alma Rd to get to Horsehoe Bridge, to then either use the SUSTRANS boardwalk and the shared use pathway across Northam Bridge to then head up Chessel Ave via Quayside Rd; or use Priory Rd to then head up Cobden Ave and then Rossington/Rosyth. It adds less than ~1.5 miles on to my journey, but it's so worth it, for the much more pleasant riding.

I commute on my fatbike (Voodoo Wazoo), almost always with 29er wheels fitted, currently with 28mm Grand Sport Race tyres fitted. I prefer the upright position to see more around me, albeit there is far more aero drag (and weight) than my road bike I use outside work.

Sale promos should start kicking off in the next month, but as a starter bike, the Voodoo Marasa when it's £320 (like it was again back in spring, just like previous years) is a great versatile hybrid. For the lack of use my Wazoo has had offroad, I really should have saved ~£100 and got one myself, but it was great at helping me regain confidence to ride again after my RTA nearly six year s ago.

 

[almoststew1990]

Thanks for the responses. I'll be commuting from Forest Hill Drives area, down through Riverside Park to Bitterne Bridge and making my way to London Road / Bedford Place area probably via the back road behind Lidl. I imagine I'll be varying this route to find one I feel safest on!

I'll keep an eye out for the sales and try out a range of frames.

I'll be commuting at 7.45 / 17.00 with not much flexibility to move this by more than 30 mins either way.

 

[Donnie Fisher]

I've commuted over the years across various routes and distances. Thats ranged from starting out on an mtb with chunky mud tyres, progressing through fitting slick tyres to it, getting various bikes from road racing ones , hybrid town bikes etc ( there are 7 different types of bikes in the garage at the moment - much to the wife's annoyance. )

From all of that, If you're looking for a single, all round bike:

I'm a big fan of a CX / gravel / drop bar touring style bikes for commuting. The type that looks like a road bike frame and drop handlebars, but is a bit beefier and can take bigger tyres than the super skinny racing bike efforts.

To me, they offer an all round balance of:
- being fast enough on the road with the gears and lighter weight than an mtb
- a variety of hand positions to vary your positions from upright easy to low down aero
- comfier ride from the bigger volume tyres to soften out the small bumps that rattle you after a while.
- can often take mudguards
- strength to take the bumps and potholes from off-road alternative routes (towpaths, gravel roads) better than a road bike.


Whether you'll find something like in your price range, I've no idea. But good luck and enjoy the cycling.

Edit:

I see that decathlon do a B'TWIN Triban RC100 bike which is kind of the thing I'm talking about for ~£250. Aluminium frame, slightly beefier tyres (32mm), and a more relaxed riding position than a full road bike. In that same store, you'll also be able to find the other things like helmets and clothes etc etc, and they'll likely have a number of bikes and sizes you can try.

Yeah, OK, its maybe not a top line brand / bike, but I've consistently found their stuff ( just like the stuff you get from Aldi etc ) to be functionally decent enough value for money.

 

[Saytan]

Stuff worth having starts from about £300 or so.

Big brands tend to be poor value compared to shop own brands.

 

[FishFluff]

If it's only for a 30 minute commute and you absolutely don't want to spend more than £300 then I'd look at something like this: https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/hybrid-bikes/apollo-belmont-mens-hybrid-bike-18-21-frames

It's going to be heavy and will probably not be fast, but it does have everything you need to get started with the exception of lights. It's got mudguards to keep you dry, a chain guard so you could cycle in normal clothes if you wanted and a rear rack for a bag so your back doesn't get sweaty. Buying a bike is only half the battle, as most don't come with any accessories in the UK. Guards/rack/pannier bags/lights (all things I'd say were near essential for commuting) can easily add a couple of hundred quid to the cost of a bike.

I'll echo other people's comments though and say that the more you spend (up to a point!), the more enjoyable your commute will be and if you try it and like it, then you can always get a better bike at some point in the future!

 

[NickK]

I see that decathlon do a B'TWIN Triban RC100 bike which is kind of the thing I'm talking about for ~£250. Aluminium frame, slightly beefier tyres (32mm), and a more relaxed riding position than a full road bike. In that same store, you'll also be able to find the other things like helmets and clothes etc etc, and they'll likely have a number of bikes and sizes you can try.

Yeah, OK, its maybe not a top line brand / bike, but I've consistently found their stuff ( just like the stuff you get from Aldi etc ) to be functionally decent enough value for money.

If the frame is good then things like tyres, etc can always be changed. Only thing is security - not much point having lightweight with titanium hubs etc then have no option to store it securely.

The local rail station here has a bike rack but on numerous occasions it looks like it's been plundered by a white van gang. The station is not manned for a large period and from about 5pm it's open season.

 

[almoststew1990]

I thought I'd update the thread to show what I got.

Office move complete, house move complete, I now get a bus to and from work. The evening journey home is about 1h and 10 minutes to do 4 miles (and I get motion sick if I try to read or watch something on my phone)! I therefore found myself on Saturday needing a bike for Monday so I don't find myself on that wretched bus again. I thought of all the comments above about the budget but I couldn't face spending that much on something I'm, if I'm honest, unlikely to stick with.

I went to a local shop to try out a few bikes to see what I liked. I was very wobbly on a more "road bikey" hybrid bike, although it was quite nice and light. I got on much better with a couple of bikes more on the mountain bike end of the spectrum. I picked up this for £120, on the basis I couldn't really see what spending an extra £100 got me in that shop. I was shown new bikes at £200 which were very basic and simple. The main reason I got it over say an £50 bike off Gumtree was that it was safety inspected, serviced (apparently) and had snappy sequential gears. I spent another £55 or so on a helmet, hi-vis jacket, a "soft" saddle and a front light.



It's a, er, *squints at picture* whatever that is.

Having ridden to work and back a couple of times I am slightly regretting and that I might have been ripped off a bit:

- Gears are not that smooth and often need a light second nudge of the selector to go from the low-range to the middle range. The chain jammed on my first ride in half way through selecting a gear. This could well have been my fault if I "confused it" (I have no idea what I did if anything). I think it's the low range where I can hear a rattle / rubbing from the chain as if it's thinking about changing gear a bit. I might take a look at it at the weekend.
- It is quite slow. Downhill in top gear I think I can do 25mph or so before my legs start spinning silly fast.
- It is quite light, much lighter than the mountain bike I had when I was a teenager
- Once I factor in getting ready for the bike ride to work, showering at the other end and getting "dry" it's about the same journey time as the bus (but free). Coming home today at lunch was about 25 minutes though.
- The saddle is very hard
- I'm very unfit and it's hard work with quite a heavy bag! Today was much harder (probably because it was the second day, and I was cycling into the wind). I thought me going on my exercise bike 2 or 3 times a week for the last couple of years would mean it wasn't so hard but it is hard work!
- I was so apprehensive about my first ride, preparing everything the day before and trying to remember my route and make sure I had my helmet, the right keys to get into my new Dry Room locker etc when I get to the office that I forgot to take my work shirt and bike lock! I don't think anyone will let me forget that
- we have showers at work but on the second use my towel wasn't dry enough to dry me. Had as sticky work shirt all morning.

However the route I have picked is quite quiet and so far (four trips) I haven't met any impatient drivers (or cyclists - I'm easily the slowest thing on the road!)

I'll see how it goes but at the moment I'd say it's equally as annoying as the bus. I have to man up basically! I have been spoilt all last year by having a 15 minute motorway commute to the office.

 

[XE11]

with some money left, you can invest in some decent helmet and lights since winter is just round the corner.

EDIT: didnt realise you bought the bike already! whoops.

 

[Roady]

Keep at it! I previously started out a 5-6 mile flat commute taking me an hour including several stops. I couldn't do it more than a handful of times a week, it was brutal!

Within 4 months I was riding it daily and got the time down to 30-40 minutes without feeling utterly zonked at the end. After a year it was faster than the car, regular times down below 20 minutes. Down from 15 stone to around 12... Now I ride 4-5k a year mostly for pleasure. Getting close to 'beating' the cars annual mileage. Commute is loads shorter now (moved house) though still rack up 45 miles most weeks from commuting. Averaging 100 miles total most weeks. Love the fitness that cycling has brought me! Borderline 34-36" trouser waistline to now easily 32" (can squeeze into 30" just can't get my quads in!).