Reply to: Interesting bicycle question for those tyred of economics

[TimberWolf]

Thirty quid ? No Way - Id go for the New Tube - btw is this the same bike that we discussed back in August last year ?

I ended up buying a racing bike for £14 at auction. I still prefer to use my brother's old undersized mountain bike for everyday use though, even though the racing bike is much faster.

I saw an electric bike listed at the auction the other day too, but didn't go to see it, and am seeing them parked up in town more often now. It might not be a bad idea for ailing car manufacturers to diversify into electric bikes/vehicles, and the government to take some active steps in encourage people away from old technology too, aside from painting a line on a road.

[AlfredJPruffock]

Nice looking bike, but I suspect it will be outside my £30-£50 budget. The auction may have something going in that price range, otherwise it will be either new tyres or the local rag for a second hand bike I expect.

Thirty quid ? No Way - Id go for the New Tube - btw is this the same bike that we discussed back in August last year ?

[threaded]

a tip on aerodynamics for a cyclist

[TimberWolf]

You could try Gumtree if you're down London way. Often a few bargains, or the police auction - you can often get job lots of bikes in a bunch for £50

I'm going to an auction on Thursday. The "police recovered items" category has a fair few bikes listed. Auctions seem to be getting quite regular at the moment, with one held almost every week.

[Moscow Mule]

Nice looking bike, but I suspect it will be outside my £30-£50 budget. The auction may have something going in that price range, otherwise it will be either new tyres or the local rag for a second hand bike I expect.

You could try Gumtree if you're down London way. Often a few bargains, or the police auction - you can often get job lots of bikes in a bunch for £50

[TimberWolf]

Buy one of these. They sure is purty.

Nice looking bike, but I suspect it will be outside my £30-£50 budget. The auction may have something going in that price range, otherwise it will be either new tyres or the local rag for a second hand bike I expect.

[Number9]

Erm... buy tyres and have a pub bike AND buy a new un?

Hybrids get bad press but they are quite good. I have (amongst others) a Boardman and it is effectively a more upright road bike but with hydraulic disc brakes and mudguard clearance with 28mm tyres. Wide range of gears from ultra low to high. Sensible.

Road bikes are much more fun but I'd rather commute on the hybrid.

I have Trek FX Hybrid, great bike, great for down the canel path and brillant in traffic.

[Shimano105]

Erm... buy tyres and have a pub bike AND buy a new un?

Hybrids get bad press but they are quite good. I have (amongst others) a Boardman and it is effectively a more upright road bike but with hydraulic disc brakes and mudguard clearance with 28mm tyres. Wide range of gears from ultra low to high. Sensible.

Road bikes are much more fun but I'd rather commute on the hybrid.

[Moscow Mule]

Buy one of these. They sure is purty.

[TimberWolf]

Being someone who has looked into this in quite some detail: if you want to go fast on the road you need to get into a good aero position. Pushing the air out of the way makes a big difference. To me I can save up to 25% if I can slip-stream another rider. I have all sorts of gadgets on my bikes to measure these things, from speed and cadence counters to power meters built into hubs and cranks.

Nobbly tyres comes third after switching off the suspension as an energy waster.

I've tried slicks and they don't improve the top speed, but how long you can hold that speed.

For commuting I like a fatter tyre, basically because although they aren't so fast at the top end, they are less tiring so the overall average speed is better.

So, go get a bike for the job.

Based on where my bike is, the tyres are the biggest energy loss. I have no suspension and mechanical losses are minimal. The aero position is poor and not really solvable because the bike is too small for me (centre of gravity too far forward). Just sustaining 14 mph before aerodynamics becomes dominant on wide knobbly tyres is a lot of work.

[MrsGoof]

Defiantly the smother tyres, and a decent track pump to put the correct pressure in.

For a decent road bike for a grand try Try this or this

[moorfield]

Hybrids are just a marketing gimic to sell badly fitting bikes, 'compact geometry' is the same thing but applied to racing bikes.

It sounds to me then that a "Town Bike" will meet your needs perfectly.

[threaded]

I've heard hybrids aren't particularly good at accommodating either scenario.

Hybrids are just a marketing gimic to sell badly fitting bikes, 'compact geometry' is the same thing but applied to racing bikes.

[DaveB]

Why rule out the option that was designed to accommodate your exact predicament?

The problem with hybrids is that they do neither job particularly well. Rather than giving you the best of both you end up with the worst.

Two bikes is the best option but costs more, a spare set of quick release wheels is cheaper but not quite so convienient.

[threaded]

Yes, change to slicks - Schwalbe Marathon or similar to almost eliminate punctures. You won't want to bother going off road again.

I use "Dutch Perfect", these are armoured tires, and quite heavy. There again I cycle through some places that often see rioting, so lots of broken glass and other very sharp nasties, where you definitely do not want to stop.