Reply to: Bike Recommendations

[DaveB]

[QUOTE=Notascooby;1592435]The audax style frames have curved forks to absorb more vibration, also carbon is very stiff but great for absorbtion. Carbon is also brilliant as its light and doesn't rust. What it doesn't like is latteral impact, so crashes can right off a frame which would dent Aluminum. Titanum is a fantastic option, lasts for ever, great absorbtion doesn't rust, looks nice and takes a hammering.[/QUOTE]

And costs a bloody fortune, although not quite as much as a carbon frame, granted.

The most comfortable frames are still steel. Not as light as the others so the performance is not as good if speed is your thing, but much more comfortable. Absorbs "road buzz" much better than any of the others and can be repaired easily if the need arises ( you can't weld or reshape alu or titanium frames if you bend one).

They also last forever as long as you look after them little.

Steel -
Comfortable, Durable, Repairable, Strong, Cheap, Requires the smallest tubes for frame stiffness, Cool if retro is your thing.
Heavy, can suffer from fatigue, corrosion is a problem if not cared for, Uncool if not into retro.

Aluminium -
Lighter, won't corrode, easier to form into Aero shapes, good for larger lightweight frames. Neither cool nor uncool. Default choice for most riders.
Not as cheap, Less comfortable, can be brittle, can suffer from fatigue, not easly repairable, needs larger thinner tubes, frames can be written off by cracks or bends. Big thin tubes are more vulnerable in a crash.

Titanium -
Lighter than steel, heaver than aluminium. Won't corrode, needs larger diamiter tubes than steel but not as large as aluminium, resistant to metal fatigue. More comfortable than aluminium, less so than steel. Cool, but understated.
Most expensive, hard to impossible to repair if you do bend it.

Carbon -
Lightest, stiffist, strongest (if well built), no corrosion, great fatigue strength, highly customisable for exotic frame designs. Very Cool.
Expensive, reliant on build quality for durability (cheap or poorly designed frames can be subject to catastrophic failure), hard to repair, "notch sensitive" minor damage can lead to total failure. Excessive stiffness can lead to poor ride comfort.

[Notascooby]

The audax style frames have curved forks to absorb more vibration, also carbon is very stiff but great for absorbtion. Carbon is also brilliant as its light and doesn't rust. What it doesn't like is latteral impact, so crashes can right off a frame which would dent Aluminum. Titanum is a fantastic option, lasts for ever, great absorbtion doesn't rust, looks nice and takes a hammering.

[doodab]

I know sod all about bikes but how does a solid frame soak up bumps? I thought the goal was the stiffist frame and lightest weight which does not indicate to me it will soak up a single bump??

It flexes.

Like most engineering, frame design involves finding a compromise by balancing different desirable characteristics. Weight & stiffness are important but you can't easily have more of one without less of the other, and comfort and cost are just as or more important to most people as well. Different materials will provide a different balance but there are lots of other factors like the length of the chainstays, wheelbase, fork rake as well as the stiffness of individual tubes that can make a big difference as well. In the case of carbon fibre frames the lay up can be tweaked so that frames are laterally stiff to transmit power but vertically compliant to soak up bumps, obviously the more complex the layup the harder (and more expensive) it is to make.

[northernladuk]

I'll be doing quite a bit of mileage on bumpy country lanes & apparently this style frame is perfect for soaking up the bumps, according to the salesman. My only reservation is with the lifespan of the graphite frame. I've heard that cracks can develop after a relatively short period of time.

Anyone got any recommendations? Don't want to spend more than £1.5k. TIA.

I know sod all about bikes but how does a solid frame soak up bumps? I thought the goal was the stiffist frame and lightest weight which does not indicate to me it will soak up a single bump?? If a salesman tried pulling that one on me I would seriously doubt a single word he said after that. Anyone enlighten me please?

[lukemg]

I've got a 10-yr old Marin East Peak dual sus mountain bike (about a grand at the time). Go on the odd country track but mostly country lanes and no mountains so not the best choice. BUT - With fat wheels and suspension it is the most comfortable bike I have ever ridden and since I mostly cycle for fitness, I think it's a good choice as surely this will be harder work than a 'proper' road bike meaning I can get fit doing half the mileage ? Or am I wrong ?

[Mich the Tester]

I have a cannondale caad 9 with shimano 105 group and I'm very happy with it, but it really depends on you; how much do you weigh, how much and how hard you ride etc.

[Notascooby]

Why would you not *cough* claim 45p mileage for your *cough* car journey rather than 20ppm for cycling? Then still but the bike through the company and cycle to work?

It would appear that I left my PC unattended in a public space and the above potentially fraudulent advice was posted - I could never condone this behaviour and it is not something I'd personally undertake.

[Notascooby]

I'm on the 20p/mile jobbie - works out at around £110/month - although I bought the bike privately. Not put the services and clothing etc through the business though.

Why would you not *cough* claim 45p mileage for your *cough* car journey rather than 20ppm for cycling? Then still but the bike through the company and cycle to work?

[hyperD]

I'm on the 20p/mile jobbie - works out at around £110/month - although I bought the bike privately. Not put the services and clothing etc through the business though.

[Notascooby]

This from NW:

Your company can provide a bike to you on the following conditions:

The bike and related equipment must be owned by the company

The bike is used primarily for qualifying journeys

Ownership of the equipment is not transferred to the employee during the loan period

The offer of the use of a loaned or provided cycle is available across the whole workforce (i.e. just myself)

The bike must be purchased by the company directly. If it is not in the first instance then you must sell the bike to your company.

They also say there's no need to use the cycle to work scheme - just buy the bike. I was looking into the cycle to work scheme & by all accounts it takes 2 - 4 weeks to enrol & at the end of it you get a voucher generally up to a maximum of £1000. Bloke in the bike shop said he couldn't do any discounts when buying with a voucher so this is probably not the way to go.

My road bike is a company bike - it's just an asset like anything else and depreciates in the same way. I also expense any cycling safety equipment such as helemts, jackets, shoes etc. Then any new parts and servicing goes through the books too.

This for me adds up to a few hundred each year so is the way to go.

Unlike standard cycle-2-work schemes where there is a loan agreement in place, this is purely a company asset and as such there's no restriction on the value. Hence my company bike costs >£2K which is perfectly fine.

(The reason most companies put a £1K limit on the c2w scheme is that above this level they *may* need a license to lend to employees, so they don't bother - there's no government imposed limit).

[wurzel]

there is a scheme whereby you buy a bike through your employer and they can somehow reclaim the tax or something.

Tax free bikes for work through the Government's Green Transport Initiative - Cyclescheme, provider of Cycle to Work schemes for UK employers - Cyclescheme

This from NW:

Your company can provide a bike to you on the following conditions:

The bike and related equipment must be owned by the company

The bike is used primarily for qualifying journeys

Ownership of the equipment is not transferred to the employee during the loan period

The offer of the use of a loaned or provided cycle is available across the whole workforce (i.e. just myself)

The bike must be purchased by the company directly. If it is not in the first instance then you must sell the bike to your company.

They also say there's no need to use the cycle to work scheme - just buy the bike. I was looking into the cycle to work scheme & by all accounts it takes 2 - 4 weeks to enrol & at the end of it you get a voucher generally up to a maximum of £1000. Bloke in the bike shop said he couldn't do any discounts when buying with a voucher so this is probably not the way to go.

[ZARDOZ]

WHS
And , there are heavy discounts around the corner, on the last years Bike as the new models come in. IIRC this used to be around September/October

I always found Hargroves Cycles (Hants) to have good deals.

[Moscow Mule]

I would seriously consider eBay.

I bought a 3 year old Rockhopper (c£1500 new) for £400. A quick service down the LBS and jobs a goodun.

[doodab]

An accountant told me of a director who'd put a new bike through the company books as part of the cycle to work scheme. Maybe I need a new bike too. Anyone else expensing their bike?

I got the impression there was no BIK but I could've been mistaken.

there is a scheme whereby you buy a bike through your employer and they can somehow reclaim the tax or something.

Tax free bikes for work through the Government's Green Transport Initiative - Cyclescheme, provider of Cycle to Work schemes for UK employers - Cyclescheme

[ZARDOZ]

I'm tempted by one of these:

Ribble Special Edition Bikes | Frames | Wheels | Groupsets

CTC Forum • View topic - Ribble Winter/Audax Bike

http://www.bikeradar.com/road/gear/a...er-1000-29719/