Recommendation: Bike for Commuting

[Gerrard]

I'll be moving in the next couple of weeks so that I'll only be 2 miles away from work. Whilst walkable, I figured it would be quicker and better to bike it instead. Chances are, that will be the only thing I'll use it for. The route would be half on the pavement (allocated as a bike lane) and half on a 50mph road. I plan to store it in my flat (up two flights of stairs), so something that's luggable would be nice (quick release front wheel maybe?). It would need to be able to handle all weather as well, so slick road tyres probably aren't best; and mud guards would also help, but they can be added on extra. Finally, I'll be wearing a rucksack, so don't need any panniers. Budget wise, I'm thinking about £300, and then extra on top of that for lights, lock and helmet.

I'm guessing a hybrid would suit me. I've never used pure road bikes before, and as it's only 2 miles, I'm not exactly going to be gunning it! Any advice on this would be appreciated.

[SUMMONER]

How about a VooDoo Marasa, it offers a lot of bang for your money.

I got mine 2nd hand off eBay for ~ £200 and am very happy with it.

[Biscuit]

As someone who recently had my bike stolen from inside a fairly secure hotel car park underneath the building, I have a few things I would suggest considering:
1. Fit a hidden gps tracker
2. Bring the bike indoors and out of display where possible.
3. If not possible don't leave in the same place every time
4. Consider a folding bike to make it a bit easier to conceal

[kalniel]

5. Get a ladies bike in pink.

[scaryjim]

I wouldn't get a folding bike for a daily commute, personally, they're not really built for regular comfort, and it wouldn't be much use for other biking besides the commute. If you're not used to road bikes - or more specifically drop handlebars - then I'd get a nice basic hybrid, no suspension, and invest plenty on a good lock or two. I'd also reconsider the "I'll be wearing a rucksack" thing - it throws your balance on the bike and you'll have a huge sweaty patch in the middle of your back by the time you get to work. A decent rack and panniers won't add that much to the cost of your bike, and will be a lot more comfortable for daily biking. Finally, check whether your employers are affiliated to cyclescheme or a similar program - you can get the cost of your bike taken out of your salary before tax saving quite a lot of money.

[Skinleech]

I can confirm that the cycle2work scheme is excellent and well worth investing in if you can. I picked up a Boardman Hybrid at the start of the year and absolutely love it. It's light, pretty comfortable and is a dream to cycle.

It does have skinny tyres but they make the journeys I make on it a total dream. You do have to careful in wet weather of course. I had to use Halfords as part of the C2W scheme who had a wide riange of Boardman hybrids, could be worth a look there.

[lego batman]

I would look on gumtree if you are in Reading, there are normally loads of good ones for cheaps, although then you couldn't do cycle-to-work scheme. This one looks ok (mountain bike one), has mudguards and rack and should ride well with some 1.5ish tyres like these puncture-protected ones. I think that a mountain bike with skinny tyres would feel very similar to a hybrid.
Depending on where you will leave it at work, make sure you lock up your quick release wheels!

[Gerrard]

Thanks for the replies so far. Sorry to hear about your bike Biscuit, but that's why I plan to store it indoors when at home; and work has controlled entry + CCTV and is pretty secure. Unfortunately, the company I work for is no longer part of a cycle scheme after the 3rd party they used before ripped them off and the boss ended up paying for it in the end.

Never heard of VooDoo before, so will do some research into their bikes.

[Gerrard]

Seems to be some good reviews about the VooDoo, apart from the odd case of wheel problems, but they can be changed if really necessary. Will pop into Halfords over the weekend to have a proper look myself.

The next question would be what locks and lights would people recommend? There isn't lighting along a lot of the route, so the front light would have to be decent.

[SKRigby]

I can recommend this front / rear combo but it is a little expensive (lights seem to be one of the areas where you do get what you pay for):

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/exposure-sir...are-light-set/

As to lock, I'd recommend this (again, rather expensive I'm afraid)

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/kryptonite-n...t-mini-lock-1/

[scaryjim]

The next question would be what locks and lights would people recommend? There isn't lighting along a lot of the route, so the front light would have to be decent.

Somehow missed this in the summer! Have you sorted the bike and lighting yet?

[Gerrard]

Yep. For security I got the following: -

Kryptonite New York Lock 3000

Kryptonite Kryptoflex 7ft Cable Lock

For lighting: -

Lezyne Power Drive LED Front Light/

Cateye TL-LD600 LED Rear Light/

The lock is overkill really for work; it's stronger than the bike rack I lock it too! I've not bothered with the cable either as really it's pretty safe there anyway. The lights are good. The front light is very bright and is USB rechargeable, so I can leave it plugged into my computer at work or home to charge.

Even more impressive is the fact that's it's now November and I'm still using it daily to commute! Has nothing to do with my car battery dying...

[scaryjim]

For lighting: -

Lezyne Power Drive LED Front Light/

How do you find this for an unlit route? I've been massively unimpressed with the lighting capabilities of LED lights, particularly when compared to the relatively cheap halogens I used to use back in my teens.

[Gerrard]

I've found it pretty good. It's certainly bright enough and the beam width is more than adequate.

[Mblaster]

I'd also reconsider the "I'll be wearing a rucksack" thing - it throws your balance on the bike and you'll have a huge sweaty patch in the middle of your back by the time you get to work. A decent rack and panniers won't add that much to the cost of your bike, and will be a lot more comfortable for daily biking.

I'd have to disagree here, I wear a rucksack almost every time I go mountain biking (for the tool kit, spares, lunch, extra clothing) and it's no problem at all for balance, in fact I'd say a backpack is far better unless you're carrying a pretty heavy load. The sweaty patch is a good point if you're going to be wearing a cotton shirt/t-shirt, but if you're riding that hard I'd want to be having a shower/change of clothes once arriving at work anyway. Or you could just take it easy during the ride and not worry about it (easier said than done if you've got some big hills on the way).

[KowShak]

I've got a Voodoo and what I'd say about them is that they come well kitted out for the money. If you compare them to similarly priced bikes from the big names you'll find better forks and a better groupset.