- Entry Level Mountain Bike Advice -

[strings]

A hybrid is probably best, unless the route is entirely tarmac where a road bike is likely to be better for the commute. Are you looking to use the bike for leisure purposes, or shopping trips as well, or just A to B? Do you need to carry anything with you on a regular basis?

Oh, you'll need a cap from Stat Brother too!

Literally to get to work and back. No carrying of anything, except a back pack with my lunch and maybe a change of clothes in.

 

[A fish called Glen Ponder]

i have been dong this or two weeks, 6 miles each way. Using a mountain bike currently and would seriously suggest you get a road bike. I'm in my highest gear and i still get people whizz past me on their road bikes with minimal effort!

Change to slick tyres and your speed will increase significantly if you have standard knobbly mountain bike tyres fitted.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Interesting stuff, as I was about to post a similar thread. Looking at cycling to work 2/3 times a week - it is only a 2 mile journey along mostly-tarmacced canal paths.

I thought a hybrid would be best - how much should I spend? What should I look for? (I have no knowledge of bikes, and haven't cycled regularly since I passed my driving test 10 years ago)

I've recently sold my car and have decided to ride to work every day (4 miles each way).
I'm currently using an old rust-bucket of a bike with 2 working gears... so looking to upgrade.

Could you recommend a bike under £150.00 that will last and won't require servicing at Halfords every other week?

i have been dong this or two weeks, 6 miles each way. Using a mountain bike currently and would seriously suggest you get a road bike. I'm in my highest gear and i still get people whizz past me on their road bikes with minimal effort!

@smeariestbat is right, I would say a road bike / tourer is what you need.

I've got a friend on Strava (cycling app) that occasionally takes his road bike on the South Downs Way. Hybrids / Mountain Bikes are really a product of the '80's/'90's, speak to older riders and they regularly used road bikes for forest paths, gravel - you only have to do a Youtube search for 'Paris-Roubaix' to see what road bikes are capable of.

For £300, you could get something like the B'Twin Triban 3, which is a highly thought of bike for the money, lifetime warranty on the frame, - http://www.decathlon.co.uk/C-359113-road-bikes triple gear setup, a superb commuting road bike.

For £140, you could get yourself to G-Whizz and pick up a decent 2nd hand hybrid, which they will look after for you for however long you want - nice guys in there, hence I've mentioned them twice, really passionate about their bikes - http://www.g-whizzcycles.co.uk/7717.html

The bike needs to a) be comfortable, and b) not weigh the same as a small tank so that it is an incredible effort to get a few miles. Cheap mountain bikes are notorious for having heavy suspension, crap wheels and components etc.

Get out to some bike shops and try a few, test the riding position, and most of all pick a bike you're going to love riding. The more you love riding it, the more you will!

 

[Bold Seagull]

Literally to get to work and back. No carrying of anything, except a back pack with my lunch and maybe a change of clothes in.

You'll still need an Albion cycling cap from Stat Brother though!

 

[teaboy]

Literally to get to work and back. No carrying of anything, except a back pack with my lunch and maybe a change of clothes in.

@smeariestbat is right, I would say a road bike / tourer is what you need.

I've got a friend on Strava (cycling app) that occasionally takes his road bike on the South Downs Way. Hybrids / Mountain Bikes are really a product of the '80's/'90's, speak to older riders and they regularly used road bikes for forest paths, gravel - you only have to do a Youtube search for 'Paris-Roubaix' to see what road bikes are capable of.

For £300, you could get something like the B'Twin Triban 3, which is a highly thought of bike for the money, lifetime warranty on the frame, - http://www.decathlon.co.uk/C-359113-road-bikes triple gear setup, a superb commuting road bike.

For £140, you could get yourself to G-Whizz and pick up a decent 2nd hand hybrid, which they will look after for you for however long you want - nice guys in there, hence I've mentioned them twice, really passionate about their bikes - http://www.g-whizzcycles.co.uk/7717.html

The bike needs to a) be comfortable, and b) not weigh the same as a small tank so that it is an incredible effort to get a few miles. Cheap mountain bikes are notorious for having heavy suspension, crap wheels and components etc.

Get out to some bike shops and try a few, test the riding position, and most of all pick a bike you're going to love riding. The more you love riding it, the more you will!

As Bold suggests a road bike will probably be best. If the non-tarmac bits are pretty rough it might be worth some slightly wider tyres (25-28mm rather than the skinny 19-23mm). Decathlon is great value for money. Make sure you get one that's the right size (get someone working in a good bike shop to 'fit' you if you can) and try out as many as you can. Get the one that feels like 'your' bike.

Oh, and get a cap...

 

[Bold Seagull]

As Bold suggests a road bike will probably be best. If the non-tarmac bits are pretty rough it might be worth some slightly wider tyres (25-28mm rather than the skinny 19-23mm). Decathlon is great value for money. Make sure you get one that's the right size (get someone working in a good bike shop to 'fit' you if you can) and try out as many as you can. Get the one that feels like 'your' bike.

Oh, and get a cap...

This is my Holdsworth, on holiday in France from a few weeks ago. This shot is taken shortly before a 8 mile ride to a beach through woodland gravel paths. As teaboy says, I think these are 28mm tyres. I paid £140 for this, changed the gear cables, and it is smooth and brilliant to ride. Later that day I stripped all the luggage off and did a 30mile blast around the local country lanes. Brilliant. Use it for running around Brighton now, and out with the family, probably as a winter trainer as well. Such a versatile bike, I'm starting to wonder if it's the best £140 I've ever spent!?

 

[Grombleton]

If you want an alright MTB, then get to Halfords for the Carrera range. I picked up a Carrera Vulcan from there a couple of years ago for £220 and it's been lovely...the problem with Halfords is going back for any servicing, but it's easy to maintain or just take it to a local mtb shop for that.

 

[StonehamPark]

Thanks everyone, loads of advice to take in.
I would love to buy a decent £200+ bike however I am on a restricted budget so will have to go for something a bit cheaper. There's a couple of Muddy Fox options that I'm going to have a look at just under the £150.00 mark.

I'll now have to look out for some Blue & White tassels.

Cheers.

 

[seagully]

I started cycling to work about 6 months ago- bought a fixed gear bike for £200 on Amazon. As long as there aren't any huge hills on the way to work then I would definitely recommend getting one.

 

[Bold Seagull]

I started cycling to work about 6 months ago- bought a fixed gear bike for £200 on Amazon. As long as there aren't any huge hills on the way to work then I would definitely recommend getting one.

Fixed gear is perhaps my next purchase...but one of my current bikes will have to go first.

Saw this Charge Plug for sale in Brighton, lovely! - http://www.lfgss.com/thread108646.html#post3658742

 

[GreersElbow]

Thanks everyone, loads of advice to take in.
I would love to buy a decent £200+ bike however I am on a restricted budget so will have to go for something a bit cheaper. There's a couple of Muddy Fox options that I'm going to have a look at just under the £150.00 mark.

I'll now have to look out for some Blue & White tassels.

Cheers.

In all honesty, check gumtree and the friday ad. You could pick up a road bike for like £50, go to a bike shop, get a medium priced service and woolah. My mate bought a 30 year old racer with the old death gear shifters (the ones on the bottom tube) it was heavy. But after a good service, everything shifted with easy and was lovely to ride. He did the past 2 London to Brighton's on it, so in all. A great buy, if you maintain the bike, they can last for ages.

 

[seagully]

Fixed gear is perhaps my next purchase...but one of my current bikes will have to go first.

Saw this Charge Plug for sale in Brighton, lovely! - http://www.lfgss.com/thread108646.html#post3658742

Nice!

I'm currently in the process of doing my fixie up- adding new wheels and some bullhorn handlebars. The frame is pretty decent for a cheaper bike but some of the other parts are not so great. Easy to do on a limited budget though as obviously you don't have any hassle with gears etc!

 

[Bold Seagull]

In all honesty, check gumtree and the friday ad. You could pick up a road bike for like £50, go to a bike shop, get a medium priced service and woolah. My mate bought a 30 year old racer with the old death gear shifters (the ones on the bottom tube) it was heavy. But after a good service, everything shifted with easy and was lovely to ride. He did the past 2 London to Brighton's on it, so in all. A great buy, if you maintain the bike, they can last for ages.

Just be sure to check it's not stolen. A guy Kemp Town had his beautiful fixed gear bike stolen in Brighton, put on a couple of forums that it had gone and some pictures, turned up that the stupid thief only put it on Gumtree not 3 days later - thief nicked and bike back to owner.

 

[GreersElbow]

Just be sure to check it's not stolen. A guy Kemp Town had his beautiful fixed gear bike stolen in Brighton, put on a couple of forums that it had gone and some pictures, turned up that the stupid thief only put it on Gumtree not 3 days later - thief nicked and bike back to owner.

Aye, that's true. OP: Be stereotypical in your judgment of the seller, if he looks like a pikey. He probably is! ((I used this judgement when dealing with dodgy customers asking for quick services and "evaluations" of their bike when at Halfords (Paid for my BMX parts, don't knock me))

That thief though..f**k me, how stupid can you get?

 

[Stat Brother]

Fixed gear is perhaps my next purchase...but one of my current bikes will have to go first.

Saw this Charge Plug for sale in Brighton, lovely! - http://www.lfgss.com/thread108646.html#post3658742

Big fan of Charge after listening to an interview with it's owner/founder, he came across really well.
It'll be on The Bike Show I-Tunes feed, via Resonance FM.

I even tried very hard to get Rugrat to buy Mrs RR a Charge for Christmas, sadly he let me (and her) down.

 

[sam86]

Thanks everyone, loads of advice to take in.
I would love to buy a decent £200+ bike however I am on a restricted budget so will have to go for something a bit cheaper. There's a couple of Muddy Fox options that I'm going to have a look at just under the £150.00 mark.

I'll now have to look out for some Blue & White tassels.

Cheers.

Just got sent this - http://www.decathlon.co.uk/riverside-1-men-trekking-bike-black-id_8202744.html - don't know if it's any good, but it's a hybrid for £120.

 

[wellquickwoody]

I to am looking to get back into cycling after years of not doing. I've been speaking to a keen cyclist at work and he suggested i look into a hybrid around the £300-£500 mark. nothing too cheap as it wont last and will have to take it back.

Anyone know anything about bikes and if this one is any good?

http://www.southdownsbikes.com/m1b0s18p11526/TREK-8-2-DS-2013

if not can anyone recommend a decent hybrid around this price range

Recently bought a Giant Roam 2 from the Shoreham store for £500. Mountain bike style but big road wheels with hybrid tyres and front suspension. Absolutely love it and am using it for work 2/3 days per week.

PS Your employer has a legal obligation to offer the government sponsored Ride to Work scheme. This will make the bike cheaper, you pay for it monthly and you win out in the tax stakes, check it out.