RACING BIKES i.e pedalling types

[London Calling]

I have at th emo a canondale hybrid which is fine but heavy, also has disc brakes, which are a bit of a pain.

I am looking at a racer or tourer to get me to work and back. I have never took notice of racers the other day, but a girl friend lent me hers.

An tips out there. My workplace is signed up to that bikey scheme, so I can get it for half price

And vote for Anna in the group of death.

You know it makes sense

 

[REDLAND]

it all depends on what make of bikes you can get through you work scheme !!!

though from personal experience the more you spend on a road bike the harder they are to ride, around £500 for a nice alu frame road bike is about on the money

 

[Mendoza]

also, anyone ideas on tyre prices?

I have a mountain bike, and the tyres are a bit cracked. Not wanting to gamble on them lasting the London to Brighton, I need to buy some new ones

Should I get mountain bike tyres or slicks (bearing in mind I have never done off road biking)

And how much for a decent tyre, but not over the odds?

 

[JJ McClure]

You can get a sort of mixed tyre that has an inverted smooth tread down the middle and rougher stuff at the edge to suit both purposes. Mountains bikes look rubbish with slicks.

 

[REDLAND]

also, anyone ideas on tyre prices?

I have a mountain bike, and the tyres are a bit cracked. Not wanting to gamble on them lasting the London to Brighton, I need to buy some new ones

Should I get mountain bike tyres or slicks (bearing in mind I have never done off road biking)

And how much for a decent tyre, but not over the odds?

prehaps get some intermediates kinda slick in the middle with some nobs on the side

best of both worlds

 

[Mendoza]

Those intermediates sound ideal, will have a hunt around town later

 

[Gully]

Slightly off topic, but not totally. I have just ordered a set of new tyres for my car from MyTyres of the internet, they cost me almost £20 quid less (including the cost of fitting) than if I had gone to Kwik Fit...the tyres are delivered to a fitting station nearest to your home, you still have to pay for them to be fitted/balanced etc, but it still works out much cheaper.

 

[Badger]

it all depends on what make of bikes you can get through you work scheme !!!

My company are signed up to that cyclescheme and basically you can get any bike you want up to £1000, you just have to go to one of the shops that is registered to it. I've used it to get myself a £450 mountain bike, not that it's ever going to be used for getting to work.

 

[REDLAND]

My company are signed up to that cyclescheme and basically you can get any bike you want up to £1000, you just have to go to one of the shops that is registered to it. I've used it to get myself a £450 mountain bike, not that it's ever going to be used for getting to work.

yer I got that bit, which shops is what I'm after to find out which makes of bike they do ...

 

[Twinkle Toes]

An tips out there. My workplace is signed up to that bikey scheme, so I can get it for half priceQUOTE]

I'd go for a bike with a chromoly frame myself. A damn sight lighter than an aluminium job & it gives a much smoother ride 'cos they have a natural 'flex'. Not sure where you can purchase a complete bike using one, but I'm sure there'll be plenty out there. Oh, & as for brakes: go for a quality set of side-pulls (like wot they use in pro-racing). Disks are just an unnecessary, cumbersome waste of time for the road imo. Good luck & happy hunting

 

[Badger]

yer I got that bit, which shops is what I'm after to find out which makes of bike they do ...

You can find shops here:

http://www.cyclescheme.co.uk/employee,partner_finder.htm

 

[Badger]

Disks are just an unnecessary, cumbersome waste of time for the road imo. Good luck & happy hunting

I think disks are good for wet conditions, you don't have the issue of wet rims

 

[REDLAND]

An tips out there. My workplace is signed up to that bikey scheme, so I can get it for half priceQUOTE]

I'd go for a bike with a chromoly frame myself. A damn sight lighter than an aluminium job & it gives a much smoother ride 'cos they have a natural 'flex'.

you've got that completely the wrong way round dude

 

[REDLAND]

I think disks are good for wet conditions, you don't have the issue of wet rims

it makes no odds really disks get we too

people put disks on mountain bikes because they are alot more efficient at stopping you and if you badly buckle a wheel you can still get home and use the brake ..

 

[Gully]

My bike has the conventional block type breaks, I don't seem to have a problem stopping when the rims are wet...guess it just depends how fast you are going at the time.

 

[REDLAND]

You can find shops here:

http://www.cyclescheme.co.uk/employee,partner_finder.htm

right, specialized do a great road bike for £500 (called the Allez) that Rayment Cycles stock, absolutely ideal for what you need and a nice bike road bike to ride

be nice to get it for £250 as well

do you get 18 months to pay for it as well

 

[Twinkle Toes]

you've got that completely the wrong way round dude

No I haven't (agree with you about the wet discs tho')

 

[London Calling]

it all depends on what make of bikes you can get through you work scheme !!!

though from personal experience the more you spend on a road bike the harder they are to ride, around £500 for a nice alu frame road bike is about on the money

AS long as it suitable for work purposes. Basically high end bikes, or trick bikes are out, plus after about £1000 the discount stops.

Cheers

 

[London Calling]

An tips out there. My workplace is signed up to that bikey scheme, so I can get it for half priceQUOTE]

I'd go for a bike with a chromoly frame myself. A damn sight lighter than an aluminium job & it gives a much smoother ride 'cos they have a natural 'flex'. Not sure where you can purchase a complete bike using one, but I'm sure there'll be plenty out there. Oh, & as for brakes: go for a quality set of side-pulls (like wot they use in pro-racing). Disks are just an unnecessary, cumbersome waste of time for the road imo. Good luck & happy hunting

any recommended makes?

 

[London Calling]

right, specialized do a great road bike for £500 (called the Allez) that Rayment Cycles stock, absolutely ideal for what you need and a nice bike road bike to ride

be nice to get it for £250 as well

do you get 18 months to pay for it as well

In our scheme, you can pay for it in monthly installments from your wages over two years.

Half the bike remains the property of the business until it is all paid for.

But as one of the LOndon Mayor's agency they never call it in.