Commuting bikes - a review

Thomas_B

Hi,

Haven't really posted here before, but enjoy reading some of the posts. I noticed that there are a lot of posts from people looking for advice on bikes for commuting. I thought that I would post some thoughts about bikes that I think are suitable for commuting. I see lots of people in Dublin riding fairly expensive kit which seems to me to be more than useless for getting to work.

Obviously opinions on bikes can be very subjective, so here are some of my starting points

• I'm a 'functional cyclist' -- I cycle to work in a suit, it's a fairly short distance, don't like the idea of having to change at your destination (don't have showers at work anyway)
• I sometimes do 20-30km cycles in the evening/weekend, but I rarely do longer distances than that. Never go off-road.

Things to look for in a commuting bike

These would be my minimum criteria for a commuting bike

• Built in mudgards (the aftermarket ones you buy at bike shops are invariably bad quality)
• Built in chainguard (trouser clips look silly, and chain on your suit trousers ain't funny)
• Fairly slick tyres (knobbly tyres give terrible grip on tarmac)
• Comfortable saddle (hardcore cyclists will say that you need a tiny rock hard thing, fair enough if you're doing triathlons, but nothing wrong with a bit of padding!)
• Upright riding position (Especially in traffic, having some height to see over traffic can mean a lot safety-wise)
• Good quality yet not madly expensive, so you don't lapse into serious depression when it gets nicked. I think you probably need to spend at least €250 to get something decent, and anything far over €500 is just silly unless you have good reasons to justify it.
• No suspension (just makes it harder work for you, as the suspension takes away some of the valuable kinetic energy that you generate with your arms and, more importantly, legs!)

Some examples of good commuting bikes:

Giant Expression (mens, ladies) -- about €300 or so. This is the bike that I ride -- the basic model. I love this bike -- it's fairly light too. Built-in four elastic straps on the sturdy carrier are fantastic for carrying stuff (you want to carry as much as you can on the bike and as little as you can on your person) -- two weeks ago I picked up five reams of paper for the office and carried it fine on this bike. They also do a DX version (€380) which has slightly better components, equivalent to the Trek T30 below)

Giant Expression N7 (mens, ladies) -- about €500 or so. This is one of the few bikes you can get with hub gears (contained in the hub, not exposed) which are far more suitable for commuting purposes than normal derailleur gears. Giant also do a three-speed hub geared version (Expression N3), but I when I rode one I thought the gearing was a bit high. Get the 3-speed version though if you can persuade the bike shop to lower the gearing on the rear sprocket.

Trek T30 (mens) -- about €400. A lot of people speak good things about Trek bikes. Slightly better quality components than the Giant, and you get a bit of suspension in the seat post too. Can't find a link for the ladies version, but it has a very handy low-step frame. If you're feeling flush I'd go for the Trek.

Raleigh Metro
The basic Metro (mens, ladies) - €300 is equivalent to the Giant Expression, but if it was a choice I'd go for the Giant or the Trek, they feel like more solid bikes. There is a LX version (€370), which again has sliightly better mechanicals.

Raleigh also do a Chiltern(mens)/Caprice(womens) model, with a three-speed hub gear. Some models of the Caprice have a very cool basket which is mounted to the frame (doesn't move when you move the handlebars) -- most aftermarket baskets unfortunately aren't worth the bother. As with the Giant I'd get the gearing lowered if I could.

If you've a bit more money to burn...

Brompton
The Brompton is the rolls-royce of folding bikes. Folds incredibly small, yet comes fully equipped. The great thing about riding a Brompton is if it starts raining, you can just fold it up and take it on the bus/train! Bromptons are very stable and you could travel fairly long distances with them. Most models come very well equipped, including integrated luggage options. Eye-wateringly expensive though -- expect to pay 800-1000 for the fully-specced models. Cycleways are the dealers in Ireland. I'm saving up for one at the moment!

Dutch bikes
The commuting bikes I mentioned above are essentially compromises -- Trek, Giant and the rest are more interested in making fashion bikes rather than anything essentially useful. Dutch bikes however are brilliant, with a more ergonomic riding position and all the equipment you'll ever need (built in lights with dynamo in the hub, skirt guard for rear wheels, fully enclosed chain, mega-sturdy carriers, etc. etc.). Also not cheap -- expect to pay around 700 euro for a top of the range model with 7 (hub) gears. There isn't anywhere in Ireland that sells these sadly, but there are a few in the UK. Cycle Heaven in York provides a good overview. Out of the four main manufacturers (Gazelle, Batavus, Union, Sparta), Gazelle seem to be the most highly thought of.

Bike shops

The bike shops I've been to in Dublin have all been terrible in terms of customer service -- Commuting Solutions in Rathmines and Cycleways on Parnell St. have great ranges of bikes, but I and other people I have talked to have found some of their staff to be incredibly rude, and I know from other people that they have a tendency to try and persuade people to buy completely unsuitable bikes for getting around town.

Accessories

Don't forget to budget for accessories, which can add significant amounts to the price you pay at the bike shop. Essential in my view:

• A lock -- I like U-locks that you can mount on the frame without getting in your way. I spent about €40 on my current U-lock. I'm not an expert on bike security, but bear in mind my last Giant Expression was locked outside my house with a €60 Kryptonite U-lock which many people speak highly of, only to have the thieves saw through the railing! Serves me right for not locking through the frame and rear wheels...
• A bell -- absolutely essential in Dublin traffic, yet most bike shops look at you sideways when you ask for one. Don't get the cheap bells that you 'flick', as they break. Last time I bought a bell was in Cycleways, and the only one they had was a bell with a (thankfully removable) Barbie sticker!
• Lights -- Unfortunately built-in lights are impossible to get here. I rarely cycle beyond the glow of streetlights, so tend to just use cheap ones. I did manage to get a rear light that screws permanently to my rear carrier when I was on holiday in Europe -- which is great as it's one less thing to carry on you.
• Helmet - I don't really know much about helmets -- save to say that some of the 'sporty'-styled helmets on the go look a bit inappropriate, in my opinion
• Rain gear - I think a rain poncho is best for cycling in Irish weather, as you don't get so sweaty, and they're easier to put on quickly. Look for ponchos with straps underneath, so you can hold it to the handlebars (secures it against the wind). My last poncho was cheap and ripped -- I'm looking for another one and the best one I've found so far was in Cyclelogical on the quays, but I'm still searching.

I'd be interested to hear any comments on the above, I'm sure I've missed something, or maybe you have a different opinion to me. Happy cycling!

BeerNut

Thomas_B wrote:

Helmet - I don't really know much about helmets -- save to say that some of the 'sporty'-styled helmets on the go look a bit inappropriate, in my opinion

I have a Reevu helmet and absolutely love it. Everyone should have one of these (unless you're using dropped handlebars, in which case it's probably lethal).

Civilian_Target

I dispute your comments about aftermarket mudguards - my builtin's smashed recently and I got aftermarket mudguards that were every bit as good, not cheap though!

Deraileurs vs Hub gearing
Deraileurs are cheaper, more widespread, offer a larger choice of gears and are easier to fix when they break
Hubs are much more reliable, require less maintenance, are generally more efficient (because they don't get full of muck), are much easier on the chain and the gear can be changed regardless of whether the bike is moving

Civ recommends hubs for serious commuting

Membrane

Sensible advice, although it may be a bit too sensible and utilitarian for Irish tastes and fashions. Are you Dutch per chance?

I'd add tyres with good puncture resistance to the list, e.g. Specialized Armadillos. I've yet to see a bike < E500 with good stock tyres on it. Try to get the shop to swap them for the stock ones when buying a new bike. Puncture resistant tyres are essential with the amount of glass and other crap on the roads here.

I wouldn't recommend Raleigh, bottom of the range bikes from the far east imo.

Regarding Dutch bikes, I've got one and I'd recommend staying away from the steel frame models, they're too heavy (mine weighs 23KG). I'd recommend 15KG max.

Regarding Gazelle, I've been somewhat disappointed with the quality of mine. The rotary bell integrated in the grip is crap, the handlebar grips keep sliding backwards, it wasn't assembled properly (cables poorly installed), there was sharp grit in the tyres resulting in punctures and the rear wheel hub bearings were not greased sufficiently.

Regarding Cycleheaven in York, they will mail order bikes to Dublin for anyone determined to get a Dutch bike (thats how I got my Gazelle), but shipping is pricey.

I don't recognise your experience with bike shops at all, and I've been to quite a few of them, small and large. Although I've never asked anyone for advice on what bike to get.

I do have the exact same experience as you regarding getting a decent bell, I also bought a children's bell from Cycleways and removed the silly sticker. Ended up not using it as the blooping thing rattles and dings on every bump. Halfords have "adult" classic rotary bells (ring-ring instead of ping), don't know if they are quiet when not operated.

I also use a rain poncho for the reason you indicated, they're less sweaty. Hard to find in Dublin though. I eventually found one but the quality isn't great (thankfully I don't need it much).

Garth

I went to Coynes Cycles in Kinnegad for my bike (this morning!) and they've been very helpful all the way through.

When I was first looking for my bike I rang a few local people and they were really unhelpful. I had a bike in mind (a Raleigh Caprice) and was looking for the 16". One place just said "no" and volunteered no information so I hung up, and the other had it in stock, but just the 19" and said they couldn't get the other in and "sure with the seat low you'll be ok"??? When I rang Coynes they said they'd get it in no problem, rang me back and gave me a price (a tenner cheaper than I'd seen on the 'net) and also advised on alternatives I might want to look at... they were so helpful I was happy to drive to Kinnegad. (although getting the bike in my micra was an adventure!)

In the end I got a different bike than I had in mind, which the other places may well have had in stock but I'm glad I got it from Coynes.

Regarding bikes themselves, the bike I picked up this morning (my first since I got my driving licence!) is a Leader Primavera. There's not much information on Leader on the 'net but I like the feel of the bike and it's very smooth with the gears. I've never had grip shift gears before but I caught on quickly. It has a quick release saddle which I'm of two minds about. Great if I remember to bring it with me when I leave my bike outside, not so great if I forget it, as my brother had his stolen before! It has dynamo lights which I like the idea of but I'm prepared to replace them if they're not good enough as I'll be biking often at night.

That said, I bought an aftermarket basket for it and I already feel like I wasted the money on it, it's fiddley, distracting and moves too much so I might just get a handlebar bag or pannier bags instead.

In the end, I'm happy with it as a €300 bike and if I really do cycle to work all the time as I hope to, in a couple years I'll splash out on a decent dutch bike.

Thomas_B

Thanks for the interesting replies.

BeerNut wrote:

I have a Reevu helmet and absolutely love it.

Do you have a link or details of a stockist in Ireland?

Civilian_Target wrote:

I dispute your comments about aftermarket mudguards - my builtin's smashed recently and I got aftermarket mudguards that were every bit as good, not cheap though!

That's interesting, do you have a link or any further details? I based my comment on the fact that I haven't seen any aftermarket mudguards which are fixed (sturdily! Not this 2mm dia wire stuff...) to the frame in at least two places and have a plastic flap at the bottom of the front mudguard.

Membrane wrote:

Are you Dutch per chance?

No, have only been to the Netherlands once! But tried out someone's Gazelle for a few hours (forget the model, but it had the Nexus 7-speed hub), and thought it was absolutely brilliant.

Membrane wrote:

Regarding Gazelle, I've been somewhat disappointed with the quality of mine.

That's really disappointing, and sorry you had such a bad experience (let me know if you're thinking of selling it!!). Was thinking of ordering one, but your experience has prompted me to accept the (extremely sensible) wisdom that you're better off spending a bit of time with a bike before buying, and having a dealer close by that you can complain to.

Membrane wrote:

(mine weighs 23KG). I'd recommend 15KG max.

I wouldn't have the same concern about weight, because I'm often carrying stuff on the bike like papers for work or groceries which make the proportional weight difference less. I was reminded of this when I passed someone last night riding a super-light bike, but with a big backpack which looked very heavy! I appreciate weight can be a factor if you're doing very long distances, but I'm certainly happy with the 16kg weight of my Giant Expression, which incidentally has an aluminium frame

Membrane wrote:

I'd add tyres with good puncture resistance to the list...Puncture resistant tyres are essential with the amount of glass and other crap on the roads here.

The standard tyres on the Giant Expression are "Kenda puncture-resistant", whatever that means. I have had one puncture in three years, I accept though that I may just be lucky!

Membrane wrote:

I also use a rain poncho for the reason you indicated, they're less sweaty. Hard to find in Dublin though.

Just bought that poncho in Cyclelogical yesterday. Will post up a review when I've had a bit more use out of it.


Finally to Garth: congratulations on your new bike: hope you have many happy cycling miles ahead of you.
One thing though: I would definitely get that quick-release saddle bolt replaced with one that isn't easily-removable: if you have even the tiniest bit of mechanical inclination it'll take you about 2 mins (the replacement set I bought from a bike shop even had the Allen key included!), or alternatively any bike shop will be able to sort you out.

Civilian_Target

Membrane wrote:

Sensible advice, although it may be a bit too sensible and utilitarian for Irish tastes and fashions. Are you Dutch per chance?

lol! No, but I am a scientist Once converted its really hard to go back to deraileurs, they're such a pain in the...

I'd add tyres with good puncture resistance to the list, e.g. Specialized Armadillos. I've yet to see a bike < E500 with good stock tyres on it. Try to get the shop to swap them for the stock ones when buying a new bike. Puncture resistant tyres are essential with the amount of glass and other crap on the roads here.

Agreed. Armadillos are good as are Schwable Marathons, and they have a reflective stripe on the side too boot, always a bonus

I do have the exact same experience as you regarding getting a decent bell, I also bought a children's bell from Cycleways and removed the silly sticker. Ended up not using it as the blooping thing rattles and dings on every bump. Halfords have "adult" classic rotary bells (ring-ring instead of ping), don't know if they are quiet when not operated.

Odd, I have a "ping" with inbuilt compass and find it to be excellent. It's strudy, bounces back easily and can be rotated out of the way. And its very loud

That's interesting, do you have a link or any further details? I based my comment on the fact that I haven't seen any aftermarket mudguards which are fixed (sturdily! Not this 2mm dia wire stuff...) to the frame in at least two places and have a plastic flap at the bottom of the front mudguard.

Yeah, each guard has two rods connecting to the wheel nut. The front one has a U loop and that connects in to the front fork where a light usually goes, and the rear one has a bolt that connects near the rear brake with adjustable paddles to hold the guard in place, and connects by double cable tie to the small cross bar at the base of the rear wheel. It also came with a built in rear light, which I don't use. Cost £25 at my local shop Ealing Cycles

Carrying weight on your back instead of your bike is surely going to slow your journey rather than speed it.... get panniers!

BeerNut

Thomas_B wrote:

Do you have a link or details of a stockist in Ireland?

There don't seem to be any. I got mine nearly two years ago and it was the ex-display one, last-in-stock, at Commuting Solutions in Rathmines. I suspect they just didn't shift.

maninasia

Membrane wrote: »

I wouldn't recommend Raleigh, bottom of the range bikes from the far east imo.

That's ironic as it's in the Far East where almost all the world's bikes (including medium and top of range) are made. They are often re-branded by old world names such as Raleigh. Even famous American brands probably get most of their stuff manufactured in Asia.
What does Ireland make?

Lumen

Funny this thread getting resurrected as I'm looking for a "city" bike for my wife.

I have a decent budget (€1000, January purchase ) and am looking for a hub gear (Alfine) equipped bike with a lightish frame, straight bars, proper mudguard clearance (ideally), and that's fast and fun (which rules out Dutch bikes).

From what I've read, hub gears are less efficient than dérailleur gears, particularly in the low gears. But I still want them, because all the fixie porn on boards has convinced me that dérailleurs are ugly and evil.

Anyway, there really isn't much choice out there for Alfine-equipped bikes. The current shortlist is:

Trek Soho
Cannondale Street Ultra
Charge Mixer (mudguards a problem)
Cannondale Bad Boy White Edition Solo (mudguards a problem)

copacetic

I'm looking at same purchase in Jan. I'm liking the belt drive on the soho but am waiting to hear word on the availbility of the giant city speed. I think it may be the one..

The cannondale and charge bikes and generally overpriced.

neilled

copacetic wrote: »

I'm looking at same purchase in Jan. I'm liking the belt drive on the soho but am waiting to hear word on the availbility of the giant city speed. I think it may be the one..

The cannondale and charge bikes and generally overpriced.

Hmm I'm guess that the front fork on the Giant is carbon by the look of it, whilst I think the Soho has an alu one.

Lumen

copacetic wrote: »

waiting to hear word on the availbility of the giant city speed. I think it may be the one..

Very nice.

Gavin

This is good stuff alright. Didn't see it when it was stuck up. Must copy it into the Wiki at some point.. Or someone else can too if they want !

copacetic

Lumen wrote: »

Very nice.

Not sure when it will be available though. Was on to Giant UK about 6 weeks back and they had no idea when or even if it would be out in UK.

72hundred

This should really added to the Wiki. Loads of great info here.

Civilian_Target

That Charge looks awesome, I want!

Yep, hubs are good. Never thought much of the Nexus 8 but have an SRAM-7 on my tank and I'd swear by the thing. Heavy as an elephant, but durable, pretty efficient, and reliable.

Personal checklist for an urban warrior is:

Hub gears
Front dynamo + lamp
Strong wheels
All mounts on frame

and add

Hard tyres (Marathon / Armadillo)
Bell
D-Lock
Toe clips
Panniers and Mudguards if not already there
Lamps

BostonB

Regarding lightness of bikes. Because I've have a decent surface on most of my route, I was thinking of replacing my slicks shod MTB with a road bike for commuting, but put straight bars on it and panniers on it. I think it will reduce the pushing effort, and will be great when somedays especially in the summer I don't carry anything with me other than repair kit. Whereas in the winter I have rain gear lights, extra layers, hats etc.

Though I'm pretty comfy on my mtb, with a gel saddle, padded shorts I wouldn't want a bone hard ride. when I switched to Specialized Armadillos 26x1.5 it took a while to get used to the increase in hardness of ride over the MTB tyres.

penexpers

Lumen wrote: »

Very nice.

Still lacking things like mudguards and rear pannier racks though.

For city bikes, they really have it down to an artform in Germany



One day, I will own this. Or something like it.

BostonB

That bike looks like it would be heavy. Not my cup of tea, but nice in a retro kinda way. What is that bike?

penexpers

BostonB wrote: »

That bike looks like it would be heavy. Not my cup of tea, but nice in a retro kinda way. What is that bike?

That's missing the point about city bikes though. City bikes should be durable above all else and durability comes with the penalty of extra weight.

That bike is made by Retro Velo http://www.retrovelo.de/

BostonB

Sorry I was thinking in the context of commuting.

gzoladz

Does anybody have any experience with Electra Bikes?
http://www.electrabike.com/amsterdam/
Chainreacition...delivers free to Ireland and they have a couple of very nice model.

blorg

penexpers wrote: »

That's missing the point about city bikes though. City bikes should be durable above all else and durability comes with the penalty of extra weight.

I don't know that I agree with that sentiment, my road bike is the lightest bike I own and also the most reliable. It's also the one with the most mileage. Of course I do have to clean it after a cycle in bad weather, which you may not have to do so much on something with hub gears (I know my fixie works very well even when quite filthy.)

A lot of city bikes are definately needlessly heavy, where the weight is not contributing to any strength or durability. You can get very nice Rohloff-based bikes that don't weigh crazy amounts, albeit for a price. I will agree that in a flat city for short distances weight should not be an overriding concern mind.

Wiggle have what looks like a very nice commuter/light touring bike on sale at the moment - Focus Merluza @ £557.33 with £50 extra stuff free. 11.35kg, Shimano 105, comes with cross brake levers, mudguards and rack.


(click for bigger)

Raam

blorg wrote: »

Wiggle have what looks like a very nice commuter/light touring bike on sale at the moment - Focus Merluza @ £557.33 with £50 extra stuff free. 11.35kg, Shimano 105, comes with cross brake levers, mudguards and rack.


(click for bigger)

That's the bike I got for the old man, with his money mind. It's a nice ride. Very comfortable. FYI: It has brakes on the flat bar as well as the STI.

penexpers

blorg wrote: »

I don't know that I agree with that sentiment, my road bike is the lightest bike I own and also the most reliable. It's also the one with the most mileage. Of course I do have to clean it after a cycle in bad weather, which you may not have to do so much on something with hub gears (I know my fixie works very well even when quite filthy.)

A lot of city bikes are definately needlessly heavy, where the weight is not contributing to any strength or durability. You can get very nice Rohloff-based bikes that don't weigh crazy amounts, albeit for a price. I will agree that in a flat city for short distances weight should not be an overriding concern mind.

The term "commuting" to me means someone who is only interested in using their bike to get to/from work and maybe the odd leisure cycle. As such the bikes should be functional (mudguards, igh, dynamo hub + lights, rear rack) and require little to no maintenance (igh, dynamo hub, puncture proof tires etc..). You will get many many more maintenance free miles out of an geared hub system than you will out of a derailuer system. (I note that Rohloff have still yet to record a hub faliure, though some guy claims to have had a couple). The IGH doesn't have to come with a huge weight penalty.

If most of your cycling is commuting then nothing will beat a bike like the Retro Velo ones.

omri

I'm looking into getting Focus Red Falls 2008 as a gift for a girl, on wiggle it's for round 350 euro.
I think it's very decent bike. Got dynamo built into front hub, lights, pump, mudgards. The wieght is almost 16kg. That might be a bit to carry on the stairs. But still I think it's the best value for money. I've checked fiew websites but nothing really worth that kind of money.

Niallface

regarding bells don't bother, to cycle in town you need confidence so just shout at people when they step out, it works better then the pleasant "ping ping" sound of a bell and you can give directions like MOVE or STAY WHERE YOU ARE any who i'm the shouter.........

BostonB

penexpers wrote: »

The term "commuting" to me means someone who is only interested in using their bike to get to/from work and maybe the odd leisure cycle. As such the bikes should be functional (mudguards, igh, dynamo hub + lights, rear rack) and require little to no maintenance (igh, dynamo hub, puncture proof tires etc..). ....


If most of your cycling is commuting then nothing will beat a bike like the Retro Velo ones.

Whats a Retro Velo?

Thats a very narrow idea of commuters. Theres all kinds of commuters. The closer to the city you get, the shorter commuter is the kind of commuter I imagine you're thinking off. The 15/20 mins journey. once you get to 30mins + you start to see more people on better bikes, performance wise.

Civilian_Target

Niallface wrote: »

regarding bells don't bother, to cycle in town you need confidence so just shout at people when they step out, it works better then the pleasant "ping ping" sound of a bell and you can give directions like MOVE or STAY WHERE YOU ARE any who i'm the shouter.........

I totally disagree.
Sometimes you do have to shout, it's true, even with a bell.
But they're a legal requirement for a reason, the pinging noise has a very long range, so if there's a jogger or slow cyclist 25m in front of you, you can politely ping him out of the way, rather than waiting until you're 10m away from him and start hollering like some sort of freak.

Anyway, they're not what I would classify as expensive or heavy.

BostonB

I didn't realise it was a legal requirement. You don't many adult bikes with bells.

Civilian_Target

Yeah, its bizarre that most bikes don't come with them.
In UK and France, it's a legal requirment that bicycles come fitted with bells also, even though in the UK, you are not obliged to have one.
In France, very cleverly too, it's a legal requirement that all bicycles are sold with lights, and that those lights come with batteries.

gzoladz

Alternatively, this is the one I use:
http://bentridernj.blogspot.com/2006/04/thunder-horn-has-arrived.html

and this is a good option too: http://www.amazon.com/Delta-Airzound-Bike-Horn/dp/B000ACAMJC/ref=tag_tdp_sv_edpp_pop_t/186-5197673-0954311

VC123

Great thread Thomas.:) I am currently looking to buy a bike to commute to work. You have previously recommended Giant Expression as a good commuter bike. Please could you advise me which type & size - I am 5"7 and looking for a ladies bike max. €400. I have also been advised to get tyres that internally have the same lining as bullet proof jackets to prevent punctures...is it right these cost around €30 per tyre?

monument

Civilian_Target wrote: »

I totally disagree.
Sometimes you do have to shout, it's true, even with a bell.
But they're a legal requirement for a reason, the pinging noise has a very long range, so if there's a jogger or slow cyclist 25m in front of you, you can politely ping him out of the way, rather than waiting until you're 10m away from him and start hollering like some sort of freak.

I agree with Civ here, since getting a bell -- not so long ago -- it has worked a treat. I'm surprised that most walkers and other cyclists react to it, quickly and well.

Shouting when a bell would have worked is silly and gives cyclist a bad rep.

BostonB

Must fit that bell I have somewhere. Though the last person I needed one for wouldn't have heard it. A woman walking on the cycle path, had an iPod on, and their dogs reel lead running across anywhere I could have passed. She couldn't hear me at all.

Thomas_B

VC123 wrote: »

Please could you advise me which type & size - I am 5"7 and looking for a ladies bike max. €400.

Hi!

As far as I remember the Expressions come in S, M and L sizes.

I have a 31" inside leg and although I bought the medium size, I wish I'd bought the large!

I reckon you'd probably be the medium although you could quite possibly be the large -- only way is to take a test ride and see!

VC123 wrote: »

I have also been advised to get tyres that internally have the same lining as bullet proof jackets to prevent punctures...is it right these cost around €30 per tyre?

I am going to regret typing this...but I'm really not sure it's necessary -- depends how much your cycling route tends to have glass and other fun stuff strewn upon it (I just *know* I'm going to get a puncture this week just for typing that!). Why don't you try it out with the standard tyres, and if you get more than one puncture in your first year, then get the posh Kevlar ones?

For an alternative view, you might consider Membrane's comment earlier in this thread:

Membrane wrote: »

I'd add tyres with good puncture resistance to the list, e.g. Specialized Armadillos. I've yet to see a bike < E500 with good stock tyres on it. Try to get the shop to swap them for the stock ones when buying a new bike. Puncture resistant tyres are essential with the amount of glass and other crap on the roads here.

In relation to the type of Expression you should get, well the bog standard version, the DX and the N3 are all within your budget.

I don't like front suspension, so the DX would be out for me.

The N3 has 3 internal (hub) gears and hub brakes -- both me and the wife have since upgraded to bikes with hub gears and brakes and I think they're absolutely brilliant! Life's too short to be twiddling with derailleurs!

Some people might say that 3 gears aren't enough -- the only way you're going to be able to tell is to ride it yourself and see. I said before that I think they are geared too high (I don't care about going fast, I just want to get up hills!) but you could always ask the bike shop to change the rear sprocket for a bigger one (and if they grumble, then walk away!).

I owned the bog standard Expression for a few years before giving it to a friend who still commutes daily on it and it's still going great!

As a final thought -- have you tried out the Trek range? Very nice bikes (although you're stuck with something like this T30 instead of this tasty thing which unfortunately the Irish Trek distributor refuses to stock!) (both links to mens versions, though womens available too)

Most importantly though...get something quick and get enjoying this nice cycling weather! Don't forget to post back and tell us how you got on...

VC123

Hi Thomas thanks for all the great info.:):)

Smileman

Hi Thomas


Thank you for all your advice that you have been posting.

I am thinking of buying the Giant Mens N3 for commuting. What do you mean by lowering the high gearing? You mention to go for slick tyres. This bike has 700x40. Will that be OK.


Regards


Smileman

Thomas_B

Smileman wrote: »

I am thinking of buying the Giant Mens N3 for commuting.

It's a fab bike, you'll love it!

Smileman wrote: »

What do you mean by lowering the high gearing?

If you're a lard arse like me, you'll find it a bit difficult to get up steep hills with the default gearing. Lowering the gearing means (on this bike) probably means changing the sprocket at the back for a bigger one. Any decent bike shop should do this for you (and if they whinge about it, walk away) but you might have to pay a bit extra.

Smileman wrote: »

You mention to go for slick tyres. This bike has 700x40. Will that be OK.

Sounds good to me.

Steve_hooo

penexpers wrote: »

Still lacking things like mudguards and rear pannier racks though.

For city bikes, they really have it down to an artform in Germany



One day, I will own this. Or something like it.

Hi penexpers,

Are you owning one now?

Just interested in the same kind of bicycle