town bike for 5ft4 female - bike equivalent of a micra!

HardyEustace

Hi guys,
I was previously on this forum looking for advice on an entry level racing bike. Thanks for all your advice then. The bike has been taken out a few times now, I've got the hang of the cycling shoes and am doing a cycle about twice a week now and loving it.

With the long evenings coming in and the hope (as ever) of good weather, I'd love to start cycling to work. I did for the last few years but I've donated my old bike to my Dad, it was a bit too big anyway.

I'd like to get a town bike for tootling around the city in and commuting in and out to work. Ideally I'd like a nice light bike but I do realise that the lighter it is, the more expensive it becomes. Due to spending a fortune this year on bikes, wet suits and races my budget is around €400 which I know isn't massive.

I have read through all the previous posts but can't find many on suitable town bikes for women.

Any advice would be gratefully received. Thanks.

kenmc

What do you mean by 'town bike'? Any bike is capable of bringing you into town, but are you looking for specifics like panniers, step-over crossbar, dynamo lights etc?
something like this maybe?
http://www.cyclesuperstore.ie/shop/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=39&idproduct=20929

or do you just mean a cheaper bike than your racing bike? something like this:
http://www.cyclesuperstore.ie/shop/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=38&idproduct=12394

HardyEustace

Hi Ken,
sorry meant to say a "city bike" rather than a "town bike". Just becoming familiar with the terms at the moment. Panniers I'm not too worried about as I'd normally just have a rucksack to carry everything. A step over cross bar would also be good as it makes life a lot easier.

On a commute of less than four miles I assume that there's not much point getting cleats. There's about ten million traffic lights between my house and work so I don't think it'd make a massive difference anyway in terms of speed.

messed_up

My gf got one of these - or a very similar Giant bike- recently and really likes it. Her commute is fairly shot so something like this might be ideal

http://www.wheelworxbikes.com/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=6&products_id=669

blorg

If you have somewhere secure and don't plan on panniers I would suggest saving money and using your road bike.

Alternatively if you don't have somewhere safe or if the idea is to keep your road bike pristine (not a bad idea) I would suggest looking at second hand hybrids; I have a Dawes Discovery 201 which I use for going into town etc. and is great, very reliable. Cost a lot less than €400 second hand. I actually have dual SPD/platforms on this but only because I had them spare over from another bike and my main bike was in for repair for a while.

If you are getting a secondary bike like this, get a rack, it is very handy and a lot better than carrying stuff on your back.