Long Commute to Work Need New Bike Within Budget - any advice?

gc2006

Hi all - am looking at getting into cycling again. I'm quite fit, do long distance endurance swimming, but haven't done much road cycling (do 45-60 mins once a week on gym bike!) in years.

I work 65km from home so the plan is to maybe drive 70% of way, cycle rest a few times a week in the new year, then move towards 50-50% and maybe even go for once a week each way cycling the whole way.

I fully appreciate 65km is a long distance, and will take me 2 - 2.5 hours but could be nice training for my swims, different muscles but same heart and lungs. Also, if thats too long, I can still do the drive half way and cycle rest.

So long story short I'm looking in the new year of picking up a bike. My cycling will be on roads, and I won't be carrying much with me. I can leave change of clothes etc in work. But I would like something a wee bit more stable / comfortable than a regular road bike.

I was looking at something like a cyclo-cross or tourer bike. Like what I read about cyclo-cross in that they're like road bikes, sacrafice very little in terms of speed, but are more stable, a wee bit tougher and more comfortable. I was initially working off a hybrid, but believe that the sitting position is bad in wind and hand-wise

I've found examples on the net for $550, but of course they don't ship to over here. Something like this http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/motobecane/fantom_cross_cx.htm or

Buget-wise I was hoping to spend < €500 in total. About €100 of this will be on gear I'll need, so budget for bike is around €400. I know this 40% back thing comes in in new year too.

My questions are:
- Do you think something like a tourer / cyclocross fits my purpose best?
- If you were me would you try and find a bike for €600 (which will be 400 after my tax is off) new or go for a 2nd hand one.
- Does anyone know of anywhere that would **** a bike like this Motobecane one to Ireland?

Cheers

Raam

hmm, the budget is a little small for a bike that will be seeing a lot of use. Any chance you could up it a bit?

gc2006

sorry meant to ask another question - is there a way to buy a regular road bike and make it more durable / comortable by changing tyres / saddle etc or is the main difference the frame type and shape

kenmc

Welcome over
You'll find much more relevant irish-centric info here than on bikeforums, not least in respect to the ability to source second-hand stuff - they were talking about a second hand market over there - there barely exists such a thing here - most bike shops don't do second hand any more, and the best you'll get is a couple of (possibly stolen) bikes on adverts.ie, buy and sell and gumtree.ie.

That aside, your budget is on the low side for what you are looking to do to be honest, especially if that includes clothing (you will need decent shorts/tights and tops). I know you're only hoping to do this a little bit - at least initially, but if you go too cheap chances are you won't ever do it.

65 km is a long way to commute - albeit the roads are going to be "mostly" flat.
hang on a sec - check your PMs, I might know you....

Raam

gc2006 wrote: »

sorry meant to ask another question - is there a way to buy a regular road bike and make it more durable / comortable by changing tyres / saddle etc or is the main difference the frame type and shape

A good road bike should be comfortable provided it is the correct fit for you and the saddle suits the shape of your behind. The only way to determine the right saddle is by experience. I paid 125 for a saddle that hurts. The guys here, myself included, do huge distances on regular road bikes and comfort doesn't appear to be a hindrance. It might pain at first, but your body will adapt.

TinyExplosions

Raam wrote: »

A good road bike should be comfortable provided it is the correct fit for you and the saddle suits the shape of your behind. The only way to determine the right saddle is by experience. I paid 125 for a saddle that hurts. The guys here, myself included, do huge distances on regular road bikes and comfort doesn't appear to be a hindrance. It might pain at first, but your body will adapt.

My fat is far more of a hindrance than comfort!

Raam

TinyExplosions wrote: »

My fat is far more of a hindrance than comfort!

This may help you.

Please keep the waste, I need some.

gc2006

would be hoping not to increase budget - is first year trying it and don't know how I'll get on.

Original budget was €300, so this is the up'ed one

mlelsc

What about this new scheme that John Gormley is introducing...........Can you not qualify for a new bike for free up to the value of €600...unless I am mistaken???????
Check the site here for a free bike too...You never know your luck!

penexpers

gc2006 wrote: »

would be hoping not to increase budget - is first year trying it and don't know how I'll get on.

Original budget was €300, so this is the up'ed one

Hey I'm selling my cross bike on adverts.ie here

http://www.adverts.ie/showproduct.php?product=84930

Open to offers.

kenmc

you're mistaken. there's no such thing as a free lunch - err bike.

Raam

gc2006 wrote: »

would be hoping not to increase budget - is first year trying it and don't know how I'll get on.

Original budget was €300, so this is the up'ed one

What distance have you built up to on the bike? Perhaps it would be more prudent to get your budget bike for playing around at the weekends. Get yourself up to distance over a few weeks. At that point you'll probably be happy to double or even triple the budget once you have caught the bug.

gc2006

raam - yeah get what you're saying. At the mo only using bikes in gym and an old mountain bike now and then.

Was half thinking about that - pick up a 2nd hand road bike and get myself in better cycling shape, then worry about if it'll do me for longer commutes etc. Maybe thats' the way to go alright.

Unless I want to spend $550 on a bike, and collect it next time I'm over in US. Customs would never catch me on it

Chips Lovell

I'd consider a road bike. Chain Reaction's BeOne models are within your price range. Yes, it may feel a bit frisky to you if you're not used to cycling on the road, but with the distances you're considering, you'd appreciate it the long run once you get used to it.

Yes, you can change your saddle and tyres. Most road bike owners end up with a preference for a particular saddle type. You can get fatter tyres as well if you really feel the need, but I'd give the standard ones a chance first.

gc2006

el tonto - cheers for that, yeah I see they are about £250 which is only about €275 at the moment. I could either go with something like that as a starter, or pickup a 2nd hand one in a bike shop either. As less specific than my initial idea, be much easier to get

Also, maybe not a bad idea to NOT use up my 40% off thing on this, as if I like it and want better version in next 5 years etc!

Raam

gc2006 wrote: »

el tonto - cheers for that, yeah I see they are about £250 which is only about €275 at the moment. I could either go with something like that as a starter, or pickup a 2nd hand one in a bike shop either. As less specific than my initial idea, be much easier to get

Also, maybe not a bad idea to NOT use up my 40% off thing on this, as if I like it and want better version in next 5 years etc!

That would appear to be your best bet right now. Go for it

Chips Lovell

gc2006 wrote: »

Also, maybe not a bad idea to NOT use up my 40% off thing on this, as if I like it and want better version in next 5 years etc!

It's certainly worth considering alright. A lot of people do end up getting bitten by the cycling bug and end up upgrading their bike.

kenmc

Ha! small world. old friend of the family. I've offered him spins on my bikes with/without the boardsies to see how he feels on a racer. also the BeOne Storm 2.0 falls inside his budget and still leaves him some cash for gear.

Civilian_Target

I got a nice hybrid for £300 (€450 at the time) in 2005, which I guess would be your budget now, second hand, and I still use it today. It has been incredibly reliable. So such things do exist. But it took a long time to find it.

One important thing to consider, how flat is your commute? If it's relatively flat, you can give less consideration to the weight of your bike, and more to other factors.

NeilMcEoigheann

this is an easy one buy a pair of slightly hybrid road tyres and put them on the mountain bike. catch the cycling bug buy a road bike then you have a choice of skinny tyres or semi hybrids to commute on using your new road bike... huzzah

niceonetom

i read your initial thread on bikeforums.

if you intend working your way up to 65k each way, and you won't be carrying much with you, i can't really recommend anything other than a road bike - they're designed to do exactly what you're doing. the best one the budget can stretch to.

i think anything with flat bars is going to really slow your progress on the first windy day you encounter, and i certainly appreciate the facility to move my hands around a bit for the sake of my wrists. drop bars work, and there's nothing to be afraid of there i promise.

could you spring for something like this? it's the cheapest bike i could see that has a carbon fork (seriously better than an alloy one for vibration damping) and a decent drive train (tiagra 9 speed). i don't know for sure whether you'd get full mudguards on it, but i've found race blades to be grand (unless you plan on doing 65 in a business suit? :eek:) if you do get bitten by the bug this bike woud be good enough to get you started at recreational/sportive cycling too.

gc2006

Hi there - thanks again for all the feedback - lots of people are pointing at that bike, so maybe that's the way to go alright!

What I'll probably do in the short term is either put slicks on my MTB OR buy a cheap 2nd hand road bike for around €150. Play about for a month or two and if I get into it, buy something like that. From what I'm reading if it's just a wee bit too twitchy / uncomfortable I can get other tyres, sadles etc.

Thanks again all for the help, much appreciated!

Raam

Once you get into it, see if you can find a few people who you can cycle with at the weekends.
Cycling with people who are stronger than you will make you work even harder and you will reap the benefits.