1st timer - advice please

moesymoe

Hi folks,

Have been deciding whether to do this bike to work thing or not for the past few weeks but never gave it the attention it needed, and now it's come to the stage where I have to decide on the bike I want in the next day or I'll miss out.

I really have no idea where to start when it comes to what bike to get and I don't want to end up with something unsuitable. I've had a quick look on here but was just getting more confused with the options out there. Hopefully, you guys can offer some advice

Looking to get a bike that will be used mainly for the commute to work but am not ruling out some recreational cycling at the weekend. Also have a faint hope of a triathlon one day. i know that lack of clarity is probably my main problem. I would prefer something that can get me into work quick but comfort is also pretty important. I wear a suit in work and need a laptop some of the time. The route I'll be taking is likely via the phoenix park to baggot street area.

It would be great if someone could provide a basic breakdown of the main types of bike out there and some recommendations for what I described above.

Also, I'll be buying the bike from cyclesuperstore.ie

Thanks in advance!!

alfalad

You are being pretty vague alright!!

But you have two main options, road bike or hybrid. If you do a triathlon then you need to look at a road bike but if your only aim is getting to work and comfort a hybrid might be best (Depending on distance) especially if you fit something to carry your stuff in.
There is a world of choice out there, but you need to decide on a couple of main things, budget, what will you use it for! If your buying it in cyclesuperstore, they will give you some good advice but you need to know yourself how much you want to spend and how many km you'll be doing on it!

If you ask the guys here to pick you a bike they send you away with a 4k carbon beauti!

thebouldwhacker

alfalad wrote: »

If you ask the guys here to pick you a bike they send you away with a 4k carbon beauti!

Lumen

Are those wheels on backwards?

thebouldwhacker

nope, you can see the spoke reflectors are placed to go in that direction....:D

moesymoe

Thanks for the response,

To help narrow it down in terms of what ones you might recommend, i'd be willing to pay in the region of 400-700. Probably looking at doing 25k a day on average.

Lumen

Are you proposing to ride the bike wearing a suit, or change at work? Do you have shower facilities at work?

moesymoe

I just meant I will probably need to carry some stuff on the trip. i.e. I wouldnt wear the suit, and there are showers in work.

Lumen

Given that you have showers, a weekend bike will do you for the commute, whereas a commuting bike will annoy you at the weekend.

Consider getting something with eyelets/clearance for mudguards and a rack, although that cuts down the choice a bit for high-end bikes, at your budget (decent entry-level) it shouldn't be a problem.

First choice is drop bars vs flats.

Read a few of these threads and think about what you want.

blorg

I would get a road bike that will take a rack mounting and at least 700x25c tyres, preferably wider. The Giant Defy (which CSS sell) will do this as will many entry level aluminium road bikes (look away euro police.) You can take the rack off for weekends/triathlons etc.

Alternatively get a cyclocross bike and swap the knobbly tyres out for slicks but to be honest unless you really need massive tyres and full-length mudguards you are better off with the road bike. Cross bikes tend NOT to be good value and tend to be heavy also. (I have two cross, and two road bikes.)

An "audax" specific bike might be most ideal for you- this is basically a road bike but with slightly more comfortable geometry, rack mounts and clearance for full-length mudguards. But again these tend to be pretty expensive for what you get. If I was only allowed a single bike this would probably be it. Thankfully I am allowed seven or eight and so don't have an audax bike.

So end of the day I would go entry-level road bike.

blog_blog_blog

blorg wrote: »

I would get a road bike that will take a rack mounting and at least 700x25c tyres, preferably wider. The Giant Defy (which CSS sell) will do this as will many entry level aluminium road bikes (look away euro police.) You can take the rack off for weekends/triathlons etc.

Alternatively get a cyclocross bike and swap the knobbly tyres out for slicks but to be honest unless you really need massive tyres and full-length mudguards you are better off with the road bike. Cross bikes tend NOT to be good value and tend to be heavy also. (I have two cross, and two road bikes.)

An "audax" specific bike might be most ideal for you- this is basically a road bike but with slightly more comfortable geometry, rack mounts and clearance for full-length mudguards. But again these tend to be pretty expensive for what you get. If I was only allowed a single bike this would probably be it. Thankfully I am allowed seven or eight and so don't have an audax bike.

So end of the day I would go entry-level road bike.

Hi blorg,
Can i ask what cross bikes do you have ? what do you think of specialized Tricross Sport Triple? i,m looking to get 1 on this bike 2 work, I dont think the specialized crosstail models are worth a look? should get a sirrus comp/expert. Put off by road type bikes by tyres/rims watching out for holes/mars bars and cant hop kerbs!, What would you get if you could only have one. sirrus or tri-cross or.. max 850 in dublin shops ? I will not be commuting on it,i get paid to drive!,only leisure/fatness riding, being able to leave /lock it in open ocasionaly a bonus, Less flash the better.Thanks

blorg

I have a Van Nicholas Amazon (titanium) and a Specialized Tricross fixed. I have 700x25c tyres on both, use the former for touring, the latter for commuting. I went for the former as an audax bike would be too similar to my road bike and I wanted the option to go off road touring with bigger tyres; indeed plan on trying cross racing on this one next winter.

The Tricross is a bit of a tank compared to a road bike to be honest. It's fun used for its intended purpose off-road though. I am in two minds regarding it to be honest as a commuter.

If it is on road use don't even think of keeping the stock tyres on a Tricross, swap them for 700x32 slicks if you want to maintain the comfort without the sensation of cycling through treacle.

blog_blog_blog

blorg wrote: »

I have a Van Nicholas Amazon (titanium) and a Specialized Tricross fixed. I have 700x25c tyres on both, use the former for touring, the latter for commuting. I went for the former as an audax bike would be too similar to my road bike and I wanted the option to go off road touring with bigger tyres; indeed plan on trying cross racing on this one next winter.

The Tricross is a bit of a tank compared to a road bike to be honest. It's fun used for its intended purpose off-road though. I am in two minds regarding it to be honest as a commuter.

If it is on road use don't even think of keeping the stock tyres on a Tricross, swap them for 700x32 slicks if you want to maintain the comfort without the sensation of cycling through treacle.

It would be all on road use, so sirrus would be way to go, dont like drop bars too much ,have had shoulder and lower back injurys in past, Thanks for quick info. Heard armadillo tyres are tough and frame on higher spec sirrus with carbon forks and rear stay are comfortable to ride,
cheers

blorg

Cross bikes all have drops so would not be a good choice if you really don't want them. Mind you they can also be pretty relaxed and you still have the top of the bars hand position, with brakes there too if you get one with secondary levers.

I had back problems when I first tried drops (Trek 1000) and went back to flat bars for a few years, (Specialized Sirrus.) I then stuck drops on the Sirrus and then got a road bike (on my third now.) I think it is mostly down to getting sized properly on the bike so I wouldn't rule it out.

Armadillos are very puncture resistant indeed, good commuting tyres. Road feel is not great and they are a bit slippy but this is really only a concern if you want to go around corners very fast.

rottenhat

blorg wrote: »

Thankfully I am allowed seven or eight and so don't have an audax bike.

You have seven or eight bikes and not one of them is an audax bike? Better make it nine, so.

blorg

rottenhat wrote: »

You have seven or eight bikes and not one of them is an audax bike? Better make it nine, so.

The way I see it an audax bike is a compromise between a road bike and a light tourer. I have both of those, so don't really need an audax bike. My tourer would be lighter than most audax bikes, just it has clearance for BIG tyres, mudguards, uses canti brakes etc.

I considered getting an audax bike instead of the tourer but reckoned there would be little point as it would be too close to my road bike. Better get something that I can actually stick big tyres on and tour off-road (such as the Camino) even if most of the time it will have 700x25s. I also plan trying cyclocross on it next winter.

Day rides of any length, road bike, multi day, tourer.

If I could only have _one_ bike between these two, I would go for the audax bike.

pburns

I was in a very similar position and ended up ordering a Trek 7.5. No idea yet if it's the right choice or not! The guy in the shop kinda referred to it s a 'flat-bar racer' which sounded like what I had in mind.

It's very confusing because I originally had the idea I wanted a hybrid (something like this ). However I couldn't see the point of having a slightly heavier frame for road use - they basically just seem like mountain bikes with narrower tyres. They kinda renind me of 'soft-roaders' in the car world (BMW X3 etc.) i.e. falling between 2 stools and being not as either on-road or off as they could be.

The Specialised Sirrus range are possibly better value but I somehow didn't like the looks as well. Also heard of wheels being a weak feature and the Armidillo tyres sacrificing puncture-resistence for poor wet-weather grip.

rottenhat

I was just joshing really - I acknowledge the logic of what you're saying.

[dons Grant Peterson hat] I do think it's unfortunate that audax has become a bike specialism though, and as such might involve paying over the odds. Given that a bike with somewhat relaxed angles, clearance for mudgards and 28-32mm tires, and rack eyelets would probably suit the cycling many road cyclists do better than a tight-clearance, fast handling, race-oriented bike, they should be more of a standard issue item. I guess it's not very sexy (except to maybe to degenerate lug fetishists...)

I may also be overestimating the number of people who like to ride 100km+ rides over crappy roads in the rain.

pburns

blorg wrote: »

The way I see it an audax bike is a compromise between a road bike and a light tourer. I have both of those, so don't really need an audax bike. My tourer would be lighter than most audax bikes, just it has clearance for BIG tyres, mudguards, uses canti brakes etc.

I considered getting an audax bike instead of the tourer but reckoned there would be little point as it would be too close to my road bike. Better get something that I can actually stick big tyres on and tour off-road (such as the Camino) even if most of the time it will have 700x25s. I also plan trying cyclocross on it next winter.

Day rides of any length, road bike, multi day, tourer.

If I could only have _one_ bike between these two, I would go for the audax bike.

I've done a Google image search and still cannot figure out what an audax bike is or how it differs substantially from a tourer or road bike:o:confused:.

Maybe someone could provide a list of the different types of bike and examples of each, pro/cons etc?

rottenhat

pburns wrote: »

I've done a Google image search and still cannot figure out what an audax bike is or how it differs substantially from a tourer or road bike:o:confused:.

Maybe someone could provide a list of the different types of bike and examples of each, pro/cons etc?

It's probably easiest to say that they are all subspecies of one thing i.e. road bikes.

What you're probably thinking of as a road bike is a fairly race-oriented version - it tends to have clearance for only fairly narrow, high-pressure tires (up to 28mm maximum usually), the seat and head tube angles are relatively steep and the wheelbase short to make the bike handle fast and turn quickly. It won't usually have eyelets or braze-ons for racks and mudguards since you wouldn't put those on a race bike.

An audax bike will have clearance for wider tires, the angles of the tubes will be a little more relaxed (but we are talking fractions here - it might be 72-3 degrees as opposed to 74) to make the handling less twitchy and the bike soak up a little more of the road shock, it will have eyelets and braze-ons for a rack and mudguards. The differences are to make the bike comfortable over long hauls - audax rides basically start at 200km and run to 1200-1400km or more for the real epics - and allow you carry the kind of light gear you might want for a twenty-hour ride. But basically they're still a lightweight, fast bike because audax rides have time limits and nobody wants to be pedalling some total hog of a bike on an all day ride. I would say they were perfect for a long ride in Wicklow for instance - the wider tires and more relaxed angles make for less fatigue riding over rough roads, and mudguards make riding in the rain a lot more pleasant.

A touring bike will be similar, but maybe even more relaxed angles and the wheelbase will definitely be longer, partly to make the bike more stable when it's loaded with gear, partly to make sure you can fit panniers on it without smacking your heel off them while pedalling. It will usually be built a bit more heavily because you it will be carrying rider plus gear and the last thing you want is the frame to break under the strain. Similarly, they'll take wider, lower-pressure tires so that the bigger load won't cause pinch-flats.

But they're all road bikes, and the differences would be subtle enough.

blorg

rottenhat wrote: »

[dons Grant Peterson hat] I do think it's unfortunate that audax has become a bike specialism though, and as such might involve paying over the odds. Given that a bike with somewhat relaxed angles, clearance for mudgards and 28-32mm tires, and rack eyelets would probably suit the cycling many road cyclists do better than a tight-clearance, fast handling, race-oriented bike, they should be more of a standard issue item. I guess it's not very sexy (except to maybe to degenerate lug fetishists...)

I may also be overestimating the number of people who like to ride 100km+ rides over crappy roads in the rain.

Grant has very particular traditionalist views and a bit of a presumption that his view is the ONE RIGHT VIEW. Different things can suit different people.

Modern road frames can be exceedingly comfortable, while still being very light... I have done over 300km on crappy roads in the rain and was glad I did it on my then carbon road bike on 700x23s rather than my tourer! I might also add it was the middle of the night in winter I actually find a more agressive position that puts less weight on the arse to be more comfortable over the long distance. My tourer is set up with the same position as the road bike which donated its groupset. With fewer spacers and a flipped stem it could however be much more relaxed.

@pburns- an audax bike is basically as Rottenhat says, similar to a road bike but generally a fair bit heavier, (often made of steel, although there are some in aluminium or titanium) with clearance for wide-ish tyres, full-length mudguards and braze ons for a rack (although many riders tend to prefer saddlebags.) Basically it is between a road bike and a tourer- look at it as a road bike with superior load carrying ability or a lightweight tourer.

If you can only have one bike and want to go on day spins but also maybe light multi-day tours and a bit of commuting, it is probably the perfect choice. Good for winter training too.

Here's a pic of the Dawes Audax Supreme, which is reasonably typical:

rottenhat

blorg wrote: »

I have done over 300km on crappy roads in the rain and was glad I did it on my then carbon road bike on 700x23s rather than my tourer! I might also add it was the middle of the night in winter

Yes, but as we all know, you're a freak.

blog_blog_blog

I went looked at sirrus comp (middle spec) today, Rims seem below average,unbranded alu brake levers are cheap very flimsy + more worried about rims with extra weight they have to carry... Bit put off by price for what you get, I should get a entry road bike?. Specialized allez , giant defy 2 or lapierre r-lite , budget 900 for bike 2 work. Which would you choose or not and why ,Thanks again

(Cant believe I started off custom building a MTB and now i,m where I thought I,d never be. About to enter the world of spandex, Well I,ll stay away from that for a while, for the sake of upsetting poor people in the streets/.) :eek:

rottenhat

blog_blog_blog wrote: »

(Cant believe I started off custom building a MTB and now i,m where I thought I,d never be. About to enter the world of spandex, Well I,ll stay away from that for a while, for the sake of upsetting poor people in the streets/.) :eek:

MTB...the gateway drug.