New bike - advice needed

ucd_guy

I'm going to get a new bike via my company's Cycle to Work scheme, before it potentially gets turfed in the next budget. My budget is about €600-800, and while I was initially going to go for a racer, a friend told me I'd be better off going for a hybrid, that the racers would be a bit uncomfortable. I'd be using it for commuting to work in Dublin, and maybe the odd recreational cycle at the weekend, or potentially a duathalon someday in the future! Any recommendations about what I should be looking for? I know next to nothing about bicycles...

Downtime

It's just not cricket

ucd_guy

Ha - whoops, thought I was in the Cycling forum. Maybe a mod could kindly move this thread for me, thanks.

ucd_guy

So I went to chat to one of the shops listed on the work scheme. He quoted me a Trek 7.5FX 20" for €750, a Centuro 110 lock for €55 and a helmet for €50. Totalling €855, with my 10% employee discount this'd come to €770. With the 21% off that the scheme essentially gives me, it's not bad spread out over a year... Opinions/advice?

ucd_guy

Anyone any advice at all folks?

Lumen

Start here.

72hundred

ucd_guy wrote: »

Anyone any advice at all folks?

Hey,

I'm not familiar with that bike TBH. But I might suggest that you reconsider the ideal of the racer. What distance is your commute?

Lumen wrote: »

Start here.

LOL! The first link in that is this thread. I don't think he wants to cycle between webpages! har har

ucd_guy

Thanks for the reply - my commute is about 10k in Dublin...

72hundred

ucd_guy wrote: »

Thanks for the reply - my commute is about 10k in Dublin...

I'd get a racer if I were you. You'll go faster! So less time commuting. Don't forget if mud guards and a pannier rack are something important to you look for a racer that can take them.

ucd_guy

Yeah thing is I've heard from a few people that a road bike can get quite uncomfortable, at least more so than a hybrid. Would a racer be that much quicker than a hybrid?

kincsem

ucd_guy wrote: »

My budget is about €600-800, and while I was initially going to go for a racer, a friend told me I'd be better off going for a hybrid, that the racers would be a bit uncomfortable. I'd be using it for commuting to work in Dublin, and maybe the odd recreational cycle at the weekend, or potentially a duathalon someday in the future! Any recommendations about what I should be looking for? I know next to nothing about bicycles...

Does your friend know about bicycles?

If hybrids were more comfortable the pros would be using them to do the Tour de France.

A flat bar bike might seem more suited to city traffic as you can probably turn flat bars more quickly (or think you can), and the gears are at your finertips. But then a road bike can be steered easily, and you can change gears quickly.

I suggest a road bike ("racer" is not a description recognised here :rolleyes:) with mudguards and a carrier (or with attachment points for them to add later (real racers have none)).

Try out both types of bike in the local bike shop if you are buying there, or borrow a few from friends / acquaintances. By borrow I mean borrow, not "borrow".

You could read through previous threads as this question is answered daily here. Many are suffering from "I am buying a new bike for €300, any advice" thread fatigue.

petethedrummer

There are relaxed geometry road bikes which might be more comfortable for you:
http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-gear25-2008aug25,0,5272770.story
http://www.cyclingforums.com/t-467366-15-1.html

humbert

A road bike will take more getting used to but you will end up loving it and wondering how you could have thought a hybrid would feel better.

Although, unless you actually can try one over a reasonable distance there's no way to tell what will suit you.