The best city and around suburbs bike

joeperry

Guys i'm looking for a bike for cycling to work and around town and around raheny area so rides along the coast and to Howth will be included

I've had about 4 bikes my whole life,never had any stolen they included a President BMX , a Falcon cheetah and 5 years ago i spent over 2 grand on a Specialized stumpjumper pro :eek: It's never used,is this worth anything i wonder?

The bike i think "i need" has got to have mudguards and chain guard would be nice,rear carrier and comfortable riding position.Needs to be strong fast and light.

I'm looking to spend 400euro max but there is a lot of choice out there,i've been to a few shops. I would also consider an internet purchase.

I've been looking on evans site as it's easy to navigate with good choice and they have a sale on at the mo.

A few questions i have are, do i need a 21 speed or would a 8 speed do what are these 3 speeds all about? I cycle fast so i don't like running out of power. I'm not sure about grip shifters ,i have always had thumb shifters.

A few i've been looking at are,

http://www.evanscycles.com/categories/sale/complete-bikes/hybrid-bikes

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/saracen/venturer-e-2008-hybrid-bike-ec018396

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/kona/smoke-29-deore-2009-hybrid-bike-ec017266

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/trek/t10-2009-hybrid-bike-ec001493

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/trek/t30-2009-hybrid-bike-ec001494

What to ye think would be a good bike for me, any links to reviews of commuter bikes would be great,i've had a scan of the mags in easons but feck all about what i'm interested in purchasing.

Cheers guys.

Bloch

Well no-one's replying to this so I'll give it a shot.

Having cycled a couple of different budget mountain bikes it was a revelation to go on a rigid fork Ridgeback Element and see how much more efficient it was. So I'm not convinced you need front suspension for roads - even Irish roads. If the front fork is good it will handle it.

I like the Kona Smoke among these bikes and the reduction looks genuine. I have a Kona lava dome and I have come to appreciate the springiness of the frame - the back end seems to swallow bumps very well.

The Knoa is well-equipped -- the mudguards and quality Continental tyres add value to it. It cost me €28 for a Continental tyre.
Kona are fanatical about their bicycles, you can bet they've put together a good bike here.

tomasrojo

I've used "racers" (pretend road bike from the 80s), mountain bikes, hybrids and a touring bike for commuting. Hybrids and the tourer worked out the best, as they were well set up for carrying loads. I don't have a car, so that's important to me. It may not be important to you.

I agree about suspension; it's not needed for road use (even Irish roads), it's extra weight, and it's one more thing that needs maintenance.

I don't have any experience of any of the bikes you've listed there though. Maybe call into a bike shop and they'll probably let you try out a few? I've commuted on some very middling bikes. They were all adequate to the task, but some were far more enjoyable to ride than others. Try some out and buy the one in your price range that you enjoy cycling the most.

Morgan

Looking on the internet will only get you so far. Drop into a few bike shops and see what you like the look of. Regarding the wide choice of bikes available - anything from a reputable brand (e.g. Trek, Specialized, Giant, Kona, Lapierre etc. etc.) will be just fine whatever model you pick.

What model is your old Stumpjumper? What condition is it in? You could just commute to work on it...

tomasrojo

By the way, what distances are you thinking of covering typically? 20km round-trip? Longer? Shorter?

In Dublin, I think you'd find eight gears ok. All my bikes of the last few years have had more than twenty gears, but I'd say I mosty use the equivalent of about eight. I've used three-gear bikes as well, and they're ok (mostly). Maybe not for going up to Howth. They're usually the internal hub type, so they're good for wet conditions.

Mudguards are a good idea. Chain guard not as necessary (just tuck your trousers into your socks), and probably only of much use on a three-gear bike, as the chainline is static on those.

studiorat

You could just put slicks on the stumpjumper. Change the fork if you don't want suspension and stick mudguards on it.

L'Enfer du Nord

I've had a good experience with a Dawes Mojave, had it for five years. Don't use it that much because its in Dublin and I live in Galway now, but its warn well. Good for poping down to the shops, cycling into town, medium distances (40-50 km), good in wet weather too.

http://www.dawescycles.com/p-191-mojave-gents.aspx