Buying a bicycle for the ignorant

RFW

Hey,

I am looking for some assistance in buying a bicycle. I'm looking for one whose main job will be to take me the 18km round-trip to work every day.

I've read a little, and I understand the basic differences between bike types, but going into a bicycle shop, which I've done a few times, is incredibly intimidating. I have no idea what I'm getting for my money, and when talking about a relatively large sum (€500+), I'd like some sense of comfort rather than being left to the whim of whichever salesperson is there at the time.

Is there any good advice you all could give to the bicycley-ignorant out there? What make/model is good for the money you are investing, is it important to spend the extra €100 on a bike with a better part A etc?

short circuit

First thing first ... do a search of the forum. Not trying to be smart here, but this has been done to death here. Only thing is if you are unsure of what you want, go to a LBS ... much better than going online even if you get better deals online. And not all bike shops are created equal .. and there in lies the difference.

For a newbie friendly place, I recomment, Stagg Cycles in Lucan, Joe Daly in Dundrum simply because the guys are good and shops are relatively cosy. Wheelworx in Lucan are good too, but not sure how the move to the huge shop now has effected customer service. Cyclesuperstore is good for parts and service, but I always find it expensive and the sales guys are not that great. Anyway, if you post your location, someone will come along and recommend a good bike shop locally. You might also want to try out www.rothar.ie to get a good, cheap 1st run around and then once you are used to it, go about spending a bit more.

Have a read here for the choices you have
http://www.ctc.org.uk/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabID=3790

BostonB

Other than the main job of commuting what else will you want it for. Or is only for commuting.

Stacey.x

LOL! i dont even have a bike.
i cant ride one

RFW

Well, I'd like to be able to take use it, eventually to cycle down to wicklow(from there) town, from dublin.

The problem with going into a cycle shop is that I know sales people. And a ultimately, with bikes I have no idea if they're screwing me over.

I'm sorry if it has been done to death, but basically every time I go into a bike shop, no matter how nice the guy is, I always have this feeling of gross ignorance, and I don't know if the advice I am being presented with is valid.

I have asked for a bike suitable to travel 100 km per week, roads mainly, and I'm worried about punctures, and if one guy says something in one shop, another will say something totally different. I know it's retarded, but I don't want to waste cash on something that I'll regret soon

SubLuminal

Rothar sounds like your best bet. They take in old abandoned bikes from the council or from universities (UCD, Trinity), give them a full service and a clean, replace any parts that need replacing and sell them to the public at an affordable price (90 ~ 160 euros). Its a not for profit community thing, recycling bikes and getting people on the road, a green approach to getting people on bikes and developing a cycling community, rather than a shop which is trying to pay wages and turn a profit. Its staffed by volunteers like me who are always happy to have a chat with anyone who wants to know about bikes or cycling, and they do courses where for €30 a bike mechanic leads a 4 hour class through all the different mechanical aspects of a bike you'd ever wish you knew, from changing a tyre / repairing a flat to more complicated things.

Come and check it out, the website is www.rothar.ie, it has all the contact info. The way it works is, you come in and pick a frame / bike that you like and is the right size (we'll advise you on that) then we take a small deposit (€10) and build it up into a fully working, serviced bike over the next week or so. I built my bike there and it runs like a dream, and so far as I know nobody has ever brought one back saying "this doesn't work".

Best of luck!

k123456

If you are concerned about punctures some tyres have a puncture resistant membrane built in (kevlar)