First Bike

Jimmy Bottlehead

Hi all.

Considering getting myself a bike soon. Mostly for fitness and weekend pottering about on. I'm thinking a hybrid as I'd like the option of road and off road.

I believe I can take advantage of the Bike To Work Scheme so I'm open to all suggestions. Probably toward the lower end of a budget as even with the scheme, I'm not working too many hours as I'm a student.

CantGetNoSleep

If you ever plan on doing longer rides (which if your goal is fitness you will need to) I'd strongly suggest a road bike. Or cyclocross / gravel if you really want to do offroad.

In bike to work terms, most good bikes are close to the top end of the 1000EUR limit. If your budget is less you would be better off going second hand on Adverts etc. Take a look and post anything you find up here. The single most important thing will be that the bike fits you correctly though. Look for size guides on the model online and match them to your height which will be a good ball park.

Cionn

CantGetNoSleep wrote: »

If you ever plan on doing longer rides (which if your goal is fitness you will need to) I'd strongly suggest a road bike. Or cyclocross / gravel if you really want to do offroad.

In bike to work terms, most good bikes are close to the top end of the 1000EUR limit. If your budget is less you would be better off going second hand on Adverts etc. Take a look and post anything you find up here. The single most important thing will be that the bike fits you correctly though. Look for size guides on the model online and match them to your height which will be a good ball park.

What he said. I wouldn't go hybrid unless you want to only cycle short distances. Options there for Cyclocross/Gravel and Adventure Bikes that will bridge the gaps in the short term.

bullvine

I cant recommend a gravel bike enough, I got a Giant Toughroad Gravel recently, I also have a Giant Defy.

The Gravel Bike is so much fun to spin around doing like 20km, lots of other bike makes do them as well.

So much better than a hybrid!

Jimmy Bottlehead

Am I right in understanding that basically any new bike under (roughly) €800 is sh1te then?

This is putting a slight damper on things. I figured I'd get up and running for less than €500?

Mickiemcfist

Jimmy Bottlehead wrote: »

Am I right in understanding that basically any new bike under (roughly) €800 is sh1te then?

This is putting a slight damper on things. I figured I'd get up and running for less than €500?

The guys who are really into bikes might say so, however I bought a Triban 100 from Decathlon for €250 a year ago & commute on it 20km every day since & it's great to me. It's way faster than the mountain bike I used to have, but still has chunky enough tires on it that I can jump off kerbs & not worry. I'd definitely recommend. The only thing that annoys me is that the gear change is in the middle of the handle bars so you've to take your hand off the drops to change gear.

Jimmy Bottlehead

Mickiemcfist wrote: »

The guys who are really into bikes might say so, however I bought a Triban 100 from Decathlon for €250 a year ago & commute on it 20km every day since & it's great to me. It's way faster than the mountain bike I used to have, but still has chunky enough tires on it that I can jump off kerbs & not worry. I'd definitely recommend. The only thing that annoys me is that the gear change is in the middle of the handle bars so you've to take your hand off the drops to change gear.

Funny, I was looking at that exact bike last night.

I guess I'd give the caveat that as a beginner, I'll be happy to have something just to nip around on, recreational cycling... If I fall in love with it enough, of course I can spend more in future but for now, something relatively cheap and cheerful would be great.

I know that the posters here are enthusiasts and I appreciate that, but I'd appreciate their taking my budget and lesser needs for the moment into account

CantGetNoSleep

We're taking it into account but avoiding the waste of money where you buy a bike, decide you like cycling and very quickly you want another bike and end up spending much more. Decathlon do good entry level bikes (I would go for Triban 520, 540 or similar tbh) if you really do want to buy new, but with a bit of looking around you can get a second hand bike for your budget that might have had very little use and will have cost close to 1000 on the bike to work originally

transylman

Would agree with above, hybrids are a halfway house that are not really good at anything. Don't fully know your planned usage, but personally I would go for a road bike unless you are certain you will be sticking to short rides and are set on some off road.

New, bikes in the sub 1000 range are overpriced as they seem to be priced taking the bike to work scheme 50% discount into account. For ~500euro you should be able to get a 1-2 year old bike that would have been 1000 when new. This would be more than good enough for a beginner and if you enjoy cycling you can gradually upgrade over time.

Mickiemcfist

CantGetNoSleep wrote: »

We're taking it into account but avoiding the waste of money where you buy a bike, decide you like cycling and very quickly you want another bike and end up spending much more. Decathlon do good entry level bikes (I would go for Triban 520, 540 or similar tbh) if you really do want to buy new, but with a bit of looking around you can get a second hand bike for your budget that might have had very little use and will have cost close to 1000 on the bike to work originally

I get what you're saying re: wanting to upgrade, however I'd say more money is wasted on 1k bike to work bikes that are lying unused in sheds than is wasted on losing c.100 quid on a starter bike.

mad turnip

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ie/en/vitus-energie-cyclocross-bike-apex-1x11-2019/rp-prod168781

Bike to work gets you 400 ish off.

smacl

mad turnip wrote: »

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ie/en/vitus-energie-cyclocross-bike-apex-1x11-2019/rp-prod168781

Bike to work gets you 400 ish off.

a 1x CX or gravel bike would be great option in my opinion. If the size would work the following seems like a good deal; https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/YBCL1675879/planet-x-xla-sram-apex-1-mechanical-disc-cyclocross-bike-small--fire-red

I really enjoy mixing on and off-road and have a CX bike as my main bike these days. Works a treat though I'm a couple of kph slower on the road as a result. I've also an older sports hybrid as my hack bike and in all honesty it is grand for distance, though personally I'm happier in drops descending roads at speed and i'm also slower on it than the other bikes.

If €500 was the upper limit, I'd probably look at a decent second hand bike rather than low end new bike.

Undercover

Go down the secondhand route, much better value. You'd get a great bike for €500.

magicbastarder

mad turnip wrote: »

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ie/en/vitus-energie-cyclocross-bike-apex-1x11-2019/rp-prod168781

Bike to work gets you 400 ish off.

only if the OP was paying tax at the upper rate. as he mentioned, he's not working too many hours, so very possibly on a lower rate.

Jimmy Bottlehead

I probably should have specified... My cash budget wouldn't extend much beyond €250 at a push.

I really considered the bike thing because of the notion that the Cycle To Work Scheme would take a negligible amount out of my wages every month and I'd get a cheap bike for next to nothing.

The only thing standing out to me so far is that Triban 100, €260 new and decent reviews as a beginner bike seems like a good buy.

Type 17

If you think that you might like to upgrade later if the cycling bug bites, you might consider a decent secondhand for your current budget right now, and keep your bike-to-work opportunity for later on (you can only do it every five years).

If you go to look at secondhands, take a look at a video like this one, so you know what you're buying - many bikes in Ireland can have a weathered appearance from damp storage, but actually be quite good, or can be dry-stored, but be heavily worn by loads of km's (or be a mix of the two), so it's important not to judge too much by (good or bad) appearances.

poochiem

Jimmy Bottlehead wrote: »

Hi all.

Considering getting myself a bike soon. Mostly for fitness and weekend pottering about on. I'm thinking a hybrid as I'd like the option of road and off road.

I believe I can take advantage of the Bike To Work Scheme so I'm open to all suggestions. Probably toward the lower end of a budget as even with the scheme, I'm not working too many hours as I'm a student.

I've a hybrid that's probably ten years old, love cycling it around town and occasionally commute on it. The nice thing is I can spin around town, go for pints and lock it up and collect it the following day. It's what you might call a beater. If you're commuting to college and maybe going for small cycles to Howth or the likes then maybe a second hand hybrid for say €250 might do the trick.

If you enjoy it enough then perhaps the bike-to-work to fill the need for a road or a CX or whatever takes your fancy then. I've also a road bike which I've used this year for commuting every day and for spins around Ireland camping. I've a CX bike which I've used commuting and for extended tours in Wales and France and very off road in Ireland. But I still have the old hybrid!