First Decent Bike

[T675Rich]

It's not actually C2W (which is Halford's scheme) but Cyclescheme so I can't use halfords but I can use either Cycle Republic or Tredz so I may have a look. Would those bikes get delivered in a box though for me to put together? For some reason I feel happier about getting it from a store rather than online but I am not sure why that is.

 

[T675Rich]

Thanks for the replies. I think I'm leaning towards the Giant tbh. Is it silly that part of that is the design? I like the cables going into the frame. I think I can get a test ride of the Giant once they are in stock (the shop is getting more stock of everything this week) but I don't know if I will be able to test ride the Ridgeback as the dealer is not a shop in the conventional sense but someone working out of a trailer where I work, they are legit but don't keep a stock of bikes.

Rider weight is not a decider on disc brakes (never heard that before). It’s more about being able to stop better in the wet especially in traffic

It was mainly that disc brakes offer better stopping power and if you are heavier you may need the extra stopping power, the better performance in the wet is important as I hope to commute in the bad weather too, means I will have to clean my motorbike less

Depends what you want really. The Cube mountain bike will do the job, how far are you riding to/from work?

Just over five miles and the surfaces are pretty good aside from a few shared use paths where they have just put up a sign on a normal slabbed footpath and the slabs are all uneven and even that isn't too bad.

The Giant and I'd get it now whilst you have the opportunity of getting a discount in the sale.

Unfortunately I can't buy it from the website with the cyclescheme but the saving through the scheme is pretty good.

 

[NorthernDave]

Thanks for the replies. I think I'm leaning towards the Giant tbh. Is it silly that part of that is the design? I like the cables going into the frame. I think I can get a test ride of the Giant once they are in stock (the shop is getting more stock of everything this week) but I don't know if I will be able to test ride the Ridgeback as the dealer is not a shop in the conventional sense but someone working out of a trailer where I work, they are legit but don't keep a stock of bikes.



It was mainly that disc brakes offer better stopping power and if you are heavier you may need the extra stopping power, the better performance in the wet is important as I hope to commute in the bad weather too, means I will have to clean my motorbike less



Just over five miles and the surfaces are pretty good aside from a few shared use paths where they have just put up a sign on a normal slabbed footpath and the slabs are all uneven and even that isn't too bad.



Unfortunately I can't buy it from the website with the cyclescheme but the saving through the scheme is pretty good.

No, liking the design of the bike is at least as important as the spec - on my latest bike I upgraded models (and paid extra) partly for the better spec, but mainly because it had green decals that I thought looked better than orange ones...

 

[vickster]

Sell the motorbike, get a better bike (or better several better bikes )

 

[T675Rich]

Sell the motorbike, get a better bike (or better several better bikes )

Sell my Motorbike......

Never!

 

[Deleted member 22722]

I'd also add that Giant frames come with a lifetime warranty. I did have cause to arrange a replacement for a cracked frame from Giant a few years back and it was dealt with very quickly. They just provided me with a complete new bike (excluding wheels) which was great because it meant that I received a free upgrade from a 10 speed 105 shimano groupset to the new 11 speed one.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

You don't need to go out and buy any kind of new bike, all you need is something suitable for commuting on that doesn't have energy-sapping suspension. The obvious solution is to go out and get a rigid 26" MTB or a rigid 700c hybrid, preferably avoiding anything with a frame made of aluminium and stick with steel. There are plenty of ultra-cheap secondhand bikes that will get you to and from work, just like that horrible Apollo bouncer only with less effort. Even an old rigid Apollo MTB with 26" wheels. I use one that must be about 25 years old as a local hack bike. Bike snobs will tell you all Apollos are junk; I've got one that isn't and ridden others that weren't too. Just avoid suspension bikes. Cheap rigids are fine.
As for the current obsession with disc brakes, I've been riding bikes for over 40 years that have rim brakes and I've never found any deficiency with them, apart from bikes fitted with chromed steel rims ridden in wet weather. Rim brakes on alloy wheels are perfectly adequate. If you are paying attention to what you are doing and riding at a speed appropriate for the weather, surface, and traffic conditions, you should not need to use the brakes hard anyway.

 

[Pale Rider]

That appears to be a kids bike, unfortinatly even 10 years ago I was an adult. It was a FS.26 in fact this is it:

View attachment 423433

I've seen worse.

The new bike will be an improvement, but that Apollo looks tidy so is worth keeping as a spare if you have the room.

 

[T675Rich]

You don't need to go out and buy any kind of new bike, all you need is something suitable for commuting on that doesn't have energy-sapping suspension. The obvious solution is to go out and get a rigid 26" MTB or a rigid 700c hybrid, preferably avoiding anything with a frame made of aluminium and stick with steel. There are plenty of ultra-cheap secondhand bikes that will get you to and from work, just like that horrible Apollo bouncer only with less effort. Even an old rigid Apollo MTB with 26" wheels. I use one that must be about 25 years old as a local hack bike. Bike snobs will tell you all Apollos are junk; I've got one that isn't and ridden others that weren't too. Just avoid suspension bikes. Cheap rigids are fine.
As for the current obsession with disc brakes, I've been riding bikes for over 40 years that have rim brakes and I've never found any deficiency with them, apart from bikes fitted with chromed steel rims ridden in wet weather. Rim brakes on alloy wheels are perfectly adequate. If you are paying attention to what you are doing and riding at a speed appropriate for the weather, surface, and traffic conditions, you should not need to use the brakes hard anyway.

I am going to have to use the cyclescheme at work and I can't use that for second hand. I am hoping that by getting a decent bike now it will last me and hopefully I will be using it for pleasure as well in the future.

I've seen worse.

The new bike will be an improvement, but that Apollo looks tidy so is worth keeping as a spare if you have the room.

Aye, the bike isn't all that bad although the gears aren't the smoothest and getting it to change to the smallest on the front can be hit and miss and this is after someone looked at it and adjusted it all for me. I do have space in the garage to keep it so I will.

 

[T675Rich]

Now I am even more confused, I popped into the shop again and he didn't have any giants but there is a show coming up and he will know all about the new stock next week but he also showed me a GT Tansendo which looked nice aside from cable discs rather than hydraulic but cheaper than I was looking at and probably more than adequate for me..

 

[Serge]

Now I am even more confused, I popped into the shop again and he didn't have any giants but there is a show coming up and he will know all about the new stock next week but he also showed me a GT Tansendo which looked nice aside from cable discs rather than hydraulic but cheaper than I was looking at and probably more than adequate for me..

I have to admit, to my untrained eye that looks like a fantastic bit of kit for the money. Looks good too, you can beat a black bike eh @vickster?

 

[tudor_77]

I actually have an alternative view; there is nothing wrong with a front suspension in fact I have owned two Giant roams as well as a bunch of Carbon fibre and aluminium framed road bikes by Giant, Boardman and Cube and rigid forked Boardman hybrid and the Giant roam was by far the best bike I have ever owned. It certainly didn't feel any slower than a carbon road bike, the difference only noticeable in the post ride strava stats.

A hybrid with a front suspension is generally as an xc (cross country - distinct from a cx cyclocross bike) and they generally get negative opinions from roadies who have never even ridden one. I have ridden and owned every type of bike and I think an xc bike is best for most purposes... Fast, solidly built, reliable and above all... an absolute joy to ride. A dedicated mountain bike would be very heavy and sluggish on the roads but an xc hybrid is a world of difference.

I used my xc mostly on roads, forest paths, fields and parks and it was perfect for those purposes.

Nothing can beat a test ride though, the quality of a bikes ride is often subjective.

 

[T675Rich]

I actually have an alternative view; there is nothing wrong with a front suspension in fact I have owned two Giant roams as well as a bunch of Carbon fibre and aluminium framed road bikes by Giant, Boardman and Cube and rigid forked Boardman hybrid and the Giant roam was by far the best bike I have ever owned. It certainly didn't feel any slower than a carbon road bike, the difference only noticeable in the post ride strava stats.

A hybrid with a front suspension is generally as an xc (cross country - distinct from a cx cyclocross bike) and they generally get negative opinions from roadies who have never even ridden one. I have ridden and owned every type of bike and I think an xc bike is best for most purposes... Fast, solidly built, reliable and above all... an absolute joy to ride. A dedicated mountain bike would be very heavy and sluggish on the roads but an xc hybrid is a world of difference.

I used my xc mostly on roads, forest paths, fields and parks and it was perfect for those purposes.

Nothing can beat a test ride though, the quality of a bikes ride is often subjective.

I have been on my Hols for a couple of weeks but only just saw this but after all that I went to the shop with my cyclescheme voucher in hand...well on my phone anyway and rode off with none of the bikes I mentioned before. I am now the owner of an Cannondale CX 4 which has front suspension that can be locked off. I haven't commuted on it yet but on the rides I have done compared to my old bike (a low bar I know) it is so much nicer to rider and much quicker. It is also significantly lighter then my old bike so I don't notice any weight the suspension adds.

 

[nickAKA]

I have been on my Hols for a couple of weeks but only just saw this but after all that I went to the shop with my cyclescheme voucher in hand...well on my phone anyway and rode off with none of the bikes I mentioned before. I am now the owner of an Cannondale CX 4 which has front suspension that can be locked off. I haven't commuted on it yet but on the rides I have done compared to my old bike (a low bar I know) it is so much nicer to rider and much quicker. It is also significantly lighter then my old bike so I don't notice any weight the suspension adds.

That's a similar spec to the specialized hybrid I bought 7 years ago (disk brakes would be a welcome upgrade tbf) and I still enjoy getting out on it from time to time... look after it and it'll give you many years of service!