The battle of style v. substance.

[simon.r]

I've resisted saying this, but my son is in a similar position...wants to commute from Clapham to the City. Previously did East London to the City on a Hoy 8 speed. He got knocked off, lost the will to cycle and went back to the tube. He likes the look of various trendy bikes, but my practical suggestion is a 2 or 3 speed Brompton.

 

[vickster]

Whyte do a 1x11, the Shoreditch I think. Cyclesurgery sell them

Or how about something like this if you don't need a range of gears?

https://www.evanscycles.com/electra...esvaid=50080&gclid=CPOGw_OWotQCFRITGwodkFwKbQ

Easy to test ride at Evans

 

[Blue Hills]

mm

got to disagree with the idea of an 11 speed cassette on a commuter Vickster.

The OP seemed to be after less speeds.

And minimising running costs.

(true I personally wouldn't consider 11 speeds on the back for anything I might need but don't think that colours my judgement for the OP's requirement.

 

[Julia9054]

I have this for sale if you are interested (and short enough!)
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/for-sale-charge-grater-2-2016-hybrid.219051/

 

[atalanta]

Must admit to being a tad confused Atalanta as it doesn't seem to fit your initial post in terms of what you are looking for...

Hah, you are not wrong about my "requirements". I've seen a couple Tokyobikes around London and always liked how simple and clean they looked - no fuss, no muss (and some of them do have those swept-back handlebars). So I thought I'd drop in to their Fitzrovia shop as it's not far from my work. I do agree that they don't really fit the profile I originally posted, though. I'm trying not to set my heart on one in case they end up not really fitting the bill.

I may very well have fallen under the spell of the Shoreditch fixie boys and girls, but that's why I signed up to this forum - I just don't have the experience to know if I'm being fleeced when it comes to bicycles. I would love to buy used, for example, but I've already been snookered once by an unscrupulous dealer and I know my limitations as a result.

I live in the Hammersmith area and commute up to Bloomsbury. There's no rush to buy. I'd like to do my research as thoroughly as possible beforehand.

 

[atalanta]

Whyte do a 1x11, the Shoreditch I think. Cyclesurgery sell them

Or how about something like this if you don't need a range of gears?

https://www.evanscycles.com/electra...esvaid=50080&gclid=CPOGw_OWotQCFRITGwodkFwKbQ

Easy to test ride at Evans

I really like the Loft but sadly the M frame in that model is just a bit too big for me

 

[jefmcg]

I live in the Hammersmith area and commute up to Bloomsbury.

Pootle. You can do that on literally anything.

Find a bike you love and get on with it. You'll be fine. I was doing a 34 mile round trip commute on this, because it was the bike I had. I switched to a road bike and I wasn't that much faster.

 

[atalanta]

Pootle. You can do that on literally anything.

Find a bike you love and get on with it. You'll be fine. I was doing a 34 mile round trip commute on this, because it was the bike I had. I switched to a road bike and I wasn't that much faster.

Agreed! I just want to spend money wisely is all

 

[jefmcg]

Agreed! I just want to spend money wisely is all

Back to the cheapass decathlon I mentioned upthread, I helped a friend buy it for/with her undergraduate daughter. I don't know how much she rides it, but I spoke to her about it a year after she bought it, and she'd used it to get around Canterbury, to Uni and parties and work, and left it outside the entire time, and it was still going fine. Chain was brown with rust, but it hadn't let her down.

You could do worse than buy something like that to get started, and when you know your mind, sell it, give it to charity or keep it as a pub bike and buy the perfect commuter/adventure bike when you work out what that is.

Notes:

1. Decathlon tried hard NOT to sell it to her. Officially they said it was "not for daily use" but I reviewed the components, and they were low end, but not crap. I assume the "not for daily use" is so they can sell you a bike that costs twice as much and more.
2. Decathlon also sell some lovely flat bar road bikes, which would definitely be worth a look, and come in way under the bizarre £500 threshold your neighbour set.
3. Your nearest Decathlon is Wandsworth, which is a smaller one, but they have a good range of bikes. That's were we bought the city bike. You have to test ride in the aisles. But the bikes are good quality, especially for the price.

 

[Blue Hills]

If you aren't in a terrible rush and feel you need to do more research atalanta, come the autumn there will be sales as retailers flog off bikes to make way for next year's bikes which are most likely no better.

As for Decathlon, since you will probably be tubing it, I'd go to Canada Water - bigger.

All the best - just hoping you don't get suckered into the coloured rims brigade.

 

[atalanta]

Back to the cheapass decathlon I mentioned upthread, I helped a friend buy it for/with her undergraduate daughter. I don't know how much she rides it, but I spoke to her about it a year after she bought it, and she'd used it to get around Canterbury, to Uni and parties and work, and left it outside the entire time, and it was still going fine. Chain was brown with rust, but it hadn't let her down.

You could do worse than buy something like that to get started, and when you know your mind, sell it, give it to charity or keep it as a pub bike and buy the perfect commuter/adventure bike when you work out what that is.

Notes:

1. Decathlon tried hard NOT to sell it to her. Officially they said it was "not for daily use" but I reviewed the components, and they were low end, but not crap. I assume the "not for daily use" is so they can sell you a bike that costs twice as much and more.
2. Decathlon also sell some lovely flat bar road bikes, which would definitely be worth a look, and come in way under the bizarre £500 threshold your neighbour set.
3. Your nearest Decathlon is Wandsworth, which is a smaller one, but they have a good range of bikes. That's were we bought the city bike. You have to test ride in the aisles. But the bikes are good quality, especially for the price.

Cool, I'll def keep that in mind. This is really good advice so thank you!

We have a Cycle Republic near my work and they do us a discount. Do you reckon the components on this Reid are "low end but not crap" as well? I'm planning to test-ride it later in the week.
https://www.cyclerepublic.com/bikes...ge-roadster-mens-traditional-hybrid-bike.html

 

[Blue Hills]

From the description in that link i would be suspicious about the type of steel. In short, that it's just high tensile/gas pipe steel. Tourney is the bottom of shimano's range. Servicable but still the bottom. I would go up a notch. And get a frame that is decent respectable chromo. That bike will probably be fine for a cafe tootle but i would get a good city hybrid - you might get into this london cycling lark and feel like more of a zap across town. Or a trip to a country pub.

 

[Leaway2]

http://www.pashley.co.uk/bikes/bicycles/roadster-26-classic.php ?

Positives - 26" wheels, hub gear, fully enclosed chain, drum brakes, very traditional looks.
Negatives - drum brakes, weight.

and endorsed by the Catholic church. https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/father-browns-bike.214341/

 

[atalanta]

From the description in that link i would be suspicious about the type of steel. In short, that it's just high tensile/gas pipe steel. Tourney is the bottom of shimano's range. Servicable but still the bottom. I would go up a notch. And get a frame that is decent respectable chromo. That bike will probably be fine for a cafe tootle but i would get a good city hybrid - you might get into this london cycling lark and feel like more of a zap across town. Or a trip to a country pub.

Again, good info and thanks. I am curious though, what is the difference between the steel frame on that bike and on one of the Decathlons you recommended, say this one – https://www.decathlon.co.uk/elops-500-classic-bike-black-id_8378492.html – ? And how can you tell that the Decathlon is better just by looking?

 

[Blue Hills]

I didn't recommend that decathlon bike, just consider decathlon a generally decent company. The reason i am suspicious of the other bike (and on looking at the decathlon that as well) is that it just says "steel" rather than anything more specific. That to me sounds like something heavy and dead.