Cycling to work

Sandman

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Well last summer I dusted off my old mountain bike and cycled to work a few times. It is an 8 miles journey door to door with a 1 mile hill in the middle (downhill on journey to work). Anyway the jouney to work was ok but I found the journey home quite hard (with the long climb in the middle) and soon gave it up.
Recently my brother was home from NZ and we went on a day trip to one of the western isles up here and hired bikes for a day. The bikes we got were "hybrid" bikes but accorded to my bro they were pretty crap bikes (he knows what he is talking about as he is a keen cyclist over in NZ). Even on these "crap" hire bikes I found it much easier going than on my mountain bike. So much easier in fact I have decided to take advantage of my works cycle to work scheme and get myself a new bike for commuting.
So, I have £500 to spend on a bike. My bro wants me to spend a bit more and get a road bike (specialised allez sport) but I am thinking a hybrid would suit me better as I will be using it through the winter. I am looking at a Boardman Hybrid Comp in Halfords for £499.
Is there any other hybrids for about £499 that I should be considering or do you think I should be looking at road bikes?
 
it depends on what your journey to work is like, and if you're going to be using it recreationally. If your journey to work is 100% roads and you won't want to use it for anything else, go for a road bike.
 
Hi, I recently bought my new bike via my works cycle2work scheme. I was also looking at hybrids in the £500 region. here's what I found:

Boardman Hybrid Comp - £499.99
Giant Rapid 3 - £559.99
Specialized Sirrus Sport 2010 - £499.99
Trek 7.3 FX 2010 - £449.99
Scott Sub 30 2010 - £549.99
Cannondale Badboy 2010 - £549.99

In the end though I went for an Allez Sport road bike. This was my first bike in years and I had to buy a load of accessories as well which came to about £200.

The Boardmans have a good reputation, however the only problem is you have to buy them through Halfords and customer service has been known to be a bit shabby at times. I would highly reccomend finding yourself a good local bike shop, mine was great and they let me try out quite a few bikes and gave good advice.

There's quite a wide range of 'hybrids' and it really depends what you want. Some hybrids are basically flat bar road bikes such as some of the ones I've listed above (rapid, sirrus), others can lean more towards mountain bikes with suspension and disc brakes etc.

If you are cycling only on roads, I would advise looking into road bikes such as:

Giant Defy 3
Giant Defy 3.5
Trek 1.2
Boardman Road Comp
Specialized Allez
 
Thanks for the replies, the reason I am edging towards the hybrid is because my daughter is 2 1/2 now and I expect in a couple of years we will ride our bikes round the park as a family activity (although I suppose I could use my mountain bike for that). Out of the road bikes I have looked at the Specialized Allez sport definately seems the best value (carbon fork, sora and tiagra components). I will have a look at the hybrids mentioned above, I like the idea of them being basically flat bar road bikes.
 
get a road bike, hybrids are rubbish.

I like the idea of them being basically flat bar road bikes.

Why would you want a flat bar? Far less comfortable as you're limited to one hand position.
 
i have to say i never realised what a difference it was until recently, my girlfriend has a hybrid and i have a mountain bike and she had a much easier time riding than i did, i thought i was just out of shape but when we were away and hired 2 mountain bikes she really struggled to keep up. I might have to look in to a road or hybrid bike at some point but i think i'll see about riding my current bike slightly more regularly before i go doing that
 
I have a Marin Road Commuter bike. £550 Best bike I've ever ridden and awesome on the country roads. I also bought it through the Bike to Work Cycle-scheme, brilliant perk that!!

Takes me 45 mins to Ride 12.5 Miles to work using it. Rides like a dream........

:thumbsup:

I can't believe the amount of people I see out there that still ride Mountain Bikes to work on the Roads and Cycle Paths.... Silly! :suicide:
 
I can't believe the amount of people I see out there that still ride Mountain Bikes to work on the Roads and Cycle Paths.... Silly! :suicide:

I recently upgraded having ridden my mountain bike to work for the last year, 10 mile round trip.

Since I've gotten my road bike, my 5 mile return home has occasionally turned into a 15 mile ride home, it makes for a much more enjoyable ride.

I timed myself going to work Monday this week, managed my door to door 5.2 miles in 16 minutes - I doubt I would have gone much faster in a car.
 
I have a Marin Road Commuter bike. £550 Best bike I've ever ridden and awesome on the country roads. I also bought it through the Bike to Work Cycle-scheme, brilliant perk that!!

Takes me 45 mins to Ride 12.5 Miles to work using it. Rides like a dream........

:thumbsup:

I can't believe the amount of people I see out there that still ride Mountain Bikes to work on the Roads and Cycle Paths.... Silly! :suicide:

I have ridden racing bikes, road bikes, hybrids and mountain bikes in the last 15 years of cycling to work. The mountain bike is the only one that can deal with the amount of glass,thorns and other sharp detritus that populates the side of the road in my area. Yes it is harder work but it keeps me fit (ish).
 
I have ridden racing bikes, road bikes, hybrids and mountain bikes in the last 15 years of cycling to work. The mountain bike is the only one that can deal with the amount of glass,thorns and other sharp detritus that populates the side of the road in my area. Yes it is harder work but it keeps me fit (ish).

I have ridden my Road Bike for 1 year solidly (25 Mile round trip) 5 days a week to and from work over very similar terrain with not one Puncture....

What you need my friend is Shwalbe Marathon Plus Puncture Prevention Tyres..... Be rude to ride such distances without them!! :smashin:
 
get a road bike, hybrids are rubbish.



Why would you want a flat bar? Far less comfortable as you're limited to one hand position.

I will be commuting through busy traffic and I dont think I would ever use the drops for that, I just find the flat bar more comfortable for that type of cycling.

I have found a Scott Speedster S50 with a flat bar for £549 that looks pretty good.
 
I will be commuting through busy traffic and I dont think I would ever use the drops for that, I just find the flat bar more comfortable for that type of cycling.

I have found a Scott Speedster S50 with a flat bar for £549 that looks pretty good.

See attached image for drop bar positions, it's quite easy to reach the brakes and gears from the third position shown - it is comfortable and allows you good visibility.
 

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I will be commuting through busy traffic and I dont think I would ever use the drops for that, I just find the flat bar more comfortable for that type of cycling.

I have found a Scott Speedster S50 with a flat bar for £549 that looks pretty good.

If you're commuting through busy traffic then drops are better - they are narrower.

Evans are currently doing the Speedster S50 for £529.99, 56cm and 58cm sizes still available.
 
get a road bike, hybrids are rubbish.



Why would you want a flat bar? Far less comfortable as you're limited to one hand position.

Not if you put Bar End's on it...

bicycle-bar-ends.jpg
 
Anyway the jouney to work was ok but I found the journey home quite hard (with the long climb in the middle) and soon gave it up....
The bikes we got were "hybrid" bikes but accorded to my bro they were pretty crap bikes (he knows what he is talking about as he is a keen cyclist over in NZ). Even on these "crap" hire bikes I found it much easier going than on my mountain bike.

Before you go out and spend a wedge on a hybrid have you considered changing the tyres on your mountainbike?
Simple but very very effective.
Stick a pair of semi slicks on (less than £30 a pair), pump upto 50 psi and you have no rolling resistance (same as a hybrid). The mountainbike is MUCH easier to ride on roads but still capable on light trails by dropping the tyre pressure.
You will also benefit from altering the set up of the mountainbike to suit your (body) frame. Most people don't do this but the seat and stem/bars can be set to their optimum position and then marked you can always put them back there if you alter them. This will make the bike much comfier - and reduce the chance of fatigue and aches/knee pain.
Clip in pedals (spd's) are also a great piece of kit as they allow you to pull up on the pedal so you get the full pedal rotation. They take a little getting used to but once you have them you will never be without them.

I run to work now but used to cycle in on a Specialized Hardrock which I still have. Its entry level, but with semi slicks on and set up for me it was perfect for the 3 miles in and 11 home with 3 big climbs on the way home. So much so I used that in preference to my road bike as the roadbike could be a pain for punctures. I've had more punctures on that than on my commuter (Specialized) and cross country (Intense) put together.
 
OK, I am getting more and more confused as what to buy, I am getting the bike through my wifes "cycle2work" scheme and have ordered £500 worth of vouchers to spend in Halfords. I am not restricted to bikes that Halfords stock as they say they can get in just about any bike I want (although I need to pay RRP for it). Anyway after speaking to to some cyclists at my work and reading on various forums, I am thinking I shoud go for a road bike. A lot of people are saying that if I get a Hybrid, I will just end up wanting a road bike in 6 months time. As I need to stick to my £500 voucher limit, I am looking at the Specialized Allez 16 2010 Specialized Allez 16 double.
Can any cyclists out there advise if this is a good choice (bearing in mind I will be cycling it in the winter too)?
 
(bearing in mind I will be cycling it in the winter too)?

Bear in mind you can add safety gear to your list of things required and a good set of lights for winter. (The kind that give you light rather than just help make you visible). Safety gear like this can be added to an invoice for cycle to work. :smashin:

Personally for an 8 mile trip I would use a hardtail mountainbike with semi slicks on - having used a roadbike and mountainbike for a few years. The mountainbike is much more durable especially in winter with rain, ice and snow when you will either leave the roadbike at home or wish you had wider tyres with some grip. It will also be comfier as roadbikes are very unforgiving. (Completely rigid, no suspension, more race orientated riding position).
I use a roadbike for training runs (18-45 miles) and have done the Manchester Blackpool there and back (135 miles) so have done plenty of miles on one and thats where they come into their own. They are not ideal for short journeys/ commutes - but thats just my mho from my personal experiences. I'm sure more 'roadie' orientated folk will feel differently.

If you have mates who have the kind of bike you are considering then ask if you can take one out for a ride - maybe doing your commute one way. That way you will have a good idea whether or not you would get one with a road bike. They are very different to ride from a mountainbike. Very good when you get used to them but very focused.
 
The allez 16 gets loads of great reviews for its value and good frame. Many experienced riders buy this bike as a winter bike so they don't ruin their fancy/expensive carbon one.

maybe you could try and get halfords to do you a deal on a boardman comp if you buy accessories from them?
 

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