Advice sought re buying a new bike. (incl which brands have what reputations) - Page 2

02-16-2005, 11:54 PM

Tom Sherman wrote:

> ship wrote:
>
>> Hi
>>
>> Can anyone recommend a new bike for me?
>> - What are the best brands?
>> - Any specific models?
>>
>> 1. Budget: as much as it takes. GBP250 - GBP600?
>>
>> 2. Use: Commuting 20-25mins each way/going out around London.
>>
>> 3. Speed: Fairly FAST please
>> I am sick of being over-taken by fat women!
>>
>> 4. Nickability: MUST BE LOW
>> I will have to leave the bike in the street during the day.
>> I have a heavy motorbike duty D-lock which has stopped
>> my old bike (with old heavy 7spd sturmey-archer gearbox)
>> from being stolen. I have left it outside railway stations
>> over night/over weekends etc not problem.
>>
>> In short it needs to be go like the wind but look like hell....
>
>
> This bike meets the requirements stated above:
> <http://www.outsideconnection.com/gallant/hpv/joe/MVC-007S.JPG>.
>

I'd prefer
<http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=photos/2005/news/feb05/germany-cycling-tandem-61>
myself, but I have a companion for my commute.

--
If I have seen further than others, it is
by treading on the toes of giants.
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

02-16-2005, 11:54 PM

On Thu, 2005-02-17 at 07:42 +0100, Tosspot wrote:
> Tom Sherman wrote:
> >
> > This bike meets the requirements stated above:
> > <http://www.outsideconnection.com/gallant/hpv/joe/MVC-007S.JPG>.
>
> You cannot tempt him to the Dark Side yet. Just needs a couple of
> sidewinders and an ideal commuter I'd say.

Goose! I have missile lock on his exhaust pipe!

(Sigh. If only Kelly McGillis was there to meet me after a sortie).

But how long till counter-measures are adopted and Max Power magazine
reviews decoy flare launcher kits?

02-16-2005, 11:54 PM

On Thu, 2005-02-17 at 07:42 +0100, Tosspot wrote:
> Tom Sherman wrote:
> >
> > This bike meets the requirements stated above:
> > <http://www.outsideconnection.com/gallant/hpv/joe/MVC-007S.JPG>.
>
> You cannot tempt him to the Dark Side yet. Just needs a couple of
> sidewinders and an ideal commuter I'd say.

Goose! I have missile lock on his exhaust pipe!

(Sigh. If only Kelly McGillis was there to meet me after a sortie).

But how long till counter-measures are adopted and Max Power magazine
reviews decoy flare launcher kits?

02-16-2005, 11:55 PM

James Annan <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in
news:[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]:

> I'd prefer
> <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
> cycling-tandem-61> myself, but I have a companion for my commute.

Only really suitable if you've fallen out and don't want to talk to each
other. Can you imagine the fights if it were fixed gear. "We're going this
way!", "No, we're going this way!" It'll all end in tears (or more likely,
in a heap at the side of the road).

Graeme

02-16-2005, 11:55 PM

James Annan <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in
news:[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]:

> I'd prefer
> <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
> cycling-tandem-61> myself, but I have a companion for my commute.

Only really suitable if you've fallen out and don't want to talk to each
other. Can you imagine the fights if it were fixed gear. "We're going this
way!", "No, we're going this way!" It'll all end in tears (or more likely,
in a heap at the side of the road).

Graeme

02-17-2005, 12:13 AM

ship wrote:

> A) a "Crossroad Sport" from manufacturers "Specialised" for c. GBP300

The Crossroads Sport fits your requirements quite well. It is very
"upright" in its default configuration, and although it comes with
38c tyres you can fit 28c. It has reasonably good gearing too. I have
one and I can average 18mph on a 20 mile ride on it.

It also lacks the usual thief magnets like disc brakes and suspension.

Finally, if you spend £300 rather than £400, then presumably you'll
have money left in the budget for a pump, saddlebag, tools, spare tubes,
lights, bottle cage, computer etc etc.

--
jc

Remove the -not from email

02-17-2005, 12:13 AM

ship wrote:

> A) a "Crossroad Sport" from manufacturers "Specialised" for c. GBP300

The Crossroads Sport fits your requirements quite well. It is very
"upright" in its default configuration, and although it comes with
38c tyres you can fit 28c. It has reasonably good gearing too. I have
one and I can average 18mph on a 20 mile ride on it.

It also lacks the usual thief magnets like disc brakes and suspension.

Finally, if you spend £300 rather than £400, then presumably you'll
have money left in the budget for a pump, saddlebag, tools, spare tubes,
lights, bottle cage, computer etc etc.

--
jc

Remove the -not from email

02-17-2005, 04:54 AM

ship wrote:
> 3. Speed: Fairly FAST please
> I am sick of being over-taken by fat women!

No such thing as a fast bike, only a fast rider.

Obviously, a fast rider goes faster or slower depending on which bike
they ride, but there is no substitute for legwork. If you want to stop
being overtaken by fat women you have to start pedalling faster than
them.

d.

02-17-2005, 04:54 AM

ship wrote:
> 3. Speed: Fairly FAST please
> I am sick of being over-taken by fat women!

No such thing as a fast bike, only a fast rider.

Obviously, a fast rider goes faster or slower depending on which bike
they ride, but there is no substitute for legwork. If you want to stop
being overtaken by fat women you have to start pedalling faster than
them.

d.

02-17-2005, 05:01 AM

in message <1108597136.711804.300180@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups .com>, ship
('[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]') wrote:

> Can anyone recommend a new bike for me?
> - What are the best brands?
> - Any specific models?
>
> 1. Budget: as much as it takes. GBP250 - GBP600?

OK, hang on to your money just now.

> 2. Use: Commuting 20-25mins each way/going out around London.
>
> 3. Speed: Fairly FAST please
> I am sick of being over-taken by fat women!
>
> 4. Nickability: MUST BE LOW
> I will have to leave the bike in the street during the day.
> I have a heavy motorbike duty D-lock which has stopped
> my old bike (with old heavy 7spd sturmey-archer gearbox)
> from being stolen. I have left it outside railway stations
> over night/over weekends etc not problem.

For this you want a bike which looks ratty and old. There are various
recipes for 'distressing' new bikes, but the simplest solution is to
start with a bike that _is_ ratty and old.

> 5. Seating position: As upright as possible!
> I have a long history of having a bad back and leaning
> forwards & down irritates it.

Not really compatible with (3) above unless you try a recumbent (but
that may increase nickability because of the WTF factor). An upright
upright is going to be slow both because of aerodynamic drag and
because your muscles are not in the ideal position.

> 6. Reliablity/ build quality
> I have now ridden several bikes into the ground.
> I am sick of bikes that just arent built very well.
> e.g. bearings fail etc etc.

So fit good hubs and a good bottom bracket. Sheesh! If you get the bike
with poor ones, fit good ones when they wear out. If buying second
hand, fitting a pair of new wheels with decent hubs would still be a
lot less than buying a whole new bike. Bikes can't be 'ridden into the
ground', they're easily maintainable.

> 7. Brakes: pretty sharp.
> This could save my life. So the need to be sharp even
> in the wet etc. But ideally I dont like having them "grab"
> from nearly full on, to full on (etc)
>
> 8. Gear ratio change: Rapid if possible
> I will be spending a lot of time stopping at lights (ahem)
> and due to traffic etc. So it would be nice not to have
> to spend one's entire life changing between ennumerable
> gears!

An epicyclic hub rather than a deraileur seems indicated, then. The
really good one is the Rohloff (14 evenly spaced ratios, German
engineering, never hear of problems, expensive), but the Shimano Nexus
(8 speed, much cheaper) is also pretty good. This has the added
advantage that bikes with epicyclics are likely to be less attractive
to casual thieves, because they only understand deraileurs. Epicyclics
also have the advantage that you can change gear when stationary, e.g.
at traffic lights, and require much less maintenance.

> 9. Robustness: Fairly strong needed.
> London is reasonably flat but has many pot-holes!
> Also I want something that can cope with going off
> at least small curbs - ie I dont want anything too
> stupidly "precious"!

I'd suggest three options.

The first is, get a second hand 'cross' bike. A cross bike looks like a
road race bike but is raced off roads. This means it's much stronger
and better brakes (typically cantilever or V type) than the average
road bike, while still having an aerodynamic riding position. Used
cross bikes also tend to look fairly ratty. This meets desiderata 1,
2, 3, 4, 7 and 9; fitting new wheels with an epicyclic would meet
desiderata 6 and 8, leaving only 5.

The second is, get a recumbent. This meets 2, 3 and 5 but unless second
hand badly misses 1.

If you're looking at something new which would meet your criteria I have
two particular suggestions. The first is the Cannondale Street Nexus.
<URL:http://www.cannondale.com/bikes/05/ce/model-5SR3K.html> It's above
your price bracket at about Â£900, but it's a very high quality bike and
the price includes hub dynamo lighting (no worrying about batteries),
rack and mudguards, and the Nexus 8 speed epicyclic. You would have to
remove or cover up all the badges, because the Cannondale badge is a
thief magnet.

The other is Halfords own brand Nexus-equipped bike, the Carrera Subway
8.
<URL:http://www.halfords.com/opd_product_details.asp?id=18883&type=0&cat=144>
Halfords bikes are on the whole not too special, but this one is
reputedly OK. It does more or less the same job as the Cannondale and
has the same epicyclic, at less than half the price.

> What other makes have what reputations?
> - Ridgeback?

Cheap and not brilliant

> - Sirus?

Not familiar with this - unless you mean the Specialized Sirrus, which
is quite suitable for what you want but misses on (4), nickability.

> - Giant?

Usually reliable, not brilliant

> - Raleigh?

These days, cheap and nasty

--
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] (Simon Brooke) [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
There's nae Gods, an there's precious few heroes
but there's plenty on the dole in th Land o th Leal;
And it's time now, tae sweep the future clear o
th lies o a past that we know wis never real.