Need a new (push) bike, any recommendations?

[squirrelciv]

Listen guys, this thread was started by Bill wanting to know about a bike to cover 6-12 miles to 'get a bit fitter' That is where my comment is aimed. All this TX LX ZFBX???  nonsance is sort of irrelevant. Comfy seat, selection of gears, larger tyres at lowish PSI and get on with it. Index gearing and the like is soooo over rated for your bread and butter bike. You'll spend more time tuning it every week than riding! Friction shift and adjust the cable when the lever travels too far back. Simple and sorted.
And if the aim is to 'get fit' what better way than pushing 2-3 extra kg of frame about??? All thats required is more journey time and less money. When Bill is Armstrongesque that's a different matter. Looking to shave 3/10ths of a second off his 'climb past the post box' section, by all means invest in a carbon fibre drinks bottle, but in the mean time don't worry about it, just do it (as nike would say)

[Andy M]

...., by all means invest in a carbon fibre drinks bottle, but in the mean time don't worry about it, just do it (as nike would say)

Sports bike talk on the TC forum? Whatever next :-))

Personally I'm going to drill holes all over the push iron, put foam in the Bonnevilles tank to prevent me carrying over 2 pints of petrol and get some stick on carbon fibre to reduce the MZ's weight. (BTW, why do they charge postage on that stuff?)

Andy

[Steve H]

All this TX LX ZFBX???  nonsance is sort of irrelevant. Comfy seat, selection of gears, larger tyres at lowish PSI and get on with it. Index gearing and the like is soooo over rated for your bread and butter bike.

There is also an argument that if a bike is easy to ride then your more inclined to get on it. No good having a cheap dog-eared bike if you hate riding it and would rather get in a car. I think there is a balance to be made between cost and useability, in the same way we choose to ride thumpers rather than the latest sports bikes.

[guest7]

Index gearing and the like is soooo over rated for your bread and butter bike. You'll spend more time tuning it every week than riding!

every week? you must have had some rubbish index gears if that's the case. Probably didn't spend enough on them :-)

Even with racing I'd be looking at my shifter adjustment every couple of months at most. Once a Bowden cable has done its initial stretching (first couple of weeks) then it's fairly static right up until the point it frays and breaks (which could be years). Adjustment is made with a small knurled knob in exactly the same way you adjust your clutch cable.

The bits that wear are the big lumpy mechanical bits: chain, sprocket, derrailleurs. That's true of whatever brand or level you fit.

Steve has a point, if a bike is nice to ride, you will ride it. Why make what is already a strenous exercise any more unpleasant?

My mention of Shimano hierachy labels is easy to explain. Anything below LX is for sunday riders and not robust enough for hard or prolonged use (IMHO). XT is better made and lighter than LX, but more expensive. The performance is fantastic though. XTR is full-on pro level, very light, very nice, but not worth the money for commuting or leisure riding. Given those parameters I'd say that my choice of LX was sensible. Anything less fails in hard use and that's just annoying and a waste of money.

Your bike was right for your commute and your mindset, but if your philosophy was foisted onto a casual or less committed rider then they would become disenchanted with cycling very quickly. I know, I used to sell bikes to people who would tell me what they needed and then buy an unsuitable bike on cost grounds. then they would return and say they weren't enjoying it or the bike was broken or it was too expensive to run. Horses for courses and all that.

I don't see anyone telling us that we are daft to ride large capacity singles when a Honda C90 is fine for the job. Why bother with that fancy clutch when you could have a marvellous semi-automatic change? Why keep replacing those trendy fork seals when you could have the tried and trusted C90 fork? Why get cold legs when you could have the best in plastic leg shields... and all for loads less than your trendy complicated motorcycle :-)

Mind you, I knew I was going to far with cycles when I bought titanium chain ring bolts for about £35!... that pulled me back from the brink. But that's racing for you, you keep looking for an edge.

GC

[guest27]

Have to agree with GC some here.  There are a variety of way you can look at specification.  There are the must have's - which if they are missing then the bike is next to useless, the more's are betters - which does have a limit - like LX XT etc, you get to a point where any more expenditure is wasted and probably just buys you kit that is less useful - think race tyres on a road bike (m/c here)  - they never heat up enough.  There is a difference between riding a bike which lends extra fitness and riding a bike that lends extra effort.  The quality of the exercise is different - and in exercise quality is so important.  Also this is a commute, we are looking to do a days work...  A gas pipe clunker is not only heavier, but also bends and twists as you put pressure through the peddels - making the whole experiance less than pleasurable.  My old clunker was great around Northamptoon where it is mostly flat and I could attack the few hills with gusto - but here isn South Wales it is no pleasure to ride, the ratios are all wrong, the chain slips etc etc

However - budget spent on good second hand is far better than on new.

R

[Bill Rutter]

Me Armstrongesque?  Heh heh, nice one Pat. I can't really see me in lycra especially yellow. I'm more your "Lanterne Rouge". Anyway, in my opinion there is the small matter of actually sitting outside a pub/cafe on they way back from a hard day's graft on a fine summer's afternoon looking at a well put-together bike. I know you can get a decent second-hand cycle and if it's just a workhorse you'd want that's fair enough. But I'd prefer a new one...it's going to have to last me the rest of my biking life so I'll get one with all the bells and whistles I can muster within my budget and get it set up for my needs. It really is a case of horses for courses as has been previously said. Thanks boys for all the lovely advice.  I'm having a great deal of fun sorting out the right bike for me.   

[squirrelciv]

LOL LOL LOL LOL! this is a fun thread :-)

[themoudie]

This should be ideal Bill!

IGNORE THE LINK, I'VE MADE A RIGHT HORLICKS!! HOW TO INSERT IMAGES? IDIOTS KEYSTROKE BY KEYSTROKE GUIDE PLEASE IN FAQ!!!!!!!

LINK REMOVED themoudie 4/7/2013

I hope this all works, inserting things in unknown places from the ether!



Regards, Bill

[Steve Lake]

well, here's my two pennorth.......having raced and time trialled most of my life I now enjoy pottering about on a hybrid(as previously mentioned) by far the best option....admittedly made up myself, but conforming in the main to what specialized/giant/ et al have on the market.............BUT DON'T BUY ANYTHING!! until you have checked out this auction site
http://www.bumblebeeauctions.co.uk/XcAuctionPro.asp

It is the official disposal site for all police property (stolen, lost property etc), works much like ebay, you need to register before you bid etc......I've had lots of stuff frome there, and, as you would expect, ther are loads of bikes going for silly prices........only drawback i can see is that for large items like bikes you usually have to collect, but you just need to look at your local police stations on the site
have fun
S