Please help with push bike advice..

[454697819]

Right I need to start commuting on the bike, its a health thing.

It will be 6.5 miles each way all b roads. Im 6ft tall and weigh the same as a baby elephant.

I have narrowed it down to a Hybrid and have narrowed it further to the following options...

I can get this scott for £350

http://www.scott-sports.com/us_en/product/10058/55836/218076

or this Kona for £399 the oly downside is it will be 2cm below the Ideal frame height but only boarder line

http://www.konaworld.com/bike.cfm?content=dew_plus

There aren't any local shops to go and play with first and I am quite happy to order online...

I cant decide and I want to buy once and buy right.

Any sensible advice appreciated.

Cheers

Alex

[Drumming_Animal]

Well the Scott has the front suspension which may or may not help you. I have a mountain bike with forks that "lock out" so basically I can turn them on or off with the flick of a switch. On roads I mainly have them set to hard otherwise they just drain power from your legs and then the bike doesnt handle as well as it could. But off road I make them a little softer depending on the terrain. Also the Scott I assume is the right frame size for you. So comfort-wise, the Scott looks like the way to go.

The Kona however has the better brakes and a fully rigid frame. No suspension at all. But the frame size is supposedly slightly wrong for you. Not sure how much difference 2cm will make though.
Weight wise, the Kona hasan aluminium frame rather than an alloy, believe me, the weight of the bike makes a huge difference. The lighter the better, last thing you want is a bike that weighs the same as a tank. I had one and it was awful.

All in all the bikes both look very similar and you may not notice a lot of difference between them. All the parts will work as they should, gears and pedals will make you go, wheels will spin and brakes will stop you. The hyrdaulic discs will stop you on a 5p coin if you have them set up right. Mine are mental, I've set them to be very sensitive. If I grab suddenly a little, I'll be on the front wheel. Handy to stop quick though.

However, if comfort is your thing, the Scott may be the way to go. On 6.5 miles each way, so 13 miles a day, youre gonna want some comfort. I did 90 odd miles in one day a couple of times, just for the hell of it. And aside from a numb ass from an almost rock hard seat, it gets to your back. Especially with a reasonably weighty bag on your back.

If I were you I would try and get to somewhere that sells bikes. Not necessarily these specific ones but just bikes. Say a Halfords. Get on a couple of different size frames of the Hybrid bikes and see which works better. 6.5miles doesnt sound a lot, but depending on hills and such like, it can be a bit of time in the saddle. I used to get to college, which was 4.5 miles away in 17 minutes at my fastest and that was pushing it with a slight tailwind. Average time was about half hour dependind on time of year, the weather, traffic and my mood.

On a daily commute, I dont know whether you will be constantly running as if it's a major race. So comfort will probably be the deciding factor in my opinion. Although these are labelled as Hybrids, they are not built to be ragged around woods, or jumped across a skate park or such like. They're road bikes, designed for commuting.

So assuming comfort is the factor here, which is what I think it is. Then the Scott looks best for you.

[Luckypants]

You might investigate Evans cycles online, they give 30 day road tests to try before you buy - thus you will make sure the bike is the right size and suitable for your needs. http://www.evanscycles.com/help/test-ride-policy

Also it may be worth you checking if your employer does the government cycle to work scheme, making buying your bike much more affordable.

[Whyte25]

Hi

2 cm isn`t a major difference plus you should have the seat set so that your leg is almost fully extended and the bottom of the pedal revolution. The scott will be more comfortable due to it having sussy forks & the front will be slightly higher. I think you could prob get a better spec for the dough. As cycle surgery have some clearance stuff @ the mo...

Just found this.

http://www.cyclesurgery.com/specialized-sirrus-2011/urban/bikes-components-bikewear/fcp-product/20002

These are exceptional commuting bikes.

What weight are you? what size you after? The reason i ask is if you are really heavy it might not be worth going for something with 700c wheels as they will be weaker. You might be better off with a mtb 26" wheel with slicks / road tyres on - the gear ratios are lower but 6.5 miles isn`t a great deal to ride on a decent bike.

Hope that helps.

D

[mattSV]

Hi


What weight are you? what size you after? The reason i ask is if you are really heavy it might not be worth going for something with 700c wheels as they will be weaker. You might be better off with a mtb 26" wheel with slicks / road tyres on - the gear ratios are lower but 6.5 miles isn`t a great deal to ride on a decent bike.

Hope that helps.

D

Wheel strength has a lot more to it than just wheel size - construction, spoke tension, number of spokes, radial/cross laced, hub size, material, rim width/depth, machine built or hand built etc.

Generally, 700cc wheels will be more effective on road than a 26" (greater distance travelled for each revolution of the pedals, assuming the same gear etc)

[Whyte25]

This is also true MAtt SV but was typing in work so didn`t have to long and had to do it on the sly, but then we could have another thread on wheel construction :-) as opposed to the OP.

Rgds

D

[Dipper]

I know little about modern push bikes but have been doing a 12 mile commute on a 22 year old mountain bike converted for the job for the last coupe of years. The essentials IMHO are (no groaning) ...

1. Full mudguards - even if you don't intend to cycle in the rain often you'll be travelling on wet/damp/muddy roads.

2. Rack and panniers (I use Ortlieb citys - brilliant) a rucksack soon gets on your t1ts.

3. Enjoy! :D:D:D

[Venom]

This is also true MAtt SV but was typing in work so didn`t have to long and had to do it on the sly, but then we could have another thread on wheel construction :-) as opposed to the OP.

Rgds

D

I'd agree with Matt about wheel size only being a small factor and we could go on about the main difference between 26", 29", 700C is the distance/revolution.

The OP is also commuting not landing jumps in the local woods so wheel strength only really has to deal with hitting potholes.

Best advice as others said is to try one. Exact frame height only matters if you want to get off the saddle in a hurry and safely not catch your balls on the top tube. If it's still ergonomic while pedalling, the larger frame is fine so long as you don't step off on a dip. I'd still recommend never to get anything that has that risk though...

Also it's the saddle that most people find uncomfortable so you'll need to find which saddle supports your butt's bones and has the right level of padding for you.

[fizzwheel]

Out of those two.

The Kona, 700c wheels, 35mm tyres, plus no suspension. If you are riding on the road you dont need suspension.

All it does is sap energy and it increases the weight of the bike IMHO and also assuming that the Kona does actually fit you.

Is there a Halford near you ? Can you get one of the boardman hybrids for your budget, if so thats worth a look at IMHO.

[Jackie_Black]

I fancy one of these for my 8 mile a day commute

http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/ebwPNLqrymode.a4p?f_ProductID=13009&f_FullProductVersion=1&f_SupersetQRY=C431&f_SortOrderID=1&f_bct=c003155c018333c018337

proper old man bike. If i used it for 2 months the money i'd save in petrol would pay for the bike. I already have a racer and a mountainbike but i reckon that would be easy to ride in a suit.

[454697819]

Out of those two.

The Kona, 700c wheels, 35mm tyres, plus no suspension. If you are riding on the road you dont need suspension.

All it does is sap energy and it increases the weight of the bike IMHO and also assuming that the Kona does actually fit you.

Is there a Halford near you ? Can you get one of the boardman hybrids for your budget, if so thats worth a look at IMHO.

Had a look at those Fizz and came up with this one... the only thing that puts me off is the cable disk brakes?

Plus don't really trust halfords? should I be more open minded about their bikes

[fizzwheel]

Plus don't really trust halfords? should I be more open minded about their bikes

Yes about the Boardmans, they frames get fantastic reviews in the bike press. I'd consider one if it were in my budget.

The problem with halfords is the staff, rather than the bikes. So if you do buy one from them, ask them not to build it, and then take it so a local bike shop and get them to build it and setup the gears etc.

I wouldnt worry about cable brakes if you are only riding on the road. You dont need the extra braking power of disks anyway IMHO.

Disks are handy on a commuter especially in winter when the roads are covered in cack and mud. But it'll still be way over braked. IMHO.

[454697819]

Yes about the Boardmans, they frames get fantastic reviews in the bike press. I'd consider one if it were in my budget.

The problem with halfords is the staff, rather than the bikes. So if you do buy one from them, ask them not to build it, and then take it so a local bike shop and get them to build it and setup the gears etc.

I wouldnt worry about cable brakes if you are only riding on the road. You dont need the extra braking power of disks anyway IMHO.

Disks are handy on a commuter especially in winter when the roads are covered in cack and mud. But it'll still be way over braked. IMHO.

I appreciate that input, I have found this yesterday think its a goer, if I can get over the pooh brown colour lol

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250776919776&var=550025036236&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT#ht_2391wt_1195

[Whyte25]

Pooey brown means you have to wash it less as you cant see it that much. haha

[AndyBrad]

i did a similar thing recently and ended up getting a GT zum. i got it second hand and would suggest you do the same as it saved me loads!

basically its a mountain bike with road rubber. although after recently taking it off road i found i was limited to 2.0 tyre width!

i wouldnt bother with suspension on the road tbh. although ive never had propper stuff.