Spec me a new bike, bitches

Post by **ProfHawking** » April 7th, 2009, 13:57

I seem to have misplaced my old bike at my last flat and it went walkies.

Anywhoo, i want a new bike. I'm a big guy and 6'5"ish. I know my old bike wasnt small, but the frame still seemed to small.

Anyway, instead of a mountain bike, this time i want a road sort of thing. Not for racing, just using around London. Fastish but tough - i dont want it to snap if i hit a curb or it falls over or something.
Perhaps some kind of hybrid sort of thing?

Anyway, long story short, i dont know what to get.
Budget probably about £300-400 or so. Ebay/secondhand is fine with me as long as its not too shabby.

Suggestions very welcome!

Post by **Dr. kitteny berk** » April 7th, 2009, 14:30

I'd get a mountain bike and lob some slicks on it to be honest.

Much less resistance from the tyres that way, and you can ride stupid.

Obviously, you'd want a hardtail, and I'd go for decent forks and vbrakes over shit forks and budget disc brakes.

Post by **fabyak** » April 7th, 2009, 14:41

Dr. kitteny berk wrote:I'd get a mountain bike and lob some slicks on it to be honest.

Much less resistance from the tyres that way, and you can ride stupid.

Obviously, you'd want a hardtail, and I'd go for decent forks and vbrakes over shit forks and budget disc brakes.

and

Post by **ProfHawking** » April 7th, 2009, 15:11

hmm, intriguing. i dont want it to be a heavy bastard like my old bike tho.
Will broaden my search horizons

Post by **fabyak** » April 7th, 2009, 15:15

Mine is lovely and balanced, cost about £450 but the model had only just come out

Post by **Dog Pants** » April 7th, 2009, 15:18

fabyak wrote:Mine is lovely and balanced, cost about £450 but the model had only just come out

I used to have a Kona Cinder Cone. Nice bike. If I got a new one I'd go with Kona again.

Post by **Dr. kitteny berk** » April 7th, 2009, 15:24

Dog Pants wrote:I used to have a Kona Cinder Cone. Nice bike. If I got a new one I'd go with Kona again.

Kona are nice, but not particularly cheap.

Post by **ProfHawking** » April 7th, 2009, 15:53

this one appears to be ok
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/mens-road-bike_W0 ... 240%3A1318

never heard of "teman" tho. a few of them on ebay. Anyone heard of the brand?

Post by **Dr. kitteny berk** » April 7th, 2009, 15:54

No. Just no.

Sheriff Fatman · Post by **Sheriff Fatman** » April 7th, 2009, 16:01

Hybrid/City bikes can be a wee bit wishy-washy but given your size, I'd say it wouldn't be such a bad idea. Mountain bikes frames are designed for off road use and are smaller so they can manoeuvred more easily. When stretched to your your size they also become a little ungainly; the frame angles just don't work any more.

Road frames have taller angles because it makes life easier to keep the pedals turning when cranking at a steady rhythm. True, with a few simple mods a mountain bike can become a capable daily commuter but if you only want it for city use then why buy an off-roader?

I'd suggest finding a good bike shop and paying them a visit. Tap the people in there for advice and make an informed decision. It's quite possible they might have some demo-bikes you can borrow for a bit (I know we had quite a few, back in my day).

Post by **Dr. kitteny berk** » April 7th, 2009, 16:02

Sheriff Fatman wrote:I'd suggest finding a good bike shop and paying them a visit. Tap the people in there for advice and make an informed decision. It's quite possible they might have some demo-bikes you can borrow for a bit (I know we had quite a few, back in my day).

really, as I said on msn, get ye to evans and try stuff on, chances are you'll find something that fits just right.

Post by **ProfHawking** » April 7th, 2009, 16:20

Fair doos, i will get down to a bike store when i get a sec.

I found this one, berk approves i think, but anyone else got any advice before i PUSH THE BUTTON AND LET HIM KNOW

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/GIANT-YUKON-EXCEL ... 240%3A1318

Hopefully i can take a visit to a bike shop tonight/tomorrow lunchtime.

bomberesque · Post by **bomberesque** » April 7th, 2009, 16:43

you'll struggle to get it for 400 but I have a cotic road rat for commuting set up with an alfine rear gear hub and Avid cable discs (which are great)

A second hand steel road frame and this sort of build could be done a whole lot cheaper than Cotic sell it for

or MTB with slics also can. That's what I had before and it was fine, I just wanted something steel (for comfort) and new (for retail therapy) and tour-y (for the summer). If you plan to ride on wet roads full mudguards from SKS are the best 30 quid you can spend IMO.

Sol · Post by **Sol** » April 7th, 2009, 17:07

Get a single speed with flat bars

If you're in London they're perfect seeing as there are very little hills. Cheap, reliable, light as chocolate Aero and look cool

Not as clumsy as a mountain bike either. If you're in London, get yourself down to an Evans Cycles and get sized up. I can't recommend them enough.

Maybe something like this prof? http://www.evanscycles.com/products/se/ ... e-ec018019

Post by **ProfHawking** » April 9th, 2009, 9:23

I fucked up and missed the bloody auction for that Giant bike.

Single speed isnt for me i think - in the real world i have to deal with hills occasionally but more often than not the traffic and traffic lights mean its a hell of a lot more stop-start than a velodrome.

I did mean to get to evans, i was outside one yesterday. but there was also a pub. and the pub won

Post by **ProfHawking** » April 9th, 2009, 9:30

This seems good value, and XL size in stock:

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/mon ... e-ec000879

any obvious downsides ive missed?

Post by **Dr. kitteny berk** » April 9th, 2009, 9:35

As a bike person. yes*

but if you just want a cheapy lump to ride around until it breaks, it should be okay.

*1" headset etc is very oldschool, no scope for upgrades
geometry seems a bit sit up and beg.

Post by **Dr. kitteny berk** » April 9th, 2009, 9:49

Really comes down to budget to be honest, but I'd look at something along the lines of This.

It's more of a proper bike than a cheapy, should be a fairly nice ride.

Post by **ProfHawking** » April 9th, 2009, 10:14

i think im gonna bid on this
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 0391532583
if i dont get it, i'll go down to evans and splurge

Sol · Post by **Sol** » April 9th, 2009, 11:18

Single speeds are great for stop start

Just make sure you ride it in free-wheel mode, not fixed.
But please don't buy a bike without trying it out Prof, you don't know if you like it 'til you've sat on it really or what rattles and squeaks it may or may not have.

That said CB aren't too bad, I have one of their mountain bikes, which only started to break after about a year of regular use (mainly squeaky bottom bracket and front derailleur needing adjusting).