September 16, 2004

• i've seen the kona bikes in BC, some crazy fools were riding down ski slopes on them. can't say for the quality myself, but i can most definitely recommend a specialized. i've had my hardrock for 10 years, it cost me about $400 US, and it's in fine shape still, despite all i've tried to do to it. UK dealer locator-thingy here. from my experience, if you get a specialized you'll get a higher-end bike for a lower-end price. the intro-level models like the hardrock are comparable to some of the midrange treks and so on, better components at a lower price than i've seen on any other models i've looked at. i borrowed my brother's hardrock once, years ago, for one ride - i bought my own the next day. my wife rented one for a total of 3 hours on vacation over the summer, and after that she's not going to be content until she owns one. we're planning on buying a matched pair in the spring, when the new models come out. don't get me wrong - you can drop a load of cash on a specialized - but it's totally been worth it for me.
• ditto for me on specialized. i have a crossroads that i really love. similar to this one, but all silver-grey. hybrids are nice for what you'll be doing. i also commute in a busy city. don't forget a good helmet and red blinkers!
• As an ex-10-miles-commuter-in-Amsterdam I'd never go for something as cute as those. I was and am happy with my heavy duty city bike, one like this. Prolly not available in London, but you get the idea. You know, these things are strong, never let you down, no maintenance bicycles.
• clf, cheers. That Hardrock has an almost identical spec to the Blast, although the frame looks a little chunkier, which I like, so I'll be checking that out later. Sidedish, red blinkers are illegal in this country, although lots of people use them anyway.
• As I said in the thread on bike locks, I buy the cheapest bike I can find. I've had my current $75 bike for 4 years and haven't had any problems with it yet.
• I don't believe that you need a mountain or hybrid bike if you are commuting in a city. Even if there are a lot of potholes. This bike made it 1000 miles down the Baja this summer and did just fine. It's a great bike, can handle lots of baggage, and is extremely light.
• Do you have an indoor, secure place to lock it? Have you ridden this route before? If the answer to either of those questions is no then I'd take jccalhoun's advice and try a cheap bike first. You can always upgrade later.
• jernie, CaptainSunshine, I could probably attempt to rationalise it, but at heart, what it comes down to is, I want a big chunky bike. Sad, I know. Very, very sad, but it's the truth. The weird thing is, I hate people who buy vanity cars, yet here am I doing it with a bike. Cali, it'll be indoors at home, and there's an indoor parking area here at work where it can be secured. I haven't ridden this route before, but I've spoken to people that have. Some of the journey is on roads, and some of the journey is through parks.
• You can get a mountain bike, but you want smooth or hybrid tires on it. Otherwise it's like pedalling through cold porridge.
• Cannondale. Best buy I ever made. About $600 and worth every single penny. But don't buy this. A hybrid would be good if you plan on a variety of rides (road/off-road/mountain) and titanium would keep it light and definately get some tools so you can maintain it on your own. I don't know how much you want to spend, you can definately break the bank if you want to.
• No mud guards? It obviously has stopped raining in the UK since I last lived there.
• If you really want big and chunky, you might want to go with a Velocipede. Because of its unusual shape, you won't have to worry about roving gangs of thieves with bic pens making it disappear. Like the bike-lock thread, for instance.
• I bike commute everyday here in San Francisco. My daily ride is about 3 miles each way. If you have secure bike parking _in_ your building get any bike you want. If you will be locking it outside more often than not, get a cheaper bike. I spent $400 in 1994 on a mid-level Bridgestone (not sold anymore) and its lasted fine. It's kind of heavy now, but hey, I need to work off my gut anyway. Make sure you get "slicks", tires without knobbies, if you are mostly commuting. It will make your trip faster/easier. Get a good blickly light for the back and a REAL 10-25 watt front light with battery pack for the front. The front LED blinkies are worthless. I don't use toe clips, but some people love them. I use a backpack for day to day travel and have some cheapo pannier bags for my back "mountain rack" when I carry groceries home. GET A BELL! It will save your life. Some of the best $ I've spent. Ring ring ring.
• if you're on the road the whole time, why would you want a mountain bike?? that said, if you still want one, definately get a specialized, like others said. but if you get a road bike, there are tons here in the states at garage sales, pawn shops, or ready to be given away by neighbors. i just recently got turned onto a mailing list called freecycle.org where people post things that they no longer use and want to get rid of. i sent out an email about a 10-speed, and the next day, 6 people told me they have one in the garage going to waste within miles of me. the u.k. has some entries on the site here. i'm going to turn mine into a fixed gear
• i had a cool electronic bell that actually said, "RING RING EXCUUUUSE ME!!!" it was delightfully obnoxious. busted when my cat knocked my bike over. bah. and i am SHOCKED that little red blinking thingies are ILLEGAL there!! what the hell? how the heck else can they spot you?? sigh. illegal red blinking thingies. well i NEVER.
• (although i do no off-roading i opted for a hybrid bike because it struck me as more durable than those with eensy-weensy skinny tires)
• "RING RING EXCUUUUSE ME!!!" Now I've got bananaphone stuck in my head, except now the chorus keeps getting interrupted by some guy yelling "EXCUSE ME!" Just when I thought that song couldn't be made more annoying.
• cruiser bikes are really big in d.c. right now. they're spiffy. RING RING EXCUUUUUUSE ME!
• The "Incredible Jane" bike horn - Push button on the left and she says: "Excuse Me"- Push button on the right and she plays a little Mozart Tune
• Depending on how much gravel/potholes you have to deal with I would recommend a recumbent bike. They are a little less maneuverable but they utilize your energy much better.
• Uncle - isn't visibility an issue with those though? One of the things I like about a traditional upright bike is being able to see over traffic and anticipate. I ride a Marin Hawkhill and enjoy it thoroughly. I second getting a set of slick or semi-slick tyres for city riding.
• More important than the bike itself is how well it fits you. Get your bike store to do a custom fit---a "Fit Kit" is the most common method. Bikes are so good now that a good fit is way more important than the exact components you buy. That said, Konas are good bikes and Deore LX is the price/durability sweetspot in the ATB Shimano line. Acera X will wear out in two-three years of constant use. And do get smooth tyres. Chunky rubber is hard to peddle and can damage your carpal nerves.
• here's an update on the kryptonite lock debacle for those interested.
• Another vote here for dropping the mountain bike idea and getting a road bike or commuter bike. The riding position on a mountain bike is all wrong for the roads. It's tough to generate a lot of power in an upright position like that. Plus, you're going to be losing so much energy to those giant tires. And the factory gearing is going to be all wrong. A road bike or commuter bike are definitely better bets. Gonzo, you'll never regret getting setup with a fixed gear. I've been commuting with one for about 2 years now and I've notice a massive amount of improvement in my leg strength and willpower.
• I live in a town where bikes are the only way to get around in the tiny twisty streets (although I don't travel long distance). My observations are that a) cool looking mountain bikes actually end up looking a lot less cool relatively quickly, due to the fact that you're going to want to hang baskets of various kinds off it. Everybody does that here, as it's very convenient. b) mud guards are essential. I'm sorry, it makes the bike look less cool, but your clothing will thank you when you go through your first standard-issue British puddle. c) wide tires are inconvenient as many bike racks (at least in my town) are designed for city bikes with the thin tires. People with mountain bikes have a much harder time finding a place to park. (my bike looks just like jernie's, only it's a lovely blue and far older than I am)
• I had my Specialized hybrid for 15 years, replaced it with a new one (same model but a light-year leap, tech-wise) a few months ago, and I have a lot of faith in the brand. I'd used my old bike both as a trail bike in Northern California and as a commute bike in New York City, and it held up marvelously. I only traded it in because I moved to a 4th floor walk-up and the old-school steel frame was too much to carry up all those stairs. The tire question is a tough call. I got road tires on the new bike, and while there's less friction, and a little less work for me, there's also less traction on the road. In rainy weather, mountain tires give you more grip on the road. Also, when dealing with the everyday hazards of cycling in a city, such as potholes, curbs, broken glass, and other surprises, mountain tires are more resistant to flats. and you can take rougher road with fewer bumps to your back or your frame. But London may have smoother streets than NY! Definitely get a simple rack on the back when you buy- you can always make basket decisions later as long as you have a rack. Happy riding!
• Thanks, everybody, for the great responses. I think that I've settled on a Specialized Hardrock, as per caution live frogs's advice. The little fella should be on commission, because otherwise I wouldn't have considered that. I hadn't heard of this brand before, but I went to check them out at the bike shop, and they seem great. They're very similar to a Kona Blast, with exactly the same brakes, suspension, and gear-change widgets, but with a slightly lighter frame. The great thing is that they are
• I had good experiences with semi-slicks, which have knobbly shoulders for grip while turning.
• If you're riding on anything but sand or mud, slicks give better traction than do knobbies. Bikes don't hydroplane, so knobbies actually give you worse traction on road than slicks do. I also recommend slicks (real slicks, not just semis either), because several of my friends had hand numbness, the first stage of nerve damage, from excessive vibration. Change to slicks, problem solved. Furthermore, slicks are easier to peddle. Most of the switches say that their bikes are faster and a lot more fun to ride after the change over. There are several very affordable brands of slicks out there: Avocet, IRC and Specialized all make nice ones. If you're buying a Hardrock, consider asking for Armadillo tires with your bike.
• I swear by my 10 year old Ridgeback - my good lady's just bought a new Ridgeback which she loves - but she got it from Herne Hill cycles which is a little out of your way ... you seem to get an awful lot more bike for your
• This is probably too late a post, but as a frequent city cyclist and commuter who loves it, wants the bike to work well, but has no bike 'fetish', this might be useful. 1) As other people have said - forgo the off-road nobbly tires. I'm not a fan of slicks myself, finding them a bit too slick, but there are plenty of slightly thinner hybrid tires with enough tread to stay safe, while making your ride noticeably easier and faster. 2) Definitely go with the mud guards, or forget riding your bike in any kind of wet. Go for the full coverage fenders, not the half-size plastic clip-ons. Hard core cyclists will claim fenders slow you down, but I'm a hard-core pedal pusher and fenders made no noticable difference in my speed. 3) I doubt I could talk you into this initially, but seriously consider customizing your bike with one of these chainless drive systems. Some manufacturers are offering them on factory designs. You cannot imagine how often your chain will jump off on days when you're already late, wearing good clothes, don't have anything to wipe greasy hands on. And not at all on other days. These new chainless systems are very, very close to the efficiency of chains. 4) If you need a backpack, look at Deuter. Biking is incredibly hot, particularly when you stop, because you don't realize how much that nice cool breeze is helping you stay cool when in motion. Messenger backs keep your back mostly uncovered and open to airflow, but they can be uncomfortable with heavy loads. Deuter offers a series of backpacks with their AirComfort mesh backplane that will keep you much cooler than anything else.
• Looking over the range of opinions on nobbies vs. slicks: I get the fact that slicks might in fact give **more** traction than I assumed, but wondered what those more versed in the relative virtues of the respective tires thought re: the durability question. Is it easier to get a flat on slicks? I was going to switch to nobbies on my new bike to avoid flats- am I just overly entrenched in my experience of riding a mountain bike for 15 years? Thanks to all.
• the armadillo tires from specialized have puncture-proof linings, as do their knobbly tires. you could also get the newer tubes with the goo inside - hardens on exposure, to automatically seal leaks. i forget the name, but i've seen them in quite a few stores; they sell bottles of the goo, too, so you can fill your current tubes without the need to replace them.
• I adore my Specialized Hardrock ($200 on sale) and use hybrid Continental tires for commuting -- I'd recommend any of these. They are well worth the money. Nice padded bike gloves help to prevent carpal tunnel, as does learning to ride with your weight equally balanced between seat, pedals and handlebars. Toe clips are awesome, especially if you have hills to climb, and don't forget a helmet.
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