First bike

[simonrockman]

I've been commuting from North London to the City since the summer on a borrowed mountain bike.

The time has come to get something that actually fits me, not least because it's a Christmas present from my girlfriend.

It's about 8 miles each way, there is a bike store at work. It needs to be something I can also use at weekends for country rides. Lanes and tracks not serious mud.

Budget c.£600, The best fit so far from the things I've sat on is the Whyte Shoreditch. I've read positive reviews of the Halfords Bordman range.

Thoughts?

Simon

[Watchman]

I have a Whyte Portobello and my wife has a Whyte Carnaby - these are either side of the Shoreditch in the range. The 1xN chainset is simple and just works. The Shoreditch benefits from a carbon fork which, I believe, should be standard on all of these commuter bikes. Without the carbon fork, they can be a bit harsh.

However, these are very much paved-surface bikes. They don't have enough width at the bottom-bracket end of the chain stays to fit even a spuddy CX tyre. But as flat-bar road bikes, they are unparalleled in our opinion.

Whyte doesn't fit their ergonomic grips to these as standard for some reason, but I'd urge you to try and get the retailer to fit them for you included in the price. They are simply the best grips I've ever used.

ETA: Mine's an older Portobello with an alloy fork. Since they issued mine, they have lengthened the headtube on all of those in this range, which make it a far more comfortable bike to ride than mine. That and the CF fork.

Edited by Watchman on Thursday 1st January 19:52

[simonrockman]

For me a lot of it is about not being hunched, I need the right length of frame, and I want straight handlebars. Ideally quite short ones for getting through gaps in traffic.

Simon

[Watchman]

In that case, Whytes tend to be quite long so go for a smaller frame size than you think you'll want.

[Gizmoish]

Drop bars are narrower than flat bars.

[vxsmithers]

simonrockman said:

For me a lot of it is about not being hunched, I need the right length of frame, and I want straight handlebars. Ideally quite short ones for getting through gaps in traffic.

Simon

Can't help with the frame, but a hacksaw will help with wide handlebars, so don't discount a bike because of that

[Barchettaman]

+1, alloy handlebars are dead easy to cut but I would use a pipe cutter as it's miles easier and takes but a few seconds.

I would second the recommendation for some Ergo-style grips on a flat bar. These things are worth their weight in gold!

That Whyte looks the perfect bike for your needs, with a few caveats.... I personally would put mudguards, a Brooks B-17 saddle, a rack, dynamo hub and some good LED lights on it, as in my experience (ca. 5000 km commuting per year) these are all indispensable for anyone commuting any more than a short distance in all weathers.

Best of luck whatever you get and enjoy your new bike.

[Watchman]

Barchettaman said:

+1, alloy handlebars are dead easy to cut but I would use a pipe cutter as it's miles easier and takes but a few seconds.

I would second the recommendation for some Ergo-style grips on a flat bar. These things are worth their weight in gold!

That Whyte looks the perfect bike for your needs, with a few caveats.... I personally would put mudguards, a Brooks B-17 saddle, a rack, dynamo hub and some good LED lights on it, as in my experience (ca. 5000 km commuting per year) these are all indispensable for anyone commuting any more than a short distance in all weathers.

Best of luck whatever you get and enjoy your new bike.

The Whyte bars are quite narrow as they are but certainly a pipe cutter is the way to get an even cut, should you need to.

Whyte also sells mudguards - I've put a pair on mine.

I would give the standard saddle a try first - I've had my Portobello for a good few years/miles now and have found the saddle to be perfect.

[vxsmithers]

depends how cack handed you are with a hacksaw, but I take the point a pipe cutter would guarantee a straight cut!

still can't help with the frame though

[simonrockman]

My girlfriend, who is the bike expert (she recently did London - Paris) recommends a rack. I think I prefer a rucksack as then I'm not carrying the weight of the rack when I'm not using it, but I'll probably bow to her recommendation.

Any more thoughts on the Boardman?


Simon

[Watchman]

I had a Tortec Velocity rack for Christmas. The air in my tyres weighs more than that does.

[TheLemming]

simonrockman said:

My girlfriend, who is the bike expert (she recently did London - Paris) recommends a rack. I think I prefer a rucksack as then I'm not carrying the weight of the rack when I'm not using it, but I'll probably bow to her recommendation.

Any more thoughts on the Boardman?


Simon

Which Boardman were you looking at?

Peraonally prefer a backpack to a rack but I'm definitely in a minority with that one. Also have a couple of nice, rigid back, mesh supported backpacks.