I'm so sorry....
Discussion
It's a 'what bike + kit' thread. For my new job I'll be cycling to and from the station. Probably 10 minutes there (mainly downhill), 15 back.
I love the look of a fixie bike, but want some functionality. So I'm after a belt-driven, recessed cabled, gear-hubbed bike. I can't find one! I've looked at the Cube Hyde Race (cables are out) and a few others, but I was wondering if anyone knew of one please?
Also... Wet weather gear. It's a 'casual' office, but I can't get there looking like a wreck. I'm after some proper wet weather gear that is lightweight, and can be folded down to not much... I'm also a fair lump, so it really needs to be XXL sizing.
I throw myself in front of the assembled PH bank of knowledge....
Thanks!
I love the look of a fixie bike, but want some functionality. So I'm after a belt-driven, recessed cabled, gear-hubbed bike. I can't find one! I've looked at the Cube Hyde Race (cables are out) and a few others, but I was wondering if anyone knew of one please?
Also... Wet weather gear. It's a 'casual' office, but I can't get there looking like a wreck. I'm after some proper wet weather gear that is lightweight, and can be folded down to not much... I'm also a fair lump, so it really needs to be XXL sizing.
I throw myself in front of the assembled PH bank of knowledge....
Thanks!
I'd ditch the hidden cables/belt drive/hub gears and just pick a hybrid/Single Speed for £300-500 that fits / geared correctly and you like the look of.
I'd probably buy a Cannondale Hooligan, I like the oddball looks and would liven up a short commute
I guess hub gears have benefits, but the weight will piss you off, belts too much trouble/fettling etc
Waterproofs will help keep the rain out, but you will end up wetter inside due to the sweat. If it was me I would just keep work clothes at work and change there and cycling in cycling gear/running gear.
I'd probably buy a Cannondale Hooligan, I like the oddball looks and would liven up a short commute
I guess hub gears have benefits, but the weight will piss you off, belts too much trouble/fettling etc
Waterproofs will help keep the rain out, but you will end up wetter inside due to the sweat. If it was me I would just keep work clothes at work and change there and cycling in cycling gear/running gear.
I have a Charge Plug 1 for the same purpose, for £350 they are pretty much bombproof, and ok to ride, the tyres are a bit sketchy though. You cant get mudguards under the fork without fouling on the tyre though so need some cheap and cheerful plastic ones that you can cut up and modify. they look ok too and if you really want can run it fixed as the rear wheel is a flip/flop hub.
As for clothes, take a bag with enough stuff for the week in on a Monday and then just wear anything you want to ride in, if you have shower facilities, even better, if not also pack wet wipes and something to make you smell nicer! I'm firmly in the "better to be wet than cold camp" and for that distance, its not really an issue, even in a downpour. Have a look at the Alpkit Goudon bags, they are basically dry bags with shoulder straps.
As for clothes, take a bag with enough stuff for the week in on a Monday and then just wear anything you want to ride in, if you have shower facilities, even better, if not also pack wet wipes and something to make you smell nicer! I'm firmly in the "better to be wet than cold camp" and for that distance, its not really an issue, even in a downpour. Have a look at the Alpkit Goudon bags, they are basically dry bags with shoulder straps.
Edited by anonymous-user on Friday 20th February 13:41
Rolls said:
If i were doing the same (ie - riding to / from the station in all weathers) i'd bit the bullet, and buy a Brompton. You won't have to worry about it still being there when you get back from a day in the office etc, they hold their vaule etc..
Just looked at the price of used ones. Blimey!!!http://www.welovebromptons.co.uk/
Honestly, for a 10-15 minute there and back, I'd just use regular clothes and a normal jacket/waterproof overtrousers if necessary. Not worth getting changed.
Ditto for the bike I'd pick up a cheap (and nastier the better) gumtree/ebay special on the basis it will get nicked, plan to replace with something equally low budget.
Ditto for the bike I'd pick up a cheap (and nastier the better) gumtree/ebay special on the basis it will get nicked, plan to replace with something equally low budget.
TwistingMyMelon said:
I'd ditch the hidden cables/belt drive/hub gears and just pick a hybrid/Single Speed for £300-500 that fits / geared correctly and you like the look of.
I'd probably buy a Cannondale Hooligan, I like the oddball looks and would liven up a short commute
I guess hub gears have benefits, but the weight will piss you off, belts too much trouble/fettling etc
Waterproofs will help keep the rain out, but you will end up wetter inside due to the sweat. If it was me I would just keep work clothes at work and change there and cycling in cycling gear/running gear.
I read that OPs initial post, thought Cannondale Hooligan and then read the first response. It would be my first choice, unfortunately, because they look unusual, they're probably fairly stealable unless you lock them up properly. I'd probably buy a Cannondale Hooligan, I like the oddball looks and would liven up a short commute
I guess hub gears have benefits, but the weight will piss you off, belts too much trouble/fettling etc
Waterproofs will help keep the rain out, but you will end up wetter inside due to the sweat. If it was me I would just keep work clothes at work and change there and cycling in cycling gear/running gear.
This is exactly my "regular" commute. 10-15 mins each way.
I wear jeans and a polo shirt in the office most days, so just that, cycle clips for the jeans, and a decent reflective but breathable jacket (Mine is an Altura Night Vision Evo).
If it's raining, my jeans get wet, but they dry after an hour or so of being in the office. Not a massive problem.
As for the bike - it's a 20 year old mountain bike with armoured tyres, so I don't have to carry any puncture repair stuff. The locks are worth more than the bike as I still want it to be at the station when I get back. If I was buying a new one for the commute, I wouldn't be looking at anything that would interest a thief. I'd probably get a £200 hybrid or single speed, take all the stickers off, and make it look as boring as possible.
I wear jeans and a polo shirt in the office most days, so just that, cycle clips for the jeans, and a decent reflective but breathable jacket (Mine is an Altura Night Vision Evo).
If it's raining, my jeans get wet, but they dry after an hour or so of being in the office. Not a massive problem.
As for the bike - it's a 20 year old mountain bike with armoured tyres, so I don't have to carry any puncture repair stuff. The locks are worth more than the bike as I still want it to be at the station when I get back. If I was buying a new one for the commute, I wouldn't be looking at anything that would interest a thief. I'd probably get a £200 hybrid or single speed, take all the stickers off, and make it look as boring as possible.
Well, having taken everything into account, I spent £360 on a new bike I wouldn't be devastated to lose (if it came to that). I was looking around at the bikes in the area on ebay, preloved, gumtree, and decided that I could part with a small amount of money. 
Some XXl Altura night vision waterproofs, and a rechargable lightset also went in. I have multiple locks already, so it's just a back pack to go.
Thank you one and all for your good advice.
Some XXl Altura night vision waterproofs, and a rechargable lightset also went in. I have multiple locks already, so it's just a back pack to go.
Thank you one and all for your good advice.
Good choice, i like my charge and the grater is well suited for the job coming with mudguards and discs. I'm sure you'll enjoy it for more than just commuting.
Just leave a d-lock and cable locked at the station rather than lugging it round with you. Kryptonite stuff is good and not that expensive. It deters thieves who will look for easier targets. Most thieves aren't that interested in the value of the bike they just look for the easiest bike to steal.
Just leave a d-lock and cable locked at the station rather than lugging it round with you. Kryptonite stuff is good and not that expensive. It deters thieves who will look for easier targets. Most thieves aren't that interested in the value of the bike they just look for the easiest bike to steal.
In my experience locks cost about £40 a second.
My local pub landlord used a lock that he bought from a motorbike shop to secure a brick outbuilding.
A top make, (previously mentioned) that came with a Sold Secure insurance label, and cost £170. You guessed it. He lost the key.
It was a Sunday morning when he rang me, saying that I probably wouldn't be able to cut the lock off as it was made of some
special hard indestructible metal that was impossible to crop, cut or break.
Four seconds it lasted before the clonk as it hit the concrete.
If you can spend several hundred pounds and not be bothered if you lose it you are a lucky man.
My local pub landlord used a lock that he bought from a motorbike shop to secure a brick outbuilding.
A top make, (previously mentioned) that came with a Sold Secure insurance label, and cost £170. You guessed it. He lost the key.
It was a Sunday morning when he rang me, saying that I probably wouldn't be able to cut the lock off as it was made of some
special hard indestructible metal that was impossible to crop, cut or break.
Four seconds it lasted before the clonk as it hit the concrete.
If you can spend several hundred pounds and not be bothered if you lose it you are a lucky man.
finishing touch said:
In my experience locks cost about £40 a second.
That's a bit meaningless without defining which tool you are using.A decent Kryptonite will last ~5 billion years if being assaulted with a pair of pliers - but a cable lock would last ~1 second.
An angle grinder will go through anything - with a very lot of noise and fury, showers of sparks etc.
Typical bike thieves use bolt cutters that fit in a rucksack, the jaws on these don't open that far so something with an 18mm minimum diameter (such as a Fahgedaboutit/similar) will in general insure that the scum-bags don't try it.
I locked my (fairly expensive) bike up with a Krypto mini-evo and a New York chain, outside, for around a year - it was always there at the end of the day.
+
Ideal station bike for a short commute: http://www.sportsdirect.com/muddyfox-fixie-bike-93...
If it breaks, just buy another!
If it breaks, just buy another!
Again, your situation mirors mine;
I'm assuming you'll be leaving the bike locked up at the station
my advice - buy somehting cheap !
I had 2 bikes stolen form the station last year;
Insurance paid out, but that's not the point.
First one was locked up with a good chain lock & disc padlock
Second one was locked up with a SS Gold rated Abus D lock plus an 18mm wire lock
Both went, and in fairly public locations - and proper bike lock up areas with hardware.
I went out and bought a £75 new bike from Halfords & built it up my self
I then spent £8 in some schwalbe road tyres (Huge difference) and chucked away the handle bar and replaced it with one I had knocking around (nothing fundamentally wrong with the originals but I didnt like the sweep, and the replacement was free, and massively lighter!).
Also bought a hardened chain lock - which was as much as the bike !
Best accessory so far has been a set of mudgards from Wilko - about £4.00 - and they keep me dry if the roads are damp.
Bonus came last week as BTP were at the station marking up bikes for free and putting them on the bike register - and as a regular commuter they were giving away free decent D locks and steel cables - so my bike is now doubly secure.
As for clothing, a lot of it comes down to personal preference.
I'm using stuff that I've had for years, but it's mainly a windproof zip up fleece, a breathable waterproof top and breathable waterproof over trousers for when it actually rains.
Gloves make a huge difference - I'm using night vision hi vis gloves - dry and warm
I'm assuming you'll be leaving the bike locked up at the station
my advice - buy somehting cheap !
I had 2 bikes stolen form the station last year;
Insurance paid out, but that's not the point.
First one was locked up with a good chain lock & disc padlock
Second one was locked up with a SS Gold rated Abus D lock plus an 18mm wire lock
Both went, and in fairly public locations - and proper bike lock up areas with hardware.
I went out and bought a £75 new bike from Halfords & built it up my self
I then spent £8 in some schwalbe road tyres (Huge difference) and chucked away the handle bar and replaced it with one I had knocking around (nothing fundamentally wrong with the originals but I didnt like the sweep, and the replacement was free, and massively lighter!).
Also bought a hardened chain lock - which was as much as the bike !
Best accessory so far has been a set of mudgards from Wilko - about £4.00 - and they keep me dry if the roads are damp.
Bonus came last week as BTP were at the station marking up bikes for free and putting them on the bike register - and as a regular commuter they were giving away free decent D locks and steel cables - so my bike is now doubly secure.
As for clothing, a lot of it comes down to personal preference.
I'm using stuff that I've had for years, but it's mainly a windproof zip up fleece, a breathable waterproof top and breathable waterproof over trousers for when it actually rains.
Gloves make a huge difference - I'm using night vision hi vis gloves - dry and warm
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