Internal gear, belt driven etc - low maintenance budget bike

[sbarclay62]

Does such as a thing exist?

I've got a hardtail but not a fan of the geometry for flatter or "touring" cycling. Also don't see the need to cycle on a bike daily with heavy forks and dropper seat post, plus being bright orange it will likely attract more attention to thieves than something a bit more plain, and unfortunately there is no shortage of the wee aholes in masks out stealing bikes.

Ideally looking for something that's lower weight (ie don't need front suspension, dropper seat post or disk brakes) but more importantly low maintenance. Main use would be within the city so a few miles here and there but would also be good to have something capable of 25~ mile cycles on country roads etc.

Any suggestions? Is the Shimano Nexus 3 Speed gearing system any good?

[johnpsanderson]

‘Budget’, no. There are belt drive bikes out there but they aren’t cheap.

[gangzoom]

£750 from Halfords. Am sure badge snobs will dismiss them, but personally having owned 3 Boardman/Carrera bikes I think they are fab.

https://www.halfords.com/bikes/hybrid-bikes/boardm...

[Richtea1970]

gangzoom said:

£750 from Halfords. Am sure badge snobs will dismiss them, but personally having owned 3 Boardman/Carrera bikes I think they are fab.

https://www.halfords.com/bikes/hybrid-bikes/boardm...

I don't think you can go far wrong with that Boardman. And if you join the British Cycling club you'll get 10% off the price too.

[dontlookdown]

So now £750 Is a budget bike;) Coronaflation.

Joking aside, that's a good price for belt drive and 8 sp hub.

You might find some cjeaper shopper type bikes with 3sp hubs, but they will have chains as will all budget bikes. Belt drive needs a special frame with a cut out for changing the belt - so pricey.

It's a shame because for most daily riders belts seem like a much better answer than chains. I looked at getting one a couple of years ago but the choice of frames was limited, and they were expensive. May be better choice now, if not lower prices.

Having said that, the chain on a hub geared bike will survive for years with v little attention, because unlike a derailleur chain, the chainline is fixed - it doesn't have to move from side to side, or up and down the sprockets on the cassette.

[Evanivitch]

dontlookdown said:

So now £750 Is a budget bike;) Coronaflation..
.

It has been for years...

[gangzoom]

dontlookdown said:

So now £750 Is a budget bike;) Coronaflation.

I've been eyeing this up as my next bike purchase, at £5K its 'only' midrange in the world of road bikes - electric or not.

The top spec machines are now all five figures, £750 is pocket change in comparison.

How much are proper motorbikes these days? I suspect pedal bikes are probably priced equivalently, lots of ££££ profits in these things.

[gangzoom]

I thought I answer my own question.....£8K gets you a brand new motorbike from a top brand, thats the list price with no haggling.



A human powered Trek Emonda SLR that looks nearly identical to 2011 Madone is only £1K less......These bike companies must be laughing their way to the bank!! Why on earth are anyone of us considering buying these pedal bikes at these kind of prices!!

[dontlookdown]

Agreed, crazy prices but top end stuff of any kind is always hugely overpriced in terms of bang per buck. Law of diminishing returns.

It would interesting to know what the average British spend on a new bike is. Under £500, or over?

[sbarclay62]

gangzoom said:

I thought I answer my own question.....£8K gets you a brand new motorbike from a top brand, thats the list price with no haggling.



A human powered Trek Emonda SLR that looks nearly identical to 2011 Madone is only £1K less......These bike companies must be laughing their way to the bank!! Why on earth are anyone of us considering buying these pedal bikes at these kind of prices!!

Isn't it the same with all hobbies. Snobbery, oneupmanship, elitism etc comes into play?

Unless you're a professional (or a very very good semi professional) and you're competing and actually getting paid for it - there is no need for anyone to have these ridiculously overpriced things. People 3 stone overweight buying a new carbon fibre stem to save 12 grams, the sunday golfer hitting 110 every weekend with a £500 driver etc. Power of branding and marketing I guess!

[sbarclay62]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. Boardman posted above does look very good if any slightly over my price range of £500~


This is coming under budget. Has a chain but internal gearing at least. Any good > https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/vitus-dee-vr-c... ??

[Zigster]

sbarclay62 said:

Isn't it the same with all hobbies. Snobbery, oneupmanship, elitism etc comes into play?

Unless you're a professional (or a very very good semi professional) and you're competing and actually getting paid for it - there is no need for anyone to have these ridiculously overpriced things. People 3 stone overweight buying a new carbon fibre stem to save 12 grams, the sunday golfer hitting 110 every weekend with a £500 driver etc. Power of branding and marketing I guess!

Same with cars, though. Who really needs a 911 Turbo S for the best part of £200k when a base 911 Carrera for £90k will be just as good in the real world. Or for that matter, when a base BMW 3-Series for £35k will probably be nicer to live with day to day?

[Richtea1970]

sbarclay62 said:

Thanks for the suggestions guys. Boardman posted above does look very good if any slightly over my price range of £500~


This is coming under budget. Has a chain but internal gearing at least. Any good > https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/vitus-dee-vr-c... ??

Only a 3 speed hub, I think the Boardman above also comes in a 3 speed/chain config and is a similar price.
Depends where you want to ride it (fairly flat?). I'd always go for a 7/8 speed over a 3 for flexibility.

[louiebaby]

I have a Pinnacle Arkose Alfine 8 from a couple of years ago, but I don't think Evans are doing them at the moment:

https://singletrackworld.com/gritcx/2018/01/28/fir...

I run mine on 42mm Gatorskins, and have a rack and guards on. It's a great commuting bike, and I use it for winter duties too. I think I've done about 7,000 miles on it in about 3 years.

It has the Alfine hub, which I think is a step up from Nexus, and carbon forks, but chain drive. It was £1,000 at the time.

That Boardman looks like great value, you might take a look at Cube too, which is more money, but has al the accessories:

https://www.cube.eu/uk/2021/bikes/city-tour/offroa...

[Hugo Stiglitz]

Canyon do a good looking one

[DaveyBoyWonder]

I've had a bike with Alfine 8spd internal hub and a fried has a belt drive on his town bike. In my opinion, both are totally unnecessary vs the low friction, low cost, high durability and low cost of spares that a 1x drivetrain can offer.

[take-good-care-of-the-forest-dewey]

gangzoom said:

I thought I answer my own question.....£8K gets you a brand new motorbike from a top brand, thats the list price with no haggling.



A human powered Trek Emonda SLR that looks nearly identical to 2011 Madone is only £1K less......These bike companies must be laughing their way to the bank!! Why on earth are anyone of us considering buying these pedal bikes at these kind of prices!!

But how much is a competitive WSB? That trek is not far off what would be raced in the tour - cycle equivalent of WSB - or MGP.

The bike you reference is akin to the 750-1000 flat bar tourers.

[Fastpedeller]

dontlookdown said:

Having said that, the chain on a hub geared bike will survive for years with v little attention, because unlike a derailleur chain, the chainline is fixed - it doesn't have to move from side to side, or up and down the sprockets on the cassette.

Especially if there is a chaincase covering it...... well-lubricated it would just about last most of us for ever!
Belt -drive may be unnecessary complication and expense compared with a chain and chaincase.

[louiebaby]

Saw this the other night whilst browsing. If it's the right size for the OP it might be a bit of a bargain...

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/57355190...

[Pulse]

I see the Boardman URB 8.8 has already been mentioned, but for an extra £100 (yes, I know, upping the budget), you can get the much better Alfine system (or Nexus 8, as the Boardman website says - it's basically the same system anyway).

https://www.halfords.com/bikes/hybrid-bikes/boardm...

Either way, you can't go far wrong with the URB 8.8 or the URB 8.9. They actually represent tremendous value still.

It's worth noting that the system used on the URB is the cheapest of Gates' offerings. CyclingAbout is a huge advocate of Gates, and has a shed load of detail on his website, here:

https://www.cyclingabout.com/carbon-belt-drive-eve...

Here's a snippet:

CDN: Urban
The budget belt drivetrain from Gates is CDN Urban. The idea is to bring belt drive to city bikes in the €500 complete price range. These products are designed for the ‘casual rider’ and are not approved for use on mountain bikes, mid-drive eBikes, fixed gear bikes, or high mileage trekking/touring bikes.