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  #1  
Old March 10th 04, 12:01 PM
Devlin
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Default Street Bike

Hi,

I'm considering buying a new bicycle for my London commute (about 7
miles each way). I know that I want a hybrid style bike, but I have
no idea which brand I should be looking for. Anybody have any idea?

Any pointers would be greatly appreciated.

cheers,
Devlin.
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  #2  
Old March 10th 04, 12:09 PM
MSeries
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Default Street Bike

Devlin wrote:

Hi,

I'm considering buying a new bicycle for my London commute (about 7
miles each way). I know that I want a hybrid style bike, but I have
no idea which brand I should be looking for. Anybody have any idea?

Any pointers would be greatly appreciated.

cheers,
Devlin.

I've seen some nice looking Trek ones around the Uni here. Other than
that I hav eno idea.

--
Reply To is checked rarely
http://www.mseries.freeserve.co.uk
  #3  
Old March 10th 04, 12:25 PM
dirtylitterboxofferingstospammers
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Default Street Bike

Hi,

I'm considering buying a new bicycle for my London commute (about 7
miles each way). I know that I want a hybrid style bike, but I have
no idea which brand I should be looking for. Anybody have any idea?

Any pointers would be greatly appreciated.

cheers,
Devlin.


If your bike is going to be left outside, I suggest that you get something that
is, or can be disguised to be, old, battered and a highly undesirable object.
If you don't, it's likely that whatever you own will not stay in your ownership
for long. Plus - it needs to be locked securely with something substantial
(check your insurance to see what is acceptable) and any removable parts
removed by you, or you may well find you are cycling home without a saddle...

If your bike can be taken inside and kept secure - then your options are wide.
Personally I wouldn't buy a bike from Halfords, based on personal experience,
but would buy stuff like basic lights, a helmet (if you want one) from there,
but that's about it. If you require a bike that can be made to be small &
taking up up of little space to keep it inside, consider a folding bike such as
a Brompton.

Of course, it all depends upon your budget.

Cheers, helen s



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  #4  
Old March 10th 04, 12:32 PM
Peter Clinch
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Default Street Bike

Devlin wrote:

I'm considering buying a new bicycle for my London commute (about 7
miles each way). I know that I want a hybrid style bike, but I have
no idea which brand I should be looking for. Anybody have any idea?


What you get will depend how much you're spending. I'd make sure you=20
don't get stuff you don't need but have to pay for anyway, especially if =

it's there to look sporty (i.e., front suspension, unless you're=20
frequenting cobbled streets in your 7 miles). Consider possible extra=20
budget for luggage rack (carrying bags on the bike is *sooooo* much more =

comfortable than even an empty rucksack I'm amazed how many people use=20
rucksacks in the UK) and mudguards. On a wet road without them you and=20
your transmission will be sprayed with cack, with them, especially if=20
you have mudflaps too, you'll be cleaner and drier and your chain will=20
last longer.

Another thing to consider is hub gears rather than a derailleur. Not as =

flexible, but a 7 speed hub gives you quite enough gears for a London=20
commute, requires more or less zip maintenance and again will reduce=20
transmission wear. Since they're about as trendy as permed hair, hubs=20
will also reduce the theivability factor, as will a chain guard which=20
again has positive maintenance benefits.

Orbit do a rather nice hub gear hybrid with hub dynamo lights and rack=20
and mudgaurds as standard, but it's about =A3700, typically more than a=20
lot of people think a bike ought to cost though it looks good value to=20
me. Cheaper, but still well equipped, the Dawes Diplomat 7 (I think...) =

is about =A3400, the Diplomat 3 a bit less. The Discovery 201 from Dawes=
=20
and the Ridgebacks at about =A3200 are okay looking. I personally=20
wouldn't spend less than =A3200 on a new bike, they tend to be made of=20
cheese, and at =A3200 I would only buy something that had no pretensions =

to being other than very basic.

Pete.
--=20
Peter Clinch University of Dundee
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

  #5  
Old March 10th 04, 12:48 PM
Simon Mason
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Default Street Bike


"Devlin" wrote in message
m...
Hi,

I'm considering buying a new bicycle for my London commute (about 7
miles each way). I know that I want a hybrid style bike, but I have
no idea which brand I should be looking for. Anybody have any idea?

Any pointers would be greatly appreciated.


Does it have to be new? You could look through the local newspaper for
second hand bikes for less than 100 quid. You could get a decent 2nd hand
no-suspension MTB, put smooth tyres on it and commute on that. It will stand
out from the crowd less than a new bike if your storage faclities are less
than secure. To get an idea what's on offer re new hybrids, have a look at
some of the online shops such as this:
http://www.evanscycles.com/

--
Simon Mason
Anlaby
East Yorkshire.
53°44'N 0°26'W
http://www.simonmason.karoo.net



  #6  
Old March 10th 04, 01:16 PM
Just zis Guy, you know?
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Default Street Bike

"Devlin" wrote in message
m...

I'm considering buying a new bicycle for my London commute (about 7
miles each way). I know that I want a hybrid style bike, but I have
no idea which brand I should be looking for. Anybody have any idea?


Will it be left outside? If so a rigid MTB frame with a Hammerite paint job
and cantilever brakes is the way to go ;-)

--
Guy
===
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at Washington University


  #7  
Old March 10th 04, 07:41 PM
Zog The Undeniable
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Default Street Bike

Just zis Guy, you know? wrote:

Will it be left outside? If so a rigid MTB frame with a Hammerite paint job
and cantilever brakes is the way to go ;-)

And some really big pink vinyl stickers proclaiming "GayBike 2000".
That should work everywhere except in Brighton ;-)
  #8  
Old March 10th 04, 08:27 PM
Pip
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Default Street Bike

Peter Clinch wrote:

What you get will depend how much you're spending. I'd make sure you
don't get stuff you don't need but have to pay for anyway, especially if
it's there to look sporty (i.e., front suspension, unless you're
frequenting cobbled streets in your 7 miles). Consider possible extra
budget for luggage rack (carrying bags on the bike is *sooooo* much more
comfortable than even an empty rucksack I'm amazed how many people use
rucksacks in the UK) and mudguards.


Why the amazement? I use a rucksack pretty much all the time, cycling or
not. Please enlighten me where I'm going wrong and how I would benefit from
changing. I'm interested in these small details.


Pip
  #9  
Old March 10th 04, 08:41 PM
dirtylitterboxofferingstospammers
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Posts: n/a
Default Street Bike

Why the amazement? I use a rucksack pretty much all the time, cycling or
not. Please enlighten me where I'm going wrong and how I would benefit from
changing. I'm interested in these small details.


Pip


I find that when cycling, if I use a backpack to carry stuff in, my back gets
hot & sweaty quite qucikly, plus it can be uncomfortable. If I carry stuff on a
rear rack mounted on my bike it really is *much* better. It's more comfortable
cycling for a start, plus it's easier.

On my everyday bike, I have a lockable rack pack which I use to store my
"spares" in, plus it keeps my helmet secure when I'm off the bike. Then, when I
return to the bike, it's used to store the shopping securely for the journey
home. If necessary I can bungee stuff to the outside of it.

For longer journeys - days out and the like, panniers come into their own.

My son cycles to school and his stuff is in a backpack - he bungees this to the
rack on his bike rather than wear it whilst cycling - it's much more
comfortable - honest :-) Then when he's at school, he just carries it on his
back from lesson to lesson as per normal. Having a pack on your back when
walking is fine - have done it often and it's no problem - but when cycling,
having stuff on the rear rack is *much* better than carrying it on your back.

Cheers, helen s




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to get correct one remove dependency on fame & fortune
h*$el*$$e**nd***$o$ts***i*$*$m**m$$o*n**s@$*$a$$o* *l.c**$*$om$$


 




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