Please can I have a new bike?

September 12, 2008 6:10 AM

Help me buy a commuter bike in London.

This weekend I want to buy a bike to commute to work on. My route is from Brixton in South London into Central London, so it's a faily flat three miles each way in heavy traffic. Any general tips would be appreciated, but specifically I'm looking for shopping guidance, and advice on how much I need to spend.

There are already AskMe questions about buying a commuter bike, but they seem to be focused on people who are willing to pay more than me. I'm looking to spend between £100-£400 ($200-$800), and I'm curious to know what the advantages of spending more are.

I have a shower and a locker at work, so I can afford to get fairly sweaty on the way, but I'm not a terribly confident cyclist (at least not in London traffic).

So how much should I spend, what sort of bike should I get and what are the important things to look out for?

posted by greytape to travel & transportation (16 comments total)

This article on cycling has gotten a lot of play lately and it relates directly to your question. Any decent bike will be fine for a daily flat six miles.
posted by letitrain at 6:55 AM on September 12

You'll also need fenders, a lock and lights. These can be added after you buy the bike but you might want to factor them into your budget.
Light: £20 from some uk bike shop
Fenders: £25 from some uk bike shop.
Lock: £20 same shop

Go to a local bike shop and ask about commuter bicycles, give them you price range and get them to show you the bikes. If you tell them you'd like to get a £100-£400 bike they'll try to sell you a £900 to £1000 bike, so maybe start low unless you don't mind being upsold. Don't go to a store that isn't a bike shop to buy a bicycle.

For slightly more money you get slightly better parts, but just about any bike can get you 6 miles. If you get a new bike it should work fine for a couple years. If you spend more you might have fewer repairs but that's not assured.

I'm in the US and here you can get a bike that does what you want for around £350 to £400.(but they make you use dollars)
posted by bdc34 at 7:03 AM on September 12

You should be looking on gumtree's bicycle section, which is much cheaper than buying new in bike shops. Looking there, it seems like you can get a bike in your price range. Stay away from the 'fixed up' fixed-gears/singlespeeds since they'll be overpriced. You could basically use any bike for the distances you're going. The main thing you need to look out for is the fit of the frame; don't buy anything that feels like you're having to bend over too far, that makes you stand on your tip-toes, or that makes your knees come up real high as you pedal.

What you get when you pay more for a bike in a shop are:
(1) a 'better' frame, which usually means lighter. This should be a negligible concern for you since you're not racing and your ride is short.

(2) higher quality components (e.g. an upgrade from shimano 105 to shimano ultegra components) which should mean longer-lasting, more-precise components which require less maintenance. If this is your first bike, don't worry too much about this.

(3) a bike which actually fits you. If you're anything other than a male of average height/weight then you're going to have a difficult time finding a bike which fits you properly (this is especially so for shorter woman). The smaller sized bikes don't cost more than their new counterparts, but you'll pay more since you'll be buying new rather than 2nd hand.

(4) service and support from the shop. Buying an super cheap bike doesn't usually get you much in the way of help.

Lycka till!
posted by beerbajay at 7:14 AM on September 12

I've been using a Giant CRS 3.0 (list price around £250 at the moment) to commute about 15 miles / day total all summer, and it's been great. This is not far off as cheap as you can get for a new bike (you might be able to get around £180 - £200 for bottom of the range in Halfords or somewhere).

What do you get for more money? Not much for the ride you're planning. You have somewhere secure to lock up your bike while at work, right? If not 100% secure, then really I'd be inclined to get something close to a total beater if I were you - less attractive to thieves. Might even consider second hand. Whatever you do, don't skimp on the lock - get a decent U-lock and try to fit it around both the frame and front wheel (as well as whatever you're locking it to, obviously).

See if you can take a test ride from a bike shop to work out what handlebar / seat configuration you prefer. Probably a hybrid will work best for the sort of commute you're planning. Make sure they help you get the handlebar and seat configuration set up for you if you buy in a shop.
posted by bifter at 7:18 AM on September 12

If you're not looking to get seriously into distance riding, most any type of bike will do, as long as you enjoy riding it and the brakes work well. The real test is: do you like riding it enough to want to get back on it every morning?

I'd recommend looking for something with fenders and a chain guard to keep water off your back and your pants off the chain (pants clips are a good idea anyway). Having a rack, or the holes to install one, is also a good idea, as it lets you run all sorts of errands and carry surprisingly large items. The only thing I'd really worry about avoiding are the tanks built more for mountain biking than street riding; if you can't easily pick the bike up, why would you want to have to pedal all that weight along?
posted by Dr.Enormous at 7:19 AM on September 12

Great advice so far. One personal detail that's possibly relevant is that I'm apallingly tall, nearly 6'7". I guess I'd need to go to a specialist bike shop to get a larger bike fitted. Will such a beast cost me any more?
posted by greytape at 7:27 AM on September 12

If you're not that concerned that the bike you are buying might (or, more likely, will) have been stolen, Sunday mornings at Brick Lane market are very useful for this. All kinds of (good!) bikes with prices between 50 and 100 pounds.

There are many (legit) stalls there as well, selling locks, lights, fenders etc. much cheaper than you could find them anywhere else.
posted by insouciant at 7:37 AM on September 12

Go to a proper bike shop -- one staffed by mechanics and other knowledgeable bike people. Don't go to Halfords.

Evans Cycles (to whom I have no affiliation) are a good chain. They'll help you choose a bike that fits you and your requirements.
posted by popcassady at 7:53 AM on September 12

As someone who has had a bike nicked in London (lock cut with power tools), I would advise against going for the stolen bike option in Brick Lane. You get more choice by robbing someone on the street and buying the bike you wish with their money.

I might have mentioned this on another thread, but Edinburgh Cycles do very good value bikes, and still being a fairly small outfit who know their stuff, will be able to give you sizing advice over the phone.
posted by Kiwi at 8:00 AM on September 12

Gumtree and Brick Lane: yes, great places to start but be very careful. If your ethics allow you to buy stolen gear you'll be fine, otherwise pay a lot of attention to the write-ups or descriptions. So many of them are blatantly hot kit that it's not funny. Even for 6 miles a day, you need a bike that fits. Unless you can try it out and choose a frame that fits, you'll hate it and then it's money wasted, no matter how big the bargain.

Every manufacturer sizing is slightly different, you really should try to ride it first.

Start small and cheap, you'll get going soon enough and perhaps want more. In the winter you'll want mudguards (what some on here are calling fenders). Yes, mudguards are dorky but things like race-blades aren't too bad and, when it's dry, you can take them off.

You must get glasses; high contrast low light clear/yellow/orange lenses will be better for the winter journeys. I would get glasses before a helmet.

And go to a local or independent bike shop. Don't go to Halfords (or their Bike Hut) stores, I'd think twice about Evans even. Condor on Grays Inn Road would be a good place, depending on where in Central London you are.
posted by unsliced at 8:02 AM on September 12

Your local branch of the London Cycling Campaign might have a list of local bike shops on their web page. Hackney and Camden both do.

Probably too late for this weekend, but see if your employer is part of a Cycle to work scheme, which means you cold buy a bike tax free.

For what it's worth, I've just bought a bike off Gumtree, but it took a few days of concentrated looking to find a bike I could get home easily, was the type I wanted, was the price I wanted, and wasn't obviously stolen (big clue, there's lots of bikes that all seem to have been photographed in the same communal hallway...). Also I have a bit of knowledge (self taught) of how to look after a bike, so I wasn't scared of doing any tweaking, and I have several bike fanatic friends who told me what to look out for, and would be willing to help if there were major (but still fixable) problems. If you're completely new to it all, go to a bike shop. Don't do what my old housemate did, which was go to Cash Converters (another alternative) again and again buying bikes until she got one that fitted her.
posted by Helga-woo at 8:39 AM on September 12

The LCC has a list of Second Hand Bikeshops. At your height you should be looking for a 25" frame (63cm) which aren't so common (particularly outside of road bikes) and the largest size generally in production.

Your money is probably going to be well spent going to a reputable local bike shop to get fitted properly. I'm guessing in your case it's probably Brixton Cycles.
posted by tallus at 9:58 AM on September 12

I wouldn't go back to Brixton Cycles if you paid me tallus. The rudest and most offhand shop staff in London.
I would reccomend either of the below.

Luciano
97-99 Battersea Rise
Clapham Junction
SW11 1HW

South Bank Cycles
194 Wandsworth Road
SW8 2JU
posted by Dr.Pill at 12:03 PM on September 12

I'm 6'6" greytape - got the large frame bike (costs no extra), and it fits me fine. Do ask in a bike shop though for advice.
posted by bifter at 1:21 PM on September 12

these comments not london-specific.

Expanding on tallus's suggestions - go to the reputable local bike shop, get fitted, write down the results of that fit (frame size, standover, rough idea of reach), then troll your second hand bikeshops knowing what you're looking for. An improperly fit bike can fuck your knees, back, and neck up, even just riding it 6 miles a day. Also, even though you are hell of tall, if you have short legs you may need a smaller frame than one would expect. Go get fit, man!

Also, I generally recommend against commuter/hybrid style bikes, but that's just me.
posted by beefetish at 2:47 PM on September 12

I'd recommened Brixton Cycles. Not been in there myself but on various message boards I've heard nothing but good comments about them.
posted by stackhaus23 at 10:19 AM on September 13