Find me a bike in London (with my particular annoying needs), please!
August 29, 2013 4:05 PM Subscribe
We just moved back to London, joy! But our very heavy Dutch style bike does not lend itself to our new flat. What is your advice for finding a light compact bike relatively cheaply, ethically sourced?
Commuting via bike is by far the best idea of me. As we live on the fourth floor and have no storage space, a big bike will just not fit, even if we could attach it to the wall, it will need to be carried up 6 flights of stairs. Leaving out the front is not an option (high theft area and all).
In my ideal world I'd get a nifty Brompton folding bike that I could leave it locked on my landing. It would be light enough and compact enough to carry up the stairs. But the price for me is prohibitive.
Does anyone have any suggestions for a very light and compact folding bike? And a place where I could buy such a bike cheaply (well, I'm prepared to spend a little but I'm price conscious)?
I could use the Cycle-to-Work scheme but I'm self employed at the moment (if I find some salaried work, I'd be right on it). I could get the tax back as it's a commuter bike but I don't have the money up front now. I hear that there's a bike emporium in Elephant and Castle, but it has a reputation for selling stolen bikes. I don't really want to support that. Also the police do sell on unclaimed bikes, but I haven't seen any folders on their website.
The Boris Bikes don't come this far north, so that's no good either.
In Glasgow there was a charity where a recycling bikes as therapy workshop sold their wares was it the Common Wheel?). I bought a great bike there. Are there any places like that in London?
Commuting via bike is by far the best idea of me. As we live on the fourth floor and have no storage space, a big bike will just not fit, even if we could attach it to the wall, it will need to be carried up 6 flights of stairs. Leaving out the front is not an option (high theft area and all).
In my ideal world I'd get a nifty Brompton folding bike that I could leave it locked on my landing. It would be light enough and compact enough to carry up the stairs. But the price for me is prohibitive.
Does anyone have any suggestions for a very light and compact folding bike? And a place where I could buy such a bike cheaply (well, I'm prepared to spend a little but I'm price conscious)?
I could use the Cycle-to-Work scheme but I'm self employed at the moment (if I find some salaried work, I'd be right on it). I could get the tax back as it's a commuter bike but I don't have the money up front now. I hear that there's a bike emporium in Elephant and Castle, but it has a reputation for selling stolen bikes. I don't really want to support that. Also the police do sell on unclaimed bikes, but I haven't seen any folders on their website.
The Boris Bikes don't come this far north, so that's no good either.
In Glasgow there was a charity where a recycling bikes as therapy workshop sold their wares was it the Common Wheel?). I bought a great bike there. Are there any places like that in London?
Oh, and to be extra super paranoid, you could take the seat and front wheel with you up the stairs, leaving only an unrideable frame behind.
posted by zug at 4:27 PM on August 29, 2013
posted by zug at 4:27 PM on August 29, 2013
Best answer: Squeaky Chains is just a "is a social enterprise and not for profit bicycle recycling project" a little north of Elephant and Castle.
Not sure of the original provenance of the bikes they recycle nor how they light they will be but seems like a genuinely nice organisation trying to do something helpful for the residents of the local homeless hostel project.
posted by Albondiga at 4:40 PM on August 29, 2013 [1 favorite]
Not sure of the original provenance of the bikes they recycle nor how they light they will be but seems like a genuinely nice organisation trying to do something helpful for the residents of the local homeless hostel project.
posted by Albondiga at 4:40 PM on August 29, 2013 [1 favorite]
You may well find that an aluminium framed bicycle is easy enough to carry up the stairs. I would go to a local bike shop and find out by having a test carry with a few models. You can find such bikes for sale second hand for between 50 and 100 online.
posted by BenPens at 5:06 PM on August 29, 2013
posted by BenPens at 5:06 PM on August 29, 2013
The Sinclair A-Bike is fantastic, very light, but a bit pricey. The model with 6 inch wheels may be available used.
posted by Sophont at 10:09 PM on August 29, 2013
posted by Sophont at 10:09 PM on August 29, 2013
Perhaps American vandals are less malicious than in the UK but here it is common to find bikes stamped on so that wheels are bent or other components damaged. If you care about the bike at all leaving it out on the street is risky.
Light folding bikes are expensive, you'll likely never find one cheap unless it is stolen. gumtree.com has some folders for less than £100, probably junk or stolen but you never know.
Edinburgh has a charity which recyles and refurbishes donated bikes but you'll never find desirable or folding bike at such places. For most people in your situation the trick is to have a source of cheap disposable bikes and regard theft or loss as an operating expense. Perhaps get a decent saddle which you always take with you?
posted by epo at 1:51 AM on August 30, 2013
Light folding bikes are expensive, you'll likely never find one cheap unless it is stolen. gumtree.com has some folders for less than £100, probably junk or stolen but you never know.
Edinburgh has a charity which recyles and refurbishes donated bikes but you'll never find desirable or folding bike at such places. For most people in your situation the trick is to have a source of cheap disposable bikes and regard theft or loss as an operating expense. Perhaps get a decent saddle which you always take with you?
posted by epo at 1:51 AM on August 30, 2013
I don't know what the current state of Dahon is as company since it split into Dahon and Tern (with some degree of controversy as it was acrimonious family split), but as of a few years ago the Dahon Curve was an awesome folding bike for less than half of what you'd pay for a Brompton for the basic model, or around two thirds the price for the SL super lightweight version. Comparing the Brompton to the Curve, the folded state on the Brompton is slightly smaller because it folds the handlebars on the outside rather than between the wheels, but the Curve actually folds and unfolds faster because there are no screws to tighten. Stick the Dahon (folded) in a Dahon bike carry bag, sling it over your shoulder and it's not too hard to carry up stairs.
posted by iivix at 3:14 AM on August 30, 2013
posted by iivix at 3:14 AM on August 30, 2013
Oh, and to be extra super paranoid, you could take the seat and front wheel with you up the stairs, leaving only an unrideable frame behind.
My Pashley Princess Sovereign was stolen a few months ago from the stairwell in our flat. It - we think - turned up on eBay the same week, sold by a seller just down the road with a vague title (ie. without the model name) and with a couple of the more distinctive parts removed. - as it was a fairly unusual bike it was too much of a co-incidence. The same seller sold a LOT of bike parts - forks, frames, wheels - which he claimed were 'house clearance' or 'from a recycling centre' or 'from a friend who asked me to sell it on'. So I don't think if you have a determined thief on your hands, this will necessarily deter them. Maybe if you uglify the bike as well.
(The police checked the guy out and were positive he was a thief or a reseller for thieves, but sadly the evidence wasn't sufficient to do much about it. Sigh.)
posted by mippy at 8:49 AM on August 30, 2013
My Pashley Princess Sovereign was stolen a few months ago from the stairwell in our flat. It - we think - turned up on eBay the same week, sold by a seller just down the road with a vague title (ie. without the model name) and with a couple of the more distinctive parts removed. - as it was a fairly unusual bike it was too much of a co-incidence. The same seller sold a LOT of bike parts - forks, frames, wheels - which he claimed were 'house clearance' or 'from a recycling centre' or 'from a friend who asked me to sell it on'. So I don't think if you have a determined thief on your hands, this will necessarily deter them. Maybe if you uglify the bike as well.
(The police checked the guy out and were positive he was a thief or a reseller for thieves, but sadly the evidence wasn't sufficient to do much about it. Sigh.)
posted by mippy at 8:49 AM on August 30, 2013
You might've found something by now, but Mango bikes are super cheap, light and pretty much everything else specified... Except folding.
Imo, your best bet's really to uglify your bike, as others have mentioned. Mango's rides are pretty plain -- unless you go for one of the OTT paint jobs -- so I wouldn't be too bothered by going at it a little. Hell, it'd probably give it some pretty cool character really, too.
posted by Howisstifflucky at 11:31 AM on August 30, 2013
Imo, your best bet's really to uglify your bike, as others have mentioned. Mango's rides are pretty plain -- unless you go for one of the OTT paint jobs -- so I wouldn't be too bothered by going at it a little. Hell, it'd probably give it some pretty cool character really, too.
posted by Howisstifflucky at 11:31 AM on August 30, 2013
Response by poster: Thanks for advice and answers! Just to not far people it turns out the lot at Elephant and Castle are legit. I've been locking bike outside and not using it much... Surprise surprise he will lives in one piece!
posted by jujulalia at 2:16 AM on March 4, 2014
posted by jujulalia at 2:16 AM on March 4, 2014
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My suggestion would be an older road bike that rides nicely but isn't especially expensive. I would then set out to uglify the bike by covering in duct tape and spray painting the duct tape some godawful color, removing all brand signifiers, fake rusting it, etc etc.
Then you up the security with locking skewers for the wheels and seat post (uglify these as well), and get a very high quality lock (the Kryptonite New York Legend is nearly impossible to get through, even with power tools, or any of the other "ultimate security" Kryptonite locks).
For not too much money, you'll have a bike that's too ugly and too secure to bother with, high crime area or not.
posted by zug at 4:20 PM on August 29, 2013