Buying a Bike

London has gone cycling crazy!  From The Tour de France coming to the capital in July, to the hundreds of Boris bikes whizzing past you on the street. Forget about the property boom, London is experiencing a biking boom.  Thousands of people are commuting to work by bike every day or are partaking in amateur cycling sportives and triathlons at the weekend. Cycling is a great way to improve your fitness in your everyday life.  But buying your first bike can be a daunting experience. Hopefully this series of blogs will give you a bit of guidance for what you are looking for.

What Bike?

The type of riding you will be doing is important. So before spending your hard earned cash, have a think where you will be cycling and the general terrain.  This first blog will look at the different types of commuting and off road bikes. Expect to pay anything between £300-£1000 on a commuting bike. You can also look into second hand bikes on Gumtree.  However, be aware of stolen bikes and ask for proof of purchase. Many companies do cycle-to-work schemes, which save some money on tax and allows you to spread the cost of your bike over a number of months.

Commuting

Hybrid Bikes

These are designed to offer a halfway house between a road bike and a mountain bike. Some Hybrids come with front suspension, with gearing and geometry more like a mountain bike. However, the tyres are thinner and the frames are lighter, albeit less sturdy.  Hybrids are relatively cheap and robust and therefore tend to make ideal commuter bikes.

Single Speeds

Single speed bikes are all the rage with couriers and East End Londoners. But don’t let the trend setters daunt you!  A single speed is a single gear ratio bike without all the components of a multi-geared bike.  This makes it relatively low maintenance, lighter and cheaper.  If you have a flat commute, they are definitely worth considering.

Brompton and foldable Bikes

A folding bike is designed to fold into a compact form, making it easy to carry onto public transport. This is great way if you commute into London by train but would like to avoid being a sardine on the underground.

Other things to budget for when buying a commuter bike is a good lock (preferably at least silver rated), a helmet and lights. Puncture resistant tyres are also a good investment.

Off Road Bikes

Mountain Bikes

Designed for off road use, mountain bikes have specific gearing for cycling off the beaten track. They tend to be heavy and come with a variety of suspension systems. This makes them slow for use on a tarmacked road.

Cyclocross Bikes

These are essentially an off road ‘road’ bike. Cyclocross bikes have the geometry of a road bike, with the wheels of a hybrid. Their frames are light like a road bike and tend to be expensive as they are quite robust. The tyres tend to be thicker and often come with mudguards. A Cyclocross bike would suit somebody wishing to do a bit of road and off road cycling on trails. A good all round choice if you have the cash to spare.

Touring Bikes

Touring bikes often look like a road bike often with drop handlebars, but are more like a hybrid as they often have slightly wider section wheels, mudguards and rear carriers to make space for panniers. The heavier frames make these a bit more sluggish than road bike. Touring bikes are an ideal choice if you are planning any long distance adventures which require comfort as well as speed.

Hopefully this will have given you a bit of an idea of the different types of commuter bikes out there. In my next article, I will discuss what you are looking for when buying your first road bike.

Part 2: Buying your first road bike