First Commuting Bike

[Khazba]

Hi everyone!

This is my first post!

I've been reading some forums and looking for a genral consensus. At this point in time I am looking at Hybrid bikes, I know.

My bike will be used mainly for commuting to my local place of work, 4 miles on a country road. I would say this will be about 70-80% of its use. The other 20%(ish) will be cycling on park trails, some of which can be quite bumpy and uneven.

To me this warrants a hybride bike with some front suspension to prevent me shaking my new bike to bits. Although I could be completely wrong being a novice!

While I used to cycle quite a bit, I have fallen away from it a long time ago and unfortunately my knowledge of components etc is outdated and/or forgotten. I now have a short period of time where I am able to purchase a new bike through my business and regretably have not left enough time to bring my knowledge up to speed.

If any of you kind people would mind taking a look over my "shortlist" any maybe offering your opinion, it would be much appreciated!

The Links -
Rigid front end -
http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/hybrid-bikes-and-classic-bikes/voodoo-marasa-hybrid-bike
http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/hybrid-bikes-and-classic-bikes/13-implicit-alpha-hybrid-bike-2015

Suspension -
http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/hybrid-bikes-and-classic-bikes/13-intuitive-beta-hybrid-bike-2015
http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/hybrid-bikes-and-classic-bikes/boardman-mx-sport-bike

My retailer is restricted to Halfords if I wish to purchase this through my business and at this point in time, until I have broken myself into the sport again. I would prefer not to spend over £500 incase anyone else has any suggestions.


I appreciate the time you have taken to read this and eagerly await any advice or suggestions!


Kind regards,


Chris

 

[Corzhens]

At the mention of commuting with bikes, the first thing that comes to my mind are the delivery guys. No offense to bikers here, I'm just stating facts that the usual people who bike their way to work are the messengers, delivery people, construction workers and other laborers who pedal in order to save money for fares. In fairness to commuters, I have a colleague who bikes his way to work although he takes a shower in the office when he arrives. And his only purpose in commuting by bike is just to be different.

 

[llamacycle]

Hi Chris,
I haven't heard of the Halfords brand, so I can't really help you with specifics. Sorry about that! But I did buy a new bike in the past few years for commuting, so I figured I'd share my experience in case it's helpful!

I went to the local bike shop and picked up the cheapest mountain bike I could buy. I'd never done any mountain biking before, but that's the kind I had growing up, so I figured I'd just go with something familiar! While it was helpful to have the mountain bike in the snow, the rest of the time it held me back. I discovered that I really liked biking, and ended up on a bike tour the summer after the purchase (maybe a year later?). All I heard the whole week was "You're working way harder than me on that bike!"

I ended up looking for a used bike on Craigslist, and bought my current road bike. This was in August of 2013, but I really started riding in April of last year. I've put over 6000 miles on the bike since I got it! I've commuted on the road bike, and have done multi-day tours on it as well. Heck, I've even taken it on mountain bike trails! I might be a little daring, though.

I guess I'm trying to say that you don't have to limit yourself to just hybrids. As long as the bike has rack mounts, you're probably fine! Suspension is really nice in rough terrain, but if 80% of your terrain isn't rough, then that weight might not be necessary. I find having a light bike is really useful. I tend to pop it on my shoulder and carry it around when I need to (random stairs, fallen logs, etc.). My riding partner has front end suspension and can't do that.

Biking is awesome. I like to say that the best bike for you is the one you will actually ride, and ride A LOT. I know whatever you pick, it'll be great! Good luck!

 

[Khazba]

Hey, Thanks for the replies.

I work for a large retail chain and deal with hundreds of business accounts and contracts worldwide. I plan to commute via bike purely for leisure and as a health benefit. I feel that since I live quite close to my place of work I might as well take advantage of this.

I don't necessarily want to limit myself to Hybrids, they just seem to do everything I want. (I think). While not as light as a road bike, they allow me to have some weekend adventures.

The journey is mostly backroad which is a little bumpy with some HUGE hills, thankfully its downhill home!

Thanks.


Chris