New bike help

[Fraz101]

Hi I'm on the lookout for a new bike for my short daily commute which is 1.5 miles x2=6 miles per day as I go home for lunch.

The terrain is mostly road with a railway footbridge to climb up and down. It is a little gravely in sections and a few kerbs to go up and down.

I'd like drop bars if possible and I have a budget of between 400-500 pounds.

Would really appreciate me some recommendations

[landsurfer]

viewtopic.php?f=40&t=122448

[tim-b]

Hi
I'd be looking for something with/can be fitted with mudguards
For kerbs and gravel I'd prefer a wider tyre run at a lower pressure than a narrow tyre
The one being sold by landsurfer seems to be good value, plenty left in the budget for decent lights, etc
Regards
tim-b

[Fraz101]

https://forum.cyclinguk.org/viewtopic.php?f=40&t=122448

Looking for new not used
But thanks

[gregoryoftours]

You've unfortunately landed on the wrong side of 'trendy' in the current climate for wider tyres and drop bars to have much choice new and in that price range, especially with mudguard clearance. I'd go flat bar hybrid city bike and you'll definitely find something decent that ticks all the other boxes. Are drop bars really essential for that distance commute? You'll still have to be careful hopping up and down kerbs unless you're running suspension and or 2" odd tyres.
I'm not sure what's about in terms of cheap touring bikes - these would likely have mudguards fitted, tyres that are a bit wider than full on road bikes, and drop bars. They are a bit niche though and probably therefore you'd get less bang for your buck than some kind of hybrid.

[Fraz101]

You've unfortunately landed on the wrong side of 'trendy' in the current climate for wider tyres and drop bars to have much choice new and in that price range, especially with mudguard clearance. I'd go flat bar hybrid city bike and you'll definitely find something decent that ticks all the other boxes. Are drop bars really essential for that distance commute? You'll still have to be careful hopping up and down kerbs unless you're running suspension and or 2" odd tyres.
I'm not sure what's about in terms of cheap touring bikes - these would likely have mudguards fitted, tyres that are a bit wider than full on road bikes, and drop bars. They are a bit niche though and probably therefore you'd get less bang for your buck than some kind of hybrid.

Thanks for detailed response.

Drop bars aren’t a necessity just would like more speed really.

What width of tyre would you be going for if you were me?

Thoughts on something like this for my journey?

https://www.giant-bicycles.com/gb/roam-3-2018

[Greystoke]

just make sure there's room between those brakes for mudguards.....looks tight to me

[iandusud]

I ride dropped bars almost exclusively, my mountain bike being the exception, but for your needs and budget I would be looking at something more utilitarian. Any dropped bar bike at that price will be unlikely to accept wide tyres, which would be highly advisable, and mudguards. When I had to move to London for a year and knew I would be commuting on a journey of 4 miles each way and could only take the one bike with me, I chose my mountain bike and fitted some mudguards. It was good choice. With not very knobbly tyres pumped up a bit (45 psi rather than 30 psi off road) the bike would fly along and I didn't have to worry so much about kerbs and potholes. The more upright position also helped with visibility.

How about this, it even has a hub dynamo, for £399.

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/hoprider-50 ... 05476.html

[Barks]

For a 1.5 mile trip twice a day buy a basic bike ((from a dealer to ensure it is safe and appropriate size for you), second hand would be preferable with lots of scratches especially so it is not attractive to thieves. Having just had a week in Holland, the speeds they ride on their upright city bikes you don’t need drop handlebars on that account. A bike that takes mudguards and can have a rack fitted are far more important criteria. Just seen post above - a dynamo hub is also Avery good recommendation.

[RickH]

How about this, it even has a hub dynamo, for £399.

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/hoprider-50 ... 05476.html

A bit of a downside is the 16.9kg weight when the OP says their route includes a railway footbridge.

[Fraz101]

How about this, it even has a hub dynamo, for £399.

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/hoprider-50 ... 05476.html

A bit of a downside is the 16.9kg weight when the OP says their route includes a railway footbridge.

Yeah that’s definitely not what I’m looking for. Don’t need storage space.

Looking for a hybrid I’d say.

[gregoryoftours]

[quote="Fraz101"
Drop bars aren’t a necessity just would like more speed really.

What width of tyre would you be going for if you were me?

Thoughts on something like this for my journey?

https://www.giant-bicycles.com/gb/roam-3-2018[/quote]

For width of tyres maybe 35 ish? That giant looks pretty decent but I'd probably look for something without suspension to save weight. Also the other components of the bike can be a bit better without the money spent on the fork, and suspension forks may often don't have fittings for full mud guards. You are looking at about £50 for decent mudguards fitted so it's worth considering bikes that already have them. Maybe have a look at some other giant hybrids, and if you live near a decathlon store their bikes around this price range are often better value than most. It's probably not possible to get something with wide ish tyres, mudguards and 500 quid that is particularly lightweight, but you should be able to get something that's not obnoxiously heavy.