Advice Le bike

[Olgaline]

So, I've decided to get a bike! - go me etc..bla bla fitness..yada yada save on fuel!

Anyway!

I've been looking a several bikes, and I think I've found the right bike, it's use will be to and from work + variouse errands shopping and what not. aka no race, no off road, no long journeys.

I've set my heart on the Specialized Source Expert Disc. So just wanted to know if anyone here as owned one or just a bike from Specialized, and what your opinion is on the brand.

 

[Scouse]

Tom's yer man for bike questions.

If you're not fussed with racing and not particularly bothered with MTBing I'd say get a hybrid...

 

[Aoami]

get a sweet fixie like me

 

[Tuthmes]

Looks good!

 

[Raven]

Those mudguards look a bit gay.

 

[Tom]

It looks like a nice bike, although I can't find much about it in the UK and that makes me wonder if it was a fairly unpopular bike. Specialized make some nice gear though.

I wouldn't bother with disc brakes for a purely on-road bike, they're unnecessary. Furthermore, hydraulic disc brakes require the occasional bleed and Avid's systems require special tools for that (some kind of fancy syringe nonsense). For comparison, Shimano disc brakes require a bit of tube and a small plastic bag. No, I'd stick with rim brakes if it were me, they're light, easy to service and cost nothing to maintain. The lighting system looks like a good buy, can't fault that. 48/34 on the chainset means you won't be pedalling much faster than 30mph, which would do my head in. I'd see if they do a 50 on the front. Mudguards on a commuter are a great idea, don't let anyone tell you they're not.

Personally? I think you could choose better. The Specialized looks liike it doesn't really know what kind of bike it wants to be. Have you looked at Planet X bikes? Ribble cycles? Boardman bikes (from Halfords but Boardman are highly regarded)? Heck, even look at a Triban 3 from Decathlon as a low-cost alternative.

Don't forget to factor in the following, additional costs to a bike purchase. And don't be tempted to skimp on these because you'll fail hard.

Clothing: Padded cycling shorts, waterproof top, base layers, cycling gloves, cycling shoes (depends if you go clipless or not)
Tools to take while cycling: Spare inner tube, puncture repair outfit including levers, multitool, chain tool, spare powerlinks for chain, pump/co2 inflator
(Optional) tools you want at home: Chain wear indicator (this will save you lots of money), [cone] spanners, allen keys, grease

Always keep a bottle of oil around. Try to keep the chain dirt-free and well lubricated.

If you don't go with the Specialized, I cannot express enough the importance of getting good lights. Do your research here because there's lots around, but I spent over £300 on my front light. Good lights make a HUGE difference to your confidence and visibility.

I could go on all day. Try asking the same question at CycleChat.

 

[Aoami]

when you live in denmark, 90% of those things dont matter!

 

[Nate]

I've got a specialized hard rock pro and have had it a few years now, it's a really nice bike but came with very poorly designed disk breaks. The handle part of it had the usual cap to put more fluid in but was very flimsy(it was a plastic pin plugged in to rubber) and fell out on both front and back, when this happened the fluid would squirt out and a) ruin my trousers, b) loose breaks. Which got to be slightly dangerous as well as annoying. I went to the shop a few times with it hoping it was a simple fix but every time they gave me a new pin it would fall out and the same shit would happen all over again. One time the shop(who supplied me the bike) gave me a cap which wasn't even for the brakes it was like a screw for an alan key and they'd put lock tight around it. Dodgy as fuck, annoyed I went back and explained how I wasn't happy with this shoddy repair work. Got some new brakes fitted and it's been fine since.

Other then the chain and cassette needing to be replaced but I would think that's because I don't look after it well enough. I do lube it up every time I ride.

If it comes with Hayes Sole(I'd be surprised if it's still in circulation) brakes I'd take a good look at them and consider replacing.

 

[Olgaline]

Thanks for the replies,
the brakes are Avid Trekking hydraulic disc, 160mm rotors, as for gear all I'll need and or use are my own clothes to and from work. (ok maybe a rain coat) but thats it.
Those bikes look nice tom, but it seems they arent easy to get in DK + they are mostly for sport use, no screens, no rack etc...
as for maintenance, they've offered me a 2 years maintenance every 6 months included into the purches price.

the ulternative I've found is Fuji Absolute 2.0

All the bike needs to do is get me to and from my place of work wich is about 2.5km from where I live, and do it as painlessly as possible - there is one mean hill at the end omw home after 8-10 hrs workday.

My thoughts atm are: is it "over the top" to spend 10k dk on the Specielized for that ?
I wont really use it for much else, I wont do much, if any maintenance my self. (cba)
the Fuji is half the price as well.

 

[Tom]

Maintenance is a bit of a scam, bikes are very simple to work on and require little in the way of skills. See here:

http://sheldonbrown.com/

No need to pay someone to do what you can do yourself, it's really easy to clean a chain, grease some bearings, etc.

The Fuji looks good to me, much more realistic on price. Just check it has eyelets to fit mudguards, they may not look cool but there's nothing cool about your clothes being ruined by dirty water and oil. You cannot wash dirty skid marks out of clothes, once they're dirty that's that. Also, I'd try and get a whole Shimano groupset rather than bits and pieces from different manufacturers. Shimano Sora is a good baseline groupset. It'll cost you a little more but the bike will look nicer and will be easier to maintain for it. If you're going to be carrying stuff to work then I'd get a pannier rack, rucksacks are a nuisance.

And don't forget those lights. For a rear I recommend two of these:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=56550

They are blindingly bright to look at, no motorist will ever miss them. Or you could buy this:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=70065

Exposure produce some nice stuff, a mate has the Maxx-D light and I swear its capable of producing sunburn. You could also have a look at Magicshine lights. Do not skimp on lights. Oh and if you're buying from a shop, make sure the dealer doesn't try and sell you some pile of crap that's been in the window for 5 years.

 

[Olgaline]

Maintenance is a bit of a scam

But it's free ?

 

[Olgaline]

Maybe I should just buy a scooter

 

[Tom]

But it's free ?

...which makes it seem as though they're giving you a great deal when in reality they're not charging for oiling the chain.

 

[Embattle]

I considered that bike for my commute a while ago but I wanted a belt drive and needed a proper rack, other than that it certainly ticked a lot of boxes.

 

[Olgaline]

what did you decide on then ? I've also looked at the source 11 "with belt"
the chap at the store said that performance wise you get jack squat with a belt.

the price seemed....not worth it compared to the Source expert

 

[Olgaline]

So today I visited a scooter dealer,
he showed me a Honda Vision and a Derbi gp1 - GF wont allow a propper, MC Licence! went crazy when I suggested it :/

So now it's down to:

1. The Source Expert
2. One of the Scooters
3. Screw the GF - Give me a propper MC licence and bike.

 

[rynnor]

Is this a mid-life crisis bike?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-10965608

 

[Olgaline]

The day I suit up in lycra shorts is the day I buy a gun and end it all!

 

[old.Tohtori]

The day I suit up in lycra shorts is the day I buy a gun and end it all!

Unless it's for a superhero costume ofcourse.

 

[Olgaline]

Unless it's for a superhero costume ofcourse.

indeed!

same guy btw ?

 

[old.Tohtori]

I actually think it might be

More power to the dude, fatybadger don't give a f*ck

 

[DaGaffer]

Is this a mid-life crisis bike?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-10965608

Totally describes my brother. 45 and hard-core cycling. He's doing 70-100 miles a day (he "works" from home so has the time). Have to say though, physically its working, he's fit as a butcher's dog these days and has like 2% body fat.

 

[Tom]

Well I weigh about 17 stone and could certainly stand to lose at least 2, but I still cycle up to 5,000 miles annually and usually overtake any other cyclists I see. Despite the extra fat I'm still pretty fit (102 miles last weekend in about 6 hours).

This (or something similar) will be my next bike:

 

[Scouse]

That looks horrid Tom

 

[old.Tohtori]

I've seen those around, i always fear that if i even semi-fart towards them they fall over.

 

[Tom]

That looks horrid Tom

meh, it's comfortable and fast as hell. I'm past the point in my life where I care if people point and laugh, I'd rather do what I enjoy and to hell with them

 

[Scouse]

I'm past the point in my life where I care if people point and laugh

I agree - and I wouldn't point and laugh because of how it looks. It looks horrid to me because I don't think you've got the reaction time or maneuverability on a bike like that when it's absolutely necessary - i.e. it doesn't look like what you need to make split-second moves to avoid accidents.

It's a horrid death-trap IMO.

 

[Tom]

I think you need to do a little bit of research Scouse, before you say something even dafter. A recumbent bike can stop a hell of a lot faster than an upright.

 

[Scouse]

I daresay it can. But look at it. Can it turn as quickly and as stably as a normal bike? Of course not - obviously - because your body mass is spread laterally rather than over a more centralised location.

And you're not going to be bunny-hopping up a kerb to avoid a retard driver from the right who's not seen you. For a start - your legs are in front of you so there's no jumping action to be had....

Great commuter bike - for somewhere there's zero traffic or hazards.

 

[Nate]

Is that more pull out of your head stuff Scouse, or did you do research?