Aemon_

Hi all,

I'm in the military, and soon to be stationed in the UK. We are shipping our vehicle over there, but gas prices are even more there than in the US. So, instead of buying another gas powered vehicle, I'm thinking of commuting via a bike. Having said that, we are short on the funds. What am I looking for in a commuter bike? I saw there is a thread about commuting and the accesories one needs, I'll be reading that thread as well.

Thanks!

Podolak

Aemon, *hopefully* welcome to the club. I would suspect you can get a really decent used steel road bike on the cheap. I have never been to the U.K. but there are good deals here on "English" bikes so it has to be better there!

eAspenwood

i'm looking at moving to london from the US, and I'll probably take my bikes with me cuz everything is so much more expensive over there, including bikes. i haven't figured out the shipping means yet (probably airplane check-in) but it will most likely be worth it even on a mid-level bike like my surly lht.

Andy_K 

For a commuter bike, look for something with a good range of gears, a sturdy frame, and mounting holes for racks and fenders. Beyond that, it depends on your preferences, how far you'll be riding and on what sort of terrain.

Personally, I would avoid anything with a front suspension fork or knobby tires, although the tires can be replaced and some front suspensions can be locked out.

jyossarian

Stay away from Walmart bikes and head to your LBS. Ask for bikes in the $300-$500 range and they'll show you a bunch of different ones from single speed cruisers to low end mtbs. In this case, low end from an LBS > high end from Walmart. Ride a bunch, pick the one you like, and ask if they can put a rack and fenders on it. If they can, great. If not, you might want to keep looking. Good luck!

Podolak

IMHO a LHT is definitely worth taking.

eAspenwood

yeah, the few legit used LHT's i've seen on london CL are asking more than what i bought mine new here for!

EliteTempleton

I've got a couple of friends stationed @ RAF Mildenhall. It rains alot, you will want fenders, so make sure you will be able to atleast attach them later, and if you have a set of Gortex, be very happy!

Don't forget about the rec center. You could probably call ahead of time and check or even reserve if you wanted to, but they should have some bikes(don't expect much from them, but they will get you from A to B) you could rent. Various reasons you might do this inclulde: Waiting for your household goods shipment to arrive(If you buy a bike at your LBS in Charleston and have it shipped), cheap way to test the waters(just remember the expierence is way better on a quality bike), & it's great time to find out what kind of trails/etc are available! If I remember right, at the Rec Center in Osan AB Korea, it was between $30 & $60 to rent a bike for a month, but that was almost 4 years ago...

Now is also a good time(before you buy a bike) to decide if you might ever want disc breaks. I got lucky and turns out I happen to have the right rims and frame for them, so when I am able to ($) I will make that upgrade. When I do though I only plan to upgrade the back one, I never use the front brake now, so I can't see the logic in spending the $ to upgrade both. Anyway you might want them, now or down the road, because they work better(so I've read) in wet conditions.

You've been a member since 2003! Do you already have a bike and are just looking to purchase another one specifically for commuting? What kind of work do you do? Meaning are you going to sweat at work anyway or will you need to take steps not to be known as "the new smelly guy". What's your riding style? Do you think you will often be riding across fields if it's a shorter route, or do you plan to stick to the road/paved paths?

kwrides

How far is your commute? Will you live on base? Or will you be riding a bike to a train and then biking the rest of the way, riding the bike X miles, etc. Will it all be on roads or paths? To make a good decision, you'll need to know all these things.

Also, since you ride already, do you like mtb, hybrid, or road geometry?

Oops, looks like the post above asked most of this too...

DVC45

Get a folding commuter bike. Brompton, Birdy, Raleigh Twenty.... are nice European folders. I think you can get them cheaper over there.
Check out the folding bike forum.

EliteTempleton

Agree, my next bike will be a folder.

bugly64

I'd go with purchasing a bike in the States and having Uncle Sam pay the shipping to the UK. I am trying to purchase a Kona PHD and it's going to be expensive to ship or to buy here in Japan. I am also in the military. You could always wait until after you deploy and spend some of that deployment cash on a nice bike. I did that now my wife wants my bike, so back to shopping and researching the perfect bike.

531phile 

good bombproof tires and good brakes is what I look for in a commuter bicycle.

Aemon_

thanks everyone!

to those who asked, no, i'm not currently a rider. i of course rode when i was a kid, and occasionally when i got older. i joined the forum some years ago because i was interested in getting in to mtb, but we just couldn't afford a bike any nicer than from target/walmart, so i decided to drop it. now this is a little more imortant, so we'll probably have to make it happen

bugly64, we leave in less than a week, and i'm a first term airman with no travel card... no extra expenses right now! what's your job?

thanks!

pueblonative

Just took a look at them myself and my next bike definitely will be a foldup model.

n4zou

The Surly LHT is THE bike to purchase here and use there. When you get orders back to the states you can sell the LHT, perhaps for more than you gave for it.

Tourfan

Craigslist isn't really that active in London. The one to try is www.gumtree.com - but it doesn't have any real good deals on it like the ones on US CL I'm always reading about here!

Aemon_

Well, against better advice - I picked up a cheapie bike from a friend. Its a RoadMaster he hadn't ridden in a good while. Its a little short for me, but I figure with a little TLC it will get me through till I can buy a better ride. Its an MTB, so I should slap some roadie tires on it and call it a day? Its got twist type shifters and direct pull brakes. How should I go about cleaning and tuning it up?

Thanks!