What Bike
 

Hi all just been given £1000 from work to buy a bike to commute to work and back i'm going to be doing about 500 miles a month do i go for a mountain bike or a road bike i live in london thanks steve

Look at your route and the road/path conditions. If the route is all dirt and alley and potholes and ditches then lean toward the MTB. If the route is smooth pavement then lean toward the roadbike. If the route is mostly pavement with a few railroad or trolley tracks and a bunch of manhole covers and sewer grates to negotiate along with assorted city road debris then look at a bike with probably 700x35c tires with a road orientation but a more upright riding position. That amount of money should put you onto a fairly decent commuter bike with enough extra for fenders and a rack.

Just my opinions, adjust to fit your personal likes and needs.

I would go for a bike that is a cross between the two of them. It depends on the tread. Some nice ones I think are the Trek bikes. The bigger thicker treads are for more like the Mountain trails etc. The smaller treads are for more of a street bike. You might want to go for one in between the two of those.

Welcome to BF by the way.


After looking at the list below and any other recommendations try visiting one of thefollowing sahops for help, advice and, hopefully, a bike.

Condor Cycles (quite possibly the best bike shop in London) - http://www.condorcycles.com/contactus.html

Brixton cycles (has a very good reputation) - http://www.brixtoncycles.co.uk/find_us.html

Do NOT go near Evans cycles.



These are the, mostly, cyclocross bikes I strongly recommend for London's roads:

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=368115

trek portland - http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes...land/portland/

cannondale cross xr7 - http://www.cannondale.com/bikes/08/c...del-8XR7C.html

Brodie Ronin '09 - http://www.brodiebikes.com/2009/bikes/ronin.php
Brodie Ronin '08 - http://www.brodiebikes.com/2008/2008_bikes/ronin.php

rocky mountain solo cxd - http://www.bikes.com/main+en+01_102+...tml?BIKE=606#2

kona sutra - http://www.konaworld.com/08_sutra_w.htm
Kona Sutra - http://www.konaworld.com/09_sutra_en.cfm
Kona Dew Drop - http://www.konaworld.com/09_dewdrop_en.cfm

Orbea Diem Drop Disc (2009) - http://www.orbea.com/en-gb/productos...icicletas.aspx (see road bikes > fitness > diem drop disc)

focus cross disc - http://www.focusbikesuk.com/focuscyc...cross_disc.php
focus mares disc 2009 - http://www.focusbikesuk.com/focuscyc...mares_disc.php

Devinci Caribou2 (2009) - http://www.devinci.com/11628_an.html

Raleigh USA Sojourn (2009) - http://www.raleighusa.com/bikes/road/sojourn/
Rei Novara buzz road bike (2009) - http://www.rei.com/product/779985

rotwild rs1cx - http://www.rotwild.de/en/ (street bikes section)

Fixie Inc. Pureblood - http://www.cycles-for-heroes.com/bik...oss/pure-blood
fixie inc. pureblood - http://www.cycles-for-heroes.com/200...pureblood.html

Salsa la Cruz - http://www.salsacycles.com/laCruzComp08.html
Salsa Fargo - http://www.salsacycles.com/fargoComp09.html

Opus Sentiero - http://opusbike.com/site_route.php?lang=en (see 2009 bikes > road > cyclocross)

Genesis Croix de Fer - http://www.genesisbikes.co.uk/series/croix_de_fer

BikesDirect Motobecane Fantom Cross Outlaw - http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...ane/outlaw.htm

Baron bicycles - http://baronbicycles.com/spec.htm

markhr

That's an incredibly thorough reply. Way to help someone out, it should be FAQ reply or something, that list would be helpful for many people.

Kudos!

Thanks - the bikes list has it's own thread in general and I try, semi-regularly, to check the links all work. Just me being a bike geek.