Bike Shop

Bike Zone Oxford. A good place to buy a bike.

Not all local bike shops are the same. Some will specialise in selling cheap hybrid bicycles and have little knowledge of road bikes. It is harder to find a shop which specialises in road bikes or mountain bikes. If you are just looking for a commuting bike or hybrid bike it is still worth finding out the shop’s reputation for selling bikes.

Advantages of local bike shops

• You can speak to (hopefully) knowledgeable sales assistants. A good sales assistant will try to find most useful / practical bike, rather than just most expensive one.
• You can take for a test ride and get a good feel for what the bike is like to ride.
• Two weeks after purchase you can take back for service (many shops offer this for free) This enables them to adjust cables which may have stretched after being used.
• Easy to pick up and take back if any problem.

Disadvantages of local bike shops

• Often more expensive, they may struggle to compete on price with large online outfits.
• Less choice of bikes.
• Many bike sizes may have to be ordered in.

Cheapest Price Bike Shops

Cycle King specialise in the sub £150 cheap hybrid bikes. You get what you pay for. See: Review Ammaco Dresden Plus, maybe I’m being a bike snob, but it doesn’t feel like a real bicycle shop. I wouldn’t get the thrill of buying a bike from here.

Non-Bike Shops

This bike from the Argos catalogue has its forks put on the wrong way around. If you buy from non-bike shop catologues, this is the kind of experience you can have. You can pick up bikes for less than £100. But, you will get what you pay for. Even if I was keen to save money, I wouldn’t want to buy from this kind of place. Buying a bike can be an exciting and enjoyable event. As H.G. Wells said  ’ you will never regret buying a bicycle’ But, that was before the day of the Asda cut price. You will never regret buying a decent bicycle.

• Non-bike Shops

Online Retailers

Online retailers like Evans, Wiggle, Chain-Reaction Cycles have sold huge numbers of bicycles online. If you know what you’re looking for, it can be a way to get your ideal bike for a very competitive price.

Advantage of Online Retailers

• The big online retailers have a large selection of bikes
• They are able to offer most competitive prices
• You can keep an eye out for bikes going on sale (e.g. last years model) This enables even bigger savings.
• They have experience in selling large quantities of bikes.
• You can order at any time, you don’t need to get into town during work hours
• Most now offer trial period, where you can return bike, if it doesn’t work out.

Disadvantages

• Harder to get personal advice
• If things go wrong, it can be awkward returning bike by mail.

Overall

Mail order becomes more desirable as you gain more experience with bike maintenance, and you know exactly what you want. Also, for more expensive bikes, there is greater scope for saving money. 10% of a £300 hybrid bike is not worth hassle of mail order. But 10% saving for £1,999 bike is much more worthwhile.

An online retailer like Evans Cycles enables the best of both worlds as you can go into shop and the bike can be delivered from its warehouses into the store.

Second Hand

Second hand bikes may be a way to get a good value bike at an affordable rate. If you look on ebay and in specific cycle magazines, you may be able to pick up a real margin

Advantages

• Much cheaper
• Enables you to get a better bike for your budget

Disadvantages

• More stressful in dealing with people you don’t know
• Difficult to gain refund if bike turns out to be lemon
• Real possibility you are buying a stolen bike and contributing to crime, which in worse case you could make you an accessory, or at least get stopped by someone who recognises their bike
• You may have to spend more time researching.

Some second hand avenues will be more attractive. I would not want to buy second hand, unless I knew the person. Second hand can be good if you’re buying off a local club mate because you know where it is coming from. But, even buying off friends can potentially be awkward if things go wrong. Make sure you give it a good test for suitability.

• Buying second hand bikes

Related

• Advice on buying first road bike

Colnago – probably not best value. But, sometimes you just want to get the best.

Buy Last Years Models. A good time to buy bikes is in the autumn as manufacturers are introducing their new season bikes. The new season bikes will have improvements on last years, but, these will be relatively marginal. You can find a good bargain on getting last years discounted old model. The only disadvantage is that it might be harder to get your preferred size. However, never compromise on size just to get a cheaper deal. I bought my time trial frame (Trek Equinox in September for 50% off. It meant I ended up with an orange frame. But, I couldn’t justify spending an extra £500 only to get a different colour to orange.  I’ve also noticed at major online stores there is a long period of being able to buy last years models at discounted price. For example, in April / May you can get upto 25% off last years models. The 2012 models will be better, but definitely not 25% better.

Buying Whole Bike. If you were to buy a bike in parts it would probably cost twice as much as buying a bike set up. It usually makes sense to buy a complete off the peg bike, rather than build it up yourself. There will be some components you want to change. But, there will always be use for spare wheels and components.

Doubling Your Money does not Double Your Value. A £5,000 Trek Madonne 6.9, has many similarities to a Trek Madonne 5.5 at £2,600. It uses the same frame and fork. The difference is mainly in the groupset which saves a little weight. Ask yourself whether the £3,000 is really worth the saving of 300-400grams and slight improvement of Dura Ace groupset.

Test Ride. The first road bike I got was a bike build from Ribble delivered mail order. The frame used to wobble when going downhill with hands off handlebars. Since it was my first road bike, I thought it was me, only realising too late the frame was not aligned correctly. These days, bikes are produced to high standards, and you shouldn’t have problems like that. But, if you do buy mail-order make sure there is opportunity for test ride and to send it back if any problems.

Where to Buy? Mail order can give big benefits. The likes of Chain Reaction Cycles, Wiggle and Evans Cycles can keep prices low through economies of scale. I know many people who have had a good experience buying mail-order. If things go well, it can be a way to save some money. However, especially if you are new to buying a road bike, there are definitely advantages to buying in a local shop and paying perhaps a little extra. You get more advice and the chance to take back for maintenance. Some bike chains like Evans Cycles offer best of both worlds because you can benefit from low prices but also take it into shop.

Bike Building Services

Some companies offer bike building services. Ironically after getting a dud first bike from Ribble, I went and bought another two from their bike building service. It was quite a cheap way of building up a low-weight bike. When I bought my top of the range road bike, I went for Trek’s bike building services. I could get best frame and components, but choose some cheaper wheels (as I already had some good ones)

Carbon Fork is the sign of a good entry level bike. Many entry level bikes like the  Trek 1 Series, and GT GTR Series 5 come with a carbon fibre fork. A carbon fibre fork helps improve the quality of the ride by lessening shock.

Carbon Frame. A carbon frame isn’t everything, but good quality ones are very nice. Also, if you invest in good frame, you can always add better components to it later. Good entry level Carbon frame road bikes include:

• Trek Madone 3 Series from £1,500 – Carbon frame – Shimano 105 | Trek Madone 3 at Trek.com
• Chris Boardman Team Carbon – £1,299 – Excellent value carbon fibre bike. See Review: Chris Boardman Team Carbon

Some Brands Have a premium Price. E.g. You will pay a premium for getting a  brand like Bianchi or Colnago. Now a Bianchi bike is great to have, but, other brands may give a slightly better value. But, supporters of Colnago may claim you are getting better workmanship – you can’t always compare bikes by a raw comparison of parts.

Second Hand. Buying a second hand bike can be a way to really save money. You just need to be more careful. However, if you can buy second hand from a reputable source, it can be a good way of getting a good value bike at upto 50% off shop price. See: tips for buying second hand bike

Related

• Best Value bikes under £1,000
• Road Bikes at Evans Cycles
• Best Road Bikes

Good Reasons to Get a New Bike

• You’ve won the lottery, and you think a new bicycle is a better investment than lost relatives, who suddenly become very friendly.
• A Bike Specific Purpose. Ideally, one bike would fit all needs. But, in practise this is not a good idea. Getting a bike for a new purpose is one of the best reasons for justifying a new bike. New bikes could include
• Cheap Commuting bike to reduce scare of getting bike stolen from crime hotspots. See: Best Commuting Bikes
• Time trial bike. If you buy a time trial bike, you can easily knock a few minutes off your time. Time trial bikes are so much faster than road bikes.
• Winter training bike. Don’t let your best new bike rust away on salty roads. It’s best to keep a bike geared up for winter. Complete with heavy duty lube, mudguards, lights, generous saddle bag. See: Winter Training bike. Actually, no one really buys a specific winter training bike, but, it is an excellent reason to upgrade your main summer road bike. If anyone asks why you are getting a second bike, which looks the same. You can say you are actually killing two birds with one stone. A better racing bike, and a free winter training bike into the bargain.
• Track Bike. Fixed wheel specifically for track gives a new dimension to cycling.
• Touring Bike. Any serious amount of touring means you can justify a comfy frame (e.g. steel) with all the accessories for touring.
• Hill Climb Bike. A bit of a specialist reason to spend lots of money on weight saving components.
• Tandem. Don’t worry about half-wheeling your partner -share the fun and pain on the same bike.
• Tricycle. Difficult to stear, heavy, slower. But, they are cool in a kind of bearded men over 50s way.
• Cheaper than upgrades. If you took a bike apart and tried to buy the components separately, it would be twice as expensive.  If you want to buy a Shimano Ultegra groupset, it’s not much more expensive to buy some Focus bikes with Ultegra groupset.
• Upgrading a several years old bike. A well maintained bike can last several decades. But, if you’ve done a certain number of miles over the past few years, it almost feels like you deserve a new bike. 50,000 miles – get a new bike.
• New bike gives New Inspiration. It’s always exciting planning and choosing your new bike. There is a great feeling in riding a new immaculate bike. If you’re bike is really good, it does inspire you to go out cycling. If it’s old and slow, there’s less joy. In New York, I have a 25 year old steel frame which is slightly too small and look pedals I really don’t enjoy riding the bike compared to my set-up back home. I definitely do less training because the bike always feels as if it is in the process of disintegration. Some people buy new bikes and don’t ride it much. But,  a new bike really can make the difference in inspiring longer and more frequent rides.

Not So Good Reasons to Get a New Bike

• You can’t be bothered to clean your old bike.
• You can’t be bothered to mend a puncture on your old bike.
• You want to have something better to impress your clubmates
• You want to get a super-fast winter training bike so you can burn people up in the middle of winter.
• There is little difference between your existing bike and your new one. – Better to save for an extra year, and really make a good investment rather than rush the purchase and regret no waiting.
• You just got pay day loan from Wonga Wonga and you thought why not a new bike.
• It’s snowed and you need a cheap MTB to get around. I bought a very cheap MTB when it snowed. It was pretty useful for a few days. But, soon rusted and disintegrated.

How Many Bikes Have You Regretted Buying?

Tejvan’s Formula for the Optimum number of bikes

• B= T +xY + E – (3W+c)
• T = the number of years you’ve been cycling
• xY = a function of your income.
• E = Exceptional needs (e.g. track bike, time trial bike, single speed bike, spring training bike)
• (3W+c) = minus number of wives and children you have.

For example, suppose you are single and have been cycling for 25 years, and you earn £30,000 a year.

• The optimum number of bikes to accumulate is 12.7 (tandems and tricycles still count as 1). Random bike parts left around the shed for several years don’t count.
• If you have two wives and five children, the optimum number of bicycles is – 1. Therefore, the first priority is to get ride of one of your wives.
• Note: This part of the formula (3W+c) can be over-ridden by suffering intense nagging about why did we end up on holiday in Scunthorpe, but you bought yourself a new £5,000 Trek Madone?

Related

• Buying first road bike
• Do I Need a New Chain?

My Winter Training Bike from Ribble - looking suspiciously clean!

My winter training bike is an old road bike, that I used for racing in my first season. It is a basic Aluminium 6061 frame, Carbon fork and Shimano 105 groupset. I bought from Ribble Cycles about 7 years ago, costing around £800. Since then, the bike has done an estimated 20,000 miles – a pretty good return for £800 and minimal upgrades.

Upgrades and Downgrades to Make a Winter Training Bike.

SKS Race blades. The current mudguards are a two year old SKS race blades. They are easy to fit and keep the worst of the rain and mud off. However, if I replaced them, I would go for the SKS race blades long.

Lights Rear and Front. Essential for winter riding. I often leave rear light on flashing whenever it is overcast.

Armadillo Rear Tyre 25‘ This gives confidence for riding through gritty roads. I haven’t had a rear puncture since using this tyre. It is also very hard wearing and very resistant to cuts and scratches. It is slower, heavier and higher rolling resistance, but it is a trade off worth having. Armadillo Tyres

Continental Gator skin Front tyre. The front wheel has a Continental Gator skin. Excellent puncture resistance, though tyre lasts for a shorter time. When I replace, I may replace with Armadillo. (winter training tyres)

Saddle bag. This Altura saddle bag is a little small for my needs. I’d like  a bigger saddle bag so that I can carry a weightier waterproof. I currently just have a lightweight race cape. I can carry a waterproof in a cut off water bottle, but often need two bottles for long rides.

Cheaper Cassettes. When replacing cassettes, I’m usually taking bike to local bike shop, so I just ask for cheaper cassettes or chains. I don’t see point in buying Shimano 105 for a winter training bike.

Gearing. I don’t need a triple chain-ring, but I chose a luxury rear cassete with 28  - 12 teeth – offering a nice range of gear choices for keeping high cadence.

How Often do you Change Chain on Winter Training Bike?

On my racing bike, I change chain after 1,000 miles or even shorter (changing chain). This is because I want maximum power transfer from chain. With this method, you can get quite a few chains before the cassette block needs replacing. But, with my winter training bike, I just ride it into the ground; . When the chain starts slipping, which may be up to 4 – 5,000 miles, I will replace chain and cassette at same time, and possibly front chain rings.

How Often do you clean your Winter Training Bike?

Whenever I’m taking pictures of the bike for my blog! I just intended to take photos, but the more photos I took, the more I wanted to clean it.

Perhaps I clean once a month, but when its wet and dirty, it’s too dispiriting to wash after every ride, knowing in 20 minutes, it will be back to the same state. However, some times the dirt build up is so bad, the dirt between brakes and front wheels starts to rub, and I have to knock it off with a stick.

However, I should say – if the road is salty – definitely you should spray off the salty dirt, as it will be very corrosive. For ordinary mud, not so serious, but still worth doing!

The problem with cleaning your winter training bike is that you always fear there must be something bad hidden under all those layers of mud. If you start to clean, somehow you fear it could start to fall apart. This is actually what happened here. Cleaning bike showed paint come off carbon forks.

Position of Winter Training Bike

The position is essentially the same as summer racing bike. The saddle is the same height. I keep the bars slightly higher to make more comfortable for long rides.

Oiling Winter Bike

I regularly spray with GT-80 and also use some winter wet lube – quite a heavy oil. I also spray and grease my Speedplay pedals in winter.

Winter Training Bikes

When I bought a top of the range road bike, one justification was that I was also getting a free winter training bike. But, if started at the top, and want to buy a specific winter training bike there are quite a few options.

Specialized Tri Cross

A lightweight A1 Premium Aluminium double butted frame. Comfortable frame geometry, internal cable routing for low maintenance performance in any conditions. FACT carbon forks for improved comfort of ride. Triple chain ring for all gear combinations

• Specialized TriCross £700 at Evans

Under £500

Claud Butler San Remo £499

A budget bike leaving some cash left over for necessary winter accessories. The Claud Butler San Remo is aluminium frame, steel forks and Shimano 23000 groupset. Claud Butler at Evans Cycles

Other bikes to consider – Trek 1.2, 1.7 or 2.1. Focus Cayo.

See also:

• Touring Bikes
• Winter Cycle Training
• Cycling Accessories for Winter
• Road Bikes Under £1,000

This Continental 4000- split and punctured on a ride- I had to put new inner tube and ride home like this! If I had been clever, I would have founded strong leaf to improvise some protection between tyre and inner tube. But, I only thought of that after I luckily got home.

If I listed the biggest irritations of cycling, I would say that getting a puncture would be pretty high up.  Firstly the most common reasons for getting a puncture.

• Tyre not put on properly (inner tube caught between rim and tyre)
• Thin, cheap tyres much more likely to puncture.
• Worn tyres with cracks in.
• Rear wheel more likely to puncture
• More likely to puncture in wet.

These are some tips for avoiding punctures.

1. Puncture Resistant tyres.

Unfortunately, at the moment it is hard to get completely puncture resistant tyres for road bikes. For some bikes you can get solid tyres, which offer a puncture resistant ride, but I wouldn’t want to ride them. When racing I always choose a tyre with good layers of puncture resistance, at least 1 or 2 kevlar belts. For training and even racing, I would rather choose a slightly heavier tyre and have an improved chance of avoiding a puncture. Only on very short hill climbs, will I risk the lightest tubulars.

On my winter training bike, I have an Armadillo Specialized All Condition on the rear, and a Continental Dura Skin on the front. The Armadillo is the most puncture resistant. I put it on the rear because the rear tyre is the most likely to get a puncture. Schwalbe Marathon Plus offer one of biggest resistance to punctures. (puncture resistant tyres)

2. Avoid the grit at the side of the road.

Often on busy roads grit and debris accumulates on the side of the road;  riding amongst all this grit definitely increases the chance of getting a puncture. Don’t feel pushed into the edge, keep an eye on road surface and avoid potential problems. (BTW, don’t ride in gutter, but give yourself a good distance from edge. This gives you room for manoeuvre when avoiding potholes and thorns.)

Also, there have been times, when I’ve got off and walked by  a newly cut thorn hedge which the farmer has kindly left on the road.

3. Put on the tyre properly

The biggest cause of ‘repeat punctures’ is putting on a tyre with tyre leavers. This invariably causes a pinching of the inner tube between rim and tyre. To avoid this, it is important to always put a tyre back on with your hands.

If you have to use tyre leaves, you must check after it has been fitted. When the tyre is part blown up, you can check around the rims to make sure there is no inner tube squeezed between the rim. I go around the rim and push the tyre inwards to see any sign of an inner tube. See: How to mend puncture

4. Avoid riding in the rain.

People often find that riding in the rain causes an increased chance of puncture. I think this may be due to the fact that the water reduces friction and makes it easier for grit to penetrate the tyre. I guess no body would choose to ride in the rain unless they can avoid it. But, be prepared for higher risk of puncture.

5. Correct Tyre Pressure

Not sure how much this helps but worth doing for other reasons anyway. See: Correct Tyre pressure.

6. Use New Inner Tubes

I never use a puncture repair kit. I just buy inner tubes in bulk. At least a failed puncture repair is one less thing to worry about.

7. Self Healing Inner Tubes

For MTB’s I recommend these Green slime self healing inner tubes. They are great for automatically fixing any flat caused by thorns e.t.c I don’t use them on my road bike because they are slower.

8. Check Tyres for Wear / Scratches and embedded Grit.

I frequently check tyres for wear. I prefer to replace at early signs of wear. I have seen some riders wear tyres down so much, you can actually see the outer layer is completely gone!

Another good thing to do is to check for pieces of glass that have got embedded in the tyre. I will use a sharp point (nail or similar shape) and flick the grit out. (watch out for your eyes). This prevent the grit getting pushed further into the tyre and causing a puncture at a later date. I usually tolerate one or two scratches in a tyre, but, when they start to look deep or prevalent, I chuck tyre out. Better to replace too early and avoid that puncture!

9. Make Sure there is rim tape on the wheel.

I’ve had two punctures because the rim tape slipped off the centre of the wheel; this meant inner tube was in direct contact with metal rim, and this caused a puncture.

10. Tubulars over Inner Tubes and Tyres.

There is anecdotal evidence tubulars are less likely to cause punctures. There is certainly no chance of the ‘pinch puncture’. But, it really depends on the quality of the tubular. For racing I use tubulars, not so much for better puncture resistance, but they are lighter. However, when you do puncture it is more expensive. So road tyres and inner tubes are better for training.

11. Never Blog About How you never Get Punctures

see: the time (I got 5 punctures in a week)

See also:

• Tips for Mending a puncture
• Best puncture proof tyres

Originally posted July 2010, substantially updated Jan 2012.

In the 1960s, Amsterdam had much lower cycle rates. To try and reduce pollution and congestion in the city centre, one anarchist group launched a scheme to promote mass bicycle use. It involved giving out free white bicycles and leaving them unlocked in strategic locations around Amsterdam. Unfortunately, the scheme was not a success, some bikes got stolen, and in Amsterdam it is illegal to leave bikes unlocked in the streets. The bikes were confiscated by the police. Although, when they were returned to the Anarchist group – they equipped them with combination locks and painted the combination on the bicycle.  Alas, the great ideals of anarchist utopianism didn’t quite work out as good old human nature intervened to leave most of the bikes stolen.

The main inspiration behind this idea was the splendidly named Luud Schimmelpennink. A couple of years later he was elected to Amsterdam city council, and on election he proposed to roll out 20,000 free white bicycles to make Amsterdam a bicyclist paradise. The council didn’t vote for 20,000 free bicycles. But, the idea of mass bicycle use was imprinted strongly in the minds of people. Over the next few years, bike use  in Amsterdam did radically increases (as mentioned in this video – how Amsterdam got its bicycle lanes).

This idea of city-wide rental bikes inspired other schemes, which (with the help of modern technology and credit cards) has become quite successful in some major European cities.

Perhaps in deference to the original idea of the Provos, recently Amsterdam got its own white bike rental bike scheme.

[The Provo Anarchists seemed to have a bit of fun during their short lived political activity. They would try get arrested for smoking pot - ring up the police and say some hippies were smoking pot in a cafe, but when the police turned up they would actually only be drinking herbal teas. The police got embarrassed and stopped harassing the hippies. Dope later got legalised]

Not a herbal tea drinking anarchist in sight.

So next time, you ride a ‘Boris bike’ sponsored by Barclays Bank riding through the City of London – just remember the small inspiration of  Luud Schimmelpennink and the herbal tea drinking, hippy, anarchists from Amsterdam.

Related
Cycling Amsterdam
London Cycle hire

Earlier in the year, I reviewed the Dawes Mono – and really quite liked it. I’m tempted by Amazon.co.uk’s offer of 60% off, meaning it is only £256. Very good value.

• Dawes Mono Single Speed Unisex Road Bike at Amazon.co.uk

Stuck in the 12 Sprocket

Not such a good experience with single speed was my first ride on my winter training bike. After 20 miles from Oxford the gear cable broke, leaving me stuck in the 12 sprocket for 20 miles home. It’s really quite painful riding a 39*12 up every hill on the way back to Oxford.

Just last week, I was saying how nice it was to be spinning high cadence (100rpm). But, this training ride, turned into an unwanted strength test, getting down to about 30rpm on some hills. It didn’t feel good for the knees. I guess it could have been worse, I could have got stuck in 53*12.

Anyway this has been a good week for training.

• Sun 45 miles
• Wed 35 miles
• Thurs 32 miles
• Sat hopefully 70 miles
• Plus the usual 50 miles of commuting around Oxford.

Related

• Single speed bikes
• Best commuter bikes

Single speed

Thinking about my next commuting bike, I have become interested in the idea of getting a single speed bike. (I wouldn’t want a  fixed gear bike for commuting, though some do choose to have it ) A single speed bike would have certain advantages over a conventional bike, and also I like the simplicity of a single speed bike. If any of our readers would like to share their thoughts/experiences on single speed bikes I would be interested to hear them.

(A fixed gear is a specific type of a single speed bike, in which the rider is forced to keep pedalling, there is no freewheel mechanism)

Advantages of Single Speed Bikes

Single Speed

1. Cheaper to maintain – Don’t have cassette Blocks wearing out.
2. Easier to maintain – No fiddly gears to deal with.
3. Straight chain-line is more efficient.
4. Improves pedalling action. Learn to spin fast and also churn big gears up hills
5. Lighter
6. Cool? – The Simplicity of the original bike design.
7. Enjoyable to ride single speed. No worries about which gear to be in. Gives a feeling for the orginal ‘purity’ of cycling

Disadvantages of Single Speed Bikes

1. Not so good on steep hills.
2. Top speed is lower. More difficult to win those unofficial commuting races.
3. Harder to get going from traffic lights, especially if on an uphill.
4. Relatively More expensive. Single speed don’t seem to be made with the same economies of scale as 21 speed MTB’s and hybrid markets. Therefore, you kind of pay more for less components.
5. Fixed single speeds can be more stressful on your knees. You often have to cycle lower cadence and place more stress on joints.

Single Speed Bike Reviews

Specialized Langster Steel.

See: review on Specialized Langster single speed. For me this wasn’t a great commuting bike. The Steel version is a lovely bike to ride, but track bars and position of bike is not ideal for commute riding. However, the  Aluminium version of the Langster Steel gives a relatively lightweight practical single speed for commuting and has a nice image.

Dawes Mono.

The Dawes Mono. See: Review on Dawes Mono One advantage of the Dawes  Mono is that you have choice of fixed or freewheel. You can just flip over the rear wheel and change mechanism. Comes with carbon forks and steel frame, a little bit pricey at £650. Will appeal to commuter interested in practical features like clip on mudguards.

Trek 2nd District.

See review on Trek 2nd District. Trek really know how to make good bikes at a low price. This single speed with drop handlebars felt quite nifty around town and I enjoyed riding.

Charge Plug / Sink

See: review of Charge Sink – The Charge Sink is a great looking single speed with some top end components (Shimano, Kenda tyres, Tektro brakes. The sink comes with horizontal bars. The more widely distributed  Charge Plug has bullhorn handlebars on some models.

Related

• Create Single Speed
• Charge Single Speed

• Single Speed Bikes at Wiggle
• Single Speed Bikes at Evans Cycles

I’m not sure how this bike came to have the distinctive name of ‘Raleigh’. Raleigh are the famous British manufacturer with a long and illustrious history  who sponsored one of the top Pro cycle teams of the 1970s and 1980s. Recently, they have re-entered the high end road bike market to capitalise on their strong brand name. (see: Vintage Cycle Ads). This town shopper the ‘Raleigh Oxford, is quite the opposite to this high end market. Cheap components, one speed, and upright riding position A bold bid to enter the market for sub £200 town bikes.

It is heavy and slow just as a cheap town bike should be. The riding position is very upright, you almost feel like you’re sitting on a chair (except you’re not you are sitting on a small saddle). The saddle is actually well padded and is quite sufficient for the low duration rides it will be used for. The steering is a little harsh, turning the handlebars is difficult to do for small adjustments, it tends to be a bit fidgety.

A single speed means it’s nice and simple, there’s not much to do apart from pedal nice and slow and ‘amble’ around town.

The good news is that it comes ready to go. Mudguards, panniers, bell. Just jump on and you’re away. Except don’t try to pedal off without paying, as a quick shop assistant could probably soon catch up with you on foot.

I actually enjoyed riding it around Oxford. This is the way to cycle around this beautiful city – not on drop handlebars looking at all the potholes and state of the roads, but nice and slow – admiring the wonderful architecture.

The cheap tyres will be more prone to punctures, but apart from that the brakes work fine and there is not too much maintenance needed.

Would I Buy It?

I don’t think I could bring myself to spend so little on a bike. I couldn’t justify buying a bike when I’ve bought a saddle for twice the price.

Who Would Buy It?

Students wanting a cheap bike to ride within the Oxford ring road, and not particularly worried about it rusting away at the end of their three years at University.

Alternatives

It unfortunately reminds you of the Ammaco bikes from Cycle King. At least the Raleigh Oxford only has one gear so you don’t have to deal with the clunky 18 speed gear mechanism made out of plastic (OK, it’s not made out of plastic, but it looks like it is)

Is This A Good Marketing Strategy for Raleigh?

I tried to look at the Raleigh website for more technical specifications on the bike. I noticed there was no mention of this one speed delight. It even made me think perhaps some Chinese manufacturer slipped the Raleigh name on its bike and hoped no-one would notice.

Well, I can’t imagine BMW bringing out a three-wheelered version to appeal to the motorist who only wants to pay £1,000 for a new car. But, this is not cars, it’s bicycles and we all know a surprisingly large amount of people really think you should be able to get a bike for less than £100.

Overall,

Well it does what is says on the tin. It’s cheap, and if you want to ride it 2 miles around Oxford, you’ll have a great time. Unfortunately, I won’t be doing a long term test on the bike. But, I do see many versions of this bike locked up around town.

A well used Oxford Raleigh.
The handlebars seem to rust, but it doesn’t stop it working. If you want a single speed under £170 it’s probably great value.

Related

A similar price bracket is the Raleigh Urban – £179. This has 18 gears and is like a mountain bike based on AIRlite Aluminium frame

single speed bikes

Trek Equinox 9.9 SSL

A review of the Trek Equinox TT 9.9 SSL after 2 seasons of racing.

This is my new Carbon fibre bike frame. A bit different from most of the bikes pictured on this blog. The first thing that strikes you about the frame is well – it’s orange (remember that old advertising slogan by Orange mobiles – the future’s bright – the future’s orange) . I’ve started two races on this bike and at each start, the pusher offer has got me into a conversation about the orange colour. Just when you want to be most focused – you have to fight off their comments about being blinded by the colour – and explaining why at £500 off RRP, you can’t be too fussy about the colour.  I have a feeling it won’t be the last time I get quizzed on the start line. Anyway, the colour is growing on me and at the end of the day, it’s not the colour of a bike that determines its speed and ride quality. How does it actually ride?

Ride Quality

• Carbon fibre comfort. The first big difference is that this is my first carbon fibre bike. My previous bikes have been steel or aluminium. It seems all top end bikes are going down the carbon fibre route and after riding this it’s easy to see why. The two things I noticed from Carbon Fibre frame were:
• It is a smoother ride, Carbon fibre is good at absorbing the many bumps on British Roads.
• Power transfer. The frame is stiff and rigid. You feel that the maximum power stroke is transferred through the bike into the wheels.

Trek Equinox 9.9 SSL

• The frame is very good for optimising aerodynamic drag. Cables are internally routed. The frame is shaped to smooth the airflow around the bike. It is great to clean with a cloth because the surface is so smooth and seamlessly moulded together.
• Speed it is fast. I’ve recently set a pb of 49.35 for a 25 mile TT. That’s over 30mph. It performs well at speed.

Weight.

One thing about Carbon fibre TT frames is that they are often quite heavy. This Trek 9.9SSL is comparatively light. If you are looking for a lightweigh Carbon fibre bike, it is one of the best value bikes by quite a way. I did alot of research into other frames. But, I think Trek TT frames offer one of the best value for money.

The problem is that after going from a carbon fibre super aerodynamic bike to an ordinary aluminium road bike it’s a bit of let down. It just feels more sluggish and you miss the obvious speed of this bike.

On my bathroom scales with these wheels attached the bike came in at about 7.3KG, which is pretty good.

Note: I bought just the Trek Equinox 9.9 SSL frameset which includes, frame, fork and matching aero seat post. I transferred my wheels and Dura Ace groupset over from my old bike.

Performance on Cornering and Descents

During Circuit of the Dales on fast sweeping descent into Hawes.

I often ride hilly time trials and get the opportunity to descend at upto 50mph. It feels good on corners. It is responsive and no untoward movement. This rigidity gives confidence for fast descending.

Would I buy Again?

I’m definitely happy with the purchase. I think it’s excellent value. However, I am tempted by some other time trial bikes on the market, such as the new Chris Boardman TT series. I like the idea of the brakes being hidden behind the forks.

• I bought from Evans Cycles
• Time trial bikes