Daily Office Commute Bike Suggestions? Deals? Discounted Items?

Lmy2cnts on 03/03/2018 - 13:56
Last edited 03/03/2018 - 14:46 by 1 other user

Mates! looking for suggestions for a few bikes to choose from for daily office commute. Office is around 4-5kms, so usually it would be around 12kms per day. Might use it in city here and there over the weekends.

Do not want to spend much as I just moved here 2 months back and may move again in a year or 2. Just looking for a general purpose cheap bike, possibly around $500(the cheaper the better/sale/deal/discounted item).

Idea came from the time taken by colleagues around 20mins to reach the office on bikes from similar distances and my commute took 40-50mins including 1km walk and a tram change from each side + I can own the bike for 2-3 months of commute expenses + Daily exercise benefits.

Also, I am 5'10 and weight around 96kgs. Any suggestions on bike size would be really helpful. I have ridden bikes for over 10 years until college, so I was pretty used to it, just need to get back to it.

Things to keep in mind and product links are highly appreciated. Store suggestions as well(around Melbourne CBD but happy to ride home on a new bike even if the store is far) ;)

Thanks in advance and have a great weekend! Cheers!

Sports & Outdoors Bicycle Commute Cycling

Comments

  • Diji1 on 03/03/2018 - 14:04
    +1

    Mountain bike with thin tires.

  • oscargamer on 03/03/2018 - 14:19
    +1

    Reid Cycles

    There is a store on Victoria St, near the market.

    https://www.reidcycles.com.au/bikes/hybrid-commuter-bikes.ht…

    Basic bikes but they do the job. Had my Condor flat thing for 4 years. Tiny bits of rust on the spokes, but only cost me 2 tyres so far.

  • johnno07 on 03/03/2018 - 15:08
    +4

    Plenty of good second hand bikes on gumtree/facebook for that price point. Bonus is that you skip most of the depreciation if you on-sell it down the track.

  • iforgotmysocks on 03/03/2018 - 15:54

    Ninja 300/400, CB/CBR 300/500 etc.

    • Outlaw on 03/03/2018 - 22:27

      Harleys are better.

      • iforgotmysocks on 04/03/2018 - 01:16

        Hayabusa or nothing

      • Euphemistic on 04/03/2018 - 07:22
        +1

        Harley’s are better at making a astatement. They are not better at anything else, like going around corners or being reliable.

  • Outlaw on 03/03/2018 - 17:24

    I'd get a Harley-Davidson Sportser. It should easily cover that distance in 5-10 minutes without breaking the law. Your going to need more than $500 though.

  • Euphemistic on 03/03/2018 - 22:03
    +1

    How flat is the ride? If it is pretty flat you could probably get away with a single speed bike to keep the costs right down.

    Look on gumtree for a well known bike shop brand and you will likely find something that hasn’t been ridden much for under $300. I’d suggest a flat bar road bike or a hybrid style bike for commuting. A mountain bike will be ok for your short distance, but it will be a little slower. In reality 4-5km isn’t long and pretty much any bike will do the job.

    I can comfortably do 6.5km to work in 20min, often down to 15min on various types of bike. The fastest is a road bike, the most consistent times are on a fixed gear bike and the most fun is on a mountain bike. It al depends on what else you want to do with your bike.

    Don’t forget if you do start cycle commuting you will need to leave some cool down time before a shower before work. It adds an extra 5-10min onto my commute for cooling time, or I just keep on sweating after the shower.

  • Quantumcat on 04/03/2018 - 09:13
    +1

    I got a vita specialized for $300 second hand and love it. It has thin tires, weighs very little (I can pick it up with index finger and thumb with no problem). Has lots of gears - about 12 on one side and 2 on the other. I did end up paying $250 for a service and getting a basket installed. So I guess you have to take that into consideration when buying a second hand bike. The bike shop said they sell something similar for about $1200 so I feel like I got a good deal. I have the same sort of commute as you (around 4.5km each way, short sections of hills, mainly flat). I'm 5'11" and weigh around 100kg (was around 115 before I started riding though!)

    • Euphemistic on 04/03/2018 - 20:55

      Count the rear cogs, highly unlikely to be 12 on the back. Probably more likely 10 or possibly 11 if it is pretty new and originally high spec.

      12spd is pretty much confined to high end mountain bikes so far.

      • Quantumcat on 04/03/2018 - 22:03

        You're probably right, I don't know much about bikes :-) It doesn't have a dial like the bike I had as a kid so was only guessing. Should have thought to count the cogs.

        • Euphemistic on 04/03/2018 - 22:10
          +1

          Ha ha. Should have added, sounds like a great bike though and a good price to boot…. and good on you for dropping the weight and cycling to work.

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