I hate cycling. Pls talk to me about getting a bike.

[HollywentLightly]

I am not a fan of cycling in any form but for practical reasons a bicycle commute will make life much, much easier for the next year or so. I will be cycling on suburban roads/cycle paths, max 15km at a time, no real hills but a few slow, steady inclines. I was hoping dd's old bike would do me but she has suddenly rekindled her interest and to be honest, it's probably too small for me to use regularly anyway.

Could anyone suggest where to start looking, brands, styles, etc? I'm 5ft 2 and my brain can't compute how gears work (honestly, I get the theory but it fails me completely as soon as I'm pedalling). Dh has suggested an electric bike but I resent paying that much for something I resent. Yes, i know I'm being very childish about all of this.

I’m sorry to say this but since you’re admitting to hating cycling, I would absolutely not start cycling now with winter around the corner. You won’t last, OP.
Start next spring and take your time researching and getting confident on a bike. I’m a decades long, all weather cyclist and for your own safety, I would advise you to get past winter first. You’ll be more confident by next winter if you start in spring/summer.

My bikes are always Gazelle. Beautiful commuter bikes that never wobble and literally glide with minimal peddling. I don’t use e-bikes so can’t comment on those.

In terms of panniers to carry your stuff, you can't beat Ortlieb. Waterproof and bombproof.

I would also look at hybrids and potentially an electric bike for that distance. I would look to get a bike rack fitted and to get paniers. Also getting some good (high vis and reflective) waterproofs including trousers. I was a reluctant cyclist but love it now. I am no longer at the mercy of either public transport or the traffic.

If you have bike storage I would get a commuter hybrid, chunky tires but gears for road use. Mountain bikes don’t have the gears for the flat.
Agree don’t ride in the winter, we’ve had too many icy crashes.
I don’t have proper storage so have a folding Raleigh e-bike, I’m not keen on the heaviness and the e part but I can get it out of the house and it really helps on steep hills and we have taken it on holiday - though Welsh hills defeated it- and you could easily do 15km.

Lots of advice, thank you all! Unfortunately cycling is the only practical way for the next few months. Everything else gets complicated quickly and public transport would add at least 30 mins. I'm reasonably fit in that I run 5k a couple of times a week in all weather so hopefully I'll be OK for stamina and the new office has a shower room when I arrive. Most days will be closer to 10km, but once I week I'll have a pick up detour that will bring it closer to 15k. I have lots of hi vis gear from running and the school cycle with the kids so I'll absolutely be using that, but I will need to invest in panniers and better water proofs. I naively thought a good backpack would suffice. I'll head to the local bike shop and see what they suggest for a hybrid, and maybe even some battery assistance.

Thanks everyone!

I like cycling, have three bikes, and used to commute 15k. I had a hybrid which I mainly needed because the route was quite hilly. Before that, I lived in a city where my route only really had one hill in it, and I had a traditional shopper type bike with a 3-speed hub gear, and I would say it was very easy to ride. The difference in gearing is that with a hub gear you change gears while you're stationery, and with a derailleur you change gears while you're moving. I had to change bikes for the more undulating route because the hub gear basically had settings for 'steep hill' or 'no hill', and no nuance. But if your route is primarily flat you might prefer it.

However, as you don't like cycling, and it is 10-15k in winter, I agree with those saying to get an e-bike. A colleague of mine who was not a cyclist now commutes 15k with an e-bike and I honestly don't think she would still be doing it if she'd had a normal bike.

ah, the good old bikes with the 3 gears: tailwind, headwind and 'shit I'm late'

Are you eligible for the Cycle to Work scheme through work? I'm not, but my husband has saved lots of money through it. You can also use it to buy accessories such as cycle clothing and lights.
If you end up needing to buy outer layers, Decathlon is a pretty good bet. Also the provis website is worth a quick look - they've got some mega bargains in the clearance section at the moment. Me and my teens just got cycling jackets for about £20 each! We've had pro vis jackets before and they've not lasted as long as some other brands - but for £20, I'm not so bothered if they only last two or three years.
It would probably be worth picking your neighbour's brains a bit more - if she has a favourite bike shop to recommend, then she probably has lots of other helpful knowledge and guidance.
Good luck. I hope you will be won over! 😁

Definitely don’t get a mountain bike, wide tyres and knobbly tyres will make for a higher rolling resistance. Hybrid would be perfect, something like a Liv Alight. I’ve commuted a similar distance on one for years and am the same height, you’d need an xs in Liv bikes. Don’t be fooled into getting a cheap, heavy bike it will be miserable. But you also don’t need expensive carbon fibre.

I actually electrified my non electric bike with a Swytch kit.

Hi Op.

I can see that you've had good advice already but I wanted to say that I thought I hated cycling..

It turns out that I'd had cheap, heavy, steel framed bikes.

I was fitted out with a hybrid Specialized bike and the difference was incredible.

I went from hating cycling to loving it!

Also, don't fall into the newbie trap (like me) of thinking a thicker/squishier saddle brings extra comfort. We need a bit of cushioning but not too much.

Severe asthmatic here who had given up cycling because it was just too hard. I walked into a bike shop and asked them to point me to a bike that would do the work for me. I ended up with a Cube hybrid bike with a step through frame. Best thing I've ever bought and worth every penny. I love cycling now and look forward to going out on it. I get to feel smug at all the suckers in their cars stuck in traffic.

Two tips:

• the saddles that come with bikes are always crap. Buy the comfiest saddle you can afford to replace it.
• Find out if your workplace does the cycle to work scheme. You can get quite a big discount and pay for your bike in installments on the scheme.