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I'm currently in Finland, I got a bit of cash and I want to buy a bicycle because the one I had blew up and it wasn't exactly mine anyway; now I have never in my life bought a bicycle, or anything similar, I don't know brands or anything.

My question is, should I buy a new one or an used better one? which one? I plan to use to commute everywhere, most way are streets, some other ways are dirt pathways, sometimes both are covered by ice, sometimes snow, and sometimes an insane amount of small rocks. That's why the previous one got completely wrecked.

Any advice?

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Most of the sidewalk has this texture

enter image description here

that's to avoid people falling when there's a layer of ice. Sometimes it is completely covered by ice enter image description here very slippery, and machines remove snow from the ways you use to commute and travel so 5 cm of snow is the most even if everything else is covered on a meter of snow; a lot of people don't use bikes on winter, but I'm crazy so... but anyway it's the little rocks that represent a problem, some of them are pointy.

My budget, it's hard to explain, I have around 500 to 1000 eur to say, biking has been my primary transport mechanism after walking, so I want something that resists; however I'm worried what would I do if I have to leave the country.

Criggie
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Onza
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  • I don't understand how small rocks "wrecked" the previous one. Its always an option to unwreck the previous bike, and make it less susceptible to damage from the conditions. Could you use Edit to expand on this point? – Criggie May 02 '17 at 07:43
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    The used bike part is covered by https://bicycles.stackexchange.com/questions/743/what-should-i-look-for-when-buying-a-used-bicycle – Criggie May 02 '17 at 07:44
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    Buy used. Test ride first. Any sort of homely looking bike should be fine -- just make sure the shifters and brakes work reasonably well. Look for tires around 50mm wide. Avoid bikes with too many shiny bits, and those with rear suspension. Set aside enough money for a tire pump and helmet. – Daniel R Hicks May 02 '17 at 11:41
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    Also, when checking out a bike grab the wheels and shake side-to-side on the axle, checking for "play" (looseness) in the bearings. Do the same with the crank, checking not only for bearing play, but also for looseness between the crank arms and the crank shaft. Play in the wheel bearings can usually be fixed, but play in the crank is often fatal. – Daniel R Hicks May 02 '17 at 11:44
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    Without intending to sound offensive, those are totally flat paths and would not wreck a bike in any significant way. I suspect your first bike was poorly maintained and it may have been damaged before you got it. based on the pictures, you'll want a rigid commuter bike with ice stud tyres in winter and normal smoothish tyres for summer. – Criggie May 03 '17 at 00:11
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    @DanielRHicks "Comments are not for short answers" or something like that. Other than that, good advice. – Nobody May 03 '17 at 19:46
  • Please explain what your concern is regarding possibly leaving the country. Do you mean, how would you take it with you, or what? – aparente001 May 04 '17 at 05:29
  • @nobody sometimes I throw in a short answer in a comment because I don't have time to flesh it out. Someone else can take the point and grow it, if they choose. Also comments accrue no points for the poster. – Criggie May 04 '17 at 06:41
  • @Criggie I have no idea why that would be offensive, yes indeed the bike was already wrecked when I got it, laying outside for two winters, the owner abandoned it so I took it; I was surprised it worked. – Onza May 04 '17 at 07:56
  • @aparente001 well I just mean about transporting if I ever have to leave the country, I'm worried if I have to leave it behind. – Onza May 04 '17 at 07:57
  • @Criggie the small rocks are pointy so sometimes they can go through the tire if not being careful, just like it happened before to me; now the ice cannot wreck the tire but it can wreck me (my balance); I mean the tire should work to some degree on ice/snow. – Onza May 04 '17 at 07:58
  • Small rocks as used in foot paths will not go through a tyre unless its bald to the point of being paper-thin. This is a sealed pathway for walking, and there are generally a requirement for smoothness. Anything rocks sharp enough to damage a tyre would be equally bad on feet even in shoes. Most likely you've ridden over glass or potholes and punctured that way without realising. As for transport, bikes are just like furniture. You can shift them by movers, or you can box and freight them, or you can fly them as checked luggage. Or ride them to your new country :) – Criggie May 04 '17 at 09:33
  • @Criggie Yeah, sure. It's just that on most SE networks, this is frowned-upon or even deleted (not by me). – Nobody May 04 '17 at 13:18
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    @Criggie "small rocks" OP talks about are crushed stone, about as sharp as broken glass, colloiqually known as killer gravel or sword gravel. It cuts easily through thin tires and gets lodged in and slowly works its way through thick puncture protection. It also cuts shoe soles and would be quite unhealthy to walk in barefooted. – ojs May 04 '17 at 19:02
  • @ojs thank you - I can't imagine what crazy council loon thought to coat a pathway with glass-sharp rocks. That's ludicrous! Puncture resistant wider tyres are about the only option left then. Or ride on the road instead of this path. – Criggie May 04 '17 at 20:46
  • They are not all sharp thu, only some of them are but if you hit one of those then you are doomed, but it's indeed crushed stone; and well it's better for them to have broken tires than elderly people falling and breaking their hips, they cover like the entire country pathways on that thing and collect it on summer. But I can in fact ride in the road, when there are too many in the pathways. – Onza May 05 '17 at 07:52
  • It's by far the cheapest option. Helsinki alone uses about 33000 tons of the stuff every year, so price matters. It's also claimed that the crushed rock has more grip than natural gravel or sand. – ojs May 05 '17 at 17:43
  • @Onza - I don't think you should let that influence your choice. Take a look at https://bicycles.stackexchange.com/a/4812/20805. If you want more detail you can ask. But basically you take a couple of key things apart and use a special box. Transporting a bike while moving house is quite doable. – aparente001 May 05 '17 at 22:57

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You're not a total noob, you have ridden the first bike and know what you like and don't like about it.

I'm unfamiliar with the weather in Finland, but I guess winter means snow. How deep a snow would you ride through before its too much ?

Your budget will determine whether new or used - anything new with a price tag under ~$500-600 USD will be a BSO, and while that might be okay, they're not built for lots of riding.

If your budget was $500, I'd spend $100-$250 on a nice tidy used bike, and use the rest for lights, helmet, vest, etc. Save any leftover for repairs.

If your budget was $1000 I'd go for a new commuter bike (a rigid MTB with no suspension) with bigger wide tyres for $600-$900. If snow and ice is a significant part of winter, then consider spending some of the difference on some studded snow tyres, and keep your smoother commuter road tyres for summer. Also, you'll need a helmet vest and lights.

A Yowie is also good for cold weather riding, as are gloves and overshoes. You may have some of this already.

Criggie
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  • How much would it cost to fix tires so I can take the decision later?... with more time, once I get the thumbs up for my work permit. My current bike is destroyed brakes are broken and the change gear is broken making the pedals hard as hell, but I can still can keep pulling it if the tires worked... or can I drive it with the tires broken?... – Onza May 02 '17 at 09:15
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    @Onza tires are totally replaceable and cost something between €10 and €40 per tire depending on how much you want to spend on quality. Read http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html before spending money or asking a new question. You really should learn to change them yourself. Studded tires for winter are a really good idea. – ojs May 02 '17 at 16:05
  • hah thankis I actually fixed them with glue... :D so I can take more time to take my decision. – Onza May 03 '17 at 08:58
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I would go for a trekking or gravel bike; it's flexible and you let you refine your style (more road, more unpaved) later. A trekking bike can be more practical, gravel more sporty.

Because of the weather I'd strongly suggest an internal hub, which let you completely cover the chain and avoid mechanicals from grit and salt. For the same reason, fenders are a must.

Also, a hub dynamo is a must if you regularly ride in the dark and don't want to think every time about bringing/charging lights.

Disc brakes are a bit better in bad weather, but it's not a strong requirement. Only consider that if you can afford a good frame and components first.

I'd choose tires in the range 40..50 mm, using one of those design that are more smooth in the centre but knobby on the edges (fast on road, but useable on snow/ground).

Used or new, it's too dependent on your ability to see an old bike condition and what the local market offers, both in terms of new and used bikes, and warranty.

Hint: keep an eye on which bikes other riders in your area are using!

kiwi
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  • They usually use more mountain bike related; and I've seen a lot of insanely wide tires. Also a lot of dirt motorbikes. – Onza May 02 '17 at 10:39
  • How would I recognize a old bike condition...? :( – Onza May 02 '17 at 10:39
  • @Onza read the link in the second comment under your answer. There are a heap of great answers already on the site, and bike advice doesn't go off very quickly. – Criggie May 03 '17 at 00:15
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I you are going to be relying on your bike for transport to work, you should have at least 2 available to ride. You should know what size seat tube you like, watch craigslist/ebay for 80's steel road bikes, decent enough stuff is usually, $120-400. Look for fender clearance gaps around the brakes. Have opinions on hand reach and back bend, road/hybrid/mountain, shocks, ride a bunch and budget for some Continental folding road tires for when it's nice out. Thin tires and wheels can cut into the snow surprisingly well.

I am 5'11 180lbs 37 years old, I dig 56cm race (tight geometry no fender gap) steel frames built with whatever parts and nice hand strung wheels that can be swapped around I have about 3-400 in each of my bikes and they are very reliable and strong. I would avoid carbon as it is expensive, not as durable and everything is odd sizes. Lotta nice parts on Ebay.

PleaseDaddyNo
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    Thin tyres on snow are fine for a small depth of fresh snow, but a decent depth is less good. Plus thin tyres are no good on ice which is specified in the question. – Criggie May 03 '17 at 02:12
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    Also, there's no Craiglist or eBay in Finland (tori.fi and huuto.net are roughly equivalent). Or that many 80s road bikes that haven't already been turned into fixies. – ojs May 04 '17 at 19:07