I’ve got a belt drive Canyon commuter. I think i’ve made the belt skip once (at the top of Anerley Hill, in traffic, and it was bloody scary – only just stayed on). Otherwise it’s been fine.

A clean, maintenance free chain is a good addition to a Dutch bike – like that Kalkhoff – as oiling the chain is probably the maintenance they require. As a daily, all weather, commuter it does need doing more than you think and it does make a load of parts of the bike dirty.

Belt life – too early to say for me but what sort of mileage is she going to do? 25 miles a week is different to 100 miles a week (in terms of how many years the belt will last). I’m guessing if it’s a few years of life it’s fine.

You’ve not told us your budget, so it’s still difficult for the rest of us to suggest possible bikes to consider.

If you are looking for a second hand bike that is only a few hundred pounds but which is also an absolute bargain, then you are probably simply not going to have the luxury of being very particular about the specification, unless you are prepared to wait and watch ebay etc. until the right bike comes up.

If you can afford to buy new, then it’s arguably the case that commuting bikes under £1,000 offer some of the best value for money of any bikes, because it is such a highly competitive market for manufacturers around that price point.

The only way to find out would be to ask her, but that would spoil the surprise. I’m not saying I shouldn’t do that though.

If an absolute bargain comes up on ebay and it’s the right size and ticks enough boxes, then it’s probably safe to buy it as a surprise on the basis that if she did not like it, you could sell it without losing much. Otherwise I would not surprise her: much of the pleasure in buying a bike (or anything for that matter) is in the anticipation – thinking about different bikes, what we like and don’t like, reading reviews, looking at them on websites and in the shop and going for test rides, so why deny her that pleasure as well?

The weight issue is as much about handling the bike while not riding it. She struggles with it when the garage is full and she has to get it out from behind mine (and we will be moving house soon and don’t know what the bikes storage situation will be like), to get it in/on the car if I pick her up from somewhere for example, or putting in friend’s yards or hallways when we’re visiting.

I see a different and better solution to this problem – ensure that her bike is always readily and easily accessible in the garage. So you put your bike behind hers. Similarly, you put it in or on the car if you are picking her up. Incidentally, I think the ‘leaned over stack of bikes in the garage scenario’ is an example of where a stand like those fitted to most dutch bikes scores: if you’ve got enough space for it, the bike is ready to go straight away.

With regard to proprietary parts, I don’t think it’s an issue for standard commuter bikes (with the exception ironically of belt drives, where I presume you are locked in to the Gates or Continental systems).

Within reason bike weight is irrelevant unless you have to lift it over gates or fences

Not for the reasons I outlined in my previous post (apologies if they crossed).

You’ve not told us your budget, so it’s still difficult for the rest of us to suggest possible bikes to consider.

I’m not really looking for suggestions for specific bikes, because as we’ve both said, it’s going to be limited to what’s on offer second-hand, but I was thinking of a budget of around £300. I realise I’m going to have to get fairly lucky to get something decent for that sort of money, but there’s no real rush.

thinking about different bikes, what we like and don’t like, reading reviews, looking at them on websites and in the shop and going for test rides, so why deny her that pleasure as well

This is the bit my partner hates about buying anything! (I do too with certain things, though not bikes, obviously.) She nearly had a mental breakdown trying to navigate the world of sat-nav marketing recently.

I see a different and better solution to this problem – ensure that her bike is always readily and easily accessible in the garage.

This reminds me of those funny extracts you read from 1930s housekeeping manuals: “When your husband returns from work, make sure his tea is on the table”, etc. 😀 (though I admit, I have painted a rather stereotypical image of our relationship on this thread).

I’m not always going to be with her – she needs to be able to handle her own bike easily.

I do appreciate all the contributions on this thread. I’m leaning more towards the Dutch style bike which wasn’t something I’d given serious thought to before. It’s needs a bit more consideration though, and, maybe, some discussion.

You might find it worthwhile to read through this thread.

Given your budget, how about this bike which is mentioned in that thread and costs £370? I don’t know how local Decathlon are for you or whether they will do test rides, but it’s got Nexus 7 speed, dynamo, stand, chain case etc. etc. The downside is it’s 19kg, but you are unlikely to find significantly better second hand unless you are very lucky or wait a long time.

I would much rather buy a hub geared bike from new, because it’s impossible to see what condition the gears are in on a second hand bike: there are plenty of photographs on the internet of the innards of hub gears which are in a terrible state due to neglect, water ingress and rust.

Some of the Danish brands offer simple stuff that may be slightly lighter. 7 speed Nexus (also on that Decathlon) are very reliable. Roller cam brakes NEVER have worn out pads and and no dirty brake dust (but they can be rattly on bumpy roads).

https://www.cykelshoppen.dk/dame-cykler/10702-centurion-ultimate-edition-lady-205-7-gear-2017.html#/34-farve-Sort

Saw a woman with one of these on the train tonight. Looked fairly decent.