160km journey on a bike that costs less than the £100 train ticket. Is the saving worth it?

Travelling by train can be an expensive business, especially if you’re based in the UK. A ticket from Cheltenham Spa in the West of England to London for instance, can cost as much as £108.40 one way if bought on the day of travel. Travelling by bike on the other hand, is free. And even if you don’t own a bike, maybe it's possible to get one for less than the price of the equivalent train ticket and cover that distance? This is exactly the sort of question Hank likes to try and answer, so when he had an important date with his girlfriend 160km away in London, he decided it was the ideal opportunity to test it out. When will he ever learn…?

The bike for the job – a 1980s Team ANC-Halfords replica Peugeot

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The bike: a retro Peugeot road bike

This is the type of bike that was common in the 1980s. Steel frame with down tube friction shifters – this one is a replica of those used by the 1987 ANC-Halfords team. The internal rear brake cable routing suggests this isn't totally bottom of the range. Although it is nearly 40-years-old so has definitely seen better days. Maybe you owned something like this back in the 80s or have you still got one sitting at the back of the garage or shed somewhere, we’d love to hear about it in the comments below.

Hank got hold of this one for £85 but what would that actually translate to in terms of comfort and speed?

The route Hank takes starts in Cheltenham. Travelling east he heads through the Cotswolds towards the famous university town of Oxford. From there he follows a route to Marlow before entering London at Ealing. It’s a fairly flat route that if he’d gone by train would take 2 hrs and 8 mins. On a good day, Hank thinks he can do 100 miles in about 5 hrs, but that’s usually on a more comfortable, modern bike and without the stress of having to be at his destination for a very specific time.

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The route: from the west of England to the capital

So the question is can Hank make it and what sort of state will he be in for his date in London? With skinny bars, dodgy UK pot-holed roads and a continually dropping seat post to contend with, this ride may not be as enjoyable as he imagined. Watch the video to find out how he gets on and let us know if there's anything else you'd like to see Hank attempt in future, so we don't have to!

You can read more about our challenges and adventures in our dedicated Lifestyle section.

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