giant scr 2.0 for year round commuting

ris

apologies for being so slow witted as to post a commuting and giant scr question, i've read lots of very interesting ones on here already!

i am considering getting a giant scr 2.0 through the cyclescam for commuting between chippenham and bath along the a4. for those who know the road it has a fair bit of up, some down and all on some wonderfully shoddy tarmac.

i've done the route a few times on my arnimal joey sport to break up the tedium of the train/bike commute and enjoyed it enough to think about making it a fixture of my week.

if i have a concern it is the road quality (complete rubbish in places) and the suitability of the bike for winter conditions. i don't mind getting wet but would prefer not to be skidding around all over the shop or knackering up bis of a bike that isn't really desinged for that job.

would any giant or road bike users and commuters be kind enough to offer up their experience?

ta

Belv

I don't know the road, but fit cyclocross tyres if the surface is has broken up. Skidding around wont happen with any half-decent tyre on smooth tarmac, but if the surface has broken up then the tread will help grip. As long as they fit, go wider than standard to offer better cushioning too.
This is just my opinion, but i don't think road bikes are half as fragile as people assume: think Paris-Roubaix.

ris

thanks for the suggestions, belv.

the road is pretty poor down box hill (a couple of miles long) and for a mile or so coming toward batheaston, the surface is badly broken, rutted and potholed. it's a real shame as it is a nice, downhill run! i'm running panaracer pasela's on the airnimal which i think are 28mm wide.

beefing the tyres up is a good idea, but i had wondered whether it would be worth going the whole way and going for a cyclocross bike instead. it seems a bit daft to do that for the sake of a few bits of ropey tarmac though - as you say, the bike probably isn't that fragile.

Anonymous

Hi ris,

My honourable colleague/riding machine Jeff pointed me to a route from Chippenham to Bath which avoids the A4 and is fine without beefing your tyres up or getting a CX bike.

I did the route myself on a CX bike, but soon changed to full slicks. Once you're out of the traffic it's a very pleasant route. I just haven't had the balls to do the way back yet...

Here's the route:
http://www.bikeradar.com/routes/?bpath= ... am-to-Bath

Matthew

ris

i had been given vague directions for this route but not understood it properly, i think that i can navigate it better from a proper map. thank you for the link.

i don't find slogging up box hill all that bad, even on a wide stepped 8-speed like the joey. it does get a bit boring, though. i shall look forward to trying the back way, especially if it is smoother tarmac.

from the sound of it the cyclocross bike is a bit too much of an off-road animal for me, i've no intention of chugging it on mud (yet). i shall go and try the giant on the weekend, with any luck i will enjoy the ride, if not there is always a trek, or spesh, or even a kona jake.

Belv

Kona Jake IS a cyclocross bike!
Also Specialized Tricross has some fans, more now it has mini-V brakes rather than canti's.

ris

i had sort of realised my contradiction after i posted it... silly boy...!

i do find the idea of a cross appealing but in my heart i know that the bike i buy needs to do the job i am asking of it, not a different one entirely.

Anonymous

It will do the job if you get a cross bike - just slap some slicks on there when you know you're going to be sticking to the roads for a while. Then if you fancy going on the cycle path to Avebury of a weekend, for example, you can put the knobblies on.

sparkit

I use a Giant OCR for commuting all year. Rough tarmac shouldn't be a problem at all. I have clearance for 25s.

Great bikes.

dan1w

I took a Giant SCR 1.0 (same frame, but 105 gearing) out for a test ride today after noticing it on the way out of the bike shop. The convenient mudguard and rack bosses interested me.

Now I'm looking for a steel bike as I have a very harsh aluminium at the moment. The SCR being aluminium I took it over as many bumps as I could and it was a lot more comfortable than my current bike, also a very good spec for the money although I thought the frame was quite heavy. It was ofcourse no where near as comfortable as the Dawes Galaxy I test rode before it, nor did it have as many spokes that would help with lugging panniers, but then it was faster. I'd say it could take reasonably crappy roads without causing you too much discomfort or breaking to pieces, but then you'll find that out when you test one, not a bad bike at all.

alfablue

Consider posting details of the potholes on Fill That Hole - it reports them to the authorities for repair. I had some success (eventually) with a large crater on that road. It also means that should you come a cropper (hopefully not) you have a very good case if they failed to repair it.

ris

thanks for all the useful comments and suggestions. i went to a lbs this morning to try out an scr but they didn't have a frame in my size (most likley a med / 50cm frame), across all the giants they had!

it looks like i shall have to wait until the '09 range is released to try and possibly order the bike. i did try a large framed fixie and it was rather nice, if odd being so far forward and narrow in hand spacing. it did at least suggest that a large frame was a bit on the big side (reach and frame height).

ho hum... i hope i can be patient... otherwise i can see wiggle and a focus ergo getting some cash!

meanwhile

Belv wrote:

I don't know the road, but fit cyclocross tyres if the surface is has broken up.

NO0000!

Cross tyres are designed to dig into soft surfaces. If the road is hard but rough, cross tyres are the worst thing to use - the protrusions will reduce contact and bend at critical moments. Go for a wider tyre made of a grippier compound. Knobbly tyres also have cornering characteristics that can make them lethal on the road - they're very skid prone. Take a look at http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tyres.html

(Big issue for me; I was almost killed once by an idiot trying to ride fast with trail tyres on the road. We'd come out of Marble Arch and were racing down Knightsbridge when we went around a corner and his bike began to "walk" sideways.)

phillarrow

Thanks for that last comment Meanwhile. I have recently got back into cycling and have begun commuting to work so am looking to change my bike. After lengthy research I had settled on either a compact road bike or a cyclo cross bike, with the poor surface of my commute being the main reason for considering cyclo cross. I was very much leaning towards this believing it to be the better option for a very amateur cyclist on poor roads but your post has given me real food for thought. All I've got to do now is to finally persuade my employer to go for the Cycle to Work scheme as they've been dragging their heels on it for a while now.

ris

this afternoon was not the time to find that the poor road quality has aided the airnimal in throwing 2 rear spokes. time to drop it into the lbs, and perhaps redouble the effort in looking for a roadie.

meanwhile

phillarrow wrote:

Thanks for that last comment Meanwhile. I have recently got back into cycling and have begun commuting to work so am looking to change my bike. After lengthy research I had settled on either a compact road bike or a cyclo cross bike, with the poor surface of my commute being the main reason for considering cyclo cross..

Cross bikes are terrific; they're not restricted to cross tyres. Or vv. However, cross bikes do tend to be expensive. What you really need is any 700c bike with decent brakes that will let you fit 38mm tyres (real 38s like Marathons, not silly we can't measure our tyres 38s!) or virtually any good 26 inch hard tail MTB or hybrid.

If you want to ride a bike in winter, look for the ability to take fenders and disc brakes. £200-£300 will get you something tolerable. The best deal I've seen (I mention this one over and over) is the Edinburgh Bike Co-op Courier series. Check for tyre and fender compatibility, and that the 8 speed gear range is enough for your route.

Getting a new cross bike that's significantly better than a 'brid will probably cost you about £700-£1000. The Specialized Tricross has a great rep as a fun general purpose bike. Again, check for fenderness, etc.

Gr.uB

The road condition can't be any worse than elsewhere in Wiltshire. Dodge the worst of it if at all possible and use the SCR 2.0. I commute on a steel Thorn Brevet in the wet months as it has eyelets for full guards, but in the warmer / drier months I use my TCR.
Better wheels and tyres will make all the difference. Road tyres, not Cx.
Consider looking for a better route, it is always possible but may add a bit of distance.
My quickest route is 17 miles to work but that takes me along a very dangerous stretch of fast road where 3 or more car drivers have killed themselves this year already.
I avoid it like the plague so add an extra 6 miles by diverting along back roads.

ris

thanks gr.ub, it's a very good suggestion. i think when i get sorted with a new bike of whatever sort i shall give serious consideration to the back way kindly suggested by m.cole, particularly if the tarmac is better and the traffic is a little lighter / slower.

i'm already wondering if i should upgrade the wheels on whatever i get at point of purchase, a few extra bob at the start might save a lot of headaches later on.


edit for poor use of tags...

Gr.uB

I rode on my original OCR4 supplied wheels for the first 6 months or maybe more, and they went out of true several times. I then upgraded to Mavic Cosmics and never looked back. I'd say give it a go to start with as that bike will come with entry level wheels ( it is quite normal to provide only the most average of wheels on a bike at that price point ) unless you have a really good relationship with your LBS and they are prepared to upgrade for you.