Time to get serious

TJW100

I’m about to bite the bullet and buy my first proper road bike in the next week or two. Up until now I’ve commuted about 8 miles to work on a basic old Specialized Sirrus hybrid bike but I’d like something a bit more serious.
I plan to continue commuting on the new bike during winter (at least a couple of times a week whilst it's not too bad) as well as going on longer rides at the weekends.
I’ll be utilising the ‘ride to work’ scheme so I have £1000 to spend which, having read other threads, would put me into Focus Cayo territory.

My question concerns it’s suitability for this task. Being carbon is it ok to ride through winter? I obviously can’t guarantee it’s not going to rain and my route along the A40 is hardly silky smooth tarmac.
I’ve lived without mud guards on the Sirrus so that doesn’t bother me but is the bike suitable or should I be looking at other manufacturers/frame materials?

Any advice would be well received.
Thanks,
Tom

thedaffodilfish

TJW100 wrote:

I plan to continue commuting on the new bike during winter (at least a couple of times a week whilst it's not too bad) as well as going on longer rides at the weekends

Hi Tom, I have a Specialized Sirrus too which I recently partnered with a Focus Cayo. Personally I keep the Sirrus for commuting, esp in Winter - the sirrus takes mudguards and it's old enough for me not to worry too much about road grit. You still have to clean it after a ride, but I wouldn't fancy taking my Cayo out on the wet icy grit laden roads.

Road bike for weekends/after work
Flatbar for commuting/atrocious weather

Perhaps you'd be better off looking for a roadie with mudguard clearance? I think Specialized do a "cyclocross" or something? Can't recall at the moment. Anyway, I've been out in the wet & mud on my Cayo a couple of times and it wasn't very happy.

Cheers
Stephen

chuckcork

Definitely would suggest mudguards for a bike for winter commuting. Bad enough riding in the rain, but water/much thrown up by your tyres will make you wetter faster and won't help with keeping the crud out of your bike bits, so you'll be cleaning that bit more often.

Easy to say you won't ride it in the rain, but the weather doesn't know it is supposed to change suddenly...

gabriel959

I would say keep your Sirrus as commuting bike, may be a rejuvenation with new wheels and tyres and stuff like that but get a nice 1k bike.