Hello Commuters!!

The Northern Monkey

I'm a n00b to the side of the bike radar forums, so hello.

Basically, I've been commuting for the past 6-8weeks on my HT Trail bike (GT XCR) and have been finding it tough going with it being quite heavy, having XC tyres and terrible gearing for road use.

I'm currently building a custom spec HT for trails and freeride, so i've started to think about selling the GT and getting a specific commuter/roadie type bike for my commute instead... Budget around £500 depending on how much the GT sells for.

I've been looking at the Boardman bikes (2009) and am tempted by 2 or 3 different types, and was wondering if there were any opinions on them.

For starters, i don't know wether i'd be more suited to the "hybrid" or the "road" style after only ever riding MTB's.

The ones i'm interested in are:

hybrid
Comp (possibly Team)

Road
Comp SC (Fixed/Freewheel)
Comp.

I really like the idea of the fixed Comp SC, i went to look at one today. I'm just apprehensive about the riding and brake position...looks like a death trap!!

cheers for any help/input/ideas on other bikes.
B

lost_in_thought

Hello there!

I'd definitely go for a roadie. You sound like you're an advanced rider, or a very adept user of baffling initials, so you'll get used to it very quickly.

Buy a hybrid and you'll no doubt end up buying a roadie in a few months time becuase you're frustrated at being overtaken and not having the most efficient set-up.

I thought roadies looked horrendous at first, but the reality is that people ride road bikes on the road for a reason - they're the best tool for the job.

As for as SS versus gears, how far and how hilly is your commute?

I will refrain from advising on qhat bike to pick, there are many people on here better placed to do that.

The Northern Monkey

lost_in_thought

Cheers for the reply.

I'm guess i'm a...modest average rider

You've hit the nail on the head though, i'm pretty sure i would regret getting the hybrid.. looking at them today didn't really excite me.. but i liked the road style.

My commute isn't hilly at all (or far if i'm honest) i can get it done on my MTB in around 15 mins, but I want to be able to do a decent "lap" of a different longer route as i'm wanting to increase my fitness level.

I've never had any experience with road bikes which is why the range of bikes i know about is pretty narrow..
B

Rich158

Go for the road bike. I was in exactly you position in the summer, I've ridden MTB's for years and was pretty nervous about getting a road bike after being used to 40lb DH bike with v relaxed geometry, so a hybrid looked a tempting option. In the end I went for a road bike, and to be honest after 2 or 3 rides had got used to the position, and now change between the two with little difficulty.

The trouble is once you get used to the speeds you can hit on the road, you want to go faster and further, then the bug bites and you start doing longer rides and possibly the odd sportive, and if your stuck with a hybrid you'll only regret it.

il_principe

Given you're looking at the Boardman range I'm guessing you've visited Halfords? Word of advice - do not buy a roadbike from that bunch of useless monkeys. Find a proper bike shop and purchase from there or if you know what sizing you need/want then there are some bargains online.

But yeah, go for a roadbike and if it's just for commuting then go SS/Fixed there's no need for gears in London. There's plenty of choice @ £500. At the risk of sounding like a broken record the Pearson Touche is an excellent SS/Fixed bike and the Focus range from Wiggle have some excellent value roadbikes.

The Northern Monkey

jashburnham wrote:

Given you're looking at the Boardman range I'm guessing you've visited Halfords? Word of advice - do not buy a roadbike from that bunch of useless monkeys. Find a proper bike shop and purchase from there or if you know what sizing you need/want then there are some bargains online.

But yeah, go for a roadbike and if it's just for commuting then go SS/Fixed there's no need for gears in London. There's plenty of choice @ £500. At the risk of sounding like a broken record the Pearson Touche is an excellent SS/Fixed bike and the Focus range from Wiggle have some excellent value roadbikes.

No offense but that is a bit of a useless stereotype... I've bought my last 3 bikes from Halfords and had no problems whatsoever. They're friendlier, and admittedly most halfords don't employ people with much experience (the one by me is one of the exceptions) but I find them much more inviting than LBS's. With regards to them building bikes, the only turn the bars and slap pedals on...something i'd check/alter myself before i rode it - no matter where i bought it from.


Anyways... i'll have a look at the focus range now.. the only problem is that i wont be able to try-before-I-buy, which is something i'd definitely want to do.

il_principe

bigbenj_08 wrote:

jashburnham wrote:

Given you're looking at the Boardman range I'm guessing you've visited Halfords? Word of advice - do not buy a roadbike from that bunch of useless monkeys. Find a proper bike shop and purchase from there or if you know what sizing you need/want then there are some bargains online.

But yeah, go for a roadbike and if it's just for commuting then go SS/Fixed there's no need for gears in London. There's plenty of choice @ £500. At the risk of sounding like a broken record the Pearson Touche is an excellent SS/Fixed bike and the Focus range from Wiggle have some excellent value roadbikes.

No offense but that is a bit of a useless stereotype... I've bought my last 3 bikes from Halfords and had no problems whatsoever. They're friendlier, and admittedly most halfords don't employ people with much experience (the one by me is one of the exceptions) but I find them much more inviting than LBS's. With regards to them building bikes, the only turn the bars and slap pedals on...something i'd check/alter myself before i rode it - no matter where i bought it from.


Anyways... i'll have a look at the focus range now.. the only problem is that i wont be able to try-before-I-buy, which is something i'd definitely want to do.

Do a little search on here and you'll soon build up a picture. Is your experience of them limited to buying MTB's though. I'd just suggest that if you are after a roadie you venture into a roadie friendly LBS - there are plenty in London and they'll probably love nothing more than to help an MTB'er turn from the Dark Side!

The Northern Monkey

Fair enough. I've been to my local roadie shop and the only sell trek bikes, which all seem to be quite heavily priced, and nothing has really "stood out".

What things should i be looking at with regards of a road bike? I would really like to try a fixed bike over a geared one, i doubt i'd have much use for gears (i only switch between 2 cogs on the back of my HT due to the gearing being always ever so slightly to easy or way too hard).

B

il_principe

bigbenj_08 wrote:

Fair enough. I've been to my local roadie shop and the only sell trek bikes, which all seem to be quite heavily priced, and nothing has really "stood out".

Trek - Bleurgh. I can see why nothing stood out. Nothing wrong with Trek but they've never caught my eye!

bigbenj_08 wrote:

What things should i be looking at with regards of a road bike? I would really like to try a fixed bike over a geared one, i doubt i'd have much use for gears (i only switch between 2 cogs on the back of my HT due to the gearing being always ever so slightly to easy or way too hard).

Hard to say really, there's so much choice and a lot comes down to personal preference.
General rule of thumb is go for the best frame you can afford, go for a mid level groupset - ie Shimano 105 eg Campagnolo Centaur. I'd recommend a compact chainset over a triple or a double. If a carbon frame is beyond budget then at least go for carbon forks/seatpost. This way you can then upgrade the other bhits as and when. Normally starting with wheels and tires. If you're only using 2 gears though then just go SS/Fixed - Specialized Langster, Pearson Touche, Giant Bowery, Charge Plug, Fuji Track there's a load of choice. Perhaps make a trip to some other roadie orientated shops and get a feel for things?

The Northern Monkey

jashburnham
Cheer for the help

Gonna go have a look at all the suggested bikes and i'll probably come back with numerous questions yet again

The Northern Monkey

Now this looks nice
Specialized Langster Monaco or Specialized Langster


out of interest... i'm a good 6ft2 so what sizes would i be looking at? i'm not sure if the stance on a road bike is similar to MTB's with a guide of around 2 inches of room between the toptube and crotch:)

il_principe

bigbenj_08 wrote:

Now this looks nice
Specialized Langster Monaco or Specialized Langster


out of interest... i'm a good 6ft2 so what sizes would i be looking at? i'm not sure if the stance on a road bike is similar to MTB's with a guide of around 2 inches of room between the toptube and crotch:)

To each their own. Langsters are supposed to be pretty good, I don't like the looks or the geometry but I know plenty do.

Some reviews of various SS/Fixed here: [/img]http://www.pearsoncycles.co.uk/images/CYP188.bs_bike1.pdf

When I bought my Touche I rang the guys at Pearson and gave them my measurements - they sorted the rest and were spot on. They also specced the rest of the bike up to my requirements - v flexible like that and something the likes of Evans are less hot on!

The Northern Monkey

I don't really understand anything to do with geometry, which is why i need to sit on some bikes.
I'm just looking at finishing parts and the looks

always_tyred

bigbenj_08 wrote:

I don't really understand anything to do with geometry, which is why i need to sit on some bikes.
I'm just looking at finishing parts and the looks

For your height, you will be looking at a 58cm to 60cm frame, I would guess. There's no substitute for sitting on a bike to get a feel. It is also sometimes tricky with a complete bike to match up your leg length requirements (which primarily determines frame size) and your reach requirements (stem length and angle) so don't be stunned if you need to refine the bike position after purchase or even get spacers or a replacement stem.

The distadvantage of Halfords is that you won't be able to switch out parts to that end, whereas at a bike shop its far far more likely that they won't let you leave until you've got a bike that fits.

Beware misleading frame sizes - sloping or semi sloping frames are sometimes given in s/m/l/xl and so on, in which case the geometry tables usually give an effective frame size, but are sometimes given in actual seat tube length, which is of course distorted by the slope of the top tube.

As a rule, the horizontal top tube measurement, or even the actual top tube measurement, is as near as damn it the effective traditional frame size.

But again, look closely at the geometry tables to make sure you are looking at centre to centre measurements. centre - to -top or centre - to -seat collar measurements are not comparable and again, very unhelpful.

Boardman are going to be stunning value, but there is still a stigma against the brand name, if brands mean anything to you. If you think Trek are expensive, then Boardman might be your only option, since Trek are also pretty good value!!

Have you looked at Focus bikes? They can only be found at Wiggle, but are legendary value.

Mmmm, what else..... oh, don't worry too much about geometry. Almost all off the peg bikes use innocuous geometries, 73 degrees head/seat tube plus or minus a little. If they are mass market bikes, they won't have wide variations from this because that would make their handling unsuitable for the general user that they are aimed at.

chromehoof

Before jumping in and getting a road bike, consider the length of your commute and the types of roads you commute on. A road bike would be completely unsuitable for me as some of the road surfaces are pretty bad. A lot of digging and resurfacing lends to very uneven road surfaces, which would really take it out on road wheels.

Road bikes can't really take wear and tear like that as well as hybrids. You may find you puncture more. Also, in my experience, if you cycle in areas that have heavy motorised traffic, flat bars are far more suitable than drops. The more upright position gives me more confidence in those kinds of situations than a road bike would (I have brought in the road bike to work when the hybrid is out of action).

If you do go for a road bike, an entry level would be fine. My first road bike was a standard Giant TCR2 on tiagra. I've bought a carbon since, but still love that old Giant (its now my winter road bike). I don't see why you need to splash out more cash on something that it better than you need it to be.

Someone mentioned Focus here. Also have a look at the canyon range (www.canyon.com), and if you can find Felt or Kellys stockists, check them out too. You're more likely to get a more competitively priced bike in those brands than you would in a better known brand.

Also, I'd have no problem with Halfords or the boardman range either. Beyond the frame everything else will be from other manufacturers anyway, so I can't see how people can knock them like they do.

bug-off

I think that the term hybrid/commuter covers quite a large range of bikes and can be misleading if they are seen as a group like road bikes. Some are more like MTB type machines slimmed down, whilst others are more like road bikes with flat bars.

I'm now on the second Spesh Sirrus and find that going through Clapham and around the Wandsworth one-way out towards Richmond requires a lot of old-school hand signals to get across multiple lanes, so sitting upright is a big plus. In fact I would go as far as saying that I usually see the roadies sitting up on most of the route as solid queues and parked cars favours the extra height.

I would also recommend going to sit on the bikes (even if you buy online). I originally went to buy a Trek, and found that once I did a trial ride that the setup just didn't suit and I wouldn't have known that without testing it. I have been tempted to go for a roadie, but as I'm using the Sirrus as transport and not for sport it suits me in the traffic.

cjcp

bigbenj_08 wrote:

My commute isn't hilly at all (or far if i'm honest) i can get it done on my MTB in around 15 mins, but I want to be able to do a decent "lap" of a different longer route as i'm wanting to increase my fitness level.

Ben - welcome to the party!

I can't see the point in SS. On my road bike, I can limit my use of gears on the road bike for the commute through Richmond Park into the Big Smoke. However, if I want to do a hillier loop on the way home (say, up Nightingale Lane - kicks up to 18% - or hill reps in the Park), I have the option of using my gears. At the moment, I'm on my MTB and whilst I'm working hard to keep up with SS bikes at times (spinning just as much as them), I'm getting a good workout doing so, more so than I would on a SS.

Therefore, if you don't want to use your mtb and you want to expand your commute into the hillier sections close to home, gears will provide that flexibility. It's also a very short step from there to the stuff Rich was talking about above.

As chromehoof says, look for lesser known brands - they also have smaller advertising budgets to account for in the price of their bikes.

I think there's a road bike shop on the approach (from Twickenham, it would be on the left) to Richmond Bridge. Can't remember the name though, so it might be the one you're talking about. There's also Prologue Bikes in Sheen.

The Northern Monkey

Awesome, thanks for al your replies. Its really given my things to think about now

The roads around here (twickenham area) aren't too bad, and when i get home they are pertectly straight and flat.
I've still got the idea of a hybrid in my mind, just incase i really don't like the feel/position of a full on roadie, but i think thats what i'm swaying towards.

I'm gonna pop down Evans Cycles to see what they have in the shop for me to sit on and i'm going to go back to halfords to have another look at the boardmans.

what sort of weights am i to be expecting for a bike within my budget? I've read that a lot of the "budget" bikes are quite heavy at around 21-22lbs...which isn't much lower than my MTB!!

Sewinman

There are two bike shops in Twickers - one by the M&S and another around the corner towards the train station. I would go and have a good chat with both of them and try a few things out.

p.s. get a road bike.

The Northern Monkey

cjcp
I'd totally forgotten about richmond park... how dull am I! That brings quite a few questions in mind!
I take it it would be pretty tough going on a SS round Richmond Park? (annoying because i've always wanted to do a lap round there).
I think i know which shop you mean, i've never been there myself but have been warned about hefty price tags..could be rubbish though, i'll need to check it out myself..

The Northern Monkey

Sewinman wrote:

There are two bike shops in Twickers - one by the M&S and another around the corner towards the train station. I would go and have a good chat with both of them and try a few things out.

p.s. get a road bike.

Theres an M+S is twickenham?

Sewinman

bigbenj_08 wrote:

Sewinman wrote:

There are two bike shops in Twickers - one by the M&S and another around the corner towards the train station. I would go and have a good chat with both of them and try a few things out.

p.s. get a road bike.

Theres an M+S is twickenham?

Yeah, a little one. Opposite 'Len Malts' sports shop - there is a big bike shop just along a bit.

c12345

I would really recommend going the e-bay route first. Unless you have access to a cycle2Work scheme, then your money goes a lot further second hand. It gives you a chance to learn, make mistakes, and it gives you a winter hack / shopping bike when you decide to upgrade to some wisp of carbon in the future (you will).

A 14 speed 10 year old steel framed dynatech eg:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Raleigh-Dyna-tech ... 240%3A1318
will do you no harm at all, and it'll give the guys on the shiney new focuses something to think about as you whip past removing their scalp in the process...

Thats what I did anyway, and I've got no regrets.

The Northern Monkey

Sewinman wrote:

bigbenj_08 wrote:

Sewinman wrote:

There are two bike shops in Twickers - one by the M&S and another around the corner towards the train station. I would go and have a good chat with both of them and try a few things out.

p.s. get a road bike.

Theres an M+S is twickenham?

Yeah, a little one. Opposite 'Len Malts' sports shop - there is a big bike shop just along a bit.

Ah ok, cant believe i've never noticed it! i suppose i dont really stop in twickenham much though.

Sucks that i have to bus/walk to any shops...already had a bike pinched and i dont ever want to leave another one around

wgwarburton

Hi,
Note that a "Road Bike" is often taken to mean a "racing bike", which isn't necessarily ideal for commuting.
There are road bikes available which are built for the long haul without the design compromises that you get from catering for off-road use. A good touring or Audax bike will likely be a better commuting steed than either a lightweight racer or ATB.

Part of the problem is that bikes are often designed as sports equipment, not as transport. A good commuting bike should be built for durability and comfort on road.

A road-racer may be fragile, twitchy and have a riding position that favours aerodynamics over comfort and visibility.

An ATB (and many hybrids) may be heavy and overequipped for road use, and often forces you into a (fixed) riding position that makes keeping up a decent turn of speed very hard work.

Look (and ask!) for a road bike with sensible tyres (25-32mm), clearance for mudguards, mounts for racks and drop handlebars. It should be sturdy enough to carry a load occasionally and reliable enough for daily use. A bike like this will easily take you onto towpaths, bike paths and other flattish unsurfaced routes- you don't need a mountain bike (or even a hybrid) for those.
Whether or not you fit racks etc. isn't the point. The bike should be designed for people who might! Similarly, don't ignore the speed issue- an ATB is designed to be ridden slowly up and fast down steep, rough ground. In neither case do the aerodynamics matter much. When you are trying to get to work and integrate with traffic they do: In town, traffic will often be doing around 15-20mph. If you can hack along comfortably at this pace you ARE traffic- much safer than grinding along at 10mph being pushed into the gutter and cut up at junctions. This is much easier to do on a light, aero road bike than a hybrid or ATB.

Cheers,
W.

vorsprung

chromehoof wrote:

Road bikes can't really take wear and tear like that as well as hybrids. You may find you puncture more.
.

Only if you have a road bike or tyres made of cheese
I'm sure my road bikes can take more wear and tear than the average BSO hybrid

The Northern Monkey

c12345 wrote:

I would really recommend going the e-bay route first. Unless you have access to a cycle2Work scheme, then your money goes a lot further second hand. It gives you a chance to learn, make mistakes, and it gives you a winter hack / shopping bike when you decide to upgrade to some wisp of carbon in the future (you will).

A 14 speed 10 year old steel framed dynatech eg:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Raleigh-Dyna-tech ... 240%3A1318
will do you no harm at all, and it'll give the guys on the shiney new focuses something to think about as you whip past removing their scalp in the process...

Thats what I did anyway, and I've got no regrets.

Unfortunately, there i no cycle2work for university I have looked at second hand, but i have no other transport to go pick a bike up, and I really like new toys

on-oneplus26

Seeing as you are handy with spanners this is a killer price.

Flat bared road bike perfect for the MTBer dabbling with the dark side of cycling.

http://www.planet-x-warehouse.co.uk/aca ... __399.html

The Northern Monkey

on-oneplus26
Thats a pretty different concept. However, i think i'd like one ready made up...with building my current bike, i dont really have the space or time to put another together.



If i got back to saying i stil like the look of the Spech Langster (2008) £370 from evans, what are peoples views?

cjcp

Benj - as Jash said, it's each to their own as one bike which appeals to one may not appeal to another. Take one for a test ride and see if it's for you, but take others for a ride too, so that you have something to compare it against.

lost_in_thought

bigbenj_08 wrote:

cjcp
I'd totally forgotten about richmond park... how dull am I! That brings quite a few questions in mind!
I take it it would be pretty tough going on a SS round Richmond Park? (annoying because i've always wanted to do a lap round there).

I've done the easy way round it on a FG with a GI of 88-ish a few times now. It's tough, yes, but do-able.