The Lucky 7 most important features of commuting bike

bigmat

On the flat v drops issue, I find flats better as you are more upright and have a better hold of the brakes. On a road bike if you are on the tops / hoods you really don't have that great control of the brakes. You are also a lot more stretched unless you get an upright touring / sportive (?) geometry. I guess you could get the extension levers for the tops as a compromise.

I'm idealistically opposed to road bikes with flat bars though, which is why I have a road bike (or two) for Sunday best and a cheapo MTB for the weekly commute - has lasted me 17 years to date and is utterly bombproof.

bigmat

.. forgot to add, has to be spd's (or Time equivalent) for commuting surely? Easier to walk in at start and finish of ride, also able to push yourself forward through stationary lanes of traffic etc without destroying your cleats, and double sided so way easier to clip in when moving away from junctions. Roadie type systems are a liability in traffic in my experience...

edhornby

As a mancunian commuter myself, here's my 2p worth....

I have 2 bikes, an MTB (carrera fury, knobblies and front sus) and a fixed gear with 700c, 23mm tyres, and a 46x16 gear - drop bars and one front brake
I commute the 3 and a bit miles from Prestwich into Manchester and back again (through cheetham hill and up to heaton park)

I do this mostly on my fixed gear and I have no issues with either the hill on the way home or the busy traffic on the way in (and on the way home depending on time of the journey)
However as the fixed is having the frame powder coat resprayed I've been using the fuy and I'm thinking about getting slick tyres to make it more bearable - I'm really looking forward to getting back on the road bike !!!
I reckon that the reduced maintenance and the weight reduction that goes with no gears offset the lack of ratios when you get to the hilly bits.

oh yeah, mtb style SPDs on both bikes as well, winner

fairweatherbiker

I want a bike that allows me get to a speed where I canflow with the traffic

Can anyone do this - What speed are you expecting to go on a bike. I know traffic may be slow in places - but as soon as the buggers (cars) get some room they'll accelerate to 30/40, Clarkson style, just to get past you, then waste it all braking at the next lights -
I guess my average speed commuting is around 10/12 mph. - 6 miles in 30 minutes on a good day - best is 25 minutes, its all on urban roads.

biondino

On a road bike if you are on the tops / hoods you really don't have that great control of the brakes.

See, I don't get this. Tops - sure, assuming you don't have interrupter brakes (I do on my Trek, they're great). But hoods? I don't even have big hands but I find I get all the braking performance I could need, comfortably and conveniently, from the hoods. Even on the Trek, which has big, bulky Tiagra shifters, it's absolutely fine.

Also - don't forget that the higher up you sit, the more wind resistance you'll encounter. So there really is a payoff - if you're a pootler, by all means go for comfort as you won't often be going fast enough for the wind to make a big difference. If you prefer to commute at pace - say 18mph+ cruising speed - then you'll be better off with a lower, racier position that cuts much more easily through the air.

don_don

fairweatherbiker wrote:

I want a bike that allows me get to a speed where I canflow with the traffic

A VFR 600 should do the trick

don_don

biondino wrote:

On a road bike if you are on the tops / hoods you really don't have that great control of the brakes.

See, I don't get this. Tops - sure, assuming you don't have interrupter brakes (I do on my Trek, they're great). But hoods? I don't even have big hands but I find I get all the braking performance I could need, comfortably and conveniently, from the hoods. Even on the Trek, which has big, bulky Tiagra shifters, it's absolutely fine.

+1

Might say more about MH's brakes than anything - new pads and cables needed? Coming originally from an MTB background, I'm always impressed by how good a well set up pair of road brakes can be. Conversely, a poor set-up or worn cables can ruin things completely.

bomberesque

I have a Cotic road rat with Alfine / drop bars and disc brakes. Works for me. I have complete braking control from on top of the hoods, mostly because the discs are able ot overcome the contact patch so easily. Single finger braking on a road bike; who'd have ever though you need it? Plus no degradation of braking power in the wet / snow etc

Alfine (8sp hub gear) is a super commuting solution. Straight chainline means almost as maintainance free as a single speed. Completely silent in operation aswell. Is faff to get a working drop bar shifting solution though and, frankly, unless you're used to drops or want them for a reasoin (my commute is very windy for example) then flats or euro-touring style butterfly bars will give you a lot more component options.

if your commute isn't too hilly then weight really won't be much of an issue and a curved steel fork is nice and comfy, strong as hell and cheaper than a carbone one. I use an Identity Tuning fork, which has the brake studs in the wrong place for 700c but of course the discs neatly avoid that issue. plus everyone wants to nick something with shiny carbon on it.

Other things to think about;

Full mudguards (don't leave home without them) SKS are the best.
A proper rack (50kg+ load cap so you can give the mrs a backie down the pub) can be faff to fit around discs if you go for those though
A proper saddle (I got a Brookes B17. oooooh so comfy)
Good lights (I have a 1W LED up front and a 2 euro bolt on back light, both run from a hub dynamo. Bloody mint and no need to worry about batteries. ever.)

tiny_pens

+ 1 for full length mudguards.

Clip on mudguards are nice if you want to be courteous to the other people you are riding with by not showering them with kak but full guards protect your own bike.

They'll stop the road grime being flung onto your chain/derailliers and stop it being flung up into the fork race. Essential if you are lazy and wish to commute year round.

I'd also suggest 2 pairs of wheels. A nice fast pair for summer use and then the original wheels for winter use. Gives you the whole summer to rebuild the winter wheels after a seasons worth of grit off the roads has worked its way into the hubs. Also handy for those - I'm sure I didn't have a puncture last night and I don't have time to fix it now moments - in the morning as well.

My final suggestion is good brake pads. I like salmon pads. I'd like to have discs but I really like drop bars and I can't justify getting a new set of hand built summer wheels with disc hubs when I my current ones are in such good condition.

Tiny

bigmat

Could be right about my dodgy brakes! IME You don't get as good a hold on road brakes from the hoods though- you need to be on the drops for them to really work their best. Not always an issue but it can be when its wet / on a steep descent. These are all just my experiences btw, everyone has different preferences, just sharing what works for me in response to the original question.

wantaway

An extra pair of wheels? Not something I had thought of. Makes sense though as anything I can get at the same time as the bike should be able to be covered by the cyclescheme’s generous tax and repayment terms.

So I now have to choose extra wheels. This is all going to take a long time. I’m going to need and extra pencil.

Helmet, lights, jacket, lock, wheels, and mudguards, oh and a bike. I must not forget the bike. Today I favour some kind of cyclocross affair. Something like the Giant Tcx 2, If I got anything more expensive, then I would not be able to buy owt else.

cycledad2

do you want speed or reliability? See in Europe (germany\holland\ denmark ) folks would just buy a solid townie bike for that commute. Mudguards, dynamos, wheel guards, chain guards, hub gears, hub brakes, rear rack and basket, axa defender lock etc. Batavus, sparta, azor etc are your brands. £600 is your budget.

I've had a bike with most of this for about 2 years now and i smile at the days when i thought cycling was complicated and you had to wear special clothes.

That said i have an old steel drop bar dawes sardar which is an awesome commuter bike. Very rugged, a drop bar hybrid with some clever features. There is nothing on the market like this at the minute.

Ps ignore the twits saying roadie bikes arent fragile. They arent fragile if you dont carry any weight. But if you need to carry stuff or pick up some shopping or kids etc, the wheels are too weak and often the hubs. Spokes are your friends! Tourers are built for endurance and load carrying and therefore make very rugged commuters. There are a new breed of light day tourers around that make good fast day commuters.

wantaway

ah,Mr Cycledad, the problem is that I need a bike I can love and will say "ride me" when I look at it. I am shallow. I can't love a tourer. I won't last long commuting if it is not at least a bit fun. Also I don't need to carry much to work.

I went to my local bike shop and say the Giant defy 4. OK it is not the most high-spec bike but at a couple of hundred quid cheaper than the cyclocross stuff I was looking at abd would allow me enough money left over to up the spec where I feel it would be useful. like wheels. Having said that, they had an Obrea. which was lovely. it said love me. but there was no way of getting mud guards on and so it was a no. I still have to have some practicality.

Jay dubbleU

I find my bike is perfect for commuting and light trekking - its described as an urban MTB by Giant - I've added SCS mudguards and a rack and swapped the tyres for Schwalb Marathons but otherwise its as built - front ring 28-38-48 is very flexible and the bike is pretty light - I have to carry it up a flight of stairs at the end of the day - plus its anodised black and looks pretty cool 8)

wantaway

For what it is worth I'd like to let you kwow that I got my bike yesterday and that today was my first commute on a bike for a long long time. I loved it. Can't wait to cycle home.

Many thanks for all your input earlier this year. for a bunch of elitist muppets, you do well to cast so many pearls of wisdom in front of us swine. Much appreciated.

Christophe3967

wantaway wrote:

For what it is worth I'd like to let you kwow that I got my bike yesterday and that today was my first commute on a bike for a long long time. I loved it. Can't wait to cycle home.

Many thanks for all your input earlier this year. for a bunch of elitist muppets, you do well to cast so many pearls of wisdom in front of us swine. Much appreciated.

Excellent - and your timing is perfect. Have fun

Throlkim

What did you get, eh eh eh?

il_principe

cycledad2 wrote:

Ps ignore the twits saying roadie bikes arent fragile.

:shock:

cycledad2 wrote:

They arent fragile if you dont carry any weight. But if you need to carry stuff or pick up some shopping or kids etc, the wheels are too weak and often the hubs. Spokes are your friends! Tourers are built for endurance and load carrying and therefore make very rugged commuters. There are a new breed of light day tourers around that make good fast day commuters.

Erm, couple of things:

1: You say road bikes are fragile if you carry weight and then go on to talk about wheels. So that's the wheels, not the frame - and you can have v strong wheels built should you desire anyway.

2: Isn't a tourer a road bike anyway? Just a different type of road bike... i.e not a racer.

The OP isn't talking about lugging a trailer about/carrying kids etc - if he was I doubt we'd be recommending roadbikes.

Anywho, what did you end up with Wantaway? Hope you enjoy it!

roger_merriman

jashburnham wrote:

cycledad2 wrote:

Ps ignore the twits saying roadie bikes arent fragile.

:shock:

cycledad2 wrote:

They arent fragile if you dont carry any weight. But if you need to carry stuff or pick up some shopping or kids etc, the wheels are too weak and often the hubs. Spokes are your friends! Tourers are built for endurance and load carrying and therefore make very rugged commuters. There are a new breed of light day tourers around that make good fast day commuters.

Erm, couple of things:

1: You say road bikes are fragile if you carry weight and then go on to talk about wheels. So that's the wheels, not the frame - and you can have v strong wheels built should you desire anyway.

2: Isn't a tourer a road bike anyway? Just a different type of road bike... i.e not a racer.

The OP isn't talking about lugging a trailer about/carrying kids etc - if he was I doubt we'd be recommending roadbikes.

Anywho, what did you end up with Wantaway? Hope you enjoy it!

indeed i take my old road bike off road, nothing more than say park paths normally but even with 20mm tires all is fine, and i enjoy suprising MTB's in all their kit going on a park path.....

gtvlusso

1, Aero bars in a negative stem position.
2, 70 tooth chainset - no front mech
3, 5 way cassette - lightweight rear mech
4, High modulus carbon TT frame
5, SPD-SL pedals
6, Carbon disk wheels (front and rear - prefereable Zipp)
7, small piece of plastic for a seat

Oh hang on.....thats the least.

ylawayjdp

I find that you can take the best of both worlds. I have a 6 mile commuting route in London and about 6 months ago picked up a second hand One-one inbred ss rigid 29er. It is by far the best bike i have ever commuted on.

The 29 inch wheels roll over everything and though I have some pretty chunky rubber on them I have the psi up high to bet them to roll quicker. I run 44:17 and find that although the hills take a little bit of grunting at first they are now a piece of cake.

My problem is now I like the SS so much I now want to take it off road and maybe fit a 29" suspension fork to it. Though the point of buying the bike was to get one which wasn't eye candy to the scrotes in Whitechapel.

My recommendations are therefore
- 29 inch wheels
- Single speed
- ridgid steel frame
- clipless pedals
- Decent brakes for all the sharp stopping I need to do in London traffic
- unattractive to thieves - use electrical tape if needed to mask over the logos and make it look a little shit.

J

biondino

It's such a blessing thieves are too dumb to realise "if they're disguising the bike it must be worth a bob or two"

ylawayjdp

I think it's more that from a distance it looks shocking, so they pass on to the treks and the spesh next to it.

kildare

lost_in_thought wrote:

Welcome wantaway!

Well congratulations on hitting the nail so precisely on the head when it comes to hybrids, it makes it much easier to cross them off the list for you!

Your suspicions regarding mountain bikes are also correct... they're slower and less effective on the road than...............

A road bike!

Now, I can't say I agree that you should get a single speed if you're starting out and are used to the multi-geared world of the MTB.

A cross bike is a good idea, if you want to take it off-road which as an MTB-er you may. However, if you're purely on the road, then a proper road bike is best.

There's a common misconception that road bikes are delicate flowers that will break if you look to the wrong side. This is total rubbish, they are actually pretty damn durable. Also, people think that drop bars will be uncomfortable while the opposite is true - you have many more options for hand and wrist positions.

I would say the following 7 features:

1. drop bars
2. a good fit - worth perhaps getting fitted at a bike shop
3. decent tyres
4. good brake pads - coming from an MTB the braking on a roadie will not be as good
5. a good saddle - you may need to try a few
6. a solid set of wheels - ask the shop and then ask again here - they'd be the thing to go on a pothole.
7. That you like it! No point buying a bike you don't like to satisfy some other condition.

8) Must be able to fit mudguards. You will be commuting in Manchester therefore it will rain. A lot. Don't under estimate how much of a pain this is in terms of a soggy ars# and crud all over the bike. (You can fit raceblades to road bikes, these are cutaway mudguards if there is not enough clearance for full guards, but aren't as good).
David

salsajake

jashburnham wrote:

MatHammond wrote:

Very seldom get overtaken by roadies, and fixed / single speed are definitely slower - as soon as you hit a stretch where you can build up some speed (high gear) or a hill (low gear) you can eat them for breakfast even on an MTB.[/quote]

I smell a challenge. I've never been scalped by an MTB on my SS. Actually I've never been scalped by an MTB :shock: the shame would kill me!

reminds me of a mate from the Isle of Man, whilst climbing 'the mountain'. He is trundling away, having a quiet day when a mtb'er comes out a bridleway onto the side of the road and turns in behind me - says "do you mind I follow your wheel up the hill". John looks round, a bit disgusted, says "sure", then knocks it up about 3 gears, gets out of the saddle and sprints to the top of the mountain, nearly collapsing in the process but looking round and not even being able to see him. A brilliant mental image!

jimmypippa

A s you live in Manchester, I'd go for gears...

The pennines are close by, and if yoou decide to go for an afternoon/weekeng cycle ride, there will be a lot of hills within easy reach of you.

I added a mile and a half onto my commute this afternoon and this is what my route was like: (I commute into Stockport)



Gears are useful

craker

windbreaker wrote:

5) Cheap is good – I got mine for less than £200 – so you don’t worry about it. They are often reduced in sales – old stock etc so you don’t have to pay £292

+1 for cheap bike, less to worry about. I think diy, old or scrapheap bikes that really fly are great for this sort of thing. And it leaves you the cash for a proper bike to do off-roading or racing on.

[...]

windbreaker wrote:

7) Mine has rim brakes but I’d get discs – especially as I also tow a trailer with it.

beware I can't fit my trailer to my disked mtb, there's not enough room for the trailer clamp on the lhs chain stay.

jimmypippa

kildare wrote:

8) Must be able to fit mudguards. You will be commuting in Manchester therefore it will rain. A lot. Don't under estimate how much of a pain this is in terms of a soggy ars# and crud all over the bike. (You can fit raceblades to road bikes, these are cutaway mudguards if there is not enough clearance for full guards, but aren't as good).
David

Yup,

Mudguards make a huge difference.

jimmypippa

roger merriman wrote:

indeed i take my old road bike off road, nothing more than say park paths normally but even with 20mm tires all is fine, and i enjoy suprising MTB's in all their kit going on a park path.....

I have seen road (not cyclocross) bikes on a rougher road than the one that I just posted a picture of...

wantaway

oh and for the record I followed (some) of the advice and went for a road bike as I am commuting on the road. I got some gator skins (I wanted marathons but the mudgurads did not give me enough clearance). I also ended up getting some top-notch brake blocks and to be honest I can't see how disc brakes would give any better stopping distances. I also got me a jacket, bike tool, spare tubes, lock and helmet. oh an lights. so no more looking at bike-porn and aching after new stuff for at least 2 weeks

I never thought I'd end up with something with drop bars. Can't believe how much fun these are, I thought that I'd feel less confident on this in traffic as opposed to something a little more butch. However it is quite to opposite. something very reassuring about having the extra speed if you need it. It also feels solid and somehow seems better suited to riding in traffic. I know it is all about personal preference. However I am right. Well for me anyway