Bike for C2C/daily commute?

gruffy

I have a Marin Rocky Ridge, which I love dearly, ride whenever I can off road, and have been using, in the absence of anything else to commute my 7 mile daily round trip. This wasn't right, but given the short distance and the "training" effect, I've stuck it out.

I have, however, been roped into the coast to coast bike ride. I was pricing up tyres, wheels, brake discs and the rest of it to do the c2c on the Marin, and it just got very silly, very fast - and it is, clearly, the wrong bike for the trip. As a result, I'm looking for a bike which will be capable of 30 odd miles a week and the c2c.

I was thinking about a fixie/single speed, which would be fun for the daily commute (which is all paved and largely flatish) but I don't fancy tackling the c2c without gears.

So.... I'm not sold on anything much at all apart from the idea of a new bike for a short commute and the c2c. I'm not set on drop bars, road bikes, hybrids, steel, alu, big wheels, skinny gears, brands, new, second hand, anything, don't care, an open mind. The only proviso is that it's under £300 and shouldn't break down too much!

I need your help!

Thanks all

G

lost_in_thought

Hey Gruffy, and welcome!

From the above, it definitely sounds like you need a drop bar road bike. Drop bars give you lots of hand positions which can be a godsend on a long ride, and allow your arms and shoulders to be aligned more naturally.

As for the road bike, well, they're not called a road bike for nothing!

The £300, on the other hand, that's more tricky.

Just from Google Shopping, there's these:

http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Claud%20Butler- ... _25194.htm
http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Dawes-Giro-200- ... _25014.htm

But both appear to have downtube shifters, which you don't really want because they're a pain...

But, for just £50 more, what about this:

http://s233299868.e-shop.info/shop/arti ... -Bike.html

It's got sora, which is better than you'd expect, with shifters on the bars, and formula hubs which are really nice (I have them on my SS).

And with a 50/39 you'll be flying up any hills you meet on the C2C!

gruffy

Thanks for the welcome and the response, lovely to be here

Right, so drop bars are a must... no worries; I'll adjust and be grateful of the benefits

If the choice is so restrictive at my price point, could it be worth me looking second hand, and if so, what are the basics I should be looking for, and the pitfalls to avoid?

Sorry for the vast and vague nature of the questioning, but all my mates know loads about mountain bikes, and chuff all about anything else! So I've gained loads of know-how through osmosis about mtb stuff, and have no clue about road bike groupsets or frames, or wheels... it's like starting again with my bike knowledge!

Did check out the sora stuff on the shimano website though, and it looks well sexy!

G

lost_in_thought

It could well be worth looking second hand, Ebay is a good place to look, as are the classifieds in the bikeradar forums.

Basics, well, the most important thing is for it to fit you. I'd get yourself to a good bike shop (try to avoid halfords if you can) and get some advice from its owner - it's tricky to give online, you see. Once you've got an idea of frame size, try to ride a variety of bikes.

Coming from an MTB background, and looking to do a long distance ride, you'd probably be looking for a more comfortable tourer-style or audax bike rather than an all-out racer, that way the position will take less getting used to. But get to your LBS and try some out, depending on whether you're leggy or long in the torso you might prefer something different.

Do take them out for test rides for as long as you can - a 15 minute ride is often not that useful.

Once you've found one that fits, find out what its geometry is. You could do this with a measuring tape, or go online to the manufacturer's site, or to a shop that sells it online and you'll find a geometry table.

What you're then looking to do is match that geometry in a second hand bike as closely as possible. Don't be afraid to ask!

Other than that, I'd try to avoid downtube shifters, as I've mentioned, they're a pain! Also, from an MTB background you'd probably be happier with spinnier gears - shoot for a 'compact'. The rest can be dealt with.

gruffy

:O

Thank you so much... That was stupendously sensible advice, just what I was looking for...

On it

Stuey01

Whatever you get make sure you train on it first before doing your long ride. I got my first roadie recently after being a mtb'er for years. The first few rides f'ing caned my lower back. Now I am used to the position I am comfortable for however long.

landrew

Hi Gruffy

You will need to compromise somewhere in your bike choice . It looks like you could get away with a road bike with skinny tyres for your daily commute but you will need something with wider tyres for the c2c as there are some off road sections on the route. There are some steep hills as well so you need a bike with the gears that can cope with these.

You will also have to consider what luggage you are talikg with you on the c2c and how you are going to carry it.

A tourer would be ideal - I use one on my daily commute and am very happy with it. However as LIT said with a budget of £300 you will probably have to buy second hand.

I did the c2c last year and really enjoyed it.