Recommended commuting bike please !

swayzak

Hi

I commute about 8 miles each way, road only & some hills.

Everyday come rain, sun or snow.

I have a nice Marin Nail Trail 2006 MB but am fed up with maintaining it as a commuting bike e.g. Hayes 9 disc brakes regularly need piston changes, replacing hub spindles (due to regular exposure to rain/dirt), cables etc etc.

I'm now exploring the idea of getting a dedicated hardy commuting bike - and have found a few interesting models

e.g.

http://www.dawescycles.com/p-131-mean-street.aspx

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... 65534#dtab


etc.

The hub gears / brakes sound interesting (and anything that eliminates or minimises maintanence is good with me !).

I like the fact that the Dawes has Shimano hydraulics (as these Hayes are notorious for piston replacements, whereas Shimano are supposed to be OK in this regard)

Are these good choices ?

If not, any other recommendations ?

thanks


swayzak

Canny Jock

My usual recommendation, something from Edinburgh Bicycles Courier range, especially at these sale prices.

http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/ebwPNLq ... 923c009316

An MTB frame with non-suspension fork, then choose single, 8 or 27 speed, or Nexus hub, rim or disk brakes, 26 or 700 wheels. All excellent value for money.

swayzak

Canny Jock wrote:

My usual recommendation, something from Edinburgh Bicycles Courier range, especially at these sale prices.

http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/ebwPNLq ... 923c009316

An MTB frame with non-suspension fork, then choose single, 8 or 27 speed, or Nexus hub, rim or disk brakes, 26 or 700 wheels. All excellent value for money.

Thanks

Any views on those bikes I saw ?

What about hub gears/brakes - are they really virtually maintanence free or can they be a pain as well ?

tiny_pens

I had a carrera 8 bike. Not a bad bike but fairly heavy and quite a dull ride. Yes it is lower maintenance but some of the simple things like removing the rear wheel take a little bit of practice (and about 15 minutes the first time you try it)

The hub brakes are virtually maintenance free but take a bit of getting used to as they feel spongy even when well set up. That said they have a consistent feel in the wet.

Reports on the web suggest that the hub gears are good for about 2 years or so between services - although it is suggested that the cost of paying to have the hub serviced at that time can be high if you don't service it yourself.

I sold mine before this and bought a second hand Kona Jake and haven't looked back since. With knobbly cyclocross tyres on it has coped with snow and ice admirably and it seems a lot faster with slick tyres on.

With a set of mudguards fitted to any geared bike the maintenance doesn't need to be too much more (because the guards stop a lot of the kak flicking onto the vulnerable bits of bike), you still need to lubricate bearings and chain even when you have hub gears so all you are saving is cleaning a few gears and wheel rims.

I would be careful about looking for low maintenance above looking at the ride quality as you may end up being disappointed in the long run.

il_principe

If you're doing road only then get a road or a CX bike. If you hunt around in the sales you could pick up one of either for around £500 and it'll be far more rewarding than either of the 2 you've mentioned.

Road



CX

amnezia

That dawes is a beast of a bike for commuting on. At 15 kg its heavier than your average hardtail mountain bike.

If you only commute on roads why don't you go for something lighter and faster?

swayzak

tiny_pens wrote:

I had a carrera 8 bike. Not a bad bike but fairly heavy and quite a dull ride. Yes it is lower maintenance but some of the simple things like removing the rear wheel take a little bit of practice (and about 15 minutes the first time you try it)

The hub brakes are virtually maintenance free but take a bit of getting used to as they feel spongy even when well set up. That said they have a consistent feel in the wet.

Reports on the web suggest that the hub gears are good for about 2 years or so between services - although it is suggested that the cost of paying to have the hub serviced at that time can be high if you don't service it yourself.

I sold mine before this and bought a second hand Kona Jake and haven't looked back since. With knobbly cyclocross tyres on it has coped with snow and ice admirably and it seems a lot faster with slick tyres on.

With a set of mudguards fitted to any geared bike the maintenance doesn't need to be too much more (because the guards stop a lot of the kak flicking onto the vulnerable bits of bike), you still need to lubricate bearings and chain even when you have hub gears so all you are saving is cleaning a few gears and wheel rims.

I would be careful about looking for low maintenance above looking at the ride quality as you may end up being disappointed in the long run.

Thankyou - that's very helpful.

I'll look into getting proper mudguards fitted to the Marin (not sure if it will take them though).

Actually my main gripes, in terms of the maintenance cost in this bike (which I otherwise love) are:

- bottom bracket & rear wheel hub spindle (or ? freewheel) which, because of cycling so much & in any weather, eventually get water in them & become noisy so need replacing/fixing

- Hayes 9 pistons (I was seriously thinking of replacing them with Shimano hydraulics)

I do some maintenance myself (mainly just regular cleaining (NOT jetwashing), lubricating, occasional brake pad change (including walking the pistons back in)

I have to thinking that I could save money (and hassle) in the long term by using a dedicated hardy commuting bike ie. one which can cope with all weathers and with minimal maintenance.

W1

Canny Jock wrote:

My usual recommendation, something from Edinburgh Bicycles Courier range, especially at these sale prices.

http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/ebwPNLq ... 923c009316

An MTB frame with non-suspension fork, then choose single, 8 or 27 speed, or Nexus hub, rim or disk brakes, 26 or 700 wheels. All excellent value for money.

Agreed, I have a Courier Race - for the money there's nothing better. It gets cleaned maybe once a month if it's lukcy and has generally been pretty reliable (although the PF got me last night).

swayzak

Il Principe wrote:

If you're doing road only then get a road or a CX bike. If you hunt around in the sales you could pick up one of either for around £500 and it'll be far more rewarding than either of the 2 you've mentioned.

Road



CX

I used to ride road/racerbike for many years (nothing fancy, just 2nd hand bikes, mostly at school / uni) before I moved over to MB's.

I saw MB's as more rugged/sturdy for day in day out commuting (weather, potholes etc.) and also got fed up with cantilever brakes (always having to sort out rubbing brake blocks etc., which I was never very good at) so fancied more "maintenance-free" disk brakes. Clearly the Hayes were a bit of a mistake in that regard !

prawny

I just use a road bike, it doesn't take a fat lot of maintenance.
Get some decent hubs and all should be well.
Freewheels die eventually but my last one (notoriously poorly sealed) lasted nearly 5000 miles without any attention.
If I was looking for a new commuter now, I'd be looking at a ribble winter trainer or a CX bike from the budget end. If I had more cash a Croix de fer or Kona Honky Inc.

Wallace1492

swayzak wrote:

Il Principe wrote:

If you're doing road only then get a road or a CX bike. If you hunt around in the sales you could pick up one of either for around £500 and it'll be far more rewarding than either of the 2 you've mentioned.

Road



CX

I used to ride road/racerbike for many years (nothing fancy, just 2nd hand bikes, mostly at school / uni) before I moved over to MB's.

I saw MB's as more rugged/sturdy for day in day out commuting (weather, potholes etc.) and also got fed up with cantilever brakes (always having to sort out rubbing brake blocks etc., which I was never very good at) so fancied more "maintenance-free" disk brakes. Clearly the Hayes were a bit of a mistake in that regard !

Talking of Hayes brakes, I have had no problems with mine till recently when I changed the pads. Not can't get the pistons back in and I am riding with the pads rubbing quite hard, dam hard work!! My choice is to keep doing this till pads wear down or replace brakes, as the pistons are probably knackered, and not worth the cost of replacing them.

prawny

swayzak wrote:

{snip}

fancied more "maintenance-free" disk brakes. Clearly the Hayes were a bit of a mistake in that regard !

What your budget?



£1100 though.

UndercoverElephant

First bike, the Dawes:

"Weight: 15.2kg" - Source, your link.

Second bike, the Halfords:

"An indicative weight of the Carrera Subway 8 Mens Town & Trail Bike is 14.4Kg" - Source Halfords.com

Neither bike is exactly lightweight, now, is it? If you have enough hills that you want gears, surely you should so yourself a favour and get something light?

For the same (ish) price, you could get an entry level road bike ( http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/ ... o-09-34691 ) which will make the miles go by so much better. (Approx weight 10.5 Kg).

swayzak

Wallace1492 wrote:

Talking of Hayes brakes, I have had no problems with mine till recently when I changed the pads. Not can't get the pistons back in and I am riding with the pads rubbing quite hard, dam hard work!! My choice is to keep doing this till pads wear down or replace brakes, as the pistons are probably knackered, and not worth the cost of replacing them.

I do around 60-70 miles a week.

Had Nail Trail since 2006.

Changed pistons 2 or 3 times (costs about £30-40 if I recall).

Rear brake is due for change soon, but thinking of replacing it with basic Shimanos. Discussed with several bike mechanics, one of whom reckons he can retire on the number of Hayes piston changes he's done !! None of them had ever had to change Shimanos.

swayzak

UndercoverElephant wrote:

First bike, the Dawes:

"Weight: 15.2kg" - Source, your link.

Second bike, the Halfords:

"An indicative weight of the Carrera Subway 8 Mens Town & Trail Bike is 14.4Kg" - Source Halfords.com

Neither bike is exactly lightweight, now, is it? If you have enough hills that you want gears, surely you should so yourself a favour and get something light?

For the same (ish) price, you could get an entry level road bike ( http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/ ... o-09-34691 ) which will make the miles go by so much better. (Approx weight 10.5 Kg).

Looks nice.

Could I fit full mudguards to this ?

What about reliability with heavy weather exposure e.g bottom bracket, free-wheel etc ?

UndercoverElephant

I use the new "Crud Roadracers" on my road bike, they're excellent. Keep the bum dry and are practically invisible.

I don't know about the reliability of that particular bike, but road bikes aren't at all as feeble as some people think.

swayzak

UndercoverElephant wrote:

I use the new "Crud Roadracers" on my road bike, they're excellent. Keep the bum dry and are practically invisible.

I don't know about the reliability of that particular bike, but road bikes aren't at all as feeble as some people think.

OK, so they have a bit of a reputation (maybe undeserved) for not being as sturdy as other bikes (MB's, commuters etc.) ?

Wallace1492

swayzak wrote:

Wallace1492 wrote:

Talking of Hayes brakes, I have had no problems with mine till recently when I changed the pads. Not can't get the pistons back in and I am riding with the pads rubbing quite hard, dam hard work!! My choice is to keep doing this till pads wear down or replace brakes, as the pistons are probably knackered, and not worth the cost of replacing them.

I do around 60-70 miles a week.

Had Nail Trail since 2006.

Changed pistons 2 or 3 times (costs about £30-40 if I recall).

Rear brake is due for change soon, but thinking of replacing it with basic Shimanos. Discussed with several bike mechanics, one of whom reckons he can retire on the number of Hayes piston changes he's done !! None of them had ever had to change Shimanos.

That's what my LBS said, thought they were maybe just trying to sell some overstocked Shimano's, but on looking on the net, there does seem to be an issue with Hayes pistons. Might just splash out the £55 each and get front and rear changed to Shimano M575's

UndercoverElephant

swayzak wrote:

UndercoverElephant wrote:

I use the new "Crud Roadracers" on my road bike, they're excellent. Keep the bum dry and are practically invisible.

I don't know about the reliability of that particular bike, but road bikes aren't at all as feeble as some people think.

OK, so they have a bit of a reputation (maybe undeserved) for not being as sturdy as other bikes (MB's, commuters etc.) ?

I think some people see the fact that they're light as though they aren't sturdy, yes. I'm sure my BeOne (see sig) would look a bit of a state if I tried to go proper mountain biking on it, as would I, but after 2000 miles of commuting in all weathers along pothole infested roads it's in as-new condition. Well, it is when I clean it. The only maintenance I've done really is to change the chain and brake pads.

Compare and contrast to my mountain bike (not a good one) which looked practically dead after 600 miles in nice weather only.

jansman

I have 2 edinburgh Couriers,the classic 8 spd,and the single.Both superb.I just scrapped my original courier.7 yrs old-total reliability,easy to maintain-and reasonably priced.Stick Marathon pluses on it and you got a cracking commuter.