shall i buy a road bike

owenlars

kona_matt wrote:

prawny wrote:

bought loads of lycra and a helmet without a peak, enter here at your peril. :twisted:

that is something i must resist!!! i'll be sticking with the baggies ans trail lid!

No you won't, give it 6 months!

rolf_f

alfablue wrote:

So 1 hour per week, maybe 48 hours per year, so over a working lifetime maybe 80 days of your life saved, surely no other justification to buy a road bike is necessary

That's 80 days cycling time you've lost! Sounds almost as though you don't like pedalling

t0pc4t

I'd definitely get a flat bar commuter bike if simply to keep your MTB nice for the trails.

I have to admit to being a complete bike whore and so have a cube curve for my 12 ish mile commute, a trek road bike for sunny days and a giant anthem for muddy fun.

I love riding bikes on and off road and even more so when I have the right tool for the job

prawny

kona_matt wrote:

thanks everyone, as I suspected, road bike it is. will have to get down to halfords and have a proper look at the boardman (the £800 one).

If I were you, I'd either stretch to the £1000 team carbon or save some cash and get the comp, I cant really see the point of the Team Alu. The drivertrain parts are more expensive to replace that the 9sp on the comp and the Alu frame is quite harsh, belive me.

The Team carbon got a really good review in C+ and on here I'd like one.

SimonLyons

A road bike won't save much time but it saves massively on fatigue allowing you to ride longer.

My yearly mileage practically doubled going from a 26" wheel hybrid to a road bike.

If its primarily for a commute you need to think about how you are going to carry luggage(ruck sack / rack) + do you want/need mud guards.

gbsahne001

Underscore wrote:

kona_matt wrote:

I would reckon on doing 12.5 miles in 40 minutes or less (hopefully) on my road bike - though it does depend on how rolling those rolling hills are. Add 5 minutes or a bit under on my 700c hybrid.

_

Depends upon traffic lights as well; I do my 13.5miles in 42 - 45 mins on the CX and 45 - 50 on the hybrid but I could easily shave 5 - 10mins off these times if there were no traffic lights

alfablue

Rolf F wrote:

alfablue wrote:

So 1 hour per week, maybe 48 hours per year, so over a working lifetime maybe 80 days of your life saved, surely no other justification to buy a road bike is necessary

That's 80 days cycling time you've lost! Sounds almost as though you don't like pedalling

80 days more for cycle touring! 8)


oh, maybe that doesn't work . . .

kona_matt

prawny wrote:

If I were you, I'd either stretch to the £1000 team carbon or save some cash and get the comp, I cant really see the point of the Team Alu. The drivertrain parts are more expensive to replace that the 9sp on the comp and the Alu frame is quite harsh, belive me.

The Team carbon got a really good review in C+ and on here I'd like one.

Hmmmm, that throws a spanner in the works, I thought I had already decided on which bike! I was going to go for the full carbon but I've got a £1000 limit on the CTW scheme and wanted to spend at least £100 of that on some accessories (pedals, maybe some new shoes). the team alu has a carbon fork.

another decision to make! thanks though

kona_matt

gbsahne wrote:

Depends upon traffic lights as well; I do my 13.5miles in 42 - 45 mins on the CX and 45 - 50 on the hybrid but I could easily shave 5 - 10mins off these times if there were no traffic lights

zero traffic lights on my route, mostly country roads with a couple of large roundabouts to contend with.

alfablue

Don't Halfords give you a 10% accessories voucher?

kona_matt

alfablue wrote:

Don't Halfords give you a 10% accessories voucher?

not sure, i'll look into it.

Stevo_666

Another yes from someone who considers themselves to be a MTB'er first. For all the reasons above.

I was going to open a small can of worms and suggest you get a hybrid, but looking at your description of your route to & from work, go for the roadie But wearing lycra is not compulsory....

prawny

kona_matt wrote:

prawny wrote:

If I were you, I'd either stretch to the £1000 team carbon or save some cash and get the comp, I cant really see the point of the Team Alu. The drivertrain parts are more expensive to replace that the 9sp on the comp and the Alu frame is quite harsh, belive me.

The Team carbon got a really good review in C+ and on here I'd like one.

Hmmmm, that throws a spanner in the works, I thought I had already decided on which bike! I was going to go for the full carbon but I've got a £1000 limit on the CTW scheme and wanted to spend at least £100 of that on some accessories (pedals, maybe some new shoes). the team alu has a carbon fork.

another decision to make! thanks though

The comp has got a carbon fork too, albeit with an alloy steerer, not sure that this makes a fat lot of difference though. Pedals wise I use MTB spds on both my bikes saved me buying a new pair of shoes straight away. TBH as well most of your commuting essentials you can save more than you'd save on the scheme by not getting them from halfords. I had trouble spending £500 when I got mine, including the bike.

Canny Jock

Aidy wrote:

UndercoverElephant wrote:

Il Principe wrote:

kona_matt wrote:

prawny wrote:

bought loads of lycra and a helmet without a peak, enter here at your peril. :twisted:

that is something i must resist!!! i'll be sticking with the baggies ans trail lid!

That's what everyone says, but you'll see the light eventually, especially if you start undertaking longer rides at weekends etc... lycra gets worn for good reason.

+1. I too have succumbed to Lycra. I held out for the full eight months though before going skin-tight. :oops:

I'm still in baggies. A year on.

I'm half-way there - Rapha baggies for roadies.

t0pc4t

Stevo 666 wrote:

Another yes from someone who considers themselves to be a MTB'er first. For all the reasons above.

I was going to open a small can of worms and suggest you get a hybrid, but looking at your description of your route to & from work, go for the roadie But wearing lycra is not compulsory....

I like my hybrid as it's burlier than my road bike and so can take potholes better, bigger tyres so a little bit more comfortable and if it gets dinged in the work bike racks I don't get quite as murderous

I also don't have to feel like scum for putting luggage on it.

Also the flat bars mean it's easier to see what's going on in traffic and it cost loads less than my road bike or the MTB

W.r.t Cycle to work I got my anthem X4 on that as my LBS was willing to let me top up the £1000

Stevo_666

t0pc4t wrote:

Stevo 666 wrote:

I like my hybrid as it's burlier than my road bike and so can take potholes better, bigger tyres so a little bit more comfortable and if it gets dinged in the work bike racks I don't get quite as murderous

I also don't have to feel like scum for putting luggage on it.

Also the flat bars mean it's easier to see what's going on in traffic and it cost loads less than my road bike or the MTB

All good points there, esp if you're commuting in town - that's why I bought what I did. Although reading the OP's description of a mostly open/country roads with very light traffic, then a roadie is also a good choice for him.

gabriel959

Road bikes are really the only choice. I don't even know why on earth they manufacture other kinds of bikes.

kona_matt

i'm definately going road over hybrid. now just need to decide which boardman road bike.

lost_in_thought

Yes.





My work here is done.

gabriel959

Good, does it have to be a Boardman though?

prawny

gabriel959 wrote:

Good, does it have to be a Boardman though?

Nowt wrong with boardmans laddie. Esp if you've got a grand to spend and you want something FAST!

kelsen

gabriel959 wrote:

Road bikes are really the only choice. I don't even know why on earth they manufacture other kinds of bikes.

It's a known fact that the very first bicycle ever invented was a road bike, but the person who invented it was stoned to death for making a contraption that flaunted the horns of the devil. It was destroyed and replaced by a machine which was called an ordinary to describe its non-radical and god-fearing design. It later became known as the Penny Farthing. This machine was modified and refined and is the predecessor to what we know today as the hybrid. True story.

kona_matt

gabriel959 wrote:

Good, does it have to be a Boardman though?

it kinda does really, my company only runs the cycle to work scheme through Halfords and i've only got a max of £1000 to spend which limits my options. I know Halfords can source bikes from manufacturers they don't normally stock but you can wait a while for them to sort all that out and i don't really want to wait.

t0pc4t

I'm always quite taken with the boardmans when I am in Halfords

il_principe

t0pc4t wrote:

I'm always quite taken with the boardmans when I am in Halfords

Good god man, what are you doing in there in the first place?

Stevo_666

Il Principe wrote:

t0pc4t wrote:

I'm always quite taken with the boardmans when I am in Halfords

Good god man, what are you doing in there in the first place?

Looking at Boardmans? Tragically its the only place they sell them.

@the OP - if its got to be a Boardman and £1k max, go for the Team Carbon - no brainer IMO.

t0pc4t

Stevo 666 wrote:

Il Principe wrote:

t0pc4t wrote:

I'm always quite taken with the boardmans when I am in Halfords

Good god man, what are you doing in there in the first place?

Looking at Boardmans? Tragically its the only place they sell them.

@the OP - if its got to be a Boardman and £1k max, go for the Team Carbon - no brainer IMO.

reminding myself how lucky I am to have a local bike shop and not have to rely on Halfords.

kona_matt

Stevo 666 wrote:

@the OP - if its got to be a Boardman and £1k max, go for the Team Carbon - no brainer IMO.

yeah, that's my current thinking. i've had a look at the figures, the company will only charge me £870 for £1000 value of bike and I save £270 per year in tax. net monthly cost is going to be about £50 and i'll probably save £35 per month in fuel. I'll also be able to claim £250 per year from the company for cycling to work which pretty much covers the cost! i'm ignoring running costs for the bike and praying that things don't break!

davis

kona_matt wrote:

I'll probably save £35 per month in fuel.

I reckon you'll probably save more than that if you're going both ways (i.e. 25 miles total) 5 days a week.. I make 125 miles to be just shy of 14 quid per week in fuel..

londonbairn

kona_matt wrote:

Stevo 666 wrote:

@the OP - if its got to be a Boardman and £1k max, go for the Team Carbon - no brainer IMO.

yeah, that's my current thinking. i've had a look at the figures, the company will only charge me £870 for £1000 value of bike and I save £270 per year in tax. net monthly cost is going to be about £50 and i'll probably save £35 per month in fuel. I'll also be able to claim £250 per year from the company for cycling to work which pretty much covers the cost! i'm ignoring running costs for the bike and praying that things don't break!

That's pretty good. There is a 20p per mile claim you can get from the government (most employers can do it for you) but apparently it's for work<>work travel (eg one site to another) you can't claim for home<>work.

I was claiming miles everyday then work and I realised it was wrong, had to pay it back as it was home<>work