Road vs. MTB Commute Question

XTC2009

Hi!

My company has just offered me the chance to take advantage of the Halfords Cycle2work scheme. Now I live 35 miles away from work, so I'm not sure if I fully qualify...

I currently have a Giant XTC built up to my own spec, which I used to ride to work two or three times a week on for training, then about an hour each way, but now I've moved further away from work I reckon it would take about 3 hours, which is a bit too long I think. I've not tried to ride that distance yet though.

Does anyone know how much faster a road bike or a hybrid bike would be over that distance? I've been looking at the Boardman bikes mostly. I particularly like the look of the hybrid Pro model, and the new limited edition hybrid with the SRAM rival gear.

ride_whenever

a road bike for that distance, work on 16 mph as a starting point.

bails87

It'll still be a big trip. You could always get the train halfway or something if it's too far.

meanredspider

I reckon I'm 3-4mph faster on my road bike (on Gatorskins) over my MTB on Ice Spikers (I only ride it to work when the roads are icy/snowy and too dangerous for a road bike). On my way in, that's the difference of 19mph to 15mph and, on my 15 mile route to work, that's about 12 minutes - a difference not to be sniffed at. I need to be slightly careful with those figures as I'm wearing a lot more gear when the temp is as low as -9C

diy

There is a real dilemma here and it really depends on the quality of the roads you can ride on.

Personally I think hybrids are the worse of both worlds. Heavy as some mountain bikes and poorly spec'd for the money. For me its:

Skinny up a mountain bike and accept that you will be lugging maybe an extra 1-2kg and 15% rolling resistance or comfy up and toughen up a racing bike.

It really depends what else you want to use the bike for.

For a 35 mile commute, I would go with the racing bike, unless the quality of road is rubbish. Even with skinny slicks on a mountain bike you are still going to struggle with gearing (11/42 or 11/44) and rolling resistance.

El Capitano

Average speed on my Focus CX bike (pretty much a road bike), shod with Conti Gatorskins is around the 17mph mark for a 25 mile round trip, including 1000ft of climbing.

Same route on a Giant XTC, with Maxxis Wormdrive semi-slick tyres is around the 12-13mph mark.

iain1775

I have rigid carbon forks, skinny slicks, drop bars and 42/52 - 11 road gearing on my 15 year old Voodoo mounatin bike frame and it is noticably quicker than if I was on my other mountain bike (that is alot lighter) but comfier than a full on road bike
Happy medium I think
Takes me about 16-18 minutes to do 5 miles, 50:50 split across the city in traffic and along the nice flat empty riverside cyclepath

If I was getting a new bike for commuting I would prob go with a cyclocross bike as that would give me option of taking long way home along the canal towpath if I wanted, or something with flat or bullhorn bars rather than full on drops

meanredspider

diy wrote:

or comfy up and toughen up a racing bike.

My Focus Variado Expert seems to be happy taking the beating I give it. The roads are shocking and I weigh 90kg in my birthday suit and, frankly, I'm not precious about it. I have a Spesh Toupe saddle which is fantastic. Some fast-rolling, puncture-resistant tyres are imperitive. For me a road bike is the only way to go - and the CtW scheme is a great way to buy. I'd have got the Boardman if my scheme had allowed it.

surreyxc

some above have already mentioned it, but I would seriously consider the cyclocross. I had the opportunity with work to get a Boardman and looked at the road, hybrid and cx. The hybrid was to heavy and no drop bars, the road is great but some of the lanes are pretty bad, it limits you to only riding on roads and I never see road bikes in the snow or ice. At 19lb it is not too heavy and bear in mind thats the starting point. Put some road wheels on, get some carbon bars and post and it will be nearer 18lb. The other reason I like the the CB CX is that it is white which I think helps on a commuter to be seen.

rich_e

I'd go for a Road Bike for definite.

surreyxc wrote:

The hybrid was to heavy and no drop bars, the road is great but some of the lanes are pretty bad, it limits you to only riding on roads and I never see road bikes in the snow or ice.

Ice is tricky whatever bike you are on.
However, in most cases there isn't that much difference with riding a road bike in the snow when you think about the fact that most mountain bike commuters are riding skinny slick tyres, so the traction that a mountain bike would have with knobbly tyres in such conditions is gone.

We don't get snow that often as it is, so it's best just skipping cycling on those days.

The Cyclecross just has the benefit of being sturdier for poor roads and the like, but I don't think it has any traction advantages any different to a normal road bike.

asprilla

Considering I live in Surrey, officially home of the most potholes (200% more than the next worst county) and some of the worst roads I can't believe people think that road bikes are uncomfortable and that fat tyres or suspension are required to ride in the UK.

Provided a road is tarmaced then a road bike will suffice; they are designed to keep riders comfortable in the saddle over very long distances not as complex form of torture.

meanredspider

surreyxc wrote:

and I never see road bikes in the snow or ice. .

No - I switch to my MTB with ice spikers. I did 400 miles on them this winter such was the weather. I didn't see another bike when I was on them let alone a road bike. Mind you, I crossed patches of 20m of solid frozen meltwater. The rest of the time it's the road bike...

wgwarburton

Asprilla wrote:

Considering I live in Surrey, officially home of the most potholes (200% more than the next worst county) and some of the worst roads I can't believe people think that road bikes are uncomfortable and that fat tyres or suspension are required to ride in the UK.

Provided a road is tarmaced then a road bike will suffice; they are designed to keep riders comfortable in the saddle over very long distances not as complex form of torture.

+1 Road bikes work for canal paths, too. I ride through the winter on a fixed road bike, as well (in Scotland, BTW, so we do get the odd frost).

The "more upright" riding position that most use on a mountain bike puts your weight over the back wheel. This helps traction and means that a slide is more likely to break away at the back wheel first than the front. If you are on a road bike then you just shift your weight backwards to achieve the same effect.

Interesting that some of the CX advocates are looking at road bikes... maybe there'll be a new FAQ-response- "don't buy a CX, get a roadie", instead of the usual "don't buy a hybrid, get a roadie" :-)

Cheers,
W.

PS For "road bike" above, don't read "carbon-framed race-bike with no mudguards & 18c tyres", OK?

diy

its been a long time since I road a bike with rim brakes and narrow slicks, but I assume you still get the problem of wet rims/tyres = no stopping power. But if I was riding cross city, where gearing was less important and stopping more important, I would go slicked up MTB. As long as the forks have a lock out it should be fine..

But if its long flats and A and B roads I would look for road bike.

I assume we don't need to mention that you don't actually have to ride to work to qualify for the tax discount. That is to say, nobody audits your commute.

Its the same debate for motorbikes - city commuter = supermoto type bike (a lot in common with a MTB), As Bs and motorways and it a sports tourer = road racer or tourer/commuter = hybrid.

TommyEss

Thing is - if you're commuting 35 miles EACH way you're looking at a good 2 hours each way - that's a long commute whichever way you cut it.

Sod all this talk of which bike yadda-yadda - everyone seems to have missed the "how do I carry my stuff for 2 hours"

Answer would be panniers - take the weight off your back and put it on the bike, especially given the time.

So, you need a comfortable bike, strong enough (and able) to take pannier racks (bonus is this will take mudguards too - 2 hours with a wet backside - mmmno thanks), and to make life that bit easier you'll want some reasonably high gearing for the nice long flats, some nice low gear for the inevitable hills, and some drop handlebars to fight the inevitable headwinds.

Sounds like you need a touring bike my friend.

meanredspider

TommyEss wrote:

everyone seems to have missed the "how do I carry my stuff for 2 hours"

Do what I do - on the day that I play hockey and not cycle, I take a week's worth of stuff in the car. Simples! Since you're (sensibly) only looking to do this 3 times a week, it's even easier.

Sounds like you need a road bike, my friend

XTC2009

You've all given me a lot to think about, thanks! I've had a look at the Cyclocross bike online, and went to have a look at the Boardman Road bikes after work today. The comp seemed nice, with all it's SRAM Rival running gear and carbon forks, and it was light too - compared to my XTC - but I have to confess I know nothing about road bikes since the last one I rode about ten years ago had gear shifters on the down tube!

Thing with the Boardman bikes seems to be that there is no fixing for panniers. Having said that though, I used to ride with panniers on my old Hawk Trakatak and I hardly ever used them. It wasn't a long commute to college though, only about three miles each way so I didn't need to carry much stuff.

I'd have to check with my doctor on the Road Bike idea before I decide anyway, because a few years ago I had a lower back problem and the physio recommended that I don't ride a Road bike. That was then though...

Wouldn't it be nice if Halfords did a bike like Mark Beaumont's round the world ride!

meanredspider

Looking objectively at this, it really depends how important the time it takes is. A road bike is all about speed but it's far less practical and less comfortable. I'm a competitive speed junky so I permanently commute against the clock and a cyclist on the horizon (not many up here) becomes a target.So I'm biased to the road bike (I have a clip-on rear mudguard as my concession to practicality for wet days - though leave it off if I think it'll be dry). If comfort or practicality is your top priority, go for something different.

asprilla

meanredspider wrote:

Looking objectively at this, it really depends how important the time it takes is. A road bike is all about speed but it's far less practical and less comfortable. I'm a competitive speed junky so I permanently commute against the clock and a cyclist on the horizon (not many up here) becomes a target.So I'm biased to the road bike (I have a clip-on rear mudguard as my concession to practicality for wet days - though leave it off if I think it'll be dry). If comfort or practicality is your top priority, go for something different.

Depends if you count all road bikes as being the same. A touring bike is more comfortable than racing bike, has full guards and racks for luggage. It doesn't get more practical than that.

wgwarburton

XTC2009 wrote:

...Wouldn't it be nice if Halfords did a bike like Mark Beaumont's round the world ride!

They can order stuff in, I gather. Maybe a Dawes Karakum? You'll need to up your budget significantly to get a Rohloff 14-speed hub gear, though..
Might be a bit overengineered for fast-commuting work, though.

Cheers,
W.

wgwarburton

Asprilla wrote:

...Depends if you count all road bikes as being the same. A touring bike is more comfortable than racing bike, has full guards and racks for luggage. It doesn't get more practical than that.

Yes, indeedy! Though, again, not all tourers are the same. An Audax-style light tourer might be a better choice for most commuting than a Super-Galaxy...

Cheers,
W.

XTC2009

Before I dive in at the deep end - and get shot by my other half - when the C2W scheme talks about me buying the bike for 'fair market value' after the 12 months of salary sacrifice, what does this mean? Will I be having to fork out a substantial wedge? Does anyone have experience of this who could shed some light?