Commuting mountain bike

brucebanner

Hi Folks,

I'm looking for a mountain bike that can double up as a communting bike. Max £2k but, ideally, I'd to spend £1.5. Essentially, I'd like to use the bike in a terrian on weekends and commute to work on the weekdays. I presume this will require wheel changes.

I'd like to buy the bike from evans or cycle surgery. And the sales clerk recommended these two

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/roc ... e-ec022011
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/can ... e-ec020287

Are there any other bikes I should consider?

I'm going to require a carbon fibre frame I take it?

el_presidente

Is this a windup? you are goign to spend £2k on a bike based on the recommendation of an Evans sale clerk hahahahaha

UndercoverElephant

el_presidente wrote:

Is this a windup? you are goign to spend £2k on a bike based on the recommendation of an Evans sale clerk hahahahaha

To be fair, I would speak to the people at the shop and also canvass opinion on here.

BB: That's a pretty high-end bike you're looking at. Have you posted this on the MTB forum too? There are a few "proper" mountain bikers on here, but I suspect you'd get better answers over there.

jonnyboy77

Quite the departure from: http://www.bikeradar.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12704421

I commute to work on either a Kona Cindercone or Trek 7500 hybrid, the Trek is easier and faster, but the Kona makes for a more relaxed ride and I feel like I'm making the most of the 3 mile commute on the Kona, since it has knobbly tires and lower gearing ...

Personally, and its all personal choice, I would consider 2 bikes (with a budget up to £2k) a decent mountain bike and a decent hybrid/road based commuter could be had easily for that sum, I would say (others may disagree).

- Jon

davis

I'd probably spend something like 400-800 quid on a commuter (fast, stiff, rack and 'guard mounts) and the rest on an MTB for the terrain you're likely to be riding. You'd still get a top-notch MTB for 1000 quid, unless you know exactly what you're going to be doing and you know that a cost of 1000 pounds isn't enough.

As for requiring a carbon frame, no, you won't. You'd be faster on road with a steel/alu/ti road-biased bike than an MTB.

What sort of level of MTB'er are you? What sort of riding would you be doing? How often would you be doing it? Now apply the same questions to the commute.

I suspect the answer is that you've over-estimated your MTB requirements, and because of the rather large budget you want that bike to do everything. It'll be capable, sure, but it'd probably be a waste. Unless you're a pretty talented off-road rider, but then I doubt you'd be going to Evans.

itsbruce

jonnyboy77 wrote:

Personally, and its all personal choice, I would consider 2 bikes (with a budget up to £2k) a decent mountain bike and a decent hybrid/road based commuter could be had easily for that sum, I would say (others may disagree).

- Jon

No, I would say that's a great idea. In fact, for 2K you could get good bikes of both kinds and have some spare change for a basic SS/fixie to knock about on. Why not, if you suddenly have this 2K to splash around? Or is the money only being made available for one bike? ( It can't be C2W, the cap is half that. )

davis

itsbruce wrote:

Or is the money only being made available for one bike? ( It can't be C2W, the cap is half that. )

Depends. If your employer has a consumer credit license they can lend you much more money to buy your bike.

jeepie

Hi Davis,

I commute on a Genesis IO ID which is a hubbed gear MTB. I'm absolutely elated with it. It is a SLOW bike in comparison to my road bike. I've chatted to peeps on here about it, but I think it's supposed to be primarily for offroad and therefore is low geared. The massive advantage of it is that it's maintenance free and you can commute all year round....As your commute distance is low definitely worth consideration....

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/gen ... %20IO%20ID

Cheers

J

davis

Jeepie wrote:

Hi Davis,

I commute on a Genesis IO ID which is a hubbed gear MTB. I'm absolutely elated with it. It is a SLOW bike in comparison to my road bike. I've chatted to peeps on here about it, but I think it's supposed to be primarily for offroad and therefore is low geared. The massive advantage of it is that it's maintenance free and you can commute all year round....As your commute distance is low definitely worth consideration....

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/gen ... %20IO%20ID

Cheers

J

Errrrrrrrrmmmmm......... huh? I think you might have me confused with someone else..

I am not the commuter you are looking for.

soy_sauce

what type of off road are you gonna be doing? XC or Down Hill? - you can get a better spec hardtail for that price range if you only going to do XC and it will be a better for your commute with a hardtail.

are you new to MTBing? - if you are new to it and you are going to do Down Hill and need a Full Suspension MTB then you might want to start off with a entry level bike just in case you don't like MTBing later on in the future. this will also allow you to spend around £1k on a entry level full suspension MTB and use the rest for a commute bike/gears/clothes and etc..

meanredspider

davis wrote:

I am not the commuter you are looking for.

Or the Communter either (which is a great word)

wgwarburton

itsbruce wrote:

jonnyboy77 wrote:

Personally, and its all personal choice, I would consider 2 bikes ... (others may disagree).
- Jon

No, I would say that's a great idea. ...

Me too... Get a cheap commuter- winter hack, maybe? Minimum maintenance suitable for your route (FG/SS or hub? secondhand, maybe...? Unless you have a big commute just go for a 3-speed) ...and a "good bike" to use for high days & holidays...

Cheers,
W.

brucebanner

It'll be much more beneficial if you can give me the full bike name when you make a recommendation, e.g., "FG/SS or hub"; I'm not even sure what that is referring to.

brucebanner

soy_sauce wrote:

what type of off road are you gonna be doing? XC or Down Hill? - you can get a better spec hardtail for that price range if you only going to do XC and it will be a better for your commute with a hardtail.

are you new to MTBing? - if you are new to it and you are going to do Down Hill and need a Full Suspension MTB then you might want to start off with a entry level bike just in case you don't like MTBing later on in the future. this will also allow you to spend around £1k on a entry level full suspension MTB and use the rest for a commute bike/gears/clothes and etc..

Can you give a specific entry level MTB that you have in mind please?

asquithea

brucebanner wrote:

Can you give a specific entry level MTB that you have in mind please?

How about the KHS XC604? Review.

itsbruce

brucebanner wrote:

It'll be much more beneficial if you can give me the full bike name when you make a recommendation, e.g., "FG/SS or hub"; I'm not even sure what that is referring to.

Fixed Gear/Single Speed or Hub Gear

FrankM

Trek 8500 is about £1,850. Have used one to commute for 6 years as well as for MTBing, switching the wheels/cassette/chain as an when.

Excellent bike (fast both on and off-road), though there's not much left of the original - actually, since the weekend there's nothing left of the original at all as I replaced the handlebar and stem which were the last remaining parts from 2004. (The frame was replaced under Trek's lifetime warranty a couple of years ago.)

Norky

meanredspider wrote:

Or the Communter either (which is a great word)

I took it to be a portmanteau of "commuter" and a rather ruder word...

jonnyboy77

Norky wrote:

meanredspider wrote:

Or the Communter either (which is a great word)

I took it to be a portmanteau of "commuter" and a rather ruder word...

Not so much rude, but perhaps a term for an ugly looking commuter bike (commuter + munter ...)

How's the quest for the ugly commuter mountain bike going anyway Bruce?

- Jon

Norky

jonnyboy77 wrote:

Not so much rude, but perhaps a term for an ugly looking commuter bike (commuter + munter ...)

That also occurred to me, but the sweary one is what stuck in my mind :oops:

brucebanner wrote:

I'm going to require a carbon fibre frame I take it?

Require? Certainly not. Carbon fibre is a good material for a bike. It's light, strong, stiff. Steel, titanium and aluminium are also good materials with their own properties and characteristics (price among them). I would always choose a good bike made of aluminium or steel over a rubbish one made from CF or Ti. For 1500-2000 GBP many bikes will be CF and will be a bit lighter than an aluminium equivalent, but that in no way means you will need a bike with a carbon frame.

What kind of riding are you talking? (People have asked this but you haven't answered) How long is the commute and where (what kind of roads, how busy with traffic?) What kind of "terrian" will you be riding at the weekends? (I'm assuming not hardcore downhill stuff, so a full suspension bike would be overkill)

I would agree with the two bikes suggestion, but then if it turns out that your commute is only a three mile blast though country lanes and bridleways then spending £1500 on one off-road-focussed bike would probably be more sensible... If it's a bit further and mostly on tarmac then MTB with a set of slick tyres (or as you said a spare set of wheels because swapping wheels is less of a hassle than swapping tyres). If it's ten miles plus then consider a alu or steel road bike.

Really it comes down to what kind of riding you intend to be doing for both fun and commuting (and around here, commuting is fun) and which is more important to you.

Oh also, please tell me you've already read the information for beginners thread, lots of useful pointers on bike choice in there.

supersonic

Two grand will get you a hardtail MTB which is sub 10kg. And lighter. Fit slicks and it will fly on the roads. Fit knobblies and it will be great off road too for XC.

http://www.freeflowbikes.com/commencal- ... -126-p.asp

But as above, what you should get will depend on a few factors. Entry level full suspension bike are often heavy.

tiny_pens

How long is your commute? How often do you expect to ride to work?

Commuting all year round can eat bike parts (especially through the winter on gritted roads) and top spec components like the ones that come with high end mountain bikes.

Just a few thoughts to bear in mind - it might be as cheap to buy a hack to commute on as it would to buy a second set of wheels to put slicks on.

HTH

brucebanner

tiny_pens wrote:

How long is your commute? How often do you expect to ride to work?

Commuting all year round can eat bike parts (especially through the winter on gritted roads) and top spec components like the ones that come with high end mountain bikes.

Just a few thoughts to bear in mind - it might be as cheap to buy a hack to commute on as it would to buy a second set of wheels to put slicks on.

HTH

Average journey time: 47 mins
6.4 mi – about 22 mins by car.

I intend to cycle four days a week - Mon to Thrusday.

What specific bike would you consider as a cheap hack?

Thank you all.

brucebanner

Norky wrote:

jonnyboy77 wrote:

...
Oh also, please tell me you've already read the information for beginners thread, lots of useful pointers on bike choice in there.

Thank you for the link. The road is somewhat flat. I live in London after all and i'm commuting to the City. Terrain like this http://www.epping-forest-mbc.co.uk/club/.

Norky

For about 6 and a half miles into the City I'd suggest a road bike, maybe flat bar if you prefer, but so many people think they wont get on with drops then later switch. I suggest something that can take a rear rack if you're carrying any kind of weight and mudguards for the winter, cheaper end of the market, but not too cheap (maybe 300-500?). You might consider an out-and-out 'racer' - they won't have fixing points for a rack and you might find the clearance to fit mudguards an issue. You don't to fit rack and 'guards, but it's good to have the ability. Have a look at reviews of sub-£500 road bikes.

Then spend a grand or more on a MTB for 'play'. I'd suggest a hard tail, as supersonic said, for a given price you can get a lighter, better spec hardtail than you can a full-suspension rig. However I don't know enough about MTBs to offer much advice beyond that - it wont hurt to ask in the MTB forum if you haven't already.

The other alternative suggested is spending all the money on one bike, hardtail MTB, maybe with a spare set of wheels and 'slicks'. Though do consider where you will park the bike at work and how often bikes are stolen in London and whether you want to leave your 'nice' bike out in that...

Ultimately you have to decide what's right for you. We've probably only helped give you more things to think about than you wanted.

brucebanner

Norky wrote:

For about 6 and a half miles into the City I'd suggest a road bike, maybe flat bar if you prefer, but so many people think they wont get on with drops then later switch. I suggest something that can take a rear rack if you're carrying any kind of weight and mudguards for the winter, cheaper end of the market, but not too cheap (maybe 300-500?). You might consider an out-and-out 'racer' - they won't have fixing points for a rack and you might find the clearance to fit mudguards an issue. You don't to fit rack and 'guards, but it's good to have the ability. Have a look at reviews of sub-£500 road bikes.

Then spend a grand or more on a MTB for 'play'. I'd suggest a hard tail, as supersonic said, for a given price you can get a lighter, better spec hardtail than you can a full-suspension rig. However I don't know enough about MTBs to offer much advice beyond that - it wont hurt to ask in the MTB forum if you haven't already.

The other alternative suggested is spending all the money on one bike, hardtail MTB, maybe with a spare set of wheels and 'slicks'. Though do consider where you will park the bike at work and how often bikes are stolen in London and whether you want to leave your 'nice' bike out in that...

Ultimately you have to decide what's right for you. We've probably only helped give you more things to think about than you wanted.

We have a closet at work to place our bikes.

I can get this bike http://www.evanscycles.com/products/sco ... gn=froogle for £200-220, will it make for a good commuting bike? I think I'm just going to get two bikes.

Norky

brucebanner wrote:

I can get this bike http://www.evanscycles.com/products/sco ... gn=froogle for £200-220, will it make for a good commuting bike? I think I'm just going to get two bikes.

That's quite a steal considering the RRP and the parts look reasonable. Disc brakes are handy when the weather is foul. It'd be fine, with possible exception of the tyres - you might want something with some puncture protection, though those tyres will be heavier. Your choice: weigh up the increased chances of a having to replace an inner tube when you're on your way into work, against the *slightly* increased weight and the slightly 'dead' feel that reinforced tyres seem to have. Also suspension is arguably unnecessary for urban riding, unless the potholes in central London have gotten truly epic - Check that you can "lock out" the suspension, i.e. make it act as a rigid fork.

brucebanner

ok i've put in an order for these

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/tre ... e-ec019720

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/tre ... e-ec019677


should be arriving in 2-3 days

jonnyboy77

brucebanner wrote:

ok i've put in an order for these

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/tre ... e-ec019720

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/tre ... e-ec019677


should be arriving in 2-3 days

Not the expected result from a thread titled 'What Commuting Mountain Bike' ....

- Jon

brucebanner

jonnyboy77 wrote:

brucebanner wrote:

ok i've put in an order for these

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/tre ... e-ec019720

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/tre ... e-ec019677


should be arriving in 2-3 days

Not the expected result from a thread titled 'What Commuting Mountain Bike' ....

- Jon

I friend works in Evans so I got it on a discount. He adviced me to get the racing bike.

paulbox

I would also go down the two bike route.

For offroad:
Giant Anthem X4 £1,400 (great frame, worthy of top end upgrades in the future)
http://www.pedalon.co.uk/acatalog/giant_anthem_x4.html#aGN3803

And either:

Giant Rapid 3 £550 (flat bars)
http://www.pedalon.co.uk/acatalog/giant_rapid_3.html

Gisnt Defy 3 £525 (drop bars)
http://www.pedalon.co.uk/acatalog/giant_defy_3.5.html

Other brands and retailers are available...