whats the best type of bike for commuting?

EKE_38BPM

My previous post wasn't very helpful (but n.battison's post was so funny) so I'll try to help.

Handlebars:
Options are flat type bars (inc risers, moustache etc) or drop handlebars.
Drops have the advantage of various positions to put your hands. In a strong headwind or just on a fast run, you can get into the drops and out of the wind. Drops are generally faster. Drops are narrower so filtering is easier (but you shouldn't really be going for gaps so small that you need narrow bars).
Some people don't like drops. If you don't mind drops and have a 22 mile round trip commute, get drops.
For people who don't like/want drops there are various flat type bars.
Flat bars are found on city bikes and work well for shorter distances but more hand positions are usually desired if spending a long time on the bike.
Flat bars are generally wider than drops (unless you are a hip fixie rider in which case your bars are about as wide as a hotdog). You need the width to get leverage on hills or for sprinting (the lower hand positions and hoods serve this funtion on drops).

Wheels
For a commuter, no need for Zipp super aero wheels.
Generally bigger (diameter) wheels are faster and roll better (which is why full size bikes have full size wheels and folders have small wheels). Road bikes have 700c wheels, MTBs are 29" (new fangled) or 26" (old skool).
Whatever bike you go for, don't get steel/chrome wheels, no matter how cheap. The brakes (rim brakes anyway) don't work well in the wet on steel wheels. Make sure you get aluminium wheels.


Tyres
Knobblies for snow and mud.
Slicks for tarmac (wet or dry).
I read somewhere that as bike tyres are so narrow (when compared to car tyres) and speeds so low that tread patterns don't make any difference on wet/dry performance.
You have to get the balance of speed, comfort, puncture protection, weight for yourself.

Brakes (not breaks)
For a commuter, I would say disc brakes are the best. Rim brakes are less effective (especially in the wet).
Road bikes generally have the least effective brakes (rim brakes - rubber blocks on the aluminium wheel rim), MTB have the most effective brakes (hydraulic disc brakes - the same as a car, just scaled down to fit a bike).

Saddle
VERY personal choice. I used to have a hard plastic saddle that looked like agony, but I found really comfortable, though no one else did.

Frame
No point going for a full on downhill frame for a tarmac ride, horses for courses.
I don't think any suspension is necessary for road riding or even gentle off road.
Carbon is overkill for a commuter.
Get one that fits you and is not too heavy.

Pedals.
Some way to keep your feet in the right place on the pedals makes for a more efficient and comfortable ride so use toe clips or join the 21 century and get SPDs.
Toe clips allow you to use any sort of shoe, SPDs need cleats on the shoe to clip into the pedals. This means you have to wear specialist shoes (but loads of cyclists think this is a sacrifice worth making).

Lights
Bright ones. Have at least one spare light on your bike (in other words, two sets of front lights, two sets or rear lights). Redundancy in case one set fails.

Helmet
If you choose to wear one, get one that complies to all relevant regulations. I think its illegal to sell a helmet that doesn't, so all helmets offer the same protection to the legal minimum. Above the entry level, you pay more for lighter weight, more vents, more stylish look, brand name etc.

Sundries
I always carry a mini-pump, punture kit, spare tube, multi-tool, fold up pliers.
At home I have a bigger tool kit, track pump and a spare bike.

wgwarburton

Hi,
Excellent post by Eke. Worthy of promotion to a sticky.
Good advice and well written.
Cheers,
W.

EKE_38BPM

Cheers Buns.

I felt so bad laughing at the hybrid post that I had to be constructive.
The funny thing is, I'm riding a hybrid to work at the moment. I would never say its perfect, but it gets me through this snow/slush OK.

I would never ever say that it is as fast as a road bike and as comfortable as an MTB though. Thats just silly. Its like saying a Ford Mondeo (the car equivalent of a hybrid) is as fast as a Ferrari and has the off road capability of a Land Rover.

The Rookie

Excellent post by Eke, I don't agree with everything he said 100% but most the discussion points are small.

At the risk of repetition there is no 'right bike' but there will be a 'right bike for you and your commute'.

I don't filter (well I have one set of lights but that barely counts) on my commute so I use flats (low rise MTB carbon ones as it happens, of course there are the 'hybrid' flat bars such as the On-one Mary and Mungo that offer some of the features of a drop without being dropped!) but they are positioned at about 3" below saddle height so its hardly a sit up and beg!

700 wheels are faster rolling, but as the country lanes I use are pretty rough I wanted a bigger tyre, I could have had a larger 700 but opted for MTB 26" with 1.50 tyres to give me some 'give'.

Carrying is a crucial decision Eke hasn't covered, I used to use a backpack (I carry a laptop and lunch box each way), but my back got really really sweaty (OK I sweat when I go swimming........) on just a 6.6m commute so now I use a rack and panniers, if you are going to use a rack, your better getting a bike with all the fittings than lashing it up later!

Simon

bike_addict

Chris Bass wrote:

Hi

I started commuting in june on my hard tail mtb and thought id probably just do 2 or 3 days a week and mainly in the summer so didnt think much about what bike to get. But i enjoy it so much that i have been cycling everyday for the best 3 months or so, even in the cold and the snow, so now i'm thinking about an upgrade to my bike to make the journey even more enjoyable!!

what type of bike would you recommend? my route is about a 22 mile round trip (give or take half a mile or so!) and all on road, it has a few hills in it, nothing too serious but a couple that i dont look forward to!
!

Chris
Your commute sounds exactly the same as mine, 22 miles round trip, all main road etc.
I had a GT Aggressor XC2 (almost the same as yours), I tried to adapt it for the commute with slick skinny tires and to be honest the geometry is all wrong on it. Sure for off road use its good but on road its awful. I first got a Carrera Virtuoso but after a 1000 miles of use decided if gave me back ache! I sold it and purchased a hybrid! 2010 Specialized Sirris Sport (with carbon forks) and that for me was the answer. I agree its not as fast as a pure road bike but more comfortable riding position. I agree with others a flat bar is not as comfortable as drops but my version has bar ends and these are superb for alternating hand positions when riding.
Good luck choosing.

pshore

The things that have made the difference to the amount of days I commute per year are:

Panniers. You arrive with a damp back rather than wet. A seat post rack works fine and are generally strong enough.

Full length mud guards. There's only so many times you want to get splattered with road grime.

Slick tyres. I love my MTB but knobblies are tedious. 26x1.5 slicks work well. Get puncture proof ones too, its worth it. They make you a fraction slower due to weight, but you have confident you will get there reliably.


If I commuted significantly though traffic in a busy city I would want razor sharp brakes. I never can seem to stop quick enough on the hoods.

The Rookie

Mud gaurds...
I run full over winter but at the front I go back to a downtube mounted crud catcher through summer.

Rack, I use a full 4 bolt mounted as I carry a fair weight, and I have a carbon seatpost that is shared with my MTB so all in all, prefer to run a 4 point mounted rack.

Simon

chris_bass

Hi, thanks for all the replies, I've had a read through and have found it very useful!

I was wondering if there is a big difference between a road bike and a mountain bike with road tyres on? Its just as I'm doing 110+ miles a week all on the road! Of anyone has switched from a mountain bike to a road bike I'd be I interested in your thoughts on how much of a difference it makes!

And if it does make a difference which are some good makes? Around the £500 mark, and are there any to avoid?

chris_bass

Sorry, didn't notice the second page of replies! I think they answer most of my questions :-)

tailwindhome

Godders1 wrote:

TailWindHome wrote:

What's the best car for driving to work?

Eh? On a car the steering wheel, seat, wheels, tyres, brake type, transmission etc etc etc are all much of a muchness (at least as far as your average driver is concerned). With bikes there are a variety of options for all of those things (or their bike equivalents).

Ok there are 1 or 2 alternative options with cars (4x4 etc) but it's not THAT silly a question.

Sorry. What was I thinking. Obviously all cars are basically the same.

My ideal car for driving to work is a large people carrier. I need the 7 seats. Something like a XC90 or Voyager. A Fiat Panda might be your ideal car.

I wasn't deriding the original question - just pointing out that it is impossible to give a definitive answer.

Buns wrote:

Excellent post by Eke. Worthy of promotion to a sticky.
Good advice and well written.

There already is an "information for beginners" sticky covering many of those points.

No one reads stickies though

was wondering if there is a big difference between a road bike and a mountain bike with road tyres on? Its just as I'm doing 110+ miles a week all on the road! Of anyone has switched from a mountain bike to a road bike I'd be I interested in your thoughts on how much of a difference it makes!

You'll be about 4mph quicker on a road bike than you will be on an MTB. (roughly obv)

Or the same speed but with less effort

That'll save you about 1 1/2 hours a week. (18mph against 14mph for 100 miles)

meanredspider

The speed/time thing is why I only ride my MTB when I need ice tyres. Road bike all the way otherwise.

bike_addict

TailWindHome wrote:

Godders1 wrote:

TailWindHome wrote:

What's the best car for driving to work?

Eh? On a car the steering wheel, seat, wheels, tyres, brake type, transmission etc etc etc are all much of a muchness (at least as far as your average driver is concerned). With bikes there are a variety of options for all of those things (or their bike equivalents).

Ok there are 1 or 2 alternative options with cars (4x4 etc) but it's not THAT silly a question.

Sorry. What was I thinking. Obviously all cars are basically the same.

My ideal car for driving to work is a large people carrier. I need the 7 seats. Something like a XC90 or Voyager. A Fiat Panda might be your ideal car.

I wasn't deriding the original question - just pointing out that it is impossible to give a definitive answer.

Buns wrote:

Excellent post by Eke. Worthy of promotion to a sticky.
Good advice and well written.

There already is an "information for beginners" sticky covering many of those points.

No one reads stickies though

was wondering if there is a big difference between a road bike and a mountain bike with road tyres on? Its just as I'm doing 110+ miles a week all on the road! Of anyone has switched from a mountain bike to a road bike I'd be I interested in your thoughts on how much of a difference it makes!

You'll be about 4mph quicker on a road bike than you will be on an MTB. (roughly obv)

Or the same speed but with less effort

That'll save you about 1 1/2 hours a week. (18mph against 14mph for 100 miles)

I would agree with that, my 11 mile each way commute is about 8 minutes quicker on the road bike over my MTB each way.