(Another) First road bike advice thread (sorry!)

Duffer

I'm a mountain biker living in the south west (which is excellent for mountain biking). I'm soon to move to Lincolnshire (which isn't). So i'm looking seriously at getting a road bike.

I'm not even sure what kind of riding i'll likely be doing. Its easy with a mountain bike - get bike, find hills/woods, ride... Not i'm faced with deciding what kind of riding i fancy doing. Audax looks like it'd be interesting, and i'll be making the effort to get involved with a local club. However, the bikes primary use will be as a commuter (15 miles each way, on fairly flat country lanes) so rack/mudguard mounts are a must.

So far i've been into something like the On-One Pompetamine, because i ride an On-One already, and like the idea of having something a bit tougher than a lightweight carbon jobby. A few others have caught my eye too, like the Genesis Equilibrium/Croix De Fur. I like the idea of steel, and ideally something from a UK based company.

I'd be happy to spend up to a grand. So what are peoples opinions?

Peddle Up!

No apology required. This is a bike forum, beginners section. What better question than "which bike should I get".

Marcus_C

If you haven't had a reasonable length commute before what you might find is you spend so long in the saddle during the week the last thing you want to do is cycle at the weekend, not trying to put you off, far from it, the weekends are then your own still. If you'd like a steel frame I can recommend the equilibrium, it's comfortable, fast and fun, though there are other options out there depending what you want. Do you want hub gears/disc brakes/steel/alloy, maybe a good crosser, they're pretty good commuters too, i've got one of those as well.

Duffer

Thanks for the replies, chaps

f you haven't had a reasonable length commute before what you might find is you spend so long in the saddle during the week the last thing you want to do is cycle at the weekend

This is something i've considered. The bike won't be my only option for commuting - work lays on a coach, and i could just take the car. I was planning on only taking the bike twice a week to start with, anyway.

Do you want hub gears/disc brakes/steel/alloy

I am pretty sold on steel, to be honest. And coming from a mountain biking background, i've never ridden with anything other than disc brakes. That said, i'm prepared to try a road bike with proper rim brakes, and see how i go.

Hub gears appeal, from a low maintenance point of view. But that said, i'm open to suggestions.

Is it likely to be frowned upon if i turn up to club rides with disc brakes and hub gears?

Marcus_C

If you're sold on steel here's a list of road bikes I considered before settling on the equilibrium (i'm sure it's not exhaustive and there are crossers as well (like the croix de fer).

Charge Juicer
Condor Fratello
Genesis Equilibrium
Kona Honky Inc.
Kona Honky Tonk
On-One Pompetamine
Salsa Casseroll
Surly Pacer

I imagine it would be frowned upon in club circles to have a hub and discs. I don't think discs are at all necessary on a road bike, I can lock up the wheels on both my bikes easily without discs, the problem with less braking is because the tyres are much thinner.