Thrashing your road bike...

pmorgan1

Is it plain wrong commuting on a decent road bike? I guess gotta cough up and get a Brompton or perhaps a hybrid Finding a place for another bike at home has never been high on the priority list...

Marcus_C

Unless it's about 2 miles or offroad no. The main problem I see with using a decent road bike is they're targets to thieves so if you have somewhere properly secure and the time to keep on top of the maintainance it's suitable.

Now if it was a carbon racer...

pmorgan1

It is carbon (the racing one)

nation

Define "decent".

I bought a road bike specifically to commute on. It isn't carbon, but it's expensive enough.

Then again I leave mine in an access-controlled underground car park. I wouldn't want to leave it chained to a railing or anything.

stevie_90210

I commute on a Specialized Tarmac Expert with integrated carbon stem and handlebars.

My commute is 20 miles each way though, and my work place is a safe place to leave it.

stevie_90210

Multiple post.

bails87

You'll be riding on the road. So what's wrong with using a good road bike? The bike can't tell if you're riding for a commute or for leisure/competition! The only issue is security.

desweller

Depends on the bike and how worried you are about how it looks. The only two things I would be keen to do would be to avoid wearing out expensive rims and drivetrain parts (so I'd probably have a pair of cheaper wheels with a low-grade cassette and chain for the commute) and avoid getting the old mud stripe in bad weather, so Crud RRs would be on the shopping list.

stevie_90210

Road bikes are made for riding on the road though. They are made for thousands of miles.

I do give mine a quick clean with a hose and sponge after riding it on wet roads, but I get a lot of enjoyment out of it so it doesn't seem right not to use it.

Like any bike though; the better you look after it, the longer it will last... and I certainly look after it.

Massimo

I've been commuting for over 20 years. Every single bike I've used has been a road bike - I can't think of anything better for getting in and out of Birmingham in the shortest possible time. The only issue in the past has been the lack of mud guards, but Mr Crud went and solved that particular issue for me so it's all good

Moodyman

No reason why you can't if you can stomach the cost.

Urban commuting is tough on bikes due to the stop /start nature of commuting.

I'd rather have a mid-range hybrid (in fact I do) that can take the abuse and where I can replace parts economically.

The brake pads on my weekend bike cost me £16 for one pair. If I commuted on it in winter, I'd be replacing the pads every 2 months. The disc pads on my hybrid have been running for 2 years now and will do the same again - with no rim wear.

_jon_

I have a similar dilemma. My hybrid/hack bike is getting to the point where it needs replacing.

I already have a road bike that I could use. The only problem is that it is only a 2 mile commute and I'm a bit wary about it getting stolen or damaged. We do have a bike shed at work with a combination lock on the door but it has never seemed that secure to me.

I also don't like the thought of weighing it down with panniers and mudguards (if it will take them) as I'd like to use it on the weekends as well.

asprilla

I currently commute on a Cervelo S1 and will shortly be moving to a Scott CR1. When I parked up at work today I saw in the bike lock up:

1 x Pinarello Prince
1 x Pinarello FP2
1 x Wilier Izoard
1 x Specialized S-works Tarmac

I used to have a fixed for commuting, but then I thought that 90% of my time in the saddle is spent commuting so why should I deprive myself of riding my favorite bike for all that time?

raymondo60

imho its all about where the bike is when you're not riding it - I never leave a bike any place other people can access, but then I'm fortunate that I can bring mine inside my work place (and often right into my office where I can stare at it all day!)

edhornby

where the hell do you work asprilla?? mind you a guy I work with has an ali framed trek TT bike as his commuter cos he's attached to it, his other bike is a litespeed ti tt bike, nutter triathletes...

one reason I have a fixed gear for commuting is the winter kills bikes, especially the salt and the grime

_jon_

edhornby wrote:

one reason I have a fixed gear for commuting is the winter kills bikes, especially the salt and the grime

My commuter has turned into a singlespeed if that counts (only one of the 15 gears currently works). It did only cost £35 second hand though and has survived two winters.

stevie_90210

edhornby wrote:

where the hell do you work asprilla??

+1 :shock: Sounds like a good place to work!!

pmorgan1

edhornby wrote:

where the hell do you work asprilla??

[Pictures the face of the security guard when he contemplates an attempt to bring the bike to the office... I'll get my coat ]

On the one hand, the wear and tear inflicted by the 5-mile commute with quite a few traffic lights makes me save the bike for the weekend rides. On the other hand the regular devastating raids by the local yobs on the bike storage near home makes me think better use now than never And in practice I will get a commuting bike.

unixnerd

You only live once, enjoy commuting on a nice bike. It's much cheaper than using a car whatever you do. So chill out and ride something enjoyable to work.

hstiles

Some people have a road bike and get it out for weekend rides and sportives. I have a road bike and use it to commute 100+ miles a week (200+ starting late May). I don't have a gym membership and figured that if I was going to spend over 5(10) odd hours a week exercising, I may as well do it on a nice bike

meanredspider

Absolutely agree with all of this. Hitting 30mph on a flat road yesterday over a 2+ mile section (with a nice tailwind I should add before I get flamed) and hassling a car at near 40mph down a hill is worth every penny of the 700 quid I paid for my secondhand carbon Cayo.

The only downside of commuting on a racer is the days when I need to ride the MTB with Ice Spikers