Mountain Bike for Commuting and offroading

JohnClem88

Hi,

I have just joined the forum so please bare with me.

I'm looking into commuting into work most days, it is a 15 miles commute each way on tarmac with couple of big hills. I have done the journey once to see if it is doable (on my old Gary
Fisher mtb with only,5th,6th and 7th working on th rear derailleur!) and although i was exhausted i think with a few more journeys under my belt to get my fitness up I should be fine. The thing is i would also like to get back into dirt tracking, as there are fantastic woods around this area for biking.

So basically what I'm asking for advice on is, what mountain bike would be good at doing a reasonably long commute on the road, but also be able to take a pounding on on the dirt tracks.

I have been to Evans cycles and ridden a Ghost SE3000 as this stood out to me to be a lot of bike for the money, and it was gorgeous. I explained my needs to the salesman and he suggested I buy a set of road tyres to put on the wheels for the commute, then when i fancy going off roading properly at the weekends I put the mtb tyres back on.

Would this really make my life easier on the roads or is a mountain bike quite simply too heavy and slow for the road? and eventually when I do get fitter will Il still struggle with that length of journey?

Thanks

John

whitestar1

I am using an MTB for a 4.5 mile commute. Best time so far is 19 minutes with two hills on the way in. Return is 5 miles with one long hill about 1 mile long and thats completed under 24 minutes. Max speed 28 mph and thats with full mtb tyres. Plan to get a road bike next year. Want to cut the speed to 15 minutes and hit 31 mph (coworker said I am not fast until I am caught by a speed cam! )

I use the mtb on breaks at canals/parks/trail so its doing what I want it to do, but I want a road bike now.

JohnClem88

Thats good!.

I timed myself on my commute ant it took an hour, but i have no idea of speed as my cycle computer is broken. I think having a computer that works will improve my average speed as i wont be speeding up and down all the time and wearing myself out.

I am leaning more towards getting a hybrid bike (road biased/no suspension) and then when the time comes get a mtb.

Really love the look and spec and weight especially of a Land Rover Aero Pro.

John

jonny_trousers

Not sure you can combine fast commuting on roads with MTBing if you are at all competitive or like to push yourself. Most of us, when new to commuting, want one thing before soon learning that we actually need something else. It's no good mate, you need two bikes. Second-hand bargains are there to be had, though.

godders1

I agree with the above. I'd get a decent MTB and then try and find a used bog standard hybrid with 28-35mm slick-ish tyres for the commute. The basic offerings from the likes of trek, dawes, kona etc start at around £250 new so you should be able to find a used one for £150 or so.

Otherwise I think you'll be making so many compromises you won't enjoy your commute and you’ll be off-roading on a bike you know isn’t perfect for that type of riding.

If you can’t justify two bikes then two sets of tyres is an option but it’s a lot of faffing about. I’d recommend one of these for tyre removal if you’re going to be doing it a lot:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=42811

JohnClem88

Ok yea what you've said makes sense and i knew that would be a problem just needed to be told ha

OK so what would be the best hybrid for my commute. up to £800. I've ridden a GF Montare and was impressed but it felt heavy. This may have been because it was a 21" frame and i would need a 17"! I really do like the look of Land Rover Aero and Aero Pro. Any more suggestions welcome, can't hurt to know what's out there that I have been missing. Not bothered about fenders and carry cages as ill have a back pack.

John

jonny_trousers

That land Rover thing looks really budget to me. If you really want light (and you should on a 30 mile round trip commute) I would seriously recommend you think about a bike with 700c wheels (road bike, tourer, CX or flat barred road bike, your choice). If you are dead set on a hybrid then don't spend too much as you will want to change it for a real bike in six months time anyway. People seem to like Halfords' offerings.

mountaincookie

As said above, if you want to commute AND go out offroading you have to either compromise or have two bikes

In saying that, if your not a speed junky you could get a decent mountian bike and use it for both - it's not ideal for commuting, not as efficient ect. but so what? By the sounds of the bike you've got you'd love it anyway, commuting or offroading

I've just bought a Kona dew plus hybrid for £380 from halfords. It's fantastic for the money, and pretty good allrounder - it'll take to grass or mud path quite happily

You'll have to decide what kind of hybrid do you want - an all out road speedy whizz or the more all rounder that'll get you to work fast and take the canal paths just as well.

Just make sure you try before you buy. I am comfortable on a small (16inch) MTB, but on a hybrid I need a medium!

JohnClem88

Yea i see your point. I think I am going to go for a road focused hybrid that will allow me to cut across grass and bump up small kerbs etc without problems. That is what is stopping me getting a full road bike.

Yea I know I've ridden a couple of bikes to get an idea of size but they are all so different its hard to work out a set size for all bikes that will suit me.

Got any ideas of good road focused hybrids? Up to £800 as I will be getting it on the C2W scheme.

I will hope to be using it 4 days a week, so that's 120 miles a week!

John

godders1

A road bike won't stop you doing those things. Road/racing bikes are still relatively sturdy machines! Especially those built for touring, audaxing etc. and with fatter tyres (25-28mm).

eg.

http://www.fatbirds.co.uk/detail.asp/sk ... Audax_Bike

http://www.fatbirds.co.uk/detail.asp/sk ... _Bike_2011

You might spend £800 on a hybrid and be delighted with it foerever more but as has been said there are stacks of people who buy hybrids and are hankering after a more road type bike within a year or so.

JohnClem88

Ow I thought a road bike would be very fragile that was why i thought the hybrid was created, and to also give a more comfortable position for those not used/or willing to ride a road bike. If that is the case a road bike would be perfect, as long as it has a good variation in gears as there are so big hills on my commute.

What are your thoughts on Chris Boardman bikes. I have heard the bikes are good but Halfords are crap!

I really want to ride the bikes first before buying for obvious reasons, so for those willing to make suggestions, my main local stores are cycles UK and Evans (Thurrock).

This looks good - http://www.evanscycles.com/products/bia ... e-ec021258

And if my memory serves me well there was one in stock last time I went.

Not sure about the sizing though, I am 5ft 10"

John

jonny_trousers

Road bikes are fine for commuting. The only reason they would not be is if you needed a rack and full mudguards (even the latter can easily be got around), but there are still many, many drop bar bikes that can take rack and full guards.

Seriously mate, there is a wealth of information on these forums about commuting bikes and what the different specs mean in terms of comfort and ridability. Just have a flick through and see what you find.

Don't fall for the old-wive's-tale that is, flat-bars-are-more-comfortable-than-drops. It's utter nonsense. Picture yourself carrying two bags of heavy shopping and imagine your prefered arm position. So too is your belief that road bikes are crazy fragile; they're not!

You are very wise to try before you buy and Evans will get you anything they stock for a test ride. Boardman bikes have a good rep, but, you are right, Halfords don't.

Either do some research or only spend an amount you don't mind making a loss on should you want to trade up in a few months time.

MichaelW

2x15 miles warrants a specific road style commuting bike.
Road Race bikes lack threaded eyelets for commuting accessories and the necessary tyre clearance. Other kinds of road bike are more suited to daily commuting.
Look for threaded eyelets for luggage rack and mudguards.
Sufficient tyre clearance through the use of long-drop caliper brakes.
Transmission can be a std race double, a compact double (lower gear ratios), or road triple (bigger range).
Wheels should be std 32 spoke. Fancy low-spoke wheels may be strong and aerodynamic but when something goes wrong, it can be hard to find replacement spokes.

More expensive than your budget but the right idea:
http://www.kinesisbikes.co.uk/product.php?id=39
or
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/pin ... e-ec027479

jonny_trousers

If you can stretch your budget a little then might I suggest:

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/gen ... ry=genesis equilibrium 10

It ticks all of the boxes mentioned above and the frame gets incredible reviews (a steel frame will be more comfortable on crappy British roads than an aluminium one). After a year and a half of faffing with various bikes I am in the process of ordering the frame and fork set for myself.

mountaincookie

I would guess just about anything will bump up a curb (lift the front wheel of course) and cut across grass if you treat it with respect - lean apporpriatly over curbs don't crash down, but with full on racers you might knock the wheel out of alighnment if you do that sought of thing. If you get a road specific bike then you might be restricting how thick you can have your tyres...if thin tyres don't get on with you then you might be stuck. However every bike is different and clearence will vary too.

Boardmans seem good bikes - the problem is halfords sell them which many people don't like because the staff building/repairing the bikes don't have the skills they should (some do of course but there are a lot of bad tales about them - check out these forums!)

£800 will get you a very worthy bike. I would suggest £500 is the cut off point but that is my opinion and I'm no expert Aluminium gives a harsher chattery ride, steel gives a more comfortable flexible ride. And noooo road bikes are not flimsy

Ride a flat handle bar hybrid and ride a drop handle bar 'racer' - they can be very different feeling and handling. See which you get on with? Personally I'm not keen on racers for commuting as I find them a bit full on and precarious ( for me ).

HTH[/i]

optimisticbiker

My 2p worth... for commuting in traffic the upright position is a must IMHO, and while you can get that riding on the hoods on a road bike it has to be said (as i have one of each) I prefer the hybrid in this respect - the position on the hoods is too low to easily see over cars.

Having said that, I was chatting to a fellow cyclist on my commute last week on a Spesh TriCross... drop bars true but the whole bike rides higher (due to increased ground clearance) and on the hoods he was roughly the same height (similar size frame) so I reckon I'll be looking at one of those shortly...

Two sets of wheels and you have instant swap between good road and useful offroad... you can get the 2010 model under £800 now from several places...

The Rookie

I ride a Hybrid over a 6.7 mile (each way commute) my roads are very rough so I wanted the slightly more upright stance and security of flat bars, besides my bars/shifters are lighter than drops and roady kit (certainly for the £40 in total they all cost me!).

For your distance you'll want the bike to be able to take mudguards and if your carrying anything a rack (or you'll get a very sweaty back).

Simon

Drysuitdiver

I will say it again.

decathlon for very very good value bikes - Value does not mean cheap and nasty. I commute on my 8.1 MTB- not 15 miles each way but did a few weeks of 10 milers in London in the winter. performed fine .

bails87

I think you can get a Voodoo Limba cyclocross bike from Halfords for £800. Seems like a decent level of kit, built for light off roading, but should be speedy on the roads too.

I can't remember if it's got a steel or alu frame, but it's got carbon fibre seatstays for lessening some of the bumps.

FrankM

I've commuted on an MTB for the past 8 years after being knocked off a road bike 3 times in the previous 2 years.

I have one hardtail MTB and last year I commuted from Barnet to Central London (12.5 miles each way) at least 4 times a week. Average time to/from work including stopping at lights was about 45 - 50 minutes; quickest was just under 40.

My advice: don't get a hybrid which is a jack of all trades and a master of none. Get a decent MTB. You could get a pair of slick tyres for commuting and a pair of offroad tyres too. I also interchange a road cassette for commuting and an MTB cassette for offroad adventures. I now have a second pair of wheels to make the switching of disciplines even easier.

Hope that helps.

Eskimo427

My daily commute is 24 miles each way on one of these:

http://www.lapierre-bikes.co.uk/lapierr ... PICY-316-1

Apart from larger discs and SLX drive train the bike is standard and weighed in at 14.2kg. The reason I use the bike is because it's very comfy and gives me a good view of the traffic. Out of the 24 miles 10 miles are on roads although not that busy, but living in Scotland I do have to odd hill to contend with. As the suspension on the bike has no lockout I inflate the rear shock far more than what is recommended for someone of my weight. This way it helps with some of the pedal bob but also still absorbs some of the ruts, especially pot holes.

My point: It is possible to use any bike for commuting as long as you’re happy with it and find it comfy. Although you may not set the world alight with commuting times, you WILL get fitter and the ride WILL be more enjoyable if you’re riding what you want rather than what you think you should be riding.

And if you wondering, my other 14 miles are on an old railway line and the journey takes on average 1hr 30 mins to complete depending on the wind.

Happy Hunting.