What bike do I want?

Aidanw

I have the opportunity to get some cycle to work money so I was thinking that i NEED another bike (right!?)

I live up in Finchley and commute down to tower bridge (ie there is actually a hill!) I have only ever had pretty conventional road bikes but I was thinking of getting something a little more exotic.

I think I want a flat bared racer, I am agnostic about wheel diameter. I fancy a bit more of a head up position for london traffic, and being kind to my recovering rotator cuff shoulder injury.

I do want (good) disc brakes and hub gears. I also want mudguards and a pretty solid pannier rack.

I quite want an all carbon thing (mostly just for the "OMG CARBON!!" rather than any specific functional requirement)
I guess I have about £1000 to spend, but there is no real limit as the company self administers the program.

What should I be looking at?

Thanks

Headhuunter

Boardman Performance Hybrid Pro? Not carbon framed but offhand I can't think of any carbon hybrid bikes (flat bar), also not hub geared. This bike is 999 quid. Or On One Pompetamine Alfine? 11 speed version is 1199 quid, 8 speed is about 750. Both flat bar, draked, hub geared however not carbon.

I hope you're budgeting for some decent locks or you're not planning on leaving the bike out in the open... Personally I would never leave a 1000 quid bike locked out in the street

Initialised

On-One Pompetamine Alfine 11 Speed Pro
£1200

Flat bar, hub gears, dics brakes:

Aidanw

Cheers guys,
Looks nice and like I have some options.

I do leave my current £1000 bike locked up around London and have been okay so far... but it took me a while to get up the nerve to do it

The Rookie

OK slightly off the wall, the Boardman Urban MTB? On restrictions on your C2W supplier?

Simon

Aidanw

My work administers itself so I don't even seem to be bound by the £1000 limit that is common (which is probably a bad thing!) certainly all I need is a pro-forma invoice from a bike shop and I am good to go!

t4tomo

Aidanw wrote:

I I also want mudguards and a pretty solid pannier rack.
I quite want an all carbon thing (mostly just for the "OMG CARBON!!"
What should I be looking at?

Suggest mudguards and pannier rack don't really go with carbon. Hub gears are great for relatively maintenance free commuting though, the Alfine 11 speed gets very good reviews.

Bi50N

I have the On-One Pompetamine Versa - 8 speed, drop bars, discs brakes, will take guards and rack. It's a superb commuter (pic in signature). So a flat bar version, with either 8 or 11 speed would be an obvious choice. Steel frame of course, but I agree with the poster above, I can't picture carbon with rack and guards, it just seems wrong.

I'd almost go so far as to say that carbon is for people with shaved legs, teeny weeny branded tops and wraparound reflective sunglasses who travel in packs at weekends. Not commuters.

But that would be trolling, so I wont.

Oh, other option would be the Genesis Day 01 Alfine 11. Drop bars, steel frame again, but a very pretty bike. They do and 8 speed too. Similar concept to the On-One, but a bit pricier.

http://www.genesisbikes.co.uk/bikes/cross/day-01/day-01-alfine-11