New Road Bike - Have you ever regretted the one you got?

pizzaboyEdinburgh

I started cycling to work last summer and have covered about 2,000 miles commuting on my trusty Carrera Subway hybrid, mainly on cycle paths and back roads in Edinburgh.

My C2W scheme is up for renewal and I am planning on getting a Giant Defy 1 (and shove a lightweight rack and pannier bad on it for my daily trip) at a cost of £999.

I seem unable to have the guts to make the purchase because I have a nagging feeling that the road bike will get punctures and will be a bad choice for the rubbish Edinburgh roads. I don't want to regret the purchase and find that I should just have got a top of the range hybrid or a CX.

My question is... have any of you regretted getting a road bike for a commute on cycle paths and back roads?

DrLex

Like you, I commuted on a basic bike (old MTB) and then upgraded to an expensive, "proper" road bike for the 6 mile e/w trip on back roads, cycle paths & side roads. The only "downside" was that I realised that it wasn't right for poor weather, so just got a disk-braked, hub-geared flat-bar for winter/rainy days. Given the recent trend for disk-braked road bikes, I have a nagging feeling that a better choice would have been to wait and get a disk-braked road bike, but then it might have been a Volagi at more than the cost of both together!
Oh, and a year commuting without a puncture, so just choose your tyres well and be fortunate!

cjcp

Get some good tyres. Road bikes can take all sorts of stick.

I've got Schwalbe Durano Pluses. Others on here have had very good experiences with Conti Gator Skins or Conti Four Seasons.

sloppycowpat

shwalbe blizzard sports 2 years no punctures

rolf_f

cjcp wrote:

I've got Schwalbe Durano Pluses.

Even those might be overkill - so far I've done fine on Durano S (though I save that bike during the worst of the December-January grimness).

pizzaboyEdinburgh

I have Marathon Pluses on my hybrid after 3 punctures in my first month commuting.

Will I need to be careful bumping up and down kerbs or is this just a nonstarter on a road bike?

Tony-J

Best not to bump up and down curbs really. Usually ride Specialized Armadillos on the work bike and they are tough.

beverick

Whatever bike you get you'll wish you got something else. I think it's the main reason that many cyclists have several bikes in the collection.

As for tyres spoiling a bike, it's not so much punctures as a trade off between handling and feel and the level of protection you need. You need to try a few different tyres to get the ones you like, although it can get expensive. However, in my experience, unless you're trying to squeeze the last ounce of performance out of the frame, you'll probably not notice much of a difference in handling between similar tyres. On a road bike you'll probably notice more difference in moving from 23c to 25c or 25c to 28c. MTB's are a bit different as tyre choice depends on the terrain you entend to cycle on and the type of cycling you do.

After a few years of trying I now stick with Armadillo's on the hybrid (28c all condition elite) and MTB ("The captain" in the summer and Crossroads on winter roads). I use Gatorskins (Ultra or GP4) on the road bike.

Armadillos on the road bike 'kill' the handling (it slides all over the place) wherea Ultras on the 'hack' offer little more wet weather puncture resistance over unprotected tyres - and I don't notice any difference in handling between the Specialised or the Contis other than the Conti's greater tendency to slide on wet corners or ironwork.

Ironically, I have suffered a number of flats since christmas however, with the exception of an embedded and difficult to feel thorn in a MTB tyre, they have all been caused either by earlier patches failing, faulty tubes or valves, or in once case, me failing to fit the tyre correctly - oops.

Bob

rolf_f

beverick wrote:

Ironically, I have suffered a number of flats since christmas however, with the exception of an embedded and difficult to feel thorn in a MTB tyre, they have all been caused either by earlier patches failing, faulty tubes or valves, or in once case, me failing to fit the tyre correctly - oops.

Bob

Are you using traditional patches or self adhesive? I've never had a traditional patch fail and I'd be very surprised if one did.

gbsahne001

Rolf F wrote:

beverick wrote:

Ironically, I have suffered a number of flats since christmas however, with the exception of an embedded and difficult to feel thorn in a MTB tyre, they have all been caused either by earlier patches failing, faulty tubes or valves, or in once case, me failing to fit the tyre correctly - oops.

Bob

Are you using traditional patches or self adhesive? I've never had a traditional patch fail and I'd be very surprised if one did.

+1 for that and ditto regarding the lack of failures with traditional type

beverick

I use TipTop touring patches (ie pretty much standard "self vulcanizing" patches) and I agree that pretty much once they're on, they're on.

I had two fail where, I assume, I hadn't fitted them correctly in the first place. One "failed" an unknown time after I fitted it along a moulding seam on the side of the tube and the other just peeled off the the day after I fitted it.

Bob

roger_merriman

pizzaboyEdinburgh wrote:

I have Marathon Pluses on my hybrid after 3 punctures in my first month commuting.

Will I need to be careful bumping up and down kerbs or is this just a nonstarter on a road bike?

25mm marathon pluses would probably fit, if like myself you want no brainer zero puncture fairy attention.

but do check as some road bikes do have tight clearances, mine is tight at the front with the Marathon's

in terms of bumping up and down kerbs, fine just don't do it at 30mph!

beverick

roger merriman wrote:

pizzaboyEdinburgh wrote:

I have Marathon Pluses on my hybrid after 3 punctures in my first month commuting.

Will I need to be careful bumping up and down kerbs or is this just a nonstarter on a road bike?

25mm marathon pluses would probably fit, if like myself you want no brainer zero puncture fairy attention.

but do check as some road bikes do have tight clearances, mine is tight at the front with the Marathon's

in terms of bumping up and down kerbs, fine just don't do it at 30mph!

Be sensible about it and you should be fine. I think you're more likely to damage the rims than the tyres.
Don't go too fast and 'lifting' the front wheel as you get to the kerb (and 'bunny hop' the rear if you can) should mean that 'standard' 4" kerbs are no problem at all. Try to mount the kerb square on (to avoid the embarrassment of the bike sliding from under you - yes I've done that) and keep the pressures up towards the maximum for the tyre/rim.

Watch out for street furniture though. I nearly decapitated myself on a barrier climbing off a stretch of road and onto the canal path which was new to me this morning!

Bob

windbreaker

Yes I regret my current commuter. i bought a Genesis day One Alfine for my 30-45 mile aday Edinburgh Commute. It is sh*t. Gears jump and need regualr adjustment. I've rebuilt the back wheel twice. Replacing the spokes with downhill MTB and going three cross sorted out the constant spoke breakages. The gear changer is worn after less than a year. I bought it from Edinburgh bike Co-op who have taken it in and said there is no problem several times. The numpties at EBC even sold me the wrong size spokes for back wheel rebuild. My fault for not checking when the wheel was in bits on my kitchen table.

When i bought it was badly set up and I had to imemdiately replace the gear cable and true both wheels. I now run marathon racers which are both puncture proof and reasonably fast. I bought it to be bomb proof and reliable. What a joke. It is heavy which gives a training advantage. No need to add tractor weights to this bike.

Previously i used my bottom of the range EBC Courier 8 speed, and a de-raced Cannondale CAAD2 with bombrpoof wheels and ultra-gators. Both bikes were great. In fact I started to strip the courier of parts then built it up again as a commuter and pub bike.

If I was to replace it I'd get a Cannondale Bad Boy disc with a XT or similar which would be totally reliable.

Underscore

beverick wrote:

I use TipTop touring patches (ie pretty much standard "self vulcanizing" patches) and I agree that pretty much once they're on, they're on.

I had two fail where, I assume, I hadn't fitted them correctly in the first place. One "failed" an unknown time after I fitted it along a moulding seam on the side of the tube and the other just peeled off the the day after I fitted it.

Bob

Interesting. I've used TipTop patches (both the F1 touring and F0 road patches) for many years on various mountain, road, hybrid, kid's and balance bikes, plus two push chairs, and have found them superb and (until later today, I guess ;-) ) I've never had one fail. I also love that fact that I can buy extra patches without having to buy more of the vulcanizing solution...

_

byke68

Brought a Revoloution Cross 3 years ago and was the worst bike I've ever had. Even after putting on some Continentals (and narrowing down to 25mm), it was still pants!

porlyworly

Get a road bike and don't look back.

I started cycling in November last year (commuting on dodgy roads & cycle paths) and did what lots of people do when they start out - go for the safer option rather than an all out road bike (I went for a specialized tricross) and although I can't fault the cyclocross bike (it's never let me down once and is extremely comfortable) you always know in the back of your mind a proper road bike will be quicker. I changed the tyres on the tricross from 32s to 28s and it was no less comfortable which surprised me and then saw my grail bike for sale and had to go for it. Only had it a week and it's a different animal altogether and as I've read on here many times over, I should have gone for a road bike in the first place!

nation

I got a Defy 3 two years ago, have treated it horribly, battered it over potholes and even down stairs on a couple of occasions (did have some doubts about that, what with the carbon fork and all, but nothing broke), ridden it in all weathers, and barely maintained it. I have also never cleaned it.

It's still running fine. It could do with another new chain and I've run through a couple of sets of brake pads, but that's to be expected. Road bikes are not nearly as fragile as people think they are.

I don't regret getting it for a second. So much faster than my MTB, which no longer has to suffer the indignity of slicks and I can be kept for the trails (although it is fun for commuting when there's inches of snow on the ground).

jejv

Back to the OP...

A road bike, or even a TT bike is not going to magically make you go loads faster.

Do you get out of town much ? Have you thought of going along to a local club ? - Don't worry about having a hybrid, or not having lycra, but ask what the typical distances and average speeds in their groups are.

My advice would be to hang on a bit on the road bike, but maybe spend a few quid making your hybrid a bit more suited to fast(ish) cycling, and maybe a bit more like a road bike...

Some things you could do:

- Some kind of foot retention device - could be SpeedPlay, but strapless toeclips are cheap, and are not rubbish. (?£4-6?)
- Handlebars that move where you hold the handlebars to roughly shoulder width, and are more swept-back, to reduce wrist and arm strain. (Upside-down Raleigh RNH361 Trekking bar £14 + BBB Multifoam 400mm grips £5)
- Probably new stem for above. At least an inch longer than what you have now, unless that's too long already. £15?
- Getting someone who knows what they are on about to look at your riding position. The difference between a cranky saddle position and a fairly good saddle position could be 20% or more of your power output. Talking to folks on a club run might be enough.
- Light, supple, slick tyres. 28mm. Durano ? Depends on how many punctures you get.
- A narrower, firmer saddle that doesn't get in the way when pedalling.
- A computer with cadence.
- Padded Bib shorts.

The foot retention thing is really important. with flat pedals, you have to push on the pedals to stop your feet flying off, even on the upstroke - so your feet are fighting each other. With any kind of foot retention device, you can offload the pedals on the upstroke, making more power for less effort, and also pedal much faster.

With the bars I'm talking about, you get something like this:

That's a short stem, cos the rider is short.

Road Bike you say. Off-the-shelf road bikes are set up for someone on the level of a club racer, who spends a lot of time with their front wheel a few inches behind someone else's back wheel. And doesn't go up real hills.
Such bikes are limited to 25mm tyres, usually have silliy high top gears - ?>20% too high for the typical road-bike buyer - and a complete lack of proper low gears.

But if when you see 27mph on your speedo, on the flat, you think you are slacking, then you should certainly have a road bike, and I am not worthy to advise you.

If you were a close friend or relative, I'd go through the souping up your hybrid thing, and then if after a few months of club runs you were still interested, I'd build you a road triple (3 cogs at the front, giving a wide range). Perhaps 46-34-24 x 13-28 10-speed. That would give you a much wider range of closer gears than a typical road bike.

Off the shelf, you could look at the Boardman CX and Genesis Equilibrium threads on Commuter chat.

CX bikes are much more versatile - easier to fit mudguards, racks. Take wider tyres, that work in mud. There are NO spiky ice tyres that fit road bikes- CX yes. CX gears still silly though. Real CXers use a 46 tooth big ring, not a 50T ring.

beverick

jejv wrote:

Back to the OP...
A road bike, or even a TT bike is not going to magically make you go loads faster.
.......
My advice would be to hang on a bit on the road bike, but maybe spend a few quid making your hybrid a bit more suited to fast(ish) cycling, and maybe a bit more like a road bike................

I disagree that a roadbike won't make you any faster. My 9 mile commute takes me between 5 and 10 minutes less on the road bike purely because it accelerates faster (useful at junctions), gives a (substantially) higher speed than the hybrid and takes the drudge out of climbs.

My cross city commute is predominantly back-road and metalled cycle path and both hybrid and road-bike are equally suited. The road bike's not up to the rigours of the canal towpath or hardpacked dirt trails though - but neither wouldn't I like to do the 30-40 mile extended commute on the hybrid.

Re souping up the hybrid. Hmm. Been there, done that....and then bought the road bike. Hybrid's are good at what they do but they're the 'plodder' of the cycling world. You're never going to make huge improvements to performance but some of the things mentioned above will improve rather than solve things.

Basically, I'd say that if for more than 50% of your ride, you're 'spinning out' on the hybrid or get the feeling that it would be faster to walk to your destination, then you'd probably be better off on a road-bike.

Re Edinburgh and panniers, I may look towards a triple. A 28-30 ratio is useful 'get out of jail' if the panniers are crammed and the wind's against you up that last hill!

Personally, I'd find a bike shop that will let you have a test ride on a road bike and see how it feels on a route representative of your commute.

Bob

fossyant

Go for a road bike.

Noticed this morning that one of my regulars was a little quicker than they usually are - caught her up at lights , said morning and said 'oh road bike how do you like it ?' (Cannondale Caad) - she was beaming and said it was 'like a dream come true'. Her old bike was a quality hybrid though, but the switch was noticable.

mouth

where exactly do you plan to put the rack on the giant?

pizzaboyEdinburgh

i believe that each bike in the Giant Defy range can take a rear rack.

nation

Possibly not the Defy Advanced, but my Defy has rack eyelets.

meanredspider

I'm glad someone posted to say that a road bike WILL make you go faster because it will. In fact there was almost nothing in Jejv's post that I could agree with save for the paragraph where he suggested a CX bike. The Boardman CX is a great stepping stone to a road bike (though may not be available to you on your scheme). Anything similar with discs, guards and rack capability will work well - Focus Mares for instance.

That said, a road bike will be fine. Choose the right tyres (they don't need to be super heavyweights that some have suggested above just a decent puncture-resistant tyre (Gators, 4 Seasons, or my latest discovery Rubinio Pros) properly inflated.) Go for the slightly wider 25c+ tyres.

I'm sure you won't regret it. In fact, you'll wonder why you didn't do it before.

pizzaboyEdinburgh

went for some test rides today...

Giant Defy 2 size medium - felt very restricted, compact, no space to move... didn't feel good

went to EBC and tried
Cannondale Synapse Tiagra size 56 - felt terrific - much more space to breath
Giant Defy 3 size M/L - much better size - just right.

I am now thinking of the Cannondale... just a shame it is a dull carbon colour.

jejv

meanredspider wrote:

In fact there was almost nothing in Jejv's post that I could agree with save for the paragraph where he suggested a CX bike. The Boardman CX is a great stepping stone to a road bike (though may not be available to you on your scheme). Anything similar with discs, guards and rack capability will work well - Focus Mares for instance.

That said, a road bike will be fine. Choose the right tyres (they don't need to be super heavyweights that some have suggested above just a decent puncture-resistant tyre (Gators, 4 Seasons, or my latest discovery Rubinio Pros) properly inflated.) Go for the slightly wider 25c+ tyres. .

Hello, MRS.

Could you be more specific about disagreeing with what I said ?

I don't think my criticisms of off-the-shelf road bikes are entirely idiosyncratic.

I wonder if what the OP really wants is - shock horror - A Touring Bike!

meanredspider wrote:

Go for the slightly wider 25c+ tyres. .

Sure. But that's the biggest tyre that will fit on a normal road bike. And it limits the choice of mudguards. I think Cruds are out, but SKS raceblades probably OK. If the rider decides their commute is a bit rough, or they think they might go faster on 28mm tyres- because they think at their speed the rolling resistance benefits outweigh the aerodynamic losses, then they need a whole new bike to fit bigger tyres.
So I suggested Genesis Equilibrium (example of bike with long reach caliper brakes), & CX, because that way more options are still open.

meanredspider

I'll have a go, jejv

Road Bike you say. Off-the-shelf road bikes are set up for someone on the level of a club racer, who spends a lot of time with their front wheel a few inches behind someone else's back wheel. And doesn't go up real hills.
Such bikes are limited to 25mm tyres, usually have silliy high top gears - ?>20% too high for the typical road-bike buyer - and a complete lack of proper low gears.

But if when you see 27mph on your speedo, on the flat, you think you are slacking, then you should certainly have a road bike, and I am not worthy to advise you.

If you were a close friend or relative, I'd go through the souping up your hybrid thing, and then if after a few months of club runs you were still interested, I'd build you a road triple (3 cogs at the front, giving a wide range). Perhaps 46-34-24 x 13-28 10-speed. That would give you a much wider range of closer gears than a typical road bike.

So, I've already indicated that your road bike speed statement is wrong (my first road bike was already 1-2mph faster than my CX on my 30-mile RT commute - finding that 1-2mph through fitness takes ages). I therefore disagree with your idea of modifying the hybrid - good money after bad.

Then, all of the above I disagree with. Most entry-level road bikes have ability to either be aggressive or relaxed - flipping the stem and playing with spacers etc. The typical compact gearset is absolutely perfect for commuting. In fact, if anything, I miss having some bigger gears for my fast descents that I climb in something above bottom gear. Your triple suggestion sounds incredibly short - more akin to an MTB than a road bike. I've actually found that the shorter the lowest gear available to me, the slower my fitness develops.

Tyres and guards. 25c are perfectly fine - I've never felt the need for anything wider. Many road bikes are available with guard mounts. Since rain is thankfully rare, a quick release guard (like the Zefal Swan) is fine for much of the year.

Before you think I'm some sort of hardcore roadie, I'm not. I commute a lot of miles but I'm only in my 3rd year of commuting. I'm not a member of a club nor have I done a single road event.

lawteacher

@ byke68- what was up with the revolution cross, out of interest?

Moodyman

Road bikes are great for commuting if you don't commuterise them - i.e. multiple lights, full mudguards, rack, full panniers, tougher tyres.

Once you add these, you lose most of the road bike advantage. If, like me, you carry everything but the kitchen sink - breakfast, lunch, tools, laptop, the odd grocery item, then you will negate all the advantage of a road bike. For such a commuter and robust hybrid or a touring bike will be better in my opinion.

I ride 24 miles a day, everyday, on a hybrid with 26" wheels. The difference between a loaded hybrid and my unloaded road bike over the same commute is about 5 mins - hardly earthshattering.

meanredspider

Moodyman wrote:

I ride 24 miles a day, everyday, on a hybrid with 26" wheels. The difference between a loaded hybrid and my unloaded road bike over the same commute is about 5 mins - hardly earthshattering.

Jumping from my "race weight" MTB to my road bike saves me about 15 minutes or so a day on my 30-mile RT commute - over an hour a week. Mind you, if you lived somewhere flat and wind-free, the difference would be smaller.