Talk some sense into me about my commute...

El Badgerino
El Badgerino Posts: 30
edited August 2012 in Commuting general
I need a bit of tough talk I think.

I recently changed jobs and the new one is a nice commuting distance of 8 odd miles across south London.

I currently have 3 bikes and have sort of convinced myself I need a 4th for the commute. I currently have an old (8yrs?) Claud Butler Cape Wrath, a Charge Plug (one of the 1st run), and a italian style steel road bike built by Rory O'Brien.

So where's the extra bike needed, just use the Rory O'Brien? Well I've got it into my head that it's a bit too good / old / delicate for the everday commute. I think this is partially based on doing a night ride in the pouring rain and my rear hub failing almost immediately afterward.

I also have 2 kids and a variety of cycle additions, chariots, tag alongs etc. I'd like to use. At the moment they are attached to my cape wrath, but not the best solution as it's pretty heavy, as are the little ones!

So I've been looking at dedicated commuters / work horses. I'm not good at the post ride bike care, so hub geared bikes have a big attraction. I've tried a couple out, (predicatbly prefering the Alfine 11 to the Alfine 8 based ones), but the only one I liked even a little was the Genesis day one, a little pricey for me. I want to try the Trek Soho DLX (hub gears and a belt drive, oh my!), but no-one seems to have them in.

So, do I:-

- Man up, use the road bike until I'm fit enough for the plug, save the cash
- Continue the search for a hub gear based commuter?
- Switch to looking for a standard geared commuter?

Basically am I just "Wanting a new bike" and trying to find a justification for it! If you think a commuter is in order, any suggestions / advice would be great!

Thanks all

Luke

Comments

  • tugger
    tugger Posts: 122
    man up. Use the plug. You'll get fit. By week three you'll be fine. If in doubt eat cheese. Simples
    All about the aggregation of marginal gains (or marginal losses, depending on who you are!!)
  • El Badgerino
    El Badgerino Posts: 30
    I should have seen if they could do some kind of vote thingy like some forums have.

    Man up : 1
    Hub commuter : 0
    Standard commuter : 0

    Easy on the cheese though...
  • rubertoe
    rubertoe Posts: 3,994
    time to MTFU me thinks.

    your just trying to justify an N+1.
    "If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got."

    PX Kaffenback 2 = Work Horse
    B-Twin Alur 700 = Sundays and Hills
  • raymondo60
    raymondo60 Posts: 735
    +1 on using the Plug. Commuted on mine for 2 years, 14 miles each way, before replacing with a SS Trek District. Its the perfect solution. you'll be amazed how quickly your fitness improves. You know it makes sense.......
    Raymondo

    "Let's just all be really careful out there folks!"
  • El Badgerino
    El Badgerino Posts: 30
    Hmmm...

    On the plus side I'm saving myself £££, but no new bike!!!

    Ah well I'll splash have to splash the cash elsewhere?
  • raymondo60
    raymondo60 Posts: 735
    However.....there's nothing as nice as a new bike!!! (Devil's Advocate Clause No 1)
    Raymondo

    "Let's just all be really careful out there folks!"
  • El Badgerino
    El Badgerino Posts: 30
    Temptation your name is new bike...
  • jjojjas
    jjojjas Posts: 346
    plug.






    or if you have the space get a 4th bike.... but as an ex-5bike bloke, I got fed up with all the clutter and got rid of them all..... which i'm now starting to replace..


    can't win really.
    it looks a bit steep to me.....
  • El Badgerino
    El Badgerino Posts: 30
    It's good to know that there are people with more bikes than me, if only for the justification to my wife... (actually she's supportive of a new bike, she justs wants me doing the commute on the bike!)

    Having said that, if I add the family bikes in it tops out at 6 proper bikes, 1 tag a long & 2 chariots... maybe the garage doesn't need another one.
  • twist83
    twist83 Posts: 761
    rubertoe wrote:
    time to MTFU me thinks.

    your just trying to justify an N+1.

    You never have to Justify N+1 it is a rule devoid of needing justification. The Justification for N+1 is N+1.

    I suggest N+1 plus a bottle of MTFU Tablets as a side order. All bases covered then
  • twist83
    twist83 Posts: 761
    El Badgerino wrote:
    It's good to know that there are people with more bikes than me, if only for the justification to my wife... (actually she's supportive of a new bike, she justs wants me doing the commute on the bike!)

    Having said that, if I add the family bikes in it tops out at 6 proper bikes, 1 tag a long & 2 chariots... there is plenty more room for another bike in garage, perhaps even several more.

    I corrected it for you ;)
  • CJ Bill
    CJ Bill Posts: 415
    +1 on the Plug and MTFU. I got mine for running around on when I had a contract down in Larndan a while ago, hauled it out again when main commuter bike needed a wheel rebuild and remembered why I loved it, great fun. And that was for a 18 to 20 mile each way commute over rolling bits of Cheshire.
  • passout
    passout Posts: 4,425
    Plug would be ideal wouldn't it?
    'Happiness serves hardly any other purpose than to make unhappiness possible' Marcel Proust.
  • monkeydan
    monkeydan Posts: 95
    Plug for real. I started commuting last year on a Langster (7 miles each way) and SS is absoultely perfect for that kind of distance / terrain. I find when I do ride a geared bike on my commute I very rarely change gear anyway!
    When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro

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