Newbie Commuter Advice

AHK

Afternoon all,

I have been looking into a few options this morning, and hope you can all help me (I have had a good read of the stickies)

My commute works out about 4 miles each way by bike. A couple of slightly hilly sections but nothing major. All normal roads.

I used to ride a custom hard tail MTB a lot, but never rode any real distances. I sold the bike when I started driving and found beer years ago.

My fitness isn't bad, and I'm sure a 4 mile commute would be quite easy to get used to.

I am looking at getting a bike through the cycle2work scheme, which my employers have done for another employee.

So far I have been looking at a few hybrids. As much as I don't need to go mad on something for a small distance, I always like to invest in something with decent parts.

The few I have looked at come in between £600-800.

I have never ridden a road bike, so I'm hoping a hybrid might be less daunting.

Can anybody recommend me something, or give me some advice to alter what I am looking at?


Thanks in advance,

Adam

anthdci

it really depends on what you want to do with it. 4 miles is nothing so you could do it on any bike. Could you do it all on roads? If so that would be faster. Have you thought of a cyclocross bike? it has the drop bars of a road bike, but with relaxed geometry, wider tyres and mostly come with eyelets for mud guards and a pannier rack.

Kieran_Burns

Honestly - every person that comes on and asks for a hybrid reads a litany of posts of us all saying "don't do it, get a road bike"

There's a reason for this I promise you.

Look at the CX bikes , strictly they're light CX as they couldn't cope with the full on CX experience but they're great for light trails and getting off the tarmac and as stated: come with the extras needed for commuting.

If you get a hybrid and get the bug you WILL be looking for a drop bar bike in a year.

AHK

Thanks for the responses!

I knew I would forget to mention something. I have always wanted to get into longer riding, so although my commute will only be 4 miles, in time I would like to be going much further.

I will have a look at a few of the CX bikes, any gems people can recommend?


Cheers,

Adam

rolf_f

anthdci wrote:

If so that would be faster. Have you thought of a cyclocross bike? it has the drop bars of a road bike, but with relaxed geometry, wider tyres and mostly come with eyelets for mud guards and a pannier rack.

Or why not consider a touring bike which is effectively a CX bike with the mudguards and rack already fitted and more sensible tyres!

There is no need to be daunted by any sort of road bike. Yes, the handlebars are narrower so they do feel twitchier but you get used to that in about 5 minutes. Then you'll be thinking that flat bar bikes handle like supertankers!

guzzimag

For what it's worth.....I started a couple of years ago commuting on a hybrid (Cube Nature) and it was what I needed at the time. Solid, stable, disc brakes and upright. Reassuring in traffic with those stoppers. I've lost 2.5 stone since then and have just started commuting on a Cube Attempt (race/road bike). It's much faster, brakes aren't as good, and I had to fit a riser stem and a leather saddle (so, soooo many saddles before I found brooks nirvana) to make it comfortable for me (30 mile round trip).

I don't regret buying the hybrid to start off on - but as everyone says you'll probably progress to a proper road bike in time. I'll be digging the hybrid out again come the wintery weather, road salt etc

supersonic

A CX bike is a hybrid - and this is the thing: hybrids vary massively. At one end of the scale you get what is basically a road bike with flat bars, at the other a cross country MTB with narrow tyres, and all sorts of things in the middle. You can't classify hybrids as all the same thing.

It sounds like you don't need suspension and all the MTB type trimmings, so something towards the road end of the scale (if not a full on road bike - you did mention longer rides) would be the best bet.

Some people don't get on with narrow bars and drops, and DO prefer a flat bar and the way the brakes and gears operate - myself included - and if you are of the same ilk, take a look at this:

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... pping#tab2

At 21.5lbs it is pretty damn light, with some nice parts and a full carbon fork. Disc brakes aren't strictly needed, but will give confidence in all conditions with a very light lever feel.

MichaelW

The boardman CX bikes seem to get a good rep even if the service from the retailer is a bit hit or miss. Same for their hybrids. Try and avoid front suspension, not needed, adds weight and maintenance.
Disc bikes are great for all-weather commuting but it is much easier to fit rack and mudguards if the rear brake is fitted to the chainstay, not the seatstay.
CX bikes are really great all rounders, esp the low-mid range ones. The race-level ones are thorough-bred and not in any way hybrid, being stripped of all the useful features like rack/'guard/bottle mounts.

supersonic

The original hybrid term is simply an MTB/Road 'hybrid'. Recently though we have seen more variations.

guzzimag

When someone says hybrid to me I think mtb frame, flat bars and road wheels and variations within that theme

supersonic

I think most people do lol, but the first ever type of hybrid was the CX bike ;-)

teutonic

I match the profile above. Got my first bike (since being a teenager, am now late 30s) last year. I didn’t think I needed or wanted an MTB. I had no plans to do any ‘downhill’ or serious rough stuff. (Bad knees, too old for coming off and getting injured etc)

Therefore got a ‘do it all’ (up to canal towpaths / light trails) bike – a Trek 7.3 FX. List price was £500 i think, I got mine ‘end of season’ for £425.

It’s done everything I’ve required of it – and probably a bit more. I’ve likely been on canal paths / trails that are a bit too bumpy for it, possibly abused it slightly – but never had any problems with it. I think the Trek is an excellent ‘beginner bike’.

If I had my time again, I would have paid £100 more and got the disc braked version.

However – the slim (ish), low volume (ish) tyres, slim fork and no suspension means it does have its limitations. It is much more a town / commuting / hardened path / canal towpath / cycle track on former railway line type bike. I think the same goes for the wealth of similar models made by other manufacturers.

I did indeed then ‘get the bug’. I still don’t want / need an MTB, but I would now like a lighter, faster, more agile drop –bar bike. I want more speed on the road, but still the versatility to go off road if i need to. And something that can handle our rapidly deteriorating roads better.

Answer = cross bike!

I do wonder if I’d understood cross bikes at the start a year ago, I might have got one instead of the Trek. However, again, I would say the Trek has been a great beginners bike.

Cross bikes are a bit more expensive (by necessity better frames and generally better components). I fancy spending a bit more on this as my ‘fun bike’, and I’ll keep commuting on the Trek (I might need to look at bigger volume tyres if they’ll fit though, as the roads get worse and worse).
My cross bike shortlist is:

• Revolution Cross / Cross Sport / or Cross Pro (i really like the ride and feel of this bike)
• Specialized Tricross. (nice, but didn’t like it as much as the revolution)
• Focus Mares AX2 (more of a ‘competition’ bike than an all rounder, but great spec for the money felt very lively)
• Pinnacle Arkose (not yet ridden, new versions not in the shops yet)
• Genesis Croix De Fer (not ridden, but would like to try the steel frame option)

I guess the question is ... do you want to start with a hybrid and see if you get the bug ... or just go straight for the cross bike!

supersonic

I don't get why people think that 'hybrids' are some sort of stop gap to a 'CX' or road bike - quite often they are not, and offer what the rider wants. Some cheaper flat bar road bikes are lighter than entry level CX bikes, or something like the Boardman Hybrid will handle off road better too.

Grenouille

I was in the exact same spot as the OP 4 months ago and opted for a Boardman Hybrid Comp on our works CTW scheme. At the start I was 20 stone (at 6'4") and my route to work is just over 8 miles each way. At the start it was hard work (there are 2 bad hills) but now I have dropped just over 1.5 stone in the 4 months it is getting easier by the week. Your 4 mile each way commute will soon become a breeze and I am willing to bet you start trying to find longer routes!

I am planning a 30 mile ride for the weekend which will be my longest single ride to date. The comment about wanting to get a full on road bike soon after is fair - I am now coveting a Boardman road bike (if they are good enough for the Brownlees they are good enough for me!)

However, what I like about the Hybrid is that it takes mudguards and a pannier rack comfortably (I have a Topeak rack) although at my height I had to raise the handlebar stem to make my position more comfortable. In due course I'll be adding some bar ends and spd pedals.

bails87

supersonic wrote:

I don't get why people think that 'hybrids' are some sort of stop gap to a 'CX' or road bike

Because so many riders start with a hybrid then come back asking for advice on what road bike to get

It's like saying "I don't get why people think that 'hybrids' are some sort of stop gap to a proper mountain bike". If you're pottering along a green route with the family then the unsuspended hybrid is probably lighter than an equivalently priced MTB, that doesn't necessarily make it a better choice for more serious riding though. There's a reason that neither 'proper' MTBers or road riders tend to ride or race on hybrids.

supersonic

I know loads who ride various types of hybrids, including myself for certain rides (and staff at the Future mags!)! As I said, are the perfect choice for many people for the way they ride, it doesn't necessarily mean that you need to go to something else because people tell you they are better.

bails87

Of course, if I had a short commute and that was all the road riding I did then a flat barred rigid would be fine, but I don't so yeah, it varies person to person and route to route.

Not saying one is necessarily better than another for all applications, as I said in the post above.

Reane_Machine

I started commuting in March this year and originally used an off-rack MTB from Decathalon that i'd had for years.

My commute's just shy of five miles each way and has a dodgy hill in it, after the first few weeks of huffing and puffing I was bought a cycle computer, which has since taken over my life.

I have become obsessed with average speeds and the time it takes to commute. I'm so hooked i've been hammering mapmyride.co.uk to find longer routes and have bought myself a shiny roadbike. I've even taken to having a 10mile plus bike ride in the mornings when i'm working the afternoon shift, and still commuting.

Talk about a transformation. This is what's in store for you OP.

I'm just glad I don't have a GPS so Strava is out of reach. For now...