What bike do you use commuting?

CyclingObsession

I have two bikes. a carbon fiber racing bike ive been using to go to work, I used my other bike a carrera visterousa, I am curious to know if you use the bike you go on weekend spins with for going to work, or if u have the luxury of a 2nd bike?

slowbike

I now have 2 bikes ... the Allez that I used all last year - commutes, holidays, weekend rides - most weathers ...
I swapped onto a hybrid in December for the commute as the ground was just getting too muddy for the Crux2 and 23mm tyres to cope with. The hybrid was too small for me and anyway I like drops - so bought a tricross in Jan and have been riding that exclusively ever since.
I'm not really differentiating between commutes and other rides - it's the conditions that matter more - so when it dries up a bit (and I have time to swap lights) I'll ride the Allez into work once again.

dee4life2005

I have two bikes, a beone diablo race road bike (full carbon) and a hybrid (boardman). I will use either to work. If it's forecast for ice/rain/snow then I`ll take the hybrid (which has marathon winters at the moment). Otherwise I`ll take the road bike. I am allowed to bring my bike into work and leave it beside my desk so it's sheltered from the elements during the day.

If I had to leave it locked up outside, even if in one of the bike parks, then I'd only use the hybrid as some people don't care about their bikes and I wouldn't want paint chips on the "best" bike ... although I wouldn't on the hybrid either, but I'm a little less precious about that.

Which ever bike it always gets a quick clean / dry when it's been used in the wet and the chain cleaned once a week, or if it's been in the wet. Seems to be working so far ...

CyclingObsession

I like taking my lighter bike with me as there are so many strava segments on my route I always like to go in hard, the other bike is 2kg heavier than mine and less gears which makes the hills tough and not as fast. I have my bike indoors all the time when I can and cleaned once a week also. un fort mine has chips on it from a crash and lose chipps slightly raging about them.

slowbike

But taking in the heavier bike is just extra training

monkeydan

I have two bikes - Langster Steel for commuting and getting from A to B and a Ribble Sportive Bianco for when I just want to get some miles in and come home again without going to the pub!

CyclingObsession

I like to use my racing bike as it has clipless pedals and I have shoe covers for the rain n wind which keeps me warm in winter, I'd prob switch if I could get shoe covers for trainers

slowbike

Just put clipless pedals on the other one too ...

edhornby

I have a singlespeed for commuting and a best bike - I use mtb style SPDs and shoes for the commuter - if the snow is really thick and the gritters haven't been out I use my mountain bike with flats and walking boots

daddy0

If its dry then I attempt Strava greatness on the carbon Felt F5 which I sometimes treat to a weekend ride too.

If its wet then the old Scott Sportster because its got mudguards and its less likely to melt.

Both bikes have SPD pedals now. I have a change of trainers at work so I don't mind my feet getting wet.

rubertoe

Slowbike wrote:

Just put clipless pedals on the other one too ...

this.

:roll:

CyclingObsession

Does anyone here find it really hard to go easy on the bike with all the segments on your commutes? I find it impossible to take it easy, especially if their is a tail wind

Big_Paul

The bike I use depends on what happens before I get home, if it's a straight run in and out of work, I'll take the Vee-1, if I'm feeling especially lazy, or I have to go shopping, I'll take the Hybrid, sometimes with a trailer. If I'm going the long way home I'll take my CX bike, if I'm I want to go and play in the woods I'll take the MTB or the CX and if I'm hauling bits of dead motorcycles up to my lock up, I'll take the MTB on slicks with a trailer because there's a sodding great big hill on the way up to it.

arthur_scrimshaw

Boardman CX winter bike/commuter with full mudguards and Marathon plus (=no punctures) , or MTB with ice spike tyres if really icy. When the weather improves the best bike comes out.

cheshiren

I use a Ridgeback Flight 04 (alfine 8 hub) to commute most of year and a Giant Defy 2 for summer days, although my 14 year old son is now "sharing" the Defy so not sure how much use I will get out of it this year. Ridgeback is great for trouble free winter commute (13 miles each way) hub gears the way forward!

supersonic

My preferred bike for getting about on the road on is a modified GT Zaskar LE. Here it is without bar extensions:



It is light and very fast, and handles very well.

meanredspider

Winter - MTB with Ice Spiker Pros
Rest of the year - carbon road bike with discs

IanLD

Used to use Orbea road bike, then switched to Orbea Carpe hybrid.

Due to office move and no storage facilities, I've had to get a Tern Verge P18 to which I've added mudguards and Schwalbe Winter Marathons. With decent Lezyne lights (Powerdrive XL and Minidrive XL), I can easily get train in the morning and cycle 25 miles along unlit Clyde walkway going home.

Looking forward to getting slicks back on it though and makes it less likely to chew up the car when I pop it in the boot.

Big_Paul

cheshiren wrote:

hub gears the way forward!

I'm not entirely convinced about the Nexus 8 IGH on my hybrid, it's distinctly rough in the lower gears, and has been since new, adjusting the shifting cable has helped in the higher gears, but 1-4 feel very draggy, 5-8 are smooth enough but you sometimes get a delay on downshifing. I thought it was my hub, but a colleague has the same bike with the same hub and it's the same. A quick google reveals that failure is not that uncommon and the hub's resistance to water ingress isn't great. In any case the shifter mechanism is liable to get caked in crap as much as a derailleur and if you get a puncture, it's more awkward to get the wheel out.

meanredspider

Yup - I reckon the perceived benefits of hub gears are overstated. Dérailleurs are simple and effective. They can also be "tuned" to your ride with cassettes of different ranges relatively cheaply.

cheshiren

I can only speak as I find, and and the expenditure on maintance has been halfed since running my hub bike and service intervals are less frequent. The alfine is also generally recognised as being more refined than the nexus. I have had 5000 miles trouble free with the hub!

meanredspider

I'm just not sure what the difference is in "service intervals". Chain needs exactly the same cleaning and lubing and, err, that's it. As above, fixing punctures (potentially much more common), is more of a faff. Having a second set of wheels (with, say, winter tyres) is far cheaper and simpler. I'm not anti-hub gears (and looked into them closely for sub-zero bike build I was planning) but I've come away not totally convinced of any benefits. What I do know is that Alfine 11 seems to add a huge cost to bikes. The Genesis Day 01 Alfine 8 is £500 less than the Alfine 11 - not sure what the other differences are but nearly £1600 for a steel bike is pretty pricey

Big_Paul

Don't get me wrong, I'm not totally against them, and in fairness, in gears 5-8 the Nexus is as good as gold unless you're downshifting, but I'm just not convinced the benefits outweigh the additional outlay, it also means you have to carry 2 spanners and 2 allen keys with you in case of puncture.

The price of the 11 speed alfine and the Rohloff is just ridiculous IMO.

walkingbootweather

I've got a Thorn Sterling with 14 speed Rohloff hub gears and its great. I do commute on it regularly - it is my 'do it all' bike, and the one I'm most likely to take for long trips or on holiday. I don't need any special tools to take the wheels off, or change the tyres. I do swap tyres and fork depending on what I'm wanting to do with it though.

I've also got a Ti bike fitted with Ultegra kit which I do sometimes ride to work on sunny summer days, but use mainly for leisure rides. My main commuter is an elderly steel tourer, which performs rather better than it looks and doesn't merit any unwelcome attention when parked up.

For commuting and most regular riding I still think derailleur gears offer the greatest versatility and best bang for your buck. Tiagra level is more than good enough for most applications.

Bookwyse

I am spoilt as I have

Felt curbside single speed for the commute
Orbea aqua for the wet weekends
Ribble r872 for the dry race days
Marin Eldridge grade for the rough stuff.

Lve the simpleness of he single speed and the thrill of speed on the ribble at the weekend

michael_roadie

Only one bike for now - Bianchi Via Nirone (sora) - so use it for commuting, weekend rides, wet, dry, snow, everything.

Burndust

was using a carerra crossfire 2 all stock up until recently, now using a boardman cx team, for the daily commute and longer runs at the weekend

gaz79

I've just the one bike, a Carrera Gryphon that I use for my 7.5 mile each way commute. Rarely cycle other than to get to work so it's hard to justify getting a 2nd bike. Don't stop my looking though.

dav1

I commute on my old and trusty carrera virtuoso which until recently was my do everything on road bike.

It has, like all commuters, become a bit of a money pit of late (4500 miles last year on it took its toll) so I am seriously considering getting a fixie, using the carerra for extended commutes and winter training and keeping my best bike for dry weekends/racing only