Returning to cycling - best commuter bike?

iainment

I'm shortly to start commuting again in London after a few years out of the UK. Will be commuting from Plumstead to Hackney.
Which bike/type of bike would be best of the current crop?
Many thanks.

DrLex

In that there London village, I'd be asking two Qs:
Are you able to securely store your bike inside?
What's your budget?

iainment

DrLex wrote:

In that there London village, I'd be asking two Qs:
Are you able to securely store your bike inside?
What's your budget?

Probably be able to store safely - won't know until I start.

Budget probably on the low side as I've been out of work for a while, so the best cheapish good bike I suppose.

markhewitt1978

We (everyone here) really need a number. As to many £1,000 will be cheapish for a bike, whereas to others £300 will be an expensive bike.

What are you looking for, road riding? You want a hybrid with flat bars, a dropped bar bike, do you need to carry things with you?

iainment

Yes road riding - £300 sounds right. Will be carrying light loads.

Previously in London I commuted on a Sirrus - which I really liked.

markhewitt1978

You have a few choices. A cheap hybrid bike, such as the Trek FX 7.0 / 7.1 you can get one of those for about £325ish. £300 is about where the half decent bikes start. You can get cheaper at the likes of Halfords but you get what you pay for, which for less than that ain't much.

Your other option is of course second hand, you can get a lot more for your money, you just need to make sure you're getting the correct sized bike don't be tempted into getting something the wrong size because it's cheap.

gabriel959

iainment wrote:

Yes road riding - £300 sounds right. Will be carrying light loads.

Previously in London I commuted on a Sirrus - which I really liked.

Sirrus? £300?

Sorted:

http://www.leisurewheels.co.uk/m9b3s18p ... S_GB/35970

notsoblue

Might be worth getting a singlespeed like a Langster for that kind of budget and for use around London? You won't use your gears much, and at £300 they won't be the kind to last long anyway. Also, when you get your n+1, you can still justify keeping something like a langster because its always handy to have a simple SS runaround.

It'd be good value I say. I think getting a hybrid is a waste of time in the long run.

The Rookie

notsoblue wrote:

It'd be good value I say. I think getting a hybrid is a waste of time in the long run.

Some people are happy to stay with flat barred hybrids and not have to resort to bars modelled on fruit to get around.....the OP was clearly happy with his Sirrus.

tgotb

The Rookie wrote:

notsoblue wrote:

It'd be good value I say. I think getting a hybrid is a waste of time in the long run.

Some people are happy to stay with flat barred hybrids and not have to resort to bars modelled on fruit to get around.....the OP was clearly happy with his Sirrus.

Given the number of people who bolt extra bits of handlebars onto their hybrids and MTBs, effectively mimicking the position of riding on the hoods, and then ride around with their hands miles from the brake levers and shifters in order to use those bolt-ons, I'd say the opposite is true.

notsoblue

The Rookie wrote:

notsoblue wrote:

It'd be good value I say. I think getting a hybrid is a waste of time in the long run.

Some people are happy to stay with flat barred hybrids and not have to resort to bars modelled on fruit to get around.....the OP was clearly happy with his Sirrus.

Meh, he asked for an opinion. I started with a Scott hybrid, then when I got more into cycling I picked up a carbon road bike, and a few years after that a steel drop bar tourer. I gave my hybrid to family because I just never ever used it after I got the tourer. Flat bars just aren't as comfortable as drops for any kind of riding other than mountainbiking. Why would you want wider bars, with fewer opportunities to change your grip?

Anyway, your mileage clearly varies

meanredspider

I love the bull horn bars on my Paddy Wagon - best of both worlds for a SS.

rjsterry

The Rookie wrote:

notsoblue wrote:

It'd be good value I say. I think getting a hybrid is a waste of time in the long run.

Some people are happy to stay with flat barred hybrids and not have to resort to bars modelled on fruit to get around.....the OP was clearly happy with his Sirrus.

:? Errr... any fruit in particular?

ManiaMuse

Something with proper mudguards.

Your arse will thank you, as will other cyclists riding behind you.

goonz

So you will be recycling?

Good to see you thinking of the environment.

spasypaddy

theres no correct answer, but there is a wrong answer.

the wrong answer is a hybrid.

The Rookie

rjsterry wrote:

The Rookie wrote:

notsoblue wrote:

It'd be good value I say. I think getting a hybrid is a waste of time in the long run.

Some people are happy to stay with flat barred hybrids and not have to resort to bars modelled on fruit to get around.....the OP was clearly happy with his Sirrus.

:? Errr... any fruit in particular?

Banana perhaps?

Been on a Hybrid for 3 years, very happy with it, flat bars, no appendages.

jamesco

TGOTB wrote:

Given the number of people who bolt extra bits of handlebars onto their hybrids and MTBs

That number is pretty small, probably about the same as the number of riders with drops who actually use the drops when commuting... IMHO, the only advantage of drops on a commuter is that they're a handy hook for holding your bike against a railing

If iainment liked his Sirrus, it makes sense to get something similar, i.e. flat-barred.

tgotb

I know many people who started out with a flat barred bike, switched to drops, and wouldn't dream of going back. I haven't encountered a single person who felt the need to switch the other way, from drops to flat bars.

If you think the idea of drop bars is to spend your whole time riding in the drops, you're missing the point; the most comfortable and widely-used position is riding on the hoods (a position that doesn't exist on a flat bar bike without bolt-ons). You then have a bunch of alternate positions (including drops, tops, bends). Flat bars without bolt-ons only offer a single position, and even with bolt-ons you only have a single position where you can operate the controls.

I've owned and ridden bikes with both flat bars and various shaped drops, so I feel I'm qualified to comment on the pros and cons. How many of the flat bar evangelists on here have actually done a significant amount of riding on a bike with drop bars to get a fair comparison?

jamesco

TGOTB wrote:

I know many people who started out with a flat barred bike, switched to drops, and wouldn't dream of going back. I haven't encountered a single person who felt the need to switch the other way, from drops to flat bars.

Allow me to introduce myself

TGOTB wrote:

If you think the idea of drop bars is to spend your whole time riding in the drops, you're missing the point; the most comfortable and widely-used position is riding on the hoods (a position that doesn't exist on a flat bar bike without bolt-ons). You then have a bunch of alternate positions (including drops, tops, bends). Flat bars without bolt-ons only offer a single position, and even with bolt-ons you only have a single position where you can operate the controls.

Commuting in the city is so stop/start that there's no problem with being stuck with one hand-position. Both the drops & hoods compromise control of the brakes - neither position is as effective as that on a flat-barred bike. In London, I hardly ever see a roadie on the drops; if they're not being used, why compromise braking & shifting to accommodate them?

TGOTB wrote:

I've owned and ridden bikes with both flat bars and various shaped drops, so I feel I'm qualified to comment on the pros and cons. How many of the flat bar evangelists on here have actually done a significant amount of riding on a bike with drop bars to get a fair comparison?

I'm not evangelising (leave that to preachers!), just pointing out that there are downsides to drops. This is a forum full of enthusiasts and enthusiasts usually want to share their joy, rather than be unbiased!

HamishD

jamesco wrote:

Commuting in the city is so stop/start that there's no problem with being stuck with one hand-position. Both the drops & hoods compromise control of the brakes - neither position is as effective as that on a flat-barred bike.

All three points absolute garbage. However, don't let that stop you from buying a flat barred bike if you want one. There are some lovely flat bar bikes out there if that's your thing.

jamesco

HamishD wrote:

jamesco wrote:

Commuting in the city is so stop/start that there's no problem with being stuck with one hand-position. Both the drops & hoods compromise control of the brakes - neither position is as effective as that on a flat-barred bike.

All three points absolute garbage. However, don't let that stop you from buying a flat barred bike if you want one. There are some lovely flat bar bikes out there if that's your thing.

Cheers for your well-thought and well argued rebuttal, Hamish.

There are 70+ traffic lights each way on my commute; stopping and starting at a rough 1/3rd of them means I'm never in one position for long.

As to which position is most efficient: there is less leverage when activating the brakes from the hoods or drops. That's a physical fact. The advantage of the drops is aerodynamics for racing, which is great for racers, but no benefit when commuting in the city.

One thing we can agree on is that people should get the bike that they feel happy on, whatever colour/shape/style that is.

Agent57

I prefer drops as I can get through narrower gaps between cars and buses. \o/

The only reason I've contemplated flats is because hydraulic discs aren't available with drops at my price point (as far as I've noticed, anyway).

meanredspider

BULL HORN bars - http://www.fourteenislands.com/kona-paddy-wagon-2013/

All the benefits of riding on drops (without the drops) and with all the benefits of riding on flats (brakes). They're a revelation to me as a newbie to city commuting - can't understand why they aren't more popular. In fact one of my mates is now converting his high-end Madone to bull-horns and was saying how much cheaper the bits are.

notsoblue

jamesco wrote:

As to which position is most efficient: there is less leverage when activating the brakes from the hoods or drops. That's a physical fact. The advantage of the drops is aerodynamics for racing, which is great for racers, but no benefit when commuting in the city.

Its a little tricky to get used to braking on the hoods, but after a week or so I don't think theres a meaningful difference between riding around on the hoods and using a flat bar. Its just a matter of waiting for the muscle memory change to kick in. I can easily lock my wheels with drop bar braking if I wanted to.

Its true though that the first couple of times out with drop bars when you're used to flats are a bit hairy.

secretsam

If your budget is £300, seriously think about the cycle to work scheme, you get your bike tax free, saves you a bundle. Agree this as part of your contract

Regarding riding, if you're new back to cycling, not sure a single speed is the best choice, especially if there's any load carrying involved

Do you have rack/lights/lock/lid/waterproofs/etc as well? You'll need all them

Welcome to the most expensive inexpensive mode of transport in the world

tgotb

I bought two bikes for my ex for about £300 each. She chose the first, a brand new hybrid. I chose the second, a second-hand CX bike (because she wanted to ride it on towpaths etc). She's had both for several years.

The hybrid is so heavy she can hardly lift it, the brakes and gears sort-of work, and one of the wheels had to be rebuilt after disintegrating. The CX bike weighs about 8.5kg, has a mixture of 105 and Ultegra, and apart from a new set of brake blocks has never needed any maintenance. On the plus side, she can leave the hybrid locked up with a cheap cable lock without worrying that it will get stolen.

The sort of hybrid you can get for £300 will be pretty awful, especially after a bit of wear and tear. So long as you don't want something that looks brand new, you should be able to get a pretty decent second-hand road bike for the same money, that will be much nicer to ride and easier to maintain.

iainment

Thanks for all the info, much appreciated.

I think I'll get a red bike.

DrLex

iainment wrote:

Thanks for all the info, much appreciated.

I think I'll get a red bike.

Good choice - they're faster, as any fule kno.

ManiaMuse

iainment wrote:

Thanks for all the info, much appreciated.

I think I'll get a red bike.

Why not a yellow bike?

No-one seems to win the Tour de France without one...

iainment

So, I've increased my budget to £500ish and narrowed my choices down to the following -
Specialized Sirrus Sport,
Specilaized Crosstrail Sport Disc,
Giant Escape 1.

Does anyone out there have any opinion on these?

My commute will be about 10 miles - using the Greenway and canal paths mainly with a bit of on road as well.

Many thanks.