Commuter bike recommendations - budget £600ish

jimmm

I'm starting a new job that is 6.5 miles away from where I live in a months time, and I'm therefore in the market for a bike to commute to work on. I'm looking for something that is relatively light, to be used in most weather conditions, and is easily maintainable. Bike storage at work is on site but is unfortunately outside, so it will also need to last the elements. It will be kept in indoor storage when I'm not at work.

Budget is £600ish. I'm very open to suggestion and ideas. Something like the Cotic Roadrat looks like a fantastic commuter - but I'm not really sure if it is such a wise choice spending more money than £600, with the possibility of the bike being rained on for 8 hours a day!

Any recommendations? Thanks in advance for any help

drlodge

Boardman CX Comp?

jimmm

Thanks for the suggestion. The Boardman CX Comp does look good value at that price. Especially as I would also get 10% off with British Cycling discount.

Would you recommend a CX bike over a flat bar hybrid bike at this price range for commuting?

drlodge

Yes...because I much prefer drop bars to flat, and a CX bike will take you anywhere - tow paths, forests etc so very versitle. You can fit mudgaurds and a rack to a CX bike (look for fixing eyes on the frame) so really if you only want 1 bike, it would be a CX bike in my view.

jimmm

This bike won't be my only bike, and so will be used strictly for commuting - which is all on road or on a tarmac cycle path.

I think I'm leaning more towards a flat-bar bike. Any recommendations? I'm presuming the Boardman flat-bar bikes rate highly?

mr_eddy

If you are looking at flat bars you may want to consider some in house brands over the big names. Typically these are made in the same factories to the same quality levels as the big names so there is not loss from that stand point however you will normally get much better bang for your buck.

Look at the Pinnacle range from Evans, I have a pinnacle Lithium 3 at around £380 but the Lithium 5 at £550 is under your budget and comes with full Shimano Alivo/Acera 27 drivetrain, Shimano Hydraulic brakes, Decent Alex rims (700c) and a Alu frame with mounting points for guards and rack. They look really smart. I stuck on some 28c Gatorskin tyres and it easily keeps me up with traffic and I find it nearly as fast as my Sportive roadie bike. With different tyres (the stock are pretty rubbish) you will be looking at around 11kg all in which is pretty good. The £50 left in the budget will get you 2 x 28c Gatorskin or Durano tyres.

Another option is the HOY range, These again are decent bikes and because the company has been named after Chris Hoy and he had real input into the design you know they are gonna be well sorted. For £50 over budget you could be looking at a Shizuoka 002 with Sora gruppo and Tektro Hyd stoppers again with full mount points etc.

Finally there is the Revolution Courier Hydro 2013 at £499 so well under budget but you still get Tektro Hydro Brakes, Shimano Acera drivertrain and as a bonus a carbon fork.

Obviously people have mentioned the boardman series which is also pretty sweet.

snowster

Hi I got the boardman comp hybrid 2013 model and couldn't me more happier with it and got it at a bargain price 360 so yes well worth looking at.

drlodge

Also take a look at the B'Twin Triban range on the decathlon web site.

jimmm

Thanks for the replies. I have seen that a local(ish) Halfords has the 2012/13 Boardman Performance Hybrid Pro Bike still in stock at a discounted rate - http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_777793_langId_-1_categoryId_289005 - so I think I will go check it out this weekend. Above my budget, but with 10% British cycling discount, it seems like a lot of bike for £720!

What is the sizing like? I am 186cm tall with a 88cm inseam. Would I be a Medium (19") or a Large (21") frame?

drlodge

The top tube length of that frame is massive, although it does have flat bars. You're 11cm taller than me, I guess that makes you about 6'0" or 6'1"? I would try medium and large then decide.

arthur_scrimshaw

Those above links look suspect - run the mouse over them and the address doesn't seem good!

jimmm

Yeah, I don't think I will be clicking on those links!

drlodge wrote:

The top tube length of that frame is massive, although it does have flat bars. You're 11cm taller than me, I guess that makes you about 6'0" or 6'1"? I would try medium and large then decide.

Yup 6'1".

I have a couple of localish stores, one has the large and the other has the medium - so was wondering which one to travel to first.

jimmm

Also going to go check out the Specialised Langster (http://www.specialized.com/gb/gb/bikes/road/langster/langster) and Langster Street (http://www.specialized.com/gb/gb/bikes/road/langster/langster-street), which my LBS seem to have in stock.

I think the Boardman is the more sensible option though!

bigmonka

Have a really good think before you dismiss the cyclocross bike idea. I bought a flat bar hybrid last Jan (a revolution courier race disc) which is a nice bike, and the most expensive bike I've ever owned at about £300, lol.
I then decided that I really like riding it and have done thousands of miles in the last year, but that has left me frustrated that I didn't go for the, admittedly more expensive, CX bike the first time round. I'm now stuck with bike envy until my work cyclescheme comes round again in december :-(

drlodge

BigMonka wrote:

Have a really good think before you dismiss the cyclocross bike idea. I bought a flat bar hybrid last Jan (a revolution courier race disc) which is a nice bike, and the most expensive bike I've ever owned at about £300, lol.
I then decided that I really like riding it and have done thousands of miles in the last year, but that has left me frustrated that I didn't go for the, admittedly more expensive, CX bike the first time round. I'm now stuck with bike envy until my work cyclescheme comes round again in december :-(

Yes, this---^ If I could have only 1 bike, it would be a CX bike. Of course, the number of bikes I have is n, and I should have n+1.

As for medium or large, I would try the medium first. Its easier to make the medium a little bigger e.g. longer stem, higer seat post, its very difficult to make a large bike smaller.

jimmm

I totally understand the benefits of a cyclocross bike over a hybrid, but this bike will strictly be used for my commute and potentially slowish cycles with the missus. If the work bike storage was inside rather than outside I would get a more expensive CX bike. But due to it being outside I don't really want a more expensive bike to potentially get ruined by being rained on for 8 hours a day.

I think the hybrid bike is better suited to my commute needs. It also looks like I can get 'more' bike for my budget.

drlodge

I understand that - if its going to be kept outside then I would go cheap and reckon on the bike lasting a relatively short period of time before it gets replaced (or stolen).

jimmm

It's only going to be kept outside while I'm at work, and then kept indoors where I live. On modern (and aluminium) bikes, there not too much that will go rusty, right? I'll be cleaning the chain and the bike at weekends to get rid of the commuting grime.

I'm not too worried that the bike will get stolen. The new bike storage is outside, but it is on site. It's also not in a area I would call prolific for crime.

jimmm

I already have a Kryptonite (gold standard) lock and cable

nigglenoo

Is your commute hilly? If not then what about a single speed bike to reduce maintenance, or if it is then what about hub gears? 3 speed Sturmey Archer for mild hills, Shimano 8 speed for steeper stuff.

If you could stretch to £750 you could have Alfine 8, belt drive and hydraulic discs, so would hardly need to touch it maintenance wise:

http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/product ... brid-bikes

EDIT: note that you are looking the Langster, so already considering the fixie/single speed thing.

jimmm

I'm just trying to work out if my commute is hilly.

My route on the way there is:
- Start altitude: 36 metres (119 feet)
- End altitude: 14 metres (44 feet)
- Maximum altitude: 47 metres (155 feet)
- Minimum altitude: 10 metres (32 feet)
- Distance: 10.5 km (6.5 miles)
- Total ascent: 59 metres (192 feet)
- Total descent: 81 metres (267 feet)

...and the way back:
- Start altitude: 14 metres (44 feet)
- End altitude: 36 metres (119 feet)
- Maximum altitude: 50 metres (166 feet)
- Minimum altitude: 10 metres (32 feet)
- Distance: 11.2 km (7 miles)
- Total ascent: 85 metres (279 feet)
- Total descent: 62 metres (205 feet)

Is that considered hilly?

supersonic

That's pretty flat! Doesn't mean gears are not needed though, is personal preference. Windy days, if you are tired, short sharp climbs etc.

nigglenoo

My commute is 453ft ascension over 5.6 miles, 459ft on the way back, an 8 speed hub is just about adequate for that. Yours is borderline between 3 and 8 speed IMO, shame there is no good 5 speed, the SA 5spd is apparently a bit fussy for every day use. If there are no particularly steep bits, over 10%, 3 speed may be OK

jimmm

There's one hill that appears to be around the 10% mark, but it is only around 250-300m I think.

It is a shame road/CX/hybrid bikes don't come in 1x10 setups or similar (to my knowledge). That would definitely be the more suitable option. Or am I looking in the wrong places? I have seen some people change the gearing setup on their bikes to be a 1x10 - but I've not seen anything off the shelf?

Doris Day

I ride a Genesis Day One single speed' on a 24 mile round trip. Lots of hills and flats but the bike
is excellent at climbing (or maybe i got fitter).

jimmm

Here's my route with pictures to give a better idea of the elevation and hills:

Way there


Way back

jimmm wrote:

My route on the way there is:
- Start altitude: 36 metres (119 feet)
- End altitude: 14 metres (44 feet)
- Maximum altitude: 47 metres (155 feet)
- Minimum altitude: 10 metres (32 feet)
- Distance: 10.5 km (6.5 miles)
- Total ascent: 59 metres (192 feet)
- Total descent: 81 metres (267 feet)

...and the way back:
- Start altitude: 14 metres (44 feet)
- End altitude: 36 metres (119 feet)
- Maximum altitude: 50 metres (166 feet)
- Minimum altitude: 10 metres (32 feet)
- Distance: 11.2 km (7 miles)
- Total ascent: 85 metres (279 feet)
- Total descent: 62 metres (205 feet)

jimmm

I've decided on the Boardman Hybrid with bar ends so I have a couple of riding positions. Any recommendations on bar ends? The Ergo range look pretty good?

Also recommendations on mudguards please

Dandelionclock30

If I was you I would get a cheap bike from a market stall for £60-70 quid if its going to be left outside by itself all day.Then you dont have to worry about it getting wrecked by the elements or stolen. You know even Gold secure locks can be cut off in a few minutes.Thieves get battery operated angle grinders and can easily get them off no problem.
Get yourself something nice bike wize for an evening and on a weekend.

jimmm

Well I found out today that the outside bike storage has a canopy - so that will keep it away from the worst of the weather

The new office is within a business park, so not really somewhere the opportunist thief will walk through. I will be getting insurance too.

Ringpeace

I have a Scott Sub 30 from 2011. It's a flat bar but I really can't recommend it highly enough. They can now be picked up for under £250 and sometimes under £200 on there and Gumtree.

Fantastic bike for commuting. Great gearing for almost any conditions. I fitted a smaller cassette and upgraded the brakes.

It is such a comfortable bike with very little to go wrong and I can attach a bike trailer to pull my daughter. Rack & mudguard mounts. First thing I did was remove all bolts or QR securing the easily nickable parts.

Have had absolutely no trouble. IMO I wouldn't spend £600 + on a commuter bike new. You aren't going to get great spec at that price.

Budget for £300 and get something 2nd hand like the Scott Sub series - the lower the number the higher the spec. It goes plenty fast enough for a commute. I have 2 road bikes which I also love. But the Scott is my go to bike

antonyfromoz

jimmm wrote:

There's one hill that appears to be around the 10% mark, but it is only around 250-300m I think.

It is a shame road/CX/hybrid bikes don't come in 1x10 setups or similar (to my knowledge). That would definitely be the more suitable option. Or am I looking in the wrong places? I have seen some people change the gearing setup on their bikes to be a 1x10 - but I've not seen anything off the shelf?

the Hoy city bike range has some single chain ring options such as the 001 at £550 with an 8 speed and hydraulic disc brakes - http://www.evanscycles.com/products/hoy ... e-ec051518