Choosing New Commuter Bike

Azz P

Hi all, hoping I can get some sound advice from all the cycling experience on the board.

This year I started commuting by bike to work on an old (don't laugh) Barracuda Zombie MTB. Its heavy and 26'' wheels and the fork is terrible, at the moment I can do the 14 mile leg in just over 1 hr. The commute is about 10% road and 90% canal towpath, the towpath is about a third tarmac, a third smooth trail and a third lumpy trail. I've done over 500 miles since March and loving it so I'm sure I'll stick with it.

I'm currently awaiting a £900 cyclescheme voucher to get myself onto a modern bike, I have assigned this to Evans as its v near my place of work although I use my LBS for parts / servicing / gear. If the bike is less than 900 I'll easily spend the difference on gear to go with.

Topping my shortlist at present are:
Hardtail 29er MTBs -
Trek X-Caliber 8
Saracen Kili Trail

Cyclocross style -
Fuji Feather CX 1.1
Trek Crossrip Comp

I want to push myself and get my time down so thinking the CX style bikes will offer the greatest potential development but then its an MTB that I'm familiar with and the big tyres / shox would no doubt save me from arriving home with a numb bum every evening.

Any suggestions or similar experience to share?

Thanks
Azz

roger_merriman

The hardtails 29ers are better speced and would be fast and distance eating bikes.

But the CX are likely to be faster, unless it's very rough.

The MTB have a lot more tyre volume plus short travel front suspension but most tow paths are more than doable with hybrid/cx ie rigid with 30mm tyres

All have disks but it's cable vs hydraulic.

If your hoping to go faster CX would be my hunch, the other point is are you going for leisure rides? While both are off road it is a different type.

Other thought is tyres make a big differance some half decent fast XC tyres can transform a bike I have on the rear of my old MTB some Rapid Robs they are quick with decent volume and seem to offer good grip on wet roads/tow paths and even some mild off roading

godders1

MTBs are brilliant; for MTBing.

28mm or 32mm tyres on a CX bike will be fine on lumpy towpath.

CX bikes generally make good commuters but be careful the gearing isn't too weird. You'll probably want slick tyres too so maybe an additional expense if the bike comes with knobblies (as many CX do).

Are you stuck with Evans? The Planet X Kaffenback is a great year round commuter and is a very good price.

Long_Time_Lurker

How much time do you want to save?
Over 14 miles you won't necessarily save as much time as you want - all depends on conditions - weather as well as traffic and state of the paths.
My commute is a similar distance and my fastest time is 45 minutes (wind at my back, dry, cyclocross bike), slowest at 1 hour 10 (full-sus, mud tyres, headwind, mud and ice - no breakfast). Similar conditions save me around 10 minutes.

I'm happier going in on the full-sus as it is more fun - I can 'play' on the way in. I don 't want the commute to become a chore.

Personally I would buy a bike that you enjoy riding. One that can cope with all conditions (summer and winter), which will also double-up as your commuter bike. What that is depends on what bike feels better to you. You need to have a test ride on a crosser to see how it feels.
(And make sure that you know what state the towpaths get in the middle of winter. You don't want to buy something with slick tyres, only to find that your route turns into a quagmire between Dec - Feb.)

rubertoe

Long Time Lurker wrote:

You don't want to buy something with slick tyres, only to find that your route turns into a quagmire between Aug - June.

FTFY

EKE_38BPM

Godders1 wrote:

MTBs are brilliant; for MTBing.

28mm or 32mm tyres on a CX bike will be fine on lumpy towpath.

CX bikes generally make good commuters but be careful the gearing isn't too weird. You'll probably want slick tyres too so maybe an additional expense if the bike comes with knobblies (as many CX do).

Are you stuck with Evans? The Planet X Kaffenback is a great year round commuter and is a very good price.

+1 for the Kaffenback. Great value for money.

Azz P

Thanks all! to answer further Q's...

How much time do I want to save?
I did have 45 mins in my mind as big hairy *rsed goal to aim for but could take me some time to get there!!!

Regarding buying a bike that I will enjoy riding?
I have had current MTB for c15 years and haven't ridden anything with drop bars since I was about 14 years old, so I'm really struggling with knowing my own preference - its all pretty new - hence asking for help.

Year round conditions?
I do want to feel comfortable riding when its wet and muddy but I'll probably keep the old MTB for the very worst of weather... or there's always the train (don't hate me!)

MTBs are brilliant; for MTBing...
Yes - that's why I'm leaning toward CX as it feels like a full MTB bike is overkill for the riding I will be doing, is it ok to buy an MTB if you're not going to throw it down a steep rocky hill every week??

CX Gearing...
Yes noticed that they have really different set up, the two I'm looking at are more forgiving / less racy wider gear range, more toward the touring end of CX models.

are you going for leisure rides?
I've got 3 kids so the only chance I'll have of getting out for a leisure ride is by sticking one of them on the back so I'm doing parenting at the same time - rear rack / seat is on the list too.

cable vs hydraulic disks - would I notice the difference??

Thanks - keep it coming!!

Azz

Azz P

Oh - and yes I'm tied into Evans but I'll take a look at the Planet X Kaffenback as an option (might be the case that the voucher can be changed once issued) thanks for the recommendation!

talius

Why rule out a road bike? I rode across Wimbledon Common yesterday evening, on the dirt tracks in the pouring rain, with Ksyrium Elites and their stock slick tyres. No problems at all, err other than the chainset sounding like a peppergrinder with all the grit :oops: ...probably should have taken the tarmac.

lancew

I've just organised my Dad a Fuji Sportive 1.1 which is basically a CX bike with slick tyres aimed at beginner road cyclists that want lots of tyre/mud guard clearance, disk brakes and a more relaxed geometry.

The advantage of this is that it has the road tyres already on.

godders1

Azz P wrote:

CX Gearing...
Yes noticed that they have really different set up, the two I'm looking at are more forgiving / less racy wider gear range, more toward the touring end of CX models.

What I meant was that a proper CX bike would usually have fairly low gearing e.g. something like a 46T big ring (and 11T small sprocket on the cassette). If you wanted to get out and about on the bike this might get a bit annoying as you’d be spinning out going down hills. I’d be looking at a compact double (50T/34T) and a narrower range cassette (e.g. 12-25 or maybe 12-28 if you’re likely to encounter any big hills). This isn’t particularly “racy” gearing and would suit an average rider over most terrains (hence why it’s what you tend to get on most mass market road bikes these days).

Having had a chance to look, if I was stuck with Evans I’d probably go with the Pinnacle Arkose One. Good brakes (BB7, better than the BB5s on the Fuji and Trek), carbon forks, sensible gearing etc. Still not as good value as the Kaffenback though!

tangled_metal

I looked for something along your lines last year but for a lot less money, anything from £400-£800 at a push for something special.
I was considering a 29er that I'd get the tyres replaced with less knobbly ones. Also a hybrid with front shocks and a CXer. I'm the opposite to you about the handlebars. Been on drops for 33 years since I got my second bike at primary school age with drops. I'd only ridden flat bars twice since then, as in 2 half days. I ended up with a decent specialized crosstrail (£700 reduced to £430). Took me about a week before I lost the wobbles due to the wide handlebars.
I didn't go for the pinnacle CX bike (I think it was that brand) despite my heart being with drop bar road bikes. Not looked back. It's a heavier bike and the gearing is not that good down steep hills as I can occasionally spin out but that is rare.

What I would say, I rode my ancient road bike with 700 x 23c slicks on the same rough towpaths as my hybrid. I don't think the front shocks made much difference on soaking up the bumps. My old bike was Reynolds tubing throughout but I don't know why my new bike is not a lot better.
I've spoken on other forums with people who rate CX ers. One guy had something like 13 bikes. Among all these various type of bikes he often went mtb ing with mates using his CX bike. He said he could handle the same routes only being slower on rocky downhill sections but a hell of a lot faster when they hit the roads, often only just behind the mtbers. His was a proper cxer for races. He said any rough uphills he found he'd just shoulder it and run, which was often quicker than the mtbers.
The reason I mention this is I believe I should have got a CX bike. They cost more for lower spec levels than hybrids but they're made for going faster whilst coping with rougher terrain like you commute on. They have more clearance for mudguards with attachments for them and racks. There's a reason bike shops are stocking them more often and that's for touring/commuting use.

Azz P

Lancew - interesting prospect for the Fuji Sportif, certainly see plenty of those on the road so they must be doing something right! I was assuming that with 14st of me and some unpredictable bumps that I would risk damage to the bike or myself on a road model?

Thanks Godders1 for clarification on gearing, interesting choice of the pinnacle, I was assuming higher spec components must be compensating for lower quality frame? As Evans own brand I thought best steer clear, anyone got a good experience with Pinnacle to change my mind?

Thanks tangled metal for sharing your experience! Your thoughts are definitely in line with my thinking, that I'll lose less on lumpy sections on a cx than I lose on the smooth with an MTB.

Does anyone have thoughts on Fuji vs Trek?

godders1

I wouldn't assume the Pinnacle is sub-standard, I would expect the frames on similar bikes in that price range to be much of a muchness to be honest. I think it's more a case with name brands that you are paying a bit extra for the name, at least in this sort of price range.

Road.cc liked the Arkose 2 and 3 (doesn't look like they've reviewed the 1 unfortunately). A few opinions from owners in the comments.

I bought a bike for the missus from Evans a few years back and they used to let you test ride if you gave a (fully refundable) £50 deposit. Assuming they still do that I'd get out on a few of the bikes you're considering.

tangled_metal

I was allowed to ride the bike out to try it before I bought it from Evans. I rode off on it for 15 minutes before I remembered to go back. They were ok with it but my other half was less forgiving. Not sure if every store does this though.

Initialised

You may find that right now you ride towpaths 90% of the time now, but if you want to hit that 19mph average you may have to take more like a 100% road route and get lucky with the traffic lights and wind. That's certainly been my experience on the commute.

Use the bike to work voucher for a Road Endurance bike, the Fuji Sportif seems good value, road geometry and gearing and usually have disc options. I have a Specialized Secteur Sport Disc, which falls into this bracket, it handles road and light off-road duties just fine. It's hard going on freshly laid gravel (1-2" stones), wet grass and mud. Both brake calipers (BB5) seized up so the static pad couldn't be moved so I replaced them with a TRP Parabox Hydraulic unit. Yes hydraulic brakes are better than mechanicals but you won't get them on a £900 CX/Road bike just yet.

For your winter riding, once the gritters are out, keep the MTB roadworthy and stick some Schwalbe Winter tyres on it for the really bad weather, fit a rack and seat for when you take the kids to the park. Consider replacing the fork with a rigid (unless you plan taking it to MTB parks and trails).

Evans do a 30 day return so if you don't like the bike you can swap it out within 30 days