Down to 2...

Oneknee

Hi,

Due to my bike being pinched I'm in the market for a 'do it all' commuter. I've narrowed it down to 2:

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/pin ... e-ec054866

and

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/pin ... e-ec071306

The Arckose 3 has better gears (mixture of 105 and tiagra)

The 2 has Tektro Hylex hydraulic discbrakes with a simple 1x10 gearing which appeals as (i think) will need less maintenance.

I'll be commuting on paths, easy tracks and on road. I want the odd weekend ride around the local trail center any maybe a little cross racing.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Pooter

The yellow one looks a lot of fun, but only has a single 38 ring, so you need to think if that's fast enough for you on roads, plus has a bar end shifter.

FransJacques

Agreed - 38x11 is a crappy road gear. It won't feel very nice to pedal either, not like a 48x14 or 52x15 for example.

1x10 is a good idea don't get me wrong, the whole MTB scene is going that way, but for multipurpose you'd be better off with a 42 or 44 up front. Extra ring costs £12-25 and you get to have 2 rings to swap around so it's win-win. I ran my commuter/CX race bike with both a 42 and 44 and was fine. And I only had a 12-27 at the back.

Note that trying to shift a bar end in a hurry will take some practice. Take an example of a fast downhill path with a steep rise at the end which is too long to stand on the pedals to mash over. Getting your timing right on shifting vs. braking so you don't kill yourself AND end up in the right gear at the right time will not be elegant. This is why on the 8th day God invented integrated shift/brake levers.

antonyfromoz

If you want a do it all bike with 1 x 10 gearing, disc brakes, provision for mud guards and 44 chain ring then what about the new 2015 genesis cda 20? (and please try it quickly and report back on how it rides because I am thinking about one as an alternative to my steel commuting bike...)