Off the Peg or DIY ?

mr_eddy

Some advice please ?

I am a keen cyclist however lately due to work commitments I have not had chance to get out as much as I would like and given that the next year or so is set to be even busier I can't imagine I will have many weekends free.

With that in mind my commute is really the only chance I get now to get out on the bike so I have decided to do the decent thing and throw some money at the situation. I am going to tweak my commuting route to take in a mix of canal paths / fire road and asphalt and I am looking at doubling the current distance from 5 miles each way to 10 each way. This should let me get my cycling fix and still get my work done.

I am not sure the best way to go ? What I do know is that I love to go fast on the road sections so whatever I go for has to be capable of 20-25mph. My budget is around £750 so fairly healthy. My main dilemma is do I go off the shelf or make something my self ? I should also add that no matter what it has to be flat bar - I have my drop bar in the garage for summer sportives but for commuting I need/want a flat bar.

I really like the Giant FastRoad SLR for its ' Big whoop wanna fight about it ' looks but no mounts for guards - Not the end of the world as I could put in a post mounted rear guard and get some waterproof socks but guard mounts would be nice. I also looked at the 13 series from halfords and Pinnacle etc but I can't help thinking I could make something purpose built with better spec for that cash. I think I could build up a rigid 29er with old XT for that price ?

Thoughts ? Any other off the shelf bikes that would fit the bill ? To be clear the bike has to tick these boxes:

* Look awesome lol - I want a nice looking bike no dull boring utilitarian bike stuff.
* Be fast on road and capable of taking on gravel paths too - I am thinking 28c tyres ?
* Be Hyro discs - Cable discs are a no-no - I have tried all the usual ones (Tektro / BB7 etc and they just don't compare)
* Be under 10kg ideally
* 1 x setup or 2 x setup - No triples thanks - Sorry they look naff and I would never use the granny ring anyway

Security is not an issue so it does not have to blend in. I keep my bike in my office at work and in the spare room at home. It will never be left anywhere other than those two places.

mr_eddy

I do get frustrated with the majority of bike stores that think commuter bike = Boring. They should understand that for many commuting is a legitimate area of the sport just like TT or Sportives etc. 95% of the bikes I see under 'commuting' section of these websites all seem to follow the same mantra - Heavy alu frame / 'dependable' components (meaning utilitarian and heavy) and massively heavy wheels and tyres. I get that for alot of people reliability is key but they should also offer some fast commuting bikes where the emphasis is on light weight and fun much like you would see for the road bike or XC selection.

gbsahne001

I'd say this ...http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CBPXSLPAPEXFB/planet-x-pro-carbon-sram-apex-flat-bar-urban-bike but then it doesn't have disc brakes.

If true hydro is a must then I suspect your going to have to go the DIY route. CX disc frame such as Kinesis and then groupset to suit, although I suspect you'll have to mix and match between road and MTB to get the double and hydro.

mr_eddy

Thanks for reply - I did look at the Kinesis frame so that maybe the way to go. Only reason I say Hydro is that I find cable brakes a pain to setup and they suffer cable stretch in need constant adjusting. I am a big chap at around 90kg with 10kg of stuff in my backpack and as a result every single set of cable discs I have used all need adjusting every 30 miles or so and I was burning through pads like crazy ! (they were correctly setup). Hydro discs are just better imo. If I am paying a weight penalty for discs then might as well get 140mm hydro brakes that work than 160mm cable brakes that kinda work.

gbsahne001

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19726549#p19726549]mr_eddy[/url] wrote:

Thanks for reply - I did look at the Kinesis frame so that maybe the way to go.

That's OK, I have to confess I am slightly biased, having a Kinesis 5T frame set up with flat bar, Carbon disc forks, 105 CX double and combined XT shifters. The XT shifters are my favourite thing on the bike as they use the brake lever as the shifter much like a road version. For some reason it was discontinued, possibly not sturdy enough for MTB use but great for a flat bar bike which rarely goes off road.

My commute is 30miles each day and I rarely need to adjust the BB7, perhaps once a month; the last set of pads lasted me approx 5k miles.

Stuey01

I recently got a new commuter, genesis day one alfine, it's got drop bars so no good for you, but the brakes might be of interest. They are tektro hy/rd discs. They are cable actuated with a hydraulic resevoir in the caliper. They really are good, with gear and laptop etc I am north of 100kg, and these haul me to a stop no problem, in hilly bristol too, so I'm flying down some steep hills. 160mm discs front and rear.

Re: tyres, I went with 32mm gator hard shells, and I don't feel like I'm losing much/anything over a skinnier tyre. I wouldn't go as skinny as 28mm with the riding you have described.

drummer_boy

A friend of mine, at work, got a PlanetX London Road for commutijg, and loves it (flat bar variant). Pretty good styling, disc brakes, mudguard and pannier mounts. As he did a 70mile sportive with me last weekend, and kept up pretty well.

The Rookie

+1 for the LR, just waiting for work to introduce C2W!

Cable discs are just fine when looked after, my commuter runs Lightweight Clarks callipers and they have been working fine since 2009, and were second hand back then!

As it happens my commuter is a lowly Carrera Gryphon frame built up on a budget but is 9Kg dead (before rack and guards) and disc braked running 1x9 gearing.