Jamis Coda Elite or Whyte Stirling for commuting

quietk3b

Hello all

I stumbled across this forum about a month ago doing research into getting a new bike for commuting to work so I thought this would be the best place to ask opinions on what model bike I should get.

To give a bit of background I used to commute to work about 8 years ago, but have not been cycling very often lately, less than 5 times a year at best. Due to a combination of middle aged spread / saving on transport costs / intense dislike of rush hour on the London Underground, I have decided to roll back the years, get a new bike and go for it!

I'd like to get a new Urban bike which will be comfortable and happy to sacrifice a little speed to do so. I would also like disc brakes as it's wet quite often and I'd like something with strong stopping power.

I popped into a couple of bike shops and took these two for a spin:

Jamis Coda Elite 2016 http://www.evanscycles.com/products/jamis/coda-elite-2016-hybrid-bike-ec122197
Whyte Stirling 2016 http://www.cyclesurgery.com/whyte-stirling-2015/bikes-components-bikewear/fcp-product/58656

and am seriously torn over which one is the better option for me as I enjoyed them both.

I found the Jamis fairly quick once I got going, the ride was comfortable and I like the level of components, responsiveness and the unassuming looks (less likely to draw attention). The drive train felt smooth enough, however the disc brakes were a little dull and the bike being a steel frame was quite heavy. It does however have a lifetime guarantee on the frame.

The Whyte was very quick of the mark and more comfortable than my old road bike but less so than the Jamis (changing for wider tyres would help). The frame felt lighter as it's aluminium and the brakes were much sharper than the Jamis. However it is £200 more and only has a two year guarantee on the frame.

I've taken a couple of days to think about it and will go back to the bike shop next week so I wanted to know other people's thoughts especially if they considered any of these two bikes at somepoint.

Thanks folks!

The Rookie

Much of a muchness, it's rare for an alloy frame to be offered with more than a 2 year guarantee but my 2005 Carrera frame is still going strong (I've put 5,800 Miles on it since November 2009), so that aspect wouldn't bother me at all.

There is only 4mm in it on the tyres, pressure will make more difference that tyre width to comfort.

imatfaal

I don't know the Stirling - but I will raise a cheer for Whyte. I ride a Cambridge Hybrid on my commute and clock up the miles - doing 50 mile round trips at present on it without any complaints. Do watch out for the groupset they put on - from quick looks at their bikes in the shops lately they are economising considerably on the quality of the kit . When I bought the Cambridge came with SRAM Apex and now it is mostly No-Name No-badge

quietk3b

Thanks for the replies folks. I am leaning towards the Whyte and will do a test ride on both this week and then make a decision.

@TheRookie - thanks for the tip about tyre pressures. If I go for the Whyte I'll keep the pressure on the lower end, and then once they need replacing upgrade them to 32 and continue to keep the pressure lower.