Does expensive road bike make you safer in traffic commuting?

Tony Chopper-Kun

Does expensive road bike make you safer in traffic? up to £500 , £750 or £1000.

Does £1500-2000 make a lot of difference.


there are other option which is cyclocross costs £450 with disc brake, how does it compared to expensive road bike.

either using 25mm or 28mm

assume motorist wants fast cyclist rather than slow cyclist, like 25mph speed for the cyclist, therefore no complaint.

why motorist insist going 40mph on 30mph limit road

The Rookie

Did you have a question?

Cycling faster makes you a bit safer, a better ability to manoeuvre, it creates less impatience in traffic waiting to pass, but about about £400 the improvement in the bike isn't really going to make you enough faster to count in any meaningful way.

Disc brakes would always be my first choice for commuting, better more consistent braking especially in the wet, but again better pads can pull back some of that gap on a rim braked bike.

Upto about 20mph the 28mm tyre's lower rolling resistance will be better, above that the better aero of the 25mm comes into play, assuming a 'clean' road bike.

Who knows, live with it - actually insist is the wrong word, most motorists exceeding the limit simply aren't aware of their speed, they are just 'driving with the traffic' or at what feels like a 'safe speed'.

Tony Chopper-Kun

The Rookie wrote:

Did you have a question?

Cycling faster makes you a bit safer, a better ability to manoeuvre, it creates less impatience in traffic waiting to pass, but about about £400 the improvement in the bike isn't really going to make you enough faster to count in any meaningful way.

Disc brakes would always be my first choice for commuting, better more consistent braking especially in the wet, but again better pads can pull back some of that gap on a rim braked bike.

Upto about 20mph the 28mm tyre's lower rolling resistance will be better, above that the better aero of the 25mm comes into play, assuming a 'clean' road bike.

Who knows, live with it - actually insist is the wrong word, most motorists exceeding the limit simply aren't aware of their speed, they are just 'driving with the traffic' or at what feels like a 'safe speed'.

Clark model all weather brake rim brake pad able to slow down from fast downhill and 25mph speed.
Does 9 speed make you efficient and fast in acceleration and efficiency compared to 7 speed?
They both have similar gearing index, 16- 14 teeth , then 9 speed has extra gear of 12 - 11 teeth

The Rookie

9 speed can make you faster if you use it to reduce the gap between ratios, but a 7 speed with a smallest cog is almost certainly a freewheel (cheap) design and that will be reflected in the rest of the quality of the bike.

Better rim brake pads help, but they don't eliminate the wet rim effect completely, you always loose some efficiency for the first wheel rotation (about 1.5metres ish).

Tony Chopper-Kun

The Rookie wrote:

9 speed can make you faster if you use it to reduce the gap between ratios, but a 7 speed with a smallest cog is almost certainly a freewheel (cheap) design and that will be reflected in the rest of the quality of the bike.

Better rim brake pads help, but they don't eliminate the wet rim effect completely, you always loose some efficiency for the first wheel rotation (about 1.5metres ish).

7 speed has similar same cog spacing, like 14- 16 teeth same as on 9 speed, then 9 speed has extra two cogs, 12, 11 teeth, how 7 speed affect the quality a lot?

The Rookie

Because its a crappy old freewheel design and not a modern freehub design as used on better bikes.