Building the perfect commuter

Jimny14

So I've been riding to and from work on my old mtb for a while and it's fine, but it's got me thinking of fettling up something purely for the commute. And to that end I have come up with a list of things I think I want from a commuter and a possible spec. I'd appreciate anyone's thoughts and input

1 alu frame for lightness and lack of worry about salt n rust etc
2 lots of fixing points for guards, Panniers etc.
3 alu wheels for durability maybe 700s not sure on width, maybe narrower for summer and wider for winter (although might just stick with wider for comfort and stability)
4 disc brakes wet weather braking
5 single front crank for ease, less fettling probably with a wide 11 speed cassette not sure on gearing yet. I find on my current setup (42 front and 14-28) I am only using top 3 gears and am running out of push on some downhills.
6 unsure of whether to go drops or flatbar probably because I've not ridden drop handlebars except on v odd occasions.

If anyone has any thoughts, especially on bars, gearing or anything I've overlooked please do chip in.

schlepcycling

You didn't specify budget but this London Road https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CBPXLDNRIV1/planet-x-london-road-sram-rival-1-hydraulic-disc-road-bike would fit the bill

Jimny14

Thanks, it certainly does fit the bill, I was considering trying a frankenbuild over the next year from bits I can pick up as and when but think I'll settle on a spec and then go from there. I've got to price it up, thinking going single ring might put up the price a bit.

bendertherobot

Have a loot at the vitus energie x. But you may need to add some attachments to fit a rack.

jds_1981

bendertherobot wrote:

Have a loot at the vitus energie x. But you may need to add some attachments to fit a rack.

Nowadays I personally avoid "attachments" unless I'm very confident they'll be attached very securely. I find that any looseness causes them to grind through the frame.

You may want to consider the price of replacement mech hangers if you're clumsy like me. They can rapidly add up to real money.

asprilla

I've given up on finding the 'perfect' commuter. It constantly changes.

I've had the following for commuting:

Civia Bryant with carbon drive, hub gears, guards, rack and discs.
Burls Ti frame with guards and rack
Canyon CX with hydro discs, guards and rack
Various road bikes with no attachments.

Might just be me but there isn't a 'perfect', they all have their faults. The ones I hold on to are the most fun to ride, not the most practical.

richk

With my current commuter, I've attempted to custom build what I think was best (for me). I went:
1: Steel - will take the knocks etc. Corrosion hasn't been an issue.
2. Agree - need full guards & rack for commuting
3. I've gone 700 x 28c - depending on your route you might go wider (or even narrower). I'm on road or reasonably decent off road routes.
4. Agree discs a must for year round commuting. I've found BB7 OK. Many will go hydro.
5. Running 1x8 42 front 11-30 rear. Requirements will depend on your route(s)
6. I prefer straight bars for commuting. I'm more upright (can look over cars etc) & speed isn't my primary objective.

Your requirements will be different depending on route, distance, roads (or off road?) etc

inbike

I was thinking about a single rear cog, and one of these on the front to go 2 speed with an always-straight chainline and no rear derailleur to get stolen.

https://singletrackworld.com/2018/03/mi ... he-answer/

rick_chasey

Surely the "perfect commuter" is route specific?

N0bodyOfTheGoat

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/h ... 4cm-frames

Now EOL, £800 before BC discount or buying vouchers at a discount.

I'm not aware of anything that comes close to the spec and ~9Kg, for a hybrid under £1k.

Yes, there are better bang for the buck hybrid deals out there, like the Voodoo Marasa and Boardman Hybrid Team when they are on promo deals (~£320 and ~£630 IIRC before discounts). But the Pro is the sort of spec and weight that I genuinely think would encourage a lot of cycling rookies to take up the hobby.

If I was able to sell my fatbike and all the propriety bits for a decent price, I would use the cash to buy one of these myself at this price.

elbowloh

The perfect commuter:
6'5" tall
dark hair
slightly oriental look
Rides a red, steel framed bike

jds_1981

Tubeless is probably worth it too. I'm now considering ghetto for my CX bike with its tarmac tyres.

Paul 8v

Rick Chasey wrote:

Surely the "perfect commuter" is route specific?

This ^^^ I have a choice of several bikes and routes, Fixed wheel CX with Panniers for when I need to take food and clothes in, Full on Cyclocross for a bit of a Friday offroad commute where I have a bit more time, Geared bike with mudguards for rainy days and for when I just need to get in. Everyone will have different requirements.

I do about 60km a day so fixed gear all the time is not ideal if you're feeling knackered but I'd want a fixed wheel in the city where it's going to get battered, less to mend!

veronese68

elbowloh wrote:

Rides a red, steel framed bike

An Arthur Caygill by any chance?

veronese68

Rick Chasey wrote:

Surely the "perfect commuter" is route specific?

Very much so, also dependant on the riders priorities of course. My Kinesis is almost the perfect commuter for me on most days. The only changes would be things that push the price up.

Jimny14

elbowloh wrote:

The perfect commuter:
6'5" tall

This is my first problem. At 6'5 myself im finding it a bit tricky finding a frame that fits me OK. I'm currently on a 22“ mtb frame that is just feeling a little small

elbowloh

Veronese68 wrote:

elbowloh wrote:

Rides a red, steel framed bike

An Arthur Caygill by any chance?

Now you mention it...

mamil314

Glad you asked. Perfect city commuter is lightweight, fixed gear, hydraulic brake bike with mudguard points. You can ask the Chinese or someone like Burls to build one for you, but lead time will be biig. Or Genesis Day One.

kingdav

This is a question I ponder a lot. I have 2 commuting bikes at the moment and neither is perfect.

- 2008 kona dew hydrid converted to drop bars with 10sp 105. Good for big 32 marathon plus tyres and v-brakes are ok. Bad for, too heavy and ponderous feeling. Originally bought via gumtree for £56 as a station lock-up thief repellent.

- 2010 Allez sport. customised with powder coat/rattlecan paint job, apex/rival/105 drivetrain, crud at the front/sks back mudguards. Good for, feels quick (-er than the kona). bad, tiagra rim calipers feel awful in the wet


Current thinking, what I want is...

Lightness
hydraulic discs
clearance for 28 minimum tyres probably 32 with guards
rack fittings
needs to feel fast, so aggressive geo and light wheels?

I'm thinking about buying something like a used caadx rival and trying to weenie it down a bit with new wheels I might build myself and changing out some other bits and bobs. Will this work?

roger_merriman

Rick Chasey wrote:

Surely the "perfect commuter" is route specific?

And person/want specific, my commute is a 11 something miles, side streets/parks and off road cycle paths, I do carry stuff and on the whole to save the hassle factor plus no where to shower, I ride in civies, so its pottering its also a route I meet dogs on extended lead, etc. so I still use my old MTB but with panniers and what not.

I can go another route which is mildly shorter, but bigger busier roads which I now and then take the faster road (ish) bike on, but with that I have to manage my output so i'm still presentable ie not a sweaty mess and carrying stuff is more of a issue.

your millage as ever varies.

Jimny14

Completely agree the "perfect" bike is different for everyone and every route, just crossed my mind going in to work one day that the bike I'm using isn't perfect and got my thinking what id like out of my perfect bike. Annoyingly the perfect commuter isn't the same as the perfect weekend bike etc. Before you know it I'll have 4 or 5 bikes if I'm not careful

wolfsbane2k

Jimny14 wrote:

Annoyingly the perfect commuter isn't the same as the perfect weekend bike etc. Before you know it I'll have 4 or 5 bikes if I'm lucky

N+1 ... N+1

rick_chasey

Aye. For me low maintenance is #1 priority. Want to do as little as possible to it. Chuck it around, abuse it, never have to wash it and it still work well.

secretsam

Pop into Evans. Buy Pinnacle Dolomite disc C2W. Fit guards and rack. Ride.

rick_chasey

SecretSam wrote:

Pop into Evans. Buy Pinnacle Dolomite disc C2W. Fit guards and rack. Ride.

It has gears. Too much faff for a commuter (especially if your commute is flat).

craker

My geared bike, with rack and mudguards, is just so dull to ride it stays in the shed more often than not.

Specialised Langster, fixed gear, drops, rim brakes is fast enough to put a smile on your face and cheap to run, but I have little suburban commuting (which is why everyone keeps harping on about disks, right?)

roger_merriman

Rick Chasey wrote:

SecretSam wrote:

Pop into Evans. Buy Pinnacle Dolomite disc C2W. Fit guards and rack. Ride.

It has gears. Too much faff for a commuter (especially if your commute is flat).

Just to demonstrate that everyone is different, I used to chew though chains and cogs on the SS chain would 700/800 miles cogs a bit longer but the freewheel would ice up.

Where as the geared MTB had been 3/9 now 1/9 lasts, and it is fit and forget.

Probably combination of weight and fairly gritty route, park paths and what not, that eat chains. Presently I get 1500 miles ish out of chains, and freewheel on a geared bike I’ve never had freeze up, cassettes pack up with snow and slip yes.

mamil314

craker wrote:

My geared bike, with rack and mudguards, is just so dull to ride it stays in the shed more often than not.

Specialised Langster, fixed gear, drops, rim brakes is fast enough to put a smile on your face and cheap to run, but I have little suburban commuting (which is why everyone keeps harping on about disks, right?)

No, it's the rain.