Anti pothole commuter

Gordy23

I have been commuting 10 miles on tarmac all seasons at night with an old road bike.

After 5 punctures a broken spoke and a wheel replacement due to potholes, i am looking for a new tougher commuter.

Budget is 500 at Evans (Tescos cc points) or 400 everywhere else.

Been looking at Trek FX, Raleigh Strada and Pinnacle Lithium from Evans and the Voodoo Agwae, Marassa and Subway 2 from Halfords.

How tough do i need to go ?
http://www.russianmilitary.co.uk/details.php?id=86

Im assuming on going hybrid though i dont want to pootle.

fenix

Cant you just fit bigger tyres (depending on your frame ?)

Wider tyres will let you use a lower pressure and it'll help.

And avoid riding into potholes.

joe_totale-2

Get some brighter lights?

Gordy23

Yeah the frames tight for anything above 23s with mudguards.

Better lights would help in some respects but its becoming a pain having to weave all over the road to avoid holes and broken tarmac.

Maybe i'm now being too cautious and needing a bike i can be confident in when hitting a bump in the road.

I was considering a hybrid due to the bigger tyres and also the more upright visible position with straight bars, but would still consider a road bike that could cope with rougher roads.

fenix

Maybe something 'crossy' - disc brakes should let you fit wider tyres.

3wheeler

Pinnacle Lithium from Evans with 42c tyres

roger_merriman

23’s aren’t great pothole bashers.

At that budget either a 2nd hand CX bike or a new hybrid, some of the racier ones are barely slower than a road bike, and big slicks roll very nicely indeed.

My commute bike is a old MTB which due to it’s tyres is unphazed by potholes/metalwork and so on, is a heavy old lump though! Most of that is in fairness due to the commuting kit ie panniers and so on.

ugo.santalucia

Do you report potholes?
The solution is to report them, not to get a tank... local councils have a duty to fix them, if they don't you can claim any damage

https://www.fillthathole.org.uk/hazards/report

Gordy23

Narrowed my choices down to Voodoo Marassa at 320 or Pinnacle Lithium 3 at 420.
Is the Pinnacle 3 worth that much more than the Marassa ?

CitizenLee

Plus points for Pinnacle vs the VooDoo:

-Better brakes
-Better crankset
-Better tyres
-Internal cable routing
-More likely to be built by a competent mechanic at Evans than Halfords
-Better after sales from Evans

I'd say that's worth an extra £100.

i.murray301

Maybe I'm too late and you already decided, but if you haven't: could you fit bigger tires if you dropped the mudguards? No one likes getting muddy, I know, but I have settled on bringing a complete change of clothes and a pack towel when it's wet out rather than trying to stay dry en route. It requires a bit more forethought and you will probably have to get there earlier so you can change, but the feeling of a complete clothes change after you've gotten wet and dirty is heavenly. And I find that I always get somewhat wet even when I do try to stay dry. After using this method for a while, I rarely even use my rain coat anymore (I get soaked from sweat anyway), though I do still keep it in my pack for when it's COLD and rainy.

cougie

I'd not take off the mudguards especially going into winter. The guys got what a 45 min commute each way ? Mudguards are essential. You must be going through clothes at a rate of knots.

cycleclinic

How about a single speed.you might try n into budget problems though. Mudguards are essential. Spokes should not break on well built wheels. This is the problem with buying cheap. You buy twice.

First.Aspect

Yes if you do without mudguards you will constantly have wet kit, wet feet, and you will chew through bb and head sets.

You need to learn how to handle potholes if you can't avoid them. Bunny hopping and shifting your weight off the bars/seat as necessary, for example. You can still get flats but you shouldn't really be breaking things still.

You could also try slime-filled tubes. These will seal small pinch flats.

gbsahne001

First Aspect wrote:

You need to learn how to handle potholes if you can't avoid them. Bunny hopping and shifting your weight off the bars/seat as necessary, for example. You can still get flats but you shouldn't really be breaking things still.
.

+1 ... my daily 25-30 mile commute has seen it's fair share of snakebite fatalities but I've yet to break anything; currently riding with 25s, although because of my wrist, I'm going to change these to some 38s I've got in the stores, tonight.

Gordy23

Went with the Pinnacle lithium 3. Grabbed an ex demo one from Evans for 260. Theres some great bargains from Evans at the moment.

mrkev83

Gordy23 wrote:

Went with the Pinnacle lithium 3. Grabbed an ex demo one from Evans for 260. Theres some great bargains from Evans at the moment.

Indeed. I just got a Pashley sovereign roadster for 544