Advice please

DigbyD

Hi Folks,

Looking for some advice/guidance/suggestions please.

I’ve been commuting by bike 2.5 miles each way with a gradual descent of 80m (250’) on way to work. New job with a 5 mile commute each way but with a 100m descent and an 80m climb (on the way to work), both fairly steep.

Have been using the car for the new commute. I was (old job) using a 90s Specialized Hard Rock GX but lately finding it’s hard on my wrists - feels like too much weight /seat too high but stem is fully extended.

My weight is going up and fitness down (male 55) plus the GX is needing a fair bit of work/ parts so thinking about a new bike; got a loan of an electric bike (through an “encourage people to cycle to work” scheme at new work) and was just amazed at how much difference it made on the hills.

Do a bit of cycling at the weekend on holidays usually with my wife; 10-50 mile leisurely runs; 60/40 roads / (fair-good condition) paths.

Swithering between a hybrid, cyclo-cross and an e-bike. Cycle to work scheme is available at work but limited to £1000 and there’s no option to “buy” at the end so probably not going that route. Budget is about £750 for a non e-bike (+£100 for extras); still debating internally if I can justify c£2000 for an e-bike.

Need something that takes/comes with panniers & mudguards to (I live in Scotland).
Like the idea of drop bars (because of those hills 😁) but it’s about 30 years since I rode a drop bar bike - do brake levers still have extensions so they can be used riding in the upright position?

Struggling to see the difference(s):
manufacturers ranges eg Whyte have numerous bikes in their “Fast/Urban Commuter” range, Specialized have LOADS of different Sirrus models (paper brochures are definitely better for some things🙊)
cyclo-cross = hybrid (with drop bars)?

Pros/cons of:
different materials alu/steel/carbon (frame/fork)?
hydraulic v mechanical disc brakes?

Looking for advice / suggestions (makes & models) / constructive comments.

Apologies for the long post, THANKS !

fiverears

I first started riding drop bars at the tender age of 10, allbeit junior models.
If your weight is going up and your fitness going down then I would stay away from ebikes.
If I wasnt going too far I would opt for a cyclo-cross with good tyre clearance so I could fit wide tyres and mudgaurds for the winter riding.
The big debate about brakes is lively one. disk brakes are nothing new and I know plenty of people that have gone back to rim brakes after trying them due to high maintenance and squeeky noises they make. but the agreed consensus is that they will stop you quicker, good if you are a beginner or have no road-craft experience.
The make and model with todays bikes is not the same as twenty years ago, if you buy a bike today under 5k it's likely going to have been made in china/taiwan, and shipped to the west, all the big brands do this, nothing wrong being manufactured in china/taiwan it's just the economical reality of how things are now.
the american brand you are looking at Specialized are no different. personally I like my hard earned brass going to uk or european brands.
Technologies in alu frame building have come a long way and can rival many carbon frames in terms of weight and compliance, so ask yourself if you need to spend all that brass on a carbon frame, ie are you going to be competing in the tour de france this year? and will you need them ultralight £300 sidi shoes that are going to save me 5 seconds over a 30 mile route in the alps?
The reality is if you live in the UK and plan on riding all year round then disk brakes
The reality is if you are not competing in the tour de france you don;'t need a carbon frame
goodluck

fenix

Is not rule out an ebiie. If it gets you out of the car then it's a good thing.

Obviously a normal bike is best and 5 miles isn't a big commute.

denis992

Stick with ali, like for like a carbon frame is only 2-300 grams lower for a lot more money.
Hydraulic disk brakes are better than mechanical in almost every way (bleeding is a bit fiddly, get a kit to help). Would much rather them than a carbon frame. If your budget only allows for mechanical then try to go for one with caliper with dual acting pistons.
As for bike type, you probably need to track down the source of your wrist problem first and confirm what type of road surfaces you will be riding on. Have you tried either flipping the stem or getting a more angled one for a more upright position?

DigbyD

Thanks folks,

I would prefer to buy British/European but I also want to buy from an local independent so limited with options (lack of knowledge of what’s available was one of the reasons I was looking for recommendations - read about Planet X London Rd but couldn’t find any info on it).

I wasn’t really thinking carbon frame (cost) more the difference carbon forks make as the “improvement/upgrade” path within any particular model range seem to be rim brakes -> mech discs -> hyd discs -> carbon forks.

E-bike is only really on my radar (no pun intended) as there’s a fair bit of the route (with no viable alternatives) where I’m mixing with fast(ish) traffic.

Thanks again

fenix

E bike speed in Europe us limited to 15.5 mph which isn't that hard to achieve on a normal road bike.

DeVlaeminck

So you want something to commute on and ride up to 50 miles leisurely at the weekend. Sounds to me like you want a road bike or hybrid that will take mudguards and maybe something like 30mm tyres with them fitted. There are quite a few road bikes about like that for under £1000.

I don't mind the idea of e-bikes _ at some point in the hopefully distant future I'm sure I'll end up with one when doing long rides in the hills under my own power becomes too much - but a road bike with 30mm tyres is going to be easier going than an old MTB anyway and you wont get fitter/stop getting less fit unless you actually have to pedal.

denis992

I have a CX bike with a carbon fork and a hybrid with an air spring suspension fork. The carbon fork is faster over tow paths/disused railway lines than the suspension fork. Can't say all of them are, but there is little difference between a good carbon fork on a CX/gravel bike and a limited travel fork on a hybrid...except the carbon fork is a kilo lighter.
I run decent 37mm tubeless touring tyres on the CX bike and quite happily take it on Sunday club rides of 40 miles+. They then (social isolation aside) quite happily cope with cycle "paths", forest tracks, tow paths etc for the commute.
Outside of winter the hybrid runs cheapo 40mm tubed touring tyres. They are a bit dodgy on mud.
Tyres really do make the difference and the more clearance you have the more options you have.
In the winter when there is ice/snow the hybrid gets 40mm Marathon Winter studded tyres. Absolutely hilarious tanking past all the stuck cars and ridiculing any colleagues that didn't make the drive in.

Cargobike

I think you're making a rod for your own back with too many specifics preferences.
It's great that you want to support your LBS and buy a British or European brand, but the reality is that by far and away the majority of bikes out there are made far, far away, even if they are designed and marketed from closer to home.

There are exceptions, but they tend to come with a heftier price tag reflecting the substantially higher cost of manufacturing in the UK.

If VFM is your number one concern ditch the patriotism, however if you have deeper pockets look at Shand Cycles, I have a Stoater and absolutely love it.

Alternatively, buy a framekit, there are plenty of UK builders out there and then spec the individual parts you require to complete your build. That way, you can at least support British manufacturers in some of your buying decisions, even if the whole bike is not UK based