Ok, I have the chance to do a 30k commute each way, over the next 6 months and am really excited as I see it as a good block of training etc etc. It’s mainly urban, a bit of main road, backstreets, alleyways, Thames Path and cycleways. It’s likely that I’ll need to carry a laptop plus clothes and shower stuff. My question is which type of bike?

a) Standard road bike (no rack, mudguards)with big rucksack
b) CX bike, with big rucksack
c) Tourer with rack, mudguards etc.
d) flat bar 29’er with rack etc, plus slicks
e) flat bar 26’er with rack etc. plus slicks

Advice appreciated….

If I had that choice I would go for the Tourer with rack, mudguards etc. When your going home from work you just want to get back ASAP having a rack will make the ride more enjoyable but the skinny tyres will get it done in no time.

Probably the tourer option. I had a similar sort of commute and decent mileage with an often stuffed messenger probably helped to ruin my back last year (havent ridden this year-be warned!)
Which area of Thames path btw?

I use a CX (Genesis CDF) with Marathon+ tyres, rack, panniers and guards

it’s perfect for me, quick enough comfortable and plenty of space for stuff when I need it + OK for the odd bit of off road if I choose too

[Edit]CDF could easily be classed as a tourer TBH[/Edit]

Tourer or CX with mudguards and panniers.

Next thread…. what lights!

30k is a long way, I used to do 15miles each way and could only do 5 days if I did no riding through the weekend, left me too tired to have any fun. I did get very fit through. I’d start off 1 day a week, and go from there, especialy if like me you ride for fun/sociably in the evenings. I aim at the moment to ride 4 weekdays, this week that means Monday, commmute
Tues, night ride
Wed, rest
Thurs, night ride
Fri, commute.

I use a tourer over the winter, flat/drops is upto you, I prefer drops out of town but can see the appeal of a flat bar in heavy traffic.

Backpacks are horrible compared to panniers. Get good panners and racks like topeak/blackburn racks and ortlieb panniers.

Good mudguards, SKS chomoplastics are worth their weight in gold as you’ll find you commute in the rain maybe once a month, but have to deal with wet roads every other day.

A racer is good fun in the summer if you use the car once a week to transport a big bag of clothes every so often.

I’d also invest in altura night vision (or similar, but I’ve never seen better) kit, and considder lots of reflective tape for the bike.

There’s a whole thread about lights on here today as well.

currently doing 17miles each way, max is 4days a week if i ever want to ride at the weekend. go with a road based bike, be it roadie, tourer or CX bike, if your buying specifically for this job go roadie or tourer, and with the weight your mentioning tourer or more sensibly an audax bike makes more sense, fit mudguards and rack.

Would suggest a dyno front hub and light, will save on the one day the batteries aren’t charged. It will happen!

My oppinion on CX is it’s of use to neither man nor beast. The tyres feel horrible cornering on the road (and slow), and being race bikes won’t have rack/guard mounts (if it does it’s a touring bike that the marketing departments got hold of by accident). Tourers are less cool, but ultimately that’s what your doing, not raceing CX.

zbonty –

Which area of Thames path btw?

– I’m going from Chertsey to Kensington High St, so as much of it as I like really – mainly Hammersmith, Mortlake, Brentford to Twickenham looks promising as I’d prefer to stay off main roads.

Tourer looking favourite at the moment……

I do 16 miles each way on road. Use an old bottom of range Spesh Allez with pannier. If I was looking at a commute like yours, I’d keep pannier but go CX.

First thing to think of is two FO big lights that flash on the front!

commute = panniers and full guards

26″, 29″, 700×23, 700×28, 700×32, slicks or knobblies, frame weights/angles, cost, really makes very little difference. But if you have a rucksac and a wet arse its gonna be a rough winter.

think about where you are leaving the bike and its security.

I never got motivated to do more than 4 days a week average – that gave me one day to swap towel/suit/shirts etc.

i do 25k each way on a roadrat with guards and a pannier

id use a tourer…got room to leave stuff at work ? i suggest taking tourer monday and leaving a weeks worth of shirts and trousers at work.

rest of the week – take which ever of your bike takes your fancy 😀

Inbred 29’er is looking a bit fave for this ride, most of the bits I have to add on so would just need the frame and rigid fork – am I going down the wrong road for a commute with flat bars?

Kaffenback 🙂

Consider the health of your laptop too, can’t imagine it’ll take too kindly to being jostled around on your bike day in day out. Maybe chuck a ssd in it or failing that, make sure you’re backing up regularly!

Whatever you do, don’t do anything without proper mudguards. They are the most essential thing for avoiding misery

Your commute is relatively ok, and you won’t have too many traffic lights. My commute is 32km each way and I found riding with panniers was hard work due to the 150+ sets of traffic lights, so I’ve reverted to my 853 mudguard bike with a 25l OMM sac which is plenty for carrying work clothes etc. I haven’t quite managed to get down to the hour for the journey home – maybe next spring….

having commuted to work by bicycle for most of my adult life and having used the following, mtb with slicks + rucksac, road bike with courier bag and tourer with panniers – I would highly recommend using a touring bike with full guards and panniers. You wont break any land speed records, but you’ll be comfortable, and always surprised at how much you can carry and how well it will handle under load. Fit some proper all round touring tyres and you’ll also be able to ride all but the gnarliest of tracks too.

A fair distance so best using 700c wheels with bullet proof tyres. Load on the bike, not your back. Good flashing lights and full guards. If using drop bars for speed and comfort, fit CX secondary levers for those unexpected urban brake grabbing moments. Full breathable waterproofs and overshoes too.

I use a Kaffenback for my 25 mile each way commute. Only do it once or twice a week max as I’m in hilly Derbyshire, and I also run and swim, as well as working from home and away.

Full mudguards and rack/panniers are essential. I have to carry everything so weight is over 10kg for panniers filled with stuff.

I made a bubblewrap liner for my laptop, so I can just slip it in and know it will be pretty well protected. Not had any issues with it caused by the commute in over 2 years of commuting 1 day per week. And my route is half on/half off road so it gets some abuse.

So I’d recommend a CX/tourer type bike. Flat bars wit bar ends if you like.

No reason to avoid 29er with slicks if you want versatility and an MTB after your 6 months is up. But I really noticed the difference switching from an Inbred to the Kaff. Maybe better aerodynamics and skinnier 90 psi tyres.

Recently bought an 8 speed alfine geared On-one Pompetamine with Marathon plus tyres, SKS full guards etc. off another member on here. I added a Topeak rack and cheapy pannier bag from Go Outdoors.

The commute on it is soooo much nicer than my Santa Cruz Chameleon fitted with semi slicks that I’ve been commuting on for about the last year carrying a rucksack.

I only do 7.5 miles each way. For the kind of distance you’re talking, don’t mess about. Full guards and pannier, no question.

echo whats been said about tourer, panniers and mudguards
also add that you want cheap basic transmission as 300k a week in the winter is going to wear things out pretty fast and you don’t want to be forking out for 9 speed chains and blocks. kevlar tyres with reflective bands and loads of hi vis will keep you seen
I use shimano winter boots with crank bros cheap pedals which have loads of float but still give you that clipped in feel for security in the wet slimy conditions. they tend to last 6 months of 20 miles a day commuting but only cost 30 quid a set
two sets of gloves are a good idea(one for the ride home) and spare pants/socks!!
Best thing I bought for my commuter was a brooks saddle and an eagle creek ‘pack it’ shirt folder which fits a couple of shirts and a pair of work trousers and keeps them crease free ish

also add that you want cheap basic transmission as 300k a week in the winter is going to wear things out pretty fast and you don’t want to be forking out for 9 speed chains and blocks

I would actually advise against going cheap, certainly no need for top end kit, but for the mileage the mid range stuff is a better bet than cheap, bit more durable, etc. As for chains and cassettes to be honest run them into the ground, then replace on mass, don’t bother changing frequently. currently running a Chorus chainset, original rings and it is somewhere around the 25k miles mark, it still works so why change?

Things tend to go wrong when you fiddle.

Keep everything clean and lubed,
the way to look at this, you are not buying a bike, this is a tool to do a job,

mrmo – Member

I would actually advise against going cheap, certainly no need for top end kit, but for the mileage the mid range stuff is a better bet than cheap, bit more durable, etc. As for chains and cassettes to be honest run them into the ground, then replace on mass, don’t bother changing frequently. currently running a Chorus chainset, original rings and it is somewhere around the 25k miles mark, it still works so why change?

alfine 🙂

Thanks for the tips guys, some good advice and really appreciate it. The Inbred 29’er has rack and guard mounts, and also there is a rigid fork option – it would be the cheapest bike for me to get up and running. A mid-range tourer is looking like £1500 or so….?

Depends if you like looking like an accountant or not? :p
p.s. accountants all ride tourers….