There was a time when I would have automatically reached for either a pair of OpenPros or OpenSports, depending on my budget, but now things seem to have changed, ie:

1) Disc brakes instead of rim brakes
2) Loads more choice due to availability of 29er rims
3) It seems to be ok to put narrow tyres on wide rims now- not sure why, but the days of ‘tyre width should be between 1.4 to 2.0 times the internal diameter of rim’ seem to be behind us!

So, what’s out there? Bearing in mind that

– it’s a commuter
– the tyre widths will be around 25-28mm (maybe a lot more when it snows!!)
– budget £50-£80 for the pair