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17.8mph average........makes me realise how unfit I am 🙁
My Best time for 10.0 miles door to door is 38 minutes on my road bike.....and that was no traffic Sunday 6pm ish in the summer to drop something off
Audax/tourer as already suggested as you'll want guards for sure (and maybe rack/pannier if you take kit).
A good option could be:
Cotic X
Croix de Fer
or similar...
Very capable as commuters but swap tyres and you can have some more fun.
Audax bike every time. Full-time mudguards and a rack. Drops to get out of the wind, as needed last week. If it's flat, I'd ride fixed. If it's not I'd be looking at a Day One Alfine. As already stated, commuting kills bikes. Hub gears and good tyres are essential. For that distance, I'd look at Schwalbe Durano Plus in 25c. The Marathons are good and as bullet/glass proof, but they are heavy.Oh and you may have well have commuted at 19 mph. But sustaining this on a Friday evening into a headwind (always a headwind in the evenings), will be a tall order. Be sure to eat in the afternoon.
Fixed/SS would be too tough on the hill out of the village, it's middle ring, large rear for that even on the MTB.. it's a sod of a hill
I agree totally as i said above, i didn't put the number up to say "ooooh look at me"... but more to give the gauge that the distance/time in the saddle wasn't anything humungous etc.. Just an hour give or take.
Commuting kills bikes
Does it? I've hardly touched my Roadrat in 2.5 years, in fact, it's had 1 set of chain/cassette/rings in that time and that's it (aside from the odd tube etc). Admittedly, I'm not a totally dedicated commuter, but it will get ~3000 miles a year on it. I kill stuff on my MTB much quicker! 🙂
Which ever you feel most comfortable on. Personally, I would choose a flat bar, tourer style bike with panniers and mudguards. Indeed, I did.
So lads... How's this for £120 cash ?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/320815679765?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649
Right sort of bike/ballpark ?
I used to do a similar distance (17 miles door-to-door).
I'd allow an hour each way (largely to account for traffic lights and unknowns). Also, I didn't like to thrash it as I was usually doing it 5 days a week.
I just used my winter road bike (i.e. with mudguards). Did used to see a chap on a hybrid, but wouldn't have fancied that in the inevitable two-way headwind....
Depends how sh@gged the drivetrain/wheels/bearings are and, absolutely critically, if it fits. The sellers answer to that very question is less than helpful, no?
Looks ok to me, got a rack and everyfink 🙂
BLoke seems to know not a lot about bikes, bu describes all parts as at least 8/10. I don't think he's a passionate biker/rider etc though.
Rack would be most useful as i need to carry laptop in.
Size/fit, i honestly dunno... my Meta 55 was a large, my Giant 29er is a medium... but i've never ridden a roadie, so ... dunno.
Carrera are a Halfords brand, so have a pop down to your local one and try one for size. Looking at the pics, it looks in pretty good nick to me, but you never know if they're old pics etc etc.
HI, MEDIUM TOP BRACKET TO TOP TUBE 48.5CM EQUIVALENT TO OUR STANDARD 54CM FRAME LARGE BOTTOM BRACKET TO TOP TUBE 51CM EQUIVALENT TO OUR STANDARD 58CM THANKS
What's that in real world terms lads ? sorry for the REALLY daft Qn.. but the roadie measurements confuse me
Woody speaks good sense - go to Halfords or similar and try some road frames to find out your size. The sellers answer is gibberish anyway, so you may be better off just going and looking at it/trying it for size there-and-then.
I personally don't see the point in hybrids.
The Hybrid's natural environment is in mainly urban environments, rather than green lane commuting. The more upright position is better for seeing what's around you in traffic and that, and the MTB style geometry is better suited for dealing with potholed streets, kerbs, steps, the odd less than perfect surface like towpaths etc. The 700c wheels are fasterer than 26" ones. Oh, and v-brakes are betterer than crappy little roady caliper ones for having to stop suddenly.
I know this cos I've ridden all manner of bikes round That London, from 10" travel DH beasts, to skinny lightweight racers. The best all-round bike for everyday urban commuting is the Hybrid. That's what it was designed for.
If I were the OP, I'd just stick some skinny tyres on the 29er, and maybe some bar-ends. As for all this 'efficiency' guff; it's a commute, not the TDF. 😆
Woody speaks good sense - go to Halfords or similar and try some road frames to find out your size. The sellers answer is gibberish anyway, so you may be better off just going and looking at it/trying it for size there-and-then
Bit inconvenient that, it's a hike over to East London for me. I was going to get a mate to pick up for me really...
I'm guessing this isn't the best idea... But i've had this debate about trying MTB's of course in the past and have managed to only try 1 of them for size before buying one. They all seemed to work out well enough for me,
f I were the OP, I'd just stick some skinny tyres on the 29er, and maybe some bar-ends. As for all this 'efficiency' guff; it's a commute, not the TDF
If it wasn't for drivetrains and time spent swapping between tyres etc then i'd do that without doubt mate yes.
That would be correct!! 🙂I'm guessing this isn't the best idea...
The question then is how many drivetrains can you go through before you justify the cost of a bike? If that's really the main reason. If you just want another bike then fair enough!
The question then is how many drivetrains can you go through before you justify the cost of a bike? If that's really the main reason. If you just want another bike then fair enough!
The answer is i guess...2 LOL. Lets say i run a 10 speed chain witha decent cassette and a set of SLX spec rings... x 2.
That's about the same sort of price as the purchase price at £120.
i actually don't WANT another bike, i struggle for space enough as it is... but i want the increased training / fittness and the potential cost savings.
My commute is between 20 and 25 miles either way, and having tried various options over the past 2-3 years, my view is Road bike, mudguards and rack.
[i]Commuting kills bikes[/i]
No it doesn't. I've been using the same bike for the last 5 years doing an average of 6000 commuting miles a year and it's perfectly fine. I replace the chain, cassette, bb, and tyres around every 6 months, cables and bar tape annually I upgraded the mechs about 3 years ago to ultegra and they're doing just fine, but that was only down to upgrading them on my road bike Still using the original shifters.
Yes things need replaced but that happens with anything you use.
Road bike all the way. I'm going to guess at around a 30% improvement in efficiency for roadie over mtb... leaving you very little time in the saddle based on your numbers.
Road bike all the way. I'm going to guess at around a 30% improvement in efficiency for roadie over mtb... leaving you very little time in the saddle based on your numbers
Considering that would put me to 24mph average i'd be VERY suprised at that figure lol... i'm a human not lance armstrong..
What conditions are the B roads in, if lots of pot holes, a tourer type with say 32-37 tires, if good condition then a road bike with 23-25's
Would look at somthing with discs if possible.
Last winter was pretty brutal on equipment for me. I broke a freehub, 2 chains, cassette, bb. Front mech seized up and had to be replaced. Tyres need replacing less than every year and I wear the rim tape out every 3-6 months, depending on how bad I'm willing to let it go. Summer is fine, it's as soon as it becomes winter.
I guess it's all on your outlook, but replacing expensive equipment every 6 months or less is in my mind "killing it" when all you are doing is going backwards and forwards to work. That's why I say bare it in mind when you are purchasing that this stuff is not going to last many months.
In comparison, my road bike last forever because it gets cleaned after a ride rather than chucked in a shed/bike rack after being covered in salt and rain.
And the point is the miles add up. Last winter I was doing between 100-200 miles a week on salty, wet, oily roads. A bike (meaning, chain/bb/cassette etc) is not going to last many months of that.
Anyway, sounds to me like the best option would be a new set of wheels with road tyres. Easy to swap, not much space, cheap and usable for other things if you gave up on the commuting thing.
Anyway, sounds to me like the best option would be a new set of wheels with road tyres. Easy to swap, not much space, cheap and usable for other things if you gave up on the commuting thing
it's not a terrible idea but finding decent price 29er wheels with 15mm front maxle is tough
it's not a terrible idea but finding decent price [s]29er wheels with 15mm front maxle[/s] road bike that will fit me and last longer than a trip to the end of the road is tough
FTFY 😉
weeksy - Member
i actually don't WANT another bike
you take that back!
[i]I wear the rim tape out every 3-6 months[/i]
How do you do that then? I've never worn rim tape out and I'm doing around the same winter mileage as you.
What conditions are the B roads in, if lots of pot holes, a tourer type with say 32-37 tires, if good condition then a road bike with 23-25'sWould look at somthing with discs if possible.
You'd generally be wanting to ride around the pot holes, not through them. The roads around here arn't great but I still wouldnt want anything bigger than a 25.
Why discs? Road bike brakes are plenty powerful enough for the skinny road tyres that they use.
There wasnt too much of the commute in urban stop/start situations so discs would be pointless imo.
how tall are you, by the way? there's a medium disced kaffenback on on one for £899. I'd get that if I were you and it fitted me.
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Whydiscs? Road bike brakes are plenty powerful enough for the skinny road tyres that they use.
er, if i go for a 'road ride' i choose to ride on quiet roads, i don't actually need to brake very often.
despite this, my new road rims are already noticeably worn - i'm already on my way to needing a new set of wheels.
if i'm 'commuting' i need to stop quite a lot (red lights, junctions, picking up used jazz-mags, etc...
commuting will wear out rims faster than road riding.
pads are cheap, rims are expensive.
rim brakes are a crap idea.
Why discs? Road bike brakes are plenty powerful enough for the skinny road tyres that they use.There wasnt too much of the commute in urban stop/start situations so discs would be pointless imo
Please try them and report back - both my road commuters now use BB7 and I won't be going back to calipers.
6'0"
spot on then. get that bike i posted. bargain.
it's about £600 over budget
oh right. 😆
borrow the money then, you'll recoup it in no time and that's a lovely bike!
LOL i HAVE the money, just dont want to spend that much.
oh right. 😆
spend the money then, you'll recoup it in no time and that's a lovely bike!
pads are cheap, rims are expensive.
Not really, disc pads add up! I do more braking than many on my commute (loooooooooooots of lights) but don't really do through rims that fast. I'd still choose rim brakes.
I'd not choose an Kaffenback either - weighty, I'd rather have sommat a bit 'flightier'.
I personally don't see the point in hybrids. As inefficient position as a mountain bike without the strength and ability
Depends on the hybrid, but you could equally well say they're much like a road bike but with better brakes and flat bars- and most people don't spend that much time in the drops anyway.
For 18 miles on the open road I'd say road bike, but for 18 urban miles a sporty hybrid would be a great choice. Only downside is if you then want to go road riding at the weekends it's not so great, but for fast urban transport hybrids are spot on I reckon.
50 minutes on a mountain bike... 18 miles...
You have no hills or traffic then?
weeksy - Member6'0"
medium kaff is too small. large or mabe xl would be closer.
moot point maybe
I've tried riding to work on a road bike (Kinesis Tripster) and a rigid MTB with the wheels from the Tripster in it and a 48t chainset + road cassette.
Theres a negligible difference in speed over 10 miles. More time is lost if the one traffic light on the journey happens to be red.
The handlebars on the MTB are roughly the same position as the hoods on the road bike and I hardly used the drops anyway.
Just use whats most comfortable.
The ebay bike looks a bit dodgy, he has no idea what size it is. But Medium/51 in Halfords sizing is roughly a 56cm road bike for around 5'11" type height.