[Closed] Going to the darkside - roadbiking and commuting - advice sought

personally, I couldn't live without mud guards and drop bars on my commute of a similar distance. If its flat, you could go for a single speed to save weight and complexity

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£300, Italian made alloy frame, Shimano drivetrain, carbon fork, great reviews?

blimey, thats a bargain

That's a long commute (is the 17 miles total or each way?) , and you won't get much for £500.

If your lucky you may find somthing ok on ebay / 2nd hand.

Do you need to carry anything - a rack?, mudguards? hard to find mounts for these on a lot of road bikes

Have you looked at hybrids? if there is a high chance of theft, you don't want to spend too much, Carrera Subways look OK, + a good lock whatever you get.

That Btwin above looks very good for the money as well.

djglover - Member

blimey, thats a bargain

Crazy isn't it?
Here's a review:
[url= http://www.cyclingscotland.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Triban-3-Review.pdf ]Link - Cycle Active review. [/url]

I know I keep posting this, but I'm genuinely stunned how they can do it for the money.
Great if you're not a badge snob.

No link to Decathlon btw.

I know I keep posting this, but I'm genuinely stunned how they can do it for the money.
Great if you're not a badge snob.

Yep, bargainous. Full length mudguards, rack and good lights are your friends for year round commuting as well.

If you have to carry stuff, work clothes, paperwork etc. get a rack and panniers. Anything you put in said panniers, regardless of how waterproof they are meant to be, put in plastic bags.
Do you have shower facilities at work ? If not, leave a wash bag at work, take a small towel and flannel and wash your bits in the sink when you get in. Disclaimer; take care if communal washroom !
Shirts if you need them are an art to fold for the journey or drive on Monday and take a weeks worth in. Or, get them cleaned and pressed near work if that's an option.
Enjoy it, I love my commute, it gives me time to forget all my shit from work.

Don't forget to say Hi to MTBs ...

I picked up a 2 year old Spesh Secteur Elite with full 105 2nd hand for £400 last month. Was looking new, but nothing within my budget was any good. Triple too! 😀

Triple too!

Have you told your parents yet? 😉

I've got a BTwin, OK it's not as nice as the Time with Lightweight wheels in my LBS, but it was a lot cheaper, and it's not let me down. Great value.

Have you told your parents yet?

Thing about triples is that you don't have to, they already know. A compact is for those too scared to get out of the closet.

Thing about triples is that you don't have to, they already know.

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🙂

😆 😆 😆

I'm not even man enough for a compact.

Whats a compact?

So 17 miles each way. I've been driving in the morning with all my kit, leaving all my stuff in the car, biking home and back in in the morning.

Showers at work so all good on that front.

That decahlon bike looks like a good shout. If anyone spots any other bargains out there in the classifieds etc let me know please. Thanks!

Singlespeed roadbike would be cheaper if cash is restricted. Or you could get a better frame and bits for same price.
Cotic Roadrat is c £650 s/s fully built IIRC

17 miles each way requires something reasonably smooth and fast. A road machine, tourer/audax/cyclocross. You'll defintely want full mudguards and a rack, and lights that mount to the rack. For £500, I'd buy

1) That btwin for £300 - it is amazing value
2) New set of tyres: Scwalbe Durano S £40/pr from https://www.sportpursuit.com/ at the moment (everyone skimps on tyres).
3) SKS chromoplastic guards £30
4) B and M Toplight rear light on the rack plus a Cateye Rapid 1 on the seatpost £30
5) A decent Ortlieb city pannier £60
6) A Front light - proabably a discontinued Cateye el600 if you can find one, or go for Exposure Flash/Flare.

If you want a used bike, higher spec, then something like a used Dawes Audax/Giro - unfashionable brand, so better value.

EDIT: I have assumed you have a decent set of shoes and pedals, plus some form of lycra shorts and clothing.

what's a compact?

a 'normal' roadie crankset has 2 chainrings which will be something like 48/54 teeth, which is a massive range - more than enough for a man to pedal up the steepest, longest mountain roads.

a 'compact' chainset has a teeny tiny 34 tooth ring instead of the 48.

a 'triple' has 3 chainrings.

you are allowed to mock men who need a compact chainset, and especially those who need a triple.

me? - i'm a pathetic weakling, so i use a compact.

(i'm a pathetic weakling who lives in the peak district. My 'easy' 25k ride this afternoon had over 500m of climbing)

i even have a cheating cassette; a 12-28 - for the extra low gear over a normal 12-25.

i haven't told my parents.

Think i'd like some gears.....

That decathlon looks good. Usual situation while checking the website out - for only 200 quid more theres that white one in the nicer colour (serously thats the only way i can differentiate). And for 200 more thn that theres that cyclocross thingy.

...that white one in the nicer colour (serously thats the only way i can differentiate).

you're learning fast, you've already spotted the biggest difference between most road bikes.

Of course. Try out the btwin with the thumb shifters on the sides of the hood. Then go try something like a 105 with a paddle behind the brake lever instead of the thumb shifter

That was the sole reason I stopped looking at new and went 2nd hand on a £400 budget

I've got the Sport 2, next one up in the range. If you can, the paddle 105 shifters Kato mentions are an advantage - I've got Sora and it uses the brake as a lever for going up the rings, and a "mouse-ear" shifter on the hood for going down. This means you can't do half the shifts from the drops.

Not a huge problem, but if you can stretch to 105 they'd be better. (You can of course always just leave it as an upgrade for the future).

You can see the second lever here, it's the silver bit in the middle of the shifter on the right:
[img] [/img]

Sounds like you have some facilities which is good. If you take 3/4 sets of work clothes in on a Monday along with extra food ect in the car you can probably remove the need for racks etc. Drive on a Friday too to clear out the locker of stuff. Should give you up to 3 days or just alternate Tues/Thurs.

As for bike Cycle 2 Work is your friend. Keep eyes peeled and ear to the ground for the enthusiastic guy who managed 2 runs on the bike before giving in. I got an Spec Allez Elite with Carbon fork/stays & good running gear 3 years old 200 miles for £200. Doubled it's miles in the first week and got the cables stretched 🙂

After that lights, spedo and Strava to complete your journey 🙂

a 'normal' roadie crankset has 2 chainrings which will be something like 48/54 teeth, which is a massive range - more than enough for a man to pedal up the steepest, longest mountain roads.

what chainsets you been looking at. The default'man' chainset runs 53/39

Its not about the bike...

Commuting is all about the accessories - £300 will get you all the commuter bike you need but then you will need:

Waterproof jacket (pref hi vis)
3/4 leggings
full length leggings
2 x gloves
waterproof shoes
waterproof panniers (and rack)
clear glasses
lights
spare lights
Micro fleece towel
Lock

Its all about the kit on the commute - the bike is secondary

I think "paddle" shifters have filtered down to Sora now

Probably want to get yourself some aero bars

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Winston. I'm sorry but its all about the bike.i'll bike to work in my pyjamas if its the difference between an upgrade groupset or a carbon frame. Actually i got loads of good kit however I' will be the one looking a bit confused on the carbon race bike with baggy shorts. Don't need luggage....yet. Can store at work and i got enoughforward facing lights for las vegas. Need rear lights tho.

Its cos of those aero bars i need to start riding more!

Give it a month of day in, day out all weather riding through the winter. Those mudguards, rack and yes, some form of luggage, will be more than worth the groupset upgrade. Especially as the salty grime corrodes the parts and the chain is ground down by road paste and washed clean of lubricant every other day. There is a lot of truth in what Winston says.

For the record, here's my commuter expenditure break down:
Bike - used Kona Paddy Wagon (£220 of ebay) plus some nice new wheels, so about £500 all in.

Mudguards - SKS chromoplastic (£30)
New tyres - Schwalbe (£80 including tubes)
Rack - Topeak £30
Lights - Exposure Strada £250 front, rear b and M, cateye and mudguard £50
Pannier - Ortlieb Downtown £110
New saddle, stem and seatpost £200

And when you add in clothing, very roughly bike expenditure is the same as the accessories is the same as clothing. In fact clothing may be the outright winner based on the cost of nice winter boots, wind and rainproof tights and a nice coat/shell. Come January, it's all about the clothes and accessories 😉

Still cheaper than a car and vastly more fun.

As a counter to the racks etc. if your not doing everyday ie can drive a supply of nice clean clothes and a towel in the stick with a non racked bike. Prepare you kit and have some spares in the office.

radoggair - Member

what chainsets you been looking at. The default 'man' chainset runs 53/39

forgive my ignorance - i'm a pathetic weakling, limited to using a compact by my scrawny legs and lack of moral fortitude.

My initial advice would have been an audax/cyclocross bike but that b-twin does look good for the money. Definitely get the full guards and a rack. Full guards will keep a lot of crap off of you and the bike making both the ride and maintenance less of a chore and after a few rides you really don't notice the loaded rack at all.

A minimum of two rear lights (if you get a rack get a light that attaches to the back of the rack as it's less likely to be obscured by panniers/ jackets etc.)

As for clothing, waterproof gloves and decent winter shoes and/or overshoes if you are intending on going right through the winter. Fleecy top with a wind-stopper lining and a light rainproof shell jacket would be my preference for up top. And I'd go for bib tights with either a roubaix or windstopper lining on the legs.

I never really solved the issue of cold wet feet on a commute although full length guards did delay the onset of trench foot for a while.

On a well set up bike 17 miles each way isn't so bad, probably just over an hour on a normal day so long as you have a decent route without too many stoppages. Plenty of people do that sort of commute and come the Summer you will be as fit as a very fit thing.

(i'm a pathetic weakling who lives in the peak district. My 'easy' 25k ride this afternoon had over 500m of climbing)

I know you're trying to be ironic and that but that isn't that much climbing, and you should be embarrassed about going for a 25k 'ride' 😉

+1 on the mudguards, don't worry about racks and panniers if not required. Good way to get fit.

Someone (not I) is selling a beautiful Wilier Toni Bevilacqua on classifieds. If I hadn't already built up my commuter I'd have bitten his hand off for it!!!

Does the BTwin have mudguard eyelets then?

Ribble Audax/winter bike - £560
http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/bbd/road-track-bike/ribble-7005-audax-winter-training?part=BB12RIB7005AUDAXWINT&sub=conf_BBRW&bike=1

This would also be worth reading and has a review of the Ribble:
http://www.bikeradar.com/road/gear/article/cheap-road-bikes-our-pick-of-the-best-35756/

Although that BTwin is great value, and has good kit, for £200 more the Ribble is much better value.

I guess you may actually find yourself loving road riding and do more and more road, so should this be the case the Ribble would probably work best for you.

I picked mien up for £250 second hand and I love it. It's not that light and it isn't that comfortable, but it's a good solid bike.

that ribble configurator thingy is a addictive isn't it?

I'm thinking of having a clear out and have a genesis aether road bike I bought for commuter duties that is now surplus to requirements. Could be ideal if you are interested.
How tall are you?

I have triban 3 and it is a belter
Yes it does have mudguard eyelets

There's a lot of useful info on the British Cycling site about commuting:
http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/commuting
And on the same subject, if you're riding lots, get a membership of British Cycling or CTC - their insurance may well come in handy one day...

It's not about the bike (much). Any sort of road bike/hybrid/tourer/CX bike will do the job.
Good, enjoyable cycle commuting depends on a routine. ALWAYS have a waterproof (any old shell style one will do, doesn't have to be a £200 Gore job), a toolkit containing all the necessary allen keys, widgets etc for your bike, a pump and a couple of spare tubes. Mine lives in my commuter rucksack permanently so I never go "oh shit, I left it on the MTB..."

Cheap clothing is fine, it doesn't need to be Rapha. Commuting wrecks kit so use old stuff if possible or cheap new kit - a pair of shorts from Aldi might only last one season but at least they only cost £10. My commuter shoes are about 10 years old!

If you've got a locker/showers/bike store at work then you're laughing. I leave a towel and a pair of trousers at work then take in a fresh top, socks and underwear each day. ALWAYS have an emergency set of clothing at work - I can guarantee that you will forget your underwear once!

If possible, get some lights that charge from a USB or take a spare charger into work. Again, lights will just get bashed around, fall off, get soaked so it's worth buying 2 cheaper ones rather than one massively expensive one.

Stuey01 - I'm bang on 6ft.

My LBS kindly lent me a road bike to try out - an alloy Cannondale Synapse which I used for commute home last night.

Couple of observations:

1) It felt really fast. But according to Endomondo I was on average only 1 mph faster than on my Anthem X. Now there are a couple of reasons for this I think. Although the Anthem X is full sus - it is very efficient and quick. Also it took me a while to get used to the roadbike - it took most of the ride home to get used to the gears, and whereas on the mountain bike I probably feel more confident passing stopped or slow moving traffic etc I just didn't feel confident to do that to the same extent on the road bike so I lost time there.
2) It was blowing a gale and the roads were wet and covered in wet leaves and I have no idea where the limits of grip are on the skinny tyres and wasn't keen to find out either so I was taking it easy in places where on the mountain bike I perhaps wouldn't have to the same extent.

Also I woke up this morning to discover the front tyre on the road bike has a puncture - it had the tiniest slither of what looked like plastic embedded in the tyre and work through in to the inner tube causing a slow puncture. Not sure if I was unlucky, but it doesn't bode well for reliability. What are others experiences of road tyres and puncture per mile rates?

YOU CAN'T FIT MUDGUARDS TO A TRIBAN 3 if you run anything other than the standard Btwin tyres. The clearances are extremely tight and Btwin tyres are very skinny and low profile and even with them fitted I doubt you could even fit Crud guards. You certainly can't fit them with a tyre like a Michelin Pro 3.

Triban 3 is an excellent bike in the frame, forks and major components but the wheels are frankly carp; a replacement front wheel is £25 from decathlon and it shows in the cheesy nature of the rim and the rough and fast-wearing bearings.

by identifying the white bike as better you are learning well young padowan, but to achieve full status you need to learn [url= http://www.velominati.com/the-rules/ ]The Rules of the Velominati[/url].

For instance, I can get away with blue tyres as that is the colour of my frame at the areas of the frame closest to the tyres. Otherwise they would have to be black.

Obviously.

I think I have already broken rule number 18 and 34, 35 .

I bought one of the triban 5's (the red ones) today, I need a commuter bike and didn't want to destroy one of my good road bikes on going to work duties. First impressions, frame and finish seem ok, the hubs are a little grawnchy, slackened of the front cones a tad but they stil feel a bit dry. Running gear seems ok and will be replaced with better kit I have from other builds as it wears out but the stock saddle is bizarre some sort of banana shaped torture device - straight into the bin and replaced with a San marco. For £300 it seems a good bit of kit.

I looked at the triban 5 whilst in the shop, the frame and forks seemed fairly similar apart from the stays, oddly it also felt a little heavier than the 5 but I've no idea if it is. For me I couldn't really justify another £200 for carbon stays and sora gears and chainset on a commuter