:TLDR:
I need a new commuter, what should I buy?

Got a bit more time?:

Another version of what commuter on bike to work I’m afraid. I’ve googled to death and now I still don’t have an answer but am becoming a bit overwhelmed! My current commuter is now 38 years old, only a year younger than me, and being a hand me down doesn’t really fit properly either.

Things I’ve learned from this bike are that I like:
Pannier and a rack
Dyno lights (which I put on three years ago and could be reused)
Full mudguards
Reasonably sized tyres (27×1 1/4 on this bike)
Toe clips so I can wear my flat mountain bike trainers

I don’t like:
2×5 with friction shifters
Centre pull brakes that are marginal in the dry and just don’t work in the wet!

I’d like to get a drop bar bike, but not sure if it’s the right choice. My current bike is small for me, so my saddle is high making the bars feel low, so I rarely get on to the drops. But I don’t really know if that’s me or the set up as it’s my only road bike. I’d appreciate any experience from someone who’s had both types for commuting.

My commute is 9 miles each way over rolling Warwickshire countryside, minimal town use. I never use the bottom end of the gear range, and very occasionally the top. I have occasionally been out on club road rides, and kept up okay, I’d like to be able to do the same on this bike. I’m not a proper roadie though, so had been thinking towards the touring end of the spectrum, however alot of bikes with the features I’m after seem to be adventure or gravel bikes; how do these compare geometrywise to touring bikes? I already use the current bike on light gravel paths and I’m not averse to hopping kerbs when necessary.

My ideal (and likely unachievable) spec would be:
Hydro disc brakes
Frame to be guard and rack ready
Dyno front hub
Alfine rear hub
Gates belt drive

Bikes that are appearing on my radar so far:
Cotic Escapade – shade too expensive as a complete unit
Giant Toughroad SLR GX 3
Planet X London Road/Full Monty/Kaffenback
Genesis Day One/CDA
Vitus Substance V2
Pinnacle Arkose Alfine 8

My compancy has the standard £1000 limit, and I’m okay to use all of that, plus a bit more to get a fuller feature list, either with a dealer that will let me spend a bit more, or by buying some accessories like racks, guards and a dyno hub after the fact.

Any ideas on alternative bikes to look at or advice on whether these adventure/gravel bikes would be suitable would be appreciated.

If you’re looking at flat bar as well then look at Euro brands

Canyon Commuter

Rose Lava

BMC AlpenChallenge

Cube

Kalkoff

Theres definitely a compromise between ‘commute’ and club road rides – I love alfine and belt drive but it’s not really a bike i’d want to take on a ‘road’ ride with a club.

I’ve a Genesis Croix de Fer 10 as my commuter/winter bike. Cable disks not hydro but they are good enough, you just have to check them once a month or so. Lots of rack/mudguard mounting points. Will take up to 700x38c or thereabouts.

My wife has the Pinnacle Arkose 3(?), similarly specced to the CdF but will take 650bx47c wheel/tyre combo.

If you’ve already got a dyno hub on your current bike then just swap it over, you’ll save money. I had an Alfine hub on my previous commuter, while the idea was great the reality was that it wasn’t 100% reliable. In the end I ended up with just three gears so converted the bike to singlespeed. Gates belt drive – you’ll need a frame that has a split chainstay.

After much deliberation, my new winter commuter will be a Pinnacle Neon

Takes full mudguards

Can stick decent width rubber on it

Pannier rack

Flat handlebars

reasonably light was my spec. Doesn’t help you much but thought i’d wade in 🙂

I was looking at a new commuter myself.  The frame I have is an old Giant Defy but I cant get full guards, only the flimsy pain in the butt Crud Racer ones.  The pannier connection points are also shot so I have had to get the Torc clips.  They seem to work now.

I was thinking of getting a flat bar as I want to be a little more upright in traffic.

Some of the suggestions on here have been good.

What about a Ribble CGR?

In theory I should have gone more commuter on my bike to work but I bought a Cannondale Caad 12 disc. Mudguard mounts: no. Rack mounts: no. Dynamo lights: no.

However it’s quick, light and has good brakes. Which is one step up from my rim braked last racer.

From your list I’d personally scrub the Alfine rear hub – modern derailleur gears on th road don’t take that much maintenance. I occasionally degrease the chain and cassette and re lube it, but rarely have to adjust the gears at all. Just tend to change the chain annually and ride it until something wears out – usually cassette and chain together.

Mudguard mounts would definitely have been a benefit though. I’m coming to the time of year when I have to fiddle with sks race blades that I bought about 7 years ago. Might be time to look at something newer / better!

So many options out there. and all much of a muchness, so better to go for things like brands you like, colour schemes you like etc. My commuter is a Cotic Roadrat mk1 in drop handlebar mode, Shimano Tiagra with cable disks. Got full mudguards on and will get panniers at some point. Does the job just fine. Efficient enough to ride like a proper road bike over my 11 or 13 mile commute depending if I take the road route or road/gravel track route. Nice and comfy geometry, agile handling but not race bike twitchy. Nice compliant Steel frame running 32mm tyres. Robust enough to be used and abused. Never even washed it or lubed the drive train in 2 years (i’m not a daily commuter) so looking pretty mucky, but continues to work like a dream so not going to do anything with it.

I’m going to change it over to 1x drive for simplicity…I don’t need the range for my commute, so 1x 10 or 1x 11 will work fine.

So anything along these lines (there are so many similar options out there) will work fine.

how do these compare geometrywise to touring bikes?

In my experience pretty similar. The main feature on most gravel bikes is the clearance for wider tyres.

Also not sure you really need an alfine, unless you want one. I do a few thousand miles a year on my bike and it’s lasts fine with a normal derailleur/cassette

Would definitely recommend full guards and hydro brakes (which are great in the wet). I’d also get the most puncture proof tyres you can get. I’m fine without dynamo lights, just use rechargeable ones that get topped up at work

I would recommend an arkose, because I have one. Think about changing it every now and then (had it over 3 years now) but in reality it’s still doing a great job and changing bike wouldn’t really improve my ride

A while back I got my Mrs a Scott Sub Speed 10, which was pretty close to your spec. Do they do anything similar now?

And Canyon did a tarty looking range of commuter bikes which might tick all your boxes but cost £££ for it (or should I say €€€)

helped a mate out with this recently. On paper, the Merlin road/ commuter bikes look great., if you fancy drops  It’s in your budget too. I’ve got BB7 SL brakes on mine which are very capable and haven’t needed any attention in 100hrs + riding

https://www.merlincycles.com/merlin-x20-tiagra-cyclocross-bike-2018-108754.html

My mate chose a heavily reduced Ridley that was too big. You can lead a bear to the woods…

I’ve got an Arkose Alfine 8. I love the bike but it’s heavy and would echo what other have said about the alfine hub solving a problem that doesn’t really exist with modern derailleurs, especially with how cheap components are now.

Removing the rear wheel is a pain and I dread the time when I get a puncture on a cold winter’s night. I like how it makes the bike look and that it is a cheap way to have hydraulic brakes but i’m not sure i’ll replace this one with another.

Based on your current bike I’d suggest you buy a road bike with drop bars and try it. Your current set up sounds pretty bad.

If you really don’t like it you would be able to sell the bars, brifters and calipers and replace with a mtb set up and probably have money left over depending on what spec you buy.

A gravel or cx bike will be a compromise on the road but gives your far more options and flexibility to go where you want and mix up your ride home to avoid getting bored.

If you rode mostly on your own then keeping up with others isn’t important.

And if you have good fitness you will probably be quicker than some club riders on their expensive summer carbon bikes.

Habe you been anywhere to test ride ?

Are you limited to companies that accept the cycle scheme or is your own company running it and you just need to give them the receipt?

The new Spa Cycles Wayfarer has discs (spyre), high spec Reynolds 725 frame, full mounts, includes a Tubus rack and mudguards, choice of chainrings and very good handbuilt built wheels from a touring specialist. For an extra £125 it comes with a good Sp front dyno hub and front and rear lights already wired in for you. Fully customisable. Long fork steerer so you will get a level or high riding position. Decent solid Deore bits for commuting. With 9spd you can match road and mtb stuff. Have demo bikes for sizing. A grand for CTW.

https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m1b0s21p3866/SPA-CYCLES-Wayfarer

Thanks for the advice so far.  I haven’t yet ridden anything yet, wanted to get an idea of what I should be looking at first.

The advice on avoiding Alfine is interesting, hasn’t thought about roadside tyre repairs, but I’ve had the odd one and<span style=”font-size: 0.8rem;”> can see it being a pain.  I keep looking at flat bar, but can see myself being annoyed at being up in the air too much, certainly if it’s anything like my xc bike.</span>

The arkose is looking like a good option (non Alfine), so I might try at get into an Evans for a look see and hopefully test ride.

That wayfarer really does have a long steerer!

If you can find a 2018 Kalkhoff Endeavour 8 Benelux you’ve got all that and a bag of chips.  Quick scan, can only find this one but it has trekking forks, (I think the Benelux is rigid)

https://www.warlands-cycles.co.uk/catalogue/hybrid/kalkhoff-endeavour-8

I’ve got an Arkose Alfine and a Gazelle Cityzen 8 (flat bar/belt drive/8 speed Nexus/hydraulics). Both were bought on C2W, though I only really commute on the Gazelle, the Arkose is for road/bridleway fun rides. The belt drive feels way more draggy than the chain driven Arkose.

I really really like the Arkose Alfine, if I didn’t enjoy riding it on road(it’s made my road bike redundant)  and non-techy local off-road so much I’d have added some mudguards/rack and commuted on it.

The Gazelle….hmmm… I’m not so convinced yet. Maybe if it proves to be maintenance/fuss free I might grow to like it more.

*post edit –  there’s a bit here about commuting on one, specifically about hub gear for commuter:

Changing gears – busting the myths about internal hub gears (with the Kalkhoff Endeavour 8)

There’s also a Pinion geared model, the P9

Will you be leaving it in a secure place ?

Your current bike is of “no” interest to a thief, so you may need to ask others about risks

(I leave mine outside a hospital; it’s a 26″ 90’s mtb with touring tyres and midge bars spaced right up on a long steerer but I still try hard to make it look even less attractive than that might be to a scrote – possibly unnecessary as there are a few quite nice bikes in the same rack but I’m still expecting an attempt on my 2 d-locks sooner or later)

If your current bike is that old, I’m guessing your current dyno hub is 100mm/QR? A problem you will have is that most of the bikes you listed (and many others) will have 12mm/15mm thru axles and you won’t be able to use your existing hub. The Genesis Day One would be a good option, or the Croix de Fer if you don’t need a hub gear.

Roadside punctures with an Alfine are a touch more faffy – you need to carry a 15 mm spanner in your pack and disconnect the shifter, but that’s it. You can actually apply a patch without removing the wheel, as I’ve done once.

But on a commuting bike you’ll have puncture proof tyres, surely.

i had a road rat with alfine.

it was a fine commuter and comfy

it was a poor winter club road bike

I chopped it for a kona rove with a cheap Claris groupset so the cost of drive train is negligable its been a far better all round bike.

Do not get hub gears if you want to go on club road rides, it will slow you down more than any of the rest of it.

I also have derailleur gears on my 11 year old commuter, it was originally Alivio and is now 105. I only changed it because I upgraded from 8sp.  In a commuter context even cheap stuff now lasts ages and ages.  It’s only on its second set of cables and I only changed them because I fitted drops.

But on a commuting bike you’ll have puncture proof tyres, surely.

For a pure commuter, sure, but they’re draggy and feel rubbish.  My bike feels much better with proper tyres on, and with a puncture a year or so it’s not really a big deal.

Get tubeless tyres. At least round here, being able to merrily blast over all the endless potholes has really helped.

If you want Alfine, hydro-discs and drop bars you will end up with Di2, otherwise it’s pick any two…

Had to do this when I built mine, adds loads to the cost, but the only hyraulic brake drop bar STI shifter I could find which worked with hub gears was Di2 so that’s what it had to be.

If the Alfine isn’t so important maybe the Arkose hydro 1×10, £900 – add guards / swap tyres to a 38-40mm road tyre, pop a dyno hub front wheel on. QR vs TA is a bit of a PITA for your existing dyno hub, but the march and demand of new standards etc : /

molgrips, agreed – I’d been putting too much emphasis on the commuter aspect. For the very occasional run out and silly comuter racing the heavy tyres and alfine are fine – but for something that is more of an all-rounder you’re going to have to compromise that reliability for performance.

FWIW, doing a decent commute on my CdF killed the drive train in 18 months and I had to do a reasonable clean & maintenance session several times a winter.

However on my alfine commuter I’ve just done a fresh application of Putoline chain wax and I look forward to doing nothing more than pump up the tyres til, ooh, February. 🙂

however alot of bikes with the features I’m after seem to be adventure or gravel bikes; how do these compare geometrywise to touring bikes?

Bit of a piece of string question.  There are a few types of touring bike, and more than a few options for so-called gravel/adventure.  British sensibilities seem to value the head down, arse up method, I think we are fashion conscious to appear ‘sporty’even when cycling for utility/transport, while our mainland European brethren more often go for the sit up and ‘beg’ position, as your dad might say.  I favour the latter but also like curly bars on longer trips or weekend rides.

Just stuck some 35c Landcruisers on my Vagabond (monster-cross tourer)  along with some full guards.  How does it compare geometry-wise to my old tourer (Galaxy)?

Vagabond has shorter wheelbase and more standover.  More manoeuvrable in the rough than the old Galaxy, marginally less stable on longer road runs but nonetheless fairly well-balanced.  Similar weights but the Vagabond seems to live well with the 35c puncture proof weight penalty.  It feels ‘swift enough’ for my short commutes and winter bimbles.  Someone else’s idea of an ‘adventure’ bike would be a twitchy carbon affair with more roadie geo, but I habitually take the least-travelled route options which can be peppered with water-filled bomb craters.  Vagabond hops kerbs much like an MTB, depending on tyres of course. On 2.1s its basically an ATB.  It’s really a true frankenbike.

I will be fitting a dynohub at some point but sticking with the Deore 2×10 as it’s cheap and reliable and not too weighty.  Wouldnt want a hub gear on the rear as it’s approaching lardy as is. If I’m going in for lard, I’m going all the way

For inter/extra-urban transitions of the kind of length you are talking about I usually take the modern Dutch town bike option, especially in the winter.  Weighty, hub gears, smooth-rolling comfort, super warm with  bar-mitts, ultimate visibility and road presence, stable, fuss-free, no need to maintain except for a drop of oil every year in the roller brakes. It might add 10 or more minutes each way on the 10 mile city commute, but they are 10 wonderfully relaxing minutes compared to the dropped option, and my mind and body always thank me for them.  This, for me, makes commuting fun.  ymmv

My commuter is a SS MTB with slightly higher gearing (32-14 on a 29er where I use 33-19 off road). The loss in time with big tyres Vs small ones is marginal, a couple of MPH, is only 5 minutes extra.

So slightly beefier than your current bike, a Genesis Vagabond?

Keeping up on club runs is a balance between your fitness, their fitness and the bike, there’s guys who’ll turn up on the 18mph ride on an MTB with slicks, and others who go full aero wheel and carbon. A vagabond would keep up with the slow group if you normally ride in the fast group. Although over winter everything slows down a bit and there’s always CTC clubs rather than BC!

Had to do this when I built mine, adds loads to the cost, but the only hyraulic brake drop bar STI shifter I could find which worked with hub gears was Di2 so that’s what it had to be.

Gevenalle do one, not particularly cheap but if you found a bike that was hub geared and had hylex brakes then it’s a relatively simple conversion.

Cheers all,

The Arkose looks pretty good in a all of it’s versions, I’ll go to my local Evans and see if they have one in to try.  I’m going past planet X tomorrow, so I’ll probably pop in and have a look at their offerings.

I think I’ll give hub gears a miss this time round, they seem to add to the cost, make finding bike with hydro brakes awkward and I hadn’t thought about kerb hopability.

If it was more of an urban commute I’d be seriously looking at town bikes – I rode a really cool one a few years ago at the hand made bicycle show in Bristol.  Can’t remember the name now, but it was a single oversize tube frame with grab handle tubes on the rear end to help put it on the train.  Had big apple tyres and a hub gear.  It was remarkably fun to ride and being upright had great visibility. As it is maybe a mile of my commute is suburban so being able too get my head down for the rest is a bonus.

Interesting thread.

Currently pedalling an early Roadrat with XT/average build, to and from work but also now doing some longer road and gravel runs.  It’s starting to feel a bit flexy on hard pedalling runs.

Couple of things things I would like to correct from my experience / imo having ridden many thousands of miles on an alfine commuter

Puncture repairs with an alfine wheel are not a faff.  The only difference is its a bolt up not QR but that takes 5 seconds to undo and there is a neat trick with a 2mm allan key / bit of spoke to detach the gear cable – there is a hole in the rotating mechanism.  Put the allan key in that and rotate it – creates the slack to remove the cable.  take 5 seconds longer than a QR dérailleur wheel and of course actually putting it back in is easier as you don’t have to fight with and align the chain and mech.  Its different but no more faffy really.  Bolt up of course is more secure when leaving the bike locked up.  It is a bit heavier tho if thats critical to you but given the bike is heavy anyway with the dynamo, full guards, rack, 2 sets of lights, and the stuff you are taking to work again to me that extra lb is insignificant.  Never miss a shift or drop a chain either.

But using puncture proof tyres I never got a puncture on it at all.  Puncture proof tyres do not need to be slow and draggy.  I used conti protection tyres.  ( I use them on a couple of bikes)  Puncture proof tyres do not have to be heavy draggy no grip ones like marathons.  Conti gp 4000 on my road bike now.  Puncture proof.  Fast,  grippy

I pulled a dozen bits of glass out of the count sport contacts each year.  Never actually punctured

finally once your alfine is run in and you change the thick grease for oil in its first service then its insignificantly more draggy that a dérailleur.  YOu also get a hugely extended chain and sprocket life and when it does wear its much cheaper to replace.  couple that with using a decent lube – the putoline wax I only lube the chain a couple of times a year, adjust it a couple of times a year and change the chain and sprockets every 3 years or so.  That was commutting 2000+ miles a year.

Personally an alfine ( or a rohloff) is an essential on a commuter.  As are puncture proof tyres and a dynamo and flat bars with discs – but my commute is urban.  I don’t care if its a minute loner and I do not want the faff of dérailleurs and punctures

MOst of the criticism of alfines and puncture proof tyres are from folk who have not used them ( much)