My hybrid commuter is getting towards the end of its life, looking for something similar to replace it with. But the current bike has a triple chainset where I never remotely use the full range for sub-30 minute urban trips.

Something that meets these criteria would be ideal:

Single ring.
Cheap (preferably £300 max) and anonymous as it will be spending 12 hours a day in a station bike rack.
Can take full length mudguards.
700C wheels.

Any recommendations gratefully received!

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/jamis/commuter-2-2015-hybrid-bike-ec072073

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/pinnacle/lithium-1-2016-hybrid-bike-ec122255

Hmm, they’ve spoiled the Courier Race a bit 🙁 All you need really is any hybrid with a bolted chainset though, might make sense to keep the options wider?

Thanks for the suggestions simon_g. Have currently got a Pinnacle and its fine, 36:14 might be a bit spinny for a top gear but I could change that. It’s the bottom end of the range I never use on the current bike.

Is chain retention a problem on these set-ups? I’m guessing that narrow/wide rings and clutch mechs aren’t a feature, but then I won’t be shredding anything more gnar than a kerb or a pothole…

Mine is 1×9 with (I think) an 11-28 cassette and a 48 or maybe 50T ring. Just a normal shifting ring, with a front mech as a chain device, keeps the chain on except sometimes when taking the bike out of cars or similiar it bounces off.

Gearing just depends on you tbh but 36-14 is pretty damn low for a commuter.

Mine is 1×9 with (I think) an 11-28 cassette and a 48 or maybe 50T ring. Just a normal shifting ring, with a front mech as a chain device, keeps the chain on except sometimes when taking the bike out of cars or similiar it bounces off.

Gearing just depends on you tbh but 36-14 is pretty damn low for a commuter.

Gearing just depends on you tbh but 36-14 is pretty damn low for a commuter.

Yeah, that’s what I thought. Otherwise that Pinnacle would be ideal. No front mech though, can’t see any other device in the photo, even though they describe it as designed to handle bridleways. Might have to take a stroll down to a shop and have a look.

TBH you don’t strictly need a chain device/mech/whatever at all. My brother’s Courier has a trouser guard/minimal bashring thing on one side and nothing on the other, the chain does come off occasionally on kerbs etc but not often. Still, “not often” is too often for me, in traffic!

“Not often” isn’t quite what I’m after either!

I have a Whyte Shoreditch for sale. 1×10, gueard mounts etc. My mail in profile.

Thanks eddiebaby – looks lovely – possibly a bit too nice for station bike racks unfortunately.

At the research stage right now anyway so not buying immediately.

I have one of the Edinburgh Bicycle Co-op’s Courier’s from many years ago before they switched to 700 wheels, and it’s been fine for a daily commuter/pub bike. Ugly as sin with full-length guards so I have no fears about leaving it locked up in the city centre while at work.

It came fitted with a pretty useless wee thing to stop the chain falling off, which didn’t work. Swapped that for an N-Gear Jump Stop (no idea if they’re still available) and never had it happen again.

If you don’t want it to look new then why not just spend the money on a cheap new drivetrain for your current bike?

Because the current bike needs a lot more fixing than just the drivetrain.

I built a 1×10 hybrid for my wife last year, based around a Pinnacle Lithium frame. It’s quite an impressive frame for the £75 Evans ask (still available) – I went for matte black and it weighs around 1.7kg.

I built it with mainly Deore 10sp transmission, but switched to Zee shifters for a slight saving. Finishing was a mix of base-level Truvativ and random bargains. I also picked up the matching Pinnacle rigid fork.

I took a 2x Deore chainset and binned the 24T small ring; just keeping the 38T outer ring – to go with an 11-36T cassette. Gives plenty of range for hilly Bristol.

The whole build cost £414, although that excludes the BB5 brake callipers and XT/Mavic TN719 wheels that came from another bike. A very nice bike for the price, though.