Tell me about ….. The Dark Side

Depends on the commute. I used to do 15miles each way over the summer, with a 1.5l (i.e. the tiny one that holds 1.5l of water and nothing else) camelpack with a folded shirt, socks and boxxers in it. (washing stuff, shoes, trousers etc left at work, water bottle in frame). And it was ideal.

I’d still rather not wear a rucksack at all on a road bike – gets your back all sweaty and feels horrible when you’re on the drops IME. Some sort of Kaffenback/Roadrat type bike with semi-slicks, proper mudguards and a rack is the best type of commuter IMO, and you can take them off-road too.

I used to own a proper race bike and it was great fun, but the wrong tool for the job WRT commuting IMO.

I’d still rather not wear a rucksack at all on a road bike – gets your back all sweaty and feels horrible when you’re on the drops IME. Some sort of Kaffenback/Roadrat type bike with semi-slicks, proper mudguards and a rack is the best type of commuter IMO, and you can take them off-road too.

It probaby weighs less than a kilo, and small enough that you don’t even touch it reaching into a pocket for something. Most days it went under my gillet.

I agree racks are better than rucksacks in general, but adding 5lb of racks luggage and heavier frame/bike and the added drag/windage would seem overkill in my situation (as I already had a roadbike). But as I said, if you can cut down on stuff to cary to the bare minimum racers are fine, if I’d bothered i could have put the pump/tube/tool in a saddlebag and shirt/boxxers/socks in a jersey pocket (might have soaked up the sweat and got creased though), it’s no more stuff than a gillet/arm warmers.

Given the oppertunity I’d commute like that again. It just required decent facilities at work, whereas panniers on a tourer requires just a shower.

Hi
I have a kona honky inc.
It is ace.
Bought for 500 ish off ebay.
Really good commuter bike.
Dont be scared of hybrids.
A quality hybrid is a excellent choice for mashing it up in traffic
And can cost less than a similar specced roadbike.

The problem with road riding for me is keeping it fresh. Repeating the same routes over and over on the club runs week after week gets old fast.

The problem with mountain biking for me is keeping it fresh. I love mountain biking, I really do, but I don’t get the same opportunities to ride that I used to. I used to ride every weekend in the Peak District, ticking off routes and keeping it fresh. Now I have kiddie-winkies I don’t really want to be giving up an entire day every weekend to ride my MTB on different trails and I get bored of my local trails quite quickly. I do, however, have LOADS of quality road riding on my doorstep and can ride for as long as my legs will carry me without riding the same route twice. Even when nipping out for a quick hour or two, I still have plenty of choice of what to ride.

It isn’t for everyone, but I do wonder if the haters – Binners, I’m thinking of you 🙂 – are just riding crap roads on crap bikes

It isn’t for everyone, but I do wonder if the haters – Binners, I’m thinking of you – are just riding crap roads on crap bikes

Based upon the number of roadies i see in my area, Aldworth, Ashampstead, East Ilsley, Wantage, and the fact one of their main through routes goes past my door, i’m guessing it’s not crap roads for me. My Wilier was fitted for me by LBS, so correct size and geometry settings etc. So i’m guessing not crap bike too…

It just simply wasn’t enjoyable

I’ve got a Cotic Roadrat (singlespeed) for my commute (only 10 miles a day) and really enjoy it. I never used to like road riding however I’ve recently started heading out for longer rides on the weekend with a couple of ‘roadie’ mates building up to completing a London 2 Brighton return and Dunwich Dynamo in the summer. Staying singlespeed though.
The handling is twitchy compared to a mountain bike but doesn’t take much to adapt.
Got a set of clipless pedals for the weekend jaunts and simply swap over to flats for work.
Maybe look at something similar, as you’ve got the versatility to change it to a more CX set up very easily.

Weeksy, I’ll rephrase with “correct bike” rather than “crap bike”.

…but i felt like i was going to fall off the roadie every time i hit a bump/bobble… taking my hand off the bar even for a quick drink brought on a death wobble and almost had me lying in the gutter.

This suggests to me that you were not on a suitable bike for you. I’ve ridden road bikes that have felt like this, but my current road bike feels ace. I really struggled to ride my old road bike no-handed, but have no such problems on my new one. It’s faster, lighter and more stable and as such is loads more fun to ride.

Maybe it just isn’t for you, but my advice would be not to give up too easily. I love cycling far more for having more than just one type of riding to do.

stilltortoise – Member
Weeksy, I’ll rephrase with “correct bike” rather than “crap bike”.

…but i felt like i was going to fall off the roadie every time i hit a bump/bobble… taking my hand off the bar even for a quick drink brought on a death wobble and almost had me lying in the gutter.

This suggests to me that you were not on a suitable bike for you. I’ve ridden road bikes that have felt like this, but my current road bike feels ace. I really struggled to ride my old road bike no-handed, but have no such problems on my new one. It’s faster, lighter and more stable and as such is loads more fun to ride.

Maybe it just isn’t for you, but my advice would be not to give up too easily. I love cycling far more for having more than just one type of riding to do.

I have roads as an option…. just not ‘quite’ as quickly on my 29er 🙂

…but that’s sometimes the problem. It’s an extreme example, but I remember doing – by necessity rather than choice – a fairly long road climb on my 6″ full susser. It was horrible, despite the fact I like road riding. It was simply the wrong tool for the job and that affected my enjoyment. Equally, I *could* ride down Glentress black on my road bike but it’d be very slow, not much fun, and I’d probably have a knackered bike at the end of it.

You’d think I was trying to sell you a road bike 😆

stilltortoise – Member
…but that’s sometimes the problem. It’s an extreme example, but I remember doing – by necessity rather than choice – a fairly long road climb on my 6″ full susser. It was horrible, despite the fact I like road riding. It was simply the wrong tool for the job and that affected my enjoyment. Equally, I *could* ride down Glentress black on my road bike but it’d be very slow, not much fun, and I’d probably have a knackered bike at the end of it.

You’d think I was trying to sell you a road bike

I have a 100mm Spearfish 29er with lockout…. whilst it’s no Bianchi, it’s OK 🙂

It isn’t for everyone, but I do wonder if the haters – Binners, I’m thinking of you – are just riding crap roads on crap bikes

Roads are roads as far as I’m concerned. They’re just strips of tarmac, that combine varying levels of boredom, and enlivened only by adding big metal boxes that try to kill you. But yes, I take the point. I had a decent bike, which was the right size, and my local roads are considered great by people who like that kind of thing.

However… I am a crap rider. So it could be that 😉

I did 26 miles on the road on the MTB yesterday (decided I’d try riding to the trails rather than driving). Whilst not eaxtly miserable, it would have been much more fun on a road bike doing 1.5x the speed in a more comfortable position.

thisisnotaspoon – Member
I did 26 miles on the road on the MTB yesterday (decided I’d try riding to the trails rather than driving). Whilst not eaxtly miserable, it would have been much more fun on a road bike doing 1.5x the speed in a more comfortable position

On my hilly routes i averaged 16.5mph on the road bike, i managed 15.2 on the MTB… same route inch for inch. It’s hardly the end of the world.

On the flat routes i was closer to 19mph average road bike and 17mph on the 29er… again, hardly matters..

it’s a LONG LONG way from 1.5X speed.

I had the same problem two years ago. I had £500 to spend, and ended up getting a carbon forked road bike.

I also ride 20″ bikes and I got a 58cm frame – seems to fit fine.
I ride mine with clipless, but wish I had some flats, because they are a pain if you are planning to get off the bike anywhere – the best option would be the pedals which are flat on one side and cleated on the other.

In hindsight, I wish I had bought a second hand steel road bike, or even better, a CX bike – but that’s just because I don’t take my road cycling seriously and I would prefer the durability of the other options.

Could you not spend a couple of hundred doing up the Carrera hybrid, rather than £500 on a road bike?
The Carrera would be perfectly good for a 6 mile commute…

+1. A pannier rack and a set of mudguards would make it a great short distance commuting machine. Probably less than £100, which leaves £400 to spend on a decent s/h road bike for weekend use.

On my hilly routes i averaged 16.5mph on the road bike

Crikey. I struggle to go that fast on the hilly routes even when I’m being dragged along by the rest of the club riders. Either your hills aren’t as big as mine, or you’re a lot fitter/stronger than I am. As such I may have nothing more to add to this 😕 😆

stilltortoise – Member

On my hilly routes i averaged 16.5mph on the road bike

Crikey. I struggle to go that fast on the hilly routes even when I’m being dragged along by the rest of the club riders. Either your hills aren’t as big as mine, or you’re a lot fitter/stronger than I am. As such I may have nothing more to add to this

I only live in Berks… i’m not exactly climbing Welsh mountain 🙂

I’d suspect it’s more this than me being superhuman. 🙂

My first road bike ride in ~20years was a death march, I hated every second of if, and wrote a passionate rant about what a hateful experience it was.

Six months later I bought a road bike, proceeded to ride it more than my MTB and R1 combined, and have just bought a new, far pimpier, road bike. I started road riding out of near necessity (broken arm +torn tricep tendon so started on turbo then road to get back into shape), one day it ‘clicked’ and I love it. I can get onto quiet roads I enjoy riding within 5 minutes, rather than a 30min drive to the chilterns that have been a bogfest for the last 9 months, or ~45mins to the likes of Woburn, which means I can ride when time is a premium (eg before a late shift) rather than needing the best part of a day.

it was my birthday yesterday and I got an Assos jersey 8) Yet to shave my legs though!

Dan, Also consider a 29er hardtail. Then you could always make a bit of a ride of it on the way home.

Thanks for the replies chaps. Si – that’s an option too but I’ll be commuting to the wife’s workplace not home so there’s a bit but not a huge amount of off road stuff nearby.

I’m actually now thinking that doing up the hybrid might be a sensible idea and then I could *gasp* buy a cheap £400 road bike for *gasp* fun!

The next challenge in that case will be overcoming my complete fear of cycling on the roads out of Sheffield into the peak(s)… There’s been a couple of horrific accidents involving cyclists and motorists do seem to floor it as soon as they’re out of Sheffield :-/

I think road cycling sounds cooler if you call it the dark side.

Your friends and work colleagues will think you’re pretty bad-ass if you tell them you’re a dark sider.

road riding is a bit of a slippery slope imho.
– the need for upgrades comes quicker than for the MTB
– the pedantry associated with training, zones, cadence, form, wattages
– and wheels. OMG. Where do you start?
– the necessity to have a shining bike in all weather conditions
– and to have matching kit – right down to the tint on your sunglasses

Personally, I love this sort of thing – but I can see how and why it would take the enjoyment out of riding for some.

6 miles? MTFU and just grab which ever MTB is closest to the door!

(And you’re never going to get fit is you don’t try 😉

I’m in a similar situation and have just taken the plunge.

I want to get some miles in to improve my fitness and figured that riding part way to work would be a good way to do it (I live 35 miles away, hence the rid part way….the parking levy in Nottingham is another good incentive). I’ll be doing about 22 miles a day.

Also in the summer, after work I can get out a bit easier than having to drive to Cannock or similar which is a bit of a rush. The days I don’t ride in, I can go straight out after work and ride from the door step…although not amazing, there are some nice roads near us.

I always thought road bikes were gay, but now I’m finding less and less time to ride I have realised that they’re a lot less faff than mountain bikes. Although I still love riding off road, and early mornings in he Peaks when it’s dead, it’s just not always feasible. At least this way I can get fitter and still be out on a bike.

My plan is to drive in on a Monday to take some shirts in etc for the week and then ride the other days. Pick my Allez up on Friday and am surprisingly excited about it!

Hmm the closest MTB to the door has 2.3″ super tacky rubber and 150/160mm bouncy bouncy each end weighs as much as a small car (probably).. I don’t really fancy a daily 900 feet or so of climbing on it.. Not with my lack of fitness, with my knees, in my condition and with my excuses ..

Having never (in three decades of riding bikes) owned anything with drop bars, I recently picked up a Surly Cross Check for commuting and a bit of light touring.

I love it.

road riding is a bit of a slippery slope imho.
– the need for upgrades comes quicker than for the MTB
– the pedantry associated with training, zones, cadence, form, wattages
– and wheels. OMG. Where do you start?
– the necessity to have a shining bike in all weather conditions
– and to have matching kit – right down to the tint on your sunglasses

Just no (IMHO). The very appeal of road riding is the lack of this.

road riding is a bit of a slippery slope imho.
– the need for upgrades comes quicker than for the MTB
– the pedantry associated with training, zones, cadence, form, wattages
– and wheels. OMG. Where do you start?
– the necessity to have a shining bike in all weather conditions
– and to have matching kit – right down to the tint on your sunglasses

That sounds awful.

Haven’t read the above as I got bored and irritated after about six posts.

My advice to the OP:

£500 for a first bike road bike is plenty. But as has already been said, go second hand and get a bike that’s the right fit. BUT remember two things: road bikes are not mountain bikes, they size differently, they behave differently, so don’t judge them as you would a mountain bike. Secondly, just because you are a large or a 58cm in one bike doesn’t mean you’ll be the same in a different bike. Top tube length, head tube length, seat post angle and head angle all play a significant factor in determining size.

Also for commuting I would suggest you ensure that your prospective bike has clearance and the correct braze-ons for mudguards. Proper ones that go all the way around the wheel. Be wary of alloy frames and carbon forks as many of them do not allow for this…although things are changing and there are an increasing number that do.

As for flats for road bikes. For sure. I’d even go as far as to say that they make a certain ammount of sense if you’re using the bike purely for commuting purposes.

I can get onto quiet roads I enjoy riding within 5 minutes, rather than a 30min drive to the chilterns that have been a bogfest for the last 9 months, or ~45mins to the likes of Woburn, which means I can ride when time is a premium (eg before a late shift) rather than needing the best part of a day.

For me i can be on nice trails in less than 1 min from my doorstep, about 30 sec to the roads… so it’s very much not a factor.

Posts have shown that road riding is GREAT…. for some… not so great for others. People thought i’d love it as i’m all about the timings, average, speed, performance, improvements etc… but the reality is… .i don’t…

You might though OP… only one way to find out 🙂

curiousyellow – Member
I elected to stay at home on Saturday and then shamed myself into going out solo after the missus went out

There’s no shame in that, fella…we’ve all done it.

stilltortoise – Member

On my hilly routes i averaged 16.5mph on the road bike

Crikey. I struggle to go that fast on the hilly routes even when I’m being dragged along by the rest of the club riders. Either your hills aren’t as big as mine, or you’re a lot fitter/stronger than I am. As such I may have nothing more to add to this

Just did a 18 mile quick ride, on the 29er running Aspen 2.35’s. Average of 16.20mph according to Endomondo… i’m well happy with that… training REALLY seems to be paying off now 🙂

Weeksy, are there actually really nice trails around you, because I live in Wantage and its all dull as round here.

Serious Question

frepster – Member
Weeksy, are there actually really nice trails around you, because I live in Wantage and its all dull as round here.

Serious Question

Hmmmmmm. not at the moment obviousy lol. but a bit more than Wantage mate. But Morzine it aint thats for sure. Its all XC with a few short fun bits.
Pangbourne is better and only 30 mins ride away.

Thanks, I do plan on checking Pangbourne out when the weather dries up.

You’re more than welcome to join me for some trails/routes mate. My buddy is the pangbourne expert, but i can certainly throw together some semi interesting stuff local to Aldworth. throw me a mail etc.