New job means I will be able to commute by bike (yippee!); the route approx 9 miles each way, predominantly on towpath. Would be able to store change of clothes at work, but may have to carry the laptop, etc.
My question to you seasoned commuters: for an all year round towapth (non-tarmac) commute, do I stick with a hardtail MTB or go for a CX type (disc specific) drop bar bike?

hardtail

options for sending it off steps

but youll want a bigger chianring

I have 42T ring on 1×9

Fully rigid singlespeed ’93 Kona Fire Mountain here, and very pleased with it. I find when I take a geared bike in I get carried away, end up pushing it too hard and turning up at work sweaty and sticky, with a SS you pedal only when required..
32/16 ratio, it’s hilly round here!

Do you have showers at work? showers mean you can get up late and ride as hard as you please.

Yes I think there are showers, which should help. So preference is for HT MTB; was just thinking if a CX bike would make it that bit quicker/easier overall.

MTB so you have the option of adding fun bits/taking tactical short cuts.

Personally use a SS pompino. It has rack mounts, is quick and comfortable plus it is built to last. It’s only downfall is that it has canti bosses not disc mounts, and on windy days I do sometimes wish I had gears.

Fully rigid with Big Apples for fun or CX for versatility towards road riding, just make sure you can fit full mud guards front and back

I faced exactly the same issue about two years ago….. Ended up building this 69 er off the classifieds. Now running 2.35 big apples and it’s awesome. Great fun and comfy. Prob not as quick as a cx bike but way more flexible. The big apples are large volume and absorb all the bumps lumps and potholes. My commute is around 12 miles each way of kitty litter canal path, bit of swinley and about 2 miles on road.

Took it too brechfa too when my bouncer was injured.

My commute is 13 miles almost all on canal, about 50% tarmac/aggregate and 50% unmade. I use a lightweight mtb with carbon rigids, it was, a few years ago, a bit of a project in weightweenie on the cheap.
Doubles as a spare MTB and the carbon rigid forks give a bit of a change. I made sure that the headset crown race was split, so forks can be quickly and easily changed over. Also have a set of Surly CroMoto forks for mudguards, but I’m more a fair weather commuter.

On my commute I use a Disco, what I have found is the amount of maintenance required. If I were to have a bike just for commuting a big consideration would be avoiding cleaning lots of chainset and wearing out tyre etc.

I reckon for 5+ miles, drop bars + skinny tyres make a lot of difference. If it’s not tarmac’d (and therefore a road bike is out of the equation) I’d go for a CX bike. MTBs are just so slow and energy-sapping by comparison.

9 miles might not seem like a great distance, but 9×2 every day of the week = 360 miles/month. I.e. a lot. If you’re buying a bike specifically for this task, I’d go for the most energy-efficient option.

Mudguards essential, naturally.

Do you already own an mtb of some sort ? If not hardtail. If you already have mtb then a CX bike gives you more flexibility.

+ as above as per superficial

Got a full sus and a hardtail; the hardtail is in bits, as it became a bit of a donor for the FS. But was wondering if I should get the HT up and running, or I think the company should be resurrecting the cycle-to-work scheme this year, so my have taken advantage of this; n+1 and all that!

I’d go for something versatile with a rigid fork like an On-One Inbred or Surly Troll or Ogre

can I just say, if you commute all year round, that lifes too short not to have disc brakes!

On my 5 to 18 mile commute I just use a Brompton 2 speed.
(Dependent upon who I’m working with), and I can mix with trains too.

Many thanks; plenty of options to think about. Luckily disc brakes can be fitted to the HT and it has lugs for a rack if needed. I suppose it’s going to be a bit of a “suck-and-see”. I’ll resurrect the HT and go from there…

Yep, use the hardtail and get some mudguards and a rack on there, no more sweaty back

I went from a hardtail to a CX and didn’t get on with it at all. Now back on a hardtail and loving it. It may be slower by a few minutes on my 8 mile commute, but it’s much more fun and gives me many more options with my route.

For a shorter commute in dense urban jungle (i.e. lots of start / stop), my experience is that it doesn’t make much of a difference what you’re riding. For a ride with longer stretches of open riding – even urban – then a 700c with drop bars makes a heck of a difference.

I couldn’t be without disc brakes, whatever I’m commuting on.

Personally I’d go with whatever is most different from your other bikes, Don’t have a road bike? Get a CX bike then you have something can be pressed into service for weekend road rides. Have a road bike but all your MTB’s are big bouncy full sussers? Get a 29er hardtail, go wherever the biggest gap is.

Whatever you get make sure it takes full length guards.

Personally I use a cx bike, 1 advantage is the narrow bars for avoiding traffic wing mirrors etc.

If you go for a mtb I’d go for a 29er for the better rolling resistance and rigid forks.

Just to let you you know, I live on the edge of Nant-y-arian, but used to commute 12 miles each way every day (now commute more!)
I used to use a full sus MTB, then a hardtail MTB, then a CX bike then a full on road bike….
I just use whatever is the most fun for me at the time.
I’ll soon be going 40 miles each way! 🙂

I commute 10 miles on a hybrid, mostly on road.

Previous commute was a flat towpath route, same bike. When I was doing that, I wanted something slightly tougher than the hybrid. Now, I want something slightly faster (ie drop barred)

If I were you and had the choice of a new bike, I think I’d be going cx (disclaimer – I’ve never ridden one, but I think I’d have a go with an eye on the commute)

Ben_H post just reminded me, My canal commute is quite rural on most stretches, but it’s still always got lots of human obsticals all the way and you can bet almost every one of them will slow you right down. IMO It’s puts thinking “ooh, if I buy a CX, could I shave time off my commute?” a bit down the wish list. Personally, I’ve never thought that a drop handle bar bike would give me much greater advantage on the canal. Something like a bell on your bike will make a big difference, gears, decent brakes and tubeless tyres (regular canal bank punctures were my biggest issue on the unmade canal section before going tubeless).

With regard to the dropped/flat bar question I think the nature of the roads you ride and particularly the amount of time in town centre / suburbia is of more importance. When I ride it is about 17 miles each way, lots of traffic lights and my preferred route is a but wriggly to cut out some of the junctions and roads where there is conflict and stupidity potential.

When the weather is less than A1 I find the confidence, access to brakes and wider stance of some narrow flat bars and bar ends doesn’t cost anything significant in journey times.

I should qualify that by saying the road bike is a brick and the mtb was a nice xc lightweight in its day.

9 miles of towpath?

Rigid 29er or CX bike with discs, I’d say.

Something reasonably priced and workman like.
Inbred or Kaffenback from On-One.
Karate Monkey or Straggler from Surly.

You’ll want the ability to run proper mudguards in winter…

I Sgtarted commuting with a Rigid inbred. I;ve now changed to a CX and the difference is amazing. So versatile… lots of options too for stretching the ride out and can handle quite a bit of off road too.

The bike i use for commuting is a 26″ wheeled Inbred with rack, mudguards and v-brakes. 1.5″ slick tyres.
Daily use with 4-7 miles in the morning up to 28 miles after work on a Sustrans route (tarmac/gravel/bridleway/Thames path) average 3 times a week. Best bit of the day obviously!

I use my old mtb cos thats the bike i had. ‘If’ i was to buy something specially i would be curious to try larger wheels i guess. Does’nt matter what you get it’ll be worth it.

and get a decent bell! 🙂