Budget Commuter Bike Advice

[thefairweatherrider]

Hi,

The town-style bikes do look very practical, but I'm just not sure I like the style of them. On my commute I do cover a big hill at each end, so would need something that can handle the hills ok. The rack is a nice to have but not essential as I usually take the car in on a Monday and old my locker with all of my clothes for the week. I'd happily have either some sort of road bike or a flat bar hybrid. I'd be happy with either. The 13 cyclocross from Halfords looks ok, but as it's an unknown brand I'm not sure how good it will be.

[niggle]

Hi,

The town-style bikes do look very practical, but I'm just not sure I like the style of them. On my commute I do cover a big hill at each end, so would need something that can handle the hills ok. The rack is a nice to have but not essential as I usually take the car in on a Monday and old my locker with all of my clothes for the week. I'd happily have either some sort of road bike or a flat bar hybrid. I'd be happy with either. The 13 cyclocross from Halfords looks ok, but as it's an unknown brand I'm not sure how good it will be.

OK so more gears needed, in which case I would recommend a Nexus 7 (7 speed) or Nexus/Alfine 8 (8 speed) hub gear hybrid such as:

Nexus 7:

£375: https://www.evanscycles.com/dawes-urban ... 0wodfF4Fkg

Nexus 8:

£499 with cable disc brakes, quality steel frame frame and forks, rack and mudguards, L & XL only: https://www.biketart.com/bikes-c1/hybri ... 0wodSrkBmQ

£502, with hydraulic disc brakes: https://www.bestbikeproducts.com/m6b42s ... S_GB/31299

Drop bars, quality steel frame, cable disc brakes, but only XS or S size, £649: https://www.bestbikeproducts.com/m6b42s ... S_GB/31299

EDIT: I speak from several years of experience having used a Carrera hybrid with the Nexus 8 speed hub for about 8 years of commuting 6 miles each way in hilly Cornwall. During this time I spent almost nothing on maintenance and very little effort, occasional chain cleans, a couple of new chains and gear cables, I sold it and my drop bar derailleur geared Sunday ride bike last year and have been building up a bike with Alfine 11 speed hub for both commuting and Sunday rides as cleaning up the Sunday bike's gear train after every wet ride on a Sunday evening was getting me down. Meanwhile I have been commuting on my derailleur geared touring bike and have already trashed the chain in less than 6 months.

[TrevA]

Probably outside your budget, but read the review on this Ridgeback Panorama. Bloke buys a road bike, finds it doesn't really do what he wants, then buys a touring bike and it's exactly right. Cheaper touring bikes are available, such as the Raleigh Royal or Ridgeback Tour.

https://www.evanscycles.com/ridgeback-p ... e-EV258090

[niggle]

Brake choice- there is no perfect solution, all types have their advantages and disadvantages.

Rim brakes need occasional adjustment, pad replacement and eventually new cables and wheel rims: at your mileage this will be several years but you will then have to pay someone to lace a new rim on, or buy new wheels. OTOH the fork does not have to be built with the same strength and rigidity as it does to withstand the forces of a disc brake, so has the potential to give a more pleasant ride, though this is probably not much of an issue over 5 miles of commuting and can be offset to some extent by using good quality tyres of upwards of 32mm width.

Cable disc brakes will need adjustment at a similar frequency to rim brakes and this can be harder to do, particularly the cheaper ones with adjustment to one pad only where you have to realign the caliper at the same time. Better ones such as Avid BB7 have adjustment of both pads which makes it a lot easier. However all disc brakes have the advantage of not wearing the rim out, and even though this is offset somewhat by them wearing out the disc this takes quite a while and discs are cheaper and easier to replace than rims, a lot easier to DIY for instance. Cable disc calipers can get gummed up with muck and need stripping down and cleaning if used in all weathers.

Hydraulic disc brakes need no adjustment or cable replacement but are similar to cable disc brakes re pad and disc replacement and cleaning requirements, plus the added complexity of possible hydraulic problems, though probably not that common with your type of usage.

A friend who does 10000 miles a year on his Rholoff hub gear MTB and is allergic to maintenance buys cheap hydraulic dics brakes such as Clarks and low end Shimano then throws them away when they seize up and buys another cheap set, about yearly in his case though obviously for you this would take a lot longer.

Drum brakes are the best commuter option but you will struggle to find them on anything other than city/dutch bikes.

[thefairweatherrider]

Thanks, some great recommendations. I wasn't really looking for a touring style of bike but can certainly see he how well they're suited to commuting.

From the advice I've read, I'm going to steer clear of going for an out-and-out road bike. This has slightly put me off the Triban 520.

My commute is mainly on tarmac'd single-track, with a few steep hills at either end. I will need to carry either a rucksack or a pannier but don't need a lot of storage capacity. Based upon this, I think a cyclocross would still be a good option as they will take mudguards, a pannier and many come with disc brakes. Also this style of bike could be used for most things; commuting, weekend rides, etc... To my knowledge nobody has recommended a cyclocross-style bike. Is this for a particular reason or is it just because not many people have as much experience of using them?

I saw this bike, which would fit me as I'm 5'7". Any thoughts? http://www.bikes2udirect.com/B6907.html ... Gwodd4oESw

Or how about th Genesis CDA 10? https://www.evanscycles.com/genesis-cda ... e-EV258260

Thanks for all the advice. Really appreciate it.

[[XAP]Bob]

I'd avoid a rucksack if you possible can. (Great for serious offroading, where you need to throw the bike around, but not recommended on the black stuff)

If you don't need to carry too much stuff then a saddlebag might be a good alternative.

[Vorpal]

From the advice I've read, I'm going to steer clear of going for an out-and-out road bike. This has slightly put me off the Triban 520.

I use a road bike for commuting, unless there is potential for ice (then I ride on studded tyres). I think the Triban takes mudguards(?), which is the main reason, IMO for avoiding road bikes for commuting. But even, then you can always use strap on mudguards like race blades.

I'd say it depends on what is most comfortable for *you* is also important.

So, I suggest two things:

1) go ride some bikes. Really. This is the most important thing you can do, choosing a new a bike, especially if you are considering soemthing you haven't had before

2) establish some purchase criteria & modify them after you have tried a few bikes.

When you try some bikes, get them set up for you. Some shops are more helpful with this than others, and this might make a difference in what and where you eventually buy.

Also think about things like whether you want to be able to put winter tyres on your bike in winter (either studded, or not). I can ride a road bike to commute because I have a second bike with studded tyres on it. If I only had one bike for commuting, on your budget, I'd pick up a secondhand tourer.

Even if you don't need a rack now, you might want one later?

[whoof]

These are within your budget.

£500 with disc brakes

https://www.edinburghbicycle.com/revolu ... -2-16.html

£400 with rim brakes

https://www.edinburghbicycle.com/revolu ... -1-16.html

[TrevA]

Rucksack would be OK for a 4 mile commute, so long as it's not massive - a small daysac is OK. I occasionally use a very small rucksack - a Camelback one with the drinks bladder removed. This is only because I can't fit my laptop in my rackpack.

I've no experience of gravel/adventure/cyclo-cross bikes for commuting.

I sometimes commute on my tourer but it's 3-4 minutes slower than the Triban, though it is more comfortable to ride due to wider tyres and it has a better load carrying capacity. Triban is my first choice.

[niggle]

Thanks, some great recommendations. I wasn't really looking for a touring style of bike but can certainly see he how well they're suited to commuting.

From the advice I've read, I'm going to steer clear of going for an out-and-out road bike. This has slightly put me off the Triban 520.

My commute is mainly on tarmac'd single-track, with a few steep hills at either end. I will need to carry either a rucksack or a pannier but don't need a lot of storage capacity. Based upon this, I think a cyclocross would still be a good option as they will take mudguards, a pannier and many come with disc brakes. Also this style of bike could be used for most things; commuting, weekend rides, etc... To my knowledge nobody has recommended a cyclocross-style bike. Is this for a particular reason or is it just because not many people have as much experience of using them?

I saw this bike, which would fit me as I'm 5'7". Any thoughts? http://www.bikes2udirect.com/B6907.html ... Gwodd4oESw

Or how about th Genesis CDA 10? https://www.evanscycles.com/genesis-cda ... e-EV258260

Thanks for all the advice. Really appreciate it.

A cross bike is probably a better choice than an all out road bike as long as full mudguards can be fitted, i.e. there is clearance and eyelets for them. Of those two you linked to the first one has possibly better components, especially considering the price (e.g. the Claud Butler has BB5 brakes which are known to be OK, whereas the Promax on the Genesis are a cheap unknown quantity). However they neither of them have that low gearing if you need to get up steep hills (the Genesis is just slightly better but it would not cost much to upgrade the Claud Butler to the same). This Giant has a triple chainset and wide ratio cassette which is more like MTB gearing so might suit you better- what gears do you use to get up the hills on your MTB now? (not sure what frame size you are needing):

Medium: https://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/prod ... GwodMh4Cfw
Large: http://www.cyclesense.co.uk/m1b3s6p1639 ... 0wodb4wF5A

but whatever you pick make sure it fits you well...

Be aware that if carbon forks suffer a heavy impact such as in a fall or accident, or if they get scratched/scraped, deeper than the painted finish, they should be replaced for safety's sake (carbon forks will be found on virtually all the cross bikes of any quality. For on road use you can get a smoother and easier ride with slick road tyres of similar size, e.g. Vittoria Voyager Hypers:
http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/TYVIVOHY/v ... lding-tyre

[thefairweatherrider]

Thanks again for the replies. I really like the look of the Giant Anyroad.

Also, I hadn't considered the number of gears on the bikes, but you're quite right. My MTB has 27, and although I perhaps don't need quite as high-a-ratio, I'd need something fairly similar as I've got a couple of very steep hills to tackle. The Giant Anyroad is one I'm seriously considering.

A tourer would be an option and I've seen a couple of more sporty-looking ones I like the look of like the Saracen here http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Saracen-Urban-S ... _98524.htm

Hmm... decisions...

[[XAP]Bob]

Thanks again for the replies. I really like the look of the Giant Anyroad.

Also, I hadn't considered the number of gears on the bikes, but you're quite right. My MTB has 27, and although I perhaps don't need quite as high-a-ratio, I'd need something fairly similar as I've got a couple of very steep hills to tackle. The Giant Anyroad is one I'm seriously considering.

A tourer would be an option and I've seen a couple of more sporty-looking ones I like the look of like the Saracen here http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Saracen-Urban-S ... _98524.htm

Hmm... decisions...

Don't get caught up in the 'number of gears' - it's the range (particularly at the bottom end if you have serious hills) that matters.

Gears are measured in gear inches - which is the size of the 'virtual' wheel you are pedalling or development - how far the bike travels per rotation of the cranks.
Think about what gear you currently take those hills in - and work out what you need as your bottom gear...

[531colin]

Its a 4 mile trip. .....unless you are going to use the bike for something else at the weekends, getting caught up in decisions about gear ratios, double vs, triple chainsets, fauCX bikes vs. tourers, road bikes vs. town bikes, disc brakes vs. rim brakes for a 4 mile trip is at best vanity.
Find the social enterprise/charity bike place in your town...(like this one in my town http://www.resurrectionbikes.org.uk/)
Pay next to nothing for a bike they have sorted out, like these....http://www.resurrectionbikes.org.uk/product-category/mens-bikes/
They will probably show you how to maintain it.....or somebody in the next town will...https://pedallers-arms.org/who-are-we/
Whatever you buy, if you don't maintain it, it will fail just like your current bike is failing.

[SussexMan]

Two and a half years on and 5000 miles later I'm still using my Dawes Horizon purchased for £62. I do a 20 mile round commute most days now. Yes it's needed some maintenance but I've learnt how to rebuild a wheel! For a 4 mile commute you could use just about any bike. My first 500 commuting miles were on a £5 secondhand mountain bike. I like to keep my cost per mile low. A bike costing £600 will cost you 10p a mile (just to cover the purchase cost) for the first three years assuming 40 miles a week.
But I accept not everyone would be happy with a 25 year old bike and would much prefer to buy new.

I'm a trendy consumer. Just look at my Moto G Play using hovercraft full of eels.

[thefairweatherrider]

Thanks for all of the replies. I've learnt a lot about commuter bikes and what options are available. I possibly regret telling people my commute is only 4 miles, it seems that it's almost not worth purchasing a new bike for it and just sticking with my MTB. It needs some work doing to repair it, but if its just as good as anything else over this distance it may be my best option.

Thanks again