Cycling UK Forum

Mares wrote:Needless to say you are wrong. Bars with drops offer a variety of different positions when compared to flat bars.

And?
A Rohloff gives 14 speeds where a singlespeed gives only 1, so it's always better? It is if you need a big gear range and have deep poclets and don't mind the weight, but if you're riding 3 miles on the flat then suggesting the Rohloff is better "because More" is idiotic. Several of my bikes only have 1 hand position, but that's fine by me as it's the only one I need when doing journeys on those bikes.

Mares wrote:I believe the OP wanted to know if there was a perfect bike for commuting. Not who owns loads of obscure bike types.

Having used road bikes, hybrid bikes, mountain bikes and cross bikes for commuting I can say without a shadow of a doubt that a cross bike on 38mm tubeless tyres is the perfect bike for commuting.

I didn't realise this was a right/wrong quiz!

For your particular commute, done your particular way, you might be right, but there is more than one value of "commuting". My commute is by a Brom, because it's a short, flat trip and the fact I can park it under my desk helps a lot, and the mudguards and easy luggage mean any cargo arrives in good shape and I don't need to change. That's not true on a 'cross bike.

Mares wrote:And I did a local 100mike ride averaging 20mph.

And I can ride on gravel/snow/mud/ice with no issues.

All on one bike. As OP asked.

Well, if they have a commute lasting 5 hours at 20 mph average on gravel, snow ice and mud then that sounds ideal! I'd guess that's not very typical though (and I suspect that without changing tyres for spiked ones, your idea of "ice" is not the sheet of black ice with a fine film of water over the top involving a change of direction along it that some cyclists encounter).

Meanwhile, check out a few hundred commuters here. Since it's a no brainer to use a 'cross bike that would explain why the video is packed to the gunwales with them! (oh, hang on...)

[youtube]Hb0QjASuuqI[/youtube]

The answer to "what is best for...?" is pretty much always a case of "first, define 'best'". Most things are about context.

Pete.

Mares wrote:I'm sorry.

I didn't realise this was a right/wrong quiz.

It is though,it all depends on what the OP's commute involves.
A two mile ride to the train station followed by a 20mile train journey with a 1 mile ride at the other end,requires a completely machine to riding a 10mile commute on varied terrain and surfaces.

Having used road bikes, hybrid bikes, mountain bikes and cross bikes for commuting I can say without a shadow of a doubt that a cross bike on 38mm tubeless tyres is the perfect bike for commuting

.
No,that's the perfect bike for your commute

As I said.

In my opinion.

Which is what I believe the thread was about? People's opinions?

Which is why I was taken aback at someone criticising the opinion I put forward.

I'm afraid I do not know the finer details of everyone's commutes so I posted the perfect bike in my experience.

Thanks for being so warming to a new person on this forum. Next time I'll be sure to check with the thought police.

Mares
The OP's question asked if there is a perfect bike for commuting.
The answer is no,only a perfect bike for a particular commute,ie;one size definitely does not fit all.
As I posted,you only have the perfect bike for your commute.
I don't think anyone's being particularly unwelcoming to you,just replying honestly to your post.

This is not a friendly forum.

People ask for information/advice and get negative remarks and putdowns, even those expressing opinions have "wrong" opinions.

If you look around you'll see there are many like that here.

Just because people have been here some time does not mean that they have more of a right to be here, or have a opinion than someone else.

That's known as harrassment.

Sorry OP. I shall not post on this again.

Gosh, yes.. .there is for you.... and it will probably be entirely different from the bike that i ride.... which is a good thing. There would be nothing more boring if we all rode the same sort of bicycle!
However in order for you to find your perfect commuting bicycle you may have to try alot of different types of bicycle, or different types of brakes, gears and lighting systems in order to find the right one for you....
...don't be downhearted... just as bicycles are about exploring new places, they are also about trying different equipment too.
When you find or even build your perfect commuting bicycle don't forget to take a photo and pop it on the forum...
..Happy hunting

Mares wrote:This is not a friendly forum.

People ask for information/advice and get negative remarks and putdowns,

Like viewtopic.php?p=1323472#p1323472 ...

Mares wrote:This is not a friendly forum.

People ask for information/advice and get negative remarks and putdowns, even those expressing opinions have "wrong" opinions.

If you look around you'll see there are many like that here.

Just because people have been here some time does not mean that they have more of a right to be here, or have a opinion than someone else.

That's known as harrassment.

Sorry OP. I shall not post on this again.

There's no harrassment from me just a difference of opinion to yours on the subject matter.
As for the forum on the whole not being friendly I disagree and think you're overreacting.

mjr wrote:

Mares wrote:This is not a friendly forum.

People ask for information/advice and get negative remarks and putdowns,

Like viewtopic.php?p=1323472#p1323472 ...

Mares wrote:This is not a friendly forum.

People ask for information/advice and get negative remarks and putdowns, even those expressing opinions have "wrong" opinions.

If you look around you'll see there are many like that here.

Just because people have been here some time does not mean that they have more of a right to be here, or have a opinion than someone else.

That's known as harrassment.

Sorry OP. I shall not post on this again.

You made a fairly blunt, dogmatic assertion about what is the perfect commuter bike. Quite understandable and indeed in the spirit of the thread, given that the OP posed a naive and overly simplistic question inviting just such responses. Having made such a dogmatic assertion, you should not be surprised that others reject it equally bluntly (as has happened with other posters' suggestions).

The OP's original question gave no details of the OP's own particular needs and commuting route, and just implied that there is one bike that is perfect for all or better than all others. The thread only has any merit because posters have used it as an opportunity to list their own particular choices of bikes and explain why they are perfect for them. And that's really the value of the forum and the internet: it gives us all access to a wide range of experiences both similar to and different from our own, which gives us the opportunity to compare all our experiences and learn from each other.

If you don't want to receive blunt responses to your own posts, you could change how you post. Rather than say that your bike is perfect and imply that you know best what the OP should get, just explain why it is perfect for you, which is far more interesting and useful because we can then compare your needs/commute/preferences with our own and see where we differ and why, and it can also prompt people to think that they should try doing things differently to see if they find them better, whether that be tubeless, a dutch bike, 3 speed, flat bars, drum brakes, hydraulic brakes or anything else.

I have found that swept back flat bars and a sprung saddle improve comfort enormously, so those aspects of dutch-stye bikes makes sense to me.

Still think the best bike for commuting is the one you ride.

A commute isn’t some fundamentally peculiar journey.

But the bike you have has to take top spot - through using that you’ll work out what you might want to change...
Personally the ‘bent trike has been ideal transport for a long while, though I have enjoyed commuting on a variety of bikes as well (recumbent, upright, solo, tandem)