"Build" my commuter for me.

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mattsccm
Posts: 5101
Joined: 28 Nov 2009, 9:44pm

"Build" my commuter for me.

Post by mattsccm »

The time has come where I need to have a more specialised commuter bike. Been using a gravel bike for the last few years but want to shift to a IGH so things need to change. I could go for a complete bike or build one with a new/second hand frame.
Criteria as follows.
Not too heavy so no cheapo steel but better stuff fine., IGH so either 130/135mm horizontal dropouts, track ends or some clever adjustable drop outs. Hub brakes. Would go either disc or hub . Dynamo front wheel. Happy to go back to flat bars as long as I can get a nice low position. Advantage there is hydro disc brakes are way cheaper. Clearance for 35mm + tyres with mudguards. I do 11 miles each way, 7+ being FC gravel/mud. Mudguard mounts .
I guess the frame is the first step, anythingworth looking at. Sadly older steel MTBs don't tend to have horizontal dropouts and disc mounts. Could get the gas bottles out but would rather not. Entertain/motivate me :D
VinceLedge
Posts: 566
Joined: 12 Dec 2020, 9:51am

Re: "Build" my commuter for me.

Post by VinceLedge »

Took me a while to work out IGH was internal gear hub!
Tiberius
Posts: 799
Joined: 31 Dec 2014, 8:45am
Location: North East England

Re: "Build" my commuter for me.

Post by Tiberius »

Let's start off with the nice stuff then enjoy the race to the bottom..... :mrgreen:

Shand Leveret seems to tick most of your boxes - I've come close to buying one myself.

The only problem might be availability in your size, I don't know if their shortage of stock is temporary or if they've decided to stop making it. They say 'Limited Edition' and that was 2021. One phone call should answer that question.

Anyway..https://www.shandcycles.com/shop/shand-leveret/
slowster
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Re: "Build" my commuter for me.

Post by slowster »

First identify one or more complete off the shelf bikes that are sufficiently close to the required specification. Use the price of that bike plus any minor upgrades as a benchmark against the price of assembling a bike from scratch with any new frame, and likewise with a second hand frame if a suitable one is available.

A couple of possible bike candidates with flat bars and Alfine 8 speed:

Cube Travel Pro (availability not particularly good at the moment)

Vsf Fahrradmanufaktur T-500 (only available in UK from Bikester, and currently out of stock)

https://www.cube.eu/en/2022/bikes/city- ... eenngreen/

https://www.bikester.co.uk/vsf-fahrradm ... 4397.html?

The Cube has the big advantage of 55mm tyres, especially given the 7 miles of gravel/mud. I am not a fan of belt drives, but would run with it for the time being. If and when it failed, I would replace with a chain and a Hebie Chainglider.

It might also be worth trawling through the other complete hub gear bikes Bikester sell.

If you can get hold of a Cube Travel Pro, then it would probably be far cheaper than buying a new frame and assembling a bike to your chosen specification. Any suitable second hand donor bike/frame that comes your way sufficiently cheaply to be an option, is likely to require compromising on the specification, e.g. needing a chain tensioner, maximum tyre width etc., and whether a particular compromise is acceptable is usually a personal choice.
PH
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Joined: 21 Jan 2007, 12:31am
Location: Derby
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Re: "Build" my commuter for me.

Post by PH »

Budget and required gear range would narrow it down.
There's a good choice of aluminium framed, Shimano 8spd IGH, hybrid style bikes, I'd be fine with one of them on any 11 mile commute I've had. Here's an example from Ridgeback that comes fully equipped
https://www.ridgeback.co.uk/ridgeback-s ... -varrb2166

Or if you like the idea of steel and building it up yourself, a couple of Surly frames might fit the bill, I have an Ogre, it has dropouts suitable for IGH or derailleur and can be built up in a variety of ways, but non of them light! Other Surly models that might suit are the Straggler and the now obsolete Troll (You might find S/H or NOS)
Before getting the Ogre, four other bikes under consideration were, Genesis Longitude, SOMA Wolvarine, Thorn Nomad MKIII, Brother Big Bro. All are possibly OTT for commuting, but why not? When I had something similar - 13 miles each way, 8 on cinder track and one big hill - I bought a Thorn Raven, twenty years later I no longer have the bike, but I'm still using the Rohloff and SON hubs, so it wasn't a bad buy!

You might also consider what other use you could get out of it and how it fits in with the bikes you already have.
Lastly, I like IGH's, all but one of my bikes have them, I also prefer purpose made frames with either EBB or some form of horizontal dropout, but IMO it isn't a deal breaker. I have two hubs with tensioners, and apart from collecting muck in the same way a derailleur does, it makes little other difference. A couple of Round the World record holders have used them (Mark Beaumont on a Rohloff and Vin Cox on an Alfine) and it doesn't seem to have bothered them.
mattsccm
Posts: 5101
Joined: 28 Nov 2009, 9:44pm

Re: "Build" my commuter for me.

Post by mattsccm »

Cheers so far. I am edging towards the sportier side of things. The off road is only FC gravel and if I am in the mood one of the red graded descents here in the Forest of Dean. Come the summer I'll be putting the nice fast 30mm tubeless tyres on . Something that handles like a 80's MTB, nice and sharp is the aim. Even some of the modern MTB ish gravel bikes feel a bit sluggish. I have even considered some form of excentric BB to allow the IGH in a vertical drop out frame. Do they work ok?
rotavator
Posts: 987
Joined: 6 Jun 2016, 9:50pm
Location: North Wales

Re: "Build" my commuter for me.

Post by rotavator »

mattsccm wrote: 15 Jan 2022, 5:27pm I have even considered some form of excentric BB to allow the IGH in a vertical drop out frame. Do they work ok?
I have EBBs on my two Thorn bikes and they work fine. Two pointed bolts engage with the alloy eccentric. Possibly a bit crude but also effective. See the the Thorn for discussion about them.
Jupestar
Posts: 920
Joined: 29 Feb 2020, 3:03pm

Re: "Build" my commuter for me.

Post by Jupestar »

I’ve build exactly the type of bike you describe with a old Charge Mixer Frame. Will take 35mm but would struggle to get guards on as well I expect. Drop bars and Hydro brakes. It’s quick and nimble. Spends most of the time SS, but gets a IGH with a barend shifter every now and again.

I do the same with a charge cooker SS. Pretty similar frame,
More relaxed, but takes more tyre. Flat bar, front suspension. It’s either a manual 2 speed (two chain rings, two cogs, manually move the chain). Or IGH. Think I have 2.1 on it. No idea if it could take mud guards.

Both have EBB BB shells.

EBB is my preferred method of tensioning for SS/IGH particularly for Disc brakes.

If I had the cash, (Charge Frames come up pretty cheap) and I treated my bikes better, I’d be tempted to buy a Singular.
cycle tramp
Posts: 3532
Joined: 5 Aug 2009, 7:22pm

Re: "Build" my commuter for me.

Post by cycle tramp »

What are the climbs and descents like on your commute?

And how many gears on your current bike? And what's the gear range?
Motorhead: god was never on your sidehttps://www.google.com/search?ie=UTF-8&client=m ... +your+side
PH
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Joined: 21 Jan 2007, 12:31am
Location: Derby
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Re: "Build" my commuter for me.

Post by PH »

Jupestar wrote: 15 Jan 2022, 8:37pm If I had the cash, (Charge Frames come up pretty cheap) and I treated my bikes better, I’d be tempted to buy a Singular.
I'd forgotten them, the Peregrine is due to make a comeback, delayed from last year but expected shortly. I've lusted after one several times, but whenever I've been in the market, they haven't been available.
https://www.singularcycles.com/our-products/peregrine/
PH
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Re: "Build" my commuter for me.

Post by PH »

mattsccm wrote: 15 Jan 2022, 5:27pm I have even considered some form of excentric BB to allow the IGH in a vertical drop out frame. Do they work ok?
Do you mean a frame built with an EBB or the mini versions intended to fit a standard frame?
The first are relatively trouble free, as long as you're not over sensitive about altering your riding position a few mm.
I've looked at the mini sort a couple of times but never tried one, quite a few reports of problems, even when they work you have to be careful to get the gear right to maximise what throw they do offer.
If I wasn't using an appropriate frame, I'd just use a tensioner.
ElCani
Posts: 537
Joined: 5 Mar 2015, 11:24am

Re: "Build" my commuter for me.

Post by ElCani »

A Genesis Day One should cover most (all?) of what you want. The 2019 Ltd comes fully equipped, but there are years worth of used ones that could be adapted. Sadly Genesis seem to have downgraded the new ones to alu.

Maybe a bit heavy, but no fully equipped commuter ever ends up truly light.

https://velorution.com/genesis-day-one-ltd.html
mattsccm
Posts: 5101
Joined: 28 Nov 2009, 9:44pm

Re: "Build" my commuter for me.

Post by mattsccm »

Cheers. I have no great need of silly low gears. A 39/32 low is fine as its onlyy a few hundred yards of 15% either way. The 53/11 is not needed but I have a stack of those cassettes. SS/fixed didn't work well.Been looking at the Charge bikes.
slowster
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Re: "Build" my commuter for me.

Post by slowster »

For 'sportier' my ideal would be something like Brucey's Supercommuter. Most modern frames with track ends or horizontal drop outs are designed for tyres no wider than 28mm with mudguards. Amongst the exceptions are the Surly Steamroller, Cross Check and Straggler frames, but potentially better and lighter would be a light touring frame with horizontal drop outs. I expect that a suitable (1980s?) frame could be bought on Ebay quite cheaply if a person were prepared to wait for the right frame.

A Sturmey Archer 3 speed hub could offer gear inches of 66/50/37 with 38 x 21 (or 63/47/36 with 38 x 22) and would be lighter and probably more reliable than an Alfine 8 speed, as well as giving the option of a drum brake.

viewtopic.php?t=70632
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Cyclewala
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Re: "Build" my commuter for me.

Post by Cyclewala »

When I was going through the same process about 12 years ago, I whittled it down to a Charge Mixer.

Alfine 8, hydro brakes, steel frame and 32mm tyres with mudguards. Rack mounts.

Charge no longer operate in the UK, but as alluded, second hand bikes come up often on internet.

The aforementioned Genesis Day 1 is perhaps the nearest and best equivalent today.
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