Bike recommendation for commute to work...

[PH]

At this point, I don't care how many people tell me they can only walk at 3 mph... its down to technique...

What you said was "Most people walk at between 4 to 6 mph"
To put that into perspective 4mph is considerably faster than army marching pace and 6mph is faster than half the finishers in the London marathon. Good for you is you're that fast but clearly most are not.

[pjclinch]

Thanks for that summary.

I wouldn't have front suspension on a bike used like that and costing ≤ £500.

Me neither…

I’ve listed suspension purely as I’ve not found a mountain bike at that level that hasn’t got front suspension.

Originally mountain bikes were used on what would be considered pretty tame terrain these days with modern mountain bikes pretty much built specifically for drops, rock gardens and jumps, and this is where suspension becomes at least very useful.
If you're not doing drops, rock gardens and jumps then suspension, even off-road, is quite often nothing but extra weight and maintenance, which is why gravel bikes have become A Thing, aimed at easy off road terrain and they generally don't have suspension for the above reasons.

The modern hybrid is typically a 90s mountain bike without mud tyres and is entirely up to off-road that doesn't involve deliberately technical terrain. I think that would do for what you want, unless the route you're considering involves this sort of thing...
https://www.instagram.com/p/C7_ZMg5s5ci/

Pete.

[The Path Racer]

Lol. The modern mtb. Aggressive looking things, the 4 x 4 of the cycling world. Not for me but of course I do understand why they've developed in that manner.

[cycle tramp]

At this point, I don't care how many people tell me they can only walk at 3 mph... its down to technique...

What you said was "Most people walk at between 4 to 6 mph"
To put that into perspective 4mph is considerably faster than the army's marching pace and 6mph is faster than half the finishers in the London marathon. Good for you is you're that fast but clearly most are not.

Well, yes... in lots of ways you should be able to walk faster than the army's marching pace, if only because I don't expect you to be wearing helmets, or carrying shovels, drones, howitzers, rubber boats, automatic weapons, bazookas or medi-packs.... and whilst 6 mph is faster than half the finishers in the London marathon, they have run 26 or something miles, which is not the same a spirted walk over a mile and a bit..
However inlight of Richard Bach's quote 'Argue for your own limitations and they will be yours to keep' - I'm more than happy to concede the argument...

[Dazzathedrummer]

The modern hybrid is typically a 90s mountain bike without mud tyres

Yeah - I think that's what's throwing me. Back in the 90's everyone had a mountain bike and nobody went anywhere near a mountain!

I just watched this...
https://youtu.be/IAc6gOpyMwI?si=jhDxsDJJYuDfk39x

...which explains the situation perfectly and it also ends with the Pinnacle Lithium which was one of the first suggestions.

So now I'm looking at these two...

Pinnacle Lithium 3
https://www.evanscycles.com/brand/pinna ... ike-939173
customer reviews look reasonable

I also spotted this...

Trek FX1
https://www.trekbikes.com/gb/en_GB/bike ... rCode=grey


Both seem to be towards the off-road side of hybrid which is what (I think) I'm looking for.

[Brucey]

...Both seem to be towards the off-road side of hybrid which is what (I think) I'm looking for.

if you like cleaning bikes and doing transmission maintenance you should be well pleased.

[Nearholmer]

My good lady has had the previous model of the Lithium 3 as a commuter and light leisure bike for c10 years, and it’s been excellent, not a word to say against it. She has it on 42mm Continental Contact Speed tyres, which make it comfy on bumpy paths.

Early last year, I bought the current model for £400 in the sales to use as an All Terrain Shopping Bike. It has excellent components except the tyres and pedals (more later) and the frame seems well made. It is light and quick, with a very wide range of gearing, and seems to cope fine with being ridden cross country, and it will take tyres up to 50mm, however …….

I found the MTB-derived geometry really didn’t suit me at all, I prefer a shorter geometry, so found this one too stretched-out. Fitting a very short stem seemed to make it prone to the front wheel “tucking under” on sharp turns, and after a mere six months it moved to a new owner in “as new” condition. Nothing wrong with the bike, it just wasn’t the right bike for me.

Tyres - it came with some truly cheap and thin-walled things, puncture magnets, which I changed for a set of “old boots” that I keep as emergency spares.

Pedals - the ones it came with seemed too small to me, so I swapped them for a pair of MTB-size flats that I keep as spares.

I also put a different saddle on it, but that was more about personal whim; the one it came with was OK.

Overall? Make certain you try for size before buying, especially if, like me, you are at a size-boundary. If you like the geometry, it’s a very good value bike indeed.

The test ride, where I went 39 miles cross country to buy a loaf of bread:

And, to upset Brucey, here it is on another trip. Just look at the mud near the drivetrain!

[cycle tramp]

Oh no - mud might have got into the right pedal's crank side bearing!
On the plus side its great evidence which shows you don't need suspension or stooopidly wide tyres to go off road.

However it also demonstrates Brucey's point that any time saved by riding the bike, rather than walking, might be lost maintenance and cleaning...

[slowster]

And, to upset Brucey, here it is on another trip. Just look at the mud near the drivetrain!

I presume that was a leisure ride. Would you be so nonchalant about mud if you rode the same trail to work and back every day come rain or shine, including throughout winter and in the dark?

want to avoid going on roads where possible (where I live there are lots of bike paths, gravel and woodland routes).

Will you ride on those bike paths, gravel and woodland routes in winter, especially as part of your daily commute? If so, then as Brucey says you will be spending a lot of time cleaning and re-lubricating the transmission of a bike with derailleur gears, and even then you will probably find that the components will wear much more quickly and need replacing. If you don't stay on top of cleaning and lubricating the drivetrain, it will need replacing within a very short time.

If you will ride on the road through the winter and will only use the tracks when they are dry, then derailleur gears are fine, but they are completely unsuitable for daily commuting on muddy tracks.

[cycle tramp]

any sort of single speed bike in your size will get your over the distance easily and not give need for much maintenance at all.

a fixed gear bike would have even fewer demands (if you can ride it safely.)

....have to second mig's point of view on this one....
Personally any bike you take from the shops is going to be over specified for the journey.. I think you'd be better served building one...
I would have gone with a 26" wheel steel mountain bike frame set, a single gear with a ratio of just over 1:2, a 70mm drum brake up front with a dynamo hub, a coaster rear brake.. 1.75 inch wide tyres, full mudguards front and back, a decent rear rack, a wald front basket, and a decent lighting system... handlebars, saddle and riding position to suit the rider's style and speed....

This gives you a bike which can be used all year, needs very little maintenance and only has one cable. Plus the clearance between the tyres and the mudguards should stop any mud jamming between the two...

[Brucey]

FWIW at one time I commuted about 23 miles a day, half on the road, half off. I used an mtb for this, and I had to pressure-wash it every day, because it got so dirty. I got very good at this, hooking the pressure washer into the hot water supply, I found I could clean the chain too all in about five minutes. The bike got dried indoors every day, and I used a water-displacing spray lube on the clean chain.

Using this approach, I found I was able to make a chain last 2000 miles. I know it doesn't sound very good, but without this regime, I could expect just 500 miles.

These days, I'd probably gravitate towards a fully enclosed transmission of some kind.

Suffice it to say that 'I know whereof I speak'.

[The Path Racer]

Here's a modern hub geared hybrid. Yet another choice. Not that I'm recommending or insisting that the OP should get one.
If it was me I'd just buy an old Raleigh Wayfarer (or similar) for £50 or so and fix any issues. Am I tight of pocket? Maybe, but if I had only one bike (instead of 5) it would have to be such, a comfort bike.

https://www.balfesbikes.co.uk/bikes/hyb ... ver__33553

[Nearholmer]

Regarding mud etc, when I commuted across town, about four miles each way, I made sure I used the paved paths, whereas now I’m retired/WFH I tend to use whichever paths are most interesting, and I go out into the countryside whenever I can, and my clean-up is similar to Brucey’s.

I wash down as soon as I get back, using the hose set to “fairly tight beam”, avoiding squirting at bearings, drip dry, then indoors, lubricating when dry enough. I seem to get c1500 miles per chain, which I don’t reckon is too bad considering my love of mud, sand, sandy mud etc.

[Cowsham]

Me neither…

I’ve listed suspension purely as I’ve not found a mountain bike at that level that hasn’t got front suspension.

IMHO mountain bikes are meant for a type of riding that you won’t be doing (… waste of money and they’re harder work too). As in my previous post an ordinary bike with suitable tyres will take you anywhere that you want to go. Suspension adds cost and complexity, imho it rarely adds value and folk have and do manage very well without it.

Absolutely agree -- you'll not need front suspension. I'm in the process of converting my cube mtb to rigid forks. They don't work well on lower end mountain bikes and only make the bike heavy. Good 2" tyres go most places in comfort.

[Cowsham]

The modern hybrid is typically a 90s mountain bike without mud tyres

Yeah - I think that's what's throwing me. Back in the 90's everyone had a mountain bike and nobody went anywhere near a mountain!

I just watched this...
https://youtu.be/IAc6gOpyMwI?si=jhDxsDJJYuDfk39x

...which explains the situation perfectly and it also ends with the Pinnacle Lithium which was one of the first suggestions.

So now I'm looking at these two...

Pinnacle Lithium 3
https://www.evanscycles.com/brand/pinna ... ike-939173
customer reviews look reasonable

I also spotted this...

Trek FX1
https://www.trekbikes.com/gb/en_GB/bike ... rCode=grey


Both seem to be towards the off-road side of hybrid which is what (I think) I'm looking for.

The lithium 3 looks good value for money -- hydraulic disc brakes -- all the mounting points for racks and mudguards back and front ( which you'll want for commuting in rain ) light , good tyres and good clearance for bigger tyres. Simple shimano gears.

Just bear in mind you'll need to spend a little more for all the accessories that the subway ( one with all the racks, mudguards etc on ) has for about £430 all in iirc