Bike recommendation for commute to work...

[Carlton green]

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

As a general comment it is far better to buy a bike that has mudguards and rack already fitted than to add them afterwards. Why so? Because fitting such stuff takes your time, costs you money and compatibility - assuming that it’s even possible to fit something - is typically not as good as you would have expected it to be. Don’t ask me how I know these things, it can be a right pain …

[jimlews]

Do you even need a bike for your commute ?

I recon that I, at near 70 yrs old, could do the distance in just over 1hr at a comfortable average walking speed.

However, if you just want a bike, you've come to the right place

[Dazzathedrummer]

Do you even need a bike for your commute ?

I recon that I, at near 70 yrs old, could do the distance in just over 1hr at a comfortable average walking speed.

However, if you just want a bike, you've come to the right place

Komoot reckons it'll take 1hr 20mins to walk it which, although it's perfectly doable, I'd rather not add that much time to my day - especially as sometimes I don't finish work until 6pm.
I'd rather get a bike and have the choice of getting home in 20mins or taking a longer route if I've got nothing else on. Same with the mornings; I need to lose some weight so I may well set off early and/or take a ride on the days that I work from home.

Also, just to add context, the immediate area where I live is like a horrible concrete war zone (central Peterborough) and you don't get far with 20mins of walking - if you want to go for a nice walk in P'boro, you need to drive somewhere.
Fortunately the company I work for are moving out of the town centre so I have the choice of riding along the rowing lake, Ferry Meadows and/or Thorpe Wood. Some of these places are actually almost quite nice

[Nearholmer]

These commuter threads usually morph into “ideal utility bike” threads at some point, and the thought that always goes through my head is “That’s all very well, but can we point people to one they can actually go out and buy, especially on c2w?”.

This can be had on c2w, I can’t tell what the gear ratios are, but it seems to have a lot of the oft-recommended features. https://rideolive.com/

The website is a bit too high on lifestyle blurb and bit too low on easily accessible specification for my tastes, but it might be of interest.

[al_yrpal]

Halfords Carrera Subway. Brilliant low cost bikes. 2.5 miles...about 15 minutes ride.

Budget for mudguards, lights of course and a rack. You wont need an e bike for that ride

Al

[Cowsham]

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

As a general comment it is far better to buy a bike that has mudguards and rack already fitted than to add them afterwards. Why so? Because fitting such stuff takes your time, costs you money and compatibility - assuming that it’s even possible to fit something - is typically not as good as you would have expected it to be. Don’t ask me how I know these things, it can be a right pain …

Not true for me -- I prefer to fit my favorite mudguards ( lifeline ) and rack ( Halfords £30 no annoying spring clip but with useful top panel ) cateye lights too. Never had any problems fitting to any bike.

[Cowsham]

Halfords Carrera Subway. Brilliant low cost bikes. 2.5 miles...about 15 minutes ride.

Budget for mudguards and a rack. You wont need an e bike for that ride

Al

You can buy it ready kitted out
https://www.halfords.com/bikes/hybrid-b ... lsrc=aw.ds

Or save £100 and fit your own stuff.

Both on c2w scheme saving £227 on the kitted out one. ( lights on that too so factor in buying lights etc you'll not be long in racking ( excuse the pun ) up £100. )

Nb the pinnacle L3 will be a nicer thing to ride but the subway is strong so takes a lot of packing. ( but then my kind of touring is different from most )

Another note -- I fitted swept back handlebars and ergonomic grips on my subway which gives it a very relaxed feel -- along with an electric yose kit £400 it's a very good ebike.

[Carlton green]

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

As a general comment it is far better to buy a bike that has mudguards and rack already fitted than to add them afterwards. Why so? Because fitting such stuff takes your time, costs you money and compatibility - assuming that it’s even possible to fit something - is typically not as good as you would have expected it to be. Don’t ask me how I know these things, it can be a right pain …

Not true for me -- I prefer to fit my favorite mudguards ( lifeline ) and rack ( Halfords £30 no annoying spring clip but with useful top panel ) cateye lights too. Never had any problems fitting to any bike.

Fitting experiences do vary (and hence ‘as a general comment’) . Of course your rack and mudguards cost you money (unless you already had them or were given them) but you might have made a saving on buying a bike without them. It will have taken you time to fit the items, iirc you’re a practical man skilled in ‘spannering’ but not everyone has such skills to make jobs relatively easy and quick - and then there’s luck.

I’ve pressed loads of stuff into service, reusing old parts and the like, and some of the pre-owned bikes that I’ve had have had dreadful bodges on them.

[Cowsham]

Fitting experiences do vary (and hence ‘as a general comment’) . Of course your rack and mudguards cost you money (unless you already had them or were given them) but you might have made a saving on buying a bike without them. It will have taken you time to fit the items, iirc you’re a practical man skilled in ‘spannering’ but not everyone has such skills to make jobs relatively easy and quick.

I'm surprised at how many people riding expensive complicated ( if you can call any bicycle complicated ) that don't know the first thing about them. I recon if you're going to commute to work on one you should know how to fix most minor problems at the side of the road and have some tools in your kit. I commute 15 miles to work ( 30 miles round trip ) and leave an extra 15 min early just in case. Sometimes I've needed it.

[jimlews]

You could take a stroll down to the "Bikes For Sale" section of this forum where there is a nice Spa Cycles 26" Tourer.
You can find it's vital statistics on the Spa Cycles site https://www.spacycles.co.uk/smsimg/uplo ... ometry.jpg
I have no connection with the vendor or with Spa Cycles, except as a customer of the latter - I bought one of their 26" Tourers.

[PH]

You can buy it ready kitted out
https://www.halfords.com/bikes/hybrid-b ... lsrc=aw.ds

Or save £100 and fit your own stuff.

I thought the same at first glance but there's a few differences in addition to guards and lights. Both the drivetrain and brakes get an upgrade, the All Weather is also pictured with better tyres, though as Halfords don't specify what they are, I suspect they're subject to change. The both look decent value to me, if it was my money, I'd buy the basic one, fit my own guards*, choose my own lights, and consider upgrading tyres and brakes if at some point after riding it I decided they needed it.

* I prefer to fit my own, it's a right faff to get them perfect, best clearance, central, rigid, not strained, all screws thread locked... but it pays off in trouble free use and longevity. Most shop/manufacturer fitted ones I've seen could be improved upon, it just takes time and effort rather than any special skills.

[freiston]

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.

imho, I think you've pretty much nailed it for all your commuting and leisure needs.

I'll reiterate not getting suspension - no need to say any more on that. Tyres - 37mm+ wide will do - 47mm would be the sweet spot imho for volume and unpaved surfaces as well as paved (in the USAnian sense of the word). Mudguards with a decent clearance and a 'to-the-ground' front mudflap (hard to find and usually home-made) will make a big difference - not only to you but also to the bike - will keep a lot of crud off the bike. A luggage rack will not only be a blessing, carrying all the stuff you need (don't underestimate the requirement for wet-weather gear and also alternative layers for variable weather, as well as a lock and any other paraphernalia) - it's better to let the bike do the carrying instead of having it on your back - especially if you're concerned about working up a sweat. A bag that attaches and de-attaches easily is what works best - e.g. a pannier with Klickfix fittings. I prefer a bag with a pocket for the lock that I can access easily without opening the whole bag up, but that's me (my commuting bag is a Camper Longflap saddlebag with shoulder strap, on a QR bracket).

You'll also need lights for all-year commuting - another can of worms - but we can re-visit that one in the run-up to winter once you have your bike

[Nearholmer]

another can of worms

Glow worms?

[Jdsk]

another can of worms

Glow worms?

: - )

And this forum could do with rather more light humour.

Jonathan

[Cowsham]

You can buy it ready kitted out
https://www.halfords.com/bikes/hybrid-b ... lsrc=aw.ds

Or save £100 and fit your own stuff.

I thought the same at first glance but there's a few differences in addition to guards and lights. Both the drivetrain and brakes get an upgrade, the All Weather is also pictured with better tyres, though as Halfords don't specify what they are, I suspect they're subject to change. The both look decent value to me, if it was my money, I'd buy the basic one, fit my own guards*, choose my own lights, and consider upgrading tyres and brakes if at some point after riding it I decided they needed it.

* I prefer to fit my own, it's a right faff to get them perfect, best clearance, central, rigid, not strained, all screws thread locked... but it pays off in trouble free use and longevity. Most shop/manufacturer fitted ones I've seen could be improved upon, it just takes time and effort rather than any special skills.

What's the difference in the brakes, tyres etc -- as far as I can see they are identical.