Audax vs Road Bike

[rfryer]

Like mig, I have a choice of bikes for my commute. My experience is...
- a 'fairly light', fixed, track bike with 23c tyres and light mudguards for 95% of the time
- a 'medium weight' cross bike with 28c tyres for 5% - usually if the fixie is out of action or I just feel like a change
- the 'seriously light' carbon road bike stays safely at home, where it's less likely to get damaged or stolen!

And my take on Bob's points

Mudguards - absolutely, though light-weight ones are fine.
Rack - only if you need to carry more than will comfortably go in a messenger bag
Tool kit - yep
Brakes - only need a front on fixed-gear, but enjoy learning not to rely on it
Lights - if your commute is long and regular then dynamo lights (possibly supplemented) - agree
Gears - enough to get you there and back, in the simplest possible form - ie one!
Spare - You can never have too many bikes!

[meic]

Audax v Road? Certainly Audax.

Tourer (Galaxy) v Audax then still Audax but there isnt much in it.

What I would consider most critical (adding to Bob's list) is finding which size and type of tyres you want to ride that commute on. That will then limit the other choice for you.

The Cyclo-cross bikes are a way of extending the tyre range of what are "Audax style" bikes.

This is pretty much a generalistion without borderlines to be blurred. I often Audax on a lightweight tourer/CX bike. which allows me to exceed the 28mm tyre limit (and have disk brakes if I wish) but my classic Audax bike makes for less pedaling effort.

[Vaya]

As most have already mentioned: Mudguards! I'm also in Aberdeen and while we have had a great few days of sun remember what its been like for the rest of the year - very wet!

I commute on my touring bike, recently I wanted to make it more fun to ride as it was like riding a very comfy armchair tank, it was good but it lacked the fun of my road bike. So I changed the tyres, from marathon plus to Kojak's which made the ride seem much more fun - no idea if I'm faster or what but I enjoy riding the bike a lot more. i also lowered the handlebars and flipped the stem as my back is more flexible now.

All this made it more enjoyable to ride and next month I will be doing a small tour on it.

If you do want to change the bike then decide what you want, are you going to keep the tourer? If you want to use the new bike for mainly commuting then keep it versatile - mounts for mudguards, lightweight pannier rack and wider tyres, maybe 28mm?

Have you looked at the Kinesis TK3 or T2 racelight frames? Road frames but space for mudguards with long reach brakes - they market them as 4 season racing bikes. Would be an option if you dont mind commuting with a rucksack.

[steady eddy]

I do a one way 20 mile commute 2/3 days a week in the summer on a Galaxy but have swapped the bar end shifters for campag ergos and swapped the wide tyres for 28mm Duranos. It has changed the feel of the bike no end. This week I find that two miles of my ride has been "resurfaced" that is tar sprayed and chipped and I was glad that I wasn't on skinnier tyres without mud guards. It was a bit like riding on a beach.

In reality the frame weighs about 0.5 kgs more than an audax frame - the extra weight is in the well padded saddle - the industrial sized stem and the seemingly bullet proof wheels. On a lighter bike I guess I might increase my average speed by around 1.5 mph - but if I really put the effort in I can probably do this anyway without spending the money, but at the end of a days work can I really be bothered to time trial home. No I can't. For the first couple of weeks after the clocks change I do and then the novelty wears off and I just enjoy the ride.

Stopped to watch two hares squaring up to each other on Monday evening,but I still haven't seen either of my regular barn owls which is a bit worrying. Alas - the winter seems to have taken its toll. There is more to riding a bike than your arrival time. Save your money enjoy the view - even in a town there is stuff to see.

[PH]

I can't see if you're planning on replacing the Galaxy or adding another bike, sorry if I've missed it. If replacing, then an Audax for the practicality, if keeping then I'd get a road bike, or at least build something up without the compromises needed for year round riding. I have a steel Audax and a steel trad tourer, If I were to stick the same wheels and other bits (Rack, lights, dynamo, thick tyres...) on the Audax or take them off the tourer there wouldn't be much difference. Sometimes it's nice just to have a change.

[Brucey]

....Stopped to watch two hares squaring up to each other on Monday evening....

I am given to understand (perhaps wrongly?) that this generally isn't two males squaring up, but a female resisting the advances of a male.

cheers

[andrew_s]

"Audax" bikes are a bit of a variable feast these days.
Some are as originally introduced for audax events back in 1994: a fairly light frame with clearance for 28mm + mudguard, rack bosses (even low rider bosses originally), a triple with a close ratio cassette (for when some sadistic organiser sends you up a 1:5 at the 200 mile point), and with "steady" handling for those times at 4am on a long event when your alertness isn't at its best, but with a fairly close back end for better power transfer.
Others are indistinguishable from winter training bikes, with race bike geometry but with clearance for 23mm and mudguard and mudguard mounts as a sop to the "audax" label.

For commuting I use one of the original style audax bikes. mudguards are essential for clealiness at work, and 28mm tyres allow riding on urban roads without having the tyres brick hard to avoid pinch flats.
Buying again now from a no bike position, I would probably go for a disc-equipped CX bike with rack mounts.

[Ayesha]

There are a few manufacturers who label up a sports tourer style bike as "Audax".

I have yet to see a mass produced "Audax" labeled bike with a front dynohub.

Even the dear old Super Gal' doesn't get OE fitted with a front dynohub.

The only bike to my knowledge that can be taken out of the showroom and ridden on a Rando 600 without any further additions is a Pashley Roadster 26. Its fully lamped up with a front dynohub, has hub brakes, full mudguards and a rack.

[meic]

There are a few manufacturers who label up a sports tourer style bike as "Audax".

Sounds like a good definition of Audax to me.

I have yet to see a mass produced "Audax" labeled bike with a front dynohub.

Suits me fine as like most other Audaxers I do my overnight Audaxes in summer when the nights are short enough for battery lights to be a much better option.

Even the dear old Super Gal' doesn't get OE fitted with a front dynohub.

Suits me fine as I tend to ride during the daytime while touring

The only bike to my knowledge that can be taken out of the showroom and ridden on a Rando 600 without any further additions is a Pashley Roadster 26. Its fully lamped up with a front dynohub, has hub brakes, full mudguards and a rack.

Very few people would ride any bike you gave them on a 600 without doing some fiddling and alterations to suit themselves.
Buying and fitting some cycle lights is not an unreasonable amount of prep for a 600k Audax. If they came fitted half the riders would remove them and fit something else any way.
Quite a few of the annoyingly fit riders are in bed before dark on a 600 anyway.

[samsbike]

you can commute on an audax bike, but the wheels and tyres won't necessarily be especially durable.



I quite like riding lightweight bikes, but the differences are lost on some folk. Whether I'd want to use one as a commuter is another thing though.

cheers

I am intrigued - why wouldn't you?

[interestedcp]

I'm looking for a lighter bike than my Dawes Galaxy for commuting. I was thinking of a road bike as nice and light, but a colleague suggested an Audax bike - What's the difference between them ?
Want a bike for commuting all year, 2 or 3 days per week - what would you recommend ? Thanks, Alastair

I would recommend looking at Kinesisbikes UK : http://www.kinesisbikes.co.uk/
Their "Racelight T2" or "TK3" frame is what I would buy for a fast and fun commuter bike, that can use 28 mm tyres while using full mudguards. I own the older "Racelight Tk" frame with carbon forks, and I think it is a superb frame: Very comfortable while having a really stiff bottom bracket, that gives that wonderful connected feeling with the bike as on fixies. The steering is light and very precise, but not twitchy, so it doesn't take any effort to hold the line or follow a curved road. It deserves a good quality stiff chainset like Shimano H2 or Campagnolo UT.

Making a light weight Audax bike with dynamo lights, rack and fenders, can be expensive though. Tubus racks, Shimano 3N80 Dynamo hubs, B&M dynamo lights etc, are worth looking into.

They also make a "Decade Tripster" frame for those who like disc brakes on a "road" bike.

[Ayesha]

I've been on a couple of Audax events and seen a bloke riding a Raleigh 20 Shopper with a front dyno hub, full mudguards and paniers.
He was reflections in shop windows.

When I finished the events, I parked the bike and got my Brevet card signed.

Its a damned good job there wasn't a bicycle manufacturer marketing executive standing at the finish taking notes, or there might be a 20" wheel folding bike in the shops with "Audax" decals on the frame tube.

[Brucey]

you can commute on an audax bike, but the wheels and tyres won't necessarily be especially durable.

...I quite like riding lightweight bikes, but the differences are lost on some folk. Whether I'd want to use one as a commuter is another thing though.

cheers

I am intrigued - why wouldn't you?

well, in the dark, in the rain, half asleep etc whilst commuting I'd reckon my chances of trashing the wheels to be pretty good. And they might wear out fairly quickly anyway. Something reliable that doesn't need a lot of fussy maintenance might suit better.

If you are a couple of minutes faster on each journey (which would be quite a lot....) then this is still only 20 minutes per week. If the bike needs an extra 20 minutes fiddling with each week, then you have not really saved any time overall.

One of my favourite -or at least most used- bicycles (which I have enjoyed for about 30 years now) was designed for training, i.e. riding big miles at fair speed in all weathers and conditons, with minimal maintenance. Now, a modern mid-range Audax bike might weigh 24-25 lbs with mudguards but no rack and no lights. My training bike weighs 28lbs (with lights powered by a heavy steel hub generator). It has a five speed hub gear which has given next-to-no-trouble and has cost peanuts to keep running. It has variously worn tyres between 25 and 35mm, and is on 35mm tyres at present. For commuting, it is a very much more practical kind of bike than a typical audax bike, and barely any slower or heavier.

If I had to change anything, it might be to more wear-resistant rims, or to hub brakes.

cheers

[fossala]

One of my favourite -or at least most used- bicycles (which I have enjoyed for about 30 years now) was designed for training, i.e. riding big miles at fair speed in all weathers and conditons, with minimal maintenance. Now, a modern mid-range Audax bike might weigh 24-25 lbs with mudguards but no rack and no lights. My training bike weighs 28lbs (with lights powered by a heavy steel hub generator). It has a five speed hub gear which has given next-to-no-trouble and has cost peanuts to keep running. It has variously worn tyres between 25 and 35mm, and is on 35mm tyres at present. For commuting, it is a very much more practical kind of bike than a typical audax bike, and barely any slower or heavier.

If I had to change anything, it might be to more wear-resistant rims, or to hub brakes.

cheers

Any pictures? You got to love old, well loved bikes.

[steady eddy]

Brucey - re the hares - I think you are right. Some evenings I can see as many as 12 of these magnificent creatures in the arable fields on my route to Reedham Ferry. Sometimes they chase about or "box" although it is getting a bit late for that, other times you just spot a brown hump or a pair or ears in amongst the crops. I stop every time - It does nothing for my journey times though!