I've been commuting on a 15 year old MTB with road tyres, and have decided to get a road bike. Commuting is about all I do, so I don't want to spend too much (£4-500). Trouble is I don't know what to go for. I'd like something slicker than I've got, but my commute is pretty urban so I need something that will take the hammer of occasionally bumping up and down pavements to get round traffic queues, and I sometimes use a stretch of towpath. Will an out and out thin wheeled road bike cope with that, or should I go for a tourer? I'm thinking about a saddle bag or rackpack to save a sweaty back from my rucksack. And then I saw the Specialised Tricross which seemed to fit the bill perfectly, but is a bit pricey(£699)?
We have tax free bike buying scheme at work in conjunction with Edinburgh Bicycle co-op, so have been looking at their Revolution Continental Race, and Country Traveller. Also the Dawes Horizon?
Any comments / advice welcome.
Budget commuting bike
I'd go for the Edinburgh Revolution or the Dawes Horizon. I've got the latter and it is great and perfect for commuting. It'll stand some dodgy surfaces, tracks etc. Tourers are just the best bike IMHO for everyday use if you only have one bike.
Get yourself a couple of panniers to put on the rack and you'll wonder why you put up with a rucksack all these years!
Get yourself a couple of panniers to put on the rack and you'll wonder why you put up with a rucksack all these years!
"Marriage is a wonderful invention; but then again so is the bicycle puncture repair kit." - Billy Connolly
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wrangler_rover
- Posts: 183
- Joined: 19 Aug 2007, 8:33pm
- Location: Welton, near Lincoln
I bought a 10+ years old Raleigh Pioneer 2 years ago off e-bay for £36.
Done 2000 miles on it, needed a new back wheel, bottom bracket & chainset, usa schwalbe tyres.
I also ride a raleigh mountain bike with schwalbe City Jets in the summer.
Both bikes have racks & I always use a pannier.
You don't have to spend hundreds of pounds, a mechanically sound tatty looking bike is hopefully less stealable.
Done 2000 miles on it, needed a new back wheel, bottom bracket & chainset, usa schwalbe tyres.
I also ride a raleigh mountain bike with schwalbe City Jets in the summer.
Both bikes have racks & I always use a pannier.
You don't have to spend hundreds of pounds, a mechanically sound tatty looking bike is hopefully less stealable.
Re: Budget commuting bike
For that budget you could easily build your own. I have a fixed gear commuter with standard 700c wheels but with 25mm tyres on that smooth the rough bits out. I built the whole thing up for under 200 squid. Try it its great fun building them and satisfying when you ride it knowing that you have built it. All the technical details are easy to find on the web (in particular here)