[Closed] Cheap flat barred commuter? oh yes.

Looks nice! Shame about pannier mounts, but the mudguards will be handy for you. You going to go for Raceblades?

Looks nice... what is it?

It's a Calibre Stitch cp.

Willard, I have Raceblade XL on the commuter that'll get swapped over.

External BB too, forgot that.

Looks decent

You could get a rack that mounts on the rear axle

I commute into London and two things strike me
- most commuters use a rucksack if they're carrying a bag
- most (i.e more than half) commuters run very average bikes - from pretty shonky and BSO to cheapish SS and old road bike

That looks great as a commuter

You've left some of the packaging attached

Ben, I use a backpack too tbh, but Mrs Nobeer is really getting into longer distances these days, and I can see some touring on the horizon.

You’ve left some of the packaging attached

Aye, noticed that when I lifted it up onto the scales!

That’s a nice looking little runabout

you should have asked mate
I have one of these in XL to shift. ridden for a month £200

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/cube-sl-road-bike-2019/rp-prod181784

Get that on ebay Tony, you'll get more than that, nice.

Looks great. Calibre have some great bikes.

That looks bargain-tastic

I... DO...NOT...NEED...ANOTHER...BIKE

Get it bought Binners lad! 🤣

I considered this when I was looking a month ago. Wanted something I could ride on the SDW on a Sunday afternoon and over Waterloo bridge on a Monday morning.

Went with the Boardman hybrid because I wanted a 1x. But it cost double what you paid. Your photos make it look sexier than on the GO website damn you!

Looks very nice!

Re: pannier rack, P-clips are your friend there.

What are the holes in the side of the chain stay for?

Must resist. Must resist.

What are the holes in the side of the chain stay for?

Haven't a clue mate, mibbe a disc mount?.

Managed a wee 8 mile blast on it tonight, very pleased, it's quick, brakes seem great - diffetent league from the cable spyres I'm used to.

I cannot ever see me buying a drop barred bike again.

Is that a gravel bike?😜

Looks better in these photos than on the Go Outdoors site!

Behave Stu! 🤣

Goaty, it's far nicer in the flesh, thanks so much for pointing me towards it!.

Is that a gravel bike?

🙂 🙂 🙂

What are the holes in the side of the chain stay for?

Kickstand mount?

Ideal, I'll get me one of those, particularly useful with loaded panniers I'd imagine.

Still can't believe this bike was that price btw.

Mounts for mudguards, none for panniers though.

Pannier then guard on the same bolt at the axle ened, pair of p-clips at the top of the seat-stays. Sorted. Looks very nice indeed that does, ideal commuter bike

is that a carbon fork on it?

Na, alloy trumpton.

I keep coming back to this page. Such a shame I already have a perfectly adequate commuter!

Swap the seatpost clamp for an M-part with mounting eyelets and you have your rack mounts. Mudguards and rack on same rear eyelets are fine. Done this on my Paddy wagon.

https://www.tredz.co.uk/.M-Part-Seat-Clamp-Mount_34111.htm?sku=79197&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=google_shopping&gclid=CjwKCAjw-ITqBRB7EiwAZ1c5U0JvD0wa6HsPClIqxyo887ELVRlSIKQ5CucURa7wef-OBl9k_fXuwBoCs2MQAvD_BwE

Good shout TiRed, cheers.

First commute today, any qualms about it being a bit slower were dispelled. I'm always fairly happy to go sub 30 mins for my 8.5 miles commute, even had a bit of a headwind this morning and still managed.

Hydro shimano brakes are light years ahead of my old TRP spyre cables as well.

Given the naturally less aero riding position on a hybrid or MTB, I do wonder if the gearing on the Stitch is rather optimistic, 34/50 chainrings and what looks like an 11-34 cassette.

I'll spin out my highest gear (38/11) on the way to work on the Wazoo (with 28mm tyres fitted) down a ~0.5 mile ~5% hill unless there's a prevailing headwind, but on the flat I'll typically be in 38/17 or 38/15, while on the way home I'll tackle a short ~5% and ~8% incline in either 38/17 or 24/17.

Think I'd have shiny 11/12/13 sprockets and a barely used 50T ring after months of commute use... Unless I fitted TT bars! 😈

Absolutely, my thoughts exactly!. I'll be getting a 44 or thereabouts, keep the 34 for touring type rides. My commute is very flat, and apart from the odd tight bend or road junction, I spent it all in 34/11, albeit with a higher cadence than I'd normally do, but knowing that going up into the 50 would mean being away up the top of the block and probably a shite chainline.

But the nearest equivalent gear in the 50 would be the 16, which isn't that far up the block, and you said you were spinning faster than normal so if you used your normal cadence you'd be on a smaller sprocket still…

I'll reserve judgement til I've spent a bit more time on it, gonna go the long hilly way home, and I'll see. Certainly feels as if I ran out of gears on the wee ring fairly easily, but the 50 is a big lump.

https://www.superstarcomponents.com/en/raptor-oval-chainring-110bcd-narrow-wide.htm or https://www.superstarcomponents.com/en/raptor-chainring-110bcd-narrow-wide.htm (look for promo codes) might be the right spec to go 1x, anything from 36-48T.

1x may be a shout, I'm never gonna be gunning for speed on this thing, Just need enough to suit riding Arran hills with the wife, and also enough for a reasonable paced commute.

I'm actually really tempted to get one of these as I've been considering getting a hybrid commuter type thing for a month or so already...

Basically a road bike that isn't afraid of curbs, sold!

I'd probably want to convert it to 1x with a wider ratio cassette, what would be my options for that on a bike like this as I'm only really familiar with MTB components.

EDIT: Dammit, 1 day late with the discount code...

Bit better test run on the way home, went the longer way, 25 miles instead of the usual 8.5.

Aye, I think the gearing will work, the 50 isn't too big, and 34 works great on the hills.

Once again quite taken with the speed of this thing.

Reading this thread has pushed me into finally replacing my commuter (converted 26" mtb) for a hybrid so a big thank you to Nobeerinthefridge!
Went for a claude butler quest as I wanted 1x10 - looking forward to collecting it tomorrow.

👌🏻😊

So if I go in the middle and chuck a single 42T on the front that'll do nicely for a nice no-faff commuter!

Aye, I think the gearing will work, the 50 isn’t too big, and 34 works great on the hills.

 

Aye, I may end up doing that too, had forgotten how much I hate front mechs. 🙂

how much of a faff is a front mech? keep it as std.

I went 1x on a hybrid and it was fine when everything was brand new, but after a few months everything gets a little sloppy, and every time i went over a big speed bump or a large pothole the chain fell off, it was a bit of a pain TBH. Just leave it as standard IMO, cassettes will be cheaper if nothing else.

50t isn't too big either. A hybrid with a low flat bar is a similar riding position to a road bike on the hoods, no reason it'll be much (if any) slower.

I picked up a Boardman Hybrid to use as a flat bar commuter at the start of last year. It was an ex-display model then I managed to use BC discount and a works gift voucher discount thing to get the bike for about £450 which was a bit of a bargain!

I stuck on a set of Hunt 650b wheels running some WTB Horizon tyres that were sitting in the garage along with a carbon seatpost and bars that were int he spares box in the garage. It's a cracking bike for commuting, not noticabley slower than my drop bar bike at all.

https://imgur.com/CywIMzp

How on earth do you insert pictures on here???

how much of a faff is a front mech? keep it as std.

I've not had one for years tbh, that's all!. If I'm not using somehting, I'd rather clean the frame up by getting it off.

I went 1x on a hybrid and it was fine when everything was brand new, but after a few months everything gets a little sloppy, and every time i went over a big speed bump or a large pothole the chain fell off

Mine was doing that yesterday, on the wee chainring, not used to these non-clutch rear mechs bouncing as much!.

flat bar commuters always remind me of my 5 speed 1978 Vindec racer. (we all put motocross bars on our racers, wheelied everywhere and rode them down the woods and on ropey jumps)

My commuter is an Emtb hardtail with 2.0 Big Bens
Emtb hardtails are horrible for anything other than getting to work fast sweatless BTW

#Strungover2FK so excuse my pointless waffle

I went 1x on a hybrid and it was fine when everything was brand new, but after a few months everything gets a little sloppy, and every time i went over a big speed bump or a large pothole the chain fell off

Mine was doing that yesterday, on the wee chainring, not used to these non-clutch rear mechs bouncing as much!.

Yes i should say mine was a standard 9 speed rear mech and single specific (but not narrow wide) chainring.