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@ton Do you miss the commute?
Like you I commuted (all seasons) for decades,it was a massive part of my day to day.
Once you get a good route(and bike) sorted,it is a lovely thing.
Just commuted in - 25k 350m climbing 25% off road. Blazing sunshine but around freezing till the last few k when it warmed up.
Top of the South downs looking over the sea with only the sheep for company is literally the best way to start an otherwise fairly boring day at work.
My commuter is currently a Trek Procalibre with plenty of upgrades and definitely tubeless - havn't had a single flat this year but if I do dynaplug will sort me out - do carry a tube as well though. The same route on my non tubeless pinnacle arkose gave me a puncture every couple of weeks till I moved to tubeless.
I miss my cycle commute.
Started a new job in October - 50 miles away. It's only one day a week in the office (which means carrying laptop etc when I go in there) but the hassle of riding is not worth it. I did mock up a couple of potential routes but even multi-modal doesn't really work.
What killed a lot of my previous cycle commute (15 miles each way into Manchester) was the move to mostly remote working and having laptop etc all at home and needing to be carried in.
On the other hand, the sudden extra space in the office meant that me putting my bike in one of the smaller offices suddenly became tolerated so with the far more secure bike parking (rather than the previous arrangement of leaving it in an underground car park opposite), I tried to do it more often.
Singlespeed road bike - nothing to go wrong, completely reliable, easy to clean. It's a great bike - must be nearly 20 years old now. Proper Trigger's Broom of a bike but it was a great commuter.
Once you get a good route(and bike) sorted, it is a lovely thing.
I used to do a daily commute, 7 miles each way down a canal towpath (Stretford to Altrincham). It was a really pleasant way to start the day. I'd see the odd person walking their dog and the odd bloke fishing. The main road that ran parallel to the canal was hellish, nose-to-tail, almost stationary traffic (it was actually quicker by bike), so theres the smugness factor too 🙂
I've just finished a placement with a 7 mile each way commute, 95% of which was off-road, which was nice too.
I commute 8 miles each way and it's brilliant.
I've got a genesis longitude with a dynamo and Busch and muller front light which takes away the faff of making sure everything's charged.
I've tried a few tyre combos for mixed road and cheeky path route.
Vittaro terreno tubeless. Managed to ride from Southampton to Glasgow on these without a puncture, but started getting a few on the commute. Running a high pressure the sealant just wasn't up to it. I then changed to.....
Schwalbe hurricanes with tubes. Don't, just don't. Clingfilm would be better. Averaged 3 punctures a week. Fast rolling though. Then went to.....
Maxxis crossmarks. Best Compromise. Used these for 4 years on my XC and never had a puncture that's taken longer than 5min to deal with. Never punctured on the commute which is 2 min longer than the hurricanes.
fasthaggis
Full Member
@ton Do you miss the commute?
i sure do mate. i proper loved it, and in the winter for some strange reason even moreso.
it was like 100 miles a week of free cycling if you get what i mean.
i ride the same distance now i have retired, but it seems more of a effort to do so. we dont ride far away from home has we need to be on hand for the grandkids.
i would like to add, i dont miss the bit in between the commute in and the commute home........ ;o)
I've always commuted by bike and it's the single main reason I go into my office.
The mainstay is a 30-mile round trip along Bristol's two main cycle paths (Bristol > Mangotsfield > UWE), which is great headspace and low stress due to the lack of traffic. Since the pandemic I'm much more flexible and can therefore - like today - avoid peak times. In winter I use an "all road" relaxed geometry custom steel bike with discs, proper mudguards and 35c tyres. Dry weather sees me use my sharp-angled stainless steel road bike, though less confidently / comfortably since I broke my back in a crash last summer while doing this same commute (accident cause still unknown, but suspect a pothole or mechanical & didn't involve anyone else).
Less often I do a 15-mile round trip, which is more direct but means crossing the centre of town and therefore takes nearly the same time. However it's less punishing on my kit in bad weather, so I'm going to start adding this shorter route back into the mix while using a flat bar 650b "road plus" bike now and again.
Over the years I've extended commutes to take in local road loops, gravel and MTB as takes my fancy.
That's always easier in better weather, so I also discovered the turbo trainer during Lockdown. I've been keeping the miles up this way over the winters since 2020 - albeit with fewer physical benefits of actually commuting.
Cycling around 4,000 miles a year (much of it commuting) has many benefits but my body has become used to it over the years. I guess it's because I have become very efficient at one thing that my body has optimised around fewer calories, meaning I don't get the excuses anymore to eat whatever I want. 😉 I've had to add regular running now on my days off cycling to maintain my usual weight.
On the plus side, it's so vastly cheaper and can be a lot more varied than driving to work. I use this to justify a completely wallet-open approach to my bikes, confident in the knowledge that they'll get used well. 🙂
P.S. I advocate using the best bike possible for the riding you do the most. I can understand that some people don't get the benefits from great kit, but I mean who would want to regularly commute a long distance car journey in a base spec shopping trolley car instead of a grand tourer?! Manchester to Monaco in a Ford Fiesta, or in a Bentley? Tools for jobs and all that... I know what I'd choose. 🙂
I advocate using the best bike possible for the riding you do the most
Guess the reason people commute on low spec bikes is cos of the theft danger? I've always worked on secure sites, so don't have that worry..
Guess the reason people commute on low spec bikes is cos of the theft danger? I’ve always worked on secure sites, so don’t have that worry..
I think there are two schools of thought to it:
- use the cheapest bike/kit you can on the grounds it'll just get trashed
- use the best possible bike/kit on the grounds it needs to stand up to daily (ab)use
Factors like storage, security, drying/changing/showering facilities and so on obviously come into it too. For me, I wouldn't be able to do a 12-15 mile commute (which used to be my standard) on some sort of ratbike, it'd be too unpleasant and the road and traffic conditions meant things like good brakes, strong wheels, tough tyres etc were mandatory. Anything else would just have fallen apart. A 2-mile commute, yeah I'd do that on a ratty old £100 Halfords special...
Just checking back in to the thread...can anyone confirm if @tomhoward has actually made it to work yet? 😉
submarined
Free Member
My first week of commuting ended up with me rolling over the bonnet of a c class.
Pleb. Try for an S Class next time.
My old commute into Burnley went past my favourite flat-roofed local.
Made the three miles uphill back home fairly painless, but I gained weight and lost money.
Fun though.
Guess the reason people commute on low spec bikes is cos of the theft danger? I’ve always worked on secure sites, so don’t have that worry..
Kinda, I think it's a case of the right tool for the job too. My bikes a mix of really cheap, mid range, and a few nice bits.
e.g.
M520 pedals, fixed gear, a solid steel 1/8th BMX chainring, OEM bars and post, Tektro mini-V brakes, etc. Stuff that it's doubtful will ever actually wear out which means it rarely needs maintaining.
But DT R460 rims, XT dynamo, B+M lights, etc. Money spent where it actually has a functional payback making the bike nice to ride and reliable.
And a Selle Italia SLR Gell-Flow that cost as much as the basic bike cost me! Because as Ben_H said, it's the bike that I'm going to do the most miles on.
Oh I’ve made it to work every time, on time, just with rather more walking than I had anticipated. Luckily there is an LBS (well, an evans) over the road I can leave a stricken bike at for repair/to wait for replacement parts and get the train home
Also, for those interested. Strings have been pulled, the c2w window will be opening rather sooner than first thought 😁. Only a grand limit though, so no thought controlled Ti mechs.
In almost 8 years of commuting aside from infrequent punctures, I've broken spokes on a couple of rear wheels, snapped the front mech cable, caught the rear mech in the spokes once... Oh and dinged the rear rim causing a pinch flat with a mistimed bunnyhop up a kerb.. mostly on my then 'fancy' carbon CX bike with Ultegra and ok wheels. I also seem to wreck pedal bearings relatively rapidly..
My ancient Cannondale has so far been bulletproof in its current build.. the only issue I've got coming is wearing through the 15 year old rack stay with the pannier mount.. need to swap sides.
New Brompton this year, so commuting on a bike for first time since about 1992. After 2 weeks riding it was in bike shop for 2 weeks having gears sorted, if it goes out in the wet (and its been pretty wet of late) most of the drivetrain rusts, along with the main frame hinge. So put the bike away wet on a Friday evening, when you get it out on Monday the gears won't work and you can barely fold/unfold. Luckily I've got about 6 cans of wd40 in the garage plus various lubes and a bike stand for adjusting gears. Its got a new chain shifter and cable, this on a 3 month old bike. Marathon pluses on so hopefully no punctures as changing one on a brompton is a nightmare. Otherwise love it, beats Getting the tube and the Mrs coming out to give me a lift from the station. Just got to keep an eye out for cabbies, eScooters and London riffraff on 2 wheels
My commuter is currently a Trek Procalibre with plenty of upgrades and definitely tubeless – havn’t had a single flat this year but if I do dynaplug will sort me out – do carry a tube as well though. The same route on my non tubeless pinnacle arkose gave me a puncture every couple of weeks till I moved to tubeless.
I do a similar length commute, with a bit more off-road. Dynaplugs are good when they work, but a faff when you think they've worked and you ride 1km and they fail... several months ago I spent long enough sitting covered in sealant on someone's front lawn to just fit a tube and leave it in.
Great sucess! No walking part of the way today! A little slower when on the bike, but potholes/ploughed roads were less of a concern.
2.6 Minions will do that though 😉
Proves my point about expensiver bikes being betterer though 😈
Proves my point about expensiver bikes being betterer though
I just assumed that 'commuter' bikes were just where your old hardtail went to live out its days in a sort of gentile semi-retirement. A more mature gent that was the cats knackers 10-15 years ago, but who's talents have faded, who's edge has dimmed and who's ideas are now outdated, so that they're now making a more 'stately' pace through life
Just like their owners 😀
Thats what mine is anyway. I love this bike and it definitely gets ridden more than any of its newer, more expensive stablemates. I recently gave it a bit of a refresh as it was looking very sorry for itself and the drivechain was absolutely goosed
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lets see your commuters then....
What should get me to work, sans walking…
https://flic.kr/p/2niptxc
What did get me to work, sans walking.
https://flic.kr/p/2nNNL8r
(Pic not from commute)
You're (somewhat unsurprisingly) winning the most pimped commuter award, my friend 😂
The plan is to fix the one designed for the job mind!
Do you not find such a high mount rack increases pendulum effect? Wondering if a 'standard'* rack with top bag would be a better in riding feel and less likely to break a seatpost**.
.
.
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* Tailfin, natch
** having done this pulling a tag-along, it is something I am very, overly even, worried about.
Luckily there is an LBS (well, an evans) over the road I can leave a stricken bike at for repair
I thought this a couple of months ago when I had one of my rare puncture incidents (haven't carried a tube for about 5 years, but have done since this!) - rode on flat tyre for about 2 miles, then walked the rest of the way to the LBS. The LBS that I'd passed every day on my commute for gawdknowshowlong.. only to find it closed down for good! Out of desperation and furious pumping, I did at that point get the tubeless tyre to hold air and made it the further 3 or so miles home.
Spent many years commuting on a fixed gear road bike. Had to switch to Durano Plus when I started using the Fallowfield Loop as the glass just sliced even Conti 4 Seasons. Got 3 flats from glass on one commute home along the Loop, and we had a meal booked. Only just made it.
Stopped commuting after getting my spine broken. Sold the fixed gear, then got back into the commute after covid.
Used the Peak and Ashton canals with my old 90's MTB, but light XC the tyres I had suffered loads of punctures when they started hedge trimming. Switched to Schwalbe Land Cruisers.
Switched routes this autumn to using the Loop again, but on Life Line Commuter tyres. So far so good. Schwalbe Snow studs for icy days.
Like Binners, my route goes through Moss Side and Hulme.
Unfortunately there is one bit of my commute thats a bit 'dodgy' coming out of Reddish Vale into Brinnington. The locals there aren't so 'nice'.
Used to commute by xc MTB when I lived in town, on footpaths and back roads and it used to be fun. Moved to a village and less route options, long straight fast traffic roads, with off road adding too much distance to just spontaneously take it because I feel like it. So now two commuters - a hybrid 26" fast rolling, mud guards, water proof frame bag, rear rack for when raining and/or transporting work clothes and a couple of days food, and a rigid MTB with fast rolling semi slicks front and rear, to break up the dull commutes with a bit of fun if I manage to drag myself out of bed in time 🤣
Also if I go more than 3 days without riding I lose touch with the conditions and no longer know what clothing to wear, and spend far too long trying to figure what clothes to put on.
@tomhoward - what are you going to do with a £1k C2W voucher - buy parts to pimp up the current commuter or something else?
Don’t think there are (m)any road bikes with hydraulic brakes for that cost…
Yeah convert to 1x12.
GX AXS mech, Rival shifters, X01 cassette and chain. Or whatever combo of that I can get under the limit, then add the rest myself. Already got a crank I can use, not decided in chainring size yet.
What are you going to do about wheels? Current ones presumably HG and you’ll need SDR freehubs / some way of keeping air in your tyres?
Wheels are Pro2 Evo hubs, already got an XD freehub from their previous life. Gonna retape the rims, and stick new valves in, just to be sure.
Very much in the camp of the commuter needs to be decent as you are riding it in all weathers. Als regular drivechain maintenance, especially if the route is off road.
This is my current bargain commuter. £275 off FB marketplace. Alfine drive Boardman. All I've done is slam the stem, and convert the wheels to tubeless.
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This is my current bargain commuter. £275 off FB marketplace. Alfine drive Boardman. All I’ve done is slam the stem, and convert the wheels to tubeless.
You're clearly doing it wrong, you should have spent at least 10x that.
@benman - that looks bloody lovely and absolutely ridiculous for 275 quid
@binners thanks, these regularly go for £300-400 on FB marketplace. Barely more than the Alfine cost alone! Mine was extra cheap because it had a few nasty chips (now touched up). Will deffo get more chips in the work bike shed though. For £275 I was worried it was pinched, but I collected it from a very nice chap in a leafy part of Macclesfield.
This is my current bargain commuter
Please tell me I'm not the only one who glanced at that pic and thought "what the hell is that huge round slotted pedal?"
When I worked close enough to cycle commute the worst time of year was hedge cutting season. Other than that nothing mechanical springs to mind.
Although once tubeless with reinforced tyres even the thorns didn't slow me down.
I just ran the same reinforced Schwalbe tyres and Joe’s No Flats tubes on my Specialized Langster for 6 years in Hertfordshire and that included the terrible Hatfield - St Albans cycle path, crappy roads and the type of terrain tha5 would now be deemed ‘gravel bike territory’ without a single puncture. Although I did hit a muntjac once on a dark track.
Here's mine from tonight:
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Cost me £100 from my brother in 2002 who had picked it up from a club mate and used it as his winter trainer when he raced CX... Think it may have been a 1997 Cannondale CAD1 or 2 Hybrid lurking under the yellow paint. It had drop bars, 105 8 speed on and one Campagnolo crank..
In 2013 I put a triple on it to drag Junior Davy about on a couple of mini tours
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And more recently I tried some butterfly bars and replaced the terrifying canti brakes with some v-brakes and put some 38mm G-One All Roads and a Brooks B17 on to improve the horrendous ride quality from the previous 28mm Gatorskins, then some cheap risers with a back sweep and then finally its current incarnation with some basic straight risers on, which has stuck..
On another mini tour last Easter
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An update.
Tape and valve replaced.
Tyre replaced (turns out it had a hole in it that only reared its head above 30psi, which makes sense). Slight swearing as noticed I’d put it on backwards, after filling with sealant. Direction changed.
Test run of commute route on Sunday, via LBS to price up the afore mentioned 1x12 conversion. 13 mile round trip, all systems go. Bike feels brilliant, noticeably faster & more suitable than the hardtail.
Give tyre cursory squeeze this morning. 70% of the air that was in it after the test ride has vanished.
Mood is currently a mix of
And
Mood is currently a mix of
What's the worst you could do - stick a knife into it in anger...
😆😆
Go to Halfords, buy cheap, heavy inner tube. Put it in tyre, ride bike.
Tubeless is just not worth the hassle sometimes. I commuted for 6 years using heavy tyres and tubes, never got a puncture.
If its a freshly done tubeless, probably just needs a couple of rides to settle in and seal up all the imperfections.
@tomhoward. My money is on a crack in the rim, I've been through the same thing.
I'm running tubes for my (35km each way, road bike) commute. The age of bike dictates that, but regardless, the 2 minute fix of changing a tube after hitting a pothole relative to the messy faff of trying to get a high pressure, low volume tubeless tyre to seat while sitting in a muddy ditch by the roadside suits me.
Surely just stick an inner tube in it and be done with it? Tubeless on the road just doesn’t seem worth it - maybe if you are on a gravel bike with a mixture of stuff and higher volume tyres and some off road makes sense. But 23c-30c tubes just work.
My money is on a crack in the rim, I’ve been through the same thing.
Hadn’t considered that. Will investigate.
@joebristol, tyres are 40mm gravel ones, bit of off-road taken in if it’s dry, but it’s getting to the stage where a tube is looking appealing.
Not riding in for a couple of days, so will reinflate and see what happens.
Rim has been thoroughly inspected, no cracks *wipes brow*
Put more sealant in, it may be I just didn’t have enough in previously, on account of using a stans syringe with Mucoff sealant.
If that doesn’t work, it’s going in a skip.
...Mucoff sealant.
Have I not read on here before that this is rubbish?
Been fine for me for the last 5 years
Maybe it’s just not up to the rigours of commuting?
tomhoward
Full Member
Been fine for me for the last 5 years
Of. I could have sworn you started a thread about pictures and tyres not holding pressure.
Been fine for me for the last 5 years
And me for the last 3 years. All tubeless issues have genuinely been down to my ham-fisted nature, big muckle nails, screws or shards of glass (yes Friday last week on way to work), and incorrect taping/set-up...see first point about ham-fistedness 😳
Of. I could have sworn you started a thread about pictures and tyres not holding pressure.
up to now. The rear (and four other pairs of wheels & tyres) is holding air and sealant just fine.
the longer you cycle commute, the more you learn.
2 things i learnt were, long full mudguards are awesome. and proper tough heavy tyres and tubes are the way to go.
Schwalbe are without a doubt the best to provide the correct tyre for cycle commutes.
Nope, Continental. 😜
Seriously though, it's dependant, I don't ride over the contents of a bottle bank so don't need Schwalbes stupid heavy reinforcement. Duranos are lovely if you have the roads for them though.
SKS Longboards are a game changer though.
Time to pump it up & put in in the bath so you can see the bubbles coming out of it.
Obviously the 1x12 drivetrain. Switch to 3x8 and tyre will be fine.
Schwalbe are without a doubt the best to provide the correct tyre for cycle commutes.
Schwalbe are without a doubt the worst tyre i've used to commute. Strange.
I know you were all on tenterhooks, wanting to know how my commuting was going, if it was going, or if the bike was thrown in the Leeds Liverpool canal in a fit of rage.
No problems to report. The additional sealant in the tyres is doing the trick and they are staying inflated, with no issues over the last month.
Obviously such an achievement is worthy of reward, so I have freed the Sequoia of the burden of a front mech and all gear cables, upped the brake piston count and added a carbon crank and some electricity 😁 courtesy of my spares box and the cycle to work scheme
Obviously it will now be bullet proof and nothing will ever go wrong again.
https://flic.kr/p/2oJjdFm
https://flic.kr/p/2oJhyT5
Brown bar tape and saddle and that other colour, the colour on the frame, forks, and stem, the frame bag and top-tube bag combo, the weird pointy seat tube... it's all a bit much, it's overpowering. There's no other way to say it but that top-tube bag is offensive to my eyes, I think if that goes I'll be happy 🙂 edit: replace it with a rear rack obviously.