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Start a new job in a couple of weeks, 10 miles from home I could drive but thought why! its only 10 miless, only problem its across city.
I really don't want to use my road bike as that's for fun days out. Been looking at a couple of bikes but can't make up my mind or not sure if there are others I should look at??
Giant Rapid, Boardman Hybrid, Planet X the flat bar one, ideally after cycle to work, so can use evans any other suggestions?
Trying to keep it below £500 on c2w.
Hilly or flat.
If you haven't commuted before then my top tip would be to buy a bike that takes mudguards and is reliable.
I've had a few, my current one is a pompetamine. Mudguards, bombproof tyres and wheels, singlespeed for simplicity and discs because I was getting through a rim after 2 winters.
Edinburgh bike coop have some good bikes, some of the Evans ones are also good.
I've a Rapid, it's a Defy road bike with a flat bar. Both take full mudguards. PX is a flat bar road bike too I'm sure. A more relaxed hybrid, like the Boardman etc, perhaps with disks, would be more comfortable. But slower!
Am not keen on road bike geometry with just flat bars added. Considered 29er or 26er with road wheels, but they just don't look right.
Found some Whyte bikes that seem to tick all the boxes for me. Am now waiting for the LBS to get a [url= http://whyte.bike/gb/models/commuterroad/r7-fast-urban-series/shoreditch/ ]Shoreditch [/url]stock:
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I've a Whyte Sterling. Fitted a wider bar, Marathon Plus tires... mud guards for winter (this is a must for wet days)and added some good lights, two front & two at the back just in case one dies...
I'd be much quicker on a road bike but feel the Hybrid has it's place. I do a 10 mile each way trip with traffic lights and so on it takes me 35-40 minutes.
the biggest thing for me would be do you have showers and lockers at work, do you need to carry stuff with you?
If you don't need to carry stuff then rack goes out the window and probably something that will take some abuse but still ride quick. If you taking clothes etc with you then some decent panniers should be in the budget.
No showers at work, plan to train/drive one day a week take in enough shirts/trousers for the week then bike the rest of the week, I used to have a rapid a few years back but changed to my canyon roadbike, I might use the canyon for a bit but don't want to trash it so thought a commuter would save me pennies, I do like the boardman for value and has everything I need, hoping for a halfords sale!!
Giant Escape did for me for over 5000 Miles. Only thing I'd change would be disc brakes instead of V brakes.
Having a look online this morning, I do want road ratio gearing and not mtb as I need the extra gears and would feel like ive ran out of gears on the mtb ratio's.
Had a look at the pinnacle range, the neon don't seem too bad and similar to what I think im after.
I have a commute between 12 and 30 miles depending on route and train home, it's not fancy but I bought a Tern folder front and rear racks for full sized panniers dynohub and built in lights. 8 speed block and three speed hub gear so plenty of range
Had a look round and a play on a few bikes today and so far came up with this:
http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Specialized-Sirrus-Elite-Disc-2015-Road-Bike_72133.htm
Not a tredz but only link I can find, fits well, has road gearing just missing the one, surprised it's only 9 speed, got a quote for cycle to work and my payrise covers it's so I'm no worse off, any thoughts?
I built up a Boardman hybrid from frame and forks... It's really nice, does exactly what it should- goes fast while not being a road bike. Ace.