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Like many of us on here I have more than one bike. Sometimes I have to use the ‘commuter’ because it’s got the Hamax fitting I need to drop the boy off at nursery but other times I don’t and yet still take the ‘commuter’.
Which is weird because the other bike is much nicer to ride but it just feels like the right thing to do. Commute is around an hour each way of great riding too, so it’d make much more sense to ride nicer bike. Anyone else have a weird compulsion to ride their less good bikes just because they are commuting?!
Nope! I intended on keeping my Bird Zero AM for best, but it's just so darn lovely! I'm a million miles away from being skilful, but I've created a little urban downhill route I can squeeze in on occasion on my way home from work. But I do get it. If it makes you happy and it ain't hurting anyone, it's got to be a good thing.
If the bike needs to be left somewhere or locked up then I take the commuter.
The good bike only goes out when I am on it the whole time.
That's a good point. I rarely go anywhere apart from work that requires leaving the bike unattended. There's reasonably secure bike storage at work.
Different tools for different jobs.
My best road bike is a joy to ride, carbon rims, Di2, light and fast tyres, I adore it.
But.
For the commute I want good brakes, bomb-proof wheels and tyres and full guards. So even though my Kaffenback is not as much fun to ride, it's the right tool for the job.
Depends on the commute too. When I had a long commute I used a singlespeed cross bike with a dynamo as it was the tool for the job on muddy shortcuts and 26 miles each way.
Now its 2 miles each way and I bought one of those yellow OFO bikes!
Commuter bikes will probably now always have dynamos, im not going back to the faff of batteries. So that removes any overlap with best bikes. Although im tempted to build a winter road bike with 32c, guards and a dynamo.
Like many of us on here I have more than one bike.
You're not a Big Hitter until you've lost track of how many bikes you have. However, having two bikes that are rideable at the same time is quite remarkable.
Best bikes live in the office and go racing after work. Commuting bikes go in the racks. The recumbent trike always lives outside under cover.
Nope - I ride my most expensivest bike every day, my Tripster. It's definitely the most suitable. I tried my 29er (Big Top) in the summer, I even bought slicker tyres for it, but it was blimmin hard work and I felt really vulnerable with the wide bars and sat up position. Not on the way home though, I went off-road, but to be honest, it's mostly flat fields and woods and that was better on the Tripster too.
Always ride with a commuting mtb. has semi slicks so can go offroad too. no way am i locking up a decent bike.
The last time I spent serious time commuting it was on my carbon CX race bike, with 37mm gravel tyres / file tread tyres, granted it lived next to my desk when I did.
commuting bikes also have that additional element of reliability, like marathon tyres instead of the racing GP 9001's.
Well, my commuter has mudguards and disc brakes, so I don't get so wet and the rims don't get worn out.
It's also got dynamo lights and a rack.
It often gets taken despite a significant weight penalty.
(Oh and now I've missed the edit window - this isn't from keeping my "nice" bike "nice", I'm happy to use it when it's wet, just not mudguard clearance so I'm not going to use the wrong tool for the job.)
I rode this into work for the first time today:
I change jobs in a few weeks and the commute distance is increasing with extra elevation so I need a few gears but wanted to keep things cheap and cheerful, guards to keep me dry simple to maintain and find parts for it's probably going to be used for weekend mileage too while it's wet so I can forgo guards on the carbon ego chariot this winter...
It's a full on spares bin and ebay build and its great...
commuting bikes also have that additional element of reliability
I thought that til last week when my Dura Ace crank busted. Then tonight 3 spokes (3!!) randomly sheered off my rear Ksyrium Allroad!! That was a wobbly ride home ☹️
Can anyone recommend decent commuting mudguards if you’ve got the fattest tyres your frame can take? I’m riding a pompetamine with panaracer gravelkings which are perfect for my ride but there’s no room for guards
Cheap full guards can be had around £15 from ebay and just take a dremel and/or file to them where they pass the stays or fork crown to perfect the fit and clearance...
I use a Specialized Langster for commuting that I was given for nowt earlier this year. I've cycle commuted 2,388km on it (that's me on the right)
It's singlespeed with heavy wheels that ride like a dog but it's simple and I love it.
Unfortunately last Friday the non-drive side crank loosened on the commute into work (square taper - remember those?) and so this week I have been riding the best bike.
It's a much nicer ride; faster, smoother and easier but I don't like the feeling that I'm wearing it out in the crap October weather riding around the mean streets of old London town
Anyone else have a weird compulsion to ride their less good bikes just because they are commuting?!
Main reason for me would be if it had secure storage or not.
I guess technically I tended to use my less good bike for commuting but that was only because I spent more money on the mountain bike than the road bike (and previous to that a hybrid.
road bike was best suited for commuting though
I have 3 bikes, all of roughly the same value (plus a Brompton).
My favourite, "best" bike is also the one I do most of my commuting on - it's a custom steel frame, with discs, mudguards and nice parts.
It's great to use a nice bike as much as possible.
I thought that til last week...
Let me tell you about the time I was riding home and found my down tube was rusted through. Explained the increasingly wobbly handling....
I ride my commuter when its wet/dark/has-been-raining/need to carry stuff, etc, but in the spring/summer, I take my Litespeed, Up or Singlespeed and do a longer commute. Not taking the commuter also serves to make it less of a journey to work and more of a ride that happens to start/end at work/home.
Got 3 mid range bikes as commuters. It’s a 25-35 mile round trip on country lanes. A carbon road bike for sunny days and long way rounds. A alum road bike for winter and a CX bike for when I fancy a change and go the off-road way round. Just put road tyres and guards on the CX though to make a full on winter commuter so the alu road bike is going to be dismantled. Each bike new was around £1000.