I'm commuting and shopping and generally getting around more by bike now. Currently using my gravel bike for this but its a bit spendy and I want a more general purpose thing I can look up and not worry about.
Requirements
-Suitable for mudguards and racks, I'll have panniers permanently attached to the back
-Low maintenance, perhaps hub gear but open minded
-Disks
-Drops I think but will also consider straight bars and put bar ends on.
- Wide slicks, heavy and tough.
I've been looking at some of the Boardman hybrid / commuters. Looking at budget of £600 - £800, might put it though C2W but if there are any bargains around I'll buy direct to keep C2W available for a new MTB in the spring. If I spend less, I'll be able to sort pannier, bags and racks.
So, what bargains are around!
https://www.wiggle.com/p/ortler-bricktown-trapeze?color=black&frameSizeCm=55cm
Or anything Dutch. Low step through is great on a utility bike.
How far is your commute? If it's a short enough pootle, why not go all in on the 'not worrying about it' front and get something second hand/refurbed? Dieter does a great line in practical racked up bikes to order at Happy Days, if you're not local there's bound to be somewhere else similar near you. If you've only spent a few hundred quid on it AND it's not shiny, you can really relax when you need to leave it somewhere.
That is rather lovely but I'm not sure I am ready to go quite that far down the Dutch route. I know that bike makes perfect sense, but I'm not quite there yet.
For me the answer to your question is a secondhand old MTB with rack mounts and discs You can add an alfine pretty cheaply. Then uglify it further to make it less desirable to theives. for a while I used a nice Genesis IOID as a commuter. I wrapped it really badly in bits of old innertube and electrical tape to uglify it but the best I have seen had been painted pink in emulsion paint including the tyres bars etc. It looked horrendous but underneath was actually quite a nice bike
https://www.tredz.co.uk/.BMC-257-UrbanChallenge-AL-ONE-Alfine-8-2022-Hybrid-Sports-Bike_263002.htm
I must not look at this again.....
My Boardman Hybrid has probably been my best bike buy. It does road riding, gravel, commuting and shopping. It's currently sitting on the turbo trainer.
If I were looking to replace it I'd be all over one of these
I'm currently using a 90's MTB (all be it refurbished) for the commute - has all the mounts, including rack mounts on front forks if I needed them. A fast hybrid (e.g. Boardman) would be good for the job. I also have spare wheels so I can swap in studded tyres on icy days - I used to do the whole of winter on studded tyres which is very hard work.
This looks ok, comnes with mudguards and cable disks and has pannier mounts
https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/p/octane-one-kode-adv-commuter-road-bike-2022
My utility shopper was a ladies dutch three speed step through with roller brakes and massive panniers and a removable basket. It was perfect for popping to the shops and stately to ride. That I would sometimes draft roadies heading into Windsor was always a plus. It's the rider not the bike, but the look on their faces when I wanted to push on. Seriously, the above bike is perfect utility.
Are you sure you need gears? I've ended up with a Genesis Croix De Fer as my commuter/ shopper, and single speeded it with a magic ratio. But I don't live in a hilly area!
Alfines are great, but they do wear out eventually. As do steel frames, but they seem to have shot up in price! I would consider aluminium if buying now, they'll fail a bit quicker but the lower price makes sense in the long run I think.
I've also gone for a pricey rack (Tubus), I *think* you get the money's worth because they last so long, and one thing I've noticed with shopping bikes is that they often carry some really heavy loads!
Schwalbe Marathon Plus are the obvious tyre choice if puncture protection is the main priority, but I haven't bothered with these as I want to enjoy the ride! Because I ride in all weathers I've found Panaracer Paselas the best balance of puncture protection, ride feel and most of all grip in the wet- I've found them to be fantastic in the rain!
According to https://www.cyclingweekly.com/group-tests/cyclocross-bikes-136748 , the CXR 8.9 has guard and pannier mounts.
It's in the latest Halfords sale for £960, plus you can get another 8% off with British Cycling, making it ~£883 for a hydraulic brake drop bar bike.
Mrsstu got one of these for spinning into town and going to the gym.
Got full mudguards on it and it'll take a rack too.
Price has gone up a little as we paid around £250 but even at the new price it's well worth it.
Thought the build quality would be really shit but it's actually pretty good.
She absolutely loves it.
https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/p/vitus-mach-1-three-nexus-2022
Eldest_oab has an Edinburgh cycles hybrid. £60 from Facebook with a rack. 3 years ago.
He reckons he is 5000km in from commuting to uni, shopping and Deliveroo a few times a week.
It is as un-nickable and robust as they come - so far he has changed one tyre, a few cables and a few brake blocks, plus a couple of zipties on the mudguards... It does need new gears at the moment - he is looking for Microshift 3x8 to come cheap in the sale again.
So buy a cheap second hand hybrid.
I keep looking at 2nd hand Pashley Tuberider/Parabikes, most have guards, drum brakes and a 5-speed hub. Only thing missing are front/rear racks and a dynamo system. Can be had for £200-£300 on ebay usually.
For drop bar'd commuting/shopping, keep an eye out for the aluminum charge Plug's, they'll comfortably take 35mm tyres and guards (no idea what the actual max is, 42 without guards still had masses of room).
I am looking at the boardmans (with straight bars) on a bike to work. There is a 10speed one that suits me as I have other 10spd bikes and loads of spare bits. Just need the OK from the higher power.
I used a normal HT for a couple of years, but it had compromises. Guards were bodged on and there were no rackmounts. If I have to commute now, I'd have to look at getting a foldable that I can take on a train, but then I'd feel bad about having four bikes.
I have a few bikes and don't really need another but I do want one, I want to ride more for general purpose stuff and I want to enjoy the ride when I do. The Boardman URB 8.9 is looking promising and, on C2W is a steal. But I am holding back as I kind of want to keep C2W available to me for buying a new MTB next year.
Has anyone managed to get C2W on less than 12 month hire period?
How about this Merlin gravel bike?
I think the original ones had no mudguard mount options on the front, but looks like they've sorted that now with a mounting point on the inside of the fork leg - not sure how much of a pain that is to actually find mud guards that fit though.
£600 down from £900.
https://www.merlincycles.com/merlin-malt-g2-claris-gravel-bike-2023-197226.html
Looks quite nice to me.
Just get something off FB marketplace, its awash with these types of bikes. I bought a Boardman URB 8.9 off there last year for £275, and a Saracen Hack for £225 recently. Both barely used
My 26" Carrera Subway does fine for 13 miles a day. New ones are 27.5. The all weather version with full mudguards and rack, lights, and heated grips £485.
My old 'On one' is now the 'shopping bike'. It could possibly do with thinner tyres, however the route is usually along the canal.Mudguards, lights and Panniers are all fitted by hubby and if it's a big shop then I can take a rucksack.
I absolutely love shopping, or going out in the evening on a bike
My default answer to this is my Specialized Tricross POS I picked up for a couple of hundred quid a good few years back now. Weirdly its become a real hit - it looks awful with its dents and hammerite paint job but weighs nothing and has had barely any maintenance at all in the years I've had it. Put a fair few miles on it, commuting to the station etc but also ridden it a few times just to go for a ride. Comfy, simple, mud guards, nobody would want to nick it but underneath the facade is a brilliant bike.
I fancy a Canyon with Alfine hub and belt drive but would worry that it is too nice and a theft magnet.
I am still using my first generation Specialized Langster fixie which I bought in the US 20'ish years ago for $299. I only have a short commute so it is ideal.
I'm nearly finished re-building my old cheap fixie (for about the fourth time ) as a 2 speed (automatic hub) with a disc/Dynamo front hub and some other bits, that's to serve as my commuter/winter road bike.
In an ideal world I'd have a rear disc but it's going to be Disc front and Rim rear.
I’ve just ordered a Boardman Urb 8.9. 20% off making it £700 for belt drive with Nexus 8.
I want a more general purpose thing I can look up and not worry about.
Better off with something from ebay. A shiny new roadie looking bike will just attract unwanted attention.
That canyon looks amazing!
-Low maintenance, perhaps hub gear but open minded
-Drops I think but will also consider straight bars and put bar ends on.
I've got a folder with a Nexus 7 hub, it's been faultless for a long time. It feels quite direct and efficient, I'd be really keen on it for a full size regular commuter. 100% hub gears over mechs for a regular all-weather commuter if it's hilly and a SS wasn't right.
Bars - I love 35-45 degree sweep bars for this kind of riding, far more than flats and bar ends. Worth a try? My old Day One SSS has some 660mm wide, 35 degree 'M' bars on that have a bit of fore-aft and width grip range and it has 4-finger townie bike brake levers, bar taped all along. Works great for the tracks as well as a brisk road section.
I got a BFe 26 frame off eBay (£110) and put a steel rigid fork in it. A set of 650b wheels running 47c tyres, single speed, Surly Corner Bars and a front rack. The most fun commuter going for about £500.
Have a look on 2nd life bikes and bike rebuilds too on Instagram for some inspiration.
My exceptionally tatty old singlespeed commuter/shopper is my favourite bike! Bashed about old Genesis Day One frame, On One Geoff bars, parts bin parts, mudguards, second hand hub dynamo, frame lock, and a front rack. I tried a SRAM Automatic 2 speed rear wheel for a while but prefer it as a singlespeed.
I would be gutted if it was stolen, but given how crappy it looks I hope that's pretty unlikely. I very much recommend something similar, albeit perhaps with gears if you live somewhere hilly.
I got an old Specialized hybrid with rack and guards from our local bike refurbisher for £75. Replaced the nasty black painted steel bars, stem, and seatpost with some Nitto aluminium ones and it's a lovely bike. Doesn't owe me much so I'm not worried about leaving it locked up outside shops and pubs. But... both that Canyon and the BMC further up look really nice, just really sensible modes of transport. I'm particularly intrigued by the built in lights on the BMC.
What are peoples opinions on gates belt drive on shopper/commuter bikes? Was looking at a boardman hyb 8.8 10 speed but see the boardman urban 8.9 with gates belt and nexus 8 is on a good offer just now making it about £100 cheaper than the hyb 8.8. I am thinking cleaner/less maintenance than the 10 speed on the hyb 8.8? But no idea how to service them, cost of replacement bits or longevity etc (I know where I am with the 10 speed and have spares etc already)
sorryfor the thread hijack
I’ve only experienced belt drive on our e-cargo bike but I’m impressed with it over the 300 or so miles we’ve done with it. That’s part of the appeal with the boardman. I’ve used Pluto line to reasonable effect on my current commuter, but belt drive just makes sense. Yes it will be more expensive to replace but it’s rumoured to last 3 times as long.
I agree the canyon and the bmc look good, but the integrated bars limited position options. I dunno why commuters have flat set ups, to me it makes more sense to be more upright to see and be seen. The guards on those bikes also seem on the shorter side.
Well I just pulled the trigger on the boardman urb8.9 belt drive. With 20% off plusses the bike to work discount I would of been rude not to.
What are peoples opinions on gates belt drive on shopper/commuter bikes?
Isn't the issue with belt drives that eventually you'll have to replace belts and/or sprockets, and the number of shops/vendors for parts is a bit more limited?
A chain might be a bit heavier and a bit more greasy but they're very easy to find replacements for...
