[Closed] what budget touring/commute bike?

What’s budget?

I was gonna stick with stw tradition and recommend what I have, a PX London Road, but they don't seem to make them any more....

Think go outdoors do a gravel bike Calbre dark peak or something... that should be pretty cheap and decent spec.

Charge plug?
I have an older model, the filter, made of steel, it’s certainly nowhere near light, but it rides well, stable.
The plug is alu with carbon fork, so should be lighter.
Very much depends on budget of course.

If it's for year round commuting I can't overstate how important mudguard mounts are! A rack is also handy. Also, 100% get disc brakes - so much better than rim in manky conditions.

In the spirit of recommending what i have - an Arkose Pinnacle - I think I have the three, but i'm sure they're all fine - quite reasonably priced.

Also get some decent lights.

Yep, mudguards ftw.
Decent lights, yes. German tuv approved ones which don’t dazzle other people are good.
And a rack, presumably you’re not going to tow all the time?

I flit between rack and no rack as I find them annoying, mudguards are a must though. Proper fitted full guards.

Arkose is a good shout. Any gravel bike within budget really...

I've got an Arkose three for sale if you're interested? The ad is on the classifieds.

What's budget? That's my question in general really. My own budget is anything up to 1k cycle scheme limit but ideally a lot lot less if it's not going to be rubbish.

Trailer is for child rather than luggage, and as child gets heavier I suspect low gears will be wanted which most gravel bikes seem to lack? Also gravel seems to mean flat bars?

Definitely want rack and mud guards for commute but for the right bike they could be added after.

https://www.genesisbikes.co.uk/bikes?categories=Bikes~Touring~Tour%20de%20Fer

Pick one to suit your budget, build, ride. Fully equipped and ready to go.

Or the Croix de fer.

And at the cheaper end of the scale a Kona Dew will do all that once you have fitted some drops. I got mine for 150 quid, money well spent.

Its not "real", it's got a hideously unfashionable triple crankset and "dangerous" budget brakes but it gets me from a to b with a bigger smile than the road bike it replaced. Plenty of space for decent sized tyres too.

The Rove is a bit more expensive but you get drops, usually the Go Outdoors Calibre hybrid gets recommended but they don't appear to be selling them just now.

Sorry trail of destruction I need bigger 🙂

it’s got a hideously unfashionablefantastically practical triple crankset

My tourer/commuter has a triple, at some point you always need a right low gear.

@sideshow - can you buy 2nd hand and then fettle with it until you're either happy or you throw it away?

If looking at disc brakes, only criteria is must be hydraulic. Mechanical discs are rubbish, very hard to generate the force necessary to grip such a small disc. If you think about it calliper brakes are gripping a 700c disc.

Spa cycles do a steel tourer for under a grand. Reynolds 725 steel frame (just below 853 on strength/weight ratio), handbuilt wheels, proper rack and guards, decent enough drive train. Rim brakes though, but don't see that as being as bad as some people seem to think

If looking at disc brakes, only criteria is must be hydraulic. Mechanical discs are rubbish, very hard to generate the force necessary to grip such a small disc.

No they really aren't that bad. Not as good as hydraulic certainly but better than rubbish.

Anyway how about a bottom end Diverge?

No complaints about mechanical discs here either. BB7s are good, TRP spyres are great.

Arkose always a good shout, Go Outdoors are revamping their Lost Lad & Dark Peak bikes for later this month iirc and they look pretty smart.

Slight thread hijack but I'm shortly gonna be selling my Marin Muirwoods that sounds like it would be great for what you're after.

Gimme a shout on DM if interested?

Was going to suggest Spa Wayfarer. Agree Arkose also looks a good shout for the price if you get along with alu frames.

*edit re mechanical discs. I’m running BB7’s on my 29er MTB/touring bike and they work really well IME. Even with stock rotors + my mahoosive bulk + full panniers. I have the option to change to hydraulic (running MTB bars) but firmly in the ‘if it ain’t broke...’ camp. I also like simple and that includes not having to bleed brakes*. Hydraulics on road bikes/drops are still an expensive option IIRC (excepting the TRP hybrid jobby, which seems to get favourable reviews)

Didn’t fair so well with Spyres, maybe was me/the pads but...BB7s lock up fine and have plenty of optionally progressive braking (for heavy loads where you don’t wish to lose all of your rubber in one go)

To adjust for wear with BB7s simply dial the outboard piston/pad closer to the disc, then use a torx driver for the inboard pad.

There are also lots of old rim-brake tourers out there that are perfectly good, (and in many ways better-built than budget-build modern derivatives

Could always be a good entry point see how it goes?

*Which is why the hydros on my hardtail remain exactly as they always have been 🤣😂. ‘If it ain’t broke...’ (ie if the levers aren’t touching the bars)

Okay, calling mech brakes 'rubbish' is perhaps harsh. However I had the spyres on my bike and the braking performance - compared to decent cantis, mini vs or hydraulics - was very poor. Lack of bite and squeezing levers to the bar to come to a slow halt at even medium pace. 0roper emergency braking practically non-existent. I upgraded pads, cables and outers (to proper compression less ones), there was an improvement, but still poor compared to other options. Even had two decent bike shops fettle them and no dice. I'd pay the extra £200 or so and get hydraulics, no question. Or a decent set of rim brakes. I'm no physicist but it seems obvious to me that cable actuated brakes gripping a 29" disc will be more effective than a similar set up grabbing a 160mm disc. Obviously road conditions and wear to the rim are a factor too

Anyway, that spa tourer is a bargain for what you actually get. You could probably get them to swap out the fork for one with disc fittings, after all it's the front brake that does most of the work

Also gravel seems to mean flat bars?

I think it means either drops or flats but most seem to have drops.

Hey, no worries, hope you find something

Okay, calling mech brakes ‘rubbish’ is perhaps harsh. However I had the spyres on my bike and the braking performance – compared to decent cantis, mini vs or hydraulics – was very poor.

Sounds like that boat has sailed, but did you have the right caliper/lever combo? Spyres for drop bar levers, Spykes for flat bar levers. I've got drops and Spyres on one of my bikes, they're pretty decent.

V-twins and the Giant adaptor are also options albeit weighty.

Agreed on the triple being practical, makes a big shop so much easier!

Spyres work fine, as do BB7s. You just need to set them up right (the former are more finicky in that respect, IME). I've even got a cheap Shimano thing on the rear of my bike, similar to a BB5, that works perfectly adequately - but adjusting out pad wear is not as convenient, so that'll be getting swapped out at some point.