Commuter Suggestions

warday

Hi All

I am looking for some advice. Started off commuting 4 years ago with a MTB ($600) and it is time to upgrade. In the period I discovered road bikes and to be honest much prefer my weekend rides on the roadie.

So what commuter? My ride is 10km (each way) made up of mainly road with a bit of rough bike paths and a short bit across a park - plenty of glass and other obstacles along the way.

I would love something with drop bars that could handle the odd drop off a gutter, glass on road etc. How practical are Cyclocross bikes in Australia?? I haven't seen any in the shops - but I am in the country.

The other alternative I was looking at was a hybrid with 700cc wheels - say a Trek 7700 or similar. If don't want a hybrid in the comfort style!! I have considered flat bar roadies, but they are really only my road bike with different bars.

I looking to spend around $2K this time!! I have loyalty to one of the local bike shops so would prefer Trek, Specialized, Felt or Avanti.

All suggestions greatfully recieved!

Regards
WD

alfeng

Generally, you can't fit FENDERS on cyclocross bikes ...

You can fit a drop bar on a hybrid if it doesn't come with one ... I think some hybrid bikes come with solid forks, and that is what I would recommend. When considering a hybrid, if you are going to add drop bars, then be sure you know the top tube length BEFORE you buy (i.e., you want it to be similar to the top tube on your ROAD bike [presuming your road bike fits you]).

OR, you could just opt for a TOURING bike -- Fuji & Trek (and, others) make them ...

There are other options (e.g., change the crankset & handlebars on your MTB) which you can pursue [see attachement to see that you can simply put a ROAD crank on your MTB ... I used a 118mm ISIS BB to get the clearance for the 52t chainring ... the MTB frame was fitted with 700c wheels ... the ROAD fork limits the size of the front tyre & if I wanted to use larger tyres and/or fenders, I would have fitted a tandem-or-touring fork].

What kind of MTB do you have? Hardtail? Full Suspension?

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thepeddler

Are you going to keep your road bike as well as looking at getting a cylocross bike or are you upgrading to one bike for weekends and commuting?

If you are going to keep your existing road bike, and as your commute is not to far, you could think about getting another mountain bike with slick tyres and lock-out suspension.

warday

HI Alfeng/Pedler

Thanks for the reply. The bike is a hard tail MTB. My "roadie" is a triple - so for real roadies I don't count.

I like to get out on the weekend with the road gear and just ride in the country. During the week I carry a backpack, computer and wear MTB shorts so it is more of a slog- but still enjoyable!

No putting fenders on a cyclocross bike knocks them out immediately. For commuting, even with the drought, fenders are a must have. I will still keep my MTB but the front suspension isn't real flash so it would be start at the frame and rebuild.

I have actually, considered finding new wheels for the roadie triple, say 28's than getting a new road bike.

Regards
WD

thepeddler

As Alfeng suggested you could consider one of these. Obviously the price is in $US so you would have to add more $ for Oz.


http://willybikes.com/itemdetails.c...ogId=1&id=10097

warday

Hi All

Thanks for the guys who responded. The more I did my NET searching and looked at Cyclocross bikes OS the more it appealed to me - even if most bike shops though I was crazy. Problem with the Cross bikes in Australia was they were so expensive - $2900 for Specialized with 105 gear and not many to choose from - no Trek, Giant, Felt, Avanti.

But sometimes you can be lucky! Was doing a course in North Sydney and walked into Bikebugs - do you have a Cyclocross bike? I expected, "why do you want that, or no,but we can get them". I got "yep we have 1, a Colnago hanging up" - which I basically said don't worry that will be out of my price range. But no, this one had been bought in as a bit of a "special" and they were keen to sell - perhaps I am still crazy as nobody wants a Cross bikes! Anyway $2500 later I walked away with a Colnago Cyclocross bike - Aluminium Frame, Carbon Forks, Bars, Cranks, full 10 speed Ultegra group set, Mavic wheels, Look seat, Colnago paint job - and it was the right size!! I am still scratching myself, even if I was a couple of hundred (or more) over budget.

This bike is way better than I am a bike rider!! Bit embarrassing actually!

For those who don't know, it looks like a road bike, but with 32mm tyres (came with proper cross tyres) and cantilever breaks. Top tube is a little shorter than my road bike for a more upright ride, and the bottom bracket is about 40mm higher - for the off road stuff. I am looking forward to taking it out on weekend and exploring the gravel roads etc, that I currently steer clear of on the road bike. Still can't understand why it has not caught on over here.

Regards
WD

PS. I should thank my wife for an early XMAS present!!!

Eden

You certainly should be able to put fenders on it too! Many of my teammates use cross bikes as their winter/rain bikes and we insist that you have fenders if you come to a wet team ride, so they've all managed. They are full fenders too, not race blades - it can actually be easier to fit them since cross bikes have loads of clearance.

thepeddler

Good job. Enjoy your ride

Have you got a picture?