Best bike for commuting

[robalert]

just wondering what is the best option for a commuter...

my poor apollo commuter is dying a slow death

bottom bracket is on the way out, braking surface of rims is wearing thin, chainrings are worn... doesn't seem worth fixing

now i've got my VT3 (Giant enduro duallie), but not great for road riding.... tho my route includes the dirt track behind UWS and the Brush Park reserve... I find the VT is a little too heavy and bobs despite SPV. Considering the option of having a lockout rear shock, fitting a old man mountain rack on the rear and chucking on some slicks

other option is to convert my CRX1 to a commuter... seems a shame to chuck on a rack and would need to change my route as the CRX wouldn't cope with the rougher roads...

my commute is between 11km-15km depending on the road... reasonably hilly

i saw a cannondale bad boy ultra and i was drooling, it looked so hot with the matte black paint, and lockout headshock...

is it better to commute on a road bike or mtb

my wife has a comfort bike... just found it too slow for commuting

 

[sideshow_bob]

is it better to commute on a road bike or mtb

i think it really depends on the individual circumstances. personally i commute on a mtb (cannondale jekyll) for the following reasons:

1) commuting can inflict more abuse on a bike. you ride in winter with lights as an example and tend to hit the odd pothole at speed. on a mtb this is fine, not sure the wheels on my roadbike are going to like this. also in the office people are always moving my bike around i'm not concerned about putting any dents in the tubing as opposed to my road bike which is relatively fragile.

2) i ride with 2.1 cross county tyres with thorn proof tubes. heavy yes. better than getting an inevitable puncture in the dark and rain when you're rushing home for some event you are late for ... yes!! i ride a lot of commuting k's on the m5 as an example and there is a good deal of junk there just waiting to kill a road tyre.

3) my mtb weighs in at a *svelte* 32 pounds currently. i usually average around 32km/h on my commute which is 35km each way which while is not rocketing is acceptable and pushing the 15 extra pounds on fat tyres i think is pretty good training for weekend riding.

while a jekyll might be overkill i've done about 16,000 km (including a good deal of weekend offroad use) on it since august 04 and i paid about $2k for it and feel i've gotten fairly good value for money. if i could do it again i'd probably have gotten a hard tail f series cannondale or maybe an xtc.

--brett

 

[rek]

For 10-15km, I don't think it'll matter so much. The advantages of a road bike are really only apparent if the commute is fairly long (like 30 mins +)

I've found commuting perfection in a cyclocross bike (Cannondale Cyclocross Ultra) which I bought secondhand.. I like it so much, if I could only have ONE bike, I'd choose it. With what I've done to it, it's probably fairly close to that Bad Boy you're talking about.

I used to ride a MTB equipped to be a commuter, nice drivetrain on it (XT) but heavy, crapped out shocks that didn't really have any travel anymore. I found it felt too heavy, the seating position too upright, and didn't handle all that great. The things I like about the 'cross bike are;

* it takes 700c wheels, but has extra clearance for wide tyres: so you can use thin roadie tyres for high speed, or use wider hybrid tyres for extra comfort and stability on unpaved/gravel tracks. I run 37mm hybrid tyres on it at the moment, but think they're a bit tooo wide.. gonna go for 28s or 32s next time I'm up for tyres.

* has a nice lock-out headshock with 1 inch of suspension travel, don't need any more than that when not going 'real' off road

* has all the mounting eyelets for a rear rack, and front and rear mudguards

* handles and sprints like a road bike, even when carrying a light load on the rack. I run a compact road drivetrain (34/50 crank, 12-26 cassette) which is a nice balance between flat road speed and low hill gearing when heavily packed.

* drop handlebars aren't as wide as flat bars, and you know exactly where the edges of the bars are.. makes for easier maneuvering around tight spots

It also happens to have a perfect little spot between the seat tube and seatstays where I can wedge in my light battery, fits perfect, as though it was meant to be there all along!

The only thing it doesn't have that my old MTB commuter had was a front disc brake, for 100% reliable braking in wet weather. But after dialing in the canti brakes well, it doesn't seem to be too much of an issue.

EDIT: just looked to see what a Giant CRX was. I reckon putting a rack (and mudguards if commuting in rain/wintertime) would make a great fast commuter bike.

 

[artemidorus]

The ideal commuter would be a touring bike, but they are few and far between. Definitely no suspension. V-brakes sufficient. Mountain crankset and road RD/cluster. ~28mm tyres.
I use a TCR on dry days and a 1992 no-suspension MTB on wet days or cargo days.

 

[gclark8]

What about an 8 speed Flat bar, CRX3 or Felt ST101? They take all the heavy fruit and guards OK. Drilled mounts on the rear drop-outs on the Felt 101.

 

[artemidorus]

What about an 8 speed Flat bar, CRX3 or Felt ST101? They take all the heavy fruit and guards OK. Drilled mounts on the rear drop-outs on the Felt 101.

Poor range of hand positions.

 

[gclark8]

That response shows a lack of creativity.

Bar ends, endless designs,
Road Ends, look like drops,
Aero bars with fixed or spring elbow pads, wide available,
Time trial bars, exploring that one myself.

I find drop bars too narrow, ok for just a race but not across town commuting, however they may be better with the drops turned up, like boys bikes in the 50s and 60s. We can wear our peak caps back to front as well.

 

[artemidorus]

That response shows a lack of creativity.

Bar ends, endless designs,
Road Ends, look like drops,
Aero bars with fixed or spring elbow pads, wide available,
Time trial bars, exploring that one myself.

I find drop bars too narrow, ok for just a race but not across town commuting, however they may be better with the drops turned up, like boys bikes in the 50s and 60s. We can wear our peak caps back to front as well.

How do you fit between the trucks with those wiiiide bars?

 

[slaw]

just wondering what is the best option for a commuter...

...
my commute is between 11km-15km depending on the road... reasonably hilly

...

This question amuses me when I look at the bike racks downstairs. Out of 20 or so bikes, there are just about no two alike. There are Record equipped road bikes, flat-bar hybrids, old 10 speeds, mtbs with slicks, mtbs with knobbies, dual suspension mtbs etc etc...

I've no idea how far these people ride, but really, for your distance, any bike will do. If you need an excuse for a new bike though...

 

[jamesc]

just wondering what is the best option for a commuter...

Rest of quote deleted.

I used to commute on a heavy Cromoly hardtail mountain bike with road tyres and it weighed in around 16 kgs.

I then upgraded to a flatbar hybrid with 700c x 28mm tyres and Deore LX 48/36/26 cranks with barends. This bike weighed around 13 kgs but was still heavy going over my 20 km commute, especially on the hills and when riding into a strong headwind. I had panniers mounted on a rear rack which was not very aerodynamic.

I now communte on a road bike with full 105 gearing and 700c x 23mm tyres. My new bike weighs around 8 kgs and I now use an aerodynamic back pack for stuff I need to take to work.

I have learnt that although there is not a huge difference in my commute time, maybe ten minutes, the effort required for the journey is substantially reduce and riding into a strong headwind is no longer such a chore.

Your distance may not warrant a road bike, but I reckon the less effort required will make the journey so much more enjoyable.

James

 

[lionheart82]

I'm looking at getting a bike for commuting to work, either the crx2 or crx3.

I saw George recommended the crx3 for commuting, does that mean the crx3 is stronger than the crx2. Or is it just better at adding guards and touring accessories?

sorry i'm just confused regarding the difference.

thanks

 

[gclark8]

See:http://www.giant-bicycle.com/au/030.000.000/030.010.000.asp?year=2006&range=128
the CRX3 has 8 speed triple components, and wider forks for guards.
The CRX2 a 9 speed compact double, carbon forks.

I would rather load up the 3 with heavy loads, including guards and carrier.

 

[artemidorus]

My ideal commuter - Cannondale T2000, but tweaked with a road long-cage RD and road 12-27 cassette. Mudguards and rear pannier rack. Heavy-duty lighting. Large-platform road clipless pedals such as SPD-SL. 28mm tyres rather than the huge stock ones.
Maybe one day.....

 

[scotty72]

Try a trike

 

[artemidorus]

Try a trike

Do you mean a recumbent?

 

[scotty72]

Do you mean a recumbent?

Yeah, I can't imagine Rob on this.

 

[artemidorus]

Yeah, I can't imagine Rob on this.

There are some serious road non-recumbent tricycles.
I'm just not happy with the visibility of a recumbent in heavy traffic.

 

[scotty72]

There are some serious road non-recumbent tricycles.
I'm just not happy with the visibility of a recumbent in heavy traffic.

Ok. Let's imagine Rob climbing up the hill to Eastwood on this?

Scotty

 

[gclark8]

Have a look at Nigel's Trike: http://www.trysport.com.au/bikes.htm

 

[robalert]

Ok. Let's imagine Rob climbing up the hill to Eastwood on this?

Scotty

if i can get up to eastwood with those 2 bikes.. i'd be damn fit... hehe

well it seems my wife ain't too happy with another bike being around with our limited space... so their goes that idea

i think i will definitely check out a cyclocross bike next... seems the geometry is more relaxed and built stronger, yet still light... so the cannondale has lock out suspension on their cyclocross... amazing.. that is unique.. i don't think any other bike has that

i tried commuting the last few days on my CRX with a back pack/bumbag, (i have a light deuter pack) it has been fine... my commute may be short but their are plenty of hills to climb, some long inclines... so a road bike setup is alot of pleasant to climb on

I tried using my Maxxis UnCategorie 700x23C but I got too many punctures and despite the grip, it felt sketchy on rough roads... DAMN fast tho, too fast for the ppl i'm riding with

I'm now using a Vittoria Radonneur 700x28C on the back and Continental Gatorskin 700x28C... feels much more stable and can cope with a little dirt road... but still way faster then the Michelin Transworld 700x32C

now should i bother with a rack on my svelte looking CRX1? i only ride 10-15 one way, is it worth it?

Anyway, thanks for all your replies. i read a previous post in another forum about the perfect commuter bike. No consesus there.

Kona has a cyclocross bike... but I doubt it has suspension.... must be that cannondale is the only one with this unique feature....