Commuting Bike

Look at the Giant CRX 3 and 4, they also take panniers and mudguards for the long rides and are lighter and faster for less $. 😉

http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-AU/bikes/road/77/

Hi George,

thanks for the reply. I have tried both of these and didn't really like the feel of them, the Avanti blades felt better.

Took the Perigee for a ride and it felt the best of the lot, haven't been on the Innova yet.

I assume it would feel much the same but with flasher equipment?

All OK, you seem to prefer the bikes with the longer wheelbase, that's OK. Perigee is nicer. 😉

I started commuting on a steel framed mountain bike approximately 40km return. It was hard going when there was a strong headwind.
I then upgraded to a Giant Farrago (hybrid) which was a lot better but still weighted around 13 kgs.

I now commute on a Giant TCR2 (racing bike) which is around 8kgs and leave my work clothes in the office and use a aerodynamic backpack. I only commute on days I don't need the car for my job.

Although there is no dramatic time saving compared to the hybrid, maybe around 5 minutes, the effort is substantially reduced.

Instead of travelling at 16km an hour on the steel mountain bike into a strong headwind, I can travel at 26km per hour on the racing bike with the same amount of effort.

Something to consider, although if you like the upright position, you can't go wrong with the Perrigee.

James

I too changed from a MTB to a road bike for my 50km round trip commute. I am commuting every day and have found that the reduction in effort has left me with a lot more energy on the weekends. I've also found that now that I can travel faster I am a lot more comfortable on the roads and have started taking bigger roads (with the occasional bike lane) and am competing with traffic. This has cut my ride down to 44km round trip and has cut 15mins off my total commute time.

I try to push myself pretty hard both in and out so if you aren't up for the full bore exercise and just want to pedal along I would suggest the hybrid over the road.

I would also recommend a drop-bar road bike. Much more powerful riding position.

When you find the CRX uncomfortable, is it the riding position or the actual feedback and vibration you are receiving from the frame?

If it's the latter then a carbon road bike would be recommended. However if you like riding upright, then stick with a hybrid or perhaps a XTC with narrow road tyres. But I'm sure when you get the hang of things and start getting passed by roadies you'll end up with a road bike. 😄

thepeddler said:

Hi all,

I've been looking at the various types of bikes available, comfort, flat bar road, road etc, for a while now and have decided, on changing my mind a number of times, on a either the Giant Innova or the Perigee. I will commute a 40 km round trip 2 or 3 times a week and then go out for a couple of hours on the weekend. This will mostly be on bike paths. I am also looking at doing some of those organised country rides lasting a week or two. These rides are on sealed roads.

What do you all think about the 2 bikes mentioned. Is it worth paying the extra 3 or 4 hundred dollar difference between the two for what I will be using it for?

any thoughts?

This may not suit your price/profile but I current use a drop bar road bike for my 11km x 2 commute every day to work and though I'm enjoying it, I'm starting to consider a touring or cyclocross bike to give me a more upright position (but still enjoy the drops), bigger clearance for chunkier tyres and V-brakes. Surly Cross Check is one of the few bikes I can get in Australia but RRP is $1750.

I originally started commuting on an old steel frame road bike with steel wheel rims which was deadly in the wet. I then moved to a giant mountain bike with hayes mechanical discs brakes for my commute. My commute was about 40 km round trip and I found that I was doing 4 things:

1. Trying to make the bike lighter by moving to lighter slick tyres, upgrading components (bars, cranks & BB etc), 2. Riding most days to work 3. Riding more and more on the road. 4. Continually adjusting the disc brakes.

After doing ATB on the mountain bike, I bought a Specialized flat bar road bike, as I am the wrong side of 40 and my racing days are long gone and I was very comfortable with the MTB seating position. The bike has a fair bit if carbon components which makes it comfortable on rough sections of road/bikepath.

After having this bike for 2 years now, and doing lots of km's all I have had to do (after all the regular maintanance) is change the front crankset and BB to a Shimano compact crankset, mainly because the BB was not that good originally and has had to be replaced several times.

On my experience, you may end up with several bikes in the shed, matching how your riding develops.

Wrightstuff said:

On my experience, you may end up with several bikes in the shed, matching how your riding develops.

Isn't that the truth. I alternate between a road bike, a mountain bike and another MTB converted to a commuter. Some days working out which bike to take is like working out what to wear that day.

artemidorus said:

I would also recommend a drop-bar road bike. Much more powerful riding position.

A very noticeable difference, also seems to reduce wind resistance a fair bit.

I started out riding my (heavily modified) Giant Elwood but soon switched to my Avanti road bike after noticing a much easier ride.

Get a low spec road racer, some seatpost panniers, race blades from probikekit for the mudguards and your all set. Only thing is, PBK don't sell them to NZ or Aus and the LBS charges twice the price 🙁

Thanks for your thoughts/opinions,

A lot of people do recommend drop bar road bikes for more hand positions, going faster etc. I have shied away from them because the brakes appear further away and harder to reach if you need to slow down quickly and the drop position doesn't look comfortable. Also they seem a bit flimsy as I am 190cm and 105kg.

Although I must admit I haven't ridden on a drop bar style since i was a teenager ( a long time ago lol). I am thinking now I should test ride one just so I can't say later "if only".

Any suggestions? It would need to be about the $900 to $1200 range.

thepeddler said:

Thanks for your thoughts/opinions,

A lot of people do recommend drop bar road bikes for more hand positions, going faster etc. I have shied away from them because the brakes appear further away and harder to reach if you need to slow down quickly and the drop position doesn't look comfortable. Also they seem a bit flimsy as I am 190cm and 105kg.

Although I must admit I haven't ridden on a drop bar style since i was a teenager ( a long time ago lol). I am thinking now I should test ride one just so I can't say later "if only".

Any suggestions? It would need to be about the $900 to $1200 range.

My two cents:
My commute is half road, half bike path, 67km round trip which I do 2 or 3 times a week. I started my commute using my road bike, and found that it was a bit harsh on the bike paths and scary in the wet. Plus, I didn't want to wear out the road bike, so I went in search of a commuter.
After two weeks of research, I decided on a mountain bike, with semi-slick tyres. What I love about it is that it is extremely sure footed compared to the road bike, and the disc brakes make riding in the wet a non issue.
It is slower on the road, but probably a little quicker on the bike paths. Overall, the 75 minute commute is now 85 minutes (one way), but the way I look at it, I get better workout, and my weekend rides on the road bike now feel like I'm flying after dragging the extra 8kg (including luggage) during the week.
The other plus is the rack, so I don't need to carry a back pack which would sometimes leave my back a little worse for wear.
The other plus (part II), is that I found mountain bikes seem to have better components for less dollars than a hybrid does.
The bike I found, Raceline Comp LX, was on special for $999. They swapped the tyres, I added a rack, bag, and changed the crank to give me a bigger chainring for a total of $1250. Bargin. (this was 10 months ago).

I'm currently riding an old beater with drops and downtubes. Actually it's a top bike for commuting, a lot faster than the mountain bike but when it rains it's hard to stop but i'm used to it now.

My ideal commuting bike would be a touring bike with drops, something that can take a bit of punishment and weight becuase i use panniers. Mongoose and Cannondales are quiet popular.

I was commuting on a mountain bike with slicks and thats a really good option but after 15000k i thought i would give it a rest because it was getting close to another transmission rebuild, so it's in retirement as a dedicated mountain bike that only gets ridden on the weekend.

I've just put drop bars and STIs on my old rigid steel MTB to make it a proper touring/commuter bike. Campagnolo left shifter so that it can drive the MTB FD, and a 105 right shifter. It's got a front v-brake and a rear canti. Full mudguards front and back. 26"x1.3" Conti slicks. Rear rack and a full set of eyes for a front rack. Room for 2.2" knobblies if I wanted to.
It's not quite as fast as the TCR, seems to cruise at 30-35km/h where the TCR would cruise at 35-40km/h. I guess the mudguards, pannier and slightly fatter tyres make the difference. It's very comfortable and sure-footed over bad surfaces where the TCR would have been a little unhappy. The drop bars have revolutionised the bike - they bring me forward and down to a position in which I feel I can really turn the pedals. They've made the bike a pleasure to ride where previously it was a bit of a chore.

thepeddler said:

Thanks for your thoughts/opinions,

...I am thinking now I should test ride one just so I can't say later "if only".
Any suggestions? It would need to be about the $900 to $1200 range.

I suggest you have a look at the Giant OCR3. Although a road bike, it has a more relaxed geometry. Don't be put off by the drop handlebars, I spend most of my time having my hands on the top of the handlebars near the brakes/shift levers. Braking is no problem, although you can't beat V-brakes or discs.

James

thepeddler said:

I have shied away from them because the brakes appear further away and harder to reach if you need to slow down quickly and the drop position doesn't look comfortable. Also they seem a bit flimsy as I am 190cm and 105kg.

Any suggestions? It would need to be about the $900 to $1200 range.

The drop position is supremely comfortable, it's my favourite. Brakes are right there.
They seem flimsy, but they are not (with the exception of some 700C rear wheels).

artemidorus said:

I've just put drop bars and STIs on my old rigid steel MTB to make it a proper touring/commuter bike.

Wouldn't happen to have a picture? I'd be keen to see it. I've been thinking of doing something similar as I have a spare pair of Tiagra shifters and handlebar. I've replaced the suspension forks on my MTB turned commuter and am currently running Geax Streetrunners (1.25). I've even added a 28-38-48 crank and have a spare 11-25 cassette if I want to replace the current 11-30. Haven't decided yet on whether to go ahead with the project.

1id10t said:

Wouldn't happen to have a picture? I'd be keen to see it. I've been thinking of doing something similar as I have a spare pair of Tiagra shifters and handlebar. I've replaced the suspension forks on my MTB turned commuter and am currently running Geax Streetrunners (1.25). I've even added a 28-38-48 crank and have a spare 11-25 cassette if I want to replace the current 11-30. Haven't decided yet on whether to go ahead with the project.

DO IT!! 😉