I live in London and need to replace my ageing and worn out bicycle, a Ridgeback Comet, that I have had and used heavily since 2005.
I use the bicycle almost exclusively for commuting (circa 15km each way), and like to ride quite fast, although also need to be able to carry panniers which are sometimes quite heavy. I am quite tall (1.85m).
On my existing bicycle, I have always found the gear ratios somewhat low (i.e., the top gear is not quite fast enough), and this is after I had the front chainring replaced to a larger (53t, perhaps; I have not counted) unit about 8-9 years ago, which improved matters somewhat, but not entirely.
When I bought my existing bicycle, I was on somewhat of a budget, and have never been entirely satisfied with the quality/reliability of the gearing. I am able to spend a little more now, and so would like high quality components. I am especially keen on reliability, relative lightness and being able to go quite fast.
Looking in shops now, what I am finding is that all the hybrid bicycles have gear ratios that are far too low. I had a test ride of a Specialized Sirrius Sport XL this afternoon: the top gear was far too low, and the frame felt cramped compared to my existing bicycle.
I was able to try an XXL size of a lower range Specialized Sirrius in another shop, but was only able to sit on it rather than ride it, as this particular bicycle needed repairs (one of the brake levers was missing). This geometry felt a great deal better.
I did also try sitting on a road bicycle in another shop last Friday, but I could not get used to the different handlebars (and especially brake lever positions) after spending about 16 years regularly riding a bicycle with straight handlebars.
Can anyone recommend anything sensible? I cannot find any hybrid bicycles with a frame size approximately equivalent to the Sirrius in XXL (see here for details) and with a 52 or 53t front chainring.
I could in theory get a bicycle custom built, but that seems like a lot of money to spend just for going to work. The only suggestion that the person in the shop could come up with was to get a Sirrius and then immediately change the chainring, which might yet be the only viable option, but that seems so wasteful, so I thought that it would be at least worth exploring whether there are any other sensible options.
One thing that seems potentially interesting but I do not know enough about is the hub gear. I understand that these are extremely reliable, which would make me very happy, but I have no idea what the top ratios on these are like compared to my existing bicycle. I do not need a great many gears (my commute is mostly flat), but I do want the highest gears to be quite high. I have seen some bicycles with hub gears (albeit these often seem to have heavier steel frames), but I do not know whether these are suitable. I could not find any in geometry that came close to what I suspect that I would find comfortable based on the information currently available to me.
Any assistance would be much appreciated.
I use the bicycle almost exclusively for commuting (circa 15km each way), and like to ride quite fast, although also need to be able to carry panniers which are sometimes quite heavy. I am quite tall (1.85m).
On my existing bicycle, I have always found the gear ratios somewhat low (i.e., the top gear is not quite fast enough), and this is after I had the front chainring replaced to a larger (53t, perhaps; I have not counted) unit about 8-9 years ago, which improved matters somewhat, but not entirely.
When I bought my existing bicycle, I was on somewhat of a budget, and have never been entirely satisfied with the quality/reliability of the gearing. I am able to spend a little more now, and so would like high quality components. I am especially keen on reliability, relative lightness and being able to go quite fast.
Looking in shops now, what I am finding is that all the hybrid bicycles have gear ratios that are far too low. I had a test ride of a Specialized Sirrius Sport XL this afternoon: the top gear was far too low, and the frame felt cramped compared to my existing bicycle.
I was able to try an XXL size of a lower range Specialized Sirrius in another shop, but was only able to sit on it rather than ride it, as this particular bicycle needed repairs (one of the brake levers was missing). This geometry felt a great deal better.
I did also try sitting on a road bicycle in another shop last Friday, but I could not get used to the different handlebars (and especially brake lever positions) after spending about 16 years regularly riding a bicycle with straight handlebars.
Can anyone recommend anything sensible? I cannot find any hybrid bicycles with a frame size approximately equivalent to the Sirrius in XXL (see here for details) and with a 52 or 53t front chainring.
I could in theory get a bicycle custom built, but that seems like a lot of money to spend just for going to work. The only suggestion that the person in the shop could come up with was to get a Sirrius and then immediately change the chainring, which might yet be the only viable option, but that seems so wasteful, so I thought that it would be at least worth exploring whether there are any other sensible options.
One thing that seems potentially interesting but I do not know enough about is the hub gear. I understand that these are extremely reliable, which would make me very happy, but I have no idea what the top ratios on these are like compared to my existing bicycle. I do not need a great many gears (my commute is mostly flat), but I do want the highest gears to be quite high. I have seen some bicycles with hub gears (albeit these often seem to have heavier steel frames), but I do not know whether these are suitable. I could not find any in geometry that came close to what I suspect that I would find comfortable based on the information currently available to me.
Any assistance would be much appreciated.