2nd hand bike for commuting?

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grudas said:
that's because for us, as a forum and as a cycling community, who spent endless hours trying to help this guy out and make him buy a roadie, this should be a massive achievement! I'm just proud and in the mood.. ha.
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:D
But MTB is still tempting, as there are nice tracks around me. But with a "roadie" theres less hassle to travel (e.g. up the hill), I don't think I'll regret listening to your advice. ;)
 
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IC3 said:
:D
But MTB is still tempting, as there are nice tracks around me. But with a "roadie" theres less hassle to travel (e.g. up the hill), I don't think I'll regret listening to your advice. ;)
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It's quite funny how I had a snobbish attitude to my road bike and threw every body up the road bike path until I had my accident. I now split journeys between my bikes depending on what route I'm taking because the MTB route is way less hassle with motorists and in fact I can stay out of the way for at least 95% of the journey. I also feel way safer on my MTB and of course I get a better workout because the bike is heavier.

My most embarrassing road bike snob story:
I was in Sorrento and got talking to a young lad who said he was having a new bike on his return home and of course I stereotyped him. I started to go into my 'road bike is best blah blah blah' routine and then bought a picture up of my Forme on my tablet. He asked to borrow it to show me his new bike and I thought I'd be looking at a BMX but he showed me a £3,500 road bike :eek: His Dad explained he was near the top of his age group and they traveled all around the country competing but he mostly always came second and hopefully this bike would put him at the top.
I shut my gob :D

My road bike snobbery also got me to convince a work colleague to waste £300.
I talked her into a road bike for commuting and a couple of days later she asked me to follow her home to see if my road bike coped with it OK and it didn't. She basically stayed off the roads and used a canal towpath where some parts were covered in Coronation Street cobbles. She did successfully swap it for an MTB and now my advice is to buy whatever your commute dictates but remember that because of motoring incidents you may change your original planned route to take in areas that aren't road bike friendly.
 
It's not really road bike snobbery - it's simply knowing what is the most appropriate tool for the job. Also, having an accident on the road does not somehow mean that the bike you were riding was the "wrong" one. Taking routes that go over trails also does not require an MTB and the effort saved dealing with your short trail is likely less than that saved using a road bike on a...road.

It's fine that you have this strange attitude about bikes but to refer to the rest of us that don't have the strange attitude as 'snobs' makes you look like a bit of a tit.
 
Dimple said:
It's quite funny how I had a snobbish attitude to my road bike and threw every body up the road bike path until I had my accident. I now split journeys between my bikes depending on what route I'm taking because the MTB route is way less hassle with motorists and in fact I can stay out of the way for at least 95% of the journey. I also feel way safer on my MTB and of course I get a better workout because the bike is heavier.

My most embarrassing road bike snob story:
I was in Sorrento and got talking to a young lad who said he was having a new bike on his return home and of course I stereotyped him. I started to go into my 'road bike is best blah blah blah' routine and then bought a picture up of my Forme on my tablet. He asked to borrow it to show me his new bike and I thought I'd be looking at a BMX but he showed me a £3,500 road bike :eek: His Dad explained he was near the top of his age group and they traveled all around the country competing but he mostly always came second and hopefully this bike would put him at the top.
I shut my gob :D

My road bike snobbery also got me to convince a work colleague to waste £300.
I talked her into a road bike for commuting and a couple of days later she asked me to follow her home to see if my road bike coped with it OK and it didn't. She basically stayed off the roads and used a canal towpath where some parts were covered in Coronation Street cobbles. She did successfully swap it for an MTB and now my advice is to buy whatever your commute dictates but remember that because of motoring incidents you may change your original planned route to take in areas that aren't road bike friendly.
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:o:o:o:o you bore me

FrenchTart said:
It's not really road bike snobbery - it's simply knowing what is the most appropriate tool for the job. Also, having an accident on the road does not somehow mean that the bike you were riding was the "wrong" one. Taking routes that go over trails also does not require an MTB and the effort saved dealing with your short trail is likely less than that saved using a road bike on a...road.

It's fine that you have this strange attitude about bikes but to refer to the rest of us that don't have the strange attitude as 'snobs' makes you look like a bit of a tit.
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and this +1.. it looks like you butt got really hurt in that accident hah..
 
grudas said:
:o:o:o:o you bore me
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Am I wrong though, do you not think you should have the right tool for the job?

Yes I was butthurt especially when 3 pro bike shops all told me after the incident that I shouldn't be riding a road bike in icy conditions but were all willing to sell me one when I told them that I would be riding on it twice a day, 5 times a week with no exceptions. They were all willing to sell me a bike that was not capable of doing what I needed to do.

An now for Grudas to bore me with "Well I've rode mine in 2 foot of snow blah blah blah" stories.

Vonhelmet said:
Riding on the roads? A road bike is the best tool for the job. WEIRD.
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I did say that, it would be weird not to think that.
Right tool for the job and that's why I'm on my road bike at the moment.
What made you think otherwise?
 
Dimple said:
Am I wrong though, do you not think you should have the right tool for the job?

Yes I was butthurt especially when 3 pro bike shops all told me after the incident that I shouldn't be riding a road bike in icy conditions but were all willing to sell me one when I told them that I would be riding on it twice a day, 5 times a week with no exceptions. They were all willing to sell me a bike that was not capable of doing what I needed to do.

An now for Grudas to bore me with "Well I've rode mine in 2 foot of snow blah blah blah" stories.



I did say that, it would be weird not to think that.
Right tool for the job and that's why I'm on my road bike at the moment.
What made you think otherwise?
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well I did ride mine through snow on slicks.. through two winters.. I guess you're just lacking the skill ;) thats why you need 2.3" mtb tyres to ride on a road lol.

and a road bike is the right tool for the job :) just because you got unlucky doesn't mean all road bikes should be melted down and reshaped into MTB's
 
grudas said:
well I did ride mine through snow on slicks.. through two winters.. I guess you're just lacking the skill ;)
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I'm 56 and my reactions aren't very quick now and more importantly I don't bounce like I used to.
I was also riding with 23mm slicks in snow during last winter with no problems but I'm afraid that when you wake up in A&E your mind can be changed very quickly and no matter what anybody says, come the winter I will be back on my MTB with 1.75" semi slicks - http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/..._productId_934365_langId_-1_categoryId_242553

Blimey, they've come down in price.
 
Dimple said:
I'm 56 and my reactions aren't very quick now and more importantly I don't bounce like I used to.
I was also riding with 23mm slicks in snow during last winter with no problems but I'm afraid that when you wake up in A&E your mind can be changed very quickly and no matter what anybody says, come the winter I will be back on my MTB with 1.75" semi slicks - http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/..._productId_934365_langId_-1_categoryId_242553

Blimey, they've come down in price.
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ok honest question, do you actually believe that semi slicks give you more grip? try riding over ice with them and see what happens.. now do the same on a road bike with 23mm slicks and see what happens :)

the only thing that would help you is MTB with metal spikes in the tyres!

:o

like this -; http://www.wiggle.co.uk/schwalbe-snow-stud-performance-kevlar-rigid-mtb-tyre/
 
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Dimple said:
NO absolutely not but I have said this before but nobody is taking any notice.
I, ME, MYSELF, Simple Dimple feels more confident & safer on an MTB style bike frame with semi slicks than I do on my road bike in harsher conditions.
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can you explain in what way do you feel safer? I personally feel more in control on a road bike than mtb?
 
Dimple said:
3 pro bike shops all told me after the incident that I shouldn't be riding a road bike in icy conditions
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Do you honestly think a mountain bike would keep you upright on ice where a road bike wouldn't? I came off my road bike on a patch of ice 6 weeks ago, broke my wrist. It's not because I was on the wrong bike, it's because I didn't expect ice and rode as such. I'm fairly sure I'd have come off no matter what bike I was riding.

There's a strava segment on my commute which is a bridle path - I'm 2nd on my road bike. There's also a 1 mile park footpath, for which I have the KOM - on my road bike. Weird that the MTBers haven't beaten me, considering I'm using the wrong tool for the job.
 
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