Commuting Recommendations

[HaX]

Hi there,

Currently work two miles away from where I live. On account of no direct public transport between the two sites, I am currently walking which takes approximately 30 minutes each way.

Up until 2011 (when I developed epilepsy) I had a Road Bike and used to do a lot of long distance rides (50-100 miles). On the occasions I commuted on it (through heavy city centre traffic), I never felt particularly safe, on account of handling, braking, and riding position tended to use my old MTB with hydraulic disks and fitted with slicks.

I am in two minds about what to do bike wise;

1) Buy a BT Win Rockrider 5, not have to worry about where I leave it etc and buy a nice road or CX bike for evening / weekend use

2) Buy something like a Specialized Sirrus or a Pinacle Lithuim 5 and use it for both leisure / commuting.

Ideally I'd like something that can do gravel paths etc, though want to stay away from anything with suspension..

What are people's thoughts?

Cheers

HaX

 

[HaX]

That is actually rather tempting. What are cable disk brakes like? I presume that at this price point they'll be comparable or better than Rim brakes?

My main issue with my riding road bike through heavy traffic, was that even when riding on the hoods, I had a lower riding position and thus poorer visibility than on a flat bar bike. The brakes were also much less responsive. I want something I can hop up and down curbs with, and take off road shortcuts etc. I guess a CX bike is probably pretty much ideal.

 

[HaX]

If you have epilepsy, surely riding a bike would be dangerous? Suppose you were to have a fit in traffic?

IOW keep on walking for your commute.

A good point ; however I only tend to have fits when I'm ill or overly tired - I will avoid cycling when in that position.

 

[HaX]

What sort of bike did you have? Sounds like it could have been an issue with setup or fit rather than the type of bike in particular. Although, if you don't feel confident in traffic on any bike then i'd say definitely stay away from that bottom of the line flat bar bike from decathlon. It might be workable for the price, but it will have a lot of shortcomings that it sounds like you would care about.

The roadbike I used to own was a Fuji Roubaix 3.0. I didn't favour it as a commuter - I found the crab brakes pretty poor and even with the tyres deflated to 90 PSI, I found riding in on wet roads/manhole covers etc to be a pretty "interesting" experience. I tended to do 50-100 mile rides on it on dry evenings and weekends

At the time, I also owned a Genesis Core 1.0 Mountain bike, which tended ot get used for commuting.

Very tempted to spend some serious money on a CX, but would feel a bit anxious leaving it outside at work (we have a very overcrowded and insecure bike shed).

 

[HaX]

Do you have anywhere safe to leave the bike when at work?

Personally I prefer a flat handlebar bike. I also prefer a mountain bike, even for riding on the roads, as I think the wide tyres give a more forgiving and comfortable ride.

No Sadly nowhere safe to keep it at work. This is why I was thinking of buying something cheap and nasty from Decathlon to do the two miles to and from work and having something nice for proper bike rides.

I'm just wondering whether or not it would be viable to expect a £100 bike to stand up to day in/day out use.