I think a hybrid/city bike is ideal for commutes within 10km. Rather than buy a box store one, for the same money or less it's better to get a used one from a good brand and take it into a shop for a tune up. They put you upright which improves your visibility (and makes you more visible), and they often come with step through/mid step frames which make it easy to frequently get on and off. Plus they have wide tire clearance for nice comfy riding, plenty of easy gears for casual cyclists to do climbs, mounting points for storage racks, and they're plentiful and cheap new or used.
Priority Apollo! Belt drive for near 0 maintenance, pannier rack and mud guard mounts, plenty of tire clearance. For me it's right on the balance point of sporty and practicality. Love this bike as a car free American!
Loved the banter on commuting. I 100% agree with the notion that the best bike for ANY situation / circumstance is the one you actually use. The blockages to commuting on a bike are not to do with bike selection but are more about: 1) faffing - time to get ready 2) infrastucture - access to uninterrupted and/or segregated cycleways 3) "accommodation" - can I have a shower at work? Where can i store my bike while I am at work? Can i keep spare clothes, towel , etc at work? Maybe GCN can show us some businesses that encourage and accomodate commuting via bike successfully.
Perfect commuterbike for me: mudguards, hub-dynamo including led lights and reflectors for the darker season, 8speed internal gear hub with chain (less powerloss on climbs and still easy to maintain), wide handelbars, hydraulic disc brakes, aluminium frame, wheels that do not have a quick release….what i forgot…rear rack for panniers, specific commuter tires (marathon, etc…), btw. my bike is a diamant 247 - which i adapted to my needs. not fast, quite heavy (15kg), but it does the job all year round and it can also cope with my hilly commute…
All of that makes sense to me but the no quick release part. I lock the front wheel with the frame, nobody's ever stolen the back, but I have changed many, many rear flats on the road. I have a belt drive ebike I use on heavy rain days. If I ever get a flat on the back, I will finish the commute walking. It has heavy tires on it, which should get me a lot of miles between flats.
The Trek District and Canyon Commuter bikes fit that description. I have such a Trek and it's an all-wearher tank. I suggest going tubeless with such belt-driven bikes, because taking the wheels in and out is slightly inconvenient otherwise (axle nuts, full fenders, rear rack, IGH, somewhat delicate belt).
The elementary (primary) school where I work does a "Bike to School Day" every year, and it changed my life. I missed it 3 years in a row, but then finally remembered and was shocked how awake I felt walking in the door. I did it again the next day. A year later I got rid of my car and never looked back. I ride 10,000 miles a year now, most of it commuting.
That's awesome to hear. Made all the better by it being a school, as I believe it's good for children to see lots of adults using bikes for transport to normalise it.
In most cities, New Orleans for example, your commuter bike MUST be a bike that you're not going to be gutted if it gets stolen. Also, depending on the city, finding your bike stolen might have nothing to do with where you park it or the quality of your lock. The $100 bike with a bad paint job and empty pockets should be your choice while traveling in some neighborhoods.
Yep. The very same in Amsterdam. The more crappy looking the bike, the more of a deterant for a bike thief. It would be nice if your work place offered a place to stash it inside out of sight though
@@elscruffomcscruffy8371 In Santa Cruz California we are one of the bike theft capitals of the USA. I have $50 craigslist bikes and I have to lockit up and deflate the tires to make it look unrideable.
My touring bike got superniced!! That has made my week 😀 sorry you don’t like the bar tape Alex - I was super proud that I installed it myself with the help of a great GCN video. Thanks guys ❤
The way to buy a bike if you think you can't afford one is: calculate the cost of your commute over a year, take this figure and use it as your budget, get an interest free deal on a bike or do the CTWS, then actually ride it to work. Technically it's a free bike, all future rides make you cash. I have a Spa Cycles Elan titanium with Ultegra (yes full guards and the timeless but unbeatable Carradice with a bagman support) . It's fast and limo smooth, if it was a car it would be a Bentley. Near my work in Newcastle the council built secure cycle cages in a multi-story car park, a deposit got me a security fob for a CCTV'd steel cage. Well Done Newcastle Council, you rock.
Truly, cycling to high school on a 10-speed department-store Rixie with a front-tire generator in darkness remains a great memory and accomplishment of my high school years in the mid-'70s as an American teen military dependent in Frankfurt, West Germany. And all those mopeds were great fun to chase and sometimes catch, with a cheery "Guten Tag" so its rider didn't think I was actually dying inside from the effort. And a mind-bending moment was in May '75 when all vehicles were swept off the road by a squadron of police vehicles and whoa, it was the peloton in the early kilometers of the Henninger-Turm pro race, now known as Eshborn-Frankfurt. And I started commuting by bike as an 11-year-old in Fresno in '71 on my Schwinn Sting-Ray and the bike rack at Tioga Junior High was packed with lots of other Sting-Rays, too. Back when high-rise handlebars and banana seats made us all cool. 😀
I’m using an Italian custom made titanium road bike equipped with a Campagnolo Super Record groupset for my daily commute. Therefore I’m enjoying my ride to work every single day.
I recently retired but bicycle commuted to work for a number of years. The distance was not huge, a little over 5 miles, but I rode hell or high water regardless of the weather. I live in the Pacific Northwest so I had to deal with a lot of wet weather. My initial commuter bike was an upright aluminum framed with a belt drive and Nexus hub. I had a small bag on a rear rack with expandable panniers. It was definitely slower than my road bike but I used the half an hour ride to generally go all out. Fortunately I had a shower at work and cloths there as well. I had a touring bike built, which was more upright as well, and switched to that for commuting🎉. I converted my original commuter bike to more of a cargo bike and use that for store runs. The more traditional commuter bikes can have more than one purpose. I completely agree with disc breaks. I do find the internal hubs much more durable in foul weather.
I have been bike commuting for over a decade, and unlike my road bikes my commuter has gotten heavier, and more relaxed. I have steel frame, gates belt Drive, rohloff hub and Dynamo with flat bars, 44c tires , fenders and it’s a beast. Also, I’m at work for 12 hours and Pack snacks, lunch and dinner in addition to coffee and water. yep, you’re right. I have to leave 10 minutes earlier than same commute on my prev light endurance bike but love the comfort of the set up.
The ultimate commuter bike depends on your commute and where your at with cycling. I'm fairly late to cycling and have a 25km commute. I started with an old steely road bike with friction shifters and found the hills too hard. Bought an ebike and have used it for a few years until my fitness was better. Now I switch between a focus Cayo ag2r team bike (probably a replica) and the steely as a training bike for fun. With a long ride on the weekend I can do over 300km in a week and I'm looking to do my first 160km race later this year. Loving it!!!
Something a lot of people would need to consider with commuter bikes is security. Where is it being locked up and stored? A nice carbon road bike is going to get nicked and / or damaged if in public. I have an old beater MTB that I use to ride to the shops or swimming pool and gym as it’s locked to public bike storage.
Triple chain rings are underrated. Until Campagnolo stopped making the Racing Triple, I always had one on my steel racing bikes. This allowed me to run a straight block (something like a 12-23 cassette, if I remember correctly) and still be able to go up hills since the triple had a 30 tooth small chain ring. Again, if I remember correctly, the triple was 52/42/30.
It is straightforward - best commuter bike would be a cruiser e-bike. Preferably one with a few gears for hilly sections, possibly a throttle (just in case) and on-bike storage. The reason why is the e-bikes allow for decent speed without nearly as much effort so you won't need to shower once at work. Then you can lower the assistance level (or turn if off) on the ride home for your workout tour. Granted, those in the UK/Europe have rather neutered e-bikes compared to the US. Safety over freedom - I suppose.
In rainy (and snowy) climates, for commuting drum brakes are the best. I'd expect that in the homeland of sturmey archer they would be more widely appreciated :) Completely sealed from weather, no adjustment or maintenance required, replace pads like once every 5 years at most. Its a big enhancement for safety too to always have working brakes, no matter how little attention you've paid to maintenance.
Commuting with a safe storage - gravel bike with mudguards and 32-40mm slick or semi-slick tyres - fast, comfortable and otherwise awesome in the rain / bad roads etc. If leaving it outside - something old, steel and tatty looking (but secretly in good shape).
I have been commuting to work in North Vancouver, BC, for the past two decades. It rains pretty much from October to May over here, so fenders are a MUST, and since switching to disk brakes last year, I could not believe I put up with cantilever brakes for all those other years. An aluminum frame still rides quite well, and I do not worry too much when locking up the bike.
As a 48-year-old I live 16km from work and had to now buy an ebike (specialized Turbo Vado 4.0 carbon belt drive) which allows me to cycle both ways each day and saves me a total of 40 minutes compared to a daily commute on public transport. Definitely less intensive than a normal bike, but I am sure it is still better than sitting in bus.
Using public transport often involves having to listen TikTok videos being played at ear-splitting volume by fellow passengers. Another reason to jump on the bike.
Repetitive wheel spray in inclement weather with not only water, but oils, asphalt, and minerals in muds will likely stain what outer clothing one is wearing. Such has happened to me. Yes, mudguards/fenders can be esthetically goofy, but hey, it's a bike to get to work with, not a sleek, look at me, weekend killer machine. My opinion. :)
And that is what's wrong with cycling in the UK. All these boys on their fancy bikes and in their lycra being heros on the roads. In cities where cycling dominates, like Amsterdam and Copenhagen, the lycra boys are a rare sight on the commute. Especially in London, they're quite obnoxious and that probably goes a long way to explain why cyclists are so hated in England.
And if you don't care for your clothing, think of your bike. Grit & grime, salt & slush in winter, will quickly ruin cable runs, perhaps also your BB & brakes - mudguards keep spray off your beloved steed. As well, anyone following you will appreciate not getting hosed by your back wheel.
For me, mudguards and a pannier rack. I prefer to have nothing on my back, and mudguards keep my shoes drier as well as being nicer for other commuters in the rain. I did cut down the bars on my hybrid so I could fit through narrower gaps though, and at least once I clipped the pannier on someone's bumper as I weaved through. The straight bars are better for overall visibility in traffic, but I think I prefer drops.
When I did cycle to work, I didn't use a commuter bike. I used one of my road bikes. I still needed to get whatever workout I had scheduled for the day done. Since my commute was 13+ miles each way, it was easy to get it done either on the way to work or on the way home. I would only do this in good weather. I was not allowed to bring a wet bike into the office, nor leave it overnight.
The perfect commuter equipment is whatever is most efficient: aero, low rolling resistance, lightweight. My commuter bike is a drop bar converted TT frame with a tri-spoke/disc wheelset. Saves so much in fuel (food) it pays for itself over a couple years.
My commuter bike has a 7005 Aluminum frame, Shimano Alfine 11-speed internal hub drive train, DeOre rim brakes, Shimano dyno front hub with LED front light, and 2 rear red lights. Oh yes, mudguards because it might be nice starting out, but it can rain on the way home. A rear rack and flat bars with bar ends. Plus, 700c x 38 tyres. Oh, cannot forget the Bell!
Yep, my commuter bike has to be enjoyable - so over years I progressed from commuting a hilly 11 miles each way on a naff bike to riding a much nicer bike to work. The must haves for me include the bigger picture though: 1) Security. I'm not riding a decent bike to work if there is a big risk of it being stolen. For a short time I started taking my bike into the office and chaining it to my desk. Decent locks weight a ton and are a big faff. 2) Changing and washing facilities at work. 3) Traffic free. I developed routes that weren't the shortest but were 70% quiet lanes. 4) Lights. Many lights - at least two bright rear lights - and tyres with reflective sidewalls. 5) Mudguards. Sorry Simon but mudguards don't ruin the ride of a nice bike at all.
Si says the hanger is normally a weak point, like it's a bad thing, but isn't that the point of a derailleur hanger? A weak point designed to break in the case of a crash? This potentially saves your frame or mech from needing replaced. The inbuilt UDH SRAM mech is surely going to cost you a new rear mech or frame in the event of something going snap. What am I missing here?
I thought exactly the same. A good derailleur hanger is engineered to be comparatively weak, in order to snap in case of a crash instead of the frame or the derailleur.
I think we need to take some tips from the Dutch about what makes a good commuter bike. Affordability over it looking flashy for flashiness sake, reliability, comfort is a big one (this is why I don’t think road bikes are good commuter bikes because you’re hunched leaning forward for a sporty position of transferring as much power to the pedals to go fast, it’s sporty, you don’t want to arrive at work in clothes damp with sweat and have to waste time changing) so a more upright sitting position is good, ease of maintenance with fewest parts, I agree too with aluminium or steel to keep it simple and something that can take a bit of a beating in our weather and you can still ride it In conclusion, I’d say a Dutch omafiets style bike but one with gears to get us over our more hilly topography compared to the flat Netherlands and the bikes are single speed.
My ultimate commuter bike is a velomobile, the E-WAW from Katanga. I don't have to worry about rain when I'm carrying my work laptop, and I use the electric motor in the mornings when I'm still a bit tired. Despite its 40 kg, it's fast on hilly terrain, as you can carry a lot of speed from one downhill to the next uphill.
I think the ideal commuter bike will depend on many factors, such as whether you bring it indoors to a safe location vs. parked on tje street; whether you do some of the route on public transit or cycle all the way; what the weather is like in your region, etc.
Si didn’t catch Alex out on the mudguards when it’s not raining situation. Mudguards keep you dry from the rain water that’s already on the road. Unless you are wearing the mudguard on your head it’s not going to keep you dry if it’s raining!
Been riding to work 18 years straight, driven about three times, my current opinion is - a bike that is technically similar to the fun bikes so you can replace wear out items at you stand, also a low tier group set is way cheaper. I would do mudguards, for the community spirit, fixed lights and a lock mount, and frankly butyl’s for reliability. If my commute was rural I would still take the gravel bike for sure, but big city is not moving very fast. One thing that I really like for commuting is a sorted bike, fresh drivetrain, brakes, tyres etc, like having a good coffee in the morning.
My commuter bike has always been the bike I already owned. In the 1960s I rode to school on a Raleigh Sports 3-speed utility bike. Only about 4 km to school but we’d ride up to 80 km on the weekend. In the late 1970s when I started work, I rode a second hand lightweight steel road bike - in a suit with business shoes in toe clips! That commute was about 5 km. In the 1990s upgraded to a new Giant steel frame road bike - mostly for recreation although I did a regular 25 km commute for a while in early 2000s. Didn’t regularly commute again until the 2010s - in a new location, where the commute was only 8 km but with 350 m of elevation - that was mostly on an old hard tail mountain bike with road tyres, cos the extra gears made the hill easier. Now retired, still live on the hill - if I were commuting now it would be an e-bike for less sweaty in business attire and easy to carry the groceries on the way home
Everyone's commute needs are so different! The distance and type of roads make a huge difference, as does whether you need to lock up outside, or run errands on your way. For a long, direct road route with no expectation of needing to stop anywhere I might choose the fastest road bike option too. If I had a short commute in a flat place I might choose the simplicity of a single speed. As it is, I love commuting on my steel bikepacking bike as it feels like butter over bumpy city streets, it's made to ride all day so I usually arrive at work feeling like I've barely begun (which is sometimes a problem as some days I'd like to just keep riding!), and I can throw lots of groceries or other shopping on it anytime.
Definitely we have a variety of commutes and preferences. I sometimes feel like riding all day as well. Fortunately after work I can take a longer route if I wish and I also go riding on weekends. It's great to pick up shopping on the way home too.
My commute to work is about 22,5 km single way and basicly I plan to ride it until salt is on the road. I got a gravelbike with 40mm tires, a pannier rack, the ortlieb light one, and an ortlieb pannier 26 liter that converts into a backpack. I need to take my shower stuff, clean clothes and some food with me, and also a laptop! wearing this on your back for close to an hour feels like hell
Mudguards with enough clearance for snow, single speed with a chain case, marathon plus tyres. In winter, two lights on the front, two lights on the back. Bell.
Discs work so much better for commuting... I wouldn't go back. They are more consistent in the wet as the braking surfaces are up away from puddles, but the main reason is that it's cleaner! The grey black dust of abraded pads and rims is horrible to clean and quickly covers the reflective strips on many commuter tires.
Been bike commuting for 18 years. The best bike to commute in is the one you like to ride and that no one wants to steal. Had an old aluminum Schwinn for several years that I used but didn't really like. Swapped it out for an old steel Trek mtn bike and it honestly improved my commute quite a bit just in having a better bike to ride. IHere in the US mid-west the winter weather destroys drive chains so I switched to a single speed and love it.
I used to have a light single speed for commuting. It was fun to ride and cheap enough that it wasn’t likely to get stolen. Advantage of keeping it outside was I didn’t have to haul it up stairs so I could just jump on it for errands, and being a cheap bike I wasn’t too worried about it corroding from the weather. It must have lasted about 4 years before I gave it away. Not bad for about 200 quid. I did add an ass saver for wet days and that did the trick
The discussion on what is a commuter bike was interesting. In a previous job I cycle commuted to work. I started off just using a messenger bag which I found slipped around too much. Then decided to add panniers and mud guards. The pannier was great. My initial fear of being weighed down on one side proved unfounded. But I did find the mudguards created too much drag. Congratulation pannier rack survived. Mudguards didn’t. As your video concluded it is all about finding what’s best for you and your specific needs.
Mud guards add close to nothing if full length, correct size and installed close enough. Panniers add huge amount of surface area, handlebar bag or even a backbag is better aerowise. And so is 10l saddlebag but that can be an improvement always.
I, much like Simon, bike to work on the bikes I truly enjoy riding on and use for weekend rides as well, unless there is salt on the road due to winter conditions (got to protect the components). In the good weather I use my road bike: Cube Litening Pro C:68 from 2016. I commute 42km total in Denmark and when the weather gets rough and rainy, I switch to my Canyon XC racer with MTB style mudguards. Through winter I have my all-round customized GIANT roam from 2019 with a Shimano Sora 3x9 group set & fenders. Enjoy commuting to work everyone! :) FYI I have secure and safe bicycle storage at my workplace.
I’ve ridden several commuting bikes. A lovely fixed gear Mercian with mudguards, an old rigid steel MTB with chunky slicks and a rack. On nice days, one of my favourite road bikes. I’m a sweaty sort, so never liked a bag on my back, but I got good at fitting everything into a baggy old Carradice saddlebag. Only when I found myself needing to carry a laptop every day did it necessitate changing to a pannier and rack. I loved it all, riding in all weathers, dawns and dusks, the wildlife, especially the bridge over the motorway where I got to watch them all queueing beneath me. 😂 Although I mostly used rim brakes, I agree that discs are the way to go now. But, what about drum brakes? Could they be perfect for all weather commuting? I retired before getting a chance to investigate properly. Is anything decent available? Drum brakes, dynamo, hub gears, belt drive. How much can be hidden away? I agree with Si though, I wouldn’t want to pursue ultimate utility so far that the joy of a simple, nimble, lightweight bike is lost.
mudgards, belt drive with single or multiple speed hub, disc brakes, bars as you like. The reason for this choice is to not to bother to protect your trousers and also for low maintenance. I used to go to work for 14 years and that would really help with endurance like 2 years day to day cycling with minimal care.
On the subject of bike sizing, given that saddle height is way more adjustable than the reach from saddle to bars it seems unfortunate that frame sizes traditionally quote the seat tube length rather than the top tube length
I used to commute on my road bike with a backpack. Then I got a large saddle pack and that was better. Then I tried taking my gravel bike and that was even more of an improvement. But what really did it was a gravel ebike. I was able to pack on a pannier rack and fenders, load it up, and get to work 8-10 minutes faster than my road bike without doing as much work and getting all sweaty. So to me, an ebike makes the perfect commuter bike. Load weight and headwinds aren't even a factor.
My 11 hilly mile commute is a mix of rough tarmac and a cycle lanes.Qaulity Hybrid with mud guards and lights, every ride is a training ride, and mudguards protect the bike not just my backside.
I relate so much to Si on this. I either ride my nice road bike or my gravel bike on my commute (about 11 miles each way). I have a large saddle bag I can use for my clothes, though I often use a backpack. I enjoy my commute and will often add miles after work or go straight to a group ride. I'm lucky in that I can keep my bike in my office, but I would not enjoy commuting on a bike that I don't love riding.
I commuted (retired now) on my Cannondale CAAD 9 (aluminum) cyclocross bike with rim brakes. My commute was a bit like cyclocross course with potholes, gravel, singletrack and car obstacles. Mudguards when I needed them, and by December I put on Schwalbe studded winter marathon tires that stayed on until Spring (Canada eh,).
Would like to see a longrange commuter episode for all us folks in the countryside that are 50 miles from the office and have to carry all their gear in daily.
My commute is about 25 km each way, and mostly flat. So for me the ideal commuting bike is a Fixed Gear road bike with flat handlebars. Because 1- fast enough to get me to work fairly quickly, 2- fun to ride so I get to work in a good mood, 3- it is a very reliable and durable bike, 4- I can slow down by slowing my pedling instead of wearing down the braking surface on my rims.
Have an old steel frame Cyclepro, "All terrain". Used hard surface friendly tires, fenders/mud guards,, Rack and panniers, and lights. Also my errand bike. Pack the panniers.
I have several bikes but commute on my trek fx 2 with rack,panniers ,front and back light. Perfect for it since I ride a mix of roads and trails.been doing bike to work day (BTWD),for over 20 years
I think my ultimate commute bike is a Speed Pedelec. You can ride fast and effortlessly. It's a great way to still enjoy the ride as a road rider without arriving at the office all sweaty.
Secondhand € 50 Dutch style bike: upright, mudguards, roller brakes, dynamo lights. Low price because if/when it gets stolen it doesn't matter too much. 😉
My commuting setup is pretty similar to Si's. It's either a Brompton to the train station (mine is an M6L, I've owned it since 2008 I think, when it replaced an M3L, or whatever it was called back then) or gravel. Gravel is Canyon Grail AL, with a framebag for the change of clothes - though recently I switched to having several sets at work, having discovered we have a washing machine in the office. This gravel route consists of about 10k of actual gravel and 20k of tarmac, and Grail excels at both, as far as I'm concerned. A road option does not exist - road cycling here is for those having a death wish, in the last 2 months alone 2 people were killed while riding their bikes on a shared road.
Cycling to work is great. You just need to have a rack and a crate I guess if you would bring your laptop to work. Also have a raincoat and some tools just in case you get a flat tire. Also. I want to know what is your bike commute setup? What to wear during commute. And bring your work clothes too. Just make sure that your equipment won't get wet
Honestly when I lived in a bike commuting city, I never needed tools for a flat. Always within a short walk's distance to a bike shop, or bus stop to get to one! Once I popped my chain off and was having trouble getting it back on, and a guy half a block away was repairing bikes in his van - got help on the side of the road, just being there. Nowadays basic tools are more necessary (less good of a city) Rain gear though? I don't go without it on a commuter.
@@Frostbiker I think the only time her rear wheel has come off was when she got her tires replaced. So infrequent that the commuter can have a rear rack, without worry for me. But yeah, if you were taking it off a lot, then yeah, rear rack would be annoying.
In this country if it doesn't have full mudguards it's beyond useless. Hardshell tyres, ideally tubeless because cities are strewn with broken glass. Commuters get absolutely filthy with oily grime so a singlespeed or hub gear helps, and ideally with a full chainguard or dry belt drive to remove the risk of staining your trousers with chain lube and any crap it's picked up along the way. Finally, a decent D-lock and sturdy frame mount so that you always have a lock with your bike; Even if you have a secure bike store at work, you will inevitably stop at shops, pubs, restaurants that necessitate locking your bike in public.
The alternative is to ride something that *isn't* the ultimate commuting bike and just suck it up. Change of clothes and a towel, expect more punctures, know that your transmission will get disgusting and high-wear fast because you will probably *not* be washing and re-lubricating your filthy wet road-grime coated bike on arrival at work, you're going to let it sit there, soaking wet, letting all that water and grit penetrate deep into every chainlink and bearing on the bike.
The perfect commuter bike for myself was an Aluminum single speed (2013 Specialized Langster Custom), heavily modified for weight reduction (7,64 kg (16.84 lbs)), commuted 40-miles/day (to and from) for a full year, and the bullet proof ease of a single speed just made it make sense. Drop bars, only a front rim brake, 48/16 gearing, velocity rear, soul 3.0 front wheel, Michelin Pro3s, fizik saddle, she is quite the nimble and speedy little machine. Sadly, I work from home now, so, she mostly awaits her turn on the wall hanger for the occassion weekend romp.
Personally like using the gravel bike for my commute, because I feel a little more confident if I have to cut through a park or have to ride on some rough roads. Also use hybrid flat/spd pedals so I can clip in to ride for a workout or just use the flats in casual shoes for a commute.
Is a waxed chain really that much more time consuming? I find that my bike is now always very clean with only a minimal amount of rinse and wipe down after each ride. No degreaser and scrubbing. Have you thought about doing a video comparing the total amount of time it takes to setup and maintain a bike with waxed chains versus how much cleaning it takes to keep an "oiled" drivetrain bike in good condition?
2:30-3 mins in Alex's face when Si says he just won't use mudguards.... He is either wondering if he can kick him off the show, or it is just "does not compute" 🤣
I have a Focus Paralane to commute to work. It has mudguards which is nice when it's wet, and you can use it on most gravel roads as long as it is dry, otherwise you don't have any grip. It has a carbon frame and 105 group set and 28mm tires, but there is clearance for a bit more. The newer versions can fit 35 mm tires. And in retrospect it was quite a bargain, I paid 1800 euros, now a bike with the same specs is 1000 euros more.
Re: the bike vault “shall we relax the rules and go with our hearts”: YES PLEASE! Every week!! The nit picking isn’t really in the spirit of how bike vault started
Drop bars, mudguards, rack+ panniers, hyb dynamo lights and preferrably tyres with at least some degree of puncture resistance, especially if the commute involves riding in build-up areas (glass!).
Aluminium frame, mid-cheap gear set (Tiagra/Deore sets shrug off winter abuse), straight bars, hydraulic brakes, 32mm tyres on the road or 54mm (2") and front suspension if using the canal trails. No mudguards or pannier rack, I wear cheap waterproof over trousers when it's wet.
I use a 10 year old road bike for my commute. It has an Al frame. I have put 30mm tyres on it and it does me fine. ( total commute of 25km with some decent hills but gladly not much traffic). I keep a carbon road bike for weekends. Works for me.
@@kiuk_kiks As I think about it, Pinarello could revive one of their steel frames and make a commuter called the Dawg Ma. Whachoo ridin? I got me a Dawg. And I'd imagine myself riding in the draft of a Vespa in Rome traffic. 😀
@@robbchastain3036 As an urban cyclist, riding the draft of cars is too dangerous unless you’re very familiar with the road/ route and you have your fingers on the brake levers the whole time.
@@kiuk_kiks Not going to argue with that, just that I got to be an American teen in Frankfurt, West Germany in the '70s and for three years all I knew to do was ride my Rixie 10-speed fast through city streets en route to school or wherever. And I knew Germans were big bike-racing fans, so I figured they'd have no problem with my drafting them on my bike, whether they were driving a Benz or zippy Kreidler moped. And they didn't and it was great and it wasn't rude about it, just slipped into a draft when I could and got back to the side when traffic dictated. And I returned the favor when a German woman slammed into me from behind and she was driving way too fast and she got the business from a U.S. Army colonel who threw open his window and bellowed from above at her and I was surprised he was looking out for me, just a long-haired teen on a bike on a summer day. But, ha, I did feel bad for the lady, he was smokin' mad about her hitting me, but thankfully I had sailed into the grass and tumbled to a safe stop and she did pay for a new frame and I was mellow about it all, Benz drivers were my friends. And when I got hit, I was practicing for a bike race a week later and my brother let me use his 10-speed and woohoo, I won that race sponsored by the USO and 7-Up. And I won a Peugeot city bike, one I sold to a neighbor at a great price. And I liked that bike, just that I was 15 and too fast for a regular bike. Or at least that's what I thought, lol. 😀
Rainy day, busy bike commuting routes: the most unpopular person is the one without mud guards - someone usually oblivious to how they're spraying water and grit on people riding behind them.
The best commuter bike is a bike designed for city riding: a traditional Dutch bike. Chaincase, frame lock, kickstand, mudguards, IGH, coaster/drum brakes, high swept back handlebars, dynamo lighting, front and rear carriers (can even go for a basket) and ideally looks like a bit of a banger for bonus theft deterrence. This is the actual correct answer, you're not really taking the question seriously otherwise xD
Funny to see this video as a Norwegian. I use 2 bikes here in Oslo, gravel bike for spring, summer and autumn. In the winter it's a MTB with studded tires. Disc breakes is a must, same with gears, minimum 11 gear for all the hills we have. And yes winterbiking is really expensive because of the salt used on the roads. Maintenance are really important so you need facilities at work to wash your bike.
My commuter bike, a Cinelli Vigorelli road. Steel frame, criterium geometry, more robust than my Carbon bike, and better to manoeuvre around the city centre streets. Oh, and my return route involves 220 meters of elevation gain over 5 km
I own two bikes: a Sworks Diverge and an Orox R14. I would rather commute on the Orox, but both would work. It has a kickstand, panniers, and mudguards.
Yes to commuting by bicycle. I've done it for decades. I totally agree with getting a bike you want to ride. It may be something super-easy, super-comfortable, and low maintenance (think wide tires, upright bars, panniers, and a Pinion gearbox). Others, like me, may want something that allows for the commute to be a training ride. When I was living in rainy Seattle I rode a Specialized Roubaix with Crud mudguards (very thin and light) and used a backpack for my laptop and clothing. I did try this without mudguards. It wasn't too bad when it was in the drizzling to light-rain range. However, when it was really coming down I was miserable. From my experience, disk brakes are essential if you do a lot of riding in the rain. Your rims will not last long otherwise.
I have a steel single speed cyclocross bike with disc brakes that I converted to flat bars and installed permanent fenders. Perfect for commuting, a workhorse.
I dont have room for more than one bike, however I have got two, I have one as a personal for me bike, and as I dont like racing and against the watch performance stuff is an old decent consumer level mountain bike that will go anywhere, that I am happy to peddle, Quiet roads, tow path on the local canal, peak district gavel, whatever its for me, it will commute but I use it for fun and fitness for the most part. My other bike is a Tern pedelectric folder, This is for business, when I need to get some place and get back with stuff, I am happy on roads because stuff like uphill lane changing and steep junctions are way easier and less stressful, riding back after a days digging the allotments is a breeze, just turn up the assist stick all the gubbins in the trailer, The Tern is no Brompton,(or even close) but it will fold and hide in the corner in the shed and even tired I am happy to ride it someplace to get a crate of beer. Sum it up one bike for me, for leisure one for commute.
Awesome video GCN,you touched so many topics with cycling to work especially cycling to work as i enjoy it every day and it keeps me really fit and healthy.Safe commuting GCN crew.
I feel like Simon’s mask slipped here and he went full bike nerd. This sounds more like a passionate rant down the pub after 4 pints than a polished GCN presenter. I’m here for it, more unhinged Simon rants please! 😂
I have several bikes, a couple of Gravel bikes, a mountain bike and a Brompton. Hands down, every time I'll reach for the Brompton for a local commute. I never need to take a lock or be concerned about it getting nicked. It's faster than most people think and actually has a big bike feel, if a little twitchier which I love because it has a bit of an old school bmx feel that puts a smile on your face. Finally the'ye quirky, unique and dare I say it, pretty cool. They're also bomb proof and will take quite a battering. Finally the simple ability to fold it, placing it under a coffee table or desk so it's never in the way, just walk it right into your office. Brompton all the way for me.
