recommend a hybrid bike for commuting

[colincliff]

I'm looking to buy a bike through my employers cycle to work scheme. Its for a journey of around 12k each way through london.
I need to buy through evans as that is where our scheme is regsitered. Not looking to spend more than £500-600 on the bike as I need some accessories too.

on option i saw at the local store is this Cannondale Bad Boy 2010 Hybrid Bike but i don't know a great deal about cannondales and i think its fairly low on their range.

another option here: Specialized Sirrus Elite 2011 Hybrid Bike

What do people ride, and any recommendations that you can see on the evans site?

Also on a side note - what are people experience with hub geared bikes?

thanks muchly :-)

[danroyle]

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/...-bike-ec025039

i'd go with something like this. the amount of potholes around you will be thankful for front suspension to soak some of them up spare your wrists

personally if that was the sort of bike i rode i'd buy this scott
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/...-bike-ec025468

again it has basic front suspension which you will be gratful for. Obviously suspension adds a couple of Kilos to the bike but thats not much

There isnt much between the two but i prefer scott myself had a couple of scotts in the past and they were nice.

[b0redom]

If you're commuting rather than riding trails, front suspension is a really bad idea. I strated doing the sort of distance you're looking at on an old steel framed mountain bike with nobbly tyres. That was painful, I then went to this:

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/...ery=trek%207.2

Before finally settling on:

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/...query=tricross

For a 14 mile or so each way commute (Shepperton to Hammersmith)

Really the only way you can decide is a test ride. The Tricross had better gearing than the Trek - both were good for hills etc, but the highest gear on the Tricross will let you still accelerate at ~ 25mph, whereas the Trek tops out at about 20mph.

What you need to remember, however, is that:

slightly cheaper bike + decent clothing > expensive bike + no proper clothing

You can get combat style shorts with buit in padding, or proper cycling shorts and jerseys. Either is preferable to standard shorts and t-shirt over the distance you're looking at. Wander down to your local cycle shop and try some stuff on.

Don't forget you need to factor in mudguards, decent lights, if you're spending that kind of money, a decent lock, and a cycle computer.

[The_Wheelhouse]

Get down to Lidl early on Monday for your cycling accessories, personally i would get the helmet, shorts, track pump, the tool kit, gloves and bike hoist.

For your lights the first 4 smart lights are a good buy

As you're in London the bikes danroyle mentioned are probably not worth it as the suspension tends to bounce up and down on the road and you lose energy, if you go with one with front suspension then make sure it has a lockout.

[chrestomanci]

I am currently commuting daily on a Cannondale Bad boy. Mine is a 2001 model, but it is remarkably similar in spec to the one you linked to. I relay like it, to me it feels like it is always urging me to go faster. It is also very light. It is as stiff a a board though, so if you have not learnt to avoid road irregularities, and absorb bumps you can't avoid in your arms and legs you would suffer. You don't want suspension on a commuter at least not the cheap suspension you can afford on your budget, as it will just bounce you around and soak up energy without adding to comfort. It is also a magnet for thieves.

As The_Wheelhouse said, get yourself down to Lidl and buy some accessories. Unfortunately you won't be able to claim the cost on the cycle to work scheme, but Lidl cycling stuff is so cheap it will still be better value than paying full price in Evans and paying for it through cycle to work.

You will need mudguards on your commuter bike. At the moment you can kind of get away with it and rely on luck most of the time, but come next winter you will get wet regularly without them.

How good is the security at either end of your commute? Do you have somewhere indoors to park your bike at both ends? If not you should be looking for a good lock. I currently use a Kyptonyte New-York 3000 lock. (RRP about £80, I got mine online for £45). Unfortunately it is really heavy. If the security situation is really bad you might consider not buying a new bike at all but instead go to a car boot sale and spend £30 on an old and rubbish mountain bike that the thieves will not give a second glance to. (And still lock it up).

If you are not used to cycle commuting already, then you will probably have to think about luggage, Clothing, and how to ride in traffic. Are you already an experienced cycle commuter?

[colincliff]

I was planning to stay away from front suspension as the bike will only be used on the road. A cyclocross bike would probably be ideal but they are all out of my budget. I could push it but I'd have to spend less on clothing etc which as mentioned might not be the best plan - although the specialized tricross is very tempting.

Has anyone ever ridden a Kona Cycle? Don't know much about them but have read a few good things recently. http://www.evanscycles.com/products/...-bike-ec026521

Edit: sorry crestomanci, only just noticed your post. I'm not an experianced cycle commuter, I'm used to doing shorter distances but will definitely need to get used to driving in traffic. My office has a secure bike store in the courtyard. I'll need a lock but nothing too exciting.

Thanks to the_wheelhouse for the lidl tip, I'll try to get down to lidl on monday to see whats left.

[TheAnimus]

Currently I'm doing 10 miles each way, from north london to the city.

I use a genesis day 2 hybrid, which has carbon forks. I wish I'd gone fully carbon but hey ho!

First off you'll want the amour tires, with Kevlar in the middle, budget for that! The holoway road is full of nasty things to puncture tires, as is part of upperstreet too. This is only going to get worse as people cut back on street cleaning.

Someone told me once that you loose more energy with the gears than any other part of the bike, I really believe them, as such I'd really recommend making sure whatever you get has a good gear set.

But don't forget lock budget, desptie having a good safe area at work I've known people who still have had em nicked. Currently I use a kryptonite new york forgedaboutit lock and a bulldog mini for the front.

[chrestomanci]

Agree with TheAnimus, you should think about how to make your tires puncture proof, Kevlar belted tires are one way, another is to use inner tubes with sealant in them. Of course the best option is to use both.

If you do decide to buy new tires, then go for touring tires with reflective sidewalls as well, as that will make you more visible to cars at night. I recommend you look at Schwalbe Marathon or the Marathon Plus which also has a foam layer. Be aware that you won't be able to fit touring tires to a racing bike as there usually won't be enough frame clearance for anything but the most skinny racing tires. You should have no problem on a hybrid or mountain bike.

Having said that, think about how often your are likely to get a puncture, and what the consequences would be if you did. For myself, I decided that if I did get a puncture, I would just lock my bike to the next lamp post, walk the rest of the way, and be half an hour late. On that basis I decided that there was no need to carry the tools I would need to fix a puncture, or worry excessively about having puncture proof tires. So far in a year of commuting by bike I have not had a puncture.

It sounds like TheAnimus has a very nice bike, however I think you need to be careful and not get too nice a bike. The problem is that if your bike is very nice, you become paranoid about theft, so you end up buying lots of locks to keep it safe. Those locks cost a lot, and weigh you down so you loose the weight savings of having a light bike. Sometimes it is better to buy something cheaper that does not look to fancy, and have more peace of mind.

[The_Wheelhouse]

I'm not an experianced cycle commuter, I'm used to doing shorter distances but will definitely need to get used to driving in traffic.

You should probably read this.

What ever happens do NOT go up the inside of a Lorry etc at a junction where traffic is stationary. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12fMT...el_video_title

[DavidM]

Personally I'd love one of these:

http://newslite.tv/2011/03/11/screwd...cle-desig.html

[chrestomanci]

You should probably read this.

What ever happens do NOT go up the inside of a Lorry etc at a junction where traffic is stationary.

There is a lot of good advice in that document.

I was going to write a load of advice myself, but having read the CTC guide to commuting, I don't think I need to.

You have picked a good time of year to start commuting. Assuming Evans and your employer take the usual 6 weeks or so to sort things out, you should have your bike by late April, just as the weather is getting nice and warm, and there is plenty of daylight. You will then have the whole summer to get used to commuting by bike before winter sets in, and need more determination better clothing and lights to cycle in the the cold and dark.

Also, you should join the CTC. It is only £25 per year or so, and that gets you free insurance and legal cover if you do have an accident as well as access to forums full of advice that will be far better than you are likely to read on the Hexus forums.

[The_Wheelhouse]

The is also an alternative to CTC which might be worth considering IAM

Also if your commute is not hilly it may be worth considering a single speed bike