Road bike for commuting, the wrong way to go?

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MattSoutherden
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Joined: Fri Jul 10, 2009 7:22 pm
Location: London

by MattSoutherden

It never starts off that way, Alex. But it always ends up there. ;)

I was generally doing ok on the 'use old/cheap stuff' policy on my commuter until I got a good deal on a NOS Powertap for it. Then I started doing a lot more of my training on it so I wasn't so happy with the shifting of the old battered gruppo, then... etc, etc, etc.
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xnavalav8r
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Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2008 12:09 pm

by xnavalav8r

My ideal commuter would look something like that Salsa, but with belt drive on an Alfine di2 drivetrain.

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joshvoulters
Posts: 40
Joined: Thu Mar 22, 2012 12:29 pm

by joshvoulters

I agree with a lot of other posters - mudguards for sure, reasonably priced and functional groupset (Apex, 105, Veloce, etc.) and room for 25 or 28s.

I commute in London on a cross bike with 25s and mudguards. I also use it as a winter training bike and sometimes take off the mudguards, stick on cx tyres and ride a bit of cross. It's perfectly fit for purpose, versatile and didn't break the bank.

Devon
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Joined: Fri Apr 12, 2013 1:19 pm
Location: Sydney, Australia

by Devon

Exactly as above in my eyes. I have a ridiculously short 7km commute and jsut use my winter bike with bottom grade Campag and 23mm Gp4000s. For commuting I really don't see the need for fancy parts or equipment or a special bike. just ride a cheap basic road bike.

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veganeric
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Joined: Sat Dec 11, 2010 2:25 am
Location: MN

by veganeric

djconnel wrote:Wow -- that's remarkably like the Salsa Vaya, which came earlier, although the "build kit" on the Salsa is SRAM Apex, which I view as substantially preferable to the Shimano Sora on the Trek. Apex is a race-worthy group, while Sora....


Agreed, but the Salsa is $630 US more, or $800 for the 2300 equipped version of the Trek, not an apples to apples comparison. The reason I prefer the Trek (and I'm NOT a Trek fan generally), is it is an Al frame with a carbon fork vs. the Salsa's steel frame and fork. Nothing wrong with steel...unless your roads are salted. I'm not sure if London uses salt on their roads or not, or if Schisms plans to ride in the winter at all, so that may not be an issue for him.

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roadytracky
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Joined: Fri Sep 21, 2012 3:58 am
Location: Southern California

by roadytracky

CAAD10 would be great for commuting. I'm currently using my Felt F75 that I was racing on just last fall for my 26 mile round-trip commute. All I did was throw on some old 3 cross Mavic OpenPros with 700X23c tires, a couple lights, and a rear rack that clamps on the seatpost with a quick-release. Clothes and shoes fit in a bag on top of the rack. I'm able to use my speedplays and cleated-road shoes as usual. I mix it up with other riders on the way home which I wouldn't be able to do on a hybrid. I don't ride in the rain so I don't know about fenders, but I currently way 195lb., and have had no issues with durability.

sigismond0
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Joined: Tue Feb 05, 2013 8:29 pm

by sigismond0

I do a 27 mile commute on a bog-standard road bike, and it's a dream. (And by bog-standard, I mean built from scratch. Steel frame, Microshift/105 mix, generic components elsewhere.) For my money, you don't need a "commuter" bike unless you can't use a proper road bike for whatever reason--uncomfortable geometry, non-paved trails, etc.

Any CAAD would be a solid choice, as would a good steel frame. Just make sure to put some sturdy tires on, get a set of panniers or decent messenger bag, and you're good to go.

aaric
Posts: 430
Joined: Thu Jun 09, 2011 4:10 pm

by aaric

alexh wrote:Exactly as above in my eyes. I have a ridiculously short 7km commute and jsut use my winter bike with bottom grade Campag and 23mm Gp4000s. For commuting I really don't see the need for fancy parts or equipment or a special bike. just ride a cheap basic road bike.



IMO, you need a more road-ish commuter the longer your commute is. If I had a short commute and trips around town, I'd use a pretty upright bike with full fenders, lights and rack all the time. The longer the commute, the more likely the comfort and utility compromises become worth it for the efficiency gains.

My commute is 23 miles each way, and I ride a full on road bike, and shower at work - but we rarely get rain, and the clip on fenders work well enough.

That being said, my experience with my commute over the last few years would make having a cyclecross bike with fender and light mounts ideal...possibly with a disc brake setup for rain / trail use. I'd also run some tubeless tires with sealant on some sturdy rims to deal with pinhole flats.

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