Advice & Opinions

[Moby Jones]

I popped into my LBS today to have a chat with the owner to see what bikes he would recommend i think about getting. I probably will be using the bike mainly for commuting and nipping into town.
He showed me the following

claudbutler Urban 500 - £430
claudbutler Urban 400 - £390
claudbutler Urban 200 - £290

claudbutler Explorer 100 - £300
claudbutler Explorer 400 - £360

claudbutler Criterium - £350
claudbutler San Remo - £450
claudbutler echelon - £600

Raleigh Airlite one Hundred - £500
Raleigh Airlite two Hundred

Personally i would like to get a road bike but i would am worried it may not fit my needs as a commuting bike and i wouldn't be able to fit a small bag to fit under the saddle???

What are your opinions of the bikes he showed me, do a lot of people use road bikes to commute to work on. I just feel that once i am back on a bike i will want to use it more and more. I am just wary of buying a bike and then finding a few months later i wish i had boought a different type of bike

 

[gbb]

Some of the main questions to ask yourself Moby..
Do you commute far ?
TBF, my commutes (if i take the short option) is only 3 miles, i still use a roadbike. Roadbikes a better option for longer commutes, but still works well for shorter ones.

Will you use the bike all year round ?
Will you need mudguards? roadbikes will only take (generally) raceblades. I choose not to use my good bike (Bianchi) in the depths of winter...i'm not going to spoil it with all the grit n sh1t, even if i did put raceblabes on. So i have to have an old upgraded, mudguarded Raleigh racer for winter commuting (actually, i dont HAVE to
..i choose to)

Do you like to push along on a bike ?
Ive got a Trek hybrid...its kitted up for winter riding, but i hate it...it's just too slow. Barring snow, its a roadbike for me every time.

Small bag under the saddle ?
Do you mean you can only fit a small bag ?...
I have a Topeak bag under mine, tool kit in the top section, spare tubes n bits in the bottom. All other stuff goes in my rucksack. But then a rucksack isn't a brilliant option if your summer commute's long distance...you do get a hot back under them. Panniers may be an option if you've a lot to carry. In that case, something like a tourer may be a better option.

You're right to be concerned about getting the right bike. Follow your instincts. Some years ago i wanted a new bike, i really wanted a roadbike, but at that time they were out of my price range. So i compromised and got the Trek hybrid...and consequently hated it. Maybe 7 years on, ive still got it...and hardly ever really used it.

 

[Moby Jones]

I don't plan to use the bike if the weather is horrible. I may like to fit some type of small mud guards so i don't get too messy if it is raining slightly. I probably would use a packpack regardless of what type of bike i get. Deciding what type of bike to get is stressing me out
My head says to get a hybrid and my heart says get road bike

 

[billy1561]

I have a CB explorer 400 think i paid qround £330 last may. It's a fairly well made bike and reasonably quick although not in the racer class obviously. I use it to commute mostly. Plenty good enough for commuting. If you are thinking of getting a racer in future then maybe you should get one now as it would do the commute too.

 

[vickster]

Quick hybrid like a Specialized Sirrus or a Trek 7.3 / 7.5?

 

[buggi]

My mate has just sold an Claud Butler urban bike and i thought it was a cracking bike. just right for commuting and nipping into town. it's basically a road bike with straight handlebars, if we're talking the same model.

 

[GrasB]

I think you need to sit down & write a list of what you want to do on the bike & what your requirements are, from there you should be able to work out what you should be looking at. If you go for the road bike option then I'd make sure you can use Crud Roadracer guards, these guards in some ways are better than 'normal' full length mudguards.

Don't discount hybrids, there's a broad spectrum of them out there & I'd shop around stores as well as different bike manufactures have different compromises. They go from road bike with flat bars through to little more than MTBs set up for road use. I ride 25-35 miles each way on what is essentially a road bike (Boardman hybrid with a 'TT base bar'), it's quick, aggressive & fast as any road bike. The reason I went for the bike is that it could take standard full length mudguards with clearance for spiked tyres for winter (700x35c) & has disc brakes (I commute in all weather, rain, shine, snow & ice, etc. & disc brakes are less effected by adverse conditions), you'll be starting to see CX bikes with similar clearances & soon they're likely to have disc brakes. The saddle is a pure road race saddle but it'll easily accommodate a medium sized saddle bag that holds a multi-tool, some disposable gloves & 3 inner tubes with room for some serious lights on the seat tub

 

[the snail]

Maybe an "audax" bike, pretty quick but with the possibility of mudguards/rack. If you're carrying stuff I'd avoid the backpack, restricts movement, gives you a sweaty back, and could give you a back injury if you come off.

http://www.wiggle.co...harge-tap-2011/