The ultimate commuter bike

[benb]

I am getting a new bike this year. I had my heart set on a Genesis Croix de Fer, but recently I've been re-evaluating.
I spend the vast majority of my cycling on my work commute. So I'm wondering if I would be better off spending my money on an ultimate low maintenance commuter bike instead.

I'm thinking:
Hub gears (the new 11 speed Shimano would be nice)
Belt drive or enclosed chain
Disc brakes
Automatic dynamo lighting (I read about a bike with light sensors that switched the lights on automatically - can't find it now)
Guards and racks
Comfortable saddle
Ideal frame would be Ti for anti-corrosion, but flexible on this

The Trek Soho DLX ticks a lot of the boxes, apart from it's an 8 speed (that would probably be OK), and doesn't seem to have dynamo lights.

But what do you all think? Pure commuter bike or Genesis?
Any other ideas on commuter bikes that match my wish list?

 

[anyuser]

Cube Hooper pro may be worth considering.

 

[adds21]

I had exactly the same conversion with a friend only yesterday.

We were looking at the Charge Mixer. Lovely looking bike IMO, and they do an 8 or 11 speed.

 

[ianrauk]

There seem's to be an upsurge in cycling commuters with Genesis bikes recently. Have noticed a few recently on my commute. Gaz rides a Genesis hub geared (Alpine is it?) so they can't be all that bad imo.

 

[corshamjim]

It depends what you mean by 'ultimate' and how far your commute is.

For ultimate low-maintenance my current best pick would be the Velorbis Scrap Deluxe

http://www.velorbis.co.uk/classic-v...les/velorbis-scrap-deluxe-gents-balloon-cycle

There seem to be a choice of various hub gear options, and it has dynamo lights. Granted it wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea though.

 

[benb]

The Cube and Charge are both lovely looking bikes.

 

[benb]

It depends what you mean by 'ultimate' and how far your commute is.

For ultimate low-maintenance my current best pick would be the Velorbis Scrap Deluxe

http://www.velorbis....s-balloon-cycle

There seem to be a choice of various hub gear options, and it has dynamo lights. Granted it wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea though.

I can see the appeal, and it's certainly, er, distinctive.
Not really my style though.

 

[Garz]

I think it was in the C+ mag there was a bike I was impressed with on a review IIRC the kona dew drop. Seemed like the perfect commuter road machine at a reasonable price.

 

[P.H]

How ultimate do you want it? Here's my version, couldn't find anything off the peg that ticked all the boxes and to celebrate 10 years without a car no compromises were made

 

[benb]

Very nice. You ordered all the parts and built it yourself? Got a shopping list of parts handy?

How ultimate do you want it? Here's my version, couldn't find anything off the peg that ticked all the boxes and to celebrate 10 years without a car no compromises were made

 

[P.H]

Well... I already had a Thorn Raven, I always loved the Rohloff hub but the bike was never quite what I wanted, though we did 30,000 miles together over six years so there must have been something there. So, from that I already had; Rohloff hub, Schmidt Dynamo, Supernova E3 lights, Brooks. The frame I had made in China by XACD, loosely based on a Surley LHT, longer top tube as it was always going to be straight bars, slightly less slope on the top tube and Rohloff drop outs, cable routing and eccentric BB shell. Forks and brakes from IRD, Ergon bar ends, Rigida Carbide rims, stronglight cranks, Surly SS chainring, Tubus SS rack, Tortec mudguards, 30mm Marathon Racer tyres, other bits the shiniest I could find to offset the deliberately understated frame

The biggest decision was whether to get disk brakes or not. I'd had carbide rims on the Raven and never had a concern about being able to stop. The advantage of these rims is better wet weather braking, incredibly long life, and they stay clean even in wet weather. Plus I already had the schmidt. Choosing disk brakes is not as clear cut as some would have us believe. I know the pluses are all weather braking that can't be matched by any rim brake, the less mentioned minuses are the need for a more rigid fork, a weaker front wheel due to dish and added complexity. None of which is meant to put anyone off, it took me ages to make my mind up and in the end I may as well have flipped a coin.


http://www.xacd.com.cn/

 

[benb]

Hmm, now you've got me thinking I should build my own!

 

[Saundie]

Perhaps a belt driven single speed could be the ultimate expression of your low maintenance desires? I know hub gears are very reliable, but they're never going to last as long as a single speed. The Trek District is one such example. They also do a District Carbon if you need something that weighs under 7kg.

Please note, I am only semi-serious about the above statement, so please treat it as such

 

[benb]

Perhaps a belt driven single speed could be the ultimate expression of your low maintenance desires? I know hub gears are very reliable, but they're never going to last as long as a single speed. The Trek District is one such example. They also do a District Carbon if you need something that weighs under 7kg.

Please note, I am only semi-serious about the above statement, so please treat it as such

I'm not ready for a SS yet. Looks like a lovely bike though.

 

[vorsprung]

I already have a hub geared, purpose built for commuting bike blog post about it here

http://audaxing.wordpress.com/2010/10/29/commuting-bike/

I also have an Orbea racing bike that I use tor summer commutes. It doesn't matter that it has gears as it rarely gets wet or dirty