Which bike for commuting?

[Twizit]

As others have noted above, you can turn anything into a decent commute bike really.

For what it's worth I've moved to hydraulic discs on all my bikes over time and wouldn't swap back now, but they are by no means essential for commuting. V low maintenance in my experience (compared to the one bike I had with cable discs that were a real pain to keep aligned).

Currently use a gravel bike and swap out wheel sets as needed for road / more serious off-road (I do have v secure storage both ends of my commute though). Would highly recommend Schwalbe G-One All Round tyres for commuting, 35mm. Roll really well on road and can handle a surprising amount off-road should you choose.

 

[Andy in Germany]

Would highly recommend Schwalbe G-One All Round tyres for commuting, 35mm. Roll really well on road and can handle a surprising amount off-road should you choose.

This is a good point; appropriate tyres are as important as the bike itself

 

[froze]

You are correct about the disk brakes being much more expensive to maintain, not to mention to buy on a bike. Rim brakes are actually disk brakes, the rim is the rotor, and the pads are the, well, pads. With rim brakes you need to get pads that excel at stopping with wet rims, most factory stock pads do not work that good when the rim is wet.

Pads like the SwissStop FlashPro BXP Blue, or Kool Stop Salmon are excellent in the rain with AL rims and rim brakes.

 

[freiston]

The current Triban 520 is disc braked and the asking price is £900. I don't know how the spec and weight of your older 520 compares but I would think that upgrading to a lighter bike with discs on a budget of £750-800 would be nigh on impossible without going second hand.

Going lighter is always expensive and it's highly overrated imho, especially for commuting and leisurely days out. It only makes a difference accelerating/setting off and going uphill. You need to take into account the weight reduction on the whole package ( an 11kg bike might sound a lot lighter than 12kg bike - c. 8% lighter - but when you factor in, for argument's sake, 85 additional kg of rider and luggage & water bottle, the percentage reduction isn't so great - c. 1%)

What is it about your current bike that you feel you want to upgrade/improve on other than weight and disc braking? Do you want drop or straight/alt bars? Could you achieve your goal by upgrading components on your current bike?

 

[vickster]

Do you want drop or straight/alt bars?

The OP says hybrid, so would assume flat bars

 

[T4tomo]

You are correct about the disk brakes being much more expensive to maintain, not to mention to buy on a bike. Rim brakes are actually disk brakes, the rim is the rotor, and the pads are the, well, pads. With rim brakes you need to get pads that excel at stopping with wet rims, most factory stock pads do not work that good when the rim is wet.

Pads like the SwissStop FlashPro BXP Blue, or Kool Stop Salmon are excellent in the rain with AL rims and rim brakes.

Well, in my experience, a set of Swiss stops or Kool stops are more expensive than a set of disc pads, and the maintenance on each is relatively minimal....

With the right pads, both "types" work pretty much equally well. The grip of the tyre on the road is the limiting factor in braking.

 

[freiston]

I've just took a look at that new disc braked Triban 520 (last time I just checked the price) and it's a very well specced bike for the price - 10.5kg (alu frame), Shimano 105 throughout except for TRP HY/RD brakes and a Microshift cassette.

Working on the assumption (it's all I have to go on) that the current 520 is comparable to the older one that you have (except the brake type), then I think you'd have a very difficult job getting better or lighter than that for the money but it is very much a road bike. If you want a non-drop bar hybrid, I doubt you'll get upgraded or lighter - but it's a different type of bike, and hybrids typically have lower gearing, wider tyres and a much more upright riding position. If these are the features you want, then we're not really talking lighter and upgrade, especially at the specified budget.

You could lower the gearing on your 520. You could even try a flat bar conversion - but that might be a gamble, geometry-wise. You'd still have rim brakes, but with new bars and levers, you could go V-brakes.

This Pinnacle Neon 2 is in budget at £679, has an alu frame, Shimano 105 components and Shimano hydraulic disc brakes. If the cassette is 34T then you have a bottom gear of 1:1 (so about 28/29").

You'd have to buy mudguards and rack separately.

 

[ianrauk]

You are correct about the disk brakes being much more expensive to maintain

I don't think so.
When I was commuting on a rim braked bike I was going through sets of brake pads very few months both front and rear. Disc brakes, I don't even have to change once a year. That's without taking into account wheel rim wear.

 

[fossyant]

I don't think so.
When I was commuting on a rim braked bike I was going through sets of brake pads very few months both front and rear. Disc brakes, I don't even have to change once a year. That's without taking into account wheel rim wear.

I'll echo that. I go through alot of pads in winter and a rear wheel rim every 12 months, a pair every two as front lasts longer due to less crud getting thrown on it.

 

[All uphill]

I've just took a look at that new disc braked Triban 520 (last time I just checked the price) and it's a very well specced bike for the price - 10.5kg (alu frame), Shimano 105 throughout except for TRP HY/RD brakes and a Microshift cassette.

Working on the assumption (it's all I have to go on) that the current 520 is comparable to the older one that you have (except the brake type), then I think you'd have a very difficult job getting better or lighter than that for the money but it is very much a road bike. If you want a non-drop bar hybrid, I doubt you'll get upgraded or lighter - but it's a different type of bike, and hybrids typically have lower gearing, wider tyres and a much more upright riding position. If these are the features you want, then we're not really talking lighter and upgrade, especially at the specified budget.

You could lower the gearing on your 520. You could even try a flat bar conversion - but that might be a gamble, geometry-wise. You'd still have rim brakes, but with new bars and levers, you could go V-brakes.

This Pinnacle Neon 2 is in budget at £679, has an alu frame, Shimano 105 components and Shimano hydraulic disc brakes. If the cassette is 34T then you have a bottom gear of 1:1 (so about 28/29").

You'd have to buy mudguards and rack separately.

That's a lot of bike for the money.

 

[Kingfisher101]

The bikes a crock of s, I had one and was glad to sell it on. One of the worst I've had.
I've steered well clear of decathlon since, but would have a small item of clothing etc. I'd get a decent steel tourer 2nd hand for commuting or a good hybrid with a rack, mudguards etc.

 

[vickster]

The bikes a crock of s, I had one and was glad to sell it on. One of the worst I've had.

That clearly doesn't match the Op's experience based on their post!

 

[Kingfisher101]

That clearly doesn't match the Op's experience based on their post!

Everyone's experiences are different.

 

[freiston]

You could lower the gearing on your 520. You could even try a flat bar conversion - but that might be a gamble, geometry-wise. You'd still have rim brakes, but with new bars and levers, you could go V-brakes.

Silly me - of course you couldn't - not without getting the bosses put on the frame (clearly not worth it). Having cantilevers on my drop-bar bike, I overlooked this important detail.

 

[mickle]

I assembled a pretty good commuter out of a mid nineties Marin Kentfield 'hybrid'. I cost me £35 to buy and (I've probably spent a bit too much time/money changing stuff on it that wasn't entirely necessary! But) what I've ended up with is a profoundly ugly bike which is deeply unattractive to bike stealing scumbags. It's weather proof (full length mudguards), dependable (puncture resistant tyres etc), comfortable, can carry a bunch of stuff (front and rear racks, front basket and a trailer tow hitch). The latest addition of a (second hand) dynamo hub front wheel means I can get on it, start moving and the lights just come on. I never have to worry about batteries running out or losing lights.

The challenge is to buy (or assemble) something which will stand up well to the usual commuting use patterns of neglect, being lashed to lampposts and high mileage in all weather whilst not being so precious that you'd be gutted if you lost it.