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08-17-16 | 07:58 AM

#16

Jim from Boston

Senior Member

Joined: May 2008

Posts: 7,381

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Quote:

Originally Posted by PaulMcCormack

…I'm looking for a new commuter bike, I'm leaning torwards a hybrid or a singlespeed. I have a budget of 500 pounds andi'm looking for something that is light and comfortable - something like alower priced canyon roadlite. It should be suitable for riding around suburban and city areas and must be suitable for all weather types. Anysuggestions?

Quote:

Originally Posted by wphamilton

People tend to suggest what they like,reflective of their own situations, predilections and experience, which may ormay not have any bearing on your bike commuting. Which is why 10 Wheels advice is solid - not just the test ride but you'll be talking with the(hopefully) experienced people there and narrowing down your choices.

The only general advice I could give at this point is to select the kind of bike that you'll like to ride, that you will ride. A commute is just a bike ride and all of the refinements that we like are really secondary. I suggest approaching it from that angle.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ItsJustMe

I bought a hybrid as my first bike and rode it for 10 years. It's a good all 'rounder, they'll do most anything, though as they say, jack of all trades, master of none

Quote:

Originally Posted by ItsJustMe

Quote:

Originally Posted by ItsJustMe

. It'll get you around. You can refit it for all sorts of uses, put on 28s at high pressure and roll pretty fast, put on up to maybe 45s with nobbies if you needto roll on grass and gravel.

If you wind up not sticking with it, you're not out much and still have a nice utility bike that you don't have to be terrified to leave locked on the street.If you do, it'll teach you what you want on a bike and what's important to you, and make you more qualified to take a test ride when you decide to upgrade.

I think long run the money put into a hybrid is a good investment in learning.

I’m a fussy, decades-long, year-round commuter of a minimum 14 miles in Boston, and a generic road cyclist. My preferred commuter bike is a high end carbon fiber road bike with 25C tires, with a heavy-duty beater Cannondale Mountain bike for inclement weather. FWIW, I just bought a Specialized Diverge Elite Road Bike,with fenders, rack with trunk bag, computer, clipless pedals, disc brakes and30 C tires for about $900 (US). The Cannondale will then be reserved for winter riding with studded tires.

I don’t do mountain biking, but I think this bike will be a good compromise for riding in inclement / inhospitable urban commuting as well as on unpaved roads, and it was a good deal (MSRP $1400).

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