best commuter bike?

[joanna]

I've been riding a second-hand Ridgeback Tempest for 2 years now for my 20 mile round trip to work, and although I've got on well with it, I am looking to upgrade to a more suitable commuter bike. Does anyone have a bike that they find particularly good for a long commute?

I'd love to hear your recommendations!

I don't think I need a female specific bike, but would be interested to hear of any women who have them and if they do make a difference...

Thanks!

 

[HJ]

The short answer is one that you are comfortable on. As to whether you need female specific bike, that really depends on you shape, many women find they can quite easily adapt a standard bike to fit them by moving the saddle on the rails and changing the length of the stem, etc ...

Depending on how much you want to spend, you might want to get your self measured up at a LBS that does bike fitting, it cost about £35 and the LBS will usually knock this off the cost of the bike if you subsequently buy it from them.

 

[Scoosh]

Equally, to a certain extent it depends on your commute:

- are you on reasonably-surfaced roads/off-road trails/cycle paths or any combination
- do you need to be upright to see over traffic/don't mind being lower down
- do you have a need for speed
- how much stuff are you carrying (do you need rack/panniers)
- are there changing facilities at work (if you get a bit hot )
- how much do you have to spend (NB not how much do you WANT to spend )
- is there a cycle-to-work scheme available
- do you plan on taking the 'long way home' once you really start to enjoy it

I'm not necessarily seeking the answers posted here but they may give you some questions to ask yourself, which will have a bearing on your decision.

HTH

AND ....


edit: Have you done a search for this on the forum ???

 

[yashicamat]

Maybe I over-egg things a bit, but I find my touring bike excellent for commuting on (Surly LHT). Comfortable and I can bolt on one or two panniers if needs be to carry food, spare clothes, shoes etc., plus fitting full SKS mudguards means that I keep virtually splash free too. OK, it's not a racing bike, but I cycle to work in my (cheaper) suit trousers, so the comfy characteristics are more my priorities than shaving off 1mph averages on the uphills.