Bike for commuting (Single-Speeds)

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M

munchie400

New Member
Hi All,

Having commuted on and off on a second hand Vitus Vee 1 26" for a good few months (8 miles round trip) last year I had trouble with the brakes and tires and packed it in in the run up to Christmas due to the amount of rain we were having.

Was a bit of a struggle on certain parts of the route I took in, very badly maintained cycle paths and so on. The ideal part of having a SS was the low amount of maintenance on it, only having 1 real hill on my commute (half a mile) gave the end of my commutes in the morning a bit of a challenge as well having to really stand on it. I dabbled with the idea of getting a decent geared bike but having seen a few of the below on sale I am now thinking about a SS 29er.

I'm looking to buy something a little better this time round for use from January onwards so have the below picks.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/kona-humu-2...w.hotukdeals.com&utm_term=47868&utm_content=0

http://www.tritoncycles.co.uk/mount...dale-trail-sl-29-ss-mountain-bike-2015-p10345

Thinking the Humu would be better due to the steel frame but anyone with more knowledge have any idea which would be best?

The below has also caught my eye, though since it's a hybrid do you think the tires would be up to scratch for my commute? Around half a mile is on poor foot/cyclepath.

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bik...es-_-PerformanceHorizon-_-drytinder-_-TopLink

Thanks for your help :smile:
 
D

Deleted member 1258

Guest
Have a look at the Genesis, I've got one rigged as a fixed and use it as my winter bike and commuter, I'm very impressed with it.

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/genesis/flyer-2015-singlespeed-bike-ec073930
 
Last edited by a moderator:
al-fresco

al-fresco

Growing older but not up...
Location
Shropshire
The Cannondale with a 33 tooth front and 20t rear looks well over geared. Your Vitus is 42:18 isn't it? Perhaps 29ers need lower gearing but the Cannondale seems very low to me. I can't see the chainring size on the Kona but if it's a steel frame it's likely to be heavy, particularly with that strange double top tube. To me disc brakes on a bike of this class are overkill - V brakes would serve you just as well and be lighter and cheaper. (And, I would have thought, be easier to maintain.)

Personally I wouldn't bother with MTB tyres either. Schwalbe City Jets roll well, are very puncture resistant and the 26" version were just £9 each in Halfords last week.

For the use you describe I'd be inclined to give the Vitus a bit of love and a new set of tyres. (But if you really want to buy a new bike don't let me talk you out of it!)

And yes, I'm sure a hybrid would be fine, bikes are a lot more tolerant of bad surfaces than people seem to think.
 
D

Deleted member 1258

Guest
biggs682 said:
what about the genesis flyer ? @dave r has one i think
Click to expand...

I commuted on it through most of last year, I brought it at the end of February, and now I'm retired its my winter bike, I brought it and converted it to fixed, then added mudguards and a carrier, about a month after I brought it I upgraded the wheels with a set from Planet X, nothing wrong with the standard set but I fancied an upgrade. I've done 2326 miles on it and I've changed the bottom bracket, chain and chainring recently, running an 1/8 chain on the standard 3/32 chainring shortened the life of the chainring substantially. They're lovely bikes, sharp handling, comfortable and nice to ride, I'm very pleased with mine.

20160105_130437.jpg
 
D

Deleted member 1258

Guest
The Pearsons are very nice as well, but they're a bit pricey and burdened with silly names

http://www.pearsoncycles.co.uk/pearson-now-you-see-me-2506.html
 
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