Bikes For Commuting

[6nny]

Hi all.

I'm looking for some advice on bikes for commuting.

I should start by saying that despite riding a bike several miles almost every day, I don't know that much about the workings and I "get by" when it comes to cleaning/maintaining.

I work approx. eight miles from where I live, and the route is flat most of the way - with only a single, fairly substantial hill in the last few hundred metres before I reach work in the morning.

For the last four years, I've been riding a Carrera Crossfire E. I don't drive at all, and so I ride 365 days a year and in all weathers. I have only ever had issues with the electrical part of the bike, and recently, it has come to light that some of the more hidden-away electrical components have become corroded and it will likely be expensive to fix (I've been told to expect in the region of £500).

I have no intention of paying that much for a repair when a new ebike is only a little over twice that, and now I'm wondering whether an ebike is the way to go at all.

Are the newer ebikes with the battery inside the frame better for all-weather riding? I have been looking at the Carrera Impel im-3 as a possible upgrade to my current Crossfire E, but ideally do not want to be faced with electrical issues again.

Would I be better moving away from ebikes? Are 3-speeds reasonable for commuting? I've been looking at the Boardman URB 8.6. The suggestion of less maintenance does appeal, but although I'm not in bad shape, I do worry it'll be a more physically-taxing journey than I'm used to.

Thanks in advance.

 

[biggs682]

Sorry to hear about your Carrera's issue's
The Boardman looks ideal for your needs , wiil the 3 speed gearing be ok on your route ?
My personal choice would be a well looked after late 80's steel framed MTB with no suspension , you can pick them up cheeply

 

[annedonnelly]

Can you turn off the electric assist on your Crossfire? And try the commute without it? If you can manage that OK you'll be fine with a non-e-bike as will probably be lighter than the Crossfire.

Lots of people do 8 mile commutes on standard bikes. If you got something cheap as @biggs682 suggests you wouldn't have lost much if you found it doesn't suit you.

Oh, and well done, on a 365 days a year commute.

 

[IanSmithCSE]

Good morning,

Given what you say about your cycling experience and your route I wouldn't think that moving away from an ebike would present you a with a problem.

Although the importance of bike weight is often overstated, when talking about large differences it can matter and the Crossfire E is heavy. As you say that you are not in bad shape you may find that the big reduction in weight that ditching the e bit of the bike means that the hill and any inclines are much easier to climb than you think.

The current Crossfire E is advertised as weighing 22.5kg, that's almost 48lbs, a 1970s all steel Raleigh "racer" weighed something like 32lbs. That's over a stone difference in old money and many people would be happy to say If you lose a stone you will feel better when running or riding.

To put this into a modern context Halfords offer the Apollo Paradox for £220 which is a drop bar not a hybrid but will take a rack and that comes in at 12kg (26.5lbs) or the non e Carrera Crossfire Hybrid comes in at 15.4kg (34lbs).

The Urban 8.6 is approximately 11kg (24lbs), that's a whooping 24lbs less than Crossfire E.

Recently I did a 6 month experiment where I only rode an effective 1x7 and found that the wide range did have an effect on speed and being used to 2x8 or more was never totally happy with the restricted choice. That doesn't mean that you wouldn't be happy with just three though.

There is of course the Boardman 8.9 which is more expensive at around £850 which has an 8 speed hub gear.

if you are happy with used then I agree with biggs682 that there is a lot of good stuff that is not selling, especially sensible MTBs or possibly non racer racers if they would be acceptable to you. A quick ebay search, possibly include Reynolds 501/531 as this will exclude most of the junk at the expense of a few good choices may surprise you. The only downside is that you may need to do a bit of tinkering and you say that this is not really your thing.

Bye

Ian

 

[biggs682]

Well said @IanSmithCSE and @annedonnelly

Where are you based @6nny ?

 

[Roseland triker]

Get a nice comfortable trike.

 

[figbat]

Why not have a look at this thread for some inspiration - you’ll see that there’s quite a diverse range of bikes that people commute on.

 

[bonzobanana]

Carrera Crossfire E being hub based is relatively easy to restore to a normal bike. Remove the battery, swop the wheel for a normal 29" disc brake wheel with freehub and remove all other electrical components and you should be able to use it as a standard bike. If you want it lighter still swop the front suspension for rigid forks. The bundle of electrical parts including battery and motor wheel should sell for reasonable money on ebay to finance this conversion with some money on top. I'd probably have the auction starting at £150 and if you get more then so be it.

Saying that £500 sounds like a lot for so called corroded parts. If the battery and motor are still good then perhaps a new controller can be wired in, one that uses a standard cadence sensor rather than the nice while it works torque sensor of the Suntour ebike system. I realise this may be above your comfort and skill level.

You could also just sell the bike as is needing repair, it could fetch a decent price. I'd probably start the auction at £250 and then again whatever you get put towards a standard bike if you have good levels of fitness but ebikes do often mean you arrive at work less sweaty etc.

4 years of commuting on a ebike is excellent, surely a lot of miles and so the battery is showing signs of reduced capacity and could be heading towards failure. I feel you have had excellent value from the bike but have probably had the best of it however as a standard bike there are probably many years left in it.

 

[benb]

If you fancy drops, I highly recommend the London Road. Light, single chain ring, discs, can fit guards and rack. IMO a perfect commuter bike.
They now do a titanium one, which I'm wondering if I can sneak into the garage and pretend I've had it ages.

 

[vickster]

They can be found here https://www.planetx.co.uk/c/q/bikes/road-bikes/commuter-and-urban-bikes

If wanting flat bars and single chain ring in a fast commuter, take a look at the Whyte R7 range

If looking on C2W, there is no need to buy from Halfords if only have access to their scheme, as lots of Local Bike Shops take the vouchers (don't know about Planet X though)

 

[Sixmile]

Hi all.

I'm looking for some advice on bikes for commuting.

I should start by saying that despite riding a bike several miles almost every day, I don't know that much about the workings and I "get by" when it comes to cleaning/maintaining.

I work approx. eight miles from where I live, and the route is flat most of the way - with only a single, fairly substantial hill in the last few hundred metres before I reach work in the morning.

For the last four years, I've been riding a Carrera Crossfire E. I don't drive at all, and so I ride 365 days a year and in all weathers. I have only ever had issues with the electrical part of the bike, and recently, it has come to light that some of the more hidden-away electrical components have become corroded and it will likely be expensive to fix (I've been told to expect in the region of £500).

I have no intention of paying that much for a repair when a new ebike is only a little over twice that, and now I'm wondering whether an ebike is the way to go at all.

Are the newer ebikes with the battery inside the frame better for all-weather riding? I have been looking at the Carrera Impel im-3 as a possible upgrade to my current Crossfire E, but ideally do not want to be faced with electrical issues again.

Would I be better moving away from ebikes? Are 3-speeds reasonable for commuting? I've been looking at the Boardman URB 8.6. The suggestion of less maintenance does appeal, but although I'm not in bad shape, I do worry it'll be a more physically-taxing journey than I'm used to.

Thanks in advance.

I can't comment on the ebike side as my experience with them is limited but I owned a Boardman URB 8.9 (higher spec) and couldn't get rid of it quick enough. I found it a very uncomfortable bike to ride (too aggressive) and thought it may've been because I had ordered a medium even though i was at the top end of the sizing for a M. Due to harsh grinding and internal gremlins in the Alfine Hub, Halfords took the bike back numerous times and couldn't diagnose it - it was beyond any Halfords mechanics ability to open the thing up and service it. So they ditched the bike and ordered me a new one, i got Large this time. That helped with the Alfine issues, although it still clicked badly in 4th and 8th - and it transpires you can't really change gears under any sort of pressure/stress. The bike comfort didn't change, it was just terribly uncomfortable and that from someone who rides a roadie, tandem, fattie and pedalflow so I know about what to expect and what I'd accept comfort wise. The geometry of the frame is so bad that the handlebars scuff the top tube, although to be fair that mark got me £100 off. Thankfully during the first lockdown, a fella came and bought it and rode off happily to his holiday home in Cyprus never to be seen again. I took the money and went and bought a Whyte Portobello with 650b comfy fast tyres, mudguards, disc brakes, mtb geometry and 1x10 gearing and it's night and day between the two.

 

[bonzobanana]

I can't comment on the ebike side as my experience with them is limited but I owned a Boardman URB 8.9 (higher spec) and couldn't get rid of it quick enough. I found it a very uncomfortable bike to ride (too aggressive) and thought it may've been because I had ordered a medium even though i was at the top end of the sizing for a M. Due to harsh grinding and internal gremlins in the Alfine Hub, Halfords took the bike back numerous times and couldn't diagnose it - it was beyond any Halfords mechanics ability to open the thing up and service it. So they ditched the bike and ordered me a new one, i got Large this time. That helped with the Alfine issues, although it still clicked badly in 4th and 8th - and it transpires you can't really change gears under any sort of pressure/stress. The bike comfort didn't change, it was just terribly uncomfortable and that from someone who rides a roadie, tandem, fattie and pedalflow so I know about what to expect and what I'd accept comfort wise. The geometry of the frame is so bad that the handlebars scuff the top tube, although to be fair that mark got me £100 off. Thankfully during the first lockdown, a fella came and bought it and rode off happily to his holiday home in Cyprus never to be seen again. I took the money and went and bought a Whyte Portobello with 650b comfy fast tyres, mudguards, disc brakes, mtb geometry and 1x10 gearing and it's night and day between the two.

I've never owned a Alfine geared hub but have used the very similar Nexus 8 premium and some of the gears can be a bit clicky and you change gears ideally when not pedalling, it only takes a fraction of a second to stop pedalling and then change to the right gear which can be any gear at all you don't have to work up or down sequentially. Gear 5 on the Nexus 8 was the 1:1 gear so the most efficient gear and with the least wear on the mechanism. I bought my nexus bike from Halfords, a Carrera Subway 8 and they were great at adjusting it and its roller brakes but obviously Halfords stores do vary in their skill level but I've never had any issues with the 2 or 3 stores I've used. I don't have any experience of Boardman bikes, I'm not a performance cyclist just a casual cyclist.

 

[vickster]

The OP hasn't been back since the 21 Feb, the day after s/he posted

 

[Sixmile]

I've never owned a Alfine geared hub but have used the very similar Nexus 8 premium and some of the gears can be a bit clicky and you change gears ideally when not pedalling, it only takes a fraction of a second to stop pedalling and then change to the right gear which can be any gear at all you don't have to work up or down sequentially. Gear 5 on the Nexus 8 was the 1:1 gear so the most efficient gear and with the least wear on the mechanism. I bought my nexus bike from Halfords, a Carrera Subway 8 and they were great at adjusting it and its roller brakes but obviously Halfords stores do vary in their skill level but I've never had any issues with the 2 or 3 stores I've used. I don't have any experience of Boardman bikes, I'm not a performance cyclist just a casual cyclist.

I had had no experience of internal hubs prior to the boardman but after numerous attempts to get Halfords to take the constant clicking, grinding and spontaneous gear changes seriously, I took it to an independent bike mechanic for an opinion. He actually took it for a short ride as opposed to Halfords who say their staff do not or cannot do that on a customers bike. Actually before I shifted on the Boardman I had just found and purchased an immaculate second hand Circe Helios Tandem which had Alfine 8 and whilst a little temperamental in 4th & 8th (apparently the only gears where two cogs are used) it ran far smoother probably due to have a few thousand miles on it by the time i got it. It has been 100% in the 2,500 miles we've ridden on it since. I actually think alfine's are perfect for tandem riding when gear changes more often have to be made. The ability to do that while stopped is brilliant.

 

[bonzobanana]

I had had no experience of internal hubs prior to the boardman but after numerous attempts to get Halfords to take the constant clicking, grinding and spontaneous gear changes seriously, I took it to an independent bike mechanic for an opinion. He actually took it for a short ride as opposed to Halfords who say their staff do not or cannot do that on a customers bike. Actually before I shifted on the Boardman I had just found and purchased an immaculate second hand Circe Helios Tandem which had Alfine 8 and whilst a little temperamental in 4th & 8th (apparently the only gears where two cogs are used) it ran far smoother probably due to have a few thousand miles on it by the time i got it. It has been 100% in the 2,500 miles we've ridden on it since. I actually think alfine's are perfect for tandem riding when gear changes more often have to be made. The ability to do that while stopped is brilliant.

Changing gears when stopped is brilliant for sure. When I stopped using the Subway I had to learn a new discipline again of thinking of about the gear I need to be in at junctions and still got caught out on hills having to spin the wheel to get the right gear for climbing when I had to stop suddenly. I still have the Subway but the Nexus probably needs a good service before I can use it again. It's like 10 years old now.