Clumsy commuter considers choices: any advice?

[ShinyDave]

Weymouth for now (LBS choice would probably be Dorchester Cycles); moving to Southampton which is Hargroves Cycles territory. A long way from the nearest Evans, sadly!
I don't know about Hargroves and test rides but as they're the regional chain there, I think I'm going to have to find out. Especially as they have a 2011 Tricross in stock at £549 (http://www.hargrovescycles.co.uk/products.asp?category=Bikes&product=Tricross - 2011 Cyclocross Bike) - that could well be very favourable indeed. It's a 54cm, and from the Specialized sizing guide, I'm between a 54 and a 56 on that on height alone, so it's at least worth checking to see if I do fit it. They also have a 2011 Tricross Sport at £699 in the same size (http://www.hargrovescycles.co.uk/pr...product=Tricross Sport - 2011 Cyclocross Bike).
I'm visiting Southampton this weekend again anyway, auditioning for a show that will start rehearsals roughly when I move, so will pop into Hargroves while I'm there

 

[snailracer]

Additional clumsiness factors that haven't been mentioned:
- toe overlap with front wheel
- pedal strike when pedalling around bends

 

[ShinyDave]

Because presumably they'd throw you off balance? Good things to watch for!

 

[snailracer]

Also, bikes that are too short - tendency to accidentally wheely when accelerating and/or to throw you over the bars when braking, knees knocking the bars when standing.

 

[ShinyDave]

And I've been thrown over the bars when braking before - that's how I came to grief test-riding a Pinnacle (quite nastily, too, and I wasn't even braking that hard). Clearly sizing is going to be very important for me!

 

[jonathanw]

That does seem like a possible idea. Although I was *expecting* a flat-bar to be my choice, that's mostly because I've wrongly conflated "drop bar" with "scary twitchy road bike" - the cross-inspired utility bikes don't fit that bill, and definitely make sense for longer commutes.

The 2012 comes in at £1099 from what I've seen, and I've not been able to find a 2011 for sale. Still, thanks for directing me along that path - the Tricross might be another option, that comes with 32s.

I too started out looking for a flat-bar bike and almost bought a trek 7500 or 7.5 as I wanted it for commuting and all-round ability (off-road with kids, touring, commuting etc etc). However, I test rode the Croix de Fer and never looked back. Yes it is heavy, as it is a steel frame, but it is immensely comfortable. The drops are very shallow and very much more comfortable than previous road bikes I have ridden. Coupled with a very relaxed geometry, this makes it a joy to ride. I am very impressed with the disc brakes, and after 10,00 miles, I'm on my 4th chain, second set of tyres, 2nd front mech and cable, but the sintered metal disc pads still have enough on them not to need replacing. I hear the avid BB7's on the 2012 model are even better. I have used this bike for everything from road trips with pals on true road bikes, commuting, forrest tracks and even a foray on to single tack. The 35mm Continental tyres that it comes with are slow on the road, but OK off road. I have compromised on schwalbe marathon racers (30mm) for allround use, but marathon plus would be equally as good. I have a rack, mudguards and panniers on it, and have even done some fantastic long distance tours round the far north of Scotland on it.

It will not be for everyone, but if you want one bike to do all, then I cannot recommend it enough.

The wife has a specialised Tricross sport and that is a nice bike too, with a triple chainring, it makes some more arduous climbs very do-able, but canti brakes, not discs would put me off. The giant TCX cyclocross bikes are also very nice, as her best friend has just bought a TCX 3 - I like it a lot.

Re: sizing, I'm also 5' 10" and find the 54cm C de F just right.

Let us know what you go for in the end.

 

[ShinyDave]

Thank you for that. The TCXs may well require further investigation, especially as the LBS in Dorchester sells them (Giant seems to be one of their main brands). The fact they come with 35c tyres as standard is very reassuring to me.
The 2012 Tricross range includes two models with discs, the one of relevance here being the Sport Disc at £900, which has BB5s.

 

[ShinyDave]

So, I tried out two bikes that Evans had in stock mostly for the purpose of comparing different *types* of bike (they had a Sirrus and a Crosstrail in, which made for a nice comparison between two different types of hybrid as they were both from the same manufacturer). Felt only slightly more wobbly on the Sirrus, actually, and in each case the problem lies entirely with low-speed stability and balance for hand signals. Spoke to a friend who also has coordination and balance issues, who suggested that the best thing I could do was just get the bike anyway and practice on unused side roads until I felt ready for actual traffic, and to focus mostly on getting a really good fit so that I was neither stretching to put my foot on the road when stationary nor having the awkwardness associated with a too-small bike as snailracer explained here.

Went into Halfords, and sat on a Boardman CX Team, a possibility inspired by references to the Croix de Fer and TCX on here. I'm rather strongly tempted; on the large they had in stock, my heel just touched the ground with the saddle at its lowest point, which I thought was perfect: I didn't feel stretched at all, even with the drops (having the saddle low makes for a nicely upright riding position for city traffic), and I could always nudge the saddle up a tiny bit if needed. Also, the 35c tyres made me feel quite reassured - and apparently there's room to fit 40s. Suspect I'll be plonking on a pair of 38c Marathon Plus tyres on this if I do get it, with probably Marathon Winters running for the entire period where icy roads are a possibility, just in case

Also tried the Hybrid Comp, which fitted me well in a medium funnily enough - not quite the tyre clearances or indeed the all-round versatility of the CX, but it's a tempter at £500.

No decision firmly made yet, but leaning towards the CX Team. My only worry; might the handling be a bit too responsive for me, even with fat tyres, given how light the bike is at ~10kg?

 

[ShinyDave]

Made the decision. Made the order. Opted for the CX Team. The combination of light weight, fat tyres, and inherent versatility was too much to resist.

Discount code took the combined price of the bike, platform pedals (chosen for stability), and lights to around £855. Then I ordered a New York Fahgettaboudit lock for another £66.