Commuting bike - advice

[Flloyd]

Hi guys,
I do about 15 miles per day, mix of road and canal towpath for commuting

I'm looking for a new bike, I've got a second-hand hybrid at the moment and keep getting punctures and it's old. I think I've 'earned' a nicer bike.

I'm looking at either the Cannondale Topstone 2 or Topstone 3. The three is a bit cheaper at £900 - will it be durable? I'm 87kg and have a backpack with my clothes/laptop/lunch etc. I notice it covers up to 42mm tyres, avoiding punctures is a big one for me - happy to spend a bit on tyres to avoid

Topstone 2: https://www.evanscycles.com/brand/cannondale/topstone-2-2022-gravel-bike-916921#colcode=91692102
Topstone 3: https://www.evanscycles.com/brand/c...33txrMeh3TJ70mxoC4SkQAvD_BwE#colcode=91692208

Annoyingly the Rainbow trout colour of the two has gone now!

Any help would be appreciated

 

[Oldhippy]

Worth looking at second hand. I run 700x35 marathon touring tyres on every type of surface most days and never punctured one yet.

 

[Sharky]

Both nice bikes, but for commuting, consider luggage carrying capability. I know you can manage with back packs, but it is a lot more comfortable if the bike takes the load.

Also consider if you can fit mudguards.

 

[Jameshow]

Also is it securely locked at work?

Mates Dawes dalesman was nicked from secondary school where he worked!

 

[vickster]

Also consider the cost of consumables. Some cassettes for 1x group sets are £100 or thereabouts

 

[rivers]

Personally I would go for the 2 over the 3. GRX groupset and hydraulic brakes, plus a clutched rear derailleur. A 10 speed 11-34 cassette is going to cost the earth. Both have loads of mounting points is needed (personally i use a 6 litre saddle bag and a small handlebar bag for commuting and leave the laptop at work). I have hutchinson touaregs on my gravel bike in 40mm- can handle any off road in the dry, will be fine on a canal tow path in the wet, and roll reasonably well on the road. Excellent puncture protection, and can be run tubeless.

 

[cyberknight]

Also is it securely locked at work?

Mates Dawes dalesman was nicked from secondary school where he worked!

indeed someone i know at work had his full carbon ribble nicked a couple of weeks ago and this was from inside a locked bike shed so an inside job we reckon
I have seen a decathlon gravel bike using 1x10 microshift which looks pretty good for the price as long as you dont mind external cabling from the shifter
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/gravel-bike-triban-rc-120-disc-brake-green/_/R-p-312397

 

[FrothNinja]

avoiding punctures is a big one for me

In light of my recent experience, I would suggest try running tubeless. A lot less stressful in hedge cutting season

 

[mustang1]

Also consider the cost of consumables. Some cassettes for 1x group sets are £100 or thereabouts

Yeah I know! I was looking at a cassette for my 1x MTB and it was £100 for a 12 speed Shimano M6100 (which is SLX I think). Wow I did not realise!

 

[wafter]

Puncture resistantance is all about the tyres so don't assume that a new bike will resolve this issue. Also keep in mind that commuter bikes generally get a raw deal (use in crap weather, damage during storage, theft risk) so I'd be wary of throwing a lot of money at something "too nice" for this task.

Personally I'd be leaning more towards replacing the tyres on the hybrid / replacing the bike with some second-hand steel, and possibly looking to suplement it with a nicer, leisure-only bike.

 

[cougie uk]

You could get marathon plus tyres. Bomb proof.

 

[Juan Kog]

You could get marathon plus tyres. Bomb proof.

Always my first choice for commuting.

 

[slowmotion]

You could get marathon plus tyres. Bomb proof.

Not quite. I found a 38mm galvanised nail pointing horizontally through the side wall. Lord knows how it get there. The good news was that the tyre had softened up over a few months so changing the tube on the pavement didn't involve blood oozing out from beneath my thumbnails.

 

[cougie uk]

Not quite. I found a 38mm galvanised nail pointing horizontally through the side wall. Lord knows how it get there. The good news was that the tyre had softened up over a few months so changing the tube on the pavement didn't involve blood oozing out from beneath my thumbnails.

How the heck does that happen ?
Mine haven't let me down at all.

Unlike the two £60 Conti Tubs that let me down on a short ride ! Grrrrr. Never been back to tubs since.