biggs682
Touch it up and ride it
- Location
- Northamptonshire
srw you need my dawes galaxy sounds just up your street
Touring bike for long commute
- Thread starter srw
- Start date
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There are limits in respect of bicycles. But then this is a cycling forum, so I will not spill the beans about the others...
OP
OP
srw
It's a bit more complicated than that...
Well, no - I need my own bike.
Certainly a Galaxy is one obvious possibility (although the more I think about it the more I think that straight bars are the way to go for city riding) - is this your way of hinting that you've got one to sell?!
OP
OP
srw
It's a bit more complicated than that...
I spend a lot of my time in Guildford. I may well take you up on your offer.
MacB
Lover of things that come in 3's
- Location
- Farnborough, Hampshire
It has always saddened me that so many of the beautiful people in this world have such a vicious streak within
MacB
Lover of things that come in 3's
- Location
- Farnborough, Hampshire
He's Bloody Fat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! now you're going too far
Thomk
Guru
- Location
- Warwickshire
You may be describing a Charge Mixer. Steel frame, flat bars, Alfine hub gears, disc brakes, low maintenance, rack bosses, built for city commuting. I've attached a link to 2011 model (on offer) but I believe the latest version has an 11 gear hub instead of 8.
http://www.avonvalleycyclery.co.uk/254259/products/Charge-Mixer-8-Black-2011.aspx?utm_source=Froogle
http://www.avonvalleycyclery.co.uk/254259/products/Charge-Mixer-8-Black-2011.aspx?utm_source=Froogle
Are you ever likely to be using the tandem and commute bike at the same time?
If not, why don't you share the wheel? You know how easy they are to remove/fit, you just need to find a tyre that would be appropriate for both. Without having to buy a groupset, your budget would then get you something custom in steel or ti.
With that length of commute and secure parking, your budget shouldn't really need to be limited, you're going to be saving thousands over using any other form of transport. My Rohloff bike has been used for commuting that would have cost around £18,000 if I hadn't cycled and I expect it to continue saving me £2,000 a year for the next 14 years (Health permitting) That's just the commuting! I have no problem justifying a three grand bike.
MacB
Lover of things that come in 3's
- Location
- Farnborough, Hampshire
The wheel sharing is a good point especially as you'd already considered it for the front hub dynamo. I'd only go for it if the transfer was minimal effort, ie same dropouts/rohloff axle plate, etc, but definitely a possibility. I was giving the overall design concept some thought last night and, for this type of bike, I keep returning to the idea of ensuring versatility. For example making sure the frame can take a rohloff doesn't meant you have to run one it just gives that bit of future proofing. Some ideas:-
OTP - if you're going for a complete bike then it's really just a case of shopping around, testing and settling for the closest match. A hub gear can always be run with a tensioner, it's hardly the end of the world.
Custom - I'd be tempted to try and cover as many bases as possible without compromising primary function, so I'd go:-
1. get a frame that can accomodate a wide variety of uses and kit:-
tensioning - I prefer dropout adjustment over EBB but either serves, previous negatives re dropout tensioning around rack/guard mounting and interference are resolved by the swing style dropouts, as well as the Paragon ones I use there are options from Salsa, Black Cat and others. but if you went EBB then I'd want a rohloff compatible left dropout and derailleur hanger on right
brakes - disc brakes all the way, I wouldn't even bother with rim brake capacity
brazeons - get them to bung on routing for rohloff cables and derailleurs and disc brakes, I prefer cable tie guides to the tubular ones, easier to put stuff on and off. 3 lots of bottle cages bosses, rack and guard mounts and anything else you may desire
tyre clearances - go big, why not, you can always run smaller when you want
geometry - I'd follow Thorns lead and, for a flat bar design, make the ETT longer, you could also design in allowance for a variety of forks. Say you had the basic design at 72/72 with a 390mm AtoC fork, 45mm offset which has clearances for 700x40 tyres with guards and a BB drop of 75mm, this gives a trail number in the mid 60s. You could bung some roadier style forks in there with an AtoC of 370mm, same offset, which would change the geo to 73/73, BB drop to 83mm and trail to high 50s, still allowing for about a 700x32 tyre. Or you could go the other way and use some forks around 410mm which would give you a BB drop around 67mm, 29er tyre clearances and angles at 71/71. So in one frame you can range from fast audax, through light tourer to offroad/roughstuff tourer, just by swapping the forks. But this is only possible if you design in the capacity to the frame, ie clearances, angles and the necessary strength. I know this as it's exactly how I designed my rohloff commuter/tourer, it's basically a 29er back end with a much longer headtube. The first incarnation was a full 29er, ie short headtube, but this meant skinny tyres in 470mm AtoC rigid 29er forks and it just looked wrong and mudguards were very hard to fit.
2. once you have a core frame, the above is achievable for anything from £700 to £1800 in steel or £1200 to £lots in Ti, then you can build up as you see fit. Having Rohloff capacity doesn't mean you have to use it. For commuting only I'd be tempted to bung in either an Alfine 8 or a 1x8 derailleur. When I did my lengthy commute my I-9 hub gear had the range 35.4 to 120.6 gear inches...I didn't really understand gearing when I chose the ratios. I never used gears 8 and 9, both over 100 inches, and after I got fitter never dropped below 3rd gear at 47.5 inches. So nearly all of my riding was from 50 to 90 gear inches.
3. tempting as it is to start out with a complete bike with all the bells and whistles by getting the core frame versatility you can then go in stages. Prioritise the functionality via a cheaper gearing setup and spending more dosh on a quality dynamo setup. Then if the fancy takes you a future upgrade to fancier gearing whether rohloff, alfine 11 or derailleurs is always on the cards.
Just some more thoughts from the madhouse to confuse you
OTP - if you're going for a complete bike then it's really just a case of shopping around, testing and settling for the closest match. A hub gear can always be run with a tensioner, it's hardly the end of the world.
Custom - I'd be tempted to try and cover as many bases as possible without compromising primary function, so I'd go:-
1. get a frame that can accomodate a wide variety of uses and kit:-
tensioning - I prefer dropout adjustment over EBB but either serves, previous negatives re dropout tensioning around rack/guard mounting and interference are resolved by the swing style dropouts, as well as the Paragon ones I use there are options from Salsa, Black Cat and others. but if you went EBB then I'd want a rohloff compatible left dropout and derailleur hanger on right
brakes - disc brakes all the way, I wouldn't even bother with rim brake capacity
brazeons - get them to bung on routing for rohloff cables and derailleurs and disc brakes, I prefer cable tie guides to the tubular ones, easier to put stuff on and off. 3 lots of bottle cages bosses, rack and guard mounts and anything else you may desire
tyre clearances - go big, why not, you can always run smaller when you want
geometry - I'd follow Thorns lead and, for a flat bar design, make the ETT longer, you could also design in allowance for a variety of forks. Say you had the basic design at 72/72 with a 390mm AtoC fork, 45mm offset which has clearances for 700x40 tyres with guards and a BB drop of 75mm, this gives a trail number in the mid 60s. You could bung some roadier style forks in there with an AtoC of 370mm, same offset, which would change the geo to 73/73, BB drop to 83mm and trail to high 50s, still allowing for about a 700x32 tyre. Or you could go the other way and use some forks around 410mm which would give you a BB drop around 67mm, 29er tyre clearances and angles at 71/71. So in one frame you can range from fast audax, through light tourer to offroad/roughstuff tourer, just by swapping the forks. But this is only possible if you design in the capacity to the frame, ie clearances, angles and the necessary strength. I know this as it's exactly how I designed my rohloff commuter/tourer, it's basically a 29er back end with a much longer headtube. The first incarnation was a full 29er, ie short headtube, but this meant skinny tyres in 470mm AtoC rigid 29er forks and it just looked wrong and mudguards were very hard to fit.
2. once you have a core frame, the above is achievable for anything from £700 to £1800 in steel or £1200 to £lots in Ti, then you can build up as you see fit. Having Rohloff capacity doesn't mean you have to use it. For commuting only I'd be tempted to bung in either an Alfine 8 or a 1x8 derailleur. When I did my lengthy commute my I-9 hub gear had the range 35.4 to 120.6 gear inches...I didn't really understand gearing when I chose the ratios. I never used gears 8 and 9, both over 100 inches, and after I got fitter never dropped below 3rd gear at 47.5 inches. So nearly all of my riding was from 50 to 90 gear inches.
3. tempting as it is to start out with a complete bike with all the bells and whistles by getting the core frame versatility you can then go in stages. Prioritise the functionality via a cheaper gearing setup and spending more dosh on a quality dynamo setup. Then if the fancy takes you a future upgrade to fancier gearing whether rohloff, alfine 11 or derailleurs is always on the cards.
Just some more thoughts from the madhouse to confuse you
OP
OP
srw
It's a bit more complicated than that...
You said it...
I'm tempted to say it's all Greek to me - except that if it were Greek I'd have a chance of deciphering it with a dictionary*.
You will have PM. And Biggs682 - you will have email as soon as it stops failing every time I try and launch it.
*I may be exaggerating slightly - but only slightly.
Piemaster
Guru
- Location
- UK City of Culture
Humph. MacB has just described the frame I had in my head, even though he lost me with 'fork A-C' and some other technical sounding fork stuff.
OP
OP
srw
It's a bit more complicated than that...
It turns out that the '90s Galaxy converted to flat bars that Biggs682 dangled in front of me is exactly the right kind of bike for the commute - it's reasonably nippy, and the flat bars give me a reasonably upright position for good visibility, while still having the controls at my fingertips. Thank you for the suggestion!
I've now got something to use so that I can evaluate whether doing the rides regularly is a goer, and which will give me more time to do some research in advance of my firm's c2w window this winter.
I've now got something to use so that I can evaluate whether doing the rides regularly is a goer, and which will give me more time to do some research in advance of my firm's c2w window this winter.
