Upgrade or switch commute bike

[I like Skol]

This is what worries me, spend £2k and not get the benefit I’m looking for.

Would this be a good point to say "If you are worried about the wonga then simply don't upgrade to next weeks iPhone14"

Get another drop bar bike, the flat bars are a complete red herring, I don't think you'll gain anything from that one you've linked to. If you're worried about keeping your eye on traffic buy some of the Zefal spin mirrors and do some pilates

Of my 3 bikes, the flat bar hybrid is my favouritist, default goto ride and possibly the one I enjoy riding the most. It is also by far the cheapest..... Go figure?

I think flat bars are best suited for urban commutes with lots of stop starts. Saves continually getting down to the hoods/drops then sitting back up again to stop. Having said that, commuting on drop bars hasn't been an issue. In fact I was on my best whizzy flash carbon dropbar bike the night I got knocked off on the way home from work. The choice of bike in no way contributed to the accident but bizarrely, despite it being my most expensive bike, I am really glad it was that one that copped for it as I am particularly attached to the other two and would struggle to replace them while the carbon one meant nothing to me.

 

[Markymark]

Would this be a good point to say "If you are worried about the wonga then simply don't upgrade to next weeks iPhone14"

Not worried about the money but don’t like wasting it which buying the wrong bike could potentially be.

 

[vickster]

Would this be a good point to say "If you are worried about the wonga then simply don't upgrade to next weeks iPhone14"


Of my 3 bikes, the flat bar hybrid is my favouritist, default goto ride and possibly the one I enjoy riding the most. It is also by far the cheapest..... Go figure?

I think flat bars are best suited for urban commutes with lots of stop starts. Saves continually getting down to the hoods/drops then sitting back up again to stop. Having said that, commuting on drop bars hasn't been an issue. In fact I was on my best whizzy flash carbon dropbar bike the night I got knocked off on the way home from work. The choice of bike in no way contributed to the accident but bizarrely, despite it being my most expensive bike, I am really glad it was that one that copped for it as I am particularly attached to the other two and would struggle to replace them while the carbon one meant nothing to me.

Crosslever brakes. Best of both worlds

Why the worry about carbon on speed humps?

 

[Markymark]

Crosslever brakes. Best of both worlds

Why the worry about carbon on speed humps?

Cos it hurts my brain when I fly over them and my bike rattles with it. No physical reason, just doesn’t seem right.

 

[vickster]

Cos it hurts my brain when I fly over them and my bike rattles with it. No physical reason, just doesn’t seem right.

Best get steel or Ti then? But don’t they make bits of planes and racing cars from carbon, it’s pretty strong stuff

 

[I like Skol]

Maybe not what you had in mind but THIS caught my eye a month or two ago. As ard as a Northerner so should be good for the rough and tumble of urban commuting. Steel frame should take the edge off the bumps and has disc brakes with thru axles Fr & Rr. I very, very nearly got one to replace my crashed bike but got put off because the largest tyre seems to be 30mm and I want to go up to 35s

 

[Markymark]

Tbh if I’m switching to drops I may as well use my domane which on reflection I’m inclined to do.

 

[I like Skol]

Tbh if I’m switching to drops I may as well use my domane which on reflection I’m inclined to do.

Yeah, but look at the colour of those Reynolds 853 tubes! Looking at it again has brought back that 'must have it' feeling with a vengeance!

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

Of my 3 bikes, the flat bar hybrid is my favouritist, default goto ride and possibly the one I enjoy riding the most. It is also by far the cheapest..... Go figure?.

Similar story here. All my current bikes are flat bar, but my favourites are a pair of secondhand Reynolds framed old Raleighs with a combined age of 53 years. They cost a total of £30 and neither is particularly desirable or valuable, but they are nice rides and I'm careful about where I leave them as neither has been made for decades and I would have to search to replace either, especially the older Gemini in 531, which feels pretty light for a steel bike fitted with mudguards and a rack.
Carbon doesn't float my boat at all, mainly because of the look of them, so I won't be stressing about whether to risk riding a £2k one in London! For me, the only dilemma is do I use a merely low-value steel hybrid I really like and do not want to lose/get damaged, or take a truly worthless rigid steel MTB hack that I couldn't care less about if something happened to it?

 

[Crackle]

Would this be a good point to say "If you are worried about the wonga then simply don't upgrade to next weeks iPhone14"


Of my 3 bikes, the flat bar hybrid is my favouritist, default goto ride and possibly the one I enjoy riding the most. It is also by far the cheapest..... Go figure?

I think flat bars are best suited for urban commutes with lots of stop starts. Saves continually getting down to the hoods/drops then sitting back up again to stop. Having said that, commuting on drop bars hasn't been an issue. In fact I was on my best whizzy flash carbon dropbar bike the night I got knocked off on the way home from work. The choice of bike in no way contributed to the accident but bizarrely, despite it being my most expensive bike, I am really glad it was that one that copped for it as I am particularly attached to the other two and would struggle to replace them while the carbon one meant nothing to me.

It comes down to personal choice I guess. Apart from small interludes, I always rode drop bars, I prefer the hand positions.

I commuted 7 miles each way in and out of Liverpool on a road bike for 7 years. I think for commuting I'd choose a tougher gnarlier beast than the domain, 32 spoke wheels, possibly hydraulic discs, 35mm tyres, steel frame not so arse up and it would probably still be quicker than the Sirrus but not as quick as the Domaine(sp).

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

Apart from small interludes, I always rode drop bars, I prefer the hand positions....... I think for commuting I'd choose a tougher gnarlier beast than the domain, 32 spoke wheels, possibly hydraulic discs, 35mm tyres, steel frame not so arse up and it would probably still be quicker than the Sirrus but not as quick as the Domaine(sp).

I haven't owned a drop bar since I outgrew the Raleigh Arena I had as a teenager, and most of the time I used to ride on the bar tops/corners and use the Weinmann suicide levers for braking. Only ever used the drops against headwinds. Never been a fan of head down arse up riding, especially on roads with a lot of motorised traffic to keep an eye on. I'd quite like to get hold of an old-school quality steel drop bar tourer though, like a Galaxy or Raleigh Royal, and if one turns up locally for the right money I'll have it without hesitation. I believe a good bike should be a tough beast, that can survive being ridden on punishing poor road surfaces, so that means a strong frame, long wheelbase for comfort/stability, and some sturdy alloy wheels with 36 spokes. Not the fragile plastic/carbon undersize frames with loads of seatpost sticking out, silly low bar heights and hardly any spokes in the wheels being marketed as modern road bikes.

 

[Crackle]

hardly any spokes

They're not particularly more fragile, the main issue is if you pop a spoke it's unrideable as it just goes pretzel shaped, whereas a 32/36 spoke wheel would get you home.

 

[mcshroom]

Flat bars aren't really my choice, but I thought the sirrus was a reasonably quick hybrid anyway?

I know it's heresy to suggest not buying new bikes, but have you considered looking at ways of making the sirrus feel better to ride? I'd be trying out some relatively quick tyres, and maybe tweaking the riding the position a bit to see if I could improve the sirrus before moving onto something new. I'd also clean up the transmission as much as possible and check things like jockey wheels in the rear mech.

If nothing else, you'll be collecting a few spares for the new bike, and getting a better idea of what you would want from a new purchase.

 

[Markymark]

It comes down to personal choice I guess. Apart from small interludes, I always rode drop bars, I prefer the hand positions.

I commuted 7 miles each way in and out of Liverpool on a road bike for 7 years. I think for commuting I'd choose a tougher gnarlier beast than the domain, 32 spoke wheels, possibly hydraulic discs, 35mm tyres, steel frame not so arse up and it would probably still be quicker than the Sirrus but not as quick as the Domaine(sp).

My domane has hydraulic disc and 32mm tyres so is well suited.

Part of it is wanting something faster for longer rides at the weekend. Maybe I use my domane for commute and buy something even sillier for the weekends...

 

[SpokeyDokey]

Some nice BMC flatties here:

https://www.evanscycles.com/bikes/hybrid-bikes_c/bmc-brand

They always seem to get 'this bike is quick' reviews.