Which bike should I get for commuting?

[Wiskha]

Hey,

I was looking into buying a hybrid bike to start commuting. I'll be riding 12 miles there and then 12 miles back, mostly along my local canal and on the roads, four days a week. I'm not really sure what bike I should be getting, but I've set a budget of £300 - willing to go over slightly.

The two bikes I've got my eyes set on are the Carrera Subway 1 (or 2, not really sure what the difference is) and the Giant Escape 3 (or the New Escape 3, not really sure what the difference there is either as they are the same price). I am open to other suggestions though.

Carrera Subway 1
Carrera Subway 2
Giant Escape 3
Giant New Escape 3

I already have a good idea of what accessories I'll need and have a list of those sorted. I just don't know what to look for in the bike itself.

Thanks

 

[HarryTheDog]

Subway 1 mechanical disc brakes, subway 2 hydraulic disc brakes. Hydraulic supposedly better but more of a faff if you dont have the know how or tools to sort. If you are not a handy person it will have to go back to the shop every time you have a brake problem.The difference in the Giant bikes is just newer shifters and bits, same bike. Has rim brakes, but bigger wheels than the carrera. Bigger wheels easier to roll along on. For 12 miles each way I would go for the giant just because of the wheels. However the carrera will never get rim wear from the brakes so your wheels will last longer, 6 of one half a dozen of the other.
Myself I would go for a secondhand cross bike as I like drop bars and can be handy faced with 12 miles of headwind. Most of my bikes have been secondhand and you can get something quite decent for 300 quid.

 

[cyberknight]

For 12 miles each way i would personally go for something like a cx as harry mentiond, mate at work has just one of the below and its a cracking bike for commuting.
http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bik...ri-limited-edition-cyclocross-bike-2015-black
I have the subway one and yes i can do my commute of 10 each way but its harder work than my road bike although only maybe 3-4 mins slower .

 

[Wiskha]

Myself I would go for a secondhand cross bike as I like drop bars and can be handy faced with 12 miles of headwind. Most of my bikes have been secondhand and you can get something quite decent for 300 quid.

I'll look on Gumtree around my area and see what I can find - not really sure what constitutes as a good secondhand bike though.

I take it the drop bars on a cross bike make commuting long distance more comfortable as you can change positions?

i would personally go for something like a cx

I wouldn't mind buying the one you linked. I also checked out the Carerra Zelos, which has a different brake type, 14 gears vs 16 gears and is £50 more expensive - seems like the worse of the two, but I'm not 100% sure.

Which actually makes me wonder about the number of gears on a bike. The Hybrid bikes I linked have 20+ gears vs the two cross bikes that have under 20. How much of a difference does that make, if any?

I'll probably buy the bike you linked to me, unless another suggestion comes up or I find something worth buying that's secondhand.

 

[cyberknight]

basically the more gears you have then the smaller the jump in ratio between each gear which is important for racing where keeping on top of your preferred leg rpm but for "mere " mortals its not that important as long as you a gear thats fast enough on the flat and easy enough on the hills.
My commuter has 16 and my nice bike has 20 and TBH i can ride both at the same speed but the nice bike has a slighter higher fast gear and a slightly lower bottom gear because i wanted them .
The zelos is much of a muchness but i thought if you want to ride on canal paths the extra tyre width on the CX could offer grip and comfort compared to the narrower tyres fitted on the zelos .

 

[cyberknight]

Also afaik the one i linked too will take a pannier rack( worth checking in the flesh ) to save sweaty back , you would have to look what mudgaurds would fit as im not sure but for commuting i think they are a must to keep your feet drier and not get a stripy wet back.

 

[HarryTheDog]

I'll look on Gumtree around my area and see what I can find - not really sure what constitutes as a good secondhand bike though.

Not a great fan of gumtree when it comes to bikes as when I have contacted sellers in the past I got the impression most were shady characters, just my experience, I am a ebay fan. When it comes to decent that is hard to quantify. If I was going for a CX bike secondhand look for a carbon fork if possible, if shimano gears 105 series or above. Disc brakes can be useful if commuting as less wear. I tend to look at the price new and consider new price of minimum 1,000 quid decent but then I am a bit of a bike snob. I got my cannondale cx 9 secondhand for 400 ridden round the block once by a lady who paid 1,100 for it a month before.

 

[jnrmczip]

I found a cyclocross bike a lot better for the commute as opposed to a road bike it's just more comfy. Gives you the option of both on and off road and is still not to heavy. I have a giant anyroad 2 which I love. If getting a cyclo try get one with eyelets for pannier racks if you want them my giant has them just incase I decide I need them. P's I generally go with giant as they fit me well which is the most important thing to look at

 

[Wiskha]

Also afaik the one i linked too will take a pannier rack( worth checking in the flesh ) to save sweaty back , you would have to look what mudgaurds would fit as im not sure but for commuting i think they are a must to keep your feet drier and not get a stripy wet back.

I'll pop into my nearest Halfords and check it out. Also thanks for suggesting the pannier rack - completely forgot to add that to my list.

Not a great fan of gumtree when it comes to bikes as when I have contacted sellers in the past I got the impression most were shady characters, just my experience, I am a ebay fan. When it comes to decent that is hard to quantify. If I was going for a CX bike secondhand look for a carbon fork if possible, if shimano gears 105 series or above. Disc brakes can be useful if commuting as less wear. I tend to look at the price new and consider new price of minimum 1,000 quid decent but then I am a bit of a bike snob. I got my cannondale cx 9 secondhand for 400 ridden round the block once by a lady who paid 1,100 for it a month before.

I'm having trouble finding anything that's affordable and even the right size of frame for me on Ebay, so I think I'll just settle for the Carrera Tanneri.

Thanks for all the help guys, and feel free to offer some more advice or recommend another bike that fits my budget - considering I'm a newbie 'n all, anything helps.