Winter commute which bike?

[Peanut_77]

Hi, after purchasing a road bike a couple of months ago I'm finally getting the swing of things however with the winter months coming I'm a little apprehensive about my winter commute on a road bike! I only have a cheap second hand Viking road bike at present however I've applied for my bike to work scheme and am torn between a new road bike and a hybrid or a decent cyclo cross bike. Any help would be appreciated.
I have a budget of about £600 to £700 to spend from Halfords.

Cheers

 

[Sittingduck]

Are you planning on using it on surfaces other than tarmac?

 

[Peanut_77]

Yes there is a light gravel track I could use on route however I can also get there on Tarmac.

 

[Neilsmith]

I would buy a cross if it were me, made for the mix of road, off road, hybrids tend to be neither one thing nor the other. It's something I looked into previously and asked several people with a lot more experience than me, and it seemed to be the cosensous of opinion, and made sense to me.

 

[Racing roadkill]

I'd go for the Boardman CX Team if it was my money, with a British Cycling discount, it would be bang on budget, and it's a fair bit of kit for the money.

 

[Tojo]

Would you be able to get a new bike on the cycle to work scheme, I would personally go for a cross/gravel bike l agree with what Neilsmith posted.......https://www.cyclechat.net/members/neilsmith.45845/

 

[Ajay]

Proper CX bikes are designed for racing and will have an aggressive geometry, cross specific gearing etc.
Just because they have clearance for a chunky tyre it doesn't mean they automatically make great winter road bikes.
Can you fit wider tyre's on your road bike, add mudguards, raise the bars etc to winterise it?

 

[Peanut_77]

Cheers Neil, Tojo,road kill, I was looking at a Boardman road sport & possibly a Boardman hybrid sport both within the £700 max limit set however I was kinda convinced that going for Boardman CX comp at £499 would be the best option and I could change the wheels in the better weather!

 

[Peanut_77]

Cheers Ajay, what is aggressive geometry & cross specific gearing? Sorry very new to all this malarkey!

 

[Neilsmith]

Proper CX bikes are designed for racing and will have an aggressive geometry, cross specific gearing etc.
Just because they have clearance for a chunky tyre it doesn't mean they automatically make great winter road bikes.
Can you fit wider tyre's on your road bike, add mudguards, raise the bars etc to winterise it?

True but they are designed for road and off road which is what is required. And the road bike will likely have similar geometry as most are designed with speed in mind and it will be the tyre clearance that's lacking in a road bike.

 

[Tojo]

You shouldn't need another set of wheels CX wheels are basically 700c rims you could probably go down to 28mm, maybe even 25, my mate managed it on his CX but it would depend on the width of the rims on the Boardman.....

 

[Ajay]

Cheers Ajay, what is aggressive geometry & cross specific gearing? Sorry very new to all this malarkey!

Well, "aggressive" geometry on a bike means a lower more racy position (high saddle / low bars). CX gearing is usually lower than for the road to allow for the steep/slippy surfaces on course. It depends on your route/traffic conditions etc, my winter commuter has a more upright position than my "fast" bike, but I'm happy to forfeit a little speed for what I feel is a "safer"ride.

 

[Elybazza61]

Nothing wrong with using a full cross-bike for commuting.

Pic whore alert!;

My Planet X after a 30 odd km commute on mucky a and b roads and a compacted gravel cycle path and good for 30+kph;

Tyres are cheapish 32c Vittoria Randonneur Pros*,a 1 X 10 105/XT gear set up with a 11-32 cassette;mudguards are Axioms which fit on to the axles and have clearance for the TRP spyre calipers.

Also have another set of wheels shod with Challenge Grifo cross tyres for off-road excursions(sans guards);these are especially awesome on fresh snow

*Will change next year for a tubeless experiment.

 

[outlash]

Well, "aggressive" geometry on a bike means a lower more racy position (high saddle / low bars). CX gearing is usually lower than for the road to allow for the steep/slippy surfaces on course. It depends on your route/traffic conditions etc, my winter commuter has a more upright position than my "fast" bike, but I'm happy to forfeit a little speed for what I feel is a "safer"ride.

FWIW, a lot of CX bikes actually have quite relaxed geometry as it's easier to ride on slippery surfaces in a more upright position.

 

[Peanut_77]

Cheers folks think I've made my mind up! Going to go for the Boardman CX Comp lets hope it's ok!