City commuting advice needed

Try to choose a bike with "road" components not MTB.

The Blade Sport, or Giant CRX3 would be better value bikes for touring.

Road bikes would be more energy saving but you'll need to make sure they can take racks for your commuting needs. Alternatively you'll need backpacks.

Aspergers said:

Hi cyclists

I need to buy a new bike for commuting around Sydney, Australia and to do the 2007 Great Victorian Bike Ride .

The bikes I like are
Avanti Blade
Scott Speedster s10
Trek 7.3FX

All the bikes can be bought from a bike shop close to where I live.

What experience good or bad have you had with the above bike?

Thanks

You really want to consider a bike which can readily accept fenders ... EVEN IF you never plan on riding in the rain because there is other stuff on the roadway that will try to attach itself to you ...

Otherwise, I'm sure the SCOTT SPEEDSTER is a good choice for fast recreational-or-serious riding.

gclark8 said:

Try to choose a bike with "road" components not MTB.

The Blade Sport, or Giant CRX3 would be better value bikes for touring.

Why would you not put MTB parts on a touring bike?

The MTB chainring 26/36/48 would be ideal for touring, compared with a road triple of 30/42/53.

I am presuming that MTB parts by their nature of use, are therefore designed for more rugged use, and thereby hardier?

I would get drop bars if I were going to use the bike for a long tour, as they give you more riding positions to "rest" your hands.

What about Surly Long Haul Trucker? Or a Cross check? I am considering getting a commuting/touring bike, and will get either the LHT or the CC.

Thomas, read the application in Post #1, he will be better off with the 30/42/52 and slightly lighter components. With the CRX3 he can still fit mudguards and a rack and 23mm Kevlar tyres if he wishes. 😎

I have just assisted two of my customers upgrade to CRX2s from MTB based FB Road bikes. 😉

gclark8 said:

Thomas, read the application in Post #1, he will be better off with the 30/42/52 and slightly lighter components. With the CRX3 he can still fit mudguards and a rack and 23mm Kevlar tyres if he wishes. 😎

I have just assisted two of my customers upgrade to CRX2s from MTB based FB Road bikes. 😉

The Great Victorian bike ride is a multi-day tour is it not?

I still dont see why MTB parts are not perceived to be any good? What is the point of saving grams when you are carrying a commuting load of 4-5kg?

I would go with the Scott Speedster s10 assuming your commute is totally on pavement. IMHO the Scott series of bikes are superior to 90% of the bikes out there (okay I am biased because I used to run Scott USA MTB team). But on a more objective note, you will find reviews for Scott bikes to be superior to most other manufacturers.

thomas_cho said:

The Great Victorian bike ride is a multi-day tour is it not?

I still dont see why MTB parts are not perceived to be any good? What is the point of saving grams when you are carrying a commuting load of 4-5kg?

road bike have different gear ratios...