New Bike Choice?

stu said:

I've only started commuting in 07, but have been a keen cyclist for
years. My Carrera Subway has been reasonable reliable for a few years
but I fancy getting something better.

I have a 15mile round trip to do each day, plus weekend cycle paths and
very light off road.

The Cannondale Bad Boy seems to stand out as a bike that could fit my
needs. (I'm assuming you can fit a rear rack on it?)

Could anyone recommend it or offer ideas for an alternative?

Many thanks

Stu (Devon UK)

Hi Stu,

Personally 15miles a day every day is actually a fair bit - If you're
serious about keeping this up, I'd consider a bike that makes longer
distances more pleasurable. I have a light tourer/audax bike that is
truely a joy to ride - miles just slip away 🙂 - In my case it's a
custom steel frame (built by Roberts), but you wouldn't have to go this
route - I believe some of the "off the peg" steel and aluminium frames
are excellent too.

Paths it can do... light off-road, it would depend on how light.

Mark.

The Bad Boy is aesthetically stunning, but has a pretty harsh and
unforgiving ride, and I seem to remember lacks a full complement of
bosses for mudguard fitting (essential for daily commuting). It's also
a thief magnet. I wouldn't recommend it for commuting.

When mine was nicked, I replaced it for a few hundred quid more with a
gorgeous custom Roberts hybrid. Much better fit, incomparable ride, all
the fixtures and fittings I need. I've put getting on for 10,000 miles
of commuting on the Roberts now, and couldn't imagine changing it.

Have you considered a hybrid?

jcb

Hi,

stu said:

I've only started commuting in 07, but have been a keen cyclist for
years. My Carrera Subway has been reasonable reliable for a few years
but I fancy getting something better.

I have a 15mile round trip to do each day, plus weekend cycle paths and
very light off road.

The Cannondale Bad Boy seems to stand out as a bike that could fit my
needs. (I'm assuming you can fit a rear rack on it?)

Could anyone recommend it or offer ideas for an alternative?

I'd get a touring bike, which would come with such niceties as
mudguards, and a rack and ought to be lighter, more comfortable and
better suited to the usage that you describe. Might be cheaper, too:
Evans was the first online link I hit with both and has a Galaxy or CB
Dalesman at £600 whereas the Bad Boy's are listed a £650 and up.
Specs & prices vary quite a bit- Edinburgh Bicycle have the Galaxy
costing & weighing more- though the bike includes stuff you'll probably
want to add to the Cannondale.
The tourers come with a good steel frame, too, whereas the Cannondale
is Aluminium.

But hey, that's just me...

Cheers,
W.

Quoted message said:

Personally 15miles a day every day is actually a fair bit - If you're
serious about keeping this up, I'd consider a bike that makes longer
distances more pleasurable. I have a light tourer/audax bike that is
truely a joy to ride - miles just slip away 🙂 - In my case it's a
custom steel frame (built by Roberts)

We hadn't conferred, honest!!

Mark said:

stu said:

I have a 15mile round trip to do each day, plus weekend cycle
paths and very light off road.

Personally 15miles a day every day is actually a fair bit - If you're
serious about keeping this up, I'd consider a bike that makes longer
distances more pleasurable. I have a light tourer/audax bike that is
truely a joy to ride - miles just slip away 🙂

And this being usenet, I'll offer the contradictory opinion.

15 miles is OK - I do a bit over 12 a day and it's pretty trivial
distance-wise. About the only thought I have regarding the distance
is that spring and autumn I wish it was a bit further - I'm just
getting into the swing of it, and I've arrived.

I've used expensive tourer (Galaxy), very expensive recumbent, and I'm
currently on Subway-8 (hub gears & brakes). The recumbent was
undoubtedly the nicest, safest ride, but on my current journey also
the slowest - too many traffic queues and I'm much slower up a line of
traffic on that.

The tourer was nice to ride, but actually, over the short distances
being talked about here, not a big difference. Properly adjusted, the
Subway is as comfortable as the Dawes over at least the first 10
miles. The big advantage of the Subway is low maintenance - it's a
utility tool, which I use for less than an hour a day - if it lives up
to expectations wrt maintenance, in the event of all my bikes being
nicked, I'd buy another subway 8 for commuting.

I've been keeping it up for 16 years so far.

regards, Ian SMith
--
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|o o|
|/ \|

Hi,

Ian Smith said:

... The big advantage of the Subway is low maintenance - it's a
utility tool, which I use for less than an hour a day - if it lives up
to expectations wrt maintenance, in the event of all my bikes being
nicked, I'd buy another subway 8 for commuting.

TBH, I'm in full agreement- I built up a fixed gear commuter from eBay
& my boxes of old bike bits. It's low maintenance and fun to ride but
since the OP was looking for info on "a nice bike" I thought I'd pitch
in on that topic first!

Like you I used a nice tourer for commuting for a long time. If you
only have one bike it's a better option than most, but it's not a
dedicated commuting machine.

Mind you- I reckon "which two bikes should I have?" might well be a
harder question to answer than "which bike, if I can only have one?"...

Cheers,
W.

Ian Smith said:

Mark said:

stu said:

I have a 15mile round trip to do each day, plus weekend cycle
paths and very light off road.

Personally 15miles a day every day is actually a fair bit - If you're
serious about keeping this up, I'd consider a bike that makes longer
distances more pleasurable. I have a light tourer/audax bike that is
truely a joy to ride - miles just slip away 🙂

And this being usenet, I'll offer the contradictory opinion.

15 miles is OK - I do a bit over 12 a day and it's pretty trivial
distance-wise. About the only thought I have regarding the distance
is that spring and autumn I wish it was a bit further - I'm just
getting into the swing of it, and I've arrived.

I've used expensive tourer (Galaxy), very expensive recumbent, and I'm
currently on Subway-8 (hub gears & brakes). The recumbent was
undoubtedly the nicest, safest ride, but on my current journey also
the slowest - too many traffic queues and I'm much slower up a line of
traffic on that.

The tourer was nice to ride, but actually, over the short distances
being talked about here, not a big difference. Properly adjusted, the
Subway is as comfortable as the Dawes over at least the first 10
miles. The big advantage of the Subway is low maintenance - it's a
utility tool, which I use for less than an hour a day - if it lives up
to expectations wrt maintenance, in the event of all my bikes being
nicked, I'd buy another subway 8 for commuting.

I've been keeping it up for 16 years so far.

regards, Ian SMith
--
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|o o|
|/ \|

Good point about maintenance. I've never tried one of these modern hub
gears (the old three speed ones we awful!).

For a while I commuted on my hack town bike (alu claud-butler frame,
puncture-proof schwalbe marathon plus tyres, straight handlebars,
trigger gears) - compared to that the Roberts is an absolute dream.

Mark.

Quoted message said:

Hi,

stu said:

I've only started commuting in 07, but have been a keen cyclist for
years. My Carrera Subway has been reasonable reliable for a few years
but I fancy getting something better.

I have a 15mile round trip to do each day, plus weekend cycle paths and
very light off road.

The Cannondale Bad Boy seems to stand out as a bike that could fit my
needs. (I'm assuming you can fit a rear rack on it?)

Could anyone recommend it or offer ideas for an alternative?

I'd get a touring bike, which would come with such niceties as
mudguards, and a rack and ought to be lighter, more comfortable and
better suited to the usage that you describe. Might be cheaper, too:
Evans was the first online link I hit with both and has a Galaxy or CB
Dalesman at £600 whereas the Bad Boy's are listed a £650 and up.
Specs & prices vary quite a bit- Edinburgh Bicycle have the Galaxy
costing & weighing more- though the bike includes stuff you'll probably
want to add to the Cannondale.
The tourers come with a good steel frame, too, whereas the Cannondale
is Aluminium.

But hey, that's just me...

Cheers,
W.

Purely subjective but having got used to a Trek 4400 with front sussies
I found the Galaxy a bit rough on London roads, your hands and wrists
feel every one of the thousand shocks that flesh is heir to. And the
riding position on an MTB feels safer, no twisting the neck for the
life-saver glance backwards.

Pootling around the Norfolk coast on thye galaxy is a different kettle
of fish.

spindrift said:

Purely subjective but having got used to a Trek 4400 with front sussies
I found the Galaxy a bit rough on London roads, your hands and wrists
feel every one of the thousand shocks that flesh is heir to.

So keep a looser grip on the bars and/or bunny-hop the holes.

Quoted message said:

And the
riding position on an MTB feels safer, no twisting the neck for the
life-saver glance backwards.

You clearly have a different neck to me... does the MTB allow you to see
through the back of your head? I find looking behind me is by and large
the same for my neck whether I'm on a drop-bar tourer or a straight bar MTB

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Peter Clinch said:

spindrift said:

Purely subjective but having got used to a Trek 4400 with front sussies
I found the Galaxy a bit rough on London roads, your hands and wrists
feel every one of the thousand shocks that flesh is heir to.

So keep a looser grip on the bars and/or bunny-hop the holes.

Quoted message said:

And the
riding position on an MTB feels safer, no twisting the neck for the
life-saver glance backwards.

You clearly have a different neck to me... does the MTB allow you to see
through the back of your head? I find looking behind me is by and large
the same for my neck whether I'm on a drop-bar tourer or a straight bar MTB

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

My weight's well forward on the tourer even after doing the tip of the
elbow on the saddle and fingertips on the stem trick so it's hard to
"lift off" my grip on the bars and I'd be nervous of losing control.

When I'm using the drop handlebars on the Galaxy (no safety brake
levers, can't be fitted to that model Daycocks told me) my shoulder's
in the way when I glance backwards. On the Trek I'm higher and more
upright, it seems, so it's easier to check over my shoulder.

Each to his own, natch, but if I bunny hopped every jolt-worthy ridge,
hole or gaping chasm on my commute I'd be knackered after 7 miles.

"spindrift" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

When I'm using the drop handlebars on the Galaxy (no safety brake
levers, can't be fitted to that model Daycocks told me)

Why not? What sort of brake levers have you got at the moment? Do you use a
bar bag? If the answer is STI/ergo/aero levers (ie anything made in the last
15 years), and no, take a look at eg
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/Default.aspx?Main=ProductDetail.aspx&ProdID=5360027557
or
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/Default.aspx?Main=ProductDetail.aspx&ProdID=5360012608

cheers,
clive

Clive George said:

"spindrift" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

When I'm using the drop handlebars on the Galaxy (no safety brake
levers, can't be fitted to that model Daycocks told me)

Why not? What sort of brake levers have you got at the moment? Do you use a
bar bag? If the answer is STI/ergo/aero levers (ie anything made in the last
15 years), and no, take a look at eg
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/Default.aspx?Main=ProductDetail.aspx&ProdID=5360027557
or
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/Default.aspx?Main=ProductDetail.aspx&ProdID=5360012608

cheers,
clive

Thanks Clive.

The shop were pretty certain that this model can't have safety levers,
which was annoying. I do have a bar bag with a transparent cover for
maps but it shouldn't interfere with safety levers. The brake and gear
cables run INSIDE the bars, dunno if that makes a difference...?

"spindrift" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Clive George said:

"spindrift" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

When I'm using the drop handlebars on the Galaxy (no safety brake
levers, can't be fitted to that model Daycocks told me)

Why not? What sort of brake levers have you got at the moment? Do you use
a
bar bag? If the answer is STI/ergo/aero levers (ie anything made in the
last
15 years), and no, take a look at eg
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/Default.aspx?Main=ProductDetail.aspx&ProdID=5360027557
or
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/Default.aspx?Main=ProductDetail.aspx&ProdID=5360012608

The shop were pretty certain that this model can't have safety levers,
which was annoying. I do have a bar bag with a transparent cover for
maps but it shouldn't interfere with safety levers. The brake and gear
cables run INSIDE the bars, dunno if that makes a difference...?

That'll be it - the cyclocross levers require the cable run to go through
them, and if it's inside the bars, there's no way that can happen.
Solution is simple - just reroute the brake cable outside the bars. Means
taking the bar tape off mind.
(Assuming the bar is of a suitable section where the new levers would
clamp - are there any oddities from the cable routing?)

cheers,
clive

spindrift said:

Purely subjective but having got used to a Trek 4400 with front sussies
I found the Galaxy a bit rough on London roads, your hands and wrists
feel every one of the thousand shocks that flesh is heir to. And the
riding position on an MTB feels safer, no twisting the neck for the
life-saver glance backwards.

What about riding round the potholes? Or don't they all cluster in the left 3rd
of the lane.

--
Stephen Patterson :: [email hidden] :: http://patter.mine.nu/
GPG: B416F0DE :: Jabber: [email hidden]
"Don't be silly, Minnie. Who'd be walking round these cliffs with a gas oven?"

Quoted message said:

Ian Smith said:

... The big advantage of the Subway is low maintenance - it's a
utility tool, which I use for less than an hour a day - if it lives up
to expectations wrt maintenance, in the event of all my bikes being
nicked, I'd buy another subway 8 for commuting.

Mind you- I reckon "which two bikes should I have?" might well be a
harder question to answer than "which bike, if I can only have one?"...

I'd replace my Subway 8 and my Trice with identical models of each (or
as near as I could due to model changes and budget changes - we were
dual income no kids when I bought the trice, and now we're dual kids
single income...)

regards, Ian SMith
--
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in message <[email hidden]>, stu

(') said:

I've only started commuting in 07, but have been a keen cyclist for
years. My Carrera Subway has been reasonable reliable for a few years
but I fancy getting something better.

I have a 15mile round trip to do each day, plus weekend cycle paths and
very light off road.

The Cannondale Bad Boy seems to stand out as a bike that could fit my
needs. (I'm assuming you can fit a rear rack on it?)

OK, I love Cannondales. But in an urban area they are thief magnets - every
bike thief knows what the name 'Cannondale' means. Unless you can store it
in a secure place at both ends of your journey, you will need to
thoroughly de-badge it. You can certainly fit a seat-post mounting rack,
but they're only good for about 10Kg load. You can't fit a conventional
rack to my Cannondale, but it isn't the same frame.

The other thing is that for commuting an epicyclic (hub) gear system is a
big advantage, because of much reduced transmission maintenance. The Bad
Boy is available with both Shimano Nexus and Rohloff options - the Rohloff
is the one to go for if you can afford it.

Quoted message said:

Could anyone recommend it or offer ideas for an alternative?

For an urban commuter bike which is a Cannondale and comes with mudguards,
rack and dynamo lighting as standard, check out the Cannondale Street
Ultra 1 (but this might be as much of a thief magnet as the Bad Boy):
http://gb.cannondale.com/bikes/07/ce/urban/street/model-7SS1.html

For an urban commuter bike which is not nearly as nice as a Cannondale but
won't upset you so much when some tea-leaf half-inches it (or, worse
still, wrecks it trying) check out the Ridgeback Nemesis, Ridgeback
Neutron, Specialised Crossroads Hu8, each of which is under £500; or
Edinburgh Bicycle Co-op's Revolution Courier Nexus, which comes in at
£350. http://www.edinburgh-bicycle.co.uk/catalogue/detail.cfm?ID=22638

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

A message from our sponsor: This site is now in free fall

in message <[email hidden]>,

(') said:

stu said:

I've only started commuting in 07, but have been a keen cyclist for
years. My Carrera Subway has been reasonable reliable for a few years
but I fancy getting something better.

I have a 15mile round trip to do each day, plus weekend cycle paths and
very light off road.

The Cannondale Bad Boy seems to stand out as a bike that could fit my
needs. (I'm assuming you can fit a rear rack on it?)

Could anyone recommend it or offer ideas for an alternative?

I'd get a touring bike, which would come with such niceties as
mudguards, and a rack and ought to be lighter, more comfortable and

He's talking about a Cannondale. You won't find a tourer anywhere that's
lighter or more comfortable than a Cannondale - unless of course it's a
Cannondale.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; Good grief, I can remember when England won the Ashes.

Simon Brooke said:

big advantage, because of much reduced transmission maintenance. The Bad
Boy is available with both Shimano Nexus and Rohloff options - the Rohloff
is the one to go for if you can afford it.

Rohloff hubs are good. Although I just got a new wheel made around a
speedhub and stuck it on my aging Marin Sausilito for commuting. It
dates from the days when these had steel frames and it's a bit rusty
now. I'll probably just buy a new frame to make a new commuting bike
one of these days. The front wheel is built round a Schmidt SON so the
wheels are the only bits really worth keeping.

I got my son new bike with an 8 speed nexus hub for Christmas and that
seems quite nice too... although that bike is really too small for me
to ride in order to make a proper assesment.

"Simon Brooke" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

He's talking about a Cannondale. You won't find a tourer anywhere that's
lighter or more comfortable than a Cannondale - unless of course it's a
Cannondale.

I had a Cannondale tourer. It wasn't very light...

cheers,
clive