Which fast commute bike?

Quoted message said:

Any others?

I replaced my aged Claude Butler with a Specialized Sirrus and have been
happy with it for my 12 miles-each-way fast London commute. The basic model
just sneaks in under your budget (although mudguards would be extra) or
Evans is doing a discount on a 2005 "sport" if you're "extra small".

I suggest you give several bikes a good test ride before deciding.
Oh, and get a rack.

In article <[email hidden]>, Ben Mack
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

I'm looking at:-
Claud Butler Urban 200 (of course)
Ridgeback Genesis Day 01 (will it take child seat?)
Dawes Discovery 301 (bit slow & upright?)

and just spotted the Specialized Sirrus

--
Ben Mack
Watchfront Electronics - Bespoke R&D - http://www.watchfront.co.uk/
Watchfront Internet - ADSL, Colo - http://www.watchfront.net/
Are you bricking it? - Firewalls - http://www.firebrick.co.uk/

In article <[email hidden]>, POHB <newswithnospam@hayw
ard.uk.net> writes

Quoted message said:

I replaced my aged Claude Butler with a Specialized Sirrus and have been
happy with it for my 12 miles-each-way fast London commute.

Thanks for that

Just off to test ride a few

Cheers
--
Ben Mack

in message <[email hidden]>, Ben Mack

(') said:

Hi All

Having just had my Claud Butler Urban 200 nicked, I'm looking for a
repacement for:-
- fast London commute (10 miles a day)
- flat but quite low bars (not situpandbeg)
- tough but not too heavy
- suitable for child seat (blackburn ex1 rack)
- takes full mudguards
- simple (no suspension etc)
- price £250 - 400

Quoted message said:

The Urban 200 was great bar some minor things:-
- it felt too rigid, jarred badly through potholes, though the sprung
seatpost helped
- when pedalling hard I felt vibration through the pedals, as though
the chain wasn't running smoothly under pressure
- gear ratios a bit too wide
- handlebar stem pivot slightly loose (I'd rather a solid stem)

I'm looking at:-
Claud Butler Urban 200 (of course)

Excellent value for money.

Quoted message said:

Ridgeback Genesis Day 01 (will it take child seat?)

Bikes with epicyclic gears such as the Ridgeback Nemesis and (even
better, with hub dynamo lights as standard) Neutron and the similar
Specialized Crossroads Hub are worth looking at, for simplicity and
reliability.

Cannondale are doing a version of the Bad Boy with a Nexus epicyclic hub
and a Fatty fork tuned for road use, and that would be my absolute top
pick for a fast urban bike - but unfortunately it's three times your
budget (and worth every penny). It (or something very very similar) is
also available with mudguards as the 'Fifty-fifty'.

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

;; part time troll.

Ben Mack said:

I'm in Brixton, Sarf London, and would like to buy from local shop,
e.g. Evans or Brixton Cycles). However the CTCshop looks good, any
comments?

The CTC shop is run by Evans. So, if the Evans branch comes high on your
list, ask them to match the "CTC" price, I imagine they will.

- Nigel

--
Nigel Cliffe,
Webmaster at http://www.2mm.org.uk/

In article said:

in message <[email hidden]>, Ben Mack

(') said:

Having just had my Claud Butler Urban 200 nicked, I'm looking for a
repacement for:-
- fast London commute (10 miles a day)
- flat but quite low bars (not situpandbeg)
- tough but not too heavy
- suitable for child seat (blackburn ex1 rack)
- takes full mudguards
- simple (no suspension etc)
- price £250 - 400

[...]

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Ridgeback Genesis Day 01 (will it take child seat?)

Bikes with epicyclic gears such as the Ridgeback Nemesis and (even
better, with hub dynamo lights as standard) Neutron and the similar
Specialized Crossroads Hub are worth looking at, for simplicity and
reliability.

Edinburgh Bicycle have a new hub geared version of their Courier
appearing at the start of April
http://www.edinburgh-bicycle.co.uk/catalogue/detail.cfm?ID=22638

(As usual with their incompetent website, visit the top level
http://www.edinburgh-bicycle.co.uk/catalogue/ to avoid a misleading
message about cookies. Their bikes have a good reputation though.)

Simon Brooke said:

in message <[email hidden]>, Ben Mack

(') said:

- price £250 - 400

Bikes with epicyclic gears such as the Ridgeback Nemesis

I have been very happy with my Nemesis although it is out of the price
range at just under 500 without mudguards or rack. It can of course take
both as mine has.

I don't know whether it is selling particularly well or I am
experiencing that effect you get after you buy a new car and it then
appears as if everyone else is driving the same one, but since buying
mine I keep on seeing others around. One chap had put on an extension to
raise his handlebars, another has put on a strange set of bars that
almost, but not quite, look like a figure 8 on it's side. The next time
I see him I will try to as about it as it looks like a good alternative
to drops.

--
Don Whybrow

Sequi Bonum Non Time

Are you still here? The message is over. Shoo! Go away!

in message <[email hidden]>, Alan Braggins

(') said:

In article <[email hidden]>, Simon

Brooke said:

in message <[email hidden]>, Ben Mack

(') said:

Having just had my Claud Butler Urban 200 nicked, I'm looking for a
repacement for:-
- fast London commute (10 miles a day)
- flat but quite low bars (not situpandbeg)
- tough but not too heavy
- suitable for child seat (blackburn ex1 rack)
- takes full mudguards
- simple (no suspension etc)
- price £250 - 400

[...]

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Ridgeback Genesis Day 01 (will it take child seat?)

Bikes with epicyclic gears such as the Ridgeback Nemesis and (even
better, with hub dynamo lights as standard) Neutron and the similar
Specialized Crossroads Hub are worth looking at, for simplicity and
reliability.

Edinburgh Bicycle have a new hub geared version of their Courier
appearing at the start of April
http://www.edinburgh-bicycle.co.uk/catalogue/detail.cfm?ID=22638

Now that /is/ value for money!

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

X-no-archive: No, I'm not *that* naive.

In article <[email hidden]>, Simon
Brooke <[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Claud Butler Urban 200 (of course)

Excellent value for money.

It is! £210 from evans, versus £400 for the genesis. Not that quick,
though, and I'll need new tires.

I've also stumbled across the Claud Butler Chinook, more of a road bike
with flat bars, £220.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Ridgeback Genesis Day 01 (will it take child seat?)

A guy in Evans thought I'd have trouble finding full length mudguards to
fit this

Quoted message said:

Bikes with epicyclic gears such as the Ridgeback Nemesis and (even
better, with hub dynamo lights as standard) Neutron and the similar
Specialized Crossroads Hub are worth looking at, for simplicity and
reliability.

I did look at those, but was told they have relatively wide ratio steps,
a problem I had with the Urban 200

Cheers
--
Ben Mack
Watchfront Electronics - Bespoke R&D - http://www.watchfront.co.uk/
Watchfront Internet - ADSL, Colo - http://www.watchfront.net/
Are you bricking it? - Firewalls - http://www.firebrick.co.uk/

In article <[email hidden]>, Nigel Cliffe
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

The CTC shop is run by Evans.

I was wondering about the similarity

Quoted message said:

So, if the Evans branch comes high on your
list, ask them to match the "CTC" price, I imagine they will.

Good plan
--
Ben Mack
Watchfront Electronics - Bespoke R&D - http://www.watchfront.co.uk/
Watchfront Internet - ADSL, Colo - http://www.watchfront.net/
Are you bricking it? - Firewalls - http://www.firebrick.co.uk/

In article <[email hidden]>, Simon
Brooke <[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

in message <[email hidden]>, Ben Mack

(') said:

I'm looking at:-
Claud Butler Urban 200 (of course)

Excellent value for money.

Just discovered the 2006 model has suspension forks - arrghhhh

and I can only find 2005 models with 22" frame, a touch too big for me

--
Ben Mack
Watchfront Electronics - Bespoke R&D - http://www.watchfront.co.uk/
Watchfront Internet - ADSL, Colo - http://www.watchfront.net/
Are you bricking it? - Firewalls - http://www.firebrick.co.uk/

I've been wondering about tyre size

Will the narrower tyre/rim of bikes like the ridgeback genesis and
specialized sirrus make a big difference? Or will a fast road tyre on a
wider rim like the urban 200 be just as quick?

Will I find the narrower tyres/rims too delicate? I ran flak jacket road
tyres on my old urban 200 and they were as tough as nails, not a single
puncture in 2000 miles of London streets. And the wheels stayed true
even after some pretty nasty offs (e.g. into side of merc at around
25mph).

A guy at Brixton cycles was a bit worried about putting a child seat on
the back of a specialized sirrus, though he reckoned the wheel would
take it, more worried about stability

Decisions decisions...
--
Ben Mack
Watchfront Electronics - Bespoke R&D - http://www.watchfront.co.uk/
Watchfront Internet - ADSL, Colo - http://www.watchfront.net/
Are you bricking it? - Firewalls - http://www.firebrick.co.uk/

Quoted message said:

A guy at Brixton cycles was a bit worried about putting a child seat on
the back of a specialized sirrus, though he reckoned the wheel would
take it, more worried about stability

I don't know why there would be a stability problem on the Sirrus any more
than another bike?

However, the wheel build quality may be a bit iffy. I read rumours before I
got mine, nothing concrete.
But when I bust a spoke the rest all started going ping while trying to
re-true. Took it into Evans and they had the same prob and ended up
rebuilding it with all new spokes. However, not too fussed as Specialized
were happy to stump up for the work under the warranty.

In article <[email hidden]>, Ben Mack
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

I've been wondering about tyre size

I've just tried the genesis and the sirrus - I definitely want the
narrower tyres, felt much quicker, big grin on my face. Personal choice
probably go for the genesis (more head-down) but both great bikes

Very helpful guy at Evans Wandsworth (thanks Steve) reckoned the back
wheel on the genesis will withstand a child seat no probs, it certainly
felt pretty strong. And the tyre has puncture protection, so fingers
crossed there

I'm going to sleep on it, but I reckon the Ridgeback Genesis Day 01 is
the one

Thanks all
--
Ben Mack
Watchfront Electronics - Bespoke R&D - http://www.watchfront.co.uk/
Watchfront Internet - ADSL, Colo - http://www.watchfront.net/
Are you bricking it? - Firewalls - http://www.firebrick.co.uk/

Quoted message said:

I've just tried the genesis and the sirrus - I definitely want the
narrower tyres, felt much quicker, big grin on my face. Personal choice
probably go for the genesis (more head-down) but both great bikes

Yeah I test-rode the Genesis too and would agree that it feels a bit more
racey.
As you say, personal preference.

Ben Mack said:

Any others? Any comments?

Hijacking the thread a bit, because it's slightly out of your given
price range, what does the panel think of the Dawes Karakum?

The wife is thinking of getting one see...

cheers, Phil

--
http://www.kantaka.co.uk/ .oOo. public key: http://www.kantaka.co.uk/gpg.txt

In article <[email hidden]>, POHB <newswithnospam@hayw
ard.uk.net> writes

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I've just tried the genesis and the sirrus - I definitely want the
narrower tyres, felt much quicker, big grin on my face. Personal choice
probably go for the genesis (more head-down) but both great bikes

Yeah I test-rode the Genesis too and would agree that it feels a bit more
racey.
As you say, personal preference.

Well on Saturday I bought a .... Sirrus

Went into Apex Cycles on Clapham High Street, very helpful bunch,
insisted I took long test rides on both the genesis and sirrus. My daily
commute is down Clapham High St, and after a few runs I started finding
the genesis just a bit harsh. And I realised that although the genesis
feels faster, the sirrus is as fast and much smoother.

What clinched it was that they offered to fit the bars, stem & saddle
from a genesis, so I got the best of both worlds :-)

The down side is they appear to have overtightened the headset, so it is
stiff and has a decided notch just off straight-ahead, very annoying.
I'm taking it back tomorrow, I guess the only answer is to replace the
entire bearing set including seats?

Cheers
--
Ben Mack
Watchfront Electronics - Bespoke R&D - http://www.watchfront.co.uk/
Watchfront Internet - ADSL, Colo - http://www.watchfront.net/
Are you bricking it? - Firewalls - http://www.firebrick.co.uk/

Ben Mack said:

The down side is they appear to have overtightened the headset, so it is
stiff and has a decided notch just off straight-ahead, very annoying.
I'm taking it back tomorrow, I guess the only answer is to replace the
entire bearing set including seats?

If it's a brand new bike and not been ridden far, then try just loosing
the headset. If it still persists, then yes, new headset.

--
Arthur Clune

In article <[email hidden]>, Arthur Clune
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

Ben Mack said:

The down side is they appear to have overtightened the headset, so it is
stiff and has a decided notch just off straight-ahead, very annoying.
I'm taking it back tomorrow, I guess the only answer is to replace the
entire bearing set including seats?

If it's a brand new bike and not been ridden far, then try just loosing
the headset. If it still persists, then yes, new headset.

It is the notch that worries me. If it was just stiff, I would do that,
however the notch suggests the bearing is already damaged

The notch is strong enough that if I swing the bars with the front wheel
off the ground, it stops at that point, just to the left of centre

I often ride hands-off, and if it caught in that notch, I'm worried it
would have me face down on the road...

Cheers
--
Ben Mack
Watchfront Electronics - Bespoke R&D - http://www.watchfront.co.uk/
Watchfront Internet - ADSL, Colo - http://www.watchfront.net/
Are you bricking it? - Firewalls - http://www.firebrick.co.uk/