Members' bikes

[SpaceBadger]

Wow. If the number of photos and lights equates to the ride quality, that's going to be one very shit-hot bike   

[TheLurker]

TheLurker...
*Looks at own bike.*
*Looks at Foghat's commuting bike.*
*Looks back at own bike.*
*Sheds bitter tears of jealousy and rage.*

[hulver]

TheLurker...
*Looks at own bike.*
*Looks at Foghat's commuting bike.*
*Looks back at own bike.*
*Sheds bitter tears of jealousy and rage.*

+1

[clarion]

Clarion...
*Looks at own bike.*
*Looks at Foghat's commuting bike.*
*Looks back at own bike.*
*Shrugs shoulders and can't wait to get on the road*

[Frenchie]

When one spends so much of one's cycling life commuting, why not make it on a decent, enjoyable, as-good-as-can-be bike if storage is safe and if distance and elevation gain are significant?  I can't be the only one....?

Indeed. Whenever I can can, I do too. But I have to leave my bike here and there on many commutes (shops; nursery etc.). I also have to say that it would be difficult for me to run a DURACE bit of kit on dirty roads in the midst of winter.

[Paul D]

You mean it would be too costly to run Dura Ace kit on dirty roads in the winter. That's the driving factor for most of us. If I was a multi millionaire my hack bike would make that Pearson look pretty average.

Back to reality, I concur that Pearson is lovely, but as I don't do cleaning I'm afraid I'd be unsure about taking that out in the usual British summer, let alone commuting in winter.

EDIT: What does annoy me about it is the tyres! You talk about saving some weight hence the carbon frame etc, then you use the heaviest tyres you can find!

[clarion]

I have XTR pedals on my commuter.

[mike]

dont listen to'em, Foghat!

it's a great looking bike and, if I had a similar-sounding commute (and budget )   would probably end up with something very similar, just with proper Italian gears rather than some fishing-reel components!   

(+1 for Paul D, I'm not sure about the tyres either..)

[DrMekon]

I was going to crow about how Top Contact are skinny girl tires, and that my 37mm Touring Plus are where the weight is. Then I saw the weight of the 38mm Marathon+. I guess I am going to have to put some slime in my tubes.

[LEE]

Don't you get hassle from oncoming car drivers? 
Those are both symmetrical beams and both incredibly bright.  Do you have a "dipped" option?
I'm fairly sure I'd retaliate with full-beam if you had those shining at me.

[citoyen]

I don't often seriously lust after a bike, but that is the exception - simply THE best bicycle I've seen for a long long time.

Envy. That's it. Pure and simple.

+1

Pretty much perfect.

When one spends so much of one's cycling life commuting, why not make it on a decent, enjoyable, as-good-as-can-be bike if storage is safe and if distance and elevation gain are significant?  I can't be the only one....?

I certainly would if I had the disposable income.

d.

[citoyen]

Don't you get hassle from oncoming car drivers? 

Doesn't that depend on the angle the lights are set at? They do look to be set pointing quite high up, but maybe the pics are deceptive.

d.

[MacB]

If you're replacing a car with a commuting bike then a higher cost becomes much more reasonable. My commuter was nearly 3 times the price of what's now my weekend bike. After the initial outlay the running costs are miniscule next to a car. If I was speccing up an ideal commuter then:-

titanium frame & steel forks
decent 36H handbuilt wheels
SON front dynamo running front and rear light
rear rack, guards, Brooks saddle
either 32 or 35mm tyres with good puncture protection and longevity
would be torn between a SS or Rohloff rear hub or as an outside option a 1x8 setup

The above is a general template and would depend on secure parking facilities, but you can easily reach £3-4k. For me it would all be about minimising weight while maximising protection from mechanicals and maximising ride comfort. When I was still doing my lengthy commute it equated to about 14 hours of saddle time per week. If you multiply that up, taking account of holidays etc, you're still looking at 600 hours a year on one bike.

So I'm fully behind the idea of spending the dosh on the commuter first. After that you can see what you can afford for the weekends.

[border-rider]

titanium frame & steel forks
decent 36H handbuilt wheels
SON front dynamo running front and rear light
rear rack, guards, Brooks saddle
either 32 or 35mm tyres with good puncture protection and longevity
would be torn between a SS or Rohloff rear hub or as an outside option a 1x8 setup

This is almost exactly my winter and summer audax bike specs, save that they're fixed and have battery rear lights.

If I were commuting a serious distance in the winter I'd have a front disc brake too.

[токамак]

TT bike completed:



I love the noise carbon wheels make!

[bobb]

I love the noise carbon wheels make!

I would imagine your bank manager does too!!

Looking cool!

[citoyen]

would be torn between a SS or Rohloff rear hub or as an outside option a 1x8 setup

Yep. I did initially remark on the number of gears on Foghat's bike ("perfect apart from too many gears"), but if there are hills on his commuting route...

I think it was MV who said doing a long commute was initially his main reason for going fixed (is that right, MV?), and I've definitely worked my way round to the view that for commuting, fewer is better - partly from a reduced maintenance pov, partly because it's one less thing to think about while riding.

d.

[citoyen]

TT bike completed:

Woof!

d.

[border-rider]

I think it was MV who said doing a long commute was initially his main reason for going fixed (is that right, MV?)

yes

a long and skoggy commute (17 miles each way of knackered West Berks lanes, including a transit of a dairy farm)

Gears got trashed over the winter.  Fixed for reliability & low maintenance; I used to use a front hub brake as well (the days before discs) to save destroying rims.

[border-rider]

i must say that for a summer commuter though, Foghat's would be hard to beat...

[MacB]

would be torn between a SS or Rohloff rear hub or as an outside option a 1x8 setup

Yep. I did initially remark on the number of gears on Foghat's bike ("perfect apart from too many gears"), but if there are hills on his commuting route...

I think it was MV who said doing a long commute was initially his main reason for going fixed (is that right, MV?), and I've definitely worked my way round to the view that for commuting, fewer is better - partly from a reduced maintenance pov, partly because it's one less thing to think about while riding.

d.

I've hummed and hawed over this, currently have the SRAM I-9 hub gear and I only got that as I couldn't afford/justify the Rohloff at the time. I genuinely thought I was taking a risk having only 9 gears, I now understand gearing much better I also understand my preferred riding style, ie minimum gear changes, much better as well. I'm selling the I-9 and will be replacing it with the new SRF3 sturmey 3 speed hub. But I'm also upgrading the backup bike to the Genesis Day One Cross and will have a spare SRF3 rear wheel for that as well(I already have this on current backup bike). As the existing is a Surly Crosscheck I should end up with two similar bikes that can run as hub gear, SS or fixed.

This gives me maximum redundancy and I can't envisage any commute around here I couldn't manage with a 40/54/72 gear inch range. But I'd still like them both to be titanium frames and SON front hubs. I think the dynamos will come before the frames

[Frenchie]

TT bike completed:

Very nice.

[rogerzilla]

would be torn between a SS or Rohloff rear hub or as an outside option a 1x8 setup

Yep. I did initially remark on the number of gears on Foghat's bike ("perfect apart from too many gears"), but if there are hills on his commuting route...

I think it was MV who said doing a long commute was initially his main reason for going fixed (is that right, MV?), and I've definitely worked my way round to the view that for commuting, fewer is better - partly from a reduced maintenance pov, partly because it's one less thing to think about while riding.

d.

I've hummed and hawed over this, currently have the SRAM I-9 hub gear and I only got that as I couldn't afford/justify the Rohloff at the time. I genuinely thought I was taking a risk having only 9 gears, I now understand gearing much better I also understand my preferred riding style, ie minimum gear changes, much better as well. I'm selling the I-9 and will be replacing it with the new SRF3 sturmey 3 speed hub. But I'm also upgrading the backup bike to the Genesis Day One Cross and will have a spare SRF3 rear wheel for that as well(I already have this on current backup bike). As the existing is a Surly Crosscheck I should end up with two similar bikes that can run as hub gear, SS or fixed.

This gives me maximum redundancy and I can't envisage any commute around here I couldn't manage with a 40/54/72 gear inch range. But I'd still like them both to be titanium frames and SON front hubs. I think the dynamos will come before the frames

I don't really like the SRF3 -  I'd rather have an older AW running in oil.  Once it's gummed up a bit round the seals and provided you don't over-oil it, it stops leaking.  It also feels much freer-running.

If you're a real tinkerer you can put an old AW mechanism in a SRF-3 alloy shell, provided you drill the shell and add an oil filler.  The internal dimensions and threading of the shell haven't changed since 1936.

[Chris N]

titanium frame & steel forks
decent 36H handbuilt wheels
SON front dynamo running front and rear light
rear rack, guards, Brooks saddle
either 32 or 35mm tyres with good puncture protection and longevity
would be torn between a SS or Rohloff rear hub or as an outside option a 1x8 setup

This is almost exactly my winter and summer audax bike specs, save that they're fixed and have battery rear lights.

If I were commuting a serious distance in the winter I'd have a front disc brake too.

I was going to comment that it was very close to my commuter too but realised that:

It's all steel
No dynamo
37mm tyres
32H wheels
No Brooks

Still, I like it.

[Regulator]

titanium frame & steel forks
decent 36H handbuilt wheels
SON front dynamo running front and rear light
rear rack, guards, Brooks saddle
either 32 or 35mm tyres with good puncture protection and longevity
would be torn between a SS or Rohloff rear hub or as an outside option a 1x8 setup

This is almost exactly my winter and summer audax bike specs, save that they're fixed and have battery rear lights.

If I were commuting a serious distance in the winter I'd have a front disc brake too.

I was going to comment that it was very close to my commuter too but realised that:

It's all steel
No dynamo
37mm tyres
32H wheels
No Brooks

Still, I like it.

Wash your mouth out young man....