Commute bike buying advice
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Commute bike buying advice
Postby simurs4 » Mon May 21, 2012 9:45 pm
i'm after a nice simple design flat bar roadie or hybrid im not all that picky i just have afew things i want in a bike such as disc brakes and it has to be black or atleast matt black.
i've got a couple im pretty keen on such as the Avanti Inc 2 (although they are becoming hard to find at the moment due to stock shortages), the Cannondale Bad Boy Solo and the Whyte Portobello (which is probably the classiest out of the lot due to the retro white walled tyres).
im looking at spending around the $1000 mark, $1500 absolute max and i had my heart set on the Avanti but stuggling to find one in melbourne.
Avanti Inc 2 $1099
Cannondale Bad Boy Solo $1199
Whyte Portobello $1399
have you guys got any other suggestions that are similar to what i've already got?
thanks for any help .
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Re: Commute bike buying advice
Postby wombatK » Mon May 21, 2012 10:13 pm
You related to Di Fisher ?simurs4 wrote:im not all that picky i just have afew things i want in a bike such as disc brakes and it has to be black or atleast matt black
Somebody has to do something, and it's just incredibly pathetic that it has to be us -Jerry Garcia
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Re: Commute bike buying advice
Postby simurs4 » Mon May 21, 2012 10:43 pm
- Mulger bill
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Re: Commute bike buying advice
Postby Mulger bill » Tue May 22, 2012 12:29 am
Not to mention the extreme stealth look too
London Boy 29/12/2011
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Re: Commute bike buying advice
Postby silentbutdeadly » Tue May 22, 2012 9:12 am
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Re: Commute bike buying advice
Postby hamwedges » Tue May 22, 2012 10:54 am
http://www.scott-sports.com/global/en/p ... -sub-20-l/
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Re: Commute bike buying advice
Postby clackers » Tue May 22, 2012 1:48 pm
I've got an older Sub 10 with the same specs, Hamwedge ... for me, almost the perfect commuter ...hamwedges wrote:I've got a Scott Sub 20 which ticks all those boxes (<$1500, matte black, disc bakes). Pretty happy with it - strong and fast, i ride it like its stolen and it tends to cop it pretty well.
http://www.scott-sports.com/global/en/p ... -sub-20-l/
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Re: Commute bike buying advice
Postby clackers » Tue May 22, 2012 1:52 pm
Ancient history, Simurs. She was a judge on ABC's The Inventors, who after others had asked thoughtful questions of the contestant was liable to ask if it came in any other colours!simurs4 wrote:can't say i am, don't know who that is :S.
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Re: Commute bike buying advice
Postby ngalbrai » Tue May 22, 2012 3:09 pm
Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk 2
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Re: Commute bike buying advice
Postby simurs4 » Tue May 22, 2012 11:01 pm
they are pretty much the same spec wise, although the portobello runs hydraulic brakes while the bad boy is mechanical. either one i'd be happy with will just have to wait and see i guess .
ive rung around every place i can about the avanti but everyone says they can't get any stock until the 2013 line up arrives and i don't want to wait that long .
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Re: Commute bike buying advice
Postby Pukka Belly » Thu May 24, 2012 1:36 am
It has a slightly longer reach / wheelbase? than the others I tried (Specialized / Trek / Cannondale) and the way I sat (more like a roadie) on the bike suited me. After testing a few others I hopped on the Whyte and it just felt great much smoother than the others - fun to ride.
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Re: Commute bike buying advice
Postby simurs4 » Fri May 25, 2012 10:38 pm
the focus looks like this, but matte black not grey
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Re: Commute bike buying advice
Postby simurs4 » Mon May 28, 2012 8:54 pm
heres a couple pics, thanks for your help guys.
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Commute bike buying advice
Postby AussieCJ7 » Wed May 30, 2012 2:52 pm
Just got back from local specialized dealer and pretty keen on the Sirius comp or expert. About 1200 and 1500 respectively
Any advice or experience with these ?
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Re: Commute bike buying advice
Postby chriscole » Tue Sep 04, 2012 6:40 pm
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Re: Commute bike buying advice
Postby Dean Whittle » Tue Sep 04, 2012 9:49 pm
I'll be back commuting (15km one way) in a week and a bit, and I'm actually looking forward to it ... the commute that is, not the work bit.
Regards
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Re: Commute bike buying advice
Postby KonaCommuter » Sat Sep 08, 2012 8:02 pm
* Mud Guards fitted as standard not an after thought. Trying to add them to my bikes cost me just shy of $200 and I was still unhappy with the results
* Pannier racks - backpacks are OK but riding sans backpack is better. Panniers ROCK but TBH I'm rolling with a milk crate at the moment.
* Bike stand = convenient
* Chain guard -> Never really thought about them until it got cold and I took to commuting with tracky dacks. I tucked them into my socks which works. However my new commuter that's not necessary
* Dynohub - having your battery lights fail sucks, and you just know they'll let you down at the worst time like on an unlit bike path 4km's from lit roads and no, you won't just be diligent about changing your batteries because one evening you'll be to tired to do so and "they'll be good for one more commute"
* Failing dynohub - E-Bike?
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Re: Commute bike buying advice
Postby FuzzyDropbear » Wed Sep 12, 2012 2:20 pm
Really? It cost near $200 for mudguards? Wow. I hate mud guards, but the practicality of having them on a commuter won me over. I have a Shogun Trailbreaker which is a hardtail mountain bike which I've converted to a commuter and I just whacked on a $20 set of crud catchers from Wiggle. Although, you might have some designer tastes (they're not exactly the prettiest things, lol). But I agree, for a commuter, mudguards are a must.KonaCommuter wrote:To late for the OP however if anyone is looking for a commuter bike here's a few things I would look for
* Mud Guards fitted as standard not an after thought. Trying to add them to my bikes cost me just shy of $200 and I was still unhappy with the results
* Pannier racks - backpacks are OK but riding sans backpack is better. Panniers ROCK but TBH I'm rolling with a milk crate at the moment.
* Bike stand = convenient...
I commute with a backpack but with a pannier you wouldn't suffer from sweaty back syndrome like I do Plus you can pick up a 6 pack on your way home easier with a pannier, it acts as a mudguard and it weighs the back of the bike down when you go jumping
I would also look at the weight of the bike as well. There are a couple of new commuter bikes in my workplace at the moment and the owners paid a good lot more than ye olde trailbreaker and yet their bikes are significantly heavier, despite paying $700 or more for their bikes. I don't know if there's a reason for the weight, but to me it's unnecessary and I don't know what they've done to make them weigh so much. I'm not a weight weenie by any means, but the weight difference is ridiculous.
Cheers.
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Re: Commute bike buying advice
Postby KonaCommuter » Sat Sep 15, 2012 6:57 pm
FuzzyDropbear wrote:
Really? It cost near $200 for mudguards? Wow.
It's roughly $200 over a number of attempts. None of which were acceptable.
My last attempt was Topeak Defender for my Oppy. The rear guard is easily knocked out of whack and subsequently rubs against the tyre. Very frustrating. I couldn't work out how to mount the front one
Another set I purchased only to find out that my MTB didn't have a mounting option for the front so that meant buying something else.
It was just frustration after frustration.
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Re: Commute bike buying advice
Postby albertgaleano » Sun Sep 16, 2012 3:44 pm
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Re: Commute bike buying advice
Postby Nobody » Sun Sep 16, 2012 5:16 pm
Might be worth your while to get a long mudflap for the front, which should keep more water and muck off your feet and drive train.albertgaleano wrote:I think SKS Chromoplastic Mudguards are the best around, i got them from c r c, easy to install and look great
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Re: Commute bike buying advice
Postby FuzzyDropbear » Mon Sep 17, 2012 1:50 pm
Ah yeah, fair enough. My cheap ones are good for offroad commuting so that's why I got them, they're not really too nice to look at, but they do a dang good job! Though looking around, I was amazed at how expensive a good looking set of guards was.KonaCommuter wrote:FuzzyDropbear wrote:
Really? It cost near $200 for mudguards? Wow.
It's roughly $200 over a number of attempts. None of which were acceptable.
My last attempt was Topeak Defender for my Oppy. The rear guard is easily knocked out of whack and subsequently rubs against the tyre. Very frustrating. I couldn't work out how to mount the front one
Another set I purchased only to find out that my MTB didn't have a mounting option for the front so that meant buying something else.
It was just frustration after frustration.
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Re: Commute bike buying advice
Postby DavidS » Mon Sep 17, 2012 9:30 pm
Yep, adding a mudflap makes a big difference. I got a Brooks mudflap but no need to go that far if you don't want to. I just like the idea of a thick slab of leather as a mudflap. Some people just cut up a drink bottle and it will work just as well.Nobody wrote:Might be worth your while to get a long mudflap for the front, which should keep more water and muck off your feet and drive train.albertgaleano wrote:I think SKS Chromoplastic Mudguards are the best around, i got them from c r c, easy to install and look great
DS
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Re: Commute bike buying advice
Postby queequeg » Mon Sep 17, 2012 11:38 pm
SKS P45 chromoplastics on my commuter.Nobody wrote:Might be worth your while to get a long mudflap for the front, which should keep more water and muck off your feet and drive train.albertgaleano wrote:I think SKS Chromoplastic Mudguards are the best around, i got them from c r c, easy to install and look great
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