fastest bike for 7 mile commute
 

What would be the fastest type of bike for a 7 mile(ew) commute.
Dont care about luggage - just carry a wallet down to work.
It is downhill on the way in, so dont get sweaty - just shower
at home at the end of the day.
Do I need a fast road bike? Does ~£400 get a reasonable one?
And the silly question, can I spend less? :-)

fastest bike for 7 mile commute
 

Ok, for £400 you won't be able to get a 'bent, which may have been the
fastest option :-)

What you will need is a drop barred road bike, since it's down hill,
the actuall weight of the bike won't matter (weight is only important
when climbing and accellerating), what will matter is how low you can
get and what your tyres are. 700x23's should be fine. although you
could get thinner, just make sure they are at the correct pressure (120
psi or so).

From memory there are a couple of Dawes bikes in the £400 range that
would suit. you may also want to check the Trek and Specialized ranges,
or of course go second hand (CW often has add's in the back fo rgood
bikes costing about £400)

Bryan

fastest bike for 7 mile commute
 

I just bought a Giant OCR3 from Wiggle for £425. It's reasonably
light, everything is comfortable and I am averaging 15-20% faster than
on my MTB. I have also discovered that going up hills is kind of fun.
Not complete fun, but more than on my MTB. I have also learnt that I am
not Lance Armstrong, but occasionally deluding myself is fine. Just be
careful not to have someone fly past you in the middle of this
daydream. I've had quite a few "nice bike" comments, one from Dr Bike,
others from other complete strangers. They've been amazed you can get a
nice bike for that price, and you could see their brains working
overtime trying to figure out how to explain to the wife ;)

I am averaging about 16mph, so you should be in work within 20-25
minutes depending on how much downhill it is :)

Finally, a friend had his £2k Trek race bike the other day and feels
like a feather compared to mine. :(

fastest bike for 7 mile commute
 

stupot wrote:
What would be the fastest type of bike for a 7 mile(ew) commute.

The one Lance Armstrong is riding.

If you think that's a silly answer, the serious point is that speed
depends more on the rider than the bike.

Do I need a fast road bike?

I would say the main thing you need to consider is the terrain you are
riding on - since, I guess, that is going to be smooth tarmac, you want
a bike with slick, narrow(ish) tyres and no suspension.

As you are going to be using the bike for commuting, you also really
ought to consider mudguards, unless you like spending lots of time
cleaning your bike (or unless you are a fairweather-only cyclist, in
which case it doesn't matter so much).

For the same reason, you should also consider hub gears rather than
derailleurs, those this does limit your options somewhat, since most
bikes of the sort you are looking for come with derailleurs as
standard.

Whether you opt for racing bike-style drop handlebars or straights is a
matter of personal preference and comfort. And it depends partly what
you're used to.

The best thing to do is go to a bike shop and try a few - different
styles, different makes and models of the same style, different sizes,
etc, until you find something you are comfortable on.

Does ~£400 get a reasonable one?
And the silly question, can I spend less? :-)

You can get a brand new Dawes Comp Giro 200 for £300 - an eminently
sensible fast commuting bike.
url:http://www.evanscycles.com/product.jsp?style=5688

Or if you were prepared to go down the second-hand route, you could
probably get something much better for the same money.

But don't forget to budget for extra things you'll need such as lights
and a decent lock.

d.

fastest bike for 7 mile commute
 

fastest bike for 7 mile commute
 

stupot wrote:
What would be the fastest type of bike for a 7 mile(ew) commute.

Hayabusa? ;-)

--
Mark.
http://tranchant.plus.com/

fastest bike for 7 mile commute
 

On Thu, 21 Jul 2005 12:17:38 +0100, stupot wrote:

What would be the fastest type of bike for a 7 mile(ew) commute.
Dont care about luggage - just carry a wallet down to work.
It is downhill on the way in, so dont get sweaty - just shower
at home at the end of the day.
Do I need a fast road bike? Does ~£400 get a reasonable one?
And the silly question, can I spend less? :-)

You can get a pretty good hybrid for around £300, which leaves
you loads of cash for lights, pump, spare tubes, reflective vest
or whatever extras take your fancy. (£400 is a sensible budget IMO).

Look around for Dawes, Specialized, Trek and Giant hybrid bikes in
that price range. And if you *must* buy a mountain bike, get one
*without* suspension and swap the knobbly tyres for slicks.

Before you buy, check the bike will take a rear rack - you may
decide you need to carry luggage (laptop, clothes, lunch etc) one day.

Let us know how you get on!

--
jc

fastest bike for 7 mile commute
 

Thanks for all the advise. Some interesting comments. I currently have
a edinburgh connection hybrid with 7 speed nexus and I think that the
weight is up at ~28lbs+. It is fine for the run into work at ~27mins but
it is the uphill journey home when I think I am paying for the extra
weight. I think that my wheels are std hybrids at ~700x30 using schwalbe
marathons.

fastest bike for 7 mile commute
 

in message , stupot
') wrote:

What would be the fastest type of bike for a 7 mile(ew) commute.
Dont care about luggage - just carry a wallet down to work.
It is downhill on the way in, so dont get sweaty - just shower
at home at the end of the day.
Do I need a fast road bike?

A time trial bike will be fastest; if you get a road bike, fit tribars.

Does ~£400 get a reasonable one?

Add a nought. Cannondale Synapse with Record groupset, a snip at
£5,000... But seriously, you can get a half decent road bike for around
£400; Giant OCR3, Claud Butler Roubaix. There's nicer stuff around £500,
and you don't start seeing Campag kit on bikes until around the £600
mark. But it's probably a mistake to get bottom-of-the-range Campag
stuff anyway; at that price point Shimano is possibly still better.

And the silly question, can I spend less? :-)

Edinburgh Bicycle Co-op's Revolution Continental at £375.

You could spend less than that but the compromises start to mount up.
You'd be unlikely to get a carbon fibre fork at less than £370, the
frames get heavier, and the kit gets tattier. However it's worth
pointing out that next year's models will be out in a little over a
month, and that you will then be able to get substantial discounts on
this years models.

Finally, if you just want to go for it as fast as you can, get a time
trial bike or at least fit tribars.

--
(Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

[ This .sig intentionally left blank ]

fastest bike for 7 mile commute
 

in message . com, davek
') wrote:

stupot wrote:
What would be the fastest type of bike for a 7 mile(ew) commute.

The one Lance Armstrong is riding.

If you think that's a silly answer, the serious point is that speed
depends more on the rider than the bike.

Do I need a fast road bike?

I would say the main thing you need to consider is the terrain you are
riding on - since, I guess, that is going to be smooth tarmac, you want
a bike with slick, narrow(ish) tyres and no suspension.

As you are going to be using the bike for commuting, you also really
ought to consider mudguards, unless you like spending lots of time
cleaning your bike (or unless you are a fairweather-only cyclist, in
which case it doesn't matter so much).

For the same reason, you should also consider hub gears rather than
derailleurs, those this does limit your options somewhat, since most
bikes of the sort you are looking for come with derailleurs as
standard.

********. This guy knows what he wants. He's said so. Furthermore, I
agree. In the days when I commuted, I always commuted on the fastest,
lightest road bike I could afford. At the end of the day, it's great to
burn off all the frustration with a real blast.

OK, a lot of people aren't like that. For a lot of people, a plodding
hub-geared utility bike is the right bike for commuting, because it's
reliable and low maintenance. But if someone wants the fastest possible
bike, he wants the fastest possible bike - and no matter who the rider
is, he'll be faster on a lighter, more aerodynamic bike with a more
efficient transmission than on a hub geared utility.

--
(Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; Madness takes its toll. Please have exact change.