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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? :-) |
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#2
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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 |
#3
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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. |
#4
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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. |
#5
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fastest bike for 7 mile commute
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#6
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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/ |
#7
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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 |
#8
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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. |
#9
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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 ] |
#10
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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. |
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