UKC

Thinking of getting a nice new bike via the above scheme.

I used racer's in the past for commuting but very rarely used the drops. I would like a racer style bike (same weight) but with a straight bar.

I don't really enjoy maintenance that much, so was thinking of getting a hub geared bike, any opinions?? Further to this i have seen a few belt driven bikes, any opinions?

I understand that if it get a flat with the above it could be a nightmare to change.

Budget around 7-800 quid

In reply to goldmember:


Three years or so ago, after borrowing a racer style bike for a couple of months for commuting (and not using the drops), I bought a Ridgeback Supernova. Still using it for the daily commute.

Apart from a head-on impact with a car turning right across my path, trashing the front wheel and forks, it hasn't needed much in the way of maintenance

In reply to goldmember:

Not hub geared but for a good, flat bar commuting bike I'd say either the Giant Rapid or Specialized Sirrus.

No such thing as a low maintenance bike if you actually want it to last for a long time. Things just tend to get progressively more expensive the longer you wait to service it.

In reply to goldmember:

Read the small print of the scheme carefully, a few years back it used to be a great way of getting a bike, depending on who you work for, that may not be the case now.

A lot of schemes now at the end of the year make you pay full market value for the bike if you want to keep it.

I recently looked at getting a bike through my works scheme but it worked out better to get it direct through the bike shop on the 0% finance deal they offered

Oh and as stated already no such thing as low maintenance bikes especially if you use them regularly. Internal geared hubs are ok but costly if there are problems

In reply to goldmember:

My commuter has a hub gear (Shimano Alfine-11spd) and while it is virtually maintenance free it's not without its problems, the 8spd is meant to be better but doesn't have the gear range. On a bike costing in the £7-800 range you are unlikely to find the 11spd as it costs around £350.

Pluses: it is virtually maintenance free - you do have to change the oil at regular intervals but for me this works out as being just once a year. No chance of bashing the derailleur and losing your gears. You can change gear whilst at a standstill, i.e. traffic lights. Less chain wear. They are very quiet.

Minuses: You have to keep the change cable correctly tensioned otherwise the gears can skip, it's not a hard operation: just align a couple of dots when in a particular gear. Removing the wheel needs a spanner as you can't use a QR skewer because there's no sprung cage as with a derailleur to take up any slack. You have to ease off the power when changing gear.

Belt drives: not used one but you need a special frame to use one as the chainstay on the drive side has to be able to split as you can't split the belt drive itself like you do with a chain. They do perish over time. The biggest benefit is not having to oil them.

I'd also look at a dynamo hub to power your lights - you don't have to worry about batteries being charged or forgetting your lights. They do take a bit of power but it's not really noticeable on a commuter.

In reply to goldmember:

Genesis Day One offers what your after, apart from the bars at £999.
It's the bike I would have if I had to commute to work (I work 30 miles away so not going to happen). Takes rack and mudguards too.
Prefer last years colour scheme though (orange).

In reply to Bob:
Bob that is a really great shout out, a Dynamo hub for the lights!
I am half considering a fixie for even less maintenance but if I fancy a longer ride at the weekends I would be restricted.

How about shaft driven bikes?


P.S. thanks for the email, I have just loads of your ideas. i'll pop a few quid in the ovmro box next time im at the climbing wall

In reply to goldmember:

Shaft drives aren't particularly efficient plus they are a bit heavier, not a viable option for a personal bike.

In reply to Bob:

Having worked as a bike mechanic in the past I would personally always stick with standard gearing, once set up requires little maintenance and easier to replace parts and much cheaper.

I recently bought a cyclocross bike for commuting 17mile trip each way half on road half on towpath.

Genesis have a number of bikes suitable for your requirements

In reply to woollardjt:

My route is all on the road. some busy and some not so busy. With that I mind was thinking of skinny fast 23 tyres, as bob says mud guards are must.

Point taken about the regular gears.

I'll drop the belt and shaft driven systems and include standard gearing tackle.

In reply to goldmember:

Just to confuse you further - I've used a Shimano 8 speed hub gear for about 4 years now and love it. It really is low maintenance. I use it it in a city commute all year around and it's barely needed servicing during that time. Not the greatest range of gears but more than enough for a commute (I've even done LEJOG on it).

In reply to alanw:

After lots of research i have decided what I want!

I want a nice road bike with flat bar.

I called the local evans explained this and was corrected, its called a hybird sir. But having looked at hybrid bikes they seem a look mix of road and mountain bike bits. I asked was it possible to have a road bike fitted withe a flat bar. He said no i needed a hybrid bike.

So wise people on ukc is it possible to get a road bike with nice components (105 and above) and stick a flat bar on it and make it work?

In reply to goldmember:

Take a look at the Ribble winter trainer. You can upgrade to the 105 and it still won't break the bank - you get a lot of bike for your buck. Not flat bars but you really don't need to ride in the drops anyway.

In reply to goldmember:



Yes, as in my original post, a Giant Rapid 1. It is virtually identical to a Defy road bike but with a flat bar.

No point converting a road bike to flat bar as it will cost you a a reasonable amount to do it.

In reply to goldmember:
You can indeed get 'flat bar road bikes'. I guess the Evans guys are right in that they fall under the 'hybrid' moniker, but they are to all intents what you describe. See below.

http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CBPXSLPFBTIA/planet-x-pro-carbon-shimano-tiagr...

http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CBPXXLSFB/planet-x-xls-shimano-tiagra-flat-bar...

I wouldn't stick a flat bar on an existing road bike, as the geometry would be all wrong. Road bike with drop bars are designed to be ridden on the hoods/drops most of the time, with a shorter reach flat bar they would probably feel to upright and twitchy.

If you are still considering a hub gear, have you looked at the Charge Grater 3 - fairly racy lightweight bike with alfine 8 speed? I'd very much consider one for year round commuting.

In reply to Phil79:

I've never owned a planet x bike, any comments or review? they both look like beautiful bikes.

I love the look of the charge grater, even like the paint job. what is it like service a hub gear?


I think i'm in love with the rapid, thing of wonder!!!


Someone in work mentioned about rolhoff bikes? any reviews?
A bit of research has led me to NuVinci hubs? these look very different

In reply to goldmember:

My commuter bike is an On-one (part of Planet-x). Decently made but not outstanding - there were some problems with the build, things like swarf in the bottom bracket shell.

Servicing a hub gear: depends on which one, the Alfine 8sp is a matter of removing the internals and replacing the oil; the Alfine 11sp needs a bit of specialised kit to drain and refill the oil; don't know about Rohloffs.

Rohloff bikes - well their hub gears are close to a grand so the bike is going to be quite a bit more! Don't know about NuVinci, never heard of them.

Perhaps a better place to ask might be the CTC forums, replies can be quite detailed