Do I need a road bike?

mtdelany

For the past 8 years I have had a very polite 4 km commute to work, where I have been happy with my small budget commuter bike.

I am now moving further away from town so would expect approx. 11 km cycle each way.

It is a flat costal journey so doesn’t really need a lot of gear, but want to get a lighter bike.

Can anyone recommend a good road/ cyclocross/ fixie / commuter that is more about light weight and resilience than just looking good. This would be my every day bike so I am aware of crime. Dont want a bike that looks good for the sake of looking good

Budget would be preferably €500, but could go up to €1000 if needed

Hmmzis

If you want a road bike then tou should absolutely get one.
Coastal roads in my mind have an association with windy conditions and the position and the drop bars on a road bike can help with that quite a bit.

As for a particular bike, you have a lot to choose from but the most important bit is that it fits you right. Feels comfortable and doesn't cause any pains or aches where they shouldn't be. Burning leg muscles is fine, all bikes can cause that but a hurting back is not fine at all.

mcgratheoin

mtdelany wrote: »

Do I need a road bike?

Yes. Everybody needs a road bike.

Have a look for second hand bikes as well - you can post the links here to get advice if you like. Ideally for commuting you will need:

• Mudguards - on wet roads these will save your ass from getting soaked
• Luggage rack - if you're going to carry anything on your commute, then pannier bags are much easier than a backpack
• A good lock - i assume you have somewhere to lock your bike as you're already commuting, but a nicer bike may be a bigger target
• Some people swear by cross-bikes for commuting (stick some slightly fatter tyres on them) - at the end of the day you want something that's nice and comfortable for you.

11km is a nice spin - it'll probably end up being in and around half an hour each way allowing for traffic lights/wind/fitness etc..

Lumen

If your route is flat, why do you need the bike to be light? Also, what weight are you looking for?

Single speeds generally aren't very light because anything that's intended to go up big hills will have gears.

Maybe consider something like a Charge Plug or Genesis Flyer.

smacl

For 11k you most certainly don't need a road bike but might enjoy one. For me, on shorter commutes like that road bike would be more fun if traffic is light, hybrid is less hassle in traffic and less of a worry about it being pinched at the far end.

07Lapierre

Hybrid less hassle in traffic?? How?

krissovo

Genesys CDF would be a great commuter and within the upper budget. Takes racks and mudguards with some nice fat comfy tyres.

smacl

07Lapierre wrote: »

Hybrid less hassle in traffic?? How?

Mine has wider cross tyres that can handle most terrain up to and including the utter shíte that are glass strewn Dublin cycle lanes, and the bike bike can take a fair amount of abuse without me being worried about damaging it. I also tend not to bother with cycling shoes for anything less than an hour, which means I don't need to bring spare shoes or have them ready at the far end. Personally, I'm not a fan of clipping in and out in traffic where I can avoid it, and prefer flat pedals in this context.