We need to talk about Commu-tourer

rollingscone

The time has come when due to limited space meeting an improvement in finances I'm thinking of replacing my drop bar/bar end shifter converted Giant Hybrid which is a reliable unstoppable truck that I've done everything from road centuries to carrying a significant load on the racks to some very rough and off road cycling, Commu-tourer has proven unstoppable (with a largely replaced drive train, she retains one original wheel, calipers and the deraileurs).

The one thing Commutourer isn't is particularly fun to ride (relative to my roadbike), I've been jonesing for a CX bike for day one, ideally one that can function as a winter roadbike (Genesis Vapour disc being the ideal) since cycling is my sole transport method for the time being and I'd like to have the contingency of ice tyres.

However in order to fund/make space for a CX steed I'll need to sell or trade Commutourer. This brings up a number of decisions for me, should I sell as is or convert back to a flat bar hybrid, am I targeting someone looking for a hybrid or a tourer since I personally found it to be a greatly expanded utility beast with drops but there's obviously greater demand (with greater supply hand in hand) for flat bar hybrids.

Also, I wonder if I'll hate myself for selling it since it was my gateway into cycling and tinkering with bikes and not worth a lot to anyone else (also I'll probably need to switch out the BB for one that's long enough to use the granny ring since I just bought the cheapest BB available when I needed to replace the original).

Mec-a-nic

Sounds like you want us to talk you out of part of this this... so here we go:

Will you really make that much from the sale of the Giant? I would have thought the values for second hand (sorry pre-loved) bikes was way down due to everyone having a new bike-to-work scheme purchase?

Space - I ran out so went up with the

IKEA Stolmen Bike hack (4 bikes either side of 1 pole)

My commu-tourer ('94 Trek 520) had been shelved for a few years but once

I did it up, I'm glad of having the choice between several bikes for particular travel/jobs.

> I wonder if I'll hate myself for selling it since it was my gateway into cycling Yes, yes you will.

Finally,

The Rules state your new bike has to be n+1, not n'

Steo M

I agree with the post above, another thing, if you travel everywhere by bike & live in Dublin, the last place you'd want to be bringing or leaving a new bike is in town. I'd keep the Trek as my daily hack & like you said, 'what's it worth 2nd hand'?

rollingscone

The thing is I have a hack/commuter already and since my new job is only a 6k round trip the only use Commutourer has been getting is the occasional run to Lidl and the odd 40-60k that isn't suitable for the road bike.

fits

rollingscone wrote: »

The one thing Commutourer isn't is particularly fun to ride (relative to my roadbike), I've been jonesing for a CX bike for day one, ideally one that can function as a winter roadbike (Genesis Vapour disc being the ideal) since cycling is my sole transport method for the time being and I'd like to have the contingency of ice tyres.

.

Do you mean studded tyres? they are really not fun to cycle if its not icy or snowy.

rollingscone

I'd only be riding them if it was icy or snowing.

Steo M

One hack is enough, time to send one of them on, just flip a coin.

fits

Seems like a lot of expense and trouble, and impractical unless you plan on having spare wheels.

This is my bike with ice tyres, but I managed the whole of last winter in Finland without them without a fall. (more hills this year)

Ole Rodrigo

Keep one bike for commutes/ shopping. Sell the other and buy a new one on the BTW for sportives/ touring/ pootling/ racing etc.

Get a second pair of wheels with tires for ice and snow. Something cheap and cheerful. Hate to be commuting on knobbly tires when its dry.

Actually you might be able to do all of that under the one roof. Bolton cycles do trade ins and could source anything else you need and put it all under the BTW.

rp

fits wrote: »

Do you mean studded tyres? they are really not fun to cycle if its not icy or snowy.

True, but they are *really* fun to ride on when it is icy & snowy!

fits

You get over it quickly when its icy and snowy for seven months of the year �� but yeah they are great. I feel very secure with them and there's a serious hill with a junction at the bottom near my house. I slipped and went ass over tit on that hill only yesterday (on foot).

lennymc

surly cross check. when you get bored with that configuration, change it to a single speed fat cross bike. When you get bored with that, change it to a rigid geared mountain bike. When you get bored with that, change it to a drop bar race bike. When you get bored with that etc etc.

Seriously, it's a do it all bike. I love mine.

rollingscone

Way to remind me how much I want a Surly!

Do you run cantis or discs?

lennymc

rollingscone wrote: »

Way to remind me how much I want a Surly!

Do you run cantis or discs?

i run cantis. I use the bike for racing cross, and have swisswtop yellow pads on fas cantis on carbon rims, and it's enough to lift the back of the bike on tarmac and lock the front in mud! Not worth a damn in the wet tho

The surly straggler is available with disk brakes.

I will be using my cross checl for commuting once the cross season is over. It will be set up with full 105, hub dynamo front wheel, powertap rear wheel, mudguards, rack, dynamo lights and god knows what else.

you could buy a crosscheck frameset, then build it up with parts over time.

rollingscone

I'm not set against Cantis. I use them on my singlespeed MTB but I've had some worrying mornings lately in the cold and wet so while one of my ideas of getting a CX bike would be to go and tear up some trails in the park when the road conditions are unfavourable I'd have some reservations about riding a loaded bike on the road in the same wet/cold conditions...although to be fair, I resolved my issues on the beater by overtightening the brakes slightly so that the compromised top layer got burnt off

lennymc

i got schwalbe marathon studded tyres/ they work well

Civilian_Target

Over the years my Kona Honkytonk has effectively acted as my everything bike, displacing everything else. I'd recommend it as a commutourer. I think it's a good concept to have one bike do both of those things anyway, saves on storage and maintenance!

While it's got the rack, the short rear triangle keeps it fun to ride, there's some kick in the back when it's unloaded, although this comes at the cost of some stability when it's very heavily loaded - put more than 20kg on the back and it will start to wobble!

But it's a great all-rounder, a quick commuter and a reasonable tourer, and I bet you can find them cheap at this point! You can also squeeze the Marathon Studded Tyres on for the winter, if you're willing to use those crappy short fenders - there isn't enough room for studded tyres and full length fenders. Personally I have another ice bike - you kinda need it to cycle in the Boston winter!

Lumen

The problem with one bike to rule them all is that it inevitably becomes a lowest common denominator in order to deal with the studded tyres requirement.

I appreciate that everyone's needs are different, but in outer suburban Dublin 15 I mostly have to suffer icy roads for about 50 metres until I get out of the estate on to the main road. Then again in the Phoenix Park, unless I choose to use the road and that's in, in a 30km daily round trip.

There are a few days a year when it's significantly icy on the main roads, but that 35mm tyre clearance comes at considerable cost, either financially (in the case of a hydro CX setup) or in terms on non-icy fun (from long chainstays, a heavy frame and truck-like handling).

Last winter I rode an ancient racer running 23mm slicks throughout the whole winter, commuting every day and didn't come close to coming off.

That said I do think it's worth having one stud-shod bike for snowmergencies if you have the space, but it can be any old crap that has the clearance for those horrible tyres.

rollingscone

I feel like excessive attention is being given to the ice tyres. They're just one item on the list and both commutourer and my MTB could fit them. I really want a CX bike but need it to be able to cover a few other bases.

I.e. fauxclocross bikes like the Tricross are of no interest to me.

lennymc

not mine, but a great looking bike

Alek

I love the dynamite pack.

lennymc

i think thats a light pack.

Alek

There are no jokes with Lenny when it comes to Surly bikes, right?

clod71

lennymc wrote: »

surly cross check. when you get bored with that configuration, change it to a single speed fat cross bike. When you get bored with that, change it to a rigid geared mountain bike. When you get bored with that, change it to a drop bar race bike. When you get bored with that etc etc.

Seriously, it's a do it all bike. I love mine.

+1

just got one and love it too

lennymc

no jokes as far as the surly is concerned. it's the bike I would take to escape the zombie apocolypse

Alek

it's the bike I would take to escape the zombie apocolypse

That dynamite pack may super handy in these circumstances.

clod71

Here's mine. Fat tyres arrived today... I can't wait to go home

SomeFool

I've a Kinesis decade tripster, one handy thing is I can run 26'' MTB wheels too, very handy for the ice tyres.

Ryath

SomeFool wrote: »

I've a Kinesis decade tripster, one handy thing is I can run 26'' MTB wheels too, very handy for the ice tyres.

It has 135mm rear spacing then or is it 132.5 so you can run both?

Alek

Any 700C bike with disc brakes and wide tyre clearance can run 26" wheels with big tyres. The width of the tyre makes up for the missing rim diameter and the BB does not drop that much

Spacing is not important, it is almost always 135mm for rear disc hubs.

Lumen

...or even 27.5"

what_traffic

Civilian_Target wrote: »

Over the years my Kona Honkytonk has effectively acted as my everything bike, displacing everything else. I'd recommend it as a commutourer. I think it's a good concept to have one bike do both of those things anyway, saves on storage and maintenance!

Useful, reassuring and informative post. This is what I am hoping to go for in 2015. What rear rack have you used on it?

Planet X

47mm (1 3/4") Schwalbe Marathons on 26"wheels.
SON Delux Dynamo with a Luxos U light.
Tubus Cosmo rack hangin' off the back with a Lion Brass bell on steerer.
In summer mode. Full fenders on most times.



Tooled up,

rollingscone

As I've been experimenting with Commutourer (still haven't got around to fixing the seized caliper on the singlespeed) I'm pondering the possibility of doing a 10 speed conversion, I have a couple of 10spd doubles going, and am already using friction shifters.

I wonder if I'd need to replace both derailleurs or of I can get a compatible 10spd cassette running on the current admittedly not very smooth set up.

I'm overdue to do a short service on the cables anyway, they're hardly worn as the bike hasn't seen many miles since I built my beater but definitely could use a visit from the adjustment fairy.

All I need to do after that is get a job somewhere sufficiently far enough away with a shower in the buiilding - hey if I get a good enough job to let me keep my bike inside I can just use the good bike #qualityoflifedaydreams