What bikes do couriers use?

[matt-ITR]

okgo said:

Which is not a lot really, I'd have thought it was far more than that.

London is different as I am sure they spend a fair bit of time in buildings and lifts.
In Cardiff I used to ride on average 100 miles a day, which included a bit of a commute in. 4-5 days a week which worked out to around 20,000 miles a year.

[hornetrider]

I couriered in Bristol for a few years. I nor any of the other couriers rode a fking fixie. They're for hipster tts.

Steel framed road bike with flat bars, as wide tires as I could fit in the frame, full size mudguards and plenty of gears. And a rat look to deter tealeaves.

[Kermit power]

battered said:

Do you think that all my 300 miles a month were in the sunshine? I wish.

Like I said the surprise to me was how fast wheel bearings went down. I became a dab hand with the cone spanners. Bottom brackets wear very fast too, yet tyres last for ages. Odd.

That seems odd. Maybe a case of getting what you pay for? My commuter wheels (Kinesis Crosslights) weren't particularly expensive, but I've not had the faintest sniff of a complaint from the bearings in 2,000 miles, and the first bottom bracket made it to 3,800.

I'm on my third set of tyres in that fine

[battered]

Ride a bike off road at weekends. Fill the bearings with grit. Then commute. My roady bits last forever. Go figure.

[yellowjack]

Kermit power said:

battered said:

Do you think that all my 300 miles a month were in the sunshine? I wish.

Like I said the surprise to me was how fast wheel bearings went down. I became a dab hand with the cone spanners. Bottom brackets wear very fast too, yet tyres last for ages. Odd.

That seems odd. Maybe a case of getting what you pay for? My commuter wheels (Kinesis Crosslights) weren't particularly expensive, but I've not had the faintest sniff of a complaint from the bearings in 2,000 miles, and the first bottom bracket made it to 3,800.

I'm on my third set of tyres in that fine

I'm not wishing to tempt fate, but my Trek Emonda has been brilliant so far.

It's done some mild off-roading (though it's far from ideal for the task) and even got me a Strava "6th Overall" trophy on a Byway far more suited to MTBing, and all on 23mm slicks.

I've done 4,808 miles on it since April 2015. No sign of any issues with wheel bearings nor the bottom bracket in that time. It's had two sets of 'part worn' tyres since the original Bontrager R2s went u/s due to a being badly cut up. One set of new brake pads as it was somehow shipped with carbon fibre specific pads but aluminium wheels (free replacement at the shop), and it's had one new chain, although it will soon need another chain along with a cassette.

[okgo]

Obviously every commuter is doing it wrong then right? No. - there is a reason they all use super simple bikes, potholes, kerbs rain, grit, etc would take their toll quickly on a normal bike. Bear in mind I doubt these guys piss about washing and cleaning them all that often.

[TwistingMyMelon]

London is flat as well, obviously more hilly cities like Bristol are going to necessitate gears more

[matt-ITR]

TwistingMyMelon said:

London is flat as well, obviously more hilly cities like Bristol are going to necessitate gears more

Hills don't really come into it. Even in Glasgow the couriers use fixed/SS.
In Cardiff, which is pretty hilly in places I used 48x17

You just alter the gear depending on where you ride.

[battered]

I bet you didn't do caerphilly mountain and back on 48 x 17! I saw 48 mph once just after the first LH bend going down towards caerp. copshop.

[Tiggsy]

Just bought a SS for my 6k ride to the gym every morning - couple of minor hills but would never go back to gears on the road (unless I was doing long distance - but save that for the MTB)

[matt-ITR]

battered said:

I bet you didn't do Caerphilly mountain and back on 48 x 17! I saw 48 mph once just after the first LH bend going down towards caerp. copshop.

Yes, I did Caerphilly Mountain on 48x17. From Tongwynlais though, which is more gradual and I don't remember exactly but probably back via Taffs Well. It was never a regular run.
The climb out of Thornhill was another screamer.