Bike for Cycling to Work

[chrisph]

I'm trying to tap into some of the PH wisdom here
In the warmer months I cycle to work 2-3 days a week if I can and have been doing so for the last year on my Vitus Zenium road bike
I got a road bike and initially used it exclusively for its purpose - road cycling
However I have since moved house and do all my cycling including cycling to work, on a tow path
So really my road bike is total overkill for dodging dog walkers and the elderly at low speed on a bumpy tow path

Anyway I've now taken a notion to sell/store my road bike and get something a bit more suitable for my commute to work
A bit of light research has pointed me towards Ribble, specifically the Ribble Hybrid Trail AL
https://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/ribble-hybrid-trail...
Looks excellent to my eyes and I like the idea of having a bike with suspension again, however I'm not sure I want to wait the 3 months to get one


Anyone else on here have any further recommendations?

[Chainsaw Rebuild]

My initial thoughts are a used bike so you don't have to wait, or an E bike so you can zoom to work faster?

Being able to ride off the road to work is nice :-)

[BugLebowski]

Honestly any suspension is likely to be overkill for riding on a tow path, that fork seems to have 65mm of travel which isn't going to be enough for any proper trails (should you ever feel the need) but you'll just be carrying around unnecessary weight and complication.

I'd look for a fully rigid bike with clearance for wide tyres (40mm+) and mudguards. Coming from 28mm tyres on your road bike the ride will be nice and plush anyway and it will likely be lighter and more efficient than a bike with suspension.

[V1nce Fox]

Build a singlespeed on a classic MTB frame. Semislick tyres and done.

[stargazer30]

Depending on distance a gtech sport can be had for £600 on eBay. Here’s my old one. The good points are the battery is light so you can take it into work and the bike itself is then low value and less likely to get nicked. Also no gears so low maintenance. Bad stuff range limited to 15 miles on max power and rim brakes.

[stargazer30]

Or if you are handy with a spanner, buy a decent hybrid and convert it. This is my boardman mtx which I retro fitted with gtech electrics. So it’s like the gtech sport but with a better bike spec, Deore gears, air forks, hydraulic brakes etc..

This one cost about £1k all in.

[lllnorrislll]

How about a do it all bike like Planet X London Road?

Ok it's bigger tyre not suspension, but you keep the option of being able to use it as a commuter or road bike.

https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CBPXLDNRDSA1/planet-...

[aberdeeneuan]

I've been looking at the same, Sonder Camino Al Flat and the Marin DSX2 are on the list. Sonder winning as it's not brown...

Can't quite decide on flat or drop though, as I'll likely sell a couple of old bikes (including my carbon road bike which I don't use anymore). I suspect flat is the way forward for me as it won't be used for massive long distances, but I do want to do some cycle camping on it when we can.

[chrisph]

All great advice I will look into those
As with all these things we end up getting carried away and the budget goes out the window

Again comes with a long wait but the ribble CGR AL e seems like the perfect all rounder to me
https://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/ribble-cgr-al-e/
Fitted up with a pannier rack and bag it would be great for the commute, then still capable for road cycling with the added benefit of being able to change up my usual routes to take in a bit of gravel riding