Best way to a fast commuter 10kgs

[snake_oil]

Curious on this one. Role of the bike would be a solid, dependable commuter. I do 16k each way every day through London streets which ain't the smoothest.

I currently do it on a Trek XCaliber 29er MTB on slicks which weighs in at 30lbs and to be fair I love the bike for the job it needs to do. It's solid, it has hydraulic disks, it has lockout forks to absorb big bumps but not be squidgy on the ride... but it's a bit lardy in the scheme of things.

So, if I was to upgrade, and get something faster and lighter (let's say under 22lbs) what would I buy? I've been looking at gravel bikes (especially Diverge) but spec seems low for the price.

Any top tips?

[HardtopManual]

I do a similar commute on a Kinesis T3 with 28mm tyres and full mudguards. It's not just a great commuting/training bike - it's a really fun, quick and comfy bike to ride in its own right.

[idiotgap]

The bike I've built up for my London commute is a 1x Cannondale caadx with hydraulic disc brakes and 32mm Continental GP 4 seasons tyres. Previously on a Specialized allez with 25mm tyres. The allez feels faster but it doesn't stop so well when its raining hard. Both are below 10kg on my poundshop luggage scales.

As for cheapness...
The Allez was £200 (a 2010 model l bought in 2014). I refurbished it last year spending another few hundred on new groupset, respray and new wheels. Build thread here: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

The Caadx is a recent build last month. The 2017 caadx apex 1 used on ebay without wheels was £400. So to make that a working bike I also I bought used wheels (£50), tyres (£70) and a cassette £50. In reality it's cost more because I bought another set of new hunt wheels for £300, a new chainring to change the gearing, bar-tape, bottle cages, other bits and bobs, but those weren't essentials.

Edited by idiotgap on Thursday 16th August 07:50

[bakerstreet]

30lbs is pretty heavy. Sub 10Kg should be achievable. I would see if you can find a used Defy Advanced Disc. They go for as little as £500 on FB Marketplace. Not sure I would bother with hydro discs, but that is just me.

I would invest in decent wheels. Makes a massive difference IMO. Something like the Hunt All Seasons look pretty good or the Kinesis CrossLights, but the CrossLights seem to have limited production runs through out the year and availability can really drop.

[Barchettaman]

Chasing sub-10kg on a commuter bike seems a bit of a fool’s errand, once you’ve added a heavy-duty wheelset, mudguards, rear rack, dynamo hub & lights, panniers and kit, tough puncture resistant tyres, a Brooks saddle.... it all adds up.

My Boardman commuter isn’t light but it’s a lovely thing to ride. Here it is, pre-rack, dynamo and lights:

Edited by Barchettaman on Thursday 16th August 15:20

[TwistingMyMelon]

TBH London is flat so I would just ride a single speed , id buy a Langster or something : Job Jobbed

[TheInternet]

TwistingMyMelon said:

TBH London is flat so I would just ride a single speed , id buy a Langster or something : Job Jobbed

Depends where you're riding; there's plenty that's not flat. There's also no way I'd accept a single speed for all the standing starts required in London, too unpleasant and slow for my liking.

[anonymous-user]

Barchettaman said:

Chasing sub-10kg on a commuter bike seems a bit of a fool’s errand, once you’ve added a heavy-duty wheelset, mudguards, rear rack, dynamo hub & lights, panniers and kit, tough puncture resistant tyres, a Brooks saddle.... it all adds up.

My Boardman commuter isn’t light but it’s a lovely thing to ride. Here it is, pre-rack, dynamo and lights:

Edited by anonymous-user on Thursday 16th August 15:20

He wants a bike to commute on, not travel through the Himalayas. No need for panniers, rear rack, dynamo etc etc.

Pair of lightweight mud guards and decent led lights will add less than a kg

[snake_oil]

TheInternet said:

TwistingMyMelon said:

TBH London is flat so I would just ride a single speed , id buy a Langster or something : Job Jobbed

Depends where you're riding; there's plenty that's not flat. There's also no way I'd accept a single speed for all the standing starts required in London, too unpleasant and slow for my liking.

Yeah sorry I don't like single speed bikes. Tech is there for a reason, they're fundamentally compromised! Also - without wanting to alienate anyone I think certainly in London they are mostly ridden by a certain kind of rider... skinny jeans, pumps, no lid, mostly around Shoreditch... Plus - yes muchos standing starts.

I am open to a 1x though as is the modern trend as although there is some hills on my CS1 commute, they ain't exactly Cols and I never drop out of big ring.

keirik said:

He wants a bike to commute on, not travel through the Himalayas. No need for panniers, rear rack, dynamo etc etc.

Pair of lightweight mud guards and decent led lights will add less than a kg

Yes, quite Dynamos?! Is this 1986?

I've got a pair of tiny but very bright lights and Crud guards front and rear. Sorted.

Basically I have 2 mountain bikes at home which are 25 and 23lbs, and when I looked up the weight of the Trek I was surprised to see it tipped the scales at 30lbs. So, I'd like something with a bit more zip. Thanks for suggestions so far!!

[TheInternet]

It somewhat depends on your usage. If you're intending on using it all year round I'd want something with discs. A rack + pannier bag will cost you 1kg+ over a backpack but be more spacious/comfortable/resilient. I'd aim for the most road bike machine you can, something that takes 28mm tyres if you're concerned about the lumps and bumps.

Budget? New or used?

[snake_oil]

I'm not interested in panniers, I have an Osprey rucksack for my laptop and clothes.

I have disks now and would only want disks and yes usage is all year round. I was riding the Trek in the snow in London this year.

Budget - as small as possible. Under 500 all in and used is fine. I could possibly look at frame only and swap in most of the kit from the Trek (but then I may not get much in the way of weight improvement!)

I have been checking out the Kinesis option on eBay (thanks to suggestion from poster above), really nice actually. Although I think on a road frame I'd prefer flat bar and bar ends for agility rather than drops.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Kinesis-Aithein-56cm-Al...

Wonder what this will go for.

Also - I'm a shortarse at 5'9" and a 29/30 inside leg. WHat size road frame am I looking at? Something like a 52/54? The one above is a 56 and may be too big.

[idiotgap]

That kinesis looks lovely, I'll watch it to see what it gets up to, I reckon it's worth a lot more than the £100 it's bid too now with a day to go. Possibly too big yes.

[RizzoTheRat]

snake_oil said:

Yes, quite Dynamos?! Is this 1986?

I've just bought a second hand Koga with a dynamo hub and fixed lights, it's a brilliant system. No need to take lights off and recharge them or change batteries, no forgetting to take them or not having them because you stayed later plan planned. I'll stick my Volt 800 on for commuting in the winter as a there's some stretches of completely unlit path, but the fixed lights are plenty bright enough for riding around town.

[snake_oil]

I've got an NR750 and a Moon Ring on mine - they are plenty bright enough for year round riding, small, light and compact. And both USB rechargeable so I just boost them in the office every few days.

[HardtopManual]

snake_oil said:

I think on a road frame I'd prefer flat bar and bar ends for agility rather than drops

Be careful putting flat bars on a road bike - usually the top tube is too short for flats and you end up needing a massive stem which ruins the steering. Not that I see how flat bars would make a bike feel more agile than drops.

snake_oil said:

Yes, quite Dynamos?! Is this 1986?

Hub dynamos. Not like the bottles you remember from the 80s. Not essential by any means, but a nice to have - no more removing lights to charge them, putting them back on, lights dying on a commute etc.