clowther06

I am in the market for a new bike and was hoping to get the thoughts of others more knowledgeable than myself on the topic.

My use is almost entirely for commuting, with the occasional ride on the weekend. I will almost certainly never race. With that being said, my commute is ten miles each way, and I have wanted to get a faster bike in order to cut down on the approximately 45 minutes it takes me. Between having young kids and a demanding job, shaving 5 minutes off my commute is worth a lot to me. While I appreciate traffic lights, etc. have an impact on my commute time, I am on a trail for about half of the ride and there are several large hills that I suspect a lighter bike would do better on. While I am always on paved surfaces, there are certainly bumps in the trail from tree roots and lots of potholes in downtown DC, which is where I work. So, while I am tempted to get a fast road bike, I understand that may not be the best for these conditions. I have also been told that for my use, a race bike may not be the most comfortable ride.

Given this situation, does anyone have thoughts on what might make sense? My preference is to get something used for better value and to spend somewhere around 1,000. I know there are commuter bikes out there, but they all look heavy and slow. Is a CX bike the way to go? For context, I currently ride a mid-1990s Cannondale hybrid, which has been very dependable, but I expect has set the bar somewhat low in regards to performance. Thanks you in advance for any advice you may have!

mstateglfr 

If you want to go used, then its pretty pointless for others to suggest specific bikes since who knows if one of them is available in your area in your size. The odds are small at any given time.

So if you want drop bars, then yes a cx or gravel bike may be the way to go. I assume you carry stuff to/from work, so brazeons for a rack will be good. Something that can fit wider tires will be more comfortable on the pavement conditions you mention. More comfortable and possibly faster, actually.
High quality tires will make a huge difference with regards to comfort and speed. Riding thick heavy tires meas a lot of energy is being lost compared to low resistance tires, even if the low resistance tires are relatively wide.

10 miles in 45min means 13.3mph. cutting 5min off your commute will require you to average 15mph which is a significant jump in average speed. Cutting a few pounds off the bike could help, and being in a more aero position on drop bars could help, but combined that may not get you there and fitness will then need to play a part.

rumrunn6

if you're current commuter bike isn't a drop-bar style road bike, then switching to that would help

bpcyclist

Cyclocross or a gravel bike, as suggested above.

Phil_gretz

Greetings @clowther06, I commute over on the VA side of the Potomac. I ride an aluminum endurance road bike with wider tires and panniers for most of my daily commutes. But I also ride a road bike, especially in the warmer summer months. As long as you have somewhat durable tires and good wheels, you'd do fine on a road bike. My ride is a hilly 9 miles. Do I notice much time difference between my clunky commuter and my lightest road bike? I wonder. Maybe a couple of minutes savings in reality. My perception is that the lighter road bikes are more fun (and maybe have the sensation of being faster), but I wouldn't swear to it in court.

Please let me know if I can assist you (i.e., if you mail order a bike, I'd assemble it for you gladly). Phil G.

Ridefreemc

Go gravel instead of CX because you'll likely get rack attachment points (and possibly fender mounts) and the ride will be more stable. I think you can find what you like in a the used market. However, with $1000 to spend you are close to getting a decent new bike ( maybe a Marin or Fuji), and you might want to look at a touring style bike.

Kedosto

I suspect you already know this, but I'm gonna say it anyway... you're not gonna notice a significant time saving by switching to another bike. If you made the effort and really rode your butt off over the ten miles, that's about as fast as you're ever gonna go no matter what you're riding. A new (used) different bike might be more comfortable, but wringing out any time savings couldn't be any more than the time you'd be waiting for a signal to change. I know this point isn't gonna win me any BF love, but somebody's got to be honest here. That's not to say I wouldn't want to buy another bike. I'm already on number three for this year, and that's taken real discipline on my part.


-Kedosto
n+3, but who's counting?

bruce19

If your ride is all pavement I don't think you need a CX bike. I ride dirt type rail trails with my CX bike w/28 mm tires that are suitable for the road. If I was ridding all paved surfaces I'd probably just take my CAAD 12.

Gresp15C

The big question is drops versus upright bars. Can you ride drops comfortably? Can you borrow a drop bar bike for a week or two and find out?

bpcyclist

I am going to second what @Kedosto basically said. I am absolutely amazed at how similar my times are when riding within the city whether I am riding like a maniac as fast as I possibly can go versus when I am riding at a totally leisurely and relaxed (for me) pace.They are virtually identical every time.

clowther06

Thanks for all of the information so far! Yes, I suspect a faster bike will not necessarily mean time savings. Perhaps I have invented this lie in order to justify buying a new bike. I do think being more comfortable is a justifiable decision (also saving 9 dollars in metro fares a day, so surely I deserve it). It sounds like a gravel bike or perhaps an endurance bike (i.e. Domane, Roubaix, Synapse) would also work, though perhaps the tires might be a bit thin. On the topic of new bikes, I see the Coop ARD 1.4 is on sale for about 1700. This seems pretty enticing given the certainty that comes with REI’s customer service. Shimano 105 components and Giant makes the carbon frame. Does anyone have experience with this bike?

clowther06

I actually did borrow a friends bike for a week with drops. I never quite got used to them, but I think part of the problem was the bike was not properly set up for me as he is about two inches shorter than me. I’m hoping that regular use on a bike that fits will get me more accustomed.

firebird854

I own an old early 2000s hybrid Gary Fisher with straight bars, large tires (smooth down the middle, quite knobby on the sides). I also own two very fast and expensive road bikes, deep carbon wheels, fast aero position, the whole nine yards.

The difference in speed is tremendous. It easily takes the same power to average 15mph on the hybrid that it does to average 20mph on the race bikes.

Now, if the tires were practically the same, say tubeless conti gp5000s 28mm on the hybrid and the race bike, I'd put the difference much closer, probably between 18mph and 20mph. So yes, in my experience having these two types of bikes and actually testing speed at similar power outputs between them, I'd certainly say it would improve your commute, but the difference in wheels would probably have the largest contribution (so, if you just upgraded your wheels, perhaps a better investment?).

As for drop bars, I really only use them on fast, sketchy, descents, cornering at speed, drafting in a race or A-Ride, or smashing a Strava KOM. If I were commuting by bike, I probably wouldn't touch them and wouldn't really have that impact my buying decisions too much.

As for a CX bike, I personally would immediately say no, specifically because of the gearing, and secondly the twitchy handling. 'Cross is highly technical so the bike is really designed more for quick turns and slow speeds on crazy terrain, if you were descending or have a good tailwind on your commute there's a good chance you'd be spinning out.

A Gravel bike is like a CX bike but has a larger range of gears as it is often expected to go near tarmac speeds so there wouldn't be too much of a worry of spinning out, the geometry is often a bit more relaxed than a CX bike too.

That being said, I would simply recommend a aluminum endurance bike, if I were buying in your situation I would probably get one of the following:
Domane AL 3 $1,019.99
SYNAPSE DISC SORA $1150 (yes it has disc, but mechanical disc isn't particularly better than regular rim brakes, the integrated cable routing is nice though).

Grade Elite $1000 (value for days...)
Endurace AL Disc 7.0 $1599 more expensive option but it has basically everything, I doubt you'd be riding this around and feel like you really need to upgrade anything.

I would also throw in a few recommendations for flat bar bikes that are fast and would get the job done, but, aside from that one I mentioned, I really don't ride them and would never actually buy one.

joelcool

I have a 12-15 mile commute, so similar to yours. I use a road bike that was pretty darned expensive, but I justified it by saying I deserved it. Not sure that's true, but I have no regrets. I smile every mile on that thing. You really do get more for the money you spend, and commuting allows me to enjoy my investment every day.

So my recommendation? Buy something you're not sure you deserve, but you know you'll enjoy.

indyfabz

Try $1798, and you need to consider what, if anything, you need to carry with you in terms of clothes, etc., and how you plan to carry it. A messenger bag/backpack can up the sweat factor on hot/humid days. Ask me how I know.

Notso_fastLane

QFT. I recently purchased a used velomobile for $5k. Worth every penny. It will take a long time to 'pay off' in terms of saved gas, and auto maintenance, but it's worth it for all kinds of other reasons.

mstateglfr 

I dont have riding experience, but I see it every time I am in the local REI and can say that it is a very nice looking road bike for the price.
With that said...

- It isnt designed to handle a rack.
- It can handle wider than stock tires. Probably up to 35mm, but for sure a 32 would fit fine.
- Hydraulic 105 drivetrain and branded wheels at this price is quite decent.
- REI needs to add some color to the mix. The flat black frame is getting quite long in the tooth.


I wouldnt look to use this bike for commuting to work, but I have a 15mi ride each way and dont like carrying stuff on my back. You might be different. There is no right or wrong here.