Would you be quickerbybike?


Quickerbybike.com is a campaign to promote cycling to non-cyclists
& decent cycling to existing cyclists.

If you commute to work or school but not by bike,
would you consider switching?

It's probably quicker, healthier, more friendly, more independent, cheaper, quieter & brighter.

If you already ride, would you promote cycling via your shorts?

If you ride like a bit of a wally, running red lights & annoying other road users,

would you wear the shorts and ride decently?


Friday 14 June 2013

Avanti Inc 3. The dream commute bike?

My Genesis Day Alfine is an exceptionally good commute bike.  It's done great service (3400 kilometres and counting) and I'll be using it a few years yet.

A commute bike needs to be jump-on-and-ride-able.  Low maintenance.  This is less true for me because I'm ok maintaining bikes and happy to do it.  But for a new cyclist who's not up for oiling and cleaning a chain, checking chain wear, replacing chains every few hundred miles, replacing sprockets and chainrings: less maintenance is better.

I've just seen this new Avanti.



 Avanti Inc 3

As in, I've seen it on the website.  I haven't seen one or ridden one.

But it looks so perfect.  It's got everything.  And apart from pumping the tyres up now and then (get a track pump) and checking the tyres for shards as often as you can be bothered (every day if you never want a puncture) there's nothing to maintain on this bike at all.  New brake blocks every two years?  But that's it.

James Bowthorpe rode his belt-drive Santos round the world and never changed the belt.

Disc brakes mean clean wheel-rims that don't wear out.  If this sounds trivial to you, I promise it's not.  It's fantastic.  Rim-braking brakes are one of the most disgusting, messy parts of a bike.  Horrible grey gunk builds up on the pads and forks and rim.  Fixing a puncture = getting covered in crap.

Hub gears need maintaining every 5000km or so.  But with the new Alfines that just means an oil change.  Personally, I don't plan to do squat to mine for a few years yet.  Then I'll think about changing the oil, which I expect to be a 20-minute job.

So there you go.  I've no reason to big-up the Avanti.  I'm sure there are others out there but this is the first I saw.  There's probably even a drop-bar version somewhere.

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