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feature
CBOTY-btwin-riverside-920-riding-3-newroad.cc Commuting Bike of the Year 2019/20
You don't need us to tell you, but commuting by bicycle is great, and these are the best commuting bikes we’ve reviewed in 2019.
Commuting is the first experience of cycling for many people, replacing the car or bus it’s generally cheaper, easier, more enjoyable and better for your health.
There are no strict rules governing what a commuting bike should be, and the ideal commuter is different for different people. It’s very much open to interpretation and depends on factors like the distance of the commute, the state of the roads or paths, and the sort of cyclist you are.
Some key considerations though which have been important in bringing the bikes list below into this award shortlist are value for money, easy handling, comfort, durability, reliability and versatility. These bikes take all those things into consideration.
Versatility is essential, whether it’s space to fit wide tyres or able to take some mudguards and a rear rack, if you want to invest in panniers for lugging your laptop and sarnies.
A commuting bike also needs to be tough, durable and practical. Wide tyres are a bonus when dealing with rough roads and potholes, which is why gravel bikes are well suited to the demands of commuting.
Previous winners include the Triban RC 520 Disc and Ribble CGR, let’s see who has been lucky this time around.
10. Triban RC 520 Gravel £849.99
The Triban RC 520 Gravel is one of the company's first forays into the adventure market and if you're tempted to give it a go it's a really good place to start. It's confident on loose terrain and is fun to ride thanks to a decent weight and some quality components. And when you’re not bashing gravel tracks, it’s right at home on the commute with steady handling a full complement of mudguard and rack mounts front and rear. You can load the fork rack up to a maximum of 8kg too, according to the Decathlon website.
The 520 Gravel is a good all-rounder on the whole, whether on the road or off it, ideal for that short blast around the lanes or out on an all-day adventure.The frame is manufactured using 6061-T6 aluminium alloy tubing, and has a claimed weight of 1,780g in this medium size. Svelte, no, but it is solid and will easily stand up to the rigours of loaded-up gravel and commuting. Triban even offers a lifetime warranty.
The wide Hutchinson Overide 35mm tyres are a good choice for dealing with rough roads and potholes, and let you embark on some light gravel, say a canal tow path if you want to get away from the busy roads.
Seeing the main parts of a Shimano 105 groupset for this money is no surprise, as Decathlon has always offered excellent levels of kit on its in-house bikes. You are getting the latest R7000 shifters and the front and rear mech. Gearing-wise you are getting a 50/34 up front paired to an 11-32 cassette which is just fine for daily commuting.
Overall, the Triban is a very good bike. It offers most of what you'd want from an entry-level gravel/adventure bike, all for a very good price, plus its weight is similar to bikes we are seeing at £500-£600 more
Why it’s here: A great entry-level gravel/adventure bike that is fun and easy to ride off-road
9. Merlin ROC Disc 105 £999
Merlin is offering a decent package here with its ROC Disc 105. An alloy frame, carbon fork, hydraulic discs and a Shimano 105 groupset all for less than a grand is impressive against some of its big brand opposition.
It’s a solid road bike choice but for getting to the office the ROC Disc is a fine choice. The handling is good, the aluminium frame isn’t harsh, and there are mudguard mounts front and rear with space for up to 30mm tyres. There are rack mounting points on the seatstays, too, if you want to fit one for commuting or a spot of touring.
The ROC makes for a decent commuter or day-long tourer. It has that kind of 'unflustered' style about it – just get on it and pedal and it'll carry you for miles with little demand for concentration, you can just enjoy the scenery.
As the name suggests, this ROC comes with a predominantly Shimano 105 build, though there is an Ultegra version available too. Gearing-wise the ROC uses a non-series 50/34 chainset, though its shape and colour don't make it obvious that it isn't a 105 model. That is paired with an 11-32t cassette, which offers a decent spread of gears for most, especially on the road.
For a bike like this, the ROC needs strong wheels and Merlin has specced Mavic XM319 Disc rims paired with Shimano RS505 hubs. With 32 spokes front and rear in a 3-cross pattern, they'll stand up to plenty of abuse on the daily commute and if you are riding the bike around loaded up with a bag or rack.
The Merlin ROC Disc is a decent all-round workhorse at an attractive price compared with a lot of its opposition. Hydraulic braking is very impressive to see, and despite its weight it is still a quick, fun bike to ride.
Why it’s here: A versatile all-weather road machine with a very pleasant ride feel that is just as happy off the beaten track
8. Saracen Levarg FB £849.99
Just when you thought bikes couldn't get more niche, the Saracen Levarg FB is a flat-bar conversion of a drop-bar gravel bike with 650B wheels and a 1x groupset, designed for urban adventures. Despite that rather convoluted genesis, it fulfils its brief exceedingly well.
For a bike that looks like an overinflated hybrid, but which is really a flat-bar version of a drop-bar gravel bike, the Levarg FB is something of a revelation. With impressively accurate control, the first sensation you notice when riding it – even on flat, smooth tarmac – is that this is really quite fun.
The combination of rigid carbon fork with very large volume rubber is an interesting mix that works better than expected, especially for general 'about town' riding. There's no escaping the fact that road imperfections do make their way to you up through the front of the bike, albeit significantly cushioned by the vast 47mm WTB ByWay tyre. But the flipside is that the front tyre's grip, allied with the direct nature of the carbon fork, tapered head tube and stiff, smaller diameter wheels, means the bike goes exactly where you want it.
The Levarg still moves far more swiftly than you might imagine, though. In terms of seated climbing, it's easy to get in a rhythm and pound out the height gain. In terms of out-the-saddle efforts and sprinting, while this isn't the kind of bike that's going to win any race from the lights, it's not averse to being manhandled a little. Indeed, as you'd expect with such expansive contact patches, stability and road holding is very, very secure, meaning you can throw the Levarg around to your heart's content.
Saracen lists 'Mudguard Eyelets and Rack Mounts' in the spec, but there's just one spare eyelet either side on the dropouts which the rack and mudguard would have to share, and no mounts on the seatstays. That might seem a bit of an omission, but it’s not really the kind of bike you'd want to laden down with massive panniers – it's more a 'small rucksack and be damned’ job.
Saracen says the FB is the Levarg range's commuting option, and that seems a very fair summary. One of the great joys of the Levarg's ride experience is being able to fling the bike around a bit – think old school Mini before it went all posh and German. So weaving through traffic, with the insurance of that wide rubber, comes as a real delight.
There are some limitations that prevent it from being higher up this list. The Levarg FB has quite a limited appeal beyond commuting. With that rigid fork, it's certainly no mountain bike. With those huge tyres and wide, flat bar, it's not a long-distance mile-muncher. And there are better general use leisure hybrids out there
Why it’s here: A fantastic urban bike with an interesting wheel and tyre setup that will leave you smiling
7. Forme Longcliffe 2 £999
The Forme Longcliffe 2 delivers a very good ride indeed, and don't pay much attention to that overall weight – on all but the steepest of hills it feels nippy and surprisingly agile for a bike of its type. If you are looking for your first road machine for fun and fitness or you want a budget winter machine, then it is definitely worth considering.
The Forme is here because it’s an ideal entry-level road bike for getting into sportives and road riding, but it’s also ideally suited for daily commuting. It’s keenly priced and the aluminium frame has mounts for full length mudguards with space still for 28mm wide tyres for dealing with rough roads. You also get mounts on the seatstays for a rear rack, which helps for a little light touring or commuting without a rucksack.
The Longcliffe 2 comes with a Shimano Claris groupset, which when it started appearing on road bikes was a bit of a clunker, but since it has been overhauled is a very fun groupset for the money. In fact, alongside Sora and Tiagra, the only thing noticeably different are the number of sprockets on the cassette. Claris gets eight, Sora has nine and Tiagra is blessed with 10.
The Forme has quite a comfortable ride. It's in no way harsh, absorbing much of the road buzz. I covered some decent mileage over three- to four-hour rides without getting off with any pains or niggles.
It has a longer wheelbase than a race bike, giving a stable ride that is quite confidence-inspiring. Its weight actually helps here, as on rough descents or when your speed is pretty high it never gets unsettled by rough road surfaces and feels properly planted.
The Forme offers excellent quality and comfort, and shows that you really don't need to spend a fortune for a fun day in the saddle, and is versatile for commuting duties.
And if you're quick you pick up this bike for £650 making it a bit of a bargain.
Why it’s here: Great ride quality and sorted geometry make the Forme a fun choice, especially when conditions aren't brilliant
6. Canyon Grail AL 7.0 from £1,199
Canyon’s new aluminium Grail adventure and gravel bike is a huge amount of fun on twisty trails and is able to provide good speed on a wide variety of surfaces, from road to gravel tracks. It’s also great value, as you’d expect from Canyon and is well specced for the money and it has mudguard mounts for keeping you dry on wet roads. The 2020 models have dispensed with the rear rack mounts of the model we tested which is a shame.
The frame is constructed from 6061 double-butted aluminium tubing with fairly industrial looking welds - it’s not the smoothest frame I’ve ever set eyes on - but is packing some neat details. There’s internal cable and hose routing, a tapered head tube, three bottle cage mounts, eyelets for fitting mudguards and even a rear rack if the idea of strapping packs to the frame doesn’t appeal to you. The fork is made from carbon to reduce the overall weight.
Geometry goes a long way to define a gravel bike, and as previously mentioned, Canyon has fitted the Grail with a shorter stem which has the effect of speeding up the steering. For road cyclists reading this who might be wondering if the Grail AL is a viable alternative to the Endurace AL, I’d say that if you wanted to run really wide tyres and like the option to fit mudguards, and want to dabble in opening up your riding options with off-road trails, the Grail is a solid choice. It’s not going to be as fast on the road with the stock tyres, but for mixed-terrain riding, there’s a lot going for it.
As you’d expect from Canyon, the Grail offer very good value for money. We tested a Shimano 105 equipped model but for 2020 the Grail AL range consists mainly of GRX equpped bikes, with one SRAM 1x option. The GRX specs will address the range issues of our test bike and we’ve been highly impressed with Shimano’s first gravel groupset.
For leisure riding, commuting, bikepacking or touring, there’s a lot going for the Canyon Grail. The changes over an endurance road bike or cyclocross ensure it’s more versatile and can easily be tailored towards different needs with just a few small changes or additions. The price definitely means it’ll appeal to commuters.
Why it’s here: Fun and agile adventure bike for not a lot of cash
5. Cotic Escapade £899.99
One of the early adopters of the whole gravel/adventure/do-it-all bikes, the Cotic Escapade has had a few upgrades since its inception a good five or six years ago. Larger tyre clearances, a new carbon fork and a tapered head tube have now upped the performance and dropped the weight, making the new model an absolute joy to ride whether on or off-road.
For commuting duties, the Escapade offers performance and versatility in equal measure. The steel frame has ample clearance for wide tyres, handy if you want to add some gravel paths to your daily commute, or embark on some weekend adventures. The frame also has mounts for a rear rack and mudguards for fending off road spray on rainy days.
At its heart is still that quality chromoly steel frame that just wafts along, taking the vibration and bumps out of all but the roughest of road surfaces, helped by the fact that it can now accommodate those larger volume tyres. The heavily sloped top tube also means no matter how tall you are, you are going to be running a lot of exposed seatpost, bringing a little more flex and comfort to the ride.
The new full carbon fibre fork is stiff and keeps the steering tight, and has little issue dealing with the forces from heavy braking. Comfort, again, is impressive, and you can just cruise along for miles and miles in total bliss.
The Escapade really is a very good all-rounder, offering so much versatility that it can tackle everything from a commute in all weathers to a bit of light touring or a blast off-road in equal measure.
Why it’s here: An agile, sweet-handling, comfortable bike on multiple terrains
4. Goldhawk Rodax £1,400
The Goldhawk Rodax is as close as you'll get to the perfect off-the-shelf urban speed machine. With a Reynolds 520 steel frame, wide tyres, flat handlebar, disc brakes and SRAM 1x drivetrain, it offers quick control with instant power transfer and impressive levels of comfort. And it’s decent value too.
Steel bikes might not be as instantly reactive as aluminium (although this one gets pretty close), or as clever as carbon, but for an all-round bike that you can live with, it's hard to beat. In this case, the insulating quality of the steel frame deals with lumps and bumps very impressively. It handles big hits and potholes particularly well – you can't ignore them but you're not left counting your teeth
The frame is made from Reynolds 520 steel tubing and looks fantastic in its retro-inspired colourway. There are some nice details, too, such as the internal routing for the rear brake and even the front brake line disappears into the crown of the sexy, straight-bladed carbon EVO CX fork.
The Rodax can't quite match the best high-speed cruisers in terms of out-and-out stability – it's far more of a Spitfire than a Lancaster bomber – but I don't think that matters in the slightest. This isn't a bike designed for all-day spins through the open countryside; it's a bike made for sprinting from traffic light to traffic light and weaving through traffic.
The SRAM 1x drivetrain works well on this bike. Do you want to ride fast, without compromises and limit the faff? Simple: there's a shifter at your right hand to go up and down the cassette. That's it. No feathering the front mech, no dodgy chainlines. You always know what's happening with your gearing without even having to think about it. The SRAM Level T-A1 hydraulic disc brakeset is a speccing choice that is hard to fault. It offers excellent outright power, nicely weighted modulation, and the dinky little levers add to the overall sense that you are riding a piece of precision engineering.
The fact that you can have a handmade Reynolds frame that looks fantastic and is fitted with a spec that really works for just £1,400 is quite amazing. And it rides simply fantastically.
Why it’s here: Fantastic flat-bar urban bike with a superb handmade Reynolds 520 frame and ideal spec for £1,400. It's a steel steal!
3. Ribble CGR AL Shimano 105 £1,399
Ribble's CGR AL Shimano 105 is a hugely versatile and superb value bike for everything from gravel bashing to cyclocross and road commuting.
The CGR bit of the name stands for Cyclocross, gravel and road, which tells you pretty much everything you need to know about where this bike is pitched, namely as a do-it-all drop bar bike. The impressive thing is that it actually delivers on this promise, having taken in everything from gravel rides, road Audaxes and tow-path bashing commutes.
The base kit on the bike speaks that Ribble reckons that it's likely to live on tarmac for most of its life and I don't doubt that's true. While you can stuff up to a 45mm tyre on 700c wheel and up to 47mm on 650b hoops in the frame and carbon fork, it comes with a 40mm Schwalbe G-One AllRound tyre as standard. They are a very good choice for road commuting as they are fast rolling, comfy and rugged, and can handle gravel tracks and tow paths.
Shimano's 105 hydraulic groupset is a solid choice when it comes to the drivetrain, with 11 evenly spaced ratios over an 11-32T block and smooth, dependable shifting. The hydraulic brakes are a good reason to opt for this build rather than the £999 Shimano Tiagra bike, which comes with cable discs. They're powerful, predictable and work in all conditions.
Versatility is a key theme of the CGR and that's really the heart of this machine. If you plan to mix a bit of gravel or a 'cross race in alongside regular commuting, then this build is superb - and if you plan to vary it more towards one aspect than another, then Ribble has you covered with so many custom build options it's quite possible to lose a lot of time speccing up the bike exactly as you want it.
While the handling is a balance between the competing requirements of each of the disciplines, it's a line that Ribble has walked very well, with no major compromises or flaws apparently unless you want to take it to an extreme. Add in the fact that it is stonking value and looks and feels every inch like a quality product and there's very little not to like.
Why it’s here: Excellent value and huge versatility from a well-mannered drop bar machine
2. Triban RC120 Disc £399.99
The Triban RC120 Disc is an entry-level road bike with mechanical disc brakes, almost faultless ride manners, a perfectly practical spec and the extra incentive of that enhanced stopping power. The price and addition of the disc brakes and mounts for fitting racks and mudguards makes it an ideal commuting choice, being versatile enough to commute during the week and embark on long road rides at the weekend.
The frame is made from 6061 T6 aluminium with all the tube shapes manipulated, with a carbon fibre fork and neat cable routing throughout. The RC120 doesn't have the undersize rear triangle found on other Tribans further up the range, but that's fine – I quite like the fact that Triban's lower models eschew fashion and retain some more traditional design details. Indeed, even the compact frame's sloping top tube is probably seen as slightly old-fashioned these days.
Front-end control is excellent. It was certainly responsive enough to steer me out of the way of an oncoming car that had careered three-quarters of the way across my lane, desperate to nip up a side road. The Shimano Tourney compact (50/34) chainset combined with the 8-speed 11-34t Microshift cassette offers a really broad range of gearing ratios if you have a few hills on your commute.
The spec includes Promax mechanical disc brakes which offer good braking performance in all conditions and tough 28mm ResistProtect+ clincher tyres that are grippy and durable.
For relatively inexperienced riders, it's a very safe welcome to the world of fast drop-bar bikes. With rack mounts front and back, it could also be a high-speed commuter.
Why it’s here: Well priced aluminium road bike with disc brakes and top spec that is versatile for daily commuting duties
1. B’Twin Riverside 920 £599.99
Who could imagine a big old lump of a hybrid – with 38mm tyres and a suspension fork and weighing north of 13kg – being any fun to cycle? Anybody riding something like that is in for a slog, right? Thankfully, nobody told those crazy French cats about accepted wisdom because in the B'Twin Riverside 920 they've managed to put together an incredible bike that combines all the practicalities of a hybrid, with a fun and enthusiastic ride and almost unlimited potential.
The first thing that hits you about B'Twin's Riverside 920 is just how reactive it is. For a big and relatively heavy bike, you can get it up to speed without any real effort, and weaving in and around parked cars or street furniture is exciting and direct. Crucially, even if the Riverside 920 isn't necessarily quicker than other bikes, it at least feels lively and willing. This is a really rewarding bike to ride.
The frame comes with a lifetime warranty and a really great riding position that definitely errs on the side of uprightness. That gives you a good view ahead and commanding road presence in urban environments. It also contributes to a ride experience that is stable when cruising but dynamic when the mood takes you.
Up front, the 63mm Suntour NCX air-sprung fork are great for taking the sting out of road imperfections, potholes and sleeping policemen. They have a handy remote lockout lever on the handlebar for locking them out as well.
The 38mm Hybrid Trekking Speed tyres are suitable for road, leisure or even a bit of trail riding. A chance to a slick or semi-slick tyre would be ideal for untapping more speed for urban commuting. The classy NX 36-tooth chainset is teamed with a wide-ranging 11-42t cassette, which really does provide all the gear ratios you'll need to enjoy (or at least conquer) everything from tough climbs to long descents. These days, who needs triples, or even doubles?
It's to Decathlon and B'Twin's credit that they pitch the Riverside 920 as a wide-ranging hybrid trekking bike suitable for commuting, gravel or even trails; other manufacturers would be tempted to chuck in some 'urban lifetstyle' mumbo-jumbo. Keeping the idea that the Riverside 920 has a variety of potential uses, rather than opting for some trendy marketing spin, couldn't be more sensible. Short of road races or hard sportives, this bike can do almost anything you ask of it.
Why it wins: Agile and exciting ride makes the Riverside 920 an unexpected treasure
David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes.
Latest Comments
- brooksby 1 hour 24 min ago
They haven't been seen for ages- did they get banned?
- eburtthebike 1 hour 30 min ago
They prefer their alternative facts to real ones. They believe something, therefore it must be true.
- Spangly Shiny 2 hours 41 min ago
Sorry, no idea what you are on about.
- ktache 2 hours 44 min ago
For double that you can' get a Pedro's vise whip Ii. Or half, the reportedly excellent decathlon thingy. And Sigma has the Silca for only £150.
- KDee 2 hours 50 min ago
I'm no detective, but the "NOAHFAST" decal vertically stickered on the headtube is a little bit of a clue.
- Spangly Shiny 3 hours 10 min ago
I remember my driving test examiner, straight after congratulating me for having passed the test said, "Don't be a twat and have that as your best...
- Bigfoz 5 hours 18 min ago
Did they think it was a drive thru?
- Rendel Harris 5 hours 28 min ago
As a teacher's husband, I'm allowed to watch up to 50km out (unless it's a big mountain stage when I can only watch up to the start of the first HC...
- PoorInRichfield 8 hours 3 min ago
I thought wide rims and tires were marketing hype until I bought a bike in 2019 that had both... 700x32C tires on a 25mm internal width rim. Now I...
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28 comments
How about a story on PRACTICAL commuter bikes/ ie bikes with sturdy tires to minimize punctures, fenders to keep off the rain, luggage racks and saddlebags for the raincoat and change of clothing, under-seat bag for the spare tire and puncture kit and enough lights to scare off cars?
These bikes may be fine for racing, but are hopeless for real-world comutting.
I don't get the issue ...
All of those things could be supplied with the bike and would increase the price. If I am paying extra for those bits I would rather buy a bike that had none of them (but had the facility to fit them) and pick the specific ones that I want.
I'll give you the tyres, a commuter bike should be fitted with puncture resistant rubber as standard, but the rest? I'd rather pick the ones I want than get what I am given and end up spending even more changing them later.
The category should have been called “best all rounder”, not commuter. Without giving a defined criteria of what makes a commuter bike, you can literally say any bike can be used for commuting. I would gladly add the Canyon (the only brand among these I’ve seen Down Under) to my bikes for mixed road and gravel riding but I would not give up my other bikes which are better suited for commuting. Would not go back to derailleur from a Nexus hub for commuting if you paid me, it is where the IGH shines.
Maybe it’s a step too far and road.cc should forget about trying to cover all bases. The sister site ebiketips covers more of the commuter bike market anyway, and if you aren’t going to allow for multimode commutes where folding bikes like Brompton and Tern shine then you aren’t really being serious about the category. If you’re not considering the importance of racks, mudguards, chain guards, kickstands, lights and mounts for frame locks, then you’re not being serious either. Better to avoid awarding the category altogether.
Some good points there. Possibly a step too far but I wonder if road.cc have considered a utility cycling focused website along the lines of ebiketips? All 3 sites could (and should) share stories but each focused on that particular subject area. Might be too much work depending on how the current websites are architected anyway (plus you'd need to hire more specialists which might not be an option)
I also question the fact that not one of those bike is sold complete with mudguards or a dynamo. Depends on the commute and preferences of course, but it does skew the entire article.
I have a fairly long commute and ride it on a gravel bike. But I can take a shower and change clothes in the office. Where I am, the average bicycle commute (non e-bikes) is something like 4-5 km. That doesn't tend to attract the Mamil-crowd (of which I'm a card carrying member). For those people, mudguards and dynamo lighting are almost compulsory, at least when I look around me. No drop bars, no clipless pedals.
The bikes that I see above are mainly half-assed el cheapo wannabe road bikes. With the possible exception of the Canyon Grail, but fitting that one with reliable mudguards is a story in its own right.
Average is probably similar here (Cambridge), but I do see a mix of bikes, and relatively few of them have dynamo lighting. If you're only doing a few km, and under streetlights, cheap battery lights can be adequate and last a week between charges.
That's specifically the e-bike market though. That's a growing part of the market, but far from all of it. I think road.cc can continue to cover utility cycling even if it's not the main focus. There is a folding bike review section, for example.
But e-bikes cover everything from folding commuters to road bikes, in theory you could have an e-bike win every category. Utility bikes are rapidly becoming dominated by electric, Dutch brand Gazelle were at 50% of total production last year. They’re well and truly mainstream. To not even include an e-bike in the commuter category is inexcusable in my opinion when there are bikes like the Orbea Gain and Tern’s HSD, to name but a couple of excellent choices. More consideration of what’s important in a commuter is needed - I thought it odd that Gazelle were still using hydraulic rim brakes on their ebikes, but it’s just the practical thing of less chance of damage in bike racks than disc brakes.
One brand we have here in Australia that you don’t in the UK is Lekker. They’re a direct to consumer company, but they build (well, China builds them) Dutch influenced commmuter cycles that are decently specced for the price and are designed with accessories for urban commutes in mind. Very much fit for purpose without breaking the budget. Surely there are similar products in the UK, because many of the comments seem to describe that kind of product as desirable for commuting.
This list is rather unimaginative, isnt it? Of course commuting needs can vary wildly (me, 15 almost-flat miles), so why the lack of variety here?
Well put.
For me (but maybe not for you):
Example, Canyon Commuter 5.0: all of the above (minus the bell, plus a Gates belt drive) for 100 quid less than the Ribble. They even do one with a slammed stem. There are many other fully-fitted commuters available, see the list provided by the first poster.
Finally, to the "I don't need a rack" folk, I would urge you to try one! I had one of those "what the hell was I thinking" moments when I gave it a go. I will never go back and, no, a single pannier is not unstable.
Happy commuting, stay safe out there!
I'm only here to add the words "Kinesis T2/T3" and "wot no Mason?"
I commute on a T2. Road.cc did review, but a long time before 2019...... but I think you probably know that.
Whilst I think there should be more (a lot more) ultra practical town bikes in cycle shops, is Road CC really the place to go looking for reviews of them? In my opinion this is a nice list of bikes that if you like cycling as thing rather than as a utility activity will make a reasonably economic and civilzed fast commuters and if you need them to could make nice tourers
What, no single speed?
I do strongly think they should have included some proper 'utility bikes' in there with guards/discs/flat etc bars/hub lighting and so on...but ultimately how many utility cyclists visit this site in comparison to longer distance road cyclists? I'm assuming many utility cyclists would go to a site more suited to them? (although road.cc does a decent job in my opinion in catering for all)
I'm a longer distance commuter and the average utility cycle would utterly kill the enjoyment of my ride as well as taking a lot longer...they are deeply impractical for longer distances on uk roads unless you've got an ebike...but even then they are slower than I'd normal travel at for a lot of my ride.
But I have this thing called 'empathy' - I can see that if I hadn't been gentrified out of the city I was born and brought up in they would be ideal for me as well as for others doing shorter distances in normal clothes.
But I still wouldn't go on a road cycling focused site and moan there are no 50kg dutch bikes reviews...I just wouldn't
My commute bike for 15 miles of mostly rural roads is a drop bar bike (with dynamo hub and rack and mudguards that I added).
My commute bike for taking on a train that only allows folding bikes, or for using Park and Ride, is not.
But there is already a "road bike of the year" article. If your commute suits a road bike, you can look at the numerous road bike articles. Some of them might be more expensive than you would want for some commutes, depending how secure your bike parking is, but there's a recently updated "performance without the high price" article.
If you're going to have a commute bike category, having more utility bikes that wouldn't be considered for the road bike articles seems pretty reasonable.
I did intend to get some custom Sykes wooden fenders for my Ultimate commuter, but he appears to have retired, there are othe craftsmen out there who make similar, and just as shockingly expensive.
Rohloff build, chain though, so easy to clean and care for.
I think the "best commuter bike" might fall into a similar trap to "cyclist" in that it tries to cover too much.
I can say with some confidence that the "best commuter bike" for a 10-15 minute pootle through a purely urban environment on cycle paths (shared or otherwise) differs dramatically to the "best commuter bike" for a 20 mile each way ride mainly on the road.
Personally, I can see the benefit of having something with dynamo lights, panniers, and mudguards, but it tends to the slower/shorter journey. Once it gets longer, I'd rather have something sportier and faster with proper facilities at the far end so I can get changed and have a shower when I get there. That way it doesn't matter if I get soaked, or have a sweaty back from a backpack.
For reference, I started commuting about 7 miles each way on a single-speed, in "normal" clothes, that distance and speed, anything would have done. Including the aforementioned hybrid/city bike with guards, dynamo, etc. My commute then extended to 14 miles minimum each way, normally pushed longer for the fun of it and I was glad to ride my Propel for that distance day in day out year-round.
As for the carbon belt drive, hub gears, etc? yes, please. But they certainly aren't as readily available yet, as far as I'm aware, so possibly not as useful for the beginners this article seems to be targeting. And the maintenance thing? As long as you are cleaning/lubing with some regularity things don't wear out all that quickly.
Commuting is the first experience of cycling for many people, replacing the car or bus...
I imagine that if a woman walked into a bike shop wanting to get back into or start cycling through commuting and she was shown a range of drop bar road bikes she'd walk out disappointed and empty-handed, resigned to the belief that she'll have to carry on using the car or bus.
You haven't come up with a list to encourage first time commuters but a list for experienced cyclists.
Bit sexist don't you think? And why have you assumed she's rich enough to live near where she works? Maybe she needs a longer distance machine??
Or maybe not, I do know what you're getting at. But once again, what website are you on? Their bikes of the year btw are based on what they have reviewed...and they don't often review utility bikes suitable for 2-3 miles otherwise this list would have some.
A utility bike focused website would NEVER, EVER have a similar list made up of long distance commuting road bikes and no one would expect them to. Why are people expecting road.cc to be doing this?!?!
Complete bollocks. An ex-girlfriend of mine returned from her first serious trip to the bike shop with a Brompton and a Lemond Etape. Mrs Srchar's first half-decent bike was a Cotic Roadrat; after riding it for all of a month, she asked if there was any particular reason I'd built it with straight bars, as she thought she'd really rather have drops. She ended up with a CAAD8 and now rides a Pinarello. In fact, I've just read your comment to her and she said, "what a wanker". Soz.
@SimonS
The bit where it says…
"There are no strict rules governing what a commuting bike should be, and the ideal commuter is different for different people. It’s very much open to interpretation and depends on factors like the distance of the commute, the state of the roads or paths, and the sort of cyclist you are."
That bit
So really you're saying the title could have been something like, "Top 10 'open ended it depends' category of bikes", but that made it look like it might just be any lame excuse for a click-tastic 'list of ten' type article with no rhyme or reason?
Well done Decathlon, dominating the lists of the slightly more affordable and perhaps practical bicycles.
Only 30 odd years commuting, me, and I've never used panniers and never had anything more than mtb clip on mudguards. And have always added my own lighting.
On really good bikes they don't even give you pedals, how does that work?
And not one second hand mountain bike, which for me was the greatest commuter for over 20 years.
Yes, i probably did 20 years like that and now I can't believe i did. You're really missing out - proper guards make a huge difference to how clean and dry you stay (and stop you anti-socially spraying any riders behind you with road filth).
The winner looks terrible, like a German shopping bike. Granted I haven't ridden it but nevertheless I am unconvinced.
Overall I'm happy with my choice of Spesh Allez Sprint as a commuter but if the new CAAD 13 had been available at the time I might have chosen that due to the mudguard mounts. Dream commuter might be something like a Shand Skinnymalinky, but the cost would be getting into best bike territory.
I have to agree with the other comments, what a poor choice of bikes.
If you're only choosing from bikes you've reviewed this year then perhaps you should be looking again at the models you get in for review. Either that, or stop pretending you've got a dog in this fight when you clearly haven't.
where are the practical bikes with mudguards, racks and lighting then?
That's an abysmal choice of commuters.
The big irony is that a decathlon bike wins, when they do an entire range of practical city bikes.
Your top 10 commuting bikes of the year?
7 of them have drop bars, which are really inferior for riding in traffic vs flat bars - braking from the hoods isn't great, you're never going to use the drops, you can't fit a bell that you can use from the default hand position.
Only one of them has mudguards fitted, and not one comes with any luggage carrying or dynamo lights.
It really is like 10 bad bikes to ride to work on likely to put you off the experience.
After years of commuting on unsuitable bikes and it was a revelation moving to something actually built for the job. Mudguards mean you can ride most trips in normal clothes without getting filthy (we have many days when the ground is damp but it's not raining). They also mean you don't spray other riders with road filth - not using them is just anti-social. A rack and panniers mean you can carry more luggage and not get a sweaty back. Dynamo lights mean no more awkward trips home in the dark when you've forgotten to charge, or forgotten, your lights.
Hub gears for less maintenance? Belt drive for a clean hose down all weather drivetrain?
Articles like this influence the choices people make. There's no shortage of good commuter bikes out there, from cheap to super expensive -
Canyon Commuter range - https://www.canyon.com/en-gb/urban-bikes/commuter-bikes/commuter/
Scott do a range of properly equipped commuter bikes - https://www.scott-sports.com/gb/en/products/bike-bikes-cityurban
Fast and fancy? How about the BMC Alpenchallenge 1? https://www.bmc-switzerland.com/alpenchallenge-01-one-301790.html
Rose - Black Creek or Black Lava ranges
Decathlon - https://www.decathlon.co.uk/hoprider-900-urban-hybrid-bike-id_8405475.html
That's before starting on any of the more traditional Dutch style city bikes, folders, cargo bikes etc etc.
Hi Simon I can see where you are coming from but this criticism seems over the top.
I've always commuted on a drop bar bike and never had a problem using the brakes from the hoods, I use the drops fairly often on a nice straight patch of road and downhill, and if I need to to use the bell in a hurry because of an errant pedestrian on the road I find a shouted warning far more useful and specific.
My current commuting bike came (shock, horror) without mudguards or pannier rack, but - and this is the clever part - I bought some and fitted them. Works a treat. Likewise I have a main set of rechargeable lights and they are clever enough to remind me when they are getting a low charge.
Personally I found this list quite useful and I am very tempted by that sub 1k Merlin (our cycle to work scheme still has the 1k limit; grr). Even better if I do buy it, I can swap over my guards, rack and lights and have got way better value for money than if they were included in the price and I ended up getting a lower spec. ....