The Crew's Commuters: Part 2

Sometimes it’s nice to see something other than showroom-worthy steeds, after all, they don’t stay shiny for long! Bikes are made for riding, and you can learn a lot about a rider from their daily driver, so we took a closer look at some of our team’s characterful commuter bikes. 

Ben’s Bombtrack Arise 2 2.1

When Ben isn’t riding his bike polo steed (find out more about Ben’s cycling life here!), you can find him bombing around town on his Bombtrack Arise 2 (pun intended…) whether he’s on his way to work, riding out at the weekend and anything in-between! 

Ben acquired his Bombtrack shortly after joining the team here at Brixton Cycles with the intention of it being his everything bike, opting for the Arise 2 as it’s known for being robust and reliable – oh, and it’s also steel (of course!). Complete with a custom livery aka. BC stickers, it’s clear to see that this bike is built for purpose.

Moving down the bike you’ll find a well-used Deore XT drivetrain, the gold standard for MTB gearing thanks to its hard-wearing construction and excellent performance. The clutch-equipped rear mech is a welcome touch, surprisingly (or unsurprisingly) useful on our bumpy roads! Dynamo-driven lighting ensures this bike can be ridden year-round, day or night, without having to worry about charging up batteries – especially useful on bigger adventures, but also super convenient for day-to-day riding. In the pursuit of comfort without sacrificing speed, Ben has opted for some chunky but slick 700x38c tyres so he can still get to and from work in a timely manner! These are shrouded by mudguards to keep his components intact and his posterior dry come rain or shine.

Not one to ride around empty-handed, a front-mounted rack and expedition handlebars allow Ben to mount all kinds of luggage should he need it, with an assortment of Surly straps ready to deploy at all times! Finished off with a phone mount for maps and a bell to let people know he’s coming, Ben’s Bombtrack is purpose-built to tackle the trials and tribulations of daily riding.

John’s Trek FX 2.2

Bucking the trend of steel frames amongst the BC crew with its aluminium construction, the FX is a popular choice amongst commuters from all walks of life, and according to Trek it’s the most popular hybrid in the world! Despite that, John was very reluctant to show this bike off due to (in his opinion) it having a severe lack of cool. Eventually, after some convincing, he gave in – let’s see what all the fuss was about! 

As a self-proclaimed parts bin special, John’s Trek FX is somewhat of a Trigger’s broom, and while it may not be the prettiest bike in town it’s more than capable of getting the job done! The 3x8-speed Shimano drivetrain has certainly seen better days, ‘so worn that the chain checker won’t read it’ (John’s words), but a daily driver doesn’t need to be the most pristine, meticulously maintained bike in the world. While it may have 101 things wrong with it, John knows exactly what they are and how to nurse it through!

The usual suspects are mounted to the handlebars: a Lezyne light and dual-wielded bells, so if you don’t hear the miscellaneous rattling approaching from behind, there’s no excuse for not hearing the bells! “What’s in the box?” we hear you cry. Interestingly, aside from the BC/Red Stripe stickers on the frame, this is the only part of the bike that John was keen to show off. Complete with his Timbuk2 messenger bag containing his waterproofs (in a waterproof bag, of course), and a rudimentary repair kit containing a Surly Jethro Tule that he doesn’t actually need for this bike but kept in there anyway, this is all kept in place by a humble bungee strap. Despite his reservations, we’d say that John’s FX is an excellent example of a real-world commuter with a hint of BC magic!