Land Rover Commute 6.9

If this Land Rover bike was a Land Rover car then it'd be a Defender, for sure: it's a solidly built, multipurpose machine with a nice high cockpit and dependable equipment. It's not the quickest or liveliest flat barred bike you'll find but it's a good option if you're looking for something that'll take a bit of abuse, or lug some heavier loads.

The bike is built around a chunky Aluminium frame that's reasonably standard fare, with an ovalised down tube and square section stays at the rear. There's a disc mount on the back, as there is on the beefy carbon bladed fork up front. Wheels are unbranded alloy units (with disc specific rims) and stopping is taken care of by Tektro Auriga hydraulic brakes. The transmission is predominantly Shimano Deore, with an Octalink chainset and two way release shifters; you also get an upgrade to an LX rear mech.

The geometry of the bike is somewhere in the middle of flat bar land, it's not too long or short. However, it's made very upright by the use of a high riser stem and wide semi-riser bars. It's not something you often see on bikes of this type and it gives the Land Rover a very different feel to a more hunkered down machine like a Specialized or a Boardman. Around town it's a pleasant position, the high cockpit keeping you upright and in control. On longer rides it's much too upright for fast riding but it's happy to roll along at a more leisurely pace. The comfy rubber will easily deal with unsurfaced paths, so it's a good mount for canal and fire road riding.

The unbranded wheels and big-chambered Conti Contact tyres aren't particularly light – and nor is the whole bike at 11.6kg/25.6lb – so climbing is a slightly pedestrian affair, especially with the upright position. However, there's never any doubt you'll reach the top and the MTB gearing means you can winch yourself up pretty much any incline, even carrying a big load. I've had the Land Rover sporting panniers and pulling a full trailer, and its inherent stability makes it an excellent machine for load lugging. You can fit full mudguards too if you want to go utilitarian.

Heading downhill the bike is pretty sure-footed and the Tektro brakes are excellent, with good feel and a huge amount of stopping power on tap. The all round performance of the bike is good: the frame is very stiff and would probably be harsh with smaller tyres, but with the big Contis it's just about right. I didn't get on with the saddle but it's easily swapped. The Deore gears worked faultlessly throughout the test period and there are no other problems to report either.

So who's it for? Well the name may be Commute, and it's plenty happy on my 6-mile round trip, but really the Land Rover is as much a utility bike as it is a commuter. It's happy on unsurfaced leisure rides and doesn't complain when it's loaded up, making it a versatile machine. It isn't light or sporty, and as such won't appeal to the sport commuter, but someone looking for a well built, dependable workhorse rather than a speedy tarmac-eater won't go far wrong here.

Verdict

A solidly built and dependable utility machine for more leisurely commuting, family rides and chores.