shelbyfv

Seems some part of "He's already bought the bike" is hard to grasp.

Eric F 

As I understand it, he is using the bike for communing as well as other recreational uses. His choice seems pretty darn versatile for a wide range of conditions, and adaptable if his needs change.

When I was commuting, I rode my road race bike. It served my needs just fine.

MikeDeason

Light trail on the weekend. Generally hard-pack dirt some hard gravel.. And 25km commute weekdays in dense urban areas mostly in segregated bike lanes but some curb hopping necessary to stay alive.

deposit is in. I can bail on the deposit but unless the geometry issue with the rigid fork is something I’m just not comprehending, I will stick with it.

Eric F 

The fork is built for that bike. No issues.

soyabean

It's your money, do whatever you want.

That's what I do.

That's why I never, and have never asked for bicycle advice ever, here or anywhere.

I do what I want, so I don't bother bringing it up otherwise I'd be trolling.

MikeDeason

If I knew stuff about bikes I might take that approach. I rode the same Norco hybrid bike to work for 25 yrs and never once read anything online or otherwise about bikes.

between forums and Google you can build up some knowledge pretty quick.

Knowledge is power

that’s my strategy

Smaug1

This is too hardcore of a bike for commuting. Rack & fender options are severely limited.

Raising and pulling the bar back far enough for this upright comfort you're after is going to mess up the steering geometry. Front end will get ... nervous, at best. I know because I did this on my Aventon Level.2. Can't ride no-handed any more; it immediately starts to wobble. With the stock stem, it was a non-issue. When I go grocery shopping and put 40 lbs. of groceries on the back rack, it's even worse; I have to be careful. I'll probably put the stock stem back on it.

I also question why you're stuck on a flat bar. What do folks think is so great about having only one hand position? ...or two if you add the silly-looking bar ends ...or having one's arms spread wide, so the torso catches the wind like a sail? With the kind of riding you're saying, you don't need the leverage of a wide bar.

I think you'll find out in the fulness of time that I'm right.

Anyway, I hope I'm wrong, and I wish you the best and I hope you'll keep us updated on how she goes.

bboy314

This is way more bike than I’d ever buy to commute, but it’s gonna be one hell of a fun commuter. I assume you’re not taking out a second mortgage or selling a kidney to afford it. If it were me, I’d go with the rigid fork, throw on a Ritchey Kyote handlebar and some decent 2ish inch tires. No rack mounts is a con, but there are solutions to that, like frame bags or bike packing racks.

Eric F 

Changing the stem length/angle will have zero impact on how a bike handles when riding no-handed.

bboy314

I don’t see the point in trying to compare this bike’s handling with a (no offense) fairly low end e-bike with front suspension. Also I think it’s more than reasonable for someone to prefer a flat bar for commuting, even more so with bar ends, even if someone thinks they’re ugly

badger1

On the aesthetic question, I've always used flat bars (riser for mtb; narrow/flat with bar ends for road riding) and have never thought of them as ugly! Now that I think of it, I can also report that after 10s of thousands of kilometres my arms have yet to fall off; one would think they would have by now given some of the theorizing here on teh Biek Formz.

I think my bike is quite 'pretty' and well-suited to this old b_gg_r's riding ... but that's just me.

shelbyfv

In the fulness of time OP will regret choosing the Orbea over a budget ebike?

Wileyrat

You should spend some time on google and YouTube studying frame geometry for mtn bikes, gravel bikes, and road bikes, if you’re really interested. It’s not just whether you go with a ridged fork or not, there’s a lot to it.

If not, hopefully you’ll love the new carbon fiber beastie.

MikeDeason

Here’s what I don’t get.

Raising/lowering the seat post and angling and or raising or lowering the handlebars makes the geometry adjustable.

Eric F 

Those things adjust your body's position on the bike, but they do not change the geometry of the bike itself. With bicycles, the term "geometry" typically refers to lengths and angles of frame tubes, or segments of the frame.

john m flores 

That Orbea certainly is sweet loooking! A couple of things to note about mountain bikes vs. the hybrid that you currently are using:

1 - Mountain bike bars are often quite wide for maximum control. Do you have any narrow gaps on your commute?
2 - Mountain bikes are usually specced with longer crank arms than road or hybrid bikes. You'll notice it if you're a spinner.

Also, that Thudbuster will no doubt smooth out the ride but the Orbea has such clean lines that it'll look like a roof rack on a Ferarri. Someone else mentioned a cleaner suspension seatpost. I'd recommend that, or just try it without a suspension seatpost at all at first and find a tire pressure that rolls and if comfy.

Best of luck. Be sure to post pics and a ride report when you get it!

Wileyrat

as Eric F said, it has to do with headtube, and seatube angles, top tube length, chainstay lengths, headtube length, and a few others. I’m sure there’s books upon books written on it.

it isn’t adjustable, it’s the way your frame is designed, and it’s a big part of what makes bikes different from each other.

70sSanO

If you are intent on adding some dampening, you might be able to use a Lauf fork if you can get the right axle-crown/offset to match your rigid fork.

Redshift makes stems that will also provide some dampening.

John

Smaug1

Well, my point was that part of his use case for the bike is for commuting with steep uphills from stop. Nothing beats an eBike here in terms of arriving to work not sweaty.

Sorry: fullness.
Yes, I think so. At least if he was open-minded enough to even consider an eBike, which a lot of you aren't. Instead, you're fixated on how high-end brands and components are considered. They're not for everybody, just people who want to be able to choose how much work they do or who want to be able to choose to go fast even when conditions aren't right for it on an mBike.

Now this is not a put-down to the OP. He's gotta do what he feels is right. I was just trying to make the point that a mountain bike was not a great choice for his stated use case. He WANTS a mountain bike anyway, so he went for it. Fine. I just think he's going to learn later that he bought the wrong tool for the job and then spent a bunch more money trying to adapt it to the job, rather than just buying The Right Tool to begin with. (and for the same money) My position just didn't consider his WANTS as much as his NEEDS. Wants are important too.

Polaris OBark

It is hard to find. I just happened to see your post before I committed the same offense.

Eric F 

I found the clue in the first sentence of the OP.

Polaris OBark

First 3 words ...

shelbyfv

No, they are both correct though the one L spelling is mostly used in religious context. I actually appreciate an interesting phrase, that's why I repeated it. I don't disagree with much of what you've posted, only that 1) OP has already ordered the bike, can't leave the LBS on the hook for it. 2) From the beginning of this multi-post journey he made it clear he only wanted specific high end components. He never asked for advice about suitability. I say let him run with it, see how it works out.

Smaug1

False.
A stem that brings the bar further back and up changes the weight distribution of the steering.

Smaug1

Thanks for the clarification.

The OP was very forthcoming with the fact that he is not (yet) what he would call a bike mechanic. He's learning as he goes. I thought I would point out things I learned in a similar journey.

{tangent}I too have had my mind set on a bike that turned out to not be the best possible purchase, but which I HAD to have anyway. Most recently, it was my 1972 Schwinn Varsity, which is 37 lbs. and has junky brakes, but it looks THE BUSINESS to me!

One guy even recommended I buy it, but rather than spend money fixing up a low performance bike, just hang it on the wall, since what I REALLY want is to look at it.


1972 Schwinn Varsity: steel EVERYTHING
{/tangent}