Maelochs

Well ... ti is Not really a chore, because it is a choice. it is a demanding lifestyle if one doesn't have a car or motorized vehicle as backup, though. Bad weather is just part of it ... tired legs, the occasional walk home pushing the bike when something which can't be fixed curbside ... and of course, there have to be a couple back-up bikes (and a bunch of wheels) ready to swap in at any moment.

Skinny tires were never an issue for me ... I suppose if I had ridden in real snow I would have had a snow-specific bike with studded and very wide tires. Carbon fiber is fine---ask Jim from the Jewel of the Charles---but I wouldn't use any of my nice CF bikes for commuting----just too many situations out of my control (including some idiot deciding my bike needs to be parked somewhere else, or he needs to chain his bike to mine, or the bike needs to be beat with the floor waxer, or a forklift, or something.)

Any bike which can carry the rider and the gear s/he needs for the shift is a fine commuter.

Johnbaker21

I like bike because it can go from small places. The reason I hate about bikes is that whether its ride mistakes or not the bike rider will need to face all the trouble.

Moe Zhoost

The OP has not logged onto BF since the time of the original posts. If this is any indication of any real interest in your responses, you may not want to spend much time answering.

Miele Man

That and two threads with the exact same title made me wonder if the OP was a Troll.

Cheers

DropBarFan

I agree, commuters often ride on bumpy downtown streets & sidewalks etc where the wider tires could give a smoother ride, esp with aluminum frames. I have a Trek hybrid with ~38mm-wide tires but it has a suspension fork & seatpost that really smooth out the ride. The fork & seatpost are the inexpensive type but they work OK for commuter-type rides even though the bike is over 12 years old.

DropBarFan

I think e-bikes could be great for commuting. Casual bikers or those with medical issues can do hilly or longer commutes with only moderate effort; stronger riders might appreciate not having to get sweaty in hot weather & needing to change clothes when arriving at work. E-bikes often come with nice commuter features like fenders, suspension forks, lights etc.

veganbikes

My big issue with commuter bikes is they generally are designed to be fairly cheap instead of high quality reliable machines designed well for commuters. Not nearly enough good Dynamo set ups (with bright lights) and certainly not much with a ton of comfort in mind and usually with lower end parts they need more maintenance and more time in the shop which is no good. I get it Rohloff and Gates Belt Drives and Dynamos are expensive and locking a bike up like that is tough. However with all of todays technology surely we can make things work out a little better. Get a frame lock, Bordo folding lock, pitlocks and maybe a GPS tracker and practice good locking and you should be in good shape.

Miele Man

I commuted for years in Toronto Canada by riding my MTB. In winter it had 26" x 2.125" knobby tires and in summer it had 26" x 1.5" slicks. With either I didn't have to worry much about potholes or lengthwise gaps in the pavement. the 1.5" slicks made it quite fast or easy to pedal.

Cheers

Alloyboy

Hello Miele Man, Did you use the same wheels, or was the fit with the thinner width tires OK. Jim

Miele Man

The rims I had were okay with either tires.

Cheers

Alloyboy

Thank you for your promptness. Jim.

BurleyCat

Hmmm, is this the appropriate place to respond?

What do I love about commuter bikes? Love is a strong word, but I very much appreciate that a commuter bike is less likely to be a product of trends and fashion. Bike types go for all sorts of impractical 'innovations' and the shops and manufacturers often indulge them. I like practical (which includes safe and comfortable) and I like reliable. I include nimble and lightweight as practical features, though these can be taken to extreme.

Why? I grew up on two wheels, whether bicycles or motorcycles. I delivered papers by bike for years when very young and I roamed all over my town and the adjoining countryside by bike. I commuted by bicycle for much of my education and work. If something could be improved I would often tackle minor modifications and never had to pay anyone for repairs. I carried that mind set and skill into a career that included Manager of Research and Development at a small bicycle and bicycle accessory manufacturer.

ssmiker

Summer 2018 Norco Indie 1 - all parts upgraded to Deore as I didn't like the shifting or braking of the Alvio and I wanted a 10 speed rear
Winter 2016 Trek DS 8.6

studbike1

I live in a high theft area (NYC). One thing I hate about commuting bikes, or any city-oriented bike, is that they seem to be built to be stolen. Guess that's what moves them off the shelf in the first place. They have flashy paint jobs or flashy frame designs. I am of the firm belief that thieves are attracted to shiny objects. They also never come with any sort of adequate security mechanisms from the factory. It would be so inexpensive to build a frame from the factory with built in wheel and saddle security. It's expensive to buy adequate protection aftermarket... Protecting the wheels, seat, and handlebars/stem from getting removed adds hundreds of dollars to my purchase and hours of work. Finally, I realize this may be asking a lot, but I don't understand why bike manufacturers haven't ever sold integrated frame locking mechanisms. Having to destroy the frame in order to steal the bike seems like a strong disincentive to me.