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Commuter Options - Beef up current bike, second bike, new bike, ebike?

Old 06-12-19, 01:29 PM
  #26  
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Originally Posted by Darth Lefty
It has a 32 cassette which was at or near the limit of that model RD. That’s limited by the upper pulley location. But it has a lot more chain wrap available from the extra long cage, so that enables the smaller ring in front.

As for value, Surly occupies a niche. At a given price point, comparing to other bikes, you will find that they have a frame with more features, but components that you might kindly describe as durable. Within their niche they're also making themselves some pricing power with their expletive-laden iconoclastic marketing.
Maybe. I guess the EU market is tighter, as in restricted capital (have you even seen a German supermarket market battle?) and if it doesn't exist here it's not good value for money.

The NA market can be much more sloppy as the capital floats around like a breeze. The money is disposable there whereas here it is not.
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Old 06-12-19, 01:31 PM
  #27  
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Our supermarket war is in the past. I was bagging groceries in the early 90's when we had quadruple coupon days. NEVER AGAIN
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Old 06-12-19, 01:42 PM
  #28  
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Originally Posted by Darth Lefty
Our supermarket war is in the past. I was bagging groceries in the early 90's when we had quadruple coupon days. NEVER AGAIN
German grocery baggers don't exist.
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Old 06-12-19, 01:43 PM
  #29  
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Then they must not have had any value
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Old 06-12-19, 01:46 PM
  #30  
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And I wouldn't think american baggers would deal with coupons, but I guess the point is a quadruple coupon day would bring in hordes of shoppers and make it very busy for baggers and checkers alike.

Are there coupons in Germany? I had an Austrian friend in grad school who I remember used to pronounce coupon in french: "coupoh"
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Old 06-12-19, 01:47 PM
  #31  
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Originally Posted by Darth Lefty
Then they must not have had any value
Yes. And that "savings" was passed to the consumer.

Same with bikes.

Honestly, the cassette is the cheapest option.

If I was the OP, I would show up with the cassette I indicated (and a crate of beer) and pay the techs to make it work from the bike and the parts bin at the shop. Should be easy enough. I do the same with my turboGolf and it pays dividends.

Over here, people fight hand over fist to prove their better, just give them the chance.
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Old 06-12-19, 01:53 PM
  #32  
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Originally Posted by acidfast7
Maybe. I guess the EU market is tighter, as in restricted capital (have you even seen a German supermarket market battle?) and if it doesn't exist here it's not good value for money.

The NA market can be much more sloppy as the capital floats around like a breeze. The money is disposable there whereas here it is not.
OK, I’ll bite. Explain how something that doesn’t exist there (wherever there is) is not “good value for money.” If it doesn’t exist there, that means you have to get it from somewhere else, right? I buy lots of stuff for bikes from places nowhere near me. Is only stuff you can buy locally “good value for money?” What are you saying exactly?
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Old 06-12-19, 01:57 PM
  #33  
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Originally Posted by alan s
OK, I’ll bite.
Uhoh, now he's gonna open a can of whup-acid on you! :
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Old 06-12-19, 02:36 PM
  #34  
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Originally Posted by RubeRad
Uhoh, now he's gonna open a can of whup-acid on you! :
What did I do? Should I be scared?
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Old 06-12-19, 02:39 PM
  #35  
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You questioned the Acidfast. I don't know if you should be scared, but I am a little
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Old 06-12-19, 02:48 PM
  #36  
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Originally Posted by RubeRad
You questioned the Acidfast. I don't know if you should be scared, but I am a little
May as well close the thread. No more topical discussion to be read here.
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Old 06-12-19, 02:53 PM
  #37  
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Well. It seems this thread is bound to be closed so this is my last post here.
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Old 06-12-19, 03:50 PM
  #38  
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Originally Posted by acidfast7
Well. It seems this thread is bound to be closed so this is my last post here.
What is your reason for posting this?
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Old 06-12-19, 04:01 PM
  #39  
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Originally Posted by Siu Blue Wind
What is your reason for posting this?
Because people assume I am going to derail it, which I am not.

Have a good evening.
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Old 06-12-19, 10:10 PM
  #40  
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What you don't mention is how far is your commute or how long does it currently take to commute from your new house. You mention that no bike is in your price range. I see lots of clearance sales in Denver. I would suggest going to your LBS and test riding a Mid Drive Motored Ebikes? What I would look at is charging time? Do you want a class 1/Class 2/ or Class 3 ebike? Class 1/2 goes about 20 MPH while Class 3 goes about 28 MPH? How long does it take to commute now?

I commute on my Electra Townie 21d every other day. It takes me 60 mins to work and 80 mins home. I like my cruiser style. I recently bought a Class 1 bike, I just want to ease my load going home as it is a gradual incline and head winds. I hope to cut my commute times with the ebike. I purchased a Raleigh Retroglide ie new for $1200. We will see how it goes? Good luck, 700 mm tires does well in the snow.
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Old 06-13-19, 09:57 AM
  #41  
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thx for getting us back on track alloo

OP, I'm interested to hear how you plan to move forward
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Old 06-14-19, 08:08 PM
  #42  
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Priority 600 12 speed pinion has an awesome gear range, 48mm tires, discs, and is virtually maintenance free. (Not light and fast however). Used e-bike?
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Old 06-17-19, 05:07 PM
  #43  
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I'm not sure about when the kids on the back, but have you tried getting out of the saddle to attack the hill. I have a couple of hills on the way to work. I leave the back gear in 3rd or 4th and sometimes shift into the large ring up front, get out of the saddle and mash up the hill. It has done wonders for my fitness. Before then I would just get in the small gear and sit and spin. For winter get studded tires. Also be willing to give it up if it gets to bad. I made it till February in northern Indiana before there was too much snow to bike any more. It just wasn't safe. If you like your bike, I would just try different gearing.
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Old 06-17-19, 05:15 PM
  #44  
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Originally Posted by surlygurly
Twist my arm! Although my husband thinks you only need one bike but he only does one thing with his bike and he’s never commuted (he is a pretty phobic road rider and would rather stick to simple doubletrack, gravel, and paved paths).

I’m wondering if I don’t overhaul the Surly and save for a fat tire bike that only comes out in winter when I have no plans to haul a kid or groceries.
Yep, this is the ideal solution. Fix up the Surly for 90 percent of the riding and get a bike for the really bad days set up for the really bad days. But for snow and ice, you want studded tires and studded tires for fat bikes can be expensive. I'd post on the winter biking forum and see what they recommend. For the winters here in Des Moines, I've been riding an old mtb I picked up for cheap with studded tires.
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Old 06-17-19, 05:26 PM
  #45  
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Originally Posted by baldilocks
I'm not sure about when the kids on the back, but have you tried getting out of the saddle to attack the hill.
The kids don't usually like it.

My oldest kid loved the bike seat at age 2 but during age 3 he got leery of it. He's 5 this Saturday and still not eager to go fast downhill either on his own bike or the tandem. I think this is unusual but a near-tip-over put a scare into him
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Old 06-17-19, 05:31 PM
  #46  
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Hi all! Wow. Lots to digest here but I thank you for all of it.

I still haven't found an ebike in my price range that will fit someone my height for the long haul.

To answer the question about commute length, it's about 10 miles RT. Most of that is actually on a trail. The problem is the 8% grade for the last 1/4 mile of my commute.

I am definitely going to upgrade the cassette. LBS said it's a pretty simple switch. I talked to the surly dealer first. Should not be cost prohibitive. I'm also going to add fenders at that point.

My decision about what to do in winter is I need to find a small MTB, I think, and add studded tires. I'm keeping a look out on our local swap groups. So far, nothing. Going to add studded tires on that sucker for bad weather days.

Husband has a top-of-the-line Scott. He got it used for a song (it's like 3k bike that he got for 900 bucks almost brand new because I knew it had been sitting at the LBS for 3 months and they wanted it gone). I guess maybe they had trouble moving the huge frame? Not sure. It's been good to him. But he doesn't do that much other than recreational riding.
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Old 06-18-19, 09:17 AM
  #47  
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There's a BF user that used to be around here, @Sixty-fiver, haven't seen him in a while. I saw once on his website a tutorial for DIY'ing a studded tire by poking lots of small screws through a regular tire. Now that I look for it again though, the website seems to be defunct
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Old 06-18-19, 10:46 PM
  #48  
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Originally Posted by surlygurly
Hi all! Wow. Lots to digest here but I thank you for all of it.

I still haven't found an ebike in my price range that will fit someone my height for the long haul.

To answer the question about commute length, it's about 10 miles RT. Most of that is actually on a trail. The problem is the 8% grade for the last 1/4 mile of my commute.

I am definitely going to upgrade the cassette. LBS said it's a pretty simple switch. I talked to the surly dealer first. Should not be cost prohibitive. I'm also going to add fenders at that point.
A suggestion would be if you like the Surly you have now and it fits good is to put a Bafang BBSHD mid drive e-motor on it. I put this on my 5' 2" wife's Surly ECR and she loves it! The installation is not that hard and I think if your LBS is competent they should have no problem helping you with some or all of it if you or your husband would not want to do some or all of it. Her bike will take a max 3" tire (shown) but you could go smaller and use studs in the winter.

My suggestion would be to get the biggest battery you could afford, hers is a 17 ah and we have been on 40 mile rides through mountains no problem. She can pedal it relatively easy without using the motor and use the motor when she gets tired or there are hills. If I recall the fenders I put on were from old man mountain fabrication, you could outfit it with what ever accessories you desire to haul things, that is a surly rack if I remember right. I wish you luck on your decision and here we s a shot of her bike.
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Old 06-21-19, 02:52 PM
  #49  
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E-BIKE!! Do it, you will not regret it :)

I vote get a purpose-built pedal-assist e-bike, something with a Bosch or Shimano STEPS mid- drive motor. I bought one by Ghost (sold at MEC in Canada, where I work, and at REI in the US), with a Bosch Performance Line CX motor, and it's the best decision I have made in ten years. I'm still riding, still active, but I'm not rage-quitting on the hills or collapsing in exhaustion halfway through my work week. My bike's name is Dory for her cheerful blue colour and for the way she lets me "just keep swimming".

I do recommend purpose-built over aftermarket e-bike conversions, because in the end you get a more reliable, safer, and more cost-effective vehicle, with better support for replacement parts, better service availability, and better battery life and safety. Bosch e-bike batteries have not had a SINGLE fire in the decade they have made them, and their current battery life is estimated at 8-10 years.

There are a LOT of pitfalls to e-bike conversions, starting with parts suppliers and going through things like frame tolerances, braking ability (you DO NOT want anything short of hydraulic disc brakes on an e-bike, IMO), battery life and safety, and service life. We won't even touch aftermarket conversions in my shop, as there are just too many ways for them to go badly wrong.

You will be able to find a full size range in purpose built e-bikes, as well as a good number of step through or "wave" ultra low step through frame designs - great for smaller riders, but also if you have a child seat on the back or a cargo rack.
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Old 06-21-19, 02:55 PM
  #50  
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Originally Posted by RubeRad
There's a BF user that used to be around here, @Sixty-fiver, haven't seen him in a while. I saw once on his website a tutorial for DIY'ing a studded tire by poking lots of small screws through a regular tire. Now that I look for it again though, the website seems to be defunct
He's working on sewing machines these days more than bikes, but he's quite well! The DIY winter tires kind of went by the wayside once enough purpose-made winter tires, like the Schwalbe Marathon Winter and Ice Spiker, became readily available locally.
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