DirtRoadRunner

I'm thinking about buying or building up a commuter bike. My commute is about 4 miles of city streets with two steep, but short (about 100' total height) hills. I'll commute year around assuming the weather isn't horrible (i.e. thunderstorms, ice storms, etc.).

At the moment I'm thinking of using a Nashbar cyclocross frameset (on sale now for $110) and building from there. I'm currently thinking using Avid BB5 road disc brakes on it and some sort of drivetrain made of used Shimano 105 components. Not sure if I can squeak by under $500 or not as I'd have to build a set of custom wheels to use discs and the used 105 components seem to vary a lot in price on eBay.

This bike has the advantage that I could also ride it on gravel roads recreationally and possibly use it for light touring (like the Katy Trail). I could save money by skipping on the discs.

Are the disc brakes worth the extra money? I won't ride to work in a downpour, but I could easily get caught in one (or a snowstorm for that matter) on the ride home from work as the weather in the Midwest is volatile.

Could I save money on the drivetrain components by using a combination of mountain bike and road bike parts? I want to be able to ride faster (20+ mph) but need something durable. Another option is a single speed, but I see the bike being slower and less versatile with only one gear.

No matter what I end up doing, I want a more "road" like commuter bike. I like dropped bars and riding fast. I have a secure parking garage I can lock the bike in at work so it won't be sitting outside all day (it will be harder to steal).

alan s 

Unless you already have many parts on hand, you'll probably have difficulty staying within your budget to build up a bike from parts. You'd be better off buying a new or used complete bike. Pretty much any bike would work for a 4-mile commute (15 minutes each way?), and if it will take a rack and fenders, all the better. To keep costs down, I'd go with a used road/touring bike and put on some wider tires for better trail riding.

DirtRoadRunner

That is true. I'll try to use used components wherever I can but I could see the bike eclipsing $500. I'd like to find a used Kona Jake or other cyclocross/commuter bike the they aren't that plentiful in my area.

One other option would be to ride my back-up road bike (a 1987 Centurion Ironman) but I almost hate to subject it to the wear and tear of commuting, and it doesn't have rack mounts or clearance for larger tires and fenders.

doublejack

My opinion is to take an older used mountain bike (something with a rigid fork), put some narrower slicks on it, a pair of fenders and a rack. Done.

I know you like riding fast as you said, but on a 4 mile commute with a couple of steep (albeit short) climbs, the difference between fast and medium speed isn't going to be big. Let's say you averaged 20mph on a full-out road bike. That translates to a roughly 12 minute trip, assuming no stop time and flying up the hills. Now let's compare to a mountain bike as I described. It is not unreasonable to hit 16mph on it since it has slicks, so the same hypothetical 4 mile trip would take 15 minutes at this pace. So you're talking about a ~3 minute difference in seat time between a road bike and a utilitarian mountain bike.

I believe when you factor in the cost (< $50 for the MTB, $30 for tires, $25 for plastic fenders and $40 for a nice rack = total of $145 tops vs. $500 for a custom commuter road-like bike), the additional utility of a MTB - you can always throw knobby tires on it for more inclement weather, plus they stand up better to water and wear & tear, my suggestion starts to make a lot of sense. I recently started commuting 20 miles each way to work on a mid 90's Huffy MTB that I converted as described, and I believe it was an excellent decision. If you do go this way, I highly recommend looking for a bike with a rigid fork and aluminum wheels.

atoms

I'm building one now. I started several months ago and I plan to be done before the first snow falls this year. I've been busy with other stuff.

My budget is ~$300 half of which I've already spent on building a 3 speed rear wheel. The key to my budget for this project is access to LOTS of used parts for very cheap. The only new stuff I'll be using apart from the rear wheel will be consumables: tires, tubes, a chain, cables and cable housing. Oh, and perhaps a saddle.

I started with an '88 Le Tour frame I got on craigslist for $30 and many of the other components will come from a donor bike. I'm just boring you with my story to tell you that it can be done. At least I'm pretty sure it can be done.

I sort of lust after disc brakes once in a while, but in 20 years of year-round commuting with calipers I've never had a head on collision that would have been prevented by a disc.

stringbreaker

buy this I did and I'm really happy with it. Don't know if your state has a sales tax but Washington doesn't so I got it for the listed price with free shipping to my door https://bikesdirect.com/products/windsor/tourist.htm

DirtRoadRunner

$600? Not bad...I may seriously look into that. I'm probably going to sell my Centurion (I never ride it...I spend all my recreational riding time on my CAAD9) so that frees up some cash. Thanks for the suggestion.

stringbreaker

Sounds like you have some wrenching skills so putting together a BD purchase should be a piece of cake. Mind you the wheel will need to be trued since mine anyway were less than perfect and that makes it tough to adjust the brakes correctly. I changed out the brake pads and the saddle and put some fenders on mine. I have since added some Panaracer Pasela TG tires in a 700X28 size even though the stock items were ok I had these tires and when I had a flat. I just decided to change the whole shooting match and the TG's roll really nice. Its not a perfect bike but its more than capable and I seem to ride it more than any of my other bikes even when I'm not commuting to work.

irclean

I don't know how much this bike cost new, but it's here (for now) on the St. Louis Craiglist for $650. A cyclocross bike with a 105 drivetrain and disc brakes sounds like it would fit the bill nicely. Maybe you can talk the owner down a few bucks.

stringbreaker

I think I would check this out first before anything else. 105 stuff and disc brakes. I could never find anything in my size on CL but I do like the Windsor a lot.

Kimmitt 

Putting aside the other aspects of this, I wanted to just address these technical points. Firstly, you can totally use a combo of mountain bike and road parts, but the expensive bit on the road bikes is the shifter/brake mechanism that fits onto the drops. However, this:

https://thelazyrandonneur.blogspot.co...ipshifter.html

is a clever workaround that allows you to use mtn components for shifters, then use cheaper brake-only levers on the bars.

This leads me to my second point, which is that you may wish to consider an internally geared hub instead of a derailleur or singlespeed. Even the 3-speed hubs give a lot of flexibility -- more than enough for most 4-mile rides. And the more sealed nature of the drivetrain is superior for Midwestern weather. Finally, I enjoy how quick shifting works; it's nice for stoplights and other such urban hazards.

Moving from technical issues to suggestions, please consider the benefits of larger tires (at least the size the tourers use) and tire liners. You will lose overall speed, but you gain a lot in flat resistance and pothole management. For commuting, where arriving predictably every time trumps going fast . . . yeah.

It may be worth having a dedicated commuter bike, which is a little slower but more robust in a general sense.

My 2c, YMMV, etc. etc. You've got a short commute, so no matter what you choose, you're nearly certain to be successful.

DirtRoadRunner

That would be perfect. However, I won't be building the bike for a few months (my current budget is filled with a large vacation coming up....), otherwise I would go look at it for sure as it has everything I want.

I may look into the 3-speed hub also. They look quite inexpensive. I was planning on running 32 mm tires on this. A actual derailleur setup would be nice because I could also use the bike for treks on the Katy Trail (over 200 miles of gravel), but I'm not sure how often I'd actually do this as most of the time I just ride on roads.

Regarding wrenching skills, this would be my first actual bike build. However, I just replaced the timing belt on my Subaru last weekend (and yes it ran fine afterward). If I can do that I'm not worried about being able to build a bike.

agarose2000

Unless you're buying used parts for everything or already own swappable parts, ironically, a new budget bike will cost less than your own build. THe LBS can get bulk and packaging discounts for ordering large batches of components that you can't get as an individual consumer. It's how BikesDirect offers entire ultegra-spec'd complete bikes for less the list price of the ultegra gruppo alone.

You'll learn a lot from wrenching though - that'll be worth more than the money you save.

hauk

Even if you assemble the whole bike yourself and buy entry level components throughout you'd have a hard time doing a build for under $500, especially with disc brakes and gears.

You'd either want to go for used components or pick up a used bike and upgrade the components. There are plenty of nice used cross bikes out there for under $500 if that's what you are looking for.

Having said all that for $500 you should be able to score a new bike that will suite your needs. Unless there are killer hills on your commute you could go Single speed on 4 miles. I've seen plenty of Bianchi San Jose's on ebay for around $500, that's a very nice SS cross bike.

DirtRoadRunner

I'd be using as many used parts as possible, sourced on eBay and locally. A used cross bike would be great....I saw a Kona Jake on CL here a few months ago for $500 but didn't get it. If another pops up when I plan to buy/build a bike (in a month or two) I'll use that route.

canyoneagle

'nother option from the BD stable: https://bikesdirect.com/products/mercier/kilott_wt5.htm
No discs, but some koolstop Salmon pads should get ya covered.

doorunrun

+1 On the BD KiloTT-WT5.... It looks like a winner. A friend from work just ordered one, hopefully I'll get a chance to see it up close. A 5-speed IGH seems like a good idea for a commuter.

DirtRoadRunner

Problem solved, with $375 to spare.

After surfing Craigslist/eBay for months, looking for a used cyclocross bike to commute on, I finally picked up a 2002 Cannondale CAD2 T-400 touring bike for $125 locally on Craigslist today. It is almost too big for me (58cm vs. my usual 56), but I can get around it with some sort of new stem.

cad_2_small..jpg


I just need to clean it up, get some matching tires, some kind of shorter stem, a rack and pannier, and I'm ready to commute!

Barchettaman

Lovely bike at a great price.

Looks more like a 1992-94 vintage than a 2002, particularly with the downtube shifters, but hey, what a score.

I got a 93ish Cannondale frame for €70 with lots of components on it and turned it into a 1x8 in-town commuter. Itīs lots of fun.

DirtRoadRunner

I was very happy with the price. I probably would have paid $50-75 more for it, so I didn't even bother haggling the seller and paid the asking price of $125 for it. I just happened to be the first response to the CL ad and scored it before someone else.

The seller claimed to have bought it new in 2002, but from what I found online they built these things in the 90's. So I'm not sure what year it actually is. It has lower-end Shimano "Alivio" components on it, which I'll keep for the time being. I just ordered new tires, bar tape, and a chain for it. The plan is to be commuting next week, and eventually add some Shimano A530 pedals.

Beautiful Cannondale you have there. Has it been repainted or just very well maintained? It looks to be in mint condition.

Barchettaman

Thanks for the compliments. It was a bit beaten up, but some nail polish and Bilt Hamber Autobalm (amazing car paint protector stuff) brought the paint up beautifully.
A quick shot below from the original eBay ad, if you're interested:



This bike was the inspiration for the build:



after the inital clean up:



But it's nice and dirty now after a few hundred KMs being hammered round Frankfurt!

abxba

Why did you mount the rear brakes the front side of the seat stays?

Barchettaman

Sorry for not seeing this earlier, hence the late reply.

It is a bit of a bodge really. I wanted to mount 700-28 road tyres as my commute invoves a stretch of cobbled road. There wasnīt clearance under the rear brake with a dual pivot 105 caliper mounted above the 28 tyre, it was fouling really badly. However, the parts bin came to the rescue - a rear single pivot 105 caliper, reverse mounted with the pads swapped round, just fits. It looks a bit odd but stops really well.

I have subsequently fitted a rear rack (another bodge) that attaches nicely to the rear cantilever drop outs, and is zip-tied on to the brake bridge. It wouldnīt be able to work with a conventionally mounted rear brake, but, happy accident, my rear brake bodge means it sits fairly nicely. Just donīt look tooooo closely.

abxba

Nice. Can we see close up pics, please?

DirtRoadRunner

In case anyone is interested, here are the "finished" pictures of my "new" Cannondale:
caad2 -2..jpgcaad2 -1..jpg

I cleaned it, nail-polished over all of the paint chips (came out surprisingly good), replaced the 11-28 cassette with a 12-21 (I did not like the widely spaced stock gearing), replaced the shift and brake cables/pads, replaced the chain, replaced the handlebar tape, and added new tires and tubes. It rides like a brand new bike, which isn't bad considering this was my first overhaul and it came in quite a bit under my $500 budget. I'm still trying to track down replacement rear brake housing guides after a week with no luck...I would really like to ditch the zip-ties on the top tube...

It may get a rack at some point or I may get one of those Banjo Bros backpacks instead. Unfortunately I need to drive to work tomorrow but plan to commute with it on Friday.