Your commuting bike choice: purely practical or were there other factors?
#51
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I'm taking comfort that things are slow enough in your ER that you can keep protesting to this thread.
#52
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Hey...I just noted the description of your bikes, @jfowler, "who gives a crap? / who gives a crap about your bikes?."
#53
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Hey...I just noted the description of your bikes, @jfowler, "who gives a crap? / who gives a crap about your bikes?."
#54
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Mine was as completely practical as I could be. I went with a drop-shipped endurance bike with mechanical disc brakes with modern drivetrain, changed out to lighter and wider wheels, went with wider tire with reflective strip, changed from road to MTB pedals (yuck), and added longboards and a rear rack. Oh, and I changed the 50T compact chainring for a 46T. The result is a superior commuting bike to meet my needs. But I had to sell off three bikes, two of which I really liked a lot.
#55
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First of all, I never buy bikes or frames unless I know that they will fit me well. That is always the top consideration. I also have an eye for aesthetics and only buy bikes that I like for paint color and general appearance.
I started out commuting with an Italian racing frame (De Bernardi) that I had built up with parts from another bike. I bought the frame because it was a perfect fit for me and it looked great. After 2 years of commuting on that bike, I decided that I needed a more practical bike for commuting -- that is, one that could handle a rack, larger tires and fenders. I then ordered a Bob Jackson touring bike direct from England, and one of its selling points was that they would paint it any color and decals of my choice. The BJ made a great commuter, nice looking but also very practical with mounts for fenders and racks and room for larger tires.
However, I found that I didn't enjoy riding the BJ as much as my sportier and lighter bikes, so I have continued commuting on other bikes when weather permitted. In nice weather, I often commuted on a Merckx Corsa 01 until I sold it fund another bike purchase. I also have a slight affliction of "n+1" disease and periodically pick up different bikes or frames that I find for good prices. One of those was a Ritchey cross bike that is great for off-road riding as well as commuting. Another was a Waterford sport tourer that has become my favorite bike for long rides, supported tours and recreational rides. I commute on it quite often, weather permitting, because I like riding it so much.
I also picked up another touring bike, a Soma Saga, last year to use as my dedicated bike for loaded touring, greenway rides and occasional commuting. Through it all, the Bob Jackson remains as my most regular commuting bike, however.
I started out commuting with an Italian racing frame (De Bernardi) that I had built up with parts from another bike. I bought the frame because it was a perfect fit for me and it looked great. After 2 years of commuting on that bike, I decided that I needed a more practical bike for commuting -- that is, one that could handle a rack, larger tires and fenders. I then ordered a Bob Jackson touring bike direct from England, and one of its selling points was that they would paint it any color and decals of my choice. The BJ made a great commuter, nice looking but also very practical with mounts for fenders and racks and room for larger tires.
However, I found that I didn't enjoy riding the BJ as much as my sportier and lighter bikes, so I have continued commuting on other bikes when weather permitted. In nice weather, I often commuted on a Merckx Corsa 01 until I sold it fund another bike purchase. I also have a slight affliction of "n+1" disease and periodically pick up different bikes or frames that I find for good prices. One of those was a Ritchey cross bike that is great for off-road riding as well as commuting. Another was a Waterford sport tourer that has become my favorite bike for long rides, supported tours and recreational rides. I commute on it quite often, weather permitting, because I like riding it so much.
I also picked up another touring bike, a Soma Saga, last year to use as my dedicated bike for loaded touring, greenway rides and occasional commuting. Through it all, the Bob Jackson remains as my most regular commuting bike, however.
#56
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My approach has been different. I don't buy a bike thinking, "I'm going to commute on this bike." I buy a bike because I think I'll like the bike without thinking much about the purpose. I bought my 1995-ish Bianchi Volpe for the purpose of raiding its drivetrain. I ended up keeping the bike. It is now the bike I ride most often because it works so well for commuting. One reason I prefer it for commuting is that I put a dynamo lighting system on it. I don't have to mount anything or think about the charge of a battery. I know that the lights are there and will work. It has fenders and a rear rack, and I often attach one or two panniers to the rack.
But sometimes I want something lighter, so I'll take one of my other bikes. They can't carry as much, and I have to check the lights.
Once nice compromise approach is my 1975 Viscount which I've completely changed. It's now a fixed gear bike, so it's quite light. Unlike most light it has wide-ish tires (32mm). It also has a dynamo front hub and headlight. I attach my tool bag to the saddle, and there is a battery tail light attached to the tool bag. It doesn't have a rack, so if I carry anything, it has to be in a backpack. So it is equipped as a practical bike, mostly but not in an extreme way.
But sometimes I want something lighter, so I'll take one of my other bikes. They can't carry as much, and I have to check the lights.
Once nice compromise approach is my 1975 Viscount which I've completely changed. It's now a fixed gear bike, so it's quite light. Unlike most light it has wide-ish tires (32mm). It also has a dynamo front hub and headlight. I attach my tool bag to the saddle, and there is a battery tail light attached to the tool bag. It doesn't have a rack, so if I carry anything, it has to be in a backpack. So it is equipped as a practical bike, mostly but not in an extreme way.
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Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
#57
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I started riding what I had which was a hydrid Norco VFR, a Schwinn Frontier GS, and a Rossin.
I quickly sank too much money into the Norco. I went fully for practicality on my main commuter, the former LHT.
We were expecting a kid, I needed a practical commuter with more efficient geometry. So I knew I wanted steel with drop bars and brifters since I found it more convenient in traffic.
It came in blue. I wanted to add my own aesthetic flair so I went with red bar tape and red fenders.
It worked great by hauling what I needed, keeping up on group rides, making me smile, making cycling part of my son's life, keeping me dry-ish.
But now I'm reaching the conundrum of what to replace it with. Arghh the choices.
I quickly sank too much money into the Norco. I went fully for practicality on my main commuter, the former LHT.
We were expecting a kid, I needed a practical commuter with more efficient geometry. So I knew I wanted steel with drop bars and brifters since I found it more convenient in traffic.
It came in blue. I wanted to add my own aesthetic flair so I went with red bar tape and red fenders.
It worked great by hauling what I needed, keeping up on group rides, making me smile, making cycling part of my son's life, keeping me dry-ish.
But now I'm reaching the conundrum of what to replace it with. Arghh the choices.
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#60
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One can have more than one criteria or primary for choosing a bike, and still use it for commuting.
#61
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My new commute, and the one before that were the excuses to get nicer bikes. The commute I started this year was a good excuse (to the wife) to get a road bike. It's practical in that it gets me to work quickly, gets me out of the wind, and makes me want to ride. I'm on vacation and I miss riding my bike, even though I don't miss work.
#62
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Cost was the biggest influence for my commuter bike, I was more interested being able to absorb the cost of it being stolen or vandalized. I work 3rd shift in a factory, so I have to lock it up outside of the guardshack on a 1970's era bicycle rack where I cannot keep an eye on it.
Found this lightly scratched but new Diamondback Insight for $250 at the local Bargain Hunt store, more or less a store that sells returned merchandise. I added a rear rack, fenders, shimano SPD pedals. Added some Continental Contact tires the other day. I can fit a pair of jeans, t-shirt, a small lunch, lock and cable in the trunk bag. I bought a pair of Shimano CT-40 shoes so I can walk on smooth concrete to the locker room and change into working clothes. I have a headlight, tail light and an extra mount for my Garmin unit to switch between bikes. I'll like the triple cranks when the pedestrian overpass is completed.
My commute is just 3.5 miles of city streets. Riding at night is not as bad as I thought it would be, but I've only commuted 6 times so far.
#63
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Plus I knew I didn't want a vacuum cleaner!
#64
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Practicality and fun. My commutes to work or school consists of a variety of road conditions from paved, old broken roads, gravel, trails, many hills, and some curbs to hop. Though probably 90% of it is just clean paved roads the other 10% are what makes my commutes fun. And that's why I don't think I will switch to a road/commuter bike anytime soon; currently using a low end mountain bike (Trek 3500). It has 2" wheels so it doesn't slow me down too much (average 20-25km/h moving time).
There's this segment in my commute that goes down a steep hill followed by an empty gravel parking lot and a traffic stop at the end of the parking lot that I cross. I love feeling like a badass speeding down the hill and then hard braking and then drifting to stop over the gravel right before the traffic stop (which brings up a dust cloud). Totally awesome! I don't think the wheels of most road bikes could handle that (or should). And since my bike has front suspension, it allows me to be rougher with it and not worry about bouncing off curbs and over broken up roads.
Btw, I may be completely wrong about what road bikes can handle. I've only ridden a road bike once when I was younger and just remember it feeling faster but less stable.
There's this segment in my commute that goes down a steep hill followed by an empty gravel parking lot and a traffic stop at the end of the parking lot that I cross. I love feeling like a badass speeding down the hill and then hard braking and then drifting to stop over the gravel right before the traffic stop (which brings up a dust cloud). Totally awesome! I don't think the wheels of most road bikes could handle that (or should). And since my bike has front suspension, it allows me to be rougher with it and not worry about bouncing off curbs and over broken up roads.
Btw, I may be completely wrong about what road bikes can handle. I've only ridden a road bike once when I was younger and just remember it feeling faster but less stable.
Last edited by jactong; 08-18-15 at 05:28 PM.
#65
Pedaled too far.
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I'd say necessity. I had been using a 10 speed that I've had for decades. It worked great for riding on a huge alluvial plain in the desert. Then I moved to the foothills of the Ozarks and needed a bike to climb hills. My ex had been given an old Specialized Hard Rock several years before and never rode it. It got pressed into service.
The bike got fenders, lights and a rack and wore it's old knobbies until they were worn out. 10 years on, it's been a dependable mount that gets me up and down the local hills.
The bike got fenders, lights and a rack and wore it's old knobbies until they were worn out. 10 years on, it's been a dependable mount that gets me up and down the local hills.
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#66
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100% practical for me. I have some road and mountain bikes for recreation but for going places or shopping these are my steads of choice.
#67
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I started commuting, originally only 3 miles each way, when we sold one of our cars and we had separate, simultaneous destinations scheduled. I decided to bike to a bus stop.
Like others, I wandered into a box store and purchased a cheap hybrid. Initially it was fine. However, I extended my rides to commuting the full 15 miles each way over the rolling hills of middle TN. There are no flats here. You literally go back and forth from ascent to decent continuously. I wore the cheap hybrid out (chain, chain ring etc) to the point that repairs would exceed the original purchase price.
I'm now riding a Trek FX7.3 and with the rear rack/trunk it works perfectly.
#68
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It's certainly not practical for everyone, but this is what I did. I made a list of must have items:
- Steel to help tame the roads (maybe aesthetic reasons as well)
- Ability to fit 32mm tires to help tame the roads (I don't need/want fenders)
- Drop bars for the hand positions (I hate flat bars for road rides over ~10 miles)
- A minimum of 105 quality components
I wear a messenger bag, so a rack wasn't necessary. That being said, I ran a rack and panniers for about a month and it made the bike feel sluggish, so I happily went back to my messenger bag. If my commute was flatish, I probably would have gone single speed, but I have some good climbs and decided to go 1x9.
Basically, I went out and found the cheapest, quality bike I could find that met my needs/wants. While not practical for everyone, it works very well for me and I like how it looks as well.
The only change I would make on my next commuter, should I end up buying a new one, would be the addition of disc brakes.
- Steel to help tame the roads (maybe aesthetic reasons as well)
- Ability to fit 32mm tires to help tame the roads (I don't need/want fenders)
- Drop bars for the hand positions (I hate flat bars for road rides over ~10 miles)
- A minimum of 105 quality components
I wear a messenger bag, so a rack wasn't necessary. That being said, I ran a rack and panniers for about a month and it made the bike feel sluggish, so I happily went back to my messenger bag. If my commute was flatish, I probably would have gone single speed, but I have some good climbs and decided to go 1x9.
Basically, I went out and found the cheapest, quality bike I could find that met my needs/wants. While not practical for everyone, it works very well for me and I like how it looks as well.
The only change I would make on my next commuter, should I end up buying a new one, would be the addition of disc brakes.
#69
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Although not a commuter, I should add that this is a bike that I bought (mostly) for aesthetic reasons. Even though I bought it because I like the look, I love how it rides and it gets a lot of trail use!
#70
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I was riding a mountain bike for decades. An old Walmart one. I usually rode it with the family at a casual pace.
When I started commuting last year, I found out very quickly that this bike was not made for longer mileages and higher speeds.
I did look for a bike with a few easy goals: not too expensive, light, and easy to pedal at speed.
My friend had bought a Trek FX earlier last year, and I thought that it hit my goals of what I wanted in a bicycle.
So I bought a 7.4 FX this spring. I couldn't be happier! It's easy to ride fast. It's light enough that I can carry it with one hand. It looks good (but just pedestrian enough that it doesn't easily stand out as a theft target).
When I started commuting last year, I found out very quickly that this bike was not made for longer mileages and higher speeds.
I did look for a bike with a few easy goals: not too expensive, light, and easy to pedal at speed.
My friend had bought a Trek FX earlier last year, and I thought that it hit my goals of what I wanted in a bicycle.
So I bought a 7.4 FX this spring. I couldn't be happier! It's easy to ride fast. It's light enough that I can carry it with one hand. It looks good (but just pedestrian enough that it doesn't easily stand out as a theft target).
#71
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#72
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I also recently purchased an old 1980's road bike to use for commuting, only to realize about 24 hours later that it was a foolish impulse buy that I paid too much for, and that I needed to re-sell it as soon as possible. That bike is more "practical" than my other two main bikes, in that it has fender eyelets. And yet it is completely redundant in various ways with the bikes I already own. Practicality, in my opinion, has to be inclusive of where something is going to fit into my life. I don't particularly like owning lots of different bikes, as inevitably one or more of them end up not being ridden much. At least now I have space in my house for them, but I don't want something that's going to just gather dust.
#73
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I built my Curtlo up a couple of years before I started commuting, but since I set it up flat-bar with fairly wide tires (28s) it was an easy transition.
Living in SoCal and only having 7 miles round-trip allows me to keep it fairly high-performance (lighter wheels & components) so it works as an all-around rider...
Living in SoCal and only having 7 miles round-trip allows me to keep it fairly high-performance (lighter wheels & components) so it works as an all-around rider...
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#74
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I will add to this that a belief that one's decisions about what bike to ride are driven purely by logic, is basically delusional. Commuting by bike is an extremely generic task that demands very little of the equipment being used. For the length of most commutes, it can be done on essentially anything. And, based on the commuters I see, it is done on basically anything. There are various reasons that one bike or another will appeal more to various people for various conditions or possible circumstances, but bike commuting just isn't that complicated.
Likewise. The remainder are done on my cyclocross bike, which, again, wasn't chosen for any reason having to do with commuting. I do have an old Trek hybrid for locking up at the train station during the winter, though I won't need to do that for a few months.
I also recently purchased an old 1980's road bike to use for commuting, only to realize about 24 hours later that it was a foolish impulse buy that I paid too much for, and that I needed to re-sell it as soon as possible. That bike is more "practical" than my other two main bikes, in that it has fender eyelets. And yet it is completely redundant in various ways with the bikes I already own. Practicality, in my opinion, has to be inclusive of where something is going to fit into my life. I don't particularly like owning lots of different bikes, as inevitably one or more of them end up not being ridden much. At least now I have space in my house for them, but I don't want something that's going to just gather dust.
I also recently purchased an old 1980's road bike to use for commuting, only to realize about 24 hours later that it was a foolish impulse buy that I paid too much for, and that I needed to re-sell it as soon as possible. That bike is more "practical" than my other two main bikes, in that it has fender eyelets. And yet it is completely redundant in various ways with the bikes I already own. Practicality, in my opinion, has to be inclusive of where something is going to fit into my life. I don't particularly like owning lots of different bikes, as inevitably one or more of them end up not being ridden much. At least now I have space in my house for them, but I don't want something that's going to just gather dust.
#75
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Once nice compromise approach is my 1975 Viscount which I've completely changed. It's now a fixed gear bike, so it's quite light. Unlike most light it has wide-ish tires (32mm). It also has a dynamo front hub and headlight. I attach my tool bag to the saddle, and there is a battery tail light attached to the tool bag. It doesn't have a rack, so if I carry anything, it has to be in a backpack. So it is equipped as a practical bike, mostly but not in an extreme way.
Got it in 1970 ($150 new!) and rode it until I got my all-Campy Crescent Pro in 1972...
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