cjp3581

Hey all-
My gf and I have decided to start co-habitating and upgraded our 2 crappy 1 bed apts into 1 gorgeous 2 bed apt with a patio and everything. So Yay for us!

On top of all the other greatness about this apartment, I now have the ability to bike/train commute to work. So yay for me!

The only thing is I haven't ridden a bike regularly at least since my brother went to college. I know this because when I went by my parents house to pick up the bike they bought for me 19 years ago to take it in for a tune up I was told, oh, well since you lived in Chicago at the time your brother took the bike to UCSB and it got stolen. Seriously?!?!?

I'm looking at this as a mixed blessing, because while it means I have to spend more money, it means that I can get into a bike that will fit me properly, is brand new, won't be an early/mid 90's day-glo yellow, etc etc etc. The biggest problem is that I have no clue what I need to start looking for, aside from pedals, handlebars, a seat, and lightweight.

A little about me and the commute:
6'3", 250 lbs (hopefully fewer LBS as I get further into this commuting), runner (3 miles 3xs a week at 11:00 mile, plus one longer run 6-10 miles at 12:00 mile for a general idea of my fitness level)

The commute is about 3.5 miles to the station, 25 minutes on the train, 1.5 miles to my office. I work in a small town office park, so there is no gym or shower available to me so I don't plan on pushing myself too hard on the train to office leg. I'm planning on doing this twice a week (likely Mon and Fri) so that the other 3 days I can continue to bring my dog to work with me. Both legs of the bike ride are completely flat, no hills whatsoever.

With no real reason for this other than that they seem to be cheaper and lighter I'm thinking about getting a Single speed/fixie. I'm hoping to spend no more than $400 on a complete bike, although it seems like I'm looking at going to at least $450 to get anything that won't fall apart underneath me.

Any advice from you guys would be great regarding fixie v multigear, places I can save money v where extra expenses is necessary/warranted, what size bike I want to get and anything else you think might be useful for someone who knows literally nothing about modern bicycling.

EDIT***
Thanks for those thoughts. Given what I wrote, it's all makes perfect sense.

To give more actual info, rather than chatty lack of editing here's more of my reasoning behind it:

I work for a small family business that treats me really well and takes care of me, up to and including leasing me a car. The car is quite nice and it is purely a beni for the job (I do some driving for work, but nowhere near the level that would economically justify a car over paying mileage).

However, because it came out of a multi-car lease deal the owner worked out for the 15 execs in the co we couldn't tailor the car lease to each of us individually, so we all got a 15K mile lease (I also have the longest commute of any of us by a good margin, and I don't think my boss took that into consideration).

I have an almost 80 mi roundtrip commute and that has added up quickly. I passed my mileage for the year at about 7 months. I can't really move closer for a variety of reasons including the girlfriend's commute, and the cost of housing where the office is. I worked out the numbers and train commuting a couple of days a week should put my mileage under the 15k a year mark. The 2 days a week is just where I plan to start because those are the days that we are gone the shortest amount of time, meaning I'm not worried about my dog being cooped up for 12 or more hours (Girlfriend works variable hours Mon and Fri). If it turns out that the dog is totally fine with being alone for 10-12 hours, then I may start only driving on days of extremely adverse weather.

Because the office is out in the suburbs I don't have a lot of options to get from the train to the office other than either walking or biking, and while 1.5 miles is maybe 10 minutes by bike, it's closer to 30 minutes or more walking. As I mentioned, I don't want to arrive at the office too sweaty, so running from there is probably no good. This is where the bike idea came from.

CJ

Leisesturm

Where do I start... welcome to the Commuting Forum. How's that? I'm not usually this gregarious CJ, I'm not editing this, the tone could go downhill before we are done. You've said a lot. You've asked good questions but I don't know if they are the right good questions. You are changing a lot of variables at the same time. That is never a good thing IMO.

It seems to me that by continuing to drive 3 days of the week and by using mass transit on the days you do not drive, well... it appears you have all the hassles of a regular commute that is not by bike but none of the upsides of a commute by bike because the bike is such a tiny part of the overall commute plan. In other words... why bother?? Seriously. Your running program (supplemented with a little gym work) is all the fitness, cardio wise that anyone really needs. If you had a bike already, it would be one thing. To go out and buy a bike to use to get to the train station... have you thought about running to the station? That would save a lot of time since you don't have to find an extra hour out of your day to go for your usual run. You say you have a 25 min train ride... what is that in miles? Do you see where I am going? Personally I would roll this around in my head some more. Crunch some numbers. Think outside the box a little and maybe come up with a different plan from whats currently on the front burner.

H

10 Wheels

I would get a bike with some gears.

Should you like bike riding, you would want to ride on the week ends.

SoCal has a few hills.

ill.clyde

Unless you're commuting to work on off hours, I know Metra won't let you bring your bike onboard, and I'm not sure the CTA will either.

I'd recommend looking for a used bike on Craigslist or maybe find a local shop that sells used bikes.

I personally think you'd do better with a geared bike first, and then maybe explore a fixie/singlespeed. You've not ridden in how many years? Give yourself the best opportunity to fall back in love with cycling by not limiting the bike to one speed.

spivonious

I'm with Leiseturm. Have you considered riding the entire way? 3.5 miles to the station will take even an unfit rider about 17 minutes, and the 1.5 miles to the office will take about 8.

5 miles is a long way to run, but is not much when cycling. Now that I've been commuting for almost a year, I can do 5 miles in about 20 minutes and would hate to break it up with a train.

cjp3581

I did check into the train schedule, and because of when I'm going, it DOES allow bikes. (I'm back in LA now, CTA was surprisingly a nightmare about bikes. Part of the reason I stopped riding in college)

I've been burned a few times by craigslist on things like refrigerators, but I'll check into my local shops see who sells used.

Thanks Clyde!

ill.clyde

Oh ... sorry! I misunderstood and thought you were in Chicago

Sure thing ... good luck!

ill.clyde

Good points ... and I know the lack of a shower is a limiting factor for you, but I do 11 miles one way and love it. Takes me about an hour to get to work and another 15-20 minuts to get settled after my shower, etc.

spivonious

My current job has no shower and I haven't had any complaints yet. Here's my procedure (after 7 mile ride with a 3.5% grade hill):

1. Cool down for 10-15 minutes. I sit at my desk in my bike clothes, read email, drink water, etc.
2. I go to the bathroom and change clothes. On really hot days (85F+), I'll use baby wipes to rid the stink from my crotch.
3. I comb my hair and go back to my desk.

No complaints yet, and I have made it clear to my co-workers that they should tell me if I smell.

Downtownfish

Go get a bike, and start riding. If you want to take the train part of the way that is a good start. If you want to run later, or ride the whole way go for it. Don't let these guys talk you out of it.

cjp3581

Well the total commute by bike would be 35 miles, including a treacherous mountain pass that I'm a little afraid to drive, much less bike on.

I do feel like it's a little silly, but I'm just not sure how else I can reduce my mileage on the car, short of buying a second car.

cjp3581

Those are all great ideas. I'll definitely keep those in mind because I'm the type of person who sweats at the slightest physical activity (at the end of 1.5 miles running, even at a slow and easy pace, I'd be drenched)

spivonious

Ah, that makes more sense then. 35 miles is way too much to ride the whole way, unless you have an extra 4-5 hours each day.

Since you haven't ridden in a while, I'd check out a used hybrid bike. They'll have a more upright sitting position than a road bike and will have tires that will let you easily take it on some trails on the weekends. Don't spend too much on accessories until you find out what you need. Will it be dark on either end of your ride? If so, don't forget about lights. A nice bright headlight and a blinking tail light are sufficient.

Brush up on the local cycling laws and practice riding in traffic on the weekends before you start going to work. Choose a couple of options to get to the train station and try them out, paying attention to any possible problem spots.

Be a regular reader of this forum and you'll pick up a lot of knowledge.

Thrasymachus

What is the policy of the train and the Transit network in your area? I know on New Jersey Transit you can only take a full sized bicycle onto any train going to or coming to NYC only on offpeak hours or weekends, which is a severe restriction. Even then you would have to find a seat at a handicapped area near the vestibule to secure the bicycle with elastic straps(that you have to bring yourself) and other people want those seats too since they are most often close to the electrical outlets, so you may find it hard to find one and have to look through train car after train car and lug your bike through the train pissing off both the conductors and passengers. But for a little more than $400 you can get an entry level five or six speed Dahon or other folding bike, which you can bring without restrictions onto NJ transit trains or buses.

There is a whole subforum here on folding bikes:
https://www.bikeforums.net/forumdispl...-Folding-Bikes

DiabloScott

Well, don't sit next to me on the train.

fietsbob

Many buyers of folding bikes have a train in the middle of their commute ,

IDK how your Commuter railroad handles commuters with regular bikes, please inform.

Darth Lefty 

I think almost any bike would do for what you describe and a cruiser might be nice.

But here's how it goes in the Commuter Forum:

You: What bike should I get?

BF: You need a bike with giant saddlebags, bright flashing dynamo lights, fenders, leaned-over posture and skinny, extra-hard tires for max efficiency and flat prevention, lots and lots of gears, also carry a pump and a spare tube and multi-tool and poncho, but most important it needs to fit perfectly so go to your bike store and see what they recommend.

You: Thanks for the advice! I went to the bike store and they sold me an Electra Townie.

BF: You're doomed! (zombie thread lives on for another page while two self-anointed experts fight over nuances of riding technique or threaded vs. threadless headsets)

alan s 

Why don't you park your car at the train station and walk to and from work at the other end?

cjp3581

I'm on the Metrolink in LA. I will be on the "outgoing" train during to work, and inbound after. On most of the trains they do allow bikes, the only ones they don't allow them on are the ones that would make me late anyway, meaning I would probably drive those days anyway.

cjp3581

The walk from the station to work would require me to take a train that leave a full hour earlier to make it to work on time, even though it would only be about a 20-30 minutes walk, because of the schedule of commuter trains going out of LA to the Suburbs.

cjp3581

You: Thanks for the advice! I went to the bike store and they sold me an Electra Townie.

BF: You're doomed! (zombie thread lives on for another page while two self-anointed experts fight over nuances of riding technique or threaded vs. threadless headsets)[/QUOTE]


Dammit I already screwed up some bike etiquette. I AM doomed!

MichaelW

Any style of bike will do that job.
6'3": get the largest size you can find.
Commuter train: Are there restrictions on bike size, ie do you need a folder?

Fixie bikes are for experts, if you want one gear, go for a singlespeed with a freewheel. Personally, I would go for a 3-speed, they are easier to pedal and you don't get as sweaty. Breezer bikes use a 5 speed hub as their smallest option, unusual but very nice.
Tyres: Get the best protection you can, something like Schwalbe Marathon Plus. This will practically eliminate the main cause of delays.
Accessories: Dark, wet and luggage-carrying require some accessories to make the bike useful. The Breezer bikes all come fully equipped.
Other stuff: Helmet, gloves, repair kit, lock, trouser clips,

neil

I think this post falsely implies that BF will only provide one set of advice. A more accurate mockery of a BF thread will provide at least 4 different, contradictory, sets of riding advice.

You are right that any bike will work for this, though. It's 5 miles each way. Not an epic bike tour or stage race.

A foldie would probably be nice for dealing with the train. Most of the north american trains I've been on don't have anywhere to put a bike, even if they're allowed, so it's just in the way and kind of a problem. Foldies at your price point, though, are probably not happening. So buy something inexpensive and if you find it's a problem, you can upgrade later without feeling like you're throwing away a ton of money.

CB HI

The cycling mileage is small enough, that most any bicycle will do for the commute. In general, a proper fitting bicycle is the most important issue, especially when buying off craiglist.

For you, I ould really consider a folding bicycle. That way, if the bike slots are all full, your bicycle can still come along.

cooker

LOL- I did a double take on that one. On this forum the acronym LBS in capital letters usually means local bike store (ie. a bike speciality store as opposed to getting a bike at Walmart, Target, etc.)