GTPowers

I do believe the seat looks like that because of the angle of the picture.

noteon 

Here's my commuter. It's a Dahon Matrix folder with slightly chopped handlebars and MTB pedals. I took this picture about two hours ago--today was the test run from home (near the GW Bridge in NYC) to preschool (6th Ave. and 27th St.) with an empty trailer. If all goes well, transport of twin three-year-olds will start Tuesday. After dropping the children and trailer there, I'll continue down to Wall Street to work.

I moved my family to Washington Heights so we'd be near a bike path that was safe to take a child trailer on. It's been five months of the trip not happening for one reason or another--though I've been commuting without the trailer--but maybe we're finally getting there.

I opted for a folder because they won't let you into a lot of buildings in NYC with a non-folding bike, and being a freelancer, I'm never positive where I'll be working a few months down the line.

thebarerider

Awesome bike. Most folders look so small, but that one looks like it's normal sized. I've always wondered, how does it feel riding a folder? Is there any difference?

gtd

I commute once or twice a week in North Georgia on this Specialized
road bike. The suit bag came from Performance and it works pretty
well. It leaked a little in a heavy downpour last week, but I think I can
fix that by making sure to zip the main compartment toward the front
instead of the back.

Other supplies include the routine flat repair stuff, a cable lock, and a
ham radio with weather channel due to our severe weather here. (Last
week there were tornados within two miles in either direction of me
during my evening commute.)

ridingdirty

Here's my commuter. An early '90s Specialized Rockhopper. In the seat bag I carry patches, tube, levers, and valve adapter. Mini pump to get me rolling, fenders, and an adjustable bottle cage for holding the thermos full of coffee. The Schwalbe Marathon Racers have held up remarkably well since I got them 10 months ago. I've only had 4 flats and I ride 6 days a week.

re_mtbracer

how you likin' that paddy wagon. been considering buying one.

evan_phi

I think you win most intense commuter award. Screw NYC!

noteon 

I went from a Trek 7000 hybrid to this thing, so the first thing it felt was SMALL. But yeah, they're 26" wheels, and although Dahons seem to run smaller than non-folders of the same nominal size, I get along with it fine now.

It does feel as solid as a non-folder. The lock is yet another place where a bike can develop an annoying squeak, but the feel itself is very solid.

noteon 

So far so good, but I've only put my boys in it a few times. Today was our first trip the whole ten miles to preschool:


This evening I'll take them home in it. Which means...

The Big Wicked Hill.

May Sheldon have mercy on my soul.

zohar

This is my commuter.


Trek 3700, Brooks B-67 saddle, Bontrager Comfort tires, and cat litter containers for panniers. The little cable with masterlock are just for locking up for 2-3 minutes when I still have it in my sight. I have a big u-lock I keep in a pannier for long term locking.

misterE0

cool panniers, some vinyl dye would color take to them nicely and make the color match the bike .

zohar

Yeah that's my next project.

noteon 

I'm thinking red panniers with yellow trim, to set off the black.

Bike4More

Tony N.

Florence, SC

Join Date: Apr 2008


This is my commuter.


Hello Fellow SC Wheeler,
Let me be the first to congratulate you an a great idea and thank you for recycling. Now how do you have them pales fastened?
Tony

HardyWeinberg

How far down does that folder gear? I've kicked one kid out of the trailer and I still get down pretty low at times. Here's my 3.5 yr old reviewing her day's work last week on the way home from pre-school:

noteon 

Great picture!

It goes down to 23 gear-inches. I'm about to find out whether that's low enough to get those boys up that one nasty hill.

Is that the same Burley I've got?

DerekU2

My wife's new 2008 Jamis Commuter 2.0. She holds her own on the weekend group road rides, but wanted something to tool around town and commute in. I am stunned by how gorgeous and functional this bike is.

HardyWeinberg

It's an 'encore'. The particulars of the models escape me but I think yours might be wider? If we had the widest one, we could have kept the now almost 7 yr old in it for another month or three last summer, but now the 3.5 yr old has room and to spare (which she likes to fill up w/ all her important stuff).

23 gear-inches should be a good test. Builds character.

noteon 

Yeah, that's what I need.

paulwwalters

That is the most perfect fixie I have ever seen.

Sorry, I just had to say it.

noteon 

Just for the record:

42 years + 400 pounds combined weight + 12% grade + 20% ruling grade + 23 gear-inches = 0 way in hell.

Cody Broken

They are both cute as heck.

HardyWeinberg

I geared my bike down to ~18 gear-inches and that will get me up the steepest hill I face but with a total load of probably not much more than 300#. Sometimes I can feel the headwind (that route is in a canyon between what passes for tall buildings around here) holding me flat. I generally have taken to finding a different route and avoiding that particular slope, traffic be damned. I still climb the hill, but it's over a more circuitous shallower route.

Today I only had to tote a shark though.

Bike4More

I hope you mean "perfect" as in I ride it 10 miles 5 days a week to work? Its dirty I promise.