boatbuilder

Ive been a member here for a month or so and thought I would see what guys/gals would recommend. I am currently 232lbs 5' 10". My wife and I bought a couple cruisers this summer and really enjoy riding. My goal is to ride a bike to work (32kms one way) 2 days a week next summer. I can ride home with my wife as she will have a bike rack on her car. I want something that is faster than my cruiser but still looking for comfort.
Thanks
Jim

Zoxe

Commuter bikes come in all shapes and sizes -- it's a very broad category.

But it sounds like you might be looking for a flat bar road bike -- something like the Trek FX series.

https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/road/fitness/fx/7_1_fx/#

Here is the specialized equivalent:

https://www.specialized.com/us/en/bik...us/sirrussport

Most mfrs make a version of this kind of bike, with their own flavor.

cplager

Hi,

It's almost certainly not what you had in mind, but a Cruzbike Sofrider is worth thinking about. It's what I use for my commuting as well as pleasure riding:





A cheaper route is to find your own donor suspended mountain bike and buy a Cruzbike conversion kit.

This is a very comfortable bike that doesn't put too much pressure on, well, anything. You can peruse my blog below for more details, pictures, etc.

Cheers,
Charles

skilsaw

Beware of recumbent riders. They are a cult. If they suck you in, and
you buy a recumbent, you will get a fuzzy little white thing called a dog.
And you will name him "Shakespear", or maybe "Galileo".
You will never eat red meat again, preferring spinach quiche instead.
You and all your friends will attend "anti-pipeline rallies".
You will begin to think you run the world, just like Mac users.

32 kms is a pretty long commute. I suggest you do it going home instead of to work so you can flop onto the couch to recover. Seriously! A 32 km commute would take me two hours. I'm not a rocket. more like a steam locomotive.

Glad you are getting pumped about riding. If you live in a city, visit half a dozen bike stores and see how their customer service is. See if you like the commuter, or fitness bikes that the best bike store sells. Make them "Your" bike store.

Christmas is just around the corner. Maybe a christmas present, or wait until January and look for a deal on a 2012 bike.

cplager

Well, to be fair...

* We are a cult, but you can leave anytime you want (there are a lot of recumbent riders who also ride "regular" bikes).
* I do have a dog and I don't eat red meat (but I don't really like spinach quiche).
* I work at a hedge fund, so I don't go to (many) anti-pipeline rallies
* I definitely ain't no mac user (although some of us are).

Come to the dark side.... We have cookies!

In all seriousness, you should pick a bike that works for you. If you can find a diamond frame (DF for short, meaning regular bicycle) on which you are comfortable for long rides, then ride it. That's the most important thing. If you find that DF bikes aren't comfortable, or are just 'bent-curious, try something new out.

32 km (20 miles) one way is quite a long commute. I sometimes take the long way to work which ends up being just under 16 km, but I only live 6 km from work, so I only do that sometimes. Being able to catch a ride home with your wife if you want means that it's not crazy.

I'd head to an LBS and try out different bikes for fit/comfort. This isn't perfect, but will at least give you a better idea of which bikes you don't want.

Good luck!
Charles

boatbuilder

Great responses. Thanks I am in process of installing a shower at work now so I can shower when I arrive. I know 32 Kms is a long commute and that is why I will only do it 2 times a week. If it takes 2 hours I will just have to get up earlier.
i bought a lemond g-force UT to help train for this coming summer. We are also heading to warm climate(Arizona) for 5 days of bike riding in December. Great forum here and some great stories of people losing weight and getting in shape on bikes.
Jim

bigwies

32km isn't that far. it's a little less that 20 miles. I used to commute around 10 miles to work each way in about 40 minutes. So that would be about 1:20 for me. Al ot depends on the terrain and the amount of traffic. I applaud your ambition and am quite jealous. My job changes locations so my 10 mile commute become 47 miles and now I have to drive, because 3 hours each way is not feasible for me.

If I was picking a commuter bike for that kind of distance, I would go with something like a Surly Cross Check or LHT. They allow for fenders, wider tires and racks to carry whatever you need to take with you.

Good luck and enjoy.

jsigone

I'd just get a standard road bike in what ever budget you have....20miles isn't that bad and after a while you'll want to get it over with as soon as possible IE get a road bike.

gyozadude

Tilley, AB? Really? I drove through Lethbridge, Calgary and Edmonton once, and stopped at all the KFCs we could find. LOL! Never been to Tilley.

I figure you must be riding mostly level ground? What's the wind like? If it's mostly calm, you could almost do just fine on a cruiser bike, provided it fits you well and can give you proper leg extension. I commute on a single speed flat bar Nashbar Hounder more than half the time. I ride about 17 miles a day - about 5 miles rt to escort my kids to school, then 12 miles rt to/from work. If the winds are mostly calm, I have no issues cruising at 15 mph on level ground. The S/S is fine when dealing with short over/under passes.

What I like about my commuter one-speed most is the CrMo steel frame/fork. For a 280 lb guy, it honks up the hils just fine with little side-to-side sway. But it feels nice and lively on most roads especially on rough pavement or small bumps. I can easily do a century on this bike on flat ground. It's not too bad a bike to ride stock from the mail order delivery truck. However, the stock saddle and stock brakes leave much to be desired, and those were some of the first things I swapped out. But other than that, the basic bike works great for a commuter. Add a single water bottle cage, a rear rack, cheap bike computer, and some panniers and this makes a great form of transportation in the flat lands.

boatbuilder

Yes it is mostly flat where I ride around here. I know I could use my cruiser for the commute but I do want something faster. The winds do get real strong here some days and I won't be commuting when the wind is howling. I wont be able to commute everyday but if I can do it a couple time a week I would be happy. My neighbor has a carbon fiber road bike and when we ride together I know he is held back by me on my cruiser. I would like to get faster bike so he could have a good workout as well. Cost is not really a factor, but I want some that fits good and is comfortable.

Jim

PhotoJoe 

Hey Jim,

First, 232 isn't too big for any bike, so don't let that limit your choices.

I would HIGHLY recommend going to several LBS's and 1) evaluate their customer service and desire to help you get on the right bike for you and 2) ride everything you can. Ride carbon and aluminum, drop bars and flat. Try to ride further than around the parking lot. Spend some time on your favorites. Some you'll be able to ride around the lot and get right back off of it, knowing it's not for you. The final contenders, though, should get some lengthy evaluations.

My wife was riding a bike that made your cruiser look fast! I had told her the differences and let her know I would not push, but thought it would be a good idea to upgrade. She recently took me up on it. I had her ride her bike around the block, then her old mountain bike, then my Lynskey. She LOVED the Lynskey (scared me - thought I had just lost my dream bike!) but she hated the drop bars (phew!). So we went to the LBS's and she rode everything she could. Again, ruled out the drop bars. She finally settled on a Cannondale Quick. It's a flat-bar road bike. SHE LOVES IT.

Now, if you narrow it down to two or three that you really like, but feel no difference in the ride, look at components. If all are close enough to being equal, pick the one you like the looks of best. The bike that speaks to you is the one you will WANT to ride!

Enjoy. Please let us know what you end up doing.

Beachgrad05

Looks like everyone has the advice avenue covered. I have been to Alberta to Ski in the winter and camping in the summer. We stayed at the Banff Springs Hotel on the ski trip and we skied Mt. Norquay at night, Lake Louise and Sunshine Village. Man it was cold but had a blast.

Captlink

I have a sport touring bike that is fast and comfortable.A road racer while very fast and efficient may not have that give to make the trip enjoyable.