Looking for opinions on a potential commuter bike purchase
#1
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Looking for opinions on a potential commuter bike purchase
I'm a longtime urban bike commuter, relying heavily on our local bike-share system for commuting and run-around-town errands. Bike share is great because I don't have worry about locking up, maintaining or storing another bike.
That said - the bikeshare system seems increasingly intent on pushing e-bikes and limiting availability of the regular bikes. They've also been really bad lately about re-balancing bikes, so I'm frequently having to walk several blocks to find one. The e-bikes are great, but they tack on surcharges that add up quickly. So, I'm ready to go back to owning my own commuter bike.
My priorities are:
- Cheap ($500 or less)
- 700c wheels so that I can use other wheels/tires/tubes I already own.
- Single speed. I like the simplicity and find really cheap groupsets to be frustrating to adjust/maintain and my city is pankake flat - I don't need gears.
- Clearance for 32mm+ tires
- Ability to add fenders - possibly a rack/panniers
I have found several used bikes online and from friends, but most of these are 26" MTB's or have gears, or frames that lack mounting points for fenders. Therefore I'm leaning towards something like this:
https://www.bikesdirect.com/products...utcast-pro.htm
$400
Hydro disc brakes (Shimano MT200)
700c x 35mm tires
Fender/rack mounts
Single speed (flip flop hub)
I'd have to buy a set of fenders (and a second U-lock), but this bike seems to check all the boxes. I'm curious if anyone here has any experience with it?
That said - the bikeshare system seems increasingly intent on pushing e-bikes and limiting availability of the regular bikes. They've also been really bad lately about re-balancing bikes, so I'm frequently having to walk several blocks to find one. The e-bikes are great, but they tack on surcharges that add up quickly. So, I'm ready to go back to owning my own commuter bike.
My priorities are:
- Cheap ($500 or less)
- 700c wheels so that I can use other wheels/tires/tubes I already own.
- Single speed. I like the simplicity and find really cheap groupsets to be frustrating to adjust/maintain and my city is pankake flat - I don't need gears.
- Clearance for 32mm+ tires
- Ability to add fenders - possibly a rack/panniers
I have found several used bikes online and from friends, but most of these are 26" MTB's or have gears, or frames that lack mounting points for fenders. Therefore I'm leaning towards something like this:
https://www.bikesdirect.com/products...utcast-pro.htm
$400
Hydro disc brakes (Shimano MT200)
700c x 35mm tires
Fender/rack mounts
Single speed (flip flop hub)
I'd have to buy a set of fenders (and a second U-lock), but this bike seems to check all the boxes. I'm curious if anyone here has any experience with it?
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#2
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Looks like a perfect bike for urban commuting. Just buy it and enjoy. I would also choose the dark frame for that nice stealthy look.
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#3
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Reviews seem to indicate some potential issues with the freewheel on this bike, so I'm expecting that I might need to replace/upgrade that.
It should ship this week. I'm going to order some fenders as well.
Looking forward to cancelling my bike-share membership.
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This bike needed a few adjustments to work for me.
For $400 I'm pretty impressed and plan to slog this thing through some really crappy winter weather over the next few months.
- The pedals that shipped with it were absolute garbage. I found some cheap aluminum platform pedals online that seem to work great.
- Fenders - I took a chance and bought some Planet Bike "Hardcore" fenders that I later read wouldn't work with disc brakes. Turns out, they work fine for this bike. They were relatively easy to install and everything fit fine.
- The saddle that came with the bike is also garbage - it was really wide and soft, and super heavy. No problem, I had an extra Cannondale saddle that I was able to drop on it. Much better.
- The freehub was making a weird clunking noise when pedaling and I spent some time trying to troubleshoot it. I finally decided to buy a new freehub online and it solved the problem. Bonus, the new freehub has much faster engagement and makes a much nicer sound when coasting.
- The tires that shipped on it were larger than advertised (40mm and a brand I've never heard of, not the 35mm Kenda's that are listed) and the tubes had Schrader valves, which don't work very well with my pump. So I swapped those out with some Vittoria Terreno Mix 33mm tires and presta valve tubes. I'm sure the stock tires would've worked fine, but I was worried about clearance with the fenders I purchased and I already had the tires and tubes laying around.
For $400 I'm pretty impressed and plan to slog this thing through some really crappy winter weather over the next few months.
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Congrats. That is a lot of work to make it into what you wanted, though.
I'd have been pissed at the different tire and valve specs; it's a bait & switch!
I've always liked the idea of a single speed bike, but in practice, I want at least 3 speeds. You can still get that in an internal geared hub. 5 are more common now.
I plan to ride my old Trek comfort bike most of this winter about 50 miles north of you. (Kenosha)
I'd have been pissed at the different tire and valve specs; it's a bait & switch!
I've always liked the idea of a single speed bike, but in practice, I want at least 3 speeds. You can still get that in an internal geared hub. 5 are more common now.
I plan to ride my old Trek comfort bike most of this winter about 50 miles north of you. (Kenosha)
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My only real complaint about the bike (aside from the initial issues I mentioned) is that hydro disc brakes with a sliding rear dropout (and full fenders) makes it a huge pain to remove and re-insert the rear wheel. I have to loosen the rear brake caliper to get the rear wheel out, and then getting the caliper aligned again and getting the rear wheel correctly positioned so it's got good chain tension and isn't rubbing on anything requires a lot of fussing.
I don't even bother carrying stuff to fix a flat tire anymore. I figure if I get a flat while commuting, I'm 100% just gonna lock my bike up wherever I'm at and hop on a bus/train or uber, then come back and get it later so I can fix it at home.
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Bad idea. You could easily come back to find a vandalized bike, or a bare frame, if they have all day to do it with. The buses don't have bike racks in Chi Town? What about the trains? I would have gotten a folder in your situation ... wait, I did get a folder, among other bikes.
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Bad idea. You could easily come back to find a vandalized bike, or a bare frame, if they have all day to do it with. The buses don't have bike racks in Chi Town? What about the trains? I would have gotten a folder in your situation ... wait, I did get a folder, among other bikes.
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My rule for myself is that if I'm riding for less than three miles, I don't bring tools, because I can walk the bike home. I don't want to leave the bike if I don't have to. I have my tool bag neatly packed with everything I'm likely to need and perhaps a few things I'm unlikely to need. It attaches to the bottom of my saddle. I have a few bikes, so I move the bag to the bike I'm riding.
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“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
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Heh. The joys of disc brakes.
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