caloso

Even in a small city like Sacramento, the limiting factor is traffic lights.

bmthom.gis

I don't understand how you people with ~10+ mile rides enjoy using old mountain bikes for those trips. I never really enjoyed it for 4 miles when I had one and did multimodal commutes. It must just be me, and my complete dislike for flatbar bikes on anything but the trails, and even then when I get done the ~10 mile loop I really wanna put my hands somewhere else. I'll occasionally ride my 3 speed into work - it's a fun ride, but I wouldn't want to always commute on it. I really like changing up hand positions and the position I am in when on a road bike.

For those that do ride old mountain bikes, do you change up the gearing? One of the things I disliked about riding one around was the gearing was too low to get cruising on wide open roads.

tjspiel

Amazing how you can take a few weeks off of bike forums, come back and feel like you haven't missed anything.

On my current route I don't have a ton of stop lights but there are number of intersections in the first 1/3 of the ride where I'll have to stop or at least slow down. There are also a couple of nice long open sections where I can ride as hard as I like.

If I put in the effort, I can get to work 5 to 7 minutes faster on my road bike than I can on my off road/winter bike. During a normal commute with a typical effort, it's a few minutes difference tops. Yet I still ride the road bike as long as the road conditions allow.

It's not all about utility vs how long it takes to get to work. No one would own a sports car if commute time and max payload were the only things that mattered to people. Plenty of people choose a sportier vehicle over "more practical" or "more comfortable" options. It shouldn't surprise anyone that the same is true when it comes to choice of bike.

zacster

Commuting <> "wide open roads" . It is city streets. And my MTB has 10sp rear/3x front gearing and goes plenty high, and I never go off the big ring on either my road or mtb in NYC. My wheels are more like road bike wheels, with 25mm Gatorskins on them. Add on the fenders, the rack, the lights, and you have a lot of stuff you don't want on your road bike.

Jim from Boston

Earlier in this thread I posted:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim from Boston

…After 40 years of cycle commuting on a year-round minimal one-way 14 mile route, I have this year finally assembled IMO, the perfect bicycle fleet:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jimfrom Boston

• One nearly year-round dry,clean-road bike (carbon fiber road bike,except for deep winter with lingering salt)

• One year-round wet,dirty-road bike (aluminum road bike, just recently acquired)

• One winter bike for anything (steel mountain bike with Marathon Winter studded tires always on, for the least possibility of ice…)

The first two bikes are smooth, easy riding, and easy to carry upstairs; the third is a heavy and significantly tougher ride…

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim from Boston

I'm very happy with my Specialized S-Works for dry weather riding, my Cannondale Mountain bike was pretty heavy and cumbersome as a Wet/Winter beater. So I recently bought a Specialized Diverge Elite aluminum bike as a wet weather beater, and it rides nearly as nicely as the S-Works, so I'm very happy with the Diverge.

Now, the Cannondale is reserved completely for miserable studded-tire riding,and now I'm happy about that, and my riding needs are completely met. I liken my three bikes to a Lamborghini, a Lexus, and a Humvee.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim from Boston

…The ride and shifting [of the Diverge] is as smooth as the S-Works, but the feel is more ”solid,” with 30C tires. I think this is a great all-purpose bike…

A couple of weeks ago, I read on the Winter Cycling Forum:

Quote:

Originally Posted by PaulRivers

The only tire I know of in 30c that might be better is the Schwalbe WINTER HS 396.It's a cheaper cousin of the Schwalbe Marathon Winter wth only 2 rows of studs instead of 4, but comes in 30c:

https://www.schwalbetires.com/bike_tires/road_tires/winter...

So now I have the possibility of extending the use of my Diverge and reserving the Cannondale for only the worst sloppy winter conditions, maybe about 3 to 4 weeks during the winter.

Hypno Toad

This ^^^

PaulRivers

Glad to hear it was useful for more than 1 person. :-)

Jim from Boston

Quote:

Originally Posted by tjspiel

Amazing how you can take a few weeks off of bike forums, come back and feel like you haven't missed anything.

If I put in the effort, I can get to work 5 to 7 minutes faster on my road bike than I can on my off road/winter bike. During a normal commute with a typicaleffort, it's a few minutes difference tops. Yet I still ride the road bike as long as the road conditions allow.

It's not all about utility vs how long it takes to get to work. No one would own a sports car if commute time and max payload were the only things that mattered to people. Plentyof people choose a sportier vehicle over "more practical" or"more comfortable" options. It shouldn't surprise anyone that thesame is true when it comes to choice of bike.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hypno Toad

This^^^

+1 to that. I posted earlier on this thread,

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim from Boston

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jerrys88

After spending so much $$ on my carbon road bike, which I intended to ride only on weekend rides, I decided that the ride experience gave me so much pleasure it would be a crime not to use it on my commute as well…

For me, it's not just speed that counts. It's the overall feeling of joy I get riding a beautifully engineered machine - the smoothness and efficiency. It puts a smile on my face every time I ride.

…In the past on some popcorn threads about the value of an expensive carbon bike, I posted,

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim from Boston

...I have in the past considered the answer [how would you rate the bike] for my own bike; at least 9/10. FYA:

My average speed stayed the same, but I think I was hampered by injuries from the accident, and I believe the new bike compensated at least to maintain my average speed. I did note that I was more inclined to sprint (successfully) to beat traffic lights before they turned red.

I further craved the smoothness of the ride, including the shifting, making cycle-commuting more pleasurable. Of greatest benefit, while long (greater than 40 mile) rides took the same amount of time as before, I felt much less tired at the end…,

BTW, @tjspiel, when I saw your post I did note to myself I haven’t seen you around lately.

nycphotography

Tarmac SL4. Full race setup, reynolds wheels, power meter, etc. I have a PBSF blinkie and a $30 Chinese headlight I take off on weekend rides.

11 miles, Jamaica to Midtown. PR is 40ish minutes (pretty sure I had both a tailwind and beat all the lights). Zone 2 endurance pace is closer to 45-48 minutes.

I've started pack 3 days worth of clothes, leaving my dress shoes at the office, and only carrying the backpack every 3rd day, home w dirties, back with cleans. Two days I get to rip carrying nothing (flat kit in jersey pocket). 3rd day I chill and take it easy. Oh, and I just take the train when it rains.

For late fall / whatever I can tolerate of winter / early spring "base training" commuites I think I'm getting a disc cross bike, putting a power meter on it, moving my lights to it, and running gatorskin 28's. Probably slap my fenders on it. May get a second set of cheap wheels and set of studded tires, depending on if I find it fun or miserable to ride in sketchy conditions.

The idea of riding a slug of a bike when I'm NOT stuck building Zone 2 base just does not appeal to me. I will never commute on a MTB or a steel beast if I have a light carbon racing bike available.

nycphotography

Oh yeah. And I having been drilled more than once by cars turning across me when I had the green in the bike lane, I now refuse to use the bike lanes in Manhattan. I'd rather mix it up with the cars. (The exception being on Queens Blvd. THAT bike lane happens to be exactly where I would ride already, and there are no turns at any of the lights)

Darth Lefty 

I had a front 42/32/22 and a rear 11-28. I changed it for a 48/38/28 and 11-32. What I found for myself was the top end wasn't important, as getting to the top of the cassette in the 32 ring. The 38 ring fixed that. At the bottom, 28-32 is not quite low as 22-28 but it was enough.

As for posture, there are different fits for mountain bikes just like there are "endurance" and "race" road bikes. The racier ones are designed to put you in attack posture, off the saddle and your elbows out. But others had higher bars with more sweep and fine for cruising.

Bike Gremlin

My MTB is rigid steel frame, 26" wheels. My gearing is 48-38-28 with a 6 speed 14-28 cassette. 48-14 is fast enough for all the flats, even with some wind at my back.

My 28" hybrid has 42-32-22 with 12-32 8 speed cassette and 42-12 is also fast enough for all the flats, even with some wind at my back.

I wish 14 teeth starting cassettes were more widely available for 7 and 8 (and 9-11) speeds. At least for pavement riding where ground clearance isn't that important. Then, all those 48 and 50 tooth chainrings would make sense, even for recreational cyclists. This way, with most cassettes starting with 11 teeth, I almost never use the smallest two sprockets (at the expense of wider gear gaps and more cross chaining on the big ring).

Besides 48-14 will have less chain bend, more teeth engaged and sprockets will last lnoger than 38-11 (similar gear ratio).

bmthom.gis

Cool cool. If I'm remember correctly, one of my problems was I always had a hard time finding the right cadence, but never cared enough to put any money into changing the gearing - just ended up selling the bike and moving onto the next. I wouldn't spin out, but it wasn't unusual to be in the top 2 ratios while cruising, whereas I am usually in the middle of the cassette on a higher geared bike.

I always had thoughts of doing a drop bar conversion and changing up the gearing but never bit that bullet. Now I have the Peugeot, and there's little reason to get a 2nd heavy commuter.

Rick@OCRR

I started commuting on a folding bike (Dahon) since I take a Metro train in the middle of my commute and there wasn't room for a standard bike on the train.

Then, Metro took out three rows of seats on one side of every other train car creating "bike space!" Okay, it's also marked for strollers and luggage . . . but most of time it's bike space! Then I changed to a normal road bike, Taiwan Cro-Mo steel, added a seat-post mount rack and trunk bag, lights (with generator front hub) and I was good to go! No fenders because it (almost) never rains in LA.

Gearing is 1 x 8 with a 39t front and 11-26 rear which works fine for the minimal (600 feet or so) of climbing on my commute. Brifter is an old Shimano 105, from back when 105's were 8-Speed.

However, the vast majority of bike commuters in this part of Los Angeles are on mountain bikes. Some on cruisers and the occasional road bike but mountain bikes are the most popular choice. Usually low end (Wal-Martish) mountain bikes but some Specialized/Giant/Trek too and occasionally the "city bike" type.

Several riders have asked me how I can possible ride on such skinny tires (700 x 25), but I don't have a problem at all.

Speed wise, yes, much faster (by 15 min. approx. on a 19 mi. RT commute) than on the folder (16 x 1.75 tires) but just like others have noted above, traffic signals make a more significant difference than bike type.

Rick / OCRR

Leebo

Any bike you ride to work is a commuter. Mt bikes are awesome. Think slick tires and bar ends. I never spin out in 44x11. And lastly, some of my " commutes" involve 8 miles of singletrack on the way home.

Leebo

Couple of thoughts. Not everyone races or trains. Ride what feels good, 'nuff said. More to your clothes. Dry cleaner near your office as to not carry clothes? ( that often)

zacster

My mtb setup is 48/38/28 x 11-34 10sp rear. That is plenty high for going all out, and a really wide range on the big ring. NYC is relatively flat anyway. I don't go into the 11 rear all that much, maybe the downhill in Prospect Park. I tried the small ring once and of course it is ridiculously low. Middle ring is too for that matter. I will use the 48/34 combo on occasion, and yes I know about cross-chaining, and that is the lowest I ever need. Compare that to my 50/34 x 13/26 road bike, the mtb actually has a higher gear. (and let me tell you, at 61 I don't need super high gear anyway.)

As for my comment on the weight of the messenger bag, the need to ride the road bike was a last minute thing, so I didn't really have time to reduce the weight. If I were to do this daily the first thing I'd do is leave my lock at the office, and in fact for years that's what I did. I brought it home one winter and just never brought it back and carry a lighter lock anyway as I have secure indoor parking. I had to grab shoes because I can't walk in the office in my cleats, I had my laptop with me, and all the other stuff I usually carry. All I really need is a dress shirt, khakis, and shoes, lightweight loafers are best.

bmthom.gis

SIngle track in your commute? Now you're just showing off!

Leebo

Can get 8 miles of dirt out of 20, usually when I have more daylight+warmer weather. But it takes 2.5 hours

Thommy

Hi guys, been lurking a long time now so I want to chime in, this is what used to work for me:
Recently retired so this no longer applies but may help someone else out.
I commuted for six years in San Diego, yes we have hills here. Commute was 14.4 miles one way, primarily downhill to work which helped.
I am a total bike nut and have been fortunate to own many bikes and can do all the maintenance myself. I commuted on road and cyclocross frames, always 700 wheels. As you know, commuting takes its toll on the drive train (rain sucks) and wheels. I always had a spare rear wheel with tire set aside as a backup. If I noticed my rear wheel needed truing I would swap it out, you sweat mentally and physically but you get on with it and head out. True it later. I can't stress enough the importance of leaving a little earlier than you need. I've used commuter bags (Chrome) but didn't care for the sweaty back and the feeling of "I feel like I'm back in the Service humping hills again", can anyone else relate? I switched to affordable front lowrider racks and affordable bags for my gear. Boots were locked away at work along with an extra pair of underwear and socks plus a pack of wet wipes.
The best part was that I had an extra bike with similar front rack that I could grab, just transfer over everything and off we go. After a month on the road I realized that swapping the bikes out every two weeks allowed for better routine maintenance and it seemed everything lasted longer.
Did the road bike to work several times but all I did was freak out about every little pot hole that would sneak up on me or the bike's paint job getting ruined. I like my bikes real shiny. Solution: dedicated work/commute to store bike/bikes.
I didn't have a need for speed so my gearing was usually Sugino compact crank and rings.
Eight speed Shimano using bar end shifters, lasts a very long time.
Do your preventative maintenance and you will be covered 90% of the time.

Anyway, thanks for listening and I'm sorry this was so long.

Kahrpistols

I commute 28 miles one way from NJ to NYC on a Fuji Cross 2.0. Although it's not an out-and-out road racing bike, it's still pretty racy and fast.

I can't imagine doing my commute on anything but a road bike/cross bike with slicks and drop bars.

nycphotography

That's a wicked commute

Rain and shine, year round? Because I'll be honest I'm a fair weather kinda guy... the subway is like right there.

Kahrpistols

I wish! I used to be when I lived in the Bronx but my commute is too long for me to be out there during a snow storm. I kinda feel like I've softened up a bit because I don't even like to go out in the rain anymore.

jfowler85

Huh. Well you said it, there is a lot of subjectivity herein, which basically makes any commentary on another's load completely useless. I consider what I pack to be light as it is everything I absolutely require for work considering I ride in full kit and expected at work to blend in with those around me who mostly wear formal business attire, and also considering I can eat an order of magnitude healthier if I pack my own food, and actually enjoy my own coffee as opposed to drinking the toilet water that is usually found in workplace break rooms.

jfowler85

Hey, whatever excuse you need.