Recomendations on commuting Bicycle
- Thread starter Biff
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I use whatever is around - when my commute was only 6 miles I used a fixed gear. Cheap is the way to go until you really know what you want, then take the time to spend. A friend of mine in MA commuts about 20 to 30 miles a day - rain, snow, etc - every day. He just threw down a bunch of money for the bike.
I use whatever is around - when my commute was only 6 miles I used a fixed gear. Cheap is the way to go until you really know what you want, then take the time to spend. A friend of mine in MA commuts about 20 to 30 miles a day - rain, snow, etc - every day. He just threw down a bunch of money for the bike.
MDH33 said:You all just suggest "Cyclo-cross" because the name sounds cool.Uncomfortable for a commuter and not practical. Unless you're adept at wrenching and building bikes, get something comfortable and built like a tank. I rode an old Raleigh style 3 speed for 4 years in NYC. Rusty and ugly, but comfortable, no derailers to mess with and ugly enough no one would want to steal it. Also, everything is bolted on, no quick releases. I did have a clip on tail-light and headlight and a rear rack that would accept panniers. The price was right too. I found it in the trash. Elbow grease, some new rubber and some oil. It's still in service for me here in Denver as a beer hauler.
I like your style.
I found this at the local metal recycler, $0.25 a pound (about $10.00)
Chain gaurd, keeps your pants from getting caught in the chain.
Fenders, for the rainy days.
Cheap, don't have to worry about locking it.
Why spend $500.00 to save $50.00 in gas?
I'd ride whatever you already have.
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I agree, and I suspect my old Sears Free Spirit would do a fine job for commuting. Commuting is much more unpredictable than sport or leisure riding, and rush-hour traffic can be unforgiving of a lapse of judgment, attention, or control. You can be pretty casual about what bike, but take what you're doing seriously. Get a really good helmet, and a helmet mirror. At night or dawn you'll need lights, especially on the front. I have two obnoxious, flashing, LED lights on the front, and one brighter one in the back. Most of my vehicle collisions have been cars that didn't see me and pulled out in front of me or into me, so I like front strobes. And if you hate bikers who ride on the road when there's a bike path, you'll soon learn why. Bike paths are the most dangerous place I've ever ridden. I've had a lot of collisions on bike paths, slammed on the brakes twice in the last two weeks to avoid a painful repeat. I don't mean to put you off your plans, I'd just hate to hear you were injured in a way I've learned to avoid.toygeek said:
scottm said:
Above statements so true. During college I was commuting daily on a converted mountain bike. Street rubber, a more comfortable seat, lights, and still had my clipless pedals on it. It was dark out and I was coming down a hill on an unlit street . Some knucklehead rolled through a stop sign right into my path. I T'boned the driver side fender, sailed over the hood and ate the pavement head first on the other side. knocked myself out cold. The driver bailed. Luckily there were some pedestrians there to pull me out of the street. I broke my right hand, left wrist, shattered my jaw into 4 pieces, knocked out three teeth and had some nasty road rash. I had my jaw wired for 8 weeks. Damn that sucked. BUT I still ride almost every day and after that I commuted by bike in NYC traffic for 4 years with no incidents. Be safe, have fun.
I'm with O.J.
Old school 3/5 speeds rule. I'm commuting on a 1971 Schwinn Collegiate. It's a sleeper, we built up new wheels for it- Weinman aluminums 1.8 mm Wheelsmith spokes and a 7 spd internal Shimano hub. Also has a nice rack on the back, the OEM fenders, chainguard, kickstand and moustache bars. I upgraded the saddle to a mongoose messenger version.
Much more practical for a short commute than the GT XCR mtn bike or the Merckx roadie.
Old school 3/5 speeds rule. I'm commuting on a 1971 Schwinn Collegiate. It's a sleeper, we built up new wheels for it- Weinman aluminums 1.8 mm Wheelsmith spokes and a 7 spd internal Shimano hub. Also has a nice rack on the back, the OEM fenders, chainguard, kickstand and moustache bars. I upgraded the saddle to a mongoose messenger version.
Much more practical for a short commute than the GT XCR mtn bike or the Merckx roadie.
You're in! Nice bike, good helmet, light color will be more visible. I went with canary yellow on the helmet, every little bit helps. If it doesn't have reflective backing that's a good, cheap upgrade. I bought a roll of highly reflective tape, good for helmet, rim, etc.Biff said: