# Choice of bike for commuting



## tjjm36m3 (Mar 4, 2008)

I was wondering if it's more feasible to buy a commuter bike specifically for commuting to work. I only have one bike and it's a kind of a mid to high end race bike. I understand a commuter bike can take much more punishment like running over potholes, etc and even able to be parked outside without much fear of vandalism. The good thing about my workplace is we have bikeports availiable and is totally concealed from dust, rain, dirt, sunlight. And plus the 10mile ride from my place to work has fairly descent roads. I like riding my race bike but coworkers are telling me to buy a "beater" for commuting and save the race bike for the weekends. Others are telling me to use my current bike but buy cheap, heavy wheels for commuting. But in honesty I think my current configuration is suitable for both commuting and club rides. I was wondering how many of you buy a commuter bike specifically for commuting when you already have a "nice" bike.


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## bwana (Feb 4, 2005)

Before buying "cheap, heavy wheels" check to see if your frame can accomodate bigger tires. A lot of race bikes can't fit anything bigger than a 23mm tire, and to my way of thinking there is no point in going to a heavier wheel if you can't go with a bigger tire.


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## MarkS (Feb 3, 2004)

I used my one and only "nice" bike (a Trek 5200) for commuting for several years before I bought a second bike (a Lemond Poprad) for commuting. Several things contributed to my decision to buy a bike for commuting, including: (1) city street and potholes were beating the hell out of my bike (the straw that broke the camel's back was when I broke a spoke on a pothole); and (2) I could leave my lighting system on my commuter. If you can afford a decent commuter bike, I would counsel against using a beater for a commuter. You are going to be spending a lot of time on the commuter and need something that is both comfortable and dependable.


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## Mr. Versatile (Nov 24, 2005)

+1 to what Mark said. I actually put more miles on mmy commuter than I put on my race bike. Buying a piece of junk doesn't make sense if you're going to be riding a lot of miles. My commute iss 36 miles per day round trip. If I ride 4-5 days per week it adds up very quickly.


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## Slim Again Soon (Oct 25, 2005)

I do almost all of my miles riding to work and back -- so I use my "good" bike (a LeMond). If I rode a beater, most of my miles would suck.

I live in a town with good roads, so, no need for a beater to get beat up on potholes -- we don't have them. My wheels are Open-Pros, laced to Dura-Ace hubs. They're doing fine.

And I don't have to leave the bike outside in the rain. If I didn't have a covered place (a garage, in my case) to leave the bike at work, a beater would be my ride.


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## woodway (Nov 28, 2008)

If you are going to commute consistently, make sure that you get a bike that allows the installation of fenders.


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## Henry Chinaski (Feb 3, 2004)

I have lots of nice road bikes. But none of them had room for fenders and 700 x 32 tires, which is what I wanted for commuting (year round in the Northwest). So I bought a Surly Cross Check frame and built it up with nice parts. It's been great for the last three years.


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## Killroy (Feb 9, 2006)

Raleigh One Way
http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?t=157499


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## bigbill (Feb 15, 2005)

IMHO, cyclecross bikes with eyelets for fenders/rack make the best commuters. Soma and Surly make good quality welded steel frames. I commute on a Gunnar Crosshairs and my road bike is a Pegoretti BLE. Having a dedicated commuter allows me to keep the road bike ready to ride and minimizes wear on my expensive stuff. This doesn't mean my commuter is a beater, it has a Record drivetrain with a dura ace crankset. For my situation, the commuter gets the most miles so it needs to be comfortable and efficient. 

If you want a ready built commuter, look at the audax bikes from Ribble cycles. They are aluminum frames with carbon forks that come with fenders and the group and wheels of your choice. You could roll with a campy veloce setup for less than $800.


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## bolandjd (Sep 12, 2008)

+1 to everything already said. Everybody's commuting needs are so different I don't think anyone can empirically say that one type of bicycle is better for commuting than another. I think a racing bike makes sense if you want to get to work fast, the roads are decent, and you don't have to leave it anywhere where it's likely to get damaged or stolen. Other people's needs are different and they should commute on a different bicycle.


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## tjjm36m3 (Mar 4, 2008)

bolandjd said:


> +1 to everything already said. Everybody's commuting needs are so different I don't think anyone can empirically say that one type of bicycle is better for commuting than another. I think a racing bike makes sense if you want to get to work fast, the roads are decent, and you don't have to leave it anywhere where it's likely to get damaged or stolen. Other people's needs are different and they should commute on a different bicycle.


Thanks for all your replies. I think Bolandjd has very good points. For my situation, it is probably best if I continue using my regular road bike for commutes. The road conditions to my work are very good and I don't have problems with bike security at work. I will only be commuting via bike three times the most per week. So ditching out somewhere around $800 for a descent commuter wouldn't make much economical sense, plus I love riding my road bike.


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## JohnStonebarger (Jan 22, 2004)

Just to bring this conversation back down to earth a bit, I must say that my $400 dedicated commuter is comfortable, fun to ride, and (so far) dependable.

That said, the real reason the commuter is worth it to me is the room to run studded tires with fenders and that uneasy feeling I get leaving a road bike at the train station all day. The convenience of leaving on the lights is nice too.

When I occassionally do the full commute (100 miles) rather than ride to the train I use my racing bike.


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## tarwheel2 (Jul 7, 2005)

I like having a separate commuter bike, but I also like to ride a nice bike for commuting since I ride so many miles on my commuter. The problem with riding your regular road bike to work is that most racing bikes can't accommodate larger tires and don't have mounts for racks and fenders. If you add such practicalities to your road bike, then it won't be so good for group rides on the weekends.

So I keep my regular road bikes set up for fast rides with light tires, a small seat bag, nothing unnecessary. However, I've got my commuter bike decked out with all sorts of gear I would never hang on my other road bikes -- fenders, rack, large seat bag, head light, bell, larger tires.


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## knobbietyre (Aug 3, 2006)

*Cyclocross*

I really enjoy riding my "crosser", it is my do everything bike and I wouldn't want to be without it. It has been pretty cold here lately, around zero celsius today.

Keep the rubber side down.


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## Scot_Gore (Jan 25, 2002)

Like Mark, I commuted on my one and only "race bike", a Specialzed Allez, until I got a dedicated commuter/tourer two seasons back. 

Differences ? not much
I used a backpack on the Allez and a rack on the commuter
I have fenders now, so I ride more when it's wet than I did before.
I'm less concerned that the bike is getting "dirty" (and it gets less so because of the fenders)
I was always taking the lights on and off of the Allez so they wouldn't clutter the look on non-commute rides. I just leave them on the commuter full time, for less hassle. 

Scot


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## Muaythaibike (Oct 26, 2007)

I spent $125 dollars on my commuter rig. Old school french race bike. 12 speed down tube shifters. Mercier. I think the dam thing is from the 70's. Put a rear fender on it. Chenged the tires/tubes and brake pads... Runs fine. Especially for the 4 mile round trip. Takes the same amount of time if I take my car. 2 traffic lights and trafffic.PLUS 4 bucks a day for parking. The bike paid for itself in just over 6 weeks of commuting.


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## bigbill (Feb 15, 2005)

It all comes down to your commute. I see the value in a beater if your commute is short and/or you don't have good bike security at work. My commute is more than an hour each way so I have a nicer commuter. A full week of commuting for me is around 220 miles or 14 hours. A steel bike, good saddle (Regal), quality drivetrain, decent wheels (Velocity Deep V, PW hubs), conti gatorskin ultras, and quality lights. I use an HID, if my commute was all suburban or city, it would probably be overkill. Street lights wash it out. My commute is on rural roads with fast descents where my headlight is the only light.


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## Scot_Gore (Jan 25, 2002)

There's a number of people Commuting in where I work. Seems like everyone with a sub 5 mile commute is doing it on a "beater" and parking on the rack outside. Everyone with something longer is on a fairly decent machine and is finding "secure" parking arrangements. I know of two co-workers who had there "cheap" bikes stolen last summer off the rack. One of them was one of those Wal Mart "Chrysler PT Cruiser" $139.99 specials, it's only asset was being shiny. Replaced by my co-owrker with a 20+ year old Schwinn single speed that shows every year. Based on what I've heard, I don't think my bike would last a week out there. 

Scot


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## JohnnyTooBad (Apr 5, 2004)

I think the advantage of getting a dedicated commuter, no matter what it is, is that you can leave fenders, lights, maybe a bell, and commuting tires on it. It's a lot easier than swapping everything out all the time. Especially in the nicer months when you are doing lots of regular riding on evenings and/or weekends. Another advantage is not having to clean your good road bike all the time and wearing out your brakes and drive train, which is probably a lot more expensive then you might have on a commuter. I went for a single speed commuter because I have a pretty flat commute and I can go a month of commuting without cleaning it.


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## PaulRivers (Sep 11, 2006)

I really think the idea of "saving" your racing bike for the weekend is completely absurd if you can help it. I sure hope I didn't spend thousands and thousands of dollars on a new high end bike only to spend 80% of my ride time on a cheap bike so my good bike can be ready for "that one special day" when the weather is warm, there's no rain, and no salt or sand on the roads. Are we talking about riding a bike here, or a wedding and a wedding dress? 

If you have some sort of "secure" bike parking at work, and your race bike is comfortable, my opinion is definitely that you should keep riding the race bike. 

There are some legitimate reasons for a "beater" bike, but they don't sound like they apply to you -
1. Have to leave bike outside, and worried it might get stolen
2. Riding a bike during the winter with snow and ice - road grit chews up components way more than even rain does, plus a good winter bike has room for studded tires, fenders (for 40 degrees), etc etc.
3. You're poor. But then you probably can't afford a race bike anyways. 

On of the advantages of riding your race bike more often is that it will use/develop the exact same muscles you're using for more recreational/racing rides. I know there's a difference between the muscles used, for me, between riding my road bike and a more mountain bike style bike. Free training!


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## tarwheel2 (Jul 7, 2005)

Where you leave your bike at work is definitely at issue. I am able to leave my bike in my office during the day, which is another reason why I like to commute on a nice bike. If I had to leave my bike outside all day, I would definitely have gone for something less expensive and less enticing to potential thieves.


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## Doctorsti (Jul 12, 2008)

I am on the side of getting a dedicated commuter bike assuming you have a safe place to keep your bike while you work. Mine comes into the office with me and therefore I bought a Cannondale Cyclocross disc due to it's beefy frame and fork along with disc brakes for all weather stopping power. It's also a 54cm but the top tube of the bike fits like a 56 so it's 1.5cm longer then then my "good" bike. I have a bit shorter stem on it but I also think the headtube may be a bit taller so it's all good. It is heavier then my Six13 so when I ride the cross bike for a few days then get on my super light six13 I feel like Superman because I can cruise at speeds I could only dream of most of the week. I think riding a heavier bike (not 30 pounds by the way) is a little benefit for when you do get on your lighter bike. I think my cross bike comes in 8 pounds or so heavier give or take added to the extra 10 or so pounds I carry for clothing and lighting I'd say I am 20 pounds lighter or more on my weekend rides. I would not ride my "good" bike to work very often because it would just get beat up on the crappy roads I have to ride, not worth it imo. Go with a cross bike for the durability and braking capabilities, but make sure it's going to fit you similar to your "good" bike.


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## fbagatelleblack (Mar 31, 2005)

I say get a dedicated commuter because, heck, it's always fun to buy a new bike. It's also fun to have a couple bikes to choose from every morning. Feeling sporty? Take the race bike. Feeling Euro-stylish? Take the mute.

And you don't have to spend a ton of money to get a sweet ride. There used to be the idea of the "Heapmo," the stealth bike that looked like crap and rode like a dream. Now, I know you don't need to worry about your bike getting stolen, but there is still something to that idea. Buy a nice old steel bike off craigslist, and make a project out of building it up with good components - shop around on Nashbar, eBay, etc., for a few months and you can build it up stylingly for a few hundred bucks.

Here are some tips for buying a used bike:

http://cycloculture.blogspot.com/2008/03/how-to-buy-bicycle-on-craigslistorg.html

Course, this is just one man's opinion. For me, building up the bike is as much fun as riding it. For those of you who would prefer to spend your time spinning the pedals, maybe riding your race bike to work all the time makes sense, or buying a Surly or a Civia in full commuting regalia would offer a good option. Go with what moves your soul.

Yours,

FBB


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## lucer0 (Apr 13, 2007)

I had a Kona fixed gear before I built up my first race bike, and it became my commuter. Living in the Northeast its nice to not worry about cleaning the snow/slush/salt mix out of my drivetrain religiously.


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## PaulRivers (Sep 11, 2006)

Doctorsti said:


> ...I would not ride my "good" bike to work very often because it would just get beat up on the crappy roads I have to ride, not worth it imo. Go with a cross bike for the durability...


See, I'm really not trying to be argumentative, but I'm hoping someone can explain this to me - other than possible super light-weight fragile wheels, what is there on the bike to get "beaten up" on the roads? I'm trying to think of anything else that seems like it might wear out faster from some jostling, and I just can't think of anything...


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## bwana (Feb 4, 2005)

PaulRivers said:


> See, I'm really not trying to be argumentative, but I'm hoping someone can explain this to me - other than possible super light-weight fragile wheels, what is there on the bike to get "beaten up" on the roads? I'm trying to think of anything else that seems like it might wear out faster from some jostling, and I just can't think of anything...


Bearings will take a beating. Bearings are meant to support rotation, not the vertical motion associated with bumps. Lights take a beating too.


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## KenS (Jan 28, 2004)

*What gets beaten up in my area*



PaulRivers said:


> See, I'm really not trying to be argumentative, but I'm hoping someone can explain this to me - other than possible super light-weight fragile wheels, what is there on the bike to get "beaten up" on the roads? I'm trying to think of anything else that seems like it might wear out faster from some jostling, and I just can't think of anything...


The issues depend on your commuting situation. But in my area, there are 2 issues:

1) Drive-train. Our town deals with snow and ice by throwing down lots of grit and salt. I am more concerned about the grit. I try to keep my drive-train clean but I don't want to worry about replacing a super-expensive drive train.

2) Paint job/Frame abuse. I don't ride just back and forth between 2 locations that provide inside protection for my bike. Instead I may park at several locations and I need to take advantage of what is available. My frame is picking up lots of scratches from rubbing against immovable objects.

Ken


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## Fixed (May 12, 2005)

*care?*



PaulRivers said:


> See, I'm really not trying to be argumentative, but I'm hoping someone can explain this to me - other than possible super light-weight fragile wheels, what is there on the bike to get "beaten up" on the roads? I'm trying to think of anything else that seems like it might wear out faster from some jostling, and I just can't think of anything...


I think it's more because the bike you pull out and ride every day at 5 a.m., then get home and put away wet, just won't get the attention that your high dollar race bike might. You tend to neglect the commuter, at least after a while. You tend to ride in the dark and rain, more, so you are running into potholes that you can't see in the dark, getting wet a lot, carrying more weight, etc.


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## Muaythaibike (Oct 26, 2007)

Dedicated commuter all the way....

I have to leave my bike parked all day under a bridge at a train station. Yes I try to commute during the winter. 

Am I saving my good bike.. YES I am... I appreciate it even more during my weekend rides. I want it to last for years.. I dont clean my commuiter, just oil it. But I respect it (wow I am getting strange)..

I cound never clean my good bike every day. Kids are more important when I get home..

My suggestion. Buy a good used bike. The old ones can be had for 200.00... Again mine cost 125.00...


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## Doctorsti (Jul 12, 2008)

Fixed said:


> I think it's more because the bike you pull out and ride every day at 5 a.m., then get home and put away wet, just won't get the attention that your high dollar race bike might. You tend to neglect the commuter, at least after a while. You tend to ride in the dark and rain, more, so you are running into potholes that you can't see in the dark, getting wet a lot, carrying more weight, etc.


Exactly what I mean. Besides I have a CAAD7 R2000 and read the disclaimer that came with it which included these words:
_We maximize the use of materials and design to deliver light weight and high-performance in our Optimo and CAAD7 frames. This supplement is intended to alert you to some facts and an important warning you must understand as an owner of an Optimo or CAAD7 high-performance road bike.
FACTS
Optimo and CAAD7 bikes are designed to be today's ultimate lightweight road racing frames. You must understand that Optimo and CAAD7 bike are intended to give an aggressive racer a competitive edge for a season or two of racing. A less aggressive rider will enjoy longer frame life. Please understand that you are choosing light weight and a shorter frame life over more weight and a longer frame life. Please understand that you are choosing light weight over more dent resistant or rugged frames that weigh more. All frames that are very light need frequent inspection for cracks that would indicate that the frame is worn out from fatigue.
Optimo and CAAD7 frames are designed to ride, race and win on the road. They are not designed to take abuse or be a rugged workhorse. Do not install a rack, panniers and go touring! Do not ride cyclocross or off road! the racer or performance oriented road rider who wants a competitive edge for a season or two of racing. The tubing is thin and can be easily dented. Owners must use care in handling and transporting the frame. The top tube is particularly vulnerable to dents. Let it fall against a post or other bike, you may dent it. If the handlebars spin around and strike the top tube, you may dent it. Crash it, you may buckle or break the tubing, ruining the frame. If you find a crack, do not ride the frame. If you find a dent, inspect the area of the dent very carefully and frequently. Minor dents may not reduce the life of the frame. _
I can't imagine they got more durable with decreased weight over time here so I would prefer if my higher dollar bikes that are built to be light and delicate stay in one piece. Call if fear if you would like but it's a lot of money. The cross bike on the other hand is designed specifically to be ridden and raced on dirt and rocks through the woods. I will take that design for hopping curbs, rolling over road debris, and riding in wet weather any day of the week. Actually I do choose that at least 2 days per week, preferably 3-4!


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## Tweezak (Dec 6, 2008)

First post!

I had many of the same issues. I was not happy with my current commuter so yesterday, I took the plunge and bought a new Redline Conquest.

I was looking for the following:

Disc brakes were a must. Commuting in the rain (Oregon) means lousy braking and the grit that collects on my rear pads rapidly destroys my rim.
Rack/fender mounts
700c wheels. I'm a mountain biker so I even considered a 29'er to get the disc brakes but...
Drop bars...I wanted more hand positions to choose from. I used to road ride years ago and I loved drop bars.
Fully integrated shifting on the brake levers. The Redline has low-end Tiagra levers but at least it's something I can use for a while until I choose to upgrade. At least the rear derailleur is 105. Shifting seems snappy enough.
Comfort. I have been commuting 28 miles/day on an old MTB with road tires and it is a punishing ride...NO give at all! Every pebble comes right through your hands, seat and pedals.

The conquest used to come with a disc brake but not any more. The frame still has mounts, though. I lucked out that my LBS had some Bontrager Select Disc wheels for cheap and the exact brakes I wanted already on sale. They knocked 10% off everything but the bike and I ended up getting exactly what I wanted for a pretty good price.

I love this bike! It is quick, nimble, stiff but not harsh. However, I don't see it mentioned here hardly ever. Did I make a mistake or do cyclocross bikes just not get much press time on this forum?


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## bolandjd (Sep 12, 2008)

Tweezak said:


> I love this bike! It is quick, nimble, stiff but not harsh. However, I don't see it mentioned here hardly ever. Did I make a mistake or do cyclocross bikes just not get much press time on this forum?


Oh yeah. Maybe not lately, but if you dig into some older posts there's lots of talk about cross bikes. I can think of several threads of the "which bike for commuting?" variety and half of the responses say "get a cross bike."


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## tarwheel2 (Jul 7, 2005)

*cross bikes*



bolandjd said:


> Oh yeah. Maybe not lately, but if you dig into some older posts there's lots of talk about cross bikes. I can think of several threads of the "which bike for commuting?" variety and half of the responses say "get a cross bike."


There is also a separate Cyclocross forum here, so I imagine most discussions about cross bikes end up there. However, lots of cyclists use cross bike for commuting, many of whom participate in this forum from time to time.


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## Abacus (Oct 21, 2008)

This is a short story on how not to choose a commuting bike. It's a rather expensive way to do it. However, I'm happy with the end result, and this tale may help somebody from making some of the decisions I did.

I'm a 49yo fat, round, accountant who has decided to get into shape and try and defer an untimely obesity-induced death. It would probably be nice to be around to see the kids grow up.

I figured I would start riding between my home and my office. It's a 13km (8 mile) ride each way, with some reasonable hills along the way. (Concord to Balmain, for those other Sydney residents on here).

So I dragged my mid 90’s trek 700 hybrid out of the garage, gave it a cursory lube and service, and started doing some riding.










This included some early morning and late night rides and taking the kids (8yo and 10yo) for rides on some of the local cycleways. I even managed to get my wife my wife on back her Diamondback hybrid.

And I totally loved it. Surprisingly, it didn’t take my tub-of lard body too long to get into the rhythm. Sure, there was some serious pain and exhaustion the first few times, but within two weeks I did my first home to office ride. It was at night, I had to push the bike up a couple of the more serious hills, and the 13km ride took me an hour, but I made it. Woohoo!!.

Then on the way back home, something went very wrong. I pushed on the pedals, and they turned. The crank turned. The chain turned. But the back wheel didn’t turn. I took the bike back to the office, caught a cab home, and took the bike to the LBS the next day.

Apparently the freehub was shagged.

Now I had never been happy with the 700, for the simple reason that it didn’t suit my body shape. I’m 5’10, but I have short legs, a 79cm (31”) instep, and a long torso. I needed the top-tube length of the 19” frame (plus a 120mm stem), but the stand over height of the 19” 700 had no clearance to my "undercarriage”, and it was a nuisance whenever I had to pull up at traffic lights or wherever. This also made it a bit ungainly on the slowish cycleway rides I was doing with the kids, particularly if I had to dismount in a hurry. All in all, I didn’t feel like buying a new wheel for it, and I was told that getting the LBS to replace the freehub wasn’t commercially worthwhile. (They tried to sell me a Nexus-7 atb instead).

I figured I needed something a bit more appropriate to my proportions. I was conscious of my own lack of knowledge of all things bikey and decided I didn’t want to spend a great deal of money in exploring options, but at the same time I wanted to keep riding. I wanted something that was fine for tootling along with the kids, but also capable of doing the commute. My 118kg (260lb) mass and intended use made front shocks a complete waste of time and money, and wanted something pretty strong.

So I jumped onto eBay bought one of these:












A 1998 Diamondback Wildwood – an old-school rigid steel mountain bike. The bike was hardly used, having sat in a shed for most of the past 10 years. I stuck a set of Geax Streetrunners, some bar ends, and a set of mid-rise handlebars on it, got the LBS to lube the thing, and resumed cycling.

It has its good and bad points. The primary good point is that the frame size is much more suited to me, with a much lower stand over height, and it’s just the thing for taking the kids out. I can jump of it in a hurry if I want to, it will climb anything, and the slicks make it a decent ride on the road.

Its hi-ten/cro-mo frame makes it pretty heavy, but given the load of blubber it’s carrying that’s not really an issue.

The main problem is it’s slow. Even my utterly unathletic body has it spinning out in top gear on the road.

It's fine for riding with the kids, and I'll keep it for that purpose, but for my solo riding I decided I wanted something (a) faster, (b) low maintenance, and (c) a bit sportier. So I jumped back onto eBay and bought one of these:











A 2006 Avanti Blade-8. Alloy frame, sharp handling, Nexus-8 drivetrain – and a big, big mistake.

When I say it’s a mistake, I should note that there is nothing wrong with the Blade-8s themselves. When they come from the Avanti factory they are a fine, well built, beautifully finished bike.

But there was a problem with the particular example I bought – it had been used on a trainer for two years in a cycling school. This meant that it hadn’t been properly serviced in that time and body sweat from riders had soaked into everything. There was surface rust every where, the spokes had frozen, the headset was knackered and it was generally a mess. I shouldn’t have bought it, but seeing as it had been inside all its life and never been on the road, I didn’t think it could be so bad - right?.....Wrong-oooooo.

Of course, I don’t have the technical expertise to properly evaluate a used bike, although I am rapidly learning.

I wound up leaving it with a LBS (not the usual one) to sort out. The guy was extremely helpful and reasonable, particularly as I hadn’t bought the bike from him. Amongst other things he lubed the spokes, replaced the 7 or 8 that broke anyway when he adjusted them, generally got the bike roadworthy, and didn’t charge me very much money. I thoroughly recommend Beacon Bicycles at Padstow. Dave is a top bloke and he’ll be getting more of my business.

So much for the low-maintenance aspect of the purchase.

So the Blade 8 is working, and I’ve done a few 30-50km rides on it, but there remain several problems with the bike, or I should say, my compatibility with the bike.

Firstly, the bike has flat bars, and I have mild arthritis in my wrists. More so than with the Trek 700 or the Diamondback, I found I was getting serious pains in my wrists after each ride on this bike - even though I spend a lot of time on the bar ends. I could always put riser bars on it, but I have been trying to get away from a sit up and beg riding position. Drop bars are not a viable option on this bike as the 570mm top tube is too long, even with a shorter stem, and devising a shifter solution for the Nexus-8 hub is a PITA. Something like On-One Albatross bars might be OK, but they don't really appeal to me.

Second, the Nexus 8 and 118kg of unfit accountant just can’t get it on when there are serious hills involved. I thought of changing the rear sprocket, but the road speed with the existing 38/19 setup is already pretty compromised. I don’t want to lower the high speed any further.

Third, this is the first aluminum framed bike I’ve owned, and I just can’t get used to the ride. It’s hard, and it’s noisy. I suspect it is also partly to blame for the wrist pain I’ve been getting. 

Fourth, the wheels are going out of true, less than 6 weeks after I had them fixed. I’ve only done about 400km, all of it on the road, no curb hopping and no significant potholes. They just can’t handle my weight.

This bike has to go.

So what do I replace it with?

This.










https://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&item=170288665658

A 21” 2003 Trek 520. Excellent condition, 100% 4130 cro-mo, comfortable, smooth shifting with a reasonable gear range, very sturdy 36 spoke rims with eyelets, and heaps of braze-ons for racks and fenders. $730 will seem like a lot of money for one of these to our North American friends, but in Australia these things retail for $2,400 new.

A couple of rides on this bike have me convinced that I’ve finally found the bike I’ll keep. It might be designed as a tourer, but it's a marvelous commuter. Far faster than either the hybrtid or the mountain bike, much more comfortable than the alloy road bike, and heaps of braze ons for careiers and fenders, which will be added over the coming months,

A previous owner has removed the drop bars. I intend fitting a set of these:












45cm Nitto Randonneur bars, Tektro RL520 brake levers and 7700 bar-end shifters.

These should solve any remaining comfort issues.

I am also replacing he 30/42/52 crankset with a 24/36/46 to help me deal with hills a bit better.

So it's been a long and tangled way to find the right bike, but it's worked out OK. There is really no substitute for spending time in the saddle of a bike to find out if it will work or not (at least, that's how I rationalize it to myself).

The old 700 is going into the next recycling collection, I'm keeping the Diamondback mountain bike for riding with the kids, the Avanti is going back on eBay, though I expect to be a few hundred dollars out of pocket.

The 520 is being customized to my exact criteria, (bars, stem, steerer extender, crankset, etc, etc), which I would have had to do with a brand new one anyway.

All up, by the time I'm finished the entire exercise will have cost me about half the price of a new 520, and I'll wind up with exactly the bike I want.

And my think my new-found love affair with cycling is here to stay .


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## ColoradoVeloDude (Oct 7, 2005)

tjjm36m3 said:


> I was wondering if it's more feasible to buy a commuter bike specifically for commuting to work. I only have one bike and it's a kind of a mid to high end race bike. I understand a commuter bike can take much more punishment like running over potholes, etc and even able to be parked outside without much fear of vandalism. The good thing about my workplace is we have bikeports availiable and is totally concealed from dust, rain, dirt, sunlight. And plus the 10mile ride from my place to work has fairly descent roads. I like riding my race bike but coworkers are telling me to buy a "beater" for commuting and save the race bike for the weekends. Others are telling me to use my current bike but buy cheap, heavy wheels for commuting. But in honesty I think my current configuration is suitable for both commuting and club rides. I was wondering how many of you buy a commuter bike specifically for commuting when you already have a "nice" bike.



I have a "nice" CF bike and I wouldn't dream of using it for commuting. Leaving it out in the elements just didn't seem like the right thing to do when I am at work. Also, my "good" bike didn't have mounts for panniers. My commute bike is a Specialized Cirrus -- about $400 I think. But, looking back on this a bike from WalMart or Target would probably work OK too. Also, I only have three miles each way to work. for longer rides, you'll want something that is comfy...


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## Tweezak (Dec 6, 2008)

Abacus:
Why do you buy bikes off ebay rather than something you can try out first? That seems like a huge gamble.

I did something similar going through a couple commuters compiled from a few bikes.

I bought a Trek 8000 MTB from a friend of mine and when I took it for a spin, I noticed things right away. Bent crank, poor shifting, slightly loose hubs, etc. The bike had been in storage for a long time and my buddy had forgotten a lot of the problems with it. When I mentioned things, he was saying..."that's right...I forgot it has a shifting problem." But hell, $100 for the lightest MTB I'd ever lifted, I couldn't pass it up. I knew it was going to cost money to get this bike trail worthy.

I bought a Trek 4900 on Craigslist as a parts bike. I needed the fork and the wheels/brakes for the 8000. I also needed the shifters. So I built up my mountain bike and found that the fork sucked. A good deal came along on a very nice high-end fork from another friend so I put that on. The brakes also turned out to be crap so I just ordered $300 Avids. So much for saving money by getting a parts bike.

Now, as far as my commuter, I had been riding a bike I bought new in 1989. It's a full-rigid Fisher AL-1 mountain bike. This has got to be one of the 10 most harsh and punishing frames in the galaxy and when you put 90 psi road tires on your Matrix ISO-C aero rims...it only gets worse. When I resurrected this bike for commuting in August, I dumped quite a bit of money into it. New linear travel V-brakes/levers, cables/housings, chain, cassette, lights, fenders, carbon handlebars, Ti railed seat, shock absorbing seat post (I was trying to make it more comfortable). It ran into a lot of money.

Eventually, I decided to go ahead and build up the Trek 4900 frame into a commuter. I took the stuff I hadn't used on my mountain bike and made it a competent road machine. It actually rides pretty well and didn't cost me anything...I already had spare parts. However, I did discover that the frame is damaged. The previous owner had over tightened the front derailleur bracket and damaged the seat tube. This was pretty disappointing. But, the bike is a 19.5" frame anyway and is really too big for me and I wasn't really liking it as something that I would spend a lot of time on. If you're keeping up...the 4900 had become almost a total waste of money by this time. Only the wheels, shifters and eggbeater pedals were still in use on the 8000.

That's when I decided to stop farting around with used bikes that were an unknown quantity and get a real road bike that I would fall in love with. Hell, I had my last new bike for 20 years...I think I deserve a treat.

I sold the Fisher frame to a woman who used to have one and loved it until it was stolen. When she saw mine on Craigslist...she had to have it.She got a good deal and I am glad to see it will get used. I took very good care of it.

The Trek 4900 is up for sale right now for $150. Even with the frame damage which I disclosed in the ad, it's worth the money as a commuter. If it doesn't sell, I'll take the frame to the scrap yard and sell the components individually. The wheels are sooo light and strong I may just keep them around in case I have a future project that calls for 26" wheels with rim brakes.

To summarize what I have learned:
If you start riding and you find that you love it and you know you are going to stick with it...drop the coin and buy the bike you really want. You will be happier in the end and you probably will save money. If you do what I did, you'll end up with a new bike anyway but you'll have spent a lot of cash on experimentation first.

Here's about how my transactions went:
Fisher AL-1 (already owned)
01 Trek 8000 $100
03 Trek 4900 $350
Bought parts that I didn't end up keeping: $400 (close approx)
Sold Fisher $80
Sold Parts $50
Sold 4900 $150

Add that up and I basically blew $570 because I ended up buying a new bike anyway. Oh well. It has been fun so I'll write it off as several months of entertainment expenses.


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## Abacus (Oct 21, 2008)

Tweezak said:


> Abacus:
> Why do you buy bikes off ebay rather than something you can try out first? That seems like a huge gamble.


Yeah tell me about it. My wife certainly does!

Firstly, I never expected to actually get into this cycling stuff the way I have.

A few months ago, I just wanted to ride something to & from work, maybe improve my fitness and lose some weight.

I was just going to use my old Trek 700, but it carked itself on the first real commute and, POS that it was, it wasn't worth fixing, Still, the first few rides that I did on the thing got me hooked on the whole cycling idea, and I figured i would buy something - anything, to keep the cycling thing happening.

I didn't have any idea what I wanted, I just decided to give a mtb a try because of the low standover height. Given my weight, I clearly wasn't interested in suspension or anything fancy.

The Diamondback cost me $100 - I figured what the hey - for that price I have nothing to lose. If I don't like it i'll chuck it. (It's turned out to be a good little bike for riding with the kids, so I'm keeping it anyway. I just wish it was 100% cro-mo).

After a few rides I quickly realized the Diamondback wasn't what I wanted for the commute - I was just spinning it out in top gear and the ride was taking forever. At this point I still really didn't know what kind of bike I would really wanted - or even if I was going to stick with it.

I visited a couple of dealers, got wildly conflicting advice, and wasn't prepared to shell out full retail on a new bike that I wasn't sure about.

Heck, forget individual models, I didn't even know what broad category of bike I wanted. I could have let myself get talked by a dealer into buying a new Trek 6700, Giant Innova (yechhh!), Specialized Cirrus, or a cyclo-cross bike (with a low SO height? - riiiiigghhht). None of the dealers suggested a tourer. I sensed that they just wanted to sell whatever they had on the floor to this fat middle aged guy who wouldn't know any better, and probably wouldn't ride it anyway.

I had to find out what I wanted myself. My logic has been if I buy cheap I can always sell cheap. If I were to get lucky with an eBay bargain that I'm happy to live with then it's a bonus.

Each of the bikes I bought on eBay has been from a completely different genre to the others. 

The $100 Diamondback mtb made me realize that a good fitting bike made all the difference. Clearly, it was still the wrong bike for me for various reasons, but it gave me the impetus to start researching things on the net. A couple of hundred hours on the net, including these forms, has allowed me to gather the knowledge and and criteria to take into account when I went looking for a "keeper.

I needed to go through this process to work out what category of bike was best for me. Buying the eBay bikes has turned out to be quite cost effective, in terms of exposing me to different characteristics that wouldn't have otherwise crossed my mind.

By the time I was finished with the hybrid, the mtb, and the aluminium flat bar road bike I had a better idea of the kind of bike I wanted. I also had a firm idea of what size I wanted, and approximate standover height and top tube length limitations. 

Specifically, I established that I wanted a steel, high quality, strong, flexible, non-racer road bike, with rack mounts, longish TT relative to SO height, sharp but not-twitchy handling, 36 spoke double walled wheels with eyelets, and a few other things. 

If I hadn't lived with the variety of bikes I had lived with over a few months I wouldn't have come up with such specific criteria, and I would have regretted it later. I wasn't going to get this information from a few cursory rides around the block on some demo bikes.

I also had a budget to consider. The only bike I particularly liked that came within my budget was the Fuji Touring, but I really wanted a 520. The price of a new 520 in Australia was $2,399, which was way outside my budget.

Now, 520s don't come up on eBay in Australia very often, much less ones in my city, in my size, and in good condition. I knew that the Fuji had some things I would want to change, but I got a couple of quotes from some dealers, and if the 520 hadn't come up on eBay I would have bought a 490mm Touring.

I would have needed to order the Touring by December 31 to beat the massive price rises that were coming through in January. (December 2008 price $1,150. January 2009 price $1,400+, due to the $A falling in value since October), but as luck would have it the auction for the 520 closed on 28 December, so I set up a snipe and waited.

I picked up the 520 within an hour of the end of the auction. If it hadn't been in the condition described in the listing I would have walked away from the sale and driven straight to a Fuji dealer to order and pay for a 490mm Touring. That's how close it was.

So all up, the financial costs are as follows:

- Trek 700 - I already owned this old bike. I never liked it because the fit was all wrong, the standover height was too high, and the top tube was too short. In retrospect, that's why I never rode it. It didn't cost me anything to pull it out of the garage, and I'm not losing anything when I chuck it in the dumpster.

- 1998 Diamondback Wildwood. I paid $100 for the bike, and it was almost NOS, I paid $70 for a pair of slicks, $30 for some new handlebars and a bit more for odds and sods. Call it $250 all up. I could eBay it and get a chunk of money back, but I'm not going to. By pure luck, it's a good fit. It's just the thing for riding with the kids, and I would miss it if it wasn't there, so I'm, keeping it. It's been worth every penny.

- 2006 Avanti Blade 8. I did a bit of research before I got this bike, sat on one at a dealer to make sure it fitted, and paid $500 for it. I've since spent $250 fixing the wheels, getting a new headset installed, work on the wheels, and a full service, so it owes me $750. A new one is only $949.00, so I've paid too much. It will probably fetch around $450 when I sell it on eBay, so I've burned $300. Yes that sucks, but I'm not crying about it. I've had a couple of months use out of the thing, and learned a lot. In fact the knowledge I've acquired over the past few months has been invaluable. Taking up this sport is literally a life changing decision. 

If it doesn't look like it's going to get a decent price on eBay I'll keep it, transfer the Nexus-8 stuff over to my wife's 700C hybrid, keep some stuff for spare parts, and eBay or chuck the frameset. Either way, I'm not too bothered.

- 2003 Trek 520. I paid $730 for this bike. A new one is $2,399. It's in great condition, and doesn't need any money spent on it. I call this one a win.

I'm going to spend about $450 on it because I want to. That work will include handlebars, brake levers, shifters, crankset, and other odds and ends. A good portion of this money would have been spent even if I had bought a new bike, so that's fine. Add on a few hundred for my expected loss on the Avanti and I've still saved around $1,000 over the price of a new 520, and I'll have it set up exactly the way I want it.

What's wrong with that?


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## bolandjd (Sep 12, 2008)

tarwheel2 said:


> There is also a separate Cyclocross forum here, so I imagine most discussions about cross bikes end up there. However, lots of cyclists use cross bike for commuting, many of whom participate in this forum from time to time.


True. True. He did specifiy _this_ forum, so I assumed he already knew about the cyclocross forum. It seems to me that there are really two different kinds of cross bikes - the kind that are actually meant for racing cyclocross and the kind that are actually meant for all purpose riding (since road racing bikes don't fit wide tires anymore). But that's a whole different discussion, I think.


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## bolandjd (Sep 12, 2008)

Abacus, that's a great story. I think you got it exactly right. I can relate with your quest for the perfect bike; I am about as big as you are and also ended up with a touring bike (Surly LHT) for commuting and all purpose on-road cycling. It makes lots of sense to get a bike built to handle the weight and still ride well. Not to get too far off topic, but since you're keeping your MTB, you might consider picking up some knobby tires and searching out some local singletrack if or when you can get the chance - it's lots of fun and a great workout. Surely there's off- road riding opportunities down under?


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## Abacus (Oct 21, 2008)

bolandjd said:


> Abacus, that's a great story. I think you got it exactly right. I can relate with your quest for the perfect bike; I am about as big as you are and also ended up with a touring bike (Surly LHT) for commuting and all purpose on-road cycling. It makes lots of sense to get a bike built to handle the weight and still ride well. Not to get too far off topic, but since you're keeping your MTB, you might consider picking up some knobby tires and searching out some local singletrack if or when you can get the chance - it's lots of fun and a great workout. Surely there's off- road riding opportunities down under?


Thanks bolandjd,

I've still got the knobbies that were on the mountain bike when I bought it. They look pretty much unused, and could be swapped over any time if I get the urge to do so.

Once I get lose some weight the possibilities are endless.


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## Fixed (May 12, 2005)

*another option*



bolandjd said:


> Abacus, that's a great story. I think you got it exactly right. I can relate with your quest for the perfect bike; I am about as big as you are and also ended up with a touring bike (Surly LHT) for commuting and all purpose on-road cycling. It makes lots of sense to get a bike built to handle the weight and still ride well. Not to get too far off topic, but since you're keeping your MTB, you might consider picking up some knobby tires and searching out some local singletrack if or when you can get the chance - it's lots of fun and a great workout. Surely there's off- road riding opportunities down under?


Here's a fixed frame with tons of tire/fender clearance. Works great:

http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?t=158352


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