# Bike set up MB1, other commuters?



## Mosovich (Feb 3, 2004)

Tell me a little about your bikes. Components, tires, wheels etc.

Thanks!


----------



## Dave_Stohler (Jan 22, 2004)

I haven't actually commuted by bike in over 1 year (my job is 26 miles from home, and I do 12 hour shifts), but I used to commute daily with my Cannondal touring bike, circa 1989. It had front and rear racks, panniers front (only occasionally, though), and waterproof rears. Since it's a 'Dale, I fitted a Brooks B66 sprung saddle to it. Look pedals and a unique drivetrain, sending power to CR18 rims with Turbo Armadillos on them. Never, ever flatted with these 28mm tires.

My drivetrain is an old 6-cog one, but I have many NOS freewheels and cogs, so I'll stick with them. My triple is a half-step plus granny setup with 52/48/34 rings. I can split every gear, giving me an effective 12 speeds on the top rings without any duplications. I shift it through bar-end SunTour index shifters.


----------



## bigbill (Feb 15, 2005)

*I commute six days a week.*

There is a picture of my commuter in my Honolulu post. It is a Soma Smoothie ES steel frame, about $350 frame and fork. I use Salsa Delgado Cross rims with 10S ultegra hubs and 28mm Armadillo tires. My spare set of commuting wheels are old DA hubs with 
MA-40 rims and 25mm Gatorskin tires. I use a 9S Chorus drive train with a SRAM 12-23 cassette and KMC chain. I use an old 7401 DA crankset with 39/50 rings. I have Salsa short and shallow bars with a Thomson stem. I use an Uno post and a Regal saddle. I have a cateye 5 LED tail light and a spot type blinky on the back of my helmet. My headlight is a Niterider Flamethrower HID and it scares the sh!t out of joggers on the MUT. My commute is 13 miles each way and I arrive at work at sunrise and leave by 3:30. I wear Lake SPD sandals and use crank brothers candy pedals. I wear a camelback to carry my lunch and to allow me to do any necessary shopping on the way home. I had originally wanted a Surly, but they were out of stock in 60cm and someone here recomended Soma. I am very happy with my bike.


----------



## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

*Kiss*



Mosovich said:


> Tell me a little about your bikes. Components, tires, wheels etc.
> 
> Thanks!


*K*eep *I*t *S*imple *S*on (or words to that effect).

Since by definition any bike you commute on is a commuter, all of our bikes are commuter bikes. They all work fine for the intended use.

However if I was to set up a bike specifically for commuting this is what I would like.

Some ugly old steel frame converted to fixed.
Front brake only.
Big fat tires (700x28ish).
Fenders.
Bell.
Front and rear lights year round.

That would do the trick nicely.

Neither of us ride such a bike though.

What I rode today.....


----------



## luvmybike (Aug 19, 2002)

*My commuter/ workhorse*

I commute (plus road ride) on my Lemond Poprad cross bike (853 reynolds steel with steel fork). I run a Sora triple up front and a shimano Deore rear mech. with a 13-27 cassette. I kind of swap between a set of 28 slicks and a set of Ritchey Speedmax 32 knobbies, depending on what route I might take. I have not been to impressed with the Ritchey's and am on the search for a different set of knobbies. I run them on a set of Mavic Open Pro's (which have been bombproof!). I know the Sora and deore stuff is cheap but it takes a lot of punishment and handles dirt well and I have never had any trouble with the performance. 

If I had a little extra cash I would not mind a second set of wheels with a bit steeper cassette to go with the slicks and run the 13 - 27 on the cross tires. And If I had a lot of extra cash I would like to just get a new road bike and set this one up commuter all the way with more permanent lights and a rack. Right now I carry everything in a messenger bag


----------



## cbbaron (Apr 18, 2003)

I am a year round commuter in Cleveland. I'm still trying to figure out the ideal commuting platform "for me", but I rode an old hybrid converted to fixed gear with Zefal touring/hybrid plastic fenders, a rack and Nashbar studded tires last winter in the snow. When the weather started improving this spring I bought a Mercier Kilo TT fixed gear track bike and currently ride that with a Chrome messenger bag most days. 
My winter hybrid was recently stolen from my garage so I picked up an '85 Trek 400 off Ebay which I intend to put fenders and a rack on to use into the winter months, maybe fixed. I'll may decide to get another cheap commuter to mount the studded tires on again when the snow starts flying. 
I've also used everything from a lowracer recumbent to a Dahon folding bike for commuting. They all work OK. For my current 8.5 mile urban commute I perfer a fixed gear and fenders become nice when the weather get ugly.
Craig


----------



## Mosovich (Feb 3, 2004)

*Bike set up*

What tires do you use?


----------



## Spinfinity (Feb 3, 2004)

*ok*

Fixed Look KG96 with 44x15.
Campy Gran Sport front brake
Mavic MA-40 wheels with Campy hub in front and American Classic rear
Vredestein Volante 700x25 tires - left overs from brevet riding
Cinelli Bar and stem with Scott clip-on aero bar - good place to hang lights, etc. 
Campy pedals with clips and straps
Zefal clip on vender.


----------



## filtersweep (Feb 4, 2004)

MB1 said:


> Some ugly old steel frame converted to fixed.
> Front brake only.
> Big fat tires (700x28ish).
> Fenders.
> ...


Sort of like mine- one with fenders & lights- one without. I'm only able to commute about 3 days/week due to requiring a car for meetings, but I have 40 miles round trip, and riding fixed gives me an extra bit of a workout.

Components hardly matter, but I do run a front brake- using old 105s- crank on the Schwinn is an old 600 and there is some Sugino on the no-name. 

I have a bunch of old wheels- my main rear is from a Nashbar fixed/fixed hub laced to a Mavic CXP10 rim that was a DIY job. Otherwise I have Campy/Ambrosios. I use Armadillo tires- I had four flats in one commute once last year- below freezing temps- at night.... didn't want to go through that again.

I built up a very similar bike for my wife, except I tossed on a BMX freewheel. I picked up an old Centurion frame for almost nothing on ebay- with an extra Ultegra crankset that I bartered for.

The beauty of these is that they require no maintenance that i cannot do myself, they are lugged steel (indestructable), and are a low priority for thieving bastards and other miscreants.


----------



## delay (Mar 10, 2005)

*Fixed gear bikes are pretty nice, but...*

I love my fixed gear bike, and commute on it nearly every day. However, I have to say that the geared bike has not left my mind. 

I ride an IRO mark v pro and a bianchi giro
The drivetrain on the mark v pro (all IRO stock parts) leaves something to be desired, but anything more expensive would have defeated the purpose of something cheap to commute on.

As for the bianchi. Eventually the deda stem needs to go. The 105 components are workable and feel fantastic if you have never used something better. The only real problem is the 105 crank which feels a bit flexy. The Mavic cosmos wheels could stand to be ALOT stiffer. The frame, however, is fantastic. The alu/carbon combo rides great. I only have about 500 miles on it so far, so I have no idea how it is going to hold up.


----------



## Andy M-S (Feb 3, 2004)

*Mine...*



Mosovich said:


> Tell me a little about your bikes. Components, tires, wheels etc.
> 
> Thanks!


My all-round bike (including commuting) is a Kogswell D58 steel lugged frame and fork, set up (more or less) as follows:

The wheels are CXP33 rims, 32 db spokes to a Shimano Dynohub in front, Ultegra 9s hub in back (currently 12-25). Velox tape, Michelin Dynamic 700x25mm tires. These live under a set of stainless steel fenders, the rear of which wears a permanently-mounted rear light/reflector.

On the left leg of the fork is mounted a Lumotec 3w light/reflector and a switch, connected to the dynohub.

The brakes are by Tektro (super-long reach) and the pads are Koolstop. The levers are also Tektro, the new Ergo-style units, sitting on a Ritchey Comp bar and stem, WTB headset (mit spacers). Shifters are DT and control 105 front and rear triple mechanisms. The crank is a Sugino XD running 48-36-26, and old Ultegra SPD pedals.

Seatpost is generic (most likely Kalloy), and the saddle is a Brooks Swift, with a saddlebag adapter. Planet Bike bottle cages, SRAM chain, UN5X bottom bracket.

What'd I leave out?


----------



## damon (Dec 24, 2001)

Mosovich said:


> Tell me a little about your bikes. Components, tires, wheels etc.
> 
> Thanks!


Well, i was going to go into this thing about what a good commuter bike is, but that isn't your question... i'll indulge in the collective bit of cyclo-centric narcissism, too 

~Frame: Bianchi Reparto Corse Cross bike
~Fork: custom Teesedale - built for strong. It's blue and lugged. I bent the stock fork doing a nose wheelie :-(
~Wheels: 32 holes and built strong. Front wheel is an old thread-on rear wheel that has been converted to disk use. Rear has a semi-aero rim that makes it hard to get to the tube and pump it up.
~Tires: Rivendell Rolly-Pollys (700x28c). I'm a big fan of medium width smooth tires for commuting.
~Brakes: Hacked avid mtn disk up front, and hacked XT V-brake turned into canti in the back
~Drivetrain: Campy veloce 10sp ergo with XTR rear der, XT 8sp cassette and XT front der. XC-Pro cranks and race face BB. It is now clean.
~H-bars: WTB Dirt drops with an entirely too difficult criss-cross bar taping job.

It is heavy, it is strong, it is fast, and it is comfy. I don't like leaving it locked up in public, though. It used to have crap components on it, but that has definitely changed over the last couple of years...

my other commuter is more of a mtb beater bike with slicks, fenders, kickstand, etc... This is the short errand/lock'em'up bike.


----------



## bigbill (Feb 15, 2005)

damon said:


> Well, i was going to go into this thing about what a good commuter bike is, but that isn't your question... i'll indulge in the collective bit of cyclo-centric narcissism, too
> 
> ~Frame: Bianchi Reparto Corse Cross bike
> ~Fork: custom Teesedale - built for strong. It's blue and lugged. I bent the stock fork doing a nose wheelie :-(
> ...


I have SKS fenders on the Soma. I like the mudflap on planet bike fenders. Any suggestions on how I could make my own mudflaps and attach them to my fenders?


----------



## Geet (Sep 17, 2004)

I ride a Cannondale Cyclocross Disc (XR1000) that I bought used.

Tires: 25 mm Specialized All Condition with SKS fenders
Pedals: Some cheap Shimano SPD pedal with plastic platform on one side. I ride it at lunch without the cycle shoes.
Lights: 5 LED flasher in the back and NiteHawk Halogens in the front.
Cables: Nokon compressionless housing. Previous owner put them on

So far it's been a great bike. I was afraid I would destroy road bikes because I am big guy at 270lbs. This has held up spectacularly. Wheels are still perfectly true. The disc brakes are fantastic at slowing me down particularly in the wet.

Edit: I also have a heavy steel mtb from the 80s as my backup commuter, grocery hauler and Critical Mass steed.


----------



## damon (Dec 24, 2001)

bigbill said:


> I have SKS fenders on the Soma. I like the mudflap on planet bike fenders. Any suggestions on how I could make my own mudflaps and attach them to my fenders?


I've built extendo fenders by bolting bits to fenders to make them longer... Just get some thickish rubbery type stuff from a hardware store and some screws and washers and bolt it on. Screw heads on the outside, rubber on the inside - it will look pretty clean. That is a bit of advanced fender-dom, though. The ghetto winter-racer way of doing it is to cut a plastic bottle in half (length-wise) and tape it (duct tape) to the fender.




Geet said:


> I was afraid I would destroy road bikes because I am big guy at 270lbs.


Dude, you don't look an ounce over 190! ;-)


----------



## Geet (Sep 17, 2004)

damon said:


> Dude, you don't look an ounce over 190! ;-)


Hahaha. I hope you never get one of those jobs where you have to guess people's weight.

I am also attaching a picture of my bike. It's just lounging in the back yard and not playing in the play ground.


----------



## JP (Feb 8, 2005)

*Seattle Mudflaps*

"I have SKS fenders on the Soma. I like the mudflap on planet bike fenders. Any suggestions on how I could make my own mudflaps and attach them to my fenders?"...

In the fall, I'm gonna go out and take pictures of all the different mudflaps people use in Seattle. It's hilarious. I'll post it. Everything from duct tape to fancy leather. I've got a piece of rubber from Home Depot that was intended as a shower pan liner, but I'm thinking of switching over to the classic 1/4 of a water bottle. They seem to look cool, and they let you show a logo like recycled cycles or some such....Although the part number for the industrial rubber mat is pretty stylin'


----------



## northcoast (Jul 11, 2003)

Here's what I commute on 4-5 days a week about 15 miles one way. Fixed gear 44x16. Lugged steel frame built by my brother David Ybarrola. Mostly Campy Chorus components. Surly rear hub. Crankbrothers pedals. Bullhorns w/ a front brake. The Gatorskins have pretty dependable on ugly LA streets.
Nice bikes guys!


----------

