Hello world!
I'm hoping to find some suggestions for a new commuter bike. Thus far I have been using a commuter-ified Trek mountain bike and it has worked out pretty well. My main concerns at this point are the weight, the lack of good aerodynamics, and it just being less than efficient in general.
Where I live there are a lot of gusting winds... all year round. The mountain bike's posture is decent for seeing traffic around me, but with my work schedule and the roads I ride on, I encounter very few vehicles on my rides. My job also has me on my feet a lot and I usually walk ~5 miles per day, so the last thing I want to do is work harder than I need to during my commutes.
Now then, I was looking to get either a road or touring bike for commuting. It will have to be able to accept fenders as I commute in any weather in this wonderful Chicago climate. I also want something light as possible while still being durable enough to handle my ~200lb self and whatever few pounds of clothing or water I might have on me. A steel frame sounds much nicer to me than aluminum or carbon. As far as the ergonomics, I'd prefer something more bent over and racy than something more upright. Again, the wind is the single most detrimental factor on my commutes. My full distance is only 2 miles each way, so long-term comfort won't be an issue. Lastly, I will NOT consider a single-speed bike, the area isn't overly hilly, but there are a couple longer inclines which are not fun while riding into a gusting headwind. Other than that, I'm pretty open to ideas. I'd like to keep the price low as this will be a daily workhorse, and not a weekend warrior or garage queen. If I find something worth it, I'd probably go up to $750 at the most.
Any ideas or opinions would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks everyone!
- Woody
I'm hoping to find some suggestions for a new commuter bike. Thus far I have been using a commuter-ified Trek mountain bike and it has worked out pretty well. My main concerns at this point are the weight, the lack of good aerodynamics, and it just being less than efficient in general.
Where I live there are a lot of gusting winds... all year round. The mountain bike's posture is decent for seeing traffic around me, but with my work schedule and the roads I ride on, I encounter very few vehicles on my rides. My job also has me on my feet a lot and I usually walk ~5 miles per day, so the last thing I want to do is work harder than I need to during my commutes.
Now then, I was looking to get either a road or touring bike for commuting. It will have to be able to accept fenders as I commute in any weather in this wonderful Chicago climate. I also want something light as possible while still being durable enough to handle my ~200lb self and whatever few pounds of clothing or water I might have on me. A steel frame sounds much nicer to me than aluminum or carbon. As far as the ergonomics, I'd prefer something more bent over and racy than something more upright. Again, the wind is the single most detrimental factor on my commutes. My full distance is only 2 miles each way, so long-term comfort won't be an issue. Lastly, I will NOT consider a single-speed bike, the area isn't overly hilly, but there are a couple longer inclines which are not fun while riding into a gusting headwind. Other than that, I'm pretty open to ideas. I'd like to keep the price low as this will be a daily workhorse, and not a weekend warrior or garage queen. If I find something worth it, I'd probably go up to $750 at the most.
Any ideas or opinions would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks everyone!
- Woody