[swoody]

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

 

[ire]

We will probably digress into a cross bike versus road bike debate again (that's how these threads usually go). I'll state up front that I am pro cross bike due to the versatility and cool factor In all honesty, Surly makes some pretty indestructible bikes that look cool (long haul trucker, pacer, cross-check). They'll come with all the mounts you need, but won't be as light as some other options. Also, I would recommend buying used if possible. The downside is that you can't beat riding the bike around to get a feel for it, so this may limit you to local pick up only. Here is a link to Surly's site: http://surlybikes.com/

 

[JRogers]

Surly is a good option for an inexpensive frame, but if your upper budget is about $750 then you will be very, very limited with new complete bikes. As ire said, used is a good option; there are lots of good used road and cross bikes out there. There are fender options that will fit road frames; if you want something with rack and fender mounts you may have to look around more.

A few further things, though. Why do you want a steel frame? It's not a bad idea, but if you are looking to go "as light as possible" then you can save maybe 1.5 lbs off the bat by going with an inexpensive aluminum frame over a steel frame like the Surly. Steel frames can be pretty light, but there are not many options out there and most are much more expensive than you'd want.

Also, is your commute really only 2 miles? Is that all the bike will be used for? If so, I don't think it matters too much what kind of bike you get. And getting a road bike won't necessarily be a lot more efficient than a mountain bike in terms of aerodynamics and such if your ride is that short. Do you have slicks on your mtb?

If you plan on mostly just using this to ride to work, I'd just get basically any cross bike that fits you and your budget or, if that is hard to find, a road bike- maybe one that can fit a 28c tire. That also depends on whether you will be riding in snow at all and how clear or crappy the roads get around you.

 

[swoody]

I'd be using the bike for just about any local travel. I don't own a car, so everything I do from commuting, to picking up groceries, to meeting up with friends is all done on bike. My main concern is making getting around as enjoyable and efficient as possible. Even on my 'slower days' I'm off doing something or riding longer into neighboring towns to shop.

An aluminum frame would be nice for speed, but with my current commuter I know how sharp bumps in the road can be There's a couple railroad crossings I go over on longer stretches of road, and I have to drop quite a bit of speed before coming to them.

My mtb is a hardtail, I replaced the front fork with a steel Surly 1x1 (which has slightly lowered the front of my bike), I have narrowed my handlebars as far as I can to still allow for the brakes and grips, and my tires are 1.25" wide street tires running at 100PSI

Also, I'm 6'4", ~200lbs, and wear a 36" inseam. This is one of the reasons I'm looking for a new bike. When I bought my current ride many years ago I didn't have a solid grasp on properly fitting a bike to a rider, the sales guy seemed a bit of a pushover to make a sale, and on top of that I bought my mtb for the offroad riding I did at that time, so the frame is considerably smaller than something I would prefer for someone my size riding on nothing but pavement. Since I started commuting with it full-time about a year ago, I have always felt like I've been using the wrong tool for the job and have just been trying to make it work. Now that I'm armed with all the extra knowledge I've gained in the past few years, and know exactly what I'll be using the bike for, I'm trying to use this opportunity to find a bike which precisely fits me and my requirements.

 

[EastCoaster]

Another Surly vote here. Super flexible as far as options for it.
I've been using a Cross Check with Planet bike fenders for a couple of years. (forget which ones. But they're wiiide.... not standard road tire ones.)
About all I need to do is mod the front with a lower, wider, spray guard. I need something that drops down and almost touches the road. My commute is short so I often am riding in work clothing. Dress pants/shoes/tie, etc...... and don't like to arrive with a tire spray pattern on my legs if I don't remember my pedal positioning when turning.