Commuting - I need me some help.

I'm lloking for a bike that would be better for commuting than my current Gary Fisher mountain bike. I'm looking for something that is somewhat fast, and light. My price range is around 600, any suggestions? I dont need anything to fancy yet, but i'm just trying to get some ideas. Thanks a bunch. :D Woohoo bicycling is fun! :beer:

Many folks, including me, ride a road bike. Lighter and faster than a mountain bike. You should be able to get a good road bike for $600 easily. Just check out a few bike shop till you find what you like. You could also look for a used touring or cross bike. Just make sure the bike fits!!
Here's mine (old picture).
http://home.mindspring.com/~rhorne/smRaleigh.jpg
Road bike usually don't have eyelets for attaching a rear rack. Mine doesn't so I have a Delta seat post mount rack.
If you are carrying all your stuff in a backpack then of course you won't need the rack.

I commute with my mtn bike. I have added slick tires and a rear rack. I have a 12.4 mile commute which I can do in 50 minutes. That is a 14.9 mph average speed.

I love my mtn bike and use it as my road bike too. I am trying to train for a century. If I ever graduate to a road bike, I will be superman.

there are soooo many good road bike out there Bianchi (mine is 20 years old and still eats up pavement like it was a baby) trek, cannondale it just depends on what fits you and your price range head on up to your trusted LBS and look around and talk to someone knowlegable obout roadies. They will set you up and fit you. You might also look into cross bikes in the winter I ride my old Specialized sequoia (sp) we don't get a lot of snow but we are known for our wet (October to early July grey and wet) it is slower but it takes more punishment than a road bike and again there are so many good ones out there . I once had a Bianchi Grizzly cross bike designed by Phil Ritchie ohh do I miss that one. Some one stole it out of the back of my car, they had to break into it to get it :(

What distance, what kind of terrain, how good are the roads, how far into winter/wet weather do you intend to ride, what loads do you need to carry, how big is the problem of bike theft.

On the spectrum of "road bikes" from pure racing machine to expedition tourer there is probably something right for your conditions.

I use the only bike I have, my converted mountainbike. I have changed almost every part of the bike and I love it. My suggestion is to use your mtb and save some money. Ofcourse if you have already been wanting a road bike then go for it. If you stick with your mtb put some slicks on.

Anders K

I'm with the others who advise converting your mountain bike. With some road slicks and even maybe some aero bars, it'll be functional and quick. Perhaps some spd's or city clips or straps for the pedals. I've got two bikes, one is a mountain type bike and the other a road bike. I'm planning to do some loaded touring. The bike I'm taking will be the mountain type with some road conversions. Many road bikes don't have eyelets for mounting racks and heck, you may not want to mount a rack on one once you get it home. You may want to keep it light.

Devster, here is a pic of my "beauty":D

Anders K

Devster,

You want to spend your money wisely on a bike best suited for the task. A new bike is a major investment.

I bought a Trek 1200 road bike a few years back to replace my Giant Sedona comfort/mountain bike for commuting. I spent in the neighborhood of $600 or $700 (can't remember.) It's been extremely faithful. But I could have bought a Bianchi touring bike for the same price and had proper clearance for fenders and eyelets for a rack/panniers, but I didn't know better.

Bottom line: for any good brand bike, a touring bike might be a better choice overall.

Don't be in too big a hurry--shop around. You may also be able to get a good deal on last year's stock (but beware--sometimes they have minor flaws or are the wrong size) Especially with summer drawing to a close and the "cycling season" supposedly coming to an end, dealers may want to clear some bikes out. ;)

Originally posted by LittleBigMan
Devster,

Don't be in too big a hurry--shop around. You may also be able to get a good deal on last year's stock (but beware--sometimes they have minor flaws or are the wrong size) Especially with summer drawing to a close and the "cycling season" supposedly coming to an end, dealers may want to clear some bikes out. ;)

Your getting some really good advice here and I agree with LittleBigMan shop around take your time and read as much as you can about commuting . I don't peronally recomend aerobars for in ccity commuting, rarely used and most of the time inconvienent, but everybody has their own riding preferences, they are grand on the open road though.

Originally posted by LittleBigMan
Devster,

Don't be in too big a hurry--shop around. You may also be able to get a good deal on last year's stock (but beware--sometimes they have minor flaws or are the wrong size) Especially with summer drawing to a close and the "cycling season" supposedly coming to an end, dealers may want to clear some bikes out. ;)

Your getting some really good advice here and I agree with LittleBigMan shop around take your time and read as much as you can about commuting . I don't peronally recomend aerobars for in city commuting, rarely used and most of the time inconvienent, but everybody has their own riding preferences, they are grand on the open road though.

I use a Mtn bike with slicks and SPD clipless pedals. I must say that I generally have no trouble riding it at 30km/h, which is definitely fast enough for commuting. I've also fitted it with a Blackburn MTN rack that has survived for almost five years on daily commuting.

thanks for the help everyone. This is really helping me. Although i'm not quite sure if i'm going to convert my Gary Fisher or buy a road bike, this is really giving me a lot of options and some great ideas. I'm also going to pick up some cycling magazines tonight when i'm cruising around on my bike. :D And btw, nice bike Anders, love the handle bars.