Commuting - So What Would You Do?

My current bad weather/winter commute Trek 3500 mtb bike is not working anymore. Well... it works. I rode it this morning in fact. It probably needs a new cassette, chain, slicks, longer stem, brakes, cables, and a major tune-up, but it still works. But now that I know what a bike that actually fits feels like, it's no fun. So really it's just not working for me. The road bike spoiled me.

I paid about 250 bucks for it brand new about a year and a half ago.

Should I...

Fix it up?

Fix it up and turn it into a single speed?

Should I ditch the thing and spend 400 - 500 dollars on a hybrid/commuter?

My commute is about 12 miles total. Winter here = rain, cold, wind, snow, ice, and salt on the streets.

Your thoughts, please...

Ditch and spend.

Sounds like $250 worth of maintenance and repairs. Put it on ebay or have a garage sale and get fitted for something more suitable for commuting.

I'd buy a new bike and keep the Trek 3500 as a fun project for the winter evenings. You can learn a lot about bike maintenance by tearing down and rebuilding a bike.

I'd buy a new bike and keep the Trek 3500 as a fun project for the winter evenings. You can learn a lot about bike maintenance by tearing down and rebuilding a bike.

I like this idea a lot. I kind of suspected that the answer was ditch and spend, but I wanted to know if there were other options that I wasn't thinking of. Keep, experiment and spend is a great idea. Gosh, now I'll have to get a new bike sometime before it snows. What a pity.

Hehe. It is great to have an excuse.

I think I would only be mildly irritated if someone stole my bike... because it would mean I get to buy a new one! And it would be a road bike, not this hybrid nonsense I bought because I didn't know better ;).

The best part is that you can do it with original parts, new parts, and stuff you have laying around. You can play around with different setups. Make it a lean, mean singlespeed, or a truck for hauling stuff, a stealth commuter, whatever. And come springtime, you'll have a bike that's totally, one-hundred percent yours.

And it would be a road bike, not this hybrid nonsense I bought because I didn't know better ;).

Here's something that I still kick myself for...

I had a Trek 850 Mt. Track... steel frame, no suspension. Great bike. Rode the heck out of it. Probably put more miles on it than on cars I've had. On the roads, on the trails. Loved it.

I could have fixed it up (bent derailleur, needed new brakes, new cassette). Instead, I tossed it and spent that same 250 for the 3500, which is like a step up from a Walmart bike in my opinion.

I just didn't know any better.

Live and learn, I guess.

The best part is that you can do it with original parts, new parts, and stuff you have laying around. You can play around with different setups. Make it a lean, mean singlespeed, or a truck for hauling stuff, a stealth commuter, whatever. And come springtime, you'll have a bike that's totally, one-hundred percent yours.

My own little Frankenbike. I like it. I like it a lot.

Depending on your financial situation, I would take it to a LBS and see how much it would cost to complete those repairs, unless you had the time to do them yourself. If you feel the cost wouldn't really be a bother, than get yourself a new bike.

If you want an excellent bike for snow, ice, and other low-traction conditions - a fixed gear is the best way to go... You can control your rear braking way better with your legs than with your brakes. I might still put a rear brake on, as well as a front. Make a fixed gear out of your old MTB.