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11-04-05, 03:07 PM
After commuting on my Surly Cross Check (http://www.surlybikes.com/bikes.html) for more than two years, I think I have finally got the right balance of tires, gear ratios, lighting, clothing, and storage (http://www.jandd.com/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=FCBP).
I had been riding on 28's since spring. I briefly flirted with using 32's, but they felt too clunky. I just found out why--I had too big of a front chain ring. In the spring, I put on a new 13-26 rear cassette with a 52-tooth front ring, replacing the 48-tooth ring I previously had. The 52 was nice for the long-steady down hill on my way to work because I could hit 35 mph for short bursts.
But the 28's recently started to wear thin. Instead of buying new tires, I pulled out the nearly-new 32's (an Urban Max (http://www.panaracer.com/eng/products/index_ur.html#e) and a Soma New Xpress (http://www.somafab.com/tires.html#top)). To compensate for the wider tires, I put my old 48-tooth chain ring back on. Perfect! I could pedal quickly, maintain a decent speed, and go over bumpier parts of the road. Add to that my new Cat Eye TL-LD1000 (http://www.cateye.com/en/products/viewProduct.php?modelId=41&catId=7&subCatId=4) blinkie (fantastic!) and the year-old Cygolite HID (http://www.cygolite.com/light/products/1zForceNiMH.htm), my commuter is in as efficient as it has ever been--a bicycle SUV.
Edit: As I explain in this thread (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=184319), my Cygolite died after about 18 months of use. The company wants $100 to $200 to replace the lamp and/or ballast. That's a rip-off.
(I keep the blinkie between my seatbag and the saddle. I put a zip tie on each rail under the saddle, and then ran the blinkie seat-post holder through the zip ties. Voila! It has the flexibility to handle bumps without falling off, and I don't have to remove my seatbag or panniers to make it fit.)
The downside is that the bike is on the heavy side, but, as many have reminded me, it's a commute, not the TdF.
I had been riding on 28's since spring. I briefly flirted with using 32's, but they felt too clunky. I just found out why--I had too big of a front chain ring. In the spring, I put on a new 13-26 rear cassette with a 52-tooth front ring, replacing the 48-tooth ring I previously had. The 52 was nice for the long-steady down hill on my way to work because I could hit 35 mph for short bursts.
But the 28's recently started to wear thin. Instead of buying new tires, I pulled out the nearly-new 32's (an Urban Max (http://www.panaracer.com/eng/products/index_ur.html#e) and a Soma New Xpress (http://www.somafab.com/tires.html#top)). To compensate for the wider tires, I put my old 48-tooth chain ring back on. Perfect! I could pedal quickly, maintain a decent speed, and go over bumpier parts of the road. Add to that my new Cat Eye TL-LD1000 (http://www.cateye.com/en/products/viewProduct.php?modelId=41&catId=7&subCatId=4) blinkie (fantastic!) and the year-old Cygolite HID (http://www.cygolite.com/light/products/1zForceNiMH.htm), my commuter is in as efficient as it has ever been--a bicycle SUV.
Edit: As I explain in this thread (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=184319), my Cygolite died after about 18 months of use. The company wants $100 to $200 to replace the lamp and/or ballast. That's a rip-off.
(I keep the blinkie between my seatbag and the saddle. I put a zip tie on each rail under the saddle, and then ran the blinkie seat-post holder through the zip ties. Voila! It has the flexibility to handle bumps without falling off, and I don't have to remove my seatbag or panniers to make it fit.)
The downside is that the bike is on the heavy side, but, as many have reminded me, it's a commute, not the TdF.