Commuting - If you could only have 1 bike.

I just wanted to see, if you could only have 1 bike which would it be & why?

either a bike with 700c wheels or a mtb with 26" wheels. This bike is used for commuting, shopping and possibly 1-300 mile tours. You live in the northern states where you do run into snow and ice.

I currently have a Trek 820 mtb and a Trek 500 road bike and I can only keep one of them and am really having a hard time decideing. Each has its positive and negative points so I am hoping this post will shed some light.

I prefer 700c just because they feel better to me. It may have something to do with my height.

700c

even with snow and ice, MOST of the year is not icy at all. Even with it, just put on some studded CX tires if there is clearance.

both tires have their own place. i voted 700c, but my 'bent has 20" + 16" tires. i also commute in snow/winter w/my mountain bike (26" x 2.125" knobby).
i prefer 700c. i commute, tour, and and ride miles (about +/- 95% with that size), but a 700cx20 tire won't do what a 26x2inch tire would do on a trail.
Keep both bikes, if you can!

700....cross bike, with extra set of road wheels

The only thing good I might say about 26" wheels are that they
are slightly better than wooden wagon wheels.

I would find a way to keep both bikes.

I like the 700C due to better speed.

26" for me. The road in L.A. is pretty rough, plus with my weight, I don't think 700 would last long.

I'm waiting for my pair of 26" slicks from performancebike.

So the best for me would be rigid MTB frame with 26" slicks.

Does the 700c bike have room for fat tires? If you can put some 32mm cross tires on the Trek 500 it closes the versatility gap a bunch. The only place the skinny tire bike may fall short is the rougher stuff off road. I have a fat-tire mbt and a cyclocross bike. I find the cyclo-x bike more comfortable for longer rides, mainly because the drop bar offers more hand positions.

The only thing good I might say about 26" wheels are that they
are slightly better than wooden wagon wheels.


The single best thing about 26" wheels is that you can find tubes for them everywhere. So if I had to choose one it's 26.

700c. A nice cyclocross bike will go anywhere and still be reasonably fast. Also I heard thieves target MTBs more often than any other type of bike.

I've never ridden a mountain bike. Nokian makes a good W106 studded tire for 622 wheels, which correspond to the old 700. I'd go with the 700.

Paul

Hard to find 2 inch wide 700c wheels.

I'd love a mt bike that could do dirt roads...if only it could go fast without having to pedal hard!

The only thing good I might say about 26" wheels are that they
are slightly better than wooden wagon wheels.


I'd love a mt bike that could do dirt roads...if only it could go fast without having to pedal hard!

Rigid MTBs with high pressure slicks are not nearly as slow as people think they are. I guess the trek 820 comes with a suspension fork, though.

Honestly, in my opinion the major factors that affect your speed are whether the riding position allows you to pedal reasonably powerfully, and whether you're going to spend a lot of time fooling around with patching or replacing tubes because of the flat's you might get.

The thicker rubber that comes on most 26inch tires (slicks/semislicks included*) makes it impossible for tiny, sharp pieces of glass and wire to puncture the tube. If you're counting flat tire delays in your average speed, that's the dealbreaker right there.

On the other hand, narrower (meaning, road) handlebars, give you a much better ability to pedal efficiently in on-road riding.

I would use the mountain bike but I'd put the road bars on it. Then if the MTB has v-brakes, I'd find a good spot to put the MTB brake levers on the road bars. I would also want to put a rigid fork (http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=86&subcategory=1183&sku=13284) on the bike, though.

*you shouldn't ride with knobbies on the road, that will slow you down significantly

700c. I want to go as fast as I can.

Rigid MTBs with high pressure slicks are not nearly as slow as people think they are. I guess the trek 820 comes with a suspension fork, though.

Rigid MTB with 1.5 inch street tires. That would be my pick.

You can change out the front fork for a rigid one.

One has to wonder why you asked for just two types of bikes? In all
of bikedom there is a lot more to choose from.

Buying a new bike.....are we???????:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

I think cyclocross bikes are the best balance for urban commuting of more than a mile or two. They have the clearance to handle wide tires. My cross check takes 35 studded tires under fenders with room to spare. I think my bike can take up to a 44 or 45.

The drop bars are great for windy days and long, slow downhill sprints.

26" - I do a fair bit of mtn biking, and going with 700C would eliminate 95% of my dirt riding, even with a low-geared CX bike.

I could live without a roadbike, a mountian bike.. I would need my trials bike. Mod frame, no seat, strict trials frame and build. Despite having a 20/18 gear ratio, I would still ride it to and from work.
http://www.observedtrials.net/album/data/2/medium/2635vinco.jpg

If I could only have one bike, it would be a folder with 20" (406mm or 451mm) wheels... probably with a Capreo cassette. The additional flexibility of folders is a huge benefit, IMO.

I don't know about anyone else, but wheel size (at least for 26" vs. 700C) is a pretty minor consideration for me. I thought that this would be more about what kind of bike, or which specific bike that one might choose to be their one bicycle. In my case, I would probably choose a touring bike. Both my current ride (27"/700C) or, say, a Surly Long Haul Trucker (26" in my size) are good examples of this kind of bike. Wheel size really isn't of much concern to me.

I voted 26" one of the best all around bicycles I ever had was my Giant Iguana. It was fully loaded with racks, fenders, and lights. I kept 2 sets of wheels for it, one with 1.5" road slicks on it and another set of mildly agressive knobbies. I was as fast on my commute with it as a group of roadies that I used to draft on the way home:D It's a commuter not a sub 20# road racer. For me the 26" tires were a lot easier to come by than the 700C's and the 26" wheels were about indestructable.

Aaron:)

what is the meaning of this "only 1 bike"?

:D

For only one bike, a mountain bike. It's good for inner city streets and for offroad, and I like both. But maybe a 'cross would be better.

What I have now(Basically my only bike at the moment), or maybe a more traditional utility bike.

I could live without a roadbike, a mountian bike.. I would need my trials bike. Mod frame, no seat, strict trials frame and build. Despite having a 20/18 gear ratio, I would still ride it to and from work.
http://www.observedtrials.net/album/data/2/medium/2635vinco.jpg

I'm fairly sure that puppy ain't street legal.

I have owned and loved both wheel sizes, but I must say that if I was forced to only own one bike, it'd be a MTB with a rigid fork and slicks. My current favorite bike is set up like this, Al frame with a front and rear rack, trekking bars and 26" X 1.5 tires, and it's as stable and comfortable as any bike I've ever had. Also, I get a lot of compliments from both roadies and MTBers since it doesn't really look like either.

It's nice to have the stopping power of v-brakes, the affordability and durability of mountain components, the room for fenders AND fat tires, eyelets for racks, and the maneuverability of 26" wheels. I could've gotten most of this with a touring/cyclocross bike, but did I mention I did it all for less than $500? Touring/cyclocross is too much of a niche market to be as affordable as that, and mountain stuff is pretty durable and practical for CHEAP. (I'm not in any way dissing cyclocross and touring stuff, it's just too danged expensive. I'd love to see touring become a "fad" again to drive prices down, like it did with mountain bikes in the Nineties. Remember, Deore was originally a touring component group.)

I've never ridden a bike with 700cc wheels.... so my vote is based on ignorance

I'd probably choose my bike friday. It's easy to pack and bring just about anywhere.

Koffe

Which has more utility? If the road has room for fenders and studded tires then go with that. Otherwise I guess the MTB.

I vote 26" simply because if you're on tour, you can stop at Bob's hardwre store in Nowhereville and pick up a tube and maybe even a tire (but not a slick most likely). Even walmart carries slicks for them, in a pinch. I ride a fixed gear mtb with 26x2.125" slicks, so I know what I'm talking about. And, it IS my only bike. I am a commuter primarily but I've taken it on 20-30 mile rides, no problem. I plan on doing longer rides this summer.

Now, if I was worried about getting anywhere *fast*, I'd go back to my old setup which was the same bike that is now fixed gear, but as a 24 speed with 1.25" slicks. I could tell no difference between that and a road bike, with the exception of drop handlebars. I am still considering putting drop bars on my commuter.

A year ago, I would have said a MTB (26"), and might still if I really thought about it for pulling a trail-a-bike and other short range utility tasks. I also like bigger tires for cold weather riding.

Now that I've been riding a cyclocross (700c) bike, I'm pretty convinced that could be my one and only since it has a low gear range and fits fenders up to 28mm or 32mm+ knobbies. My MTB feels like a little BMX bike now that I've been riding taller.

I think its less about wheel size and more about the bike. A 26" wheeled touring frame with drop bars might be the best of both worlds.

My mountain bike has 700c wheels, so does my commuter. My SS Mtb still has 26" wheels, but that's due to change, as I have a birthday coming. 26" tubes work just fine in the 700c mtb tire.

Next month, the only 26" wheels in the garage will be my daughter's.

I recently read part of a book on bicycles by an MIT engineer (can't remember the name) and specifically was interested in what he had to say about wheel size.

In a nut shell:


Startup Inirtia may be less in the 700c
Rolling Resistance = Same


He also stated that the differances are found in the tread design and compound between tires make up a large differance. The greatest, however, was the road surface: smooth concrete vs. rough asphalt. Combine the tire and the surface and it can make a big differance.

I put 26 x 1.25 slicks on my mountain bike (removed 26 x 2.25 Cross Country Tires) and found a giant differance in acceleration and cruising speed over the same surfaces. If the gearing on my mountain bike was the same as that on my "Touring" bike then I believe the mountain bike would hold it's own even with a front suspension. Loose the front suspension and I believe it might even surpass the 700c touring bike and it is certainly more rugged and capable of handling a greater variety of road conditions to trail.

I feel so torn. I think we need a third category, 700c and 26" with discs, ie my Bad Boy Ultra. :P