Commuting - Fuji League for a commuter?

Check the bike out here: http://tinyurl.com/csgg

It has clearance for fenders, brazeons for racks and looks good. The concerns I have are regarding tire width... What is the widest tire this bike will take? (Ice and snow in Winter, being the considerations)... Are knobby tires available in 700x28?

Thanks in advance. Cheers!
Narayan (currently commuting on Trek 520).

Wow. Downtube shifters.

All I can say is that if there was a cuttable corner, Fuji cut it to hit that $359 price point. Yet it's still probably a decent bike.

There's not enough information in the specs. Are these long-reach brakes? (I doubt it.) What's a Shimano "2200 series" derailleur?

You can get cyclocross tires in 700x28c, but if these are standard-reach calipers I doubt you'd get them on, not to mention a fender.

What puzzles me is why you need another commuter when you already have a Trek 520, which is superior to this Fuji in every way?

RichC

Originally posted by Rich Clark


What puzzles me is why you need another commuter when you already have a Trek 520, which is superior to this Fuji in every way?



Rich,

Didn't want to screw up the touring bike by using it in muck and in the winter. :)

Do you use a road style bike to commute? How do you handle winter? (if ice/snow is a problem)

Narayan

Originally posted by thv
Are knobby tires available in 700x28?


Yes, but not good ones, I think.

As I looked for knobby tires last winter, I saw a few models of 700x28. One comes to mind: made by IRC, in a weird colour (green, I think).

It is a narrow knobby and I was told it fits under many caliper brakes. However, it is a very hard compound which should be quite slippery on asphalt.

There are many 700x37 knobbies available, and Specialized has a few models which are not too big (the Expedition come to mind). Continental offers one or two narrower ones, in 700x32.

On the Trek 520 with fenders, you can fit 700x37 on the rear wheel and 700x32 or 35 on the front wheel.

BTW, to ride in rain, you need good tires, not knobbies. And if you want to keep your 520 in good shape (and have a nice place to lock it), install fenders and mudflaps.

Regards,

Originally posted by thv
Do you use a road style bike to commute? How do you handle winter? (if ice/snow is a problem)


My Novara is a touring bike, much like a 520 in many ways. It's my main commuter, and so it's the one with fenders, lights, front racks, etc.

I don't ride if the streets aren't plowed, but otherwise if the bike gets sloppy I just hose off the salt and lube the chain. Ice is rarely a problem around here.

If I needed a winter bike for snowy conditions, I wouldn't buy a road bike, but rather something that could take fat studded tires. If I lived in Minnesota or something I probably would have by now.

RichC