Commuting - New to commuting and love it. In search of bike!

Hi everyone. I've just recently started biking to work, about 1-hour each way. I found this forum today and it looks great! Lots of useful info. You'll have me lurking from now on.

I'm currently commuting on an old Schwinn hybrid bike but I'm not happy with the riding position because it hurts my wrists and I keep finding myself wanting to hunch down more to become more aerodynamic. My options are to either:

a) try to make the bike more comfortable: maybe add new handlebars or extensions of some kind. I'd be thrilled not to have to drop $1K on a new bike right now, but I'm not in love with the current bike. It's a bit heavy (28lbs according to my scale) and the gears are somewhat finicky.

b) buy a new bike. I'm thinking of a light touring or a cyclocross.

If I decide to buy a new bike, my dilema is that I don't want a heavy touring bike (I really don't haul much) so this rules out many of the cheap tourings such as the trek 520 or the Bianchi volpe. Yet I really want to have low gearing available for the few hills that I do have, and this seems to eliminate most of the pre-canned cyclocrosse bikes, unless I wanted to replace the gears right away.

I understand that having a bike that fits me is one of the most important things, and I'm headed to some bike stores in the near future to get their advice... but if anyone has any bike recommendations or pointers in general it would be greatly appreciated!

Hi,
I would suggest that you take a good look at the Cannondale T-800. Its a good bike and reasonable in weight. It is the $1K+, but maybe you can find a used one..

A light touring bike is a sensible choice for commuting. True light tourers are made of the same materials as racing grade bikes and can be expensive. Dont expect the cheaper models to be ultra-light.

The Bianchi San Remo and Jamis Aurora used to use caliper brakes, but now use cantelever brakes, for wider tyre options. They are not full-on expedition touring bikes, but mid-weight ones and would probably make good commuters.
Trek and Specialized make sport bikes but do check on the max tyre/fender clearance.
One solution, if you have a decent bike shop, is to buy a quality stock frame and have the shop build it up with some good-enough components. Surley, Gunnar and Soma all make excellent light-touring frames at competative prices.

My Specialized Allez does great commuting. It's all geared well for my riding style on hills as well.

I wouldn't mind a 2004 Kona Dew (http://www.konaworld.com/2k4bikes/2k4_dew.cfm) for commuting and running errands. Add a set of Shimano 324's and I'd be set. For a commuter cheap is good, I'd hate to get a nice expensive bike lifted. At 300 USD I think the Dew looks like a nice ride.

Don't shy away from doing a little part-swapping to get the gearing you want. The easy fix -- going to a wider-range cassette and, if necessary, a long-cage rear derailleur -- is simple and cheap, and any good bike shop will do this when you buy a bike, probably at little or no extra cost.

Something like a Jamis Nova would be worth a look. A 'cross bike with the braze-ons and clearances you need for racks, fenders, and wider tires, and a 9-speed triple group. Spec says 23 pounds, not bad for a robust, affordable steel bike like this.

RichC

Thanks for the responses! I went to one bike shop today and rode a few bianchi's (eros and imola). They were much nicer than my current bike but they didn't really fit me that well and the shop was busy so I didn't get a chance learn much from them. I'm going to try a few more tonight. I'm going to some more shops and hopefully I'll get to try out a Jamis and some of the other recommendations.

Another thing I'm thinking is to bid on this cannondale T800: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3619111006 It's against all the advice I've been given so far to buy a bike without being sure it fits you, but it would save me a lot of money if if it turns out that I like it. If I don't like it, I can always re-sell it without losing much since it's used. Am I crazy?

BTW, I was measured at the shop today and they said I'm a 57. The bike there is a 58 so it seems like a reasonable chance of being comfortable.

Thanks again for the suggestions.

Originally posted by rumatt

BTW, I was measured at the shop today and they said I'm a 57. The bike there is a 58 so it seems like a reasonable chance of being comfortable.


Well, maybe not. That bike is a bit too big for me and I have a 34" inseam. It has a sloping top tube rather than a level one, so the sizing and fitting will be different.

Perhaps go to a cannondale dealer and stand over one?

Also, it looks like a good deal now, but many auctions double in price at the last minute, don't be surprised for it to close MUCH higher in price.

peas,

Steve

Originally posted by rumatt
Thanks for the responses! I went to one bike shop today and rode a few bianchi's (eros and imola).

Hi Rumatt,

I recently (couple months) purchased a last year's model Eros for commuting/general fitness at a signifigantly reduced price, and I'm absolutely in love with it. For me, the gearing is fantastic for the varied terrain I ride (flat to hilly). It's a relatively light bike and even comes complete with braze ons for a rack. If you can find one at a reduced price, the Eros comes highly recommended.

Jestre.. I was able to resist making a hasty decision on the cannondale! Instead a local shop sold me a pair of handle bar extenders for $12 and it makes my current bike a lot more comfortable. I'm still going to want a new bike in the near future though. I really don't love the old one and riding 1 hour/day is too far not to treat myself to a new toy.

Orikal, I'm glad you like your Eros. I'm starting to think I might want a straight up road bike rather than a touring/cyclocross. My commute is entirely paved and most of it is pretty darn nice, so as long as I don't die when I hit the occassional stick in the road, I'll be happy. I'm going to go ride some Fuji & Specialized bikes tomorrow morning. Fun fun fun

Don't rule out the cyclocross just yet. Remember that you will want racks and fenders if you do much commuting. A CX bike has just a bit more stable geometry, and as far as gearing goes, put an 11 tooth cog on back and you will be fine. With a CX's clearance for larger tires, your ride will be much more comfortable as well. I'm partial to the Surly Cross Check, and like they say on their site, "Think of this bike as the do-anything army jeep of road bikes.". The fact that you can get one kcomplete for around $850.00 aint bad either...

Another option may be to put an ad in your local paper's "wanted" section specifying exactly what you're after and the price range you're willing to pay.

My first commuter was a Giant Boulder that I bought new, I then swapped it for an old Shogun roadbike ($50 and 5000kms) and now commute on a Giant Perigee which is about 10 years old.

There are many lonely unloved bikes sitting out there in garages that have only done a season or so. I was given this advice by an LBS who recommended that I get to know what sort of thing I like before making any substantial investments on two wheeled toys.

Three years down the track, I bought myself a new toy recently and couldn't be happier. The original advice has repaid me many times over.