Hello all,

I hope you can help a clydesdale and bicycle newbie find a decent commuting and touring bicycle. I've been reading through some of the threads on this site, and I've been googling around trying to find information. There is a lot of info out there though, and I'm hoping that some experienced riders here can help me focus my search.

About me:

Goals in priority order:
Goal 1: commute to work on bicycle 50+% of the time
Goal 2: start doing some light bicycle touring (Seattle to Portland ride for sure)
Goal 3: do a triathalon some day

Area: Seattle suburbs (Bellevue/Redmond). Moderate hills, frequent rain, infrequent snow. No bicycle lanes available on my paths to work. Safe storage at work available. No worries about carrying bicycles up/down stairs.
Distance to work: 3 miles
Physical: 40's. 6'3" 240lbs. 34" inseam. Ideal/goal weight is 200-205lbs.
Attributes: I'm kinda lazy about maintaining things, so low-maintenance is best (goes for girlfriends/wives too)
Price range: $1500 or less for bike. Willing to put $200-$300 additional for racks/fenders/upgrades/etc. Willing to put more into panniers if I start touring regularly.

Current bicycle: Trek 800 about 4 years old--semi-infrequent use, poorly maintained, gears skip (very irritating because the gears I most want to use are the ones that skip). Willing to use this for awhile, but not sure how to upgrade besides putting slicks, fenders, and a rack on it. Kind of lusting for something new though.

What I've looked at:
Trek 520: Saw this at LBS. My concern is that the frame may be too short for me
Specialized Globe City: Seems like nice commuter, but worry it won't be any good for touring. Also, no stores around here carry it.
Specialized Tricross: Saw this at same LBS as Trek 520. LBS pushing me towards this. Nice bike. From what I've read, though, I should be looking for a steel frame. Also, this is listed as a semi-compact frame. How does that affect its touring capabilities?
Breezer Uptown 8: Test road one. Nice bike! Same concerns as with Globe City wrt touring.
Novara Randonee: Looks nice on web site, but aren't carried around here at REI stores from what I can tell, so testing it will be difficult.
<Edit: add two bikes suggested below>
Surly LHT
Surly CrossCheck
</Edit>

Any help, guidance, or pointers you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

I know you want something new, but you don't actually need it - yet. Replace (or have the bike store replace) your chain and the rear gear cassette, and the skipping will stop. Normally you have to replace both as they tend to wear out together. If the Trek fits, wear (er, ride) it. Then shop for the next bike at your leisure instead of rushing in.

Goal 1 and 2 could be met by the same bike. You can do a triathlon on a commuter/tourer bike but it's really not designed for that.

Sorry for the multiple short messages. The Breezer would be ideal for your short commute but not suited to long distance riding. For that you want a road bike with "dropped bars", a slightly more forward leaning position for better aerodynamics, and thinner tires, or you'll just find it too slow going more than a few miles or against a headwind. The Trek 520, Tricross and Randonee are all much better suited for longer distances than the more leisurely Breezer, with the Globe City somewhere in the middle. In theory the Trek 520 or Novara Randonee should be the best for touring (they are tour bikes!) but some people feel the Trek isn't geared low enough to lug a full load up a mountain pass. Whichever bike you get should have a triple gear up front for that reason.

Cyclocross Bike!

Cyclocross bikes are my answer to everything these days. :D

You can run nice fat tires for the touring and commuting duties and most frames will have all the mounting points for fenders and bags. The wheels are generally a bit more heavy duty as well- better for clyde style abuse. You can also mount a set of skinny tires and have yourself a very competent bike for triathlon duty.

Another advantage is they're usually specced with a lower range of components. They tend to be a bit more tollerant of poor maintenance, and if your lack of maintenance does catch up with you- they're cheap to replace.

Specific features I'd look for or look at upgrading to would include a triple chainring on the front for the hills and possibly disc brakes to give you more stopping power when loaded for touring. (Be warned though, discs may not be allowed by your local cyclocross series should you decide to try that form of racing)

I've been very happy with my Kona Jake (so much so, I'm thinking of selling my barely one year old Trek 1500). Another option to look at if you want to go steel would be the Surly Crosscheck, most bike shops should be able to order one even if they don't carry Surly bikes in stock.

Surly LHT or CC not on the original list?

IF the TREK FITS YOU

THEN...

You could probably put 2-300 into the Trek 800... ride the hell out of it, commute, train, etc... then invest in something else later that is triathlon appropriate... a Surly CrossCheck would be a good all-around choice for someone wanting to "try out" triathlons, but would still let you scratch your itch to buy something new to commute on... dont spend a hill of cash on something you are just starting... get the bike you have working... also it's good to find a bike club in your area to ride with, I know that has helped me immensly, and its great to be riding with people WHEN you pop a tire/tube (not IF)...

ABOVE ALL... have FUN riding...

ALSO REI might not be the best place to get fitted for a bike... get to a couple of Local Bike Shops (LBS) and find one you are comfortable in...

Essentially tour bikes and (cyclo)cross bikes are road bikes built to handle adverse and specialized conditions. They may not be as light as racing bikes, but they are generally lighter and faster than mountain bikes, and have a better body position for long distances than leisurely hybrids and comfort bikes. Usually they have tires that are fatter than road racing tires but not as fat as mountain bike tires.

A leisure bike has a more upright position, for visibilty and stability, but that gives you less pedalling power and more wind resistance so they are slow. Racing bikes have a very aggressive riding position with the bars much lower than the seat so you really are low and leaning forward and us older guys may get a sore neck from trying to peer forward. Both tour bikes and cross bikes have an intermediate set up with the handlebars closer to seat height.

Tour bikes are supposed to have a more stable ride: a long wheel base, long chain stays so that the rear panniers are well back of your heels, and a front fork with a lot of "trail" so the bike likes to go straight ahead and doesn't veer as easily. That makes them less nimble if you're slaloming through obstacles, but also easier to keep upright when loaded and rolling at speed. However you'd have to check the specs on the Trek 520 and/or Randonee or someone else may have an opinion on how all this applies to those two. Tour bikes can handle slightly fatter tires than a road racing bike - to carry the extra touring load and handle unexpected road conditions like gravel etc. and fenders, unlike racing bikes which only have room for skinny tires inside the fork, brakes, and rear stays. They have multiple eyelets and "braze-ons" where you can attach front and rear racks and fenders.

Cross bikes can also handle fatter tires and may or may not accomodate fenders. They have more nimble steering than a tour bike, but conversely might be less stable under heavy load.

Most longer distance riders prefer the "dropped" handlebars since you can move your hands around to different positions to avoid fatigue. However urban commuters might sometimes prefer flat bars because your hands are always right on the brakes.

IF the TREK FITS YOU

THEN...

You could probably put 2-300 into the Trek 800... ride the hell out of it, commute, train, etc... then invest in something else later that is triathlon appropriate...



ALSO REI might not be the best place to get fitted for a bike... get to a couple of Local Bike Shops (LBS) and find one you are comfortable in...

True, and true. Spend the $200-$300 on fixing up the issues with your current bike, and ride it until it falls apart.

REI definitely isn't the place to get a bike fit done. Since you're in Redmond/Bellevue, check out Sammamish Valley Cycles, Gerk's Alpine Hut, or Gregg's (if you're more towards Bellevue.) PM me and KingTermite if you're interested in riding with us some time, or learning to do the maintenence on your own bike, too.

Hello all,

I hope you can help a clydesdale and bicycle newbie find a decent commuting and touring bicycle. I've been reading through some of the threads on this site, and I've been googling around trying to find information. There is a lot of info out there though, and I'm hoping that some experienced riders here can help me focus my search.

About me:

Goals in priority order:
Goal 1: commute to work on bicycle 50+% of the time
Goal 2: start doing some light bicycle touring (Seattle to Portland ride for sure)
Goal 3: do a triathalon some day

Area: Seattle suburbs (Bellevue/Redmond). Moderate hills, frequent rain, infrequent snow. No bicycle lanes available on my paths to work. Safe storage at work available. No worries about carrying bicycles up/down stairs.
Distance to work: 3 miles
Physical: 40's. 6'3" 240lbs. 34" inseam. Ideal/goal weight is 200-205lbs.
Attributes: I'm kinda lazy about maintaining things, so low-maintenance is best (goes for girlfriends/wives too)
Price range: $1500 or less for bike. Willing to put $200-$300 additional for racks/fenders/upgrades/etc. Willing to put more into panniers if I start touring regularly.

Current bicycle: Trek 800 about 4 years old--semi-infrequent use, poorly maintained, gears skip (very irritating because the gears I most want to use are the ones that skip). Willing to use this for awhile, but not sure how to upgrade besides putting slicks, fenders, and a rack on it. Kind of lusting for something new though.

What I've looked at:
Trek 520: Saw this at LBS. My concern is that the frame may be too short for me
Specialized Globe City: Seems like nice commuter, but worry it won't be any good for touring. Also, no stores around here carry it.
Specialized Tricross: Saw this at same LBS as Trek 520. LBS pushing me towards this. Nice bike. From what I've read, though, I should be looking for a steel frame. Also, this is listed as a semi-compact frame. How does that affect its touring capabilities?
Breezer Uptown 8: Test road one. Nice bike! Same concerns as with Globe City wrt touring.
Novara Randonee: Looks nice on web site, but aren't carried around here at REI stores from what I can tell, so testing it will be difficult.

Any help, guidance, or pointers you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks


Choose a TREK. The are American made. The frames are warrantied for life (as long as you own the bike). Second to that - Specialized.

I have a Lemond Zurich (TREK) and have put nearly 5000 miles on it, mostly commuting and centuries. I did upgrade the rims to Cane Creek Volos XL.

Surly LHT or CC not on the original list?

I hadn't heard of them until I saw your post. Thanks for turning me on to them. I really like the Surly LHT. And the Crosscheck. They've just moved to the top of my list.

However, I think I'm going to follow the advice of the folks telling me to spend a little to fix up the Trek and ride it for awhile longer. When I've put 2k more miles on the Trek I'll reward myself with the LHT or the CC.

BM...

I've got all of 400-500 bucks into this new "sport" of mine (cycling) and I have 2 very serviceable bikes (will be good for 4-5 years at least) bibs, bags, lights, computers, upgraded parts... etc... I think I might have hit the 500 buck level today... I got some new BMX style grip pedals for my Commuter/Hardrock and a new frame bag for my Worldsport... I think I bought some gloves today too :) and new tires... :)

actually... come to think of it... I used birthday/father's day money for both my bikes... so I am well under the $500 mark...

You'll hear alot of people say that Cycling is a rich mans sport... but it doesnt have to be... thats for sure...

Enjoy the TREK!

One bike isn't going to accomplish all of those goals.

I would put some money into a Surly LHT (full touring) or Crosscheck (light touring/cyclocross) for your commuter/tourer. It doesn't have to be fancy, just the basics for touring.

Then I would start saving for a triathlon specific bike.

But let's cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, focus on getting the commuter that you need.