Commuting - Advice for a noob

I've been searching the forums, but I thought I'd ask for some specific thoughts from the experienced crowd. I commuted a 6-mile one-way trip to school until my bike got stolen. (A Raleigh M-50 with conti slicks) I'll be moving to Austin for grad school this summer, and my wife and I are getting rid of one of our cars in the process. I'll have two frequent commutes: a ~6 mile and a ~16 mile one-way. I'm a little intimidated by the 16 mile commute, but Austin has a bike-friendly bus system I can use. In any event, I need to acquire a bike so I have a few specific questions. From my research so far, here are my thoughts which are open to criticism:

I'd like:
-Relaxed geometry
-Slick tires (I'm not sold either way on fat vs. skinny)
-Internal Gearing
-Commuting essential hardware (fenders, rack, chainguard)

I figure I can save some $$ on craigslist and there is a plethora of bikes available. Fit is a problem for me with a 2nd hand bike on account of my short stature (29" inseam) Also, the cost of outfitting a CL bike for commuting eats into the 2nd hand savings quite a bit.

The other option is to buy new. I'm specifically considering the Giant Trans Send EX, the Novara Fusion, and the Novara Transfer. The Alfine hub on the Giant makes is appealing. The Novara bikes have dynamo front hubs. I'm a little weary of the dynamo hubs. It seems like they'd add pedal resistance, be something else that can break, and I'm not sure they provide a huge advantage over battery-operated lighting. The Transfer has fatter tires than the other bikes (26 x 1.75 if I remember correctly.)

I'd appreciate any input you folks would have on how you would approach buying a commuter bike for the Austin area. I'd like to spend under a grand for the bike and all essential gear (lighting, panniers/trunk, helmet etc.)

Saw one of these on display at Bike to Work Day:

http://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/bikes/08_bikes/08commuter4.html

Interesting that it has a front double,which gives you a pretty wide spread. There's also Swobo's Dixon,which has fenders and racks as an option:

http://www.swobo.com/catalog/product_info_b.php?cPath=201_204#

Have you considered not getting the internally geared hub? I know it's supposed to save a lot of maintainence worries, but it adds a good bit to the cost of the bike and if anything does go wrong, you're less likely to be able to fix it yourself.

Have you considered not getting the internally geared hub? I know it's supposed to save a lot of maintainence worries, but it adds a good bit to the cost of the bike and if anything does go wrong, you're less likely to be able to fix it yourself.I agree. Traditional external gearing is easier to maintain yourself. If you really want to save money and not be worried about breaking down, the best investment is in learning some basic bike mechanic skills. Spend some money on tools and buy some books on bike mechanics (or check out from a library).

For the 16 mile commute, you might also think about a bike with road geometry. It seems more comfortable to be in an upright position for short rides, but for longer rides it isn't. A road bike puts you in a more aerodynamic position and more evenly distributes your weight on the bike.

I would also suggest trying the bus system first before committing to it. I lived in Austin 5 years, and had no car for two of those years. The Capital Metro system was pretty hit or mis with schedules. For most places, it was faster for me to take a bike or walk than take the bus (of course this was 10 years ago, maybe the bus system has improved).

I figure I can save some $$ on craigslist and there is a plethora of bikes available. You won't save "some" $$ on Craigslist, you will save a TON of $$ on Craigslist. Just be sure (as I can tell you are aware) not to "overimprove" a tatty commuting bike.

Craigslist is a commuter's dream answered. Most new bicycles are worth about half of their purchase price the day of their first use--I can't take that kind of depreciation hit, at least not happily.

Since one of your commutes is not short (16 miles), I would look for a "classic" road bike, something like a lugged steel Trek touring bike (520, for example) or sport touring bike with braze-ons for racks. These can be found for $400 or so in excellent shape, and less if the paint is thrashed (desirable in commuting bikes, in my experience). There is enough space for fenders and fat 700c tires, which will make the bike capable of travel on unimproved roads and unpaved paths.

None of these will have internal gearing, so one hopes that's not a show-stopper. The terms "vintage Trek" are good search terms, I have found.

I'm a little intimidated by the 16 mile commute, but Austin has a bike-friendly bus system I can use.

A gaming buddy lives in Austin (UT engineering grad program). He seems to find the bus system reliable, since he always knows *exactly* when to leave his computer to make the bus. It seems to run every hour or so, even during class hours which he's always found very annoying. I'm not sure how available the front racks are, since his trip from UT to home is short enough that I don't think he's ever done a bus/bike commute.


-Relaxed geometry
-Slick tires (I'm not sold either way on fat vs. skinny)
-Internal Gearing
-Commuting essential hardware (fenders, rack, chainguard)

Unless an old Raleigh 3 speed will suit you and Austin's hills, you will not find your bike on Craigslist with that kind of want-list. I'm 5'6" with a 29" inseam as well, and I find that there are more 49-52 cm bikes available than you might expect. Most have a derailler, and would do fine by me if I weren't in the frozen north. But I am, and Madison's policy of sand for traction means an exposed drivetrain dies fairly quickly on a winter bike. Since Austin doesn't see much snow, you won't have that problem.

You'll still have the problem of some bikes go "NOM NOM" at pants legs. Not all bikes are hungry for pants, so a chainguard isn't absolutely essential if you want to buy used. If the bike has 2 chainrings up front, you can often add a ring shaped guard and make even a chomping sort of bike into a well behaved commuter.

If you do go new, a generator hub is easy to manage. The drag is unnoticeable. And well, they just *work*. One will wear out eventually, but you'd have to be clocking 10k miles a year to do it fast. The Novara Transfer doesn't have a chainguard, but it's also not a pants muncher (a friend has one and is thrilled with it). It's very good bang for buck. The Fusion does have a ring guard, but if you've had no trouble with regular brakes before, I can't really see paying the extra for the Fusion. Things like the Jamis Commuter 3.0, Breezers and various other Dutch style bikes will also have the features you want.

I went down to the LBS today and rode an interally geared hub (Bianchi Milano) and a pretty standard externally geared hybrid bike (Trek 7.2FX). After riding both, I don't think the interal gears offer a very good cost to value ratio. I'll save some scratch going external. I enjoyed the Trek, and its price point is considerably less than where I've been looking, and relaxing my requirements opens up a lot of craigslist options. I think I'll ride a road-geometry bike to see if I'd be comfortable. Unfortunately, I don't think they'll let me take it for a 16-mile spin.