Commuting - Need bike advice for HUGE 1 km commute!

Need some sage advice from the veteran commuters. I am buying my first commuter bike and leaving the car in the driveway for my 1 km commute. I have been looking at the local cycle shops for the past week and have eliminated quite a number of nasty, rickety, cheap bikes. I'm looking at:
Gary Fisher Zebrano or Napa
Trek bikes or
Jamis or
what ever's good

I need to hear all of your opinions (the more jaded the better!). What's a hunk of junk, what's great, etc.
I have about $450 to spend. Just from the test rides (through the pro-choice march in DC this weekend--what fun!) I know I'll be riding more that to just work. Please, no beach cruisers. At my age and gender, 43 and female, most will think it's my original bike. :rolleyes:

Looking forward to getting to "work" and seeing responses. HAPPY MONDAY!

I'm glad you're thinking of taking up cycling, it's a good low impact way to get some exercise in.
You might want to re-think your route and take a longer more scenic route. You can pretty much fall asleep biking at 12km/hr which would end your commute at roughly 5 minutes and leave you feeling a little disappointed. I know for me I wouldn't enjoy a ride that only lasts 5 minutes.
Spend less than $350, get trek, giant, specialized, whatever bike, either a hardtail mountain bike or a hybrid, put smooth tires on it. Spend the left overs on tax, a rack with a trunk, a helmet, blinkers if you're going to be commuting at night, fenders, lock, get a bell if law requires, maybe a mirror if you don't feel comfortable on the road. You can also use the bike to cruise around on weekends, go grocery shopping, etc.
Another alternative would be to get a bike for casual riding and just walk the 1km.
I hope you never used to use the car for the 1km commute cause that's going to be a new record :p

Ride 1 km??? 0.6 miles??? :lol:
WALK to work!

Ride 1 km??? 0.6 miles??? :lol:
WALK to work!

AH! I didn't explain. I'm the local nurse practitioner in a small beachside town. My patients found out what time I walked to work and "bumped" in to me. We call it the curbside consult. The last morning I walked, I ended up taking a 25 minute 5 minute walk. This way I figure if they want to talk to me, they'll have to run. :D

If you're looking to do longer rides other than just your .6 mile ride to work, I would think a Specialized Sirrus would be a good choice...it has a nice, comfy postion, suspension seatpost, and nice enough components, not to mention the warranty that surely will go along with it. http://www.specialized.com/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=5997&JServSessionIdroot=dyh4kh4y5m.j27007 Other than that, whatever is most comfortable to you, go for it.

The GF Zebrano doesn't look too bad - no suspension fork is good for riding on smooth trails, but if you think you'll extend your riding to some rail-trails or mountain biking, you might like to go with a mountain bike (MTB) instead. That way you'll have front suspension to smooth out the ride. I'm also not a fan of cheap suspension seat posts - I find them quite inefficient at smoothing out bumps and often they make pedaling harder as they are constantly changing the relationship between seat and pedals. Just my 2 cents... :D

Options I'd look at:
GF Wahoo
Trek 4300/4500/4700
Specialized Hardrock/Rockhopper

As slvoid said, either trade in the tires when you purchase or spend a few extra dollars to get either slick tires or semi-slick tires (smooth in the middle, knobby on the outside). Fenders are great if you want to ride in the rain.

For the length of commute you're doing, you can probably just wear your regular work clothes. Use a back pack or messenger bag (single shoudler strap) to take your extra bits and pieces.

Don't forget a helmet!!!!

Good luck!

The way I see it, you can get a mountain bike if you plan to go off the pavement during weekends and evenings. Or you can get a hybrid if you're mainly using it on pavement. If you plan to get a mountain bike, they'll usually give you a good discount if you ask them to swap out the knobbie times for some "semi-slick" tires.

Trek 820/3500/4100 mountain bikes will run you around $280-330.
Specialized hardrock mountain bike will run you about $330.
Specialized crossroads hybrid will run you about $330.
Trek 7100/Navigator 100 hybrid will run you about $330.

Another thing to have on hand is a set of tire levers, a patch kit, and a pump at the very least, it'll run you less than 25 bucks and if you decide to roam far from home, it'll be a godsend. Even if it's not raining, if the ground is wet or you run over a puddle, you'll have water all over your back without fenders.

Hybrids offer a better upright sitting position and their larger thinner tires roll easier.

I'd say that, for your intended use, a chainguard and fenders are nearly essential. Any time the road is wet, a fenderless bike will spray a black oil emulsion all over your back. Chainguardless bikes can clobber a $1,000 suit in seconds. (An elastic band can prevent this, but it is a hassle and easy to forget when running late.) Therefore, a beach cruiser might actually be the best solution. From China to India, to Europe to Africa, this is the sort of bike used for normal transportation. They are cheap, and last forever. That's why everyone rode them back before the 10 speeds arrived and cycling became a sport. However, you have ruled them out.

If you want to go up to about $500 or so, there are some very cool options that would be just as good for a 6 mile (or longer) commute. A Bianchi Milano (drop frame model) would be perfect.
http://www.bianchiusa.com/milano.html

Any of the Breezer bikes would also be a good choice. http://www.breezerbikes.com/
Bikes @ Vienna is a local dealer for these. Neither of these will be assumed to be your original first bike!

If you are in DC, City Bikes has the Bianchi. City Bikes, Bikes @ Vienna, and Papillon are, in my experience the only local shops that are not utterly clueless when it comes to utility bikeing.

If these prices are too high, there are some good used bargins. If I wanted an inexpensive commuter bike, I would look for an old Raleigh 3 speed. However, parking in the DC area is expensive enough that I would consider even a $1,000 bike to be chump change.

Come winter, you will want a battery-powered front headlight and rear red blinker.

Bottom line: my advice is to buy the Bianchi. There are other good commuting/shopping bikes (my Kettler, for one), but the Bianchi has style as well.

Paul
(Year round commuter, DC area)

You guys are giving me the advice I asked for! I went to Capitol Hill Bikes over the weekend and had some good test rides but found the salesman clueless. City Bikes was such a nuthouse there was no way I could talk to someone---will try later this week.

Pretty much any bike will do the job, but a modern hub-gear bike with rack and fenders is clean, easy to use and convenient. The Breezer Villager looks ideal and is good value. It is the non-suspension model, so there is less to go wrong. The dynamo-driven lighting is excellent for fit-and-forget reliability.
MTBs can't accept fill-length fenders on both wheels. The clip-on versions are not so effective.

For short ride like that, buy a pair of sneakers. Even walk to subway station longer for me.

Yeah, but sneakers aren't as much fun and I don't want to take me sneakers out for a run on the weekend just because I enjoy them so stinkin' much! :p

First buy a helmet, then buy a used but comfortable bike from any open aire market. Have your LBS tune it up and you will probably get out for under $100. (Oh, the tune up will be the most expensive investment.) I don't think less than a mile would warrant spending all of that money. If you're worried about the medical consultations along the path to work, a hat and glasses might be cheaper. But if you really want to cycle, then the equation changes.

Other "intermediate" options: rollerblades, adult-size kick scooter.

Ummmm...is there a reason y'all want to keep me off 2 wheels?

Of course in a town this size (2500 people) I'll be taking the bike to the grocery store, Floyd's barber shop. Goober's garage, Helen's hat and dress shop, etc. Give me a break, the only other woman in town who rides a bike is Miss Glutch and she's a sweet old school teacher.

Ok, I've tested your cultural literacy. Back to bicycles. I will be using this as my primary transportation for about 15 miles around. It's lovely flat and next to the water here. We have plenty of biking groups passing my house every weekend. Ever seen a road race/tour traffic jam? Come by any Saturday for the next 4 months.

Used to be a trauma nurse. I bought the helmet first. Seen too many depressed skull fractures and the sequelae.

How about a Giant Revive?
http://www.giant-bicycle.com/us/030.000.000/030.000.000.asp?dealerid=&dealercountry=&lYear=2004&bikesection=8836&range=142&model=10785
A bit pricey, but different and looks fun & handy.

WHAT A HOOT!! I have to try one of those, just for the fun of it!

Oh, NOW you tell us; suddenly a 1km "commute" to work becomes a whole evening full of errands.

(Helmet first; that's so refreshing to hear! How do I convince more of my friends to use theirs, and that it's because I care about them, not because I'm a Nazi about it?)

Here's what I don't get about that Giant Revive (and its KHS "competitor"). Since the frame geometry is somewhere between a recumbent and a "wedgie", why don't they give it a full-size (26" or 700) rear wheel, for higher effective gearing? Seems like the geometry would allow for it, moreso than a full-blown recumbent frame.

I'll have to come visit you the next time I'm in town. I'll be staying at the Shady Rest.

Hey, waitaminit; if you're gonna be biking all over town, why are you stopping at Goober's Garage? Are you and Goober....

Just to be fair, she did say, "I know I'll be riding more that to just work." in her initial post :p

Heck no! Goober's my ex-husband. I'm now married to that hunk of man Barney Fife.
When the town is maybe 4km wide a bike makes perfect sense. I noticed though, no bike racks in town. What's with this? Is it a normal thing or does it have to do with population density (yep, how DENSE the locals are).
I'll be at the LBSs this weekend and will hopefully find a suitable beach bomber. Thanks!
Aunt Bea

Heck no! Goober's my ex-husband. I'm now married to that hunk of man Barney Fife. Citizen's arr-ay-est! Citizen's arr-ay-est!



When the town is maybe 4km wide a bike makes perfect sense. I noticed though, no bike racks in town. What's with this? Is it a normal thing or does it have to do with population density (yep, how DENSE the locals are). My sense is that towns this size have an even more entrenched "bikes are toys" attitude than medium-to-large cities. There isn't enough traffic congestion to drive the more intelligent (less in-bred?) of the locals to seek alternatives. "Free" parking abounds. And face it, much of life in a town this size involves getting out of town, something most people associate with requiring a car. WI's landscape is thorougly peppered with these "five taverns, four gas stations, three diners, two churches, one Wal-mart, zero bike shops" burgs.

Picked up the bike today! Got what I needed---
BREEZER VILLAGER
I test rode 8 other bikes, some of which I liked better but were wholly fun and unnecessary. Now about those sexy accessories......

Thank you all for your suggestions and help. I'm now looking forward to my totally fun, non-commuter evil bike (next year). Barney says HOWDY Y'ALL.