Long Distance Competition/Ultracycling, Randonneuring and Endurance Cycling - Distance/Bicycle question

So I work a hour away from home and I work alot, now my bicycles always break down, sometimes I use my really nice rocky mountsin Vertex but the damn thing is always getting flat tires, and all other bicycles break to aside from My old Raliegh Sports, however, I need a new bike that isn't gonna fall apart or break all the time, and will be easy to get to work on, the buses here screwed us over and i'm never useing them again because of it, So if any of my bike buddys here have ideas please do show, Also, Liquid brakes suck, wire is better. lol

I assume "an hour away from home" means one hour by bike-- about 15 miles or so? It sounds like you need a inexpensive entry-level road bike. Not knowing anything about your route, something like the Giant OCR would probably be best.

I suspect people will be hard put to really recommend anything better than what you have. Maybe it would help to know what kind of things break on the other bikes. The flat issue sounds like a tire problem, not a bike problem, and you could buy a new $5,000 bike and still have flats with it.

Ok, what are liquid brakes and wire (brakes?).

(And dude, try some appropriately placed periods, eh?)

Ok, what are liquid brakes and wire (brakes?).

(And dude, try some appropriately placed periods, eh?)


I read that as mechanical disc brakes are more reliable than hydraulic (not sure if true, but it seems reasonable).

It's tough to recommend a bike on the info given, but there are a lot of puncture resistant tires out there, like Gator Skins, Armadillo, Hard Case, etc. I use the Hard Case, and flats were not eliminated, but very greatly reduced--well worth the investment.

Thanks for the info, I have a problem with the Bottom Bracket on all my bikes, I think I push them to hard, never really owned a road bike so maybe thats what i'll go with, The problem here is that the roads in some areas are beat up and have holes, and knobs like smashing bottles on the bike path I use to.

The "hydraulic" brakes became empty both front and back, maybe these Hayes are garbage or something.

Bottom brackets, I don't wanna buy anymore, I might fix this bike and trade it for a road bike, it's a really nice bike and all but it's ticked me off one to many times. lol

In any case i'll look into the Giant OCR since it was first mentioned.

If your bottom brackets keep "breaking" I would recommend switching to another mechanic or bike store.
I would not switch to a road bike, expecting it to be more durable than a mountain bike - they are not. I suspect something should be sorted out with your mechanic, tire pressure, and perhaps your riding style. How much do you weigh, if I may ask ? Getting flats on a road bike usually is easier, too, on a road bike; the MTB tires simply have a lot more protective rubber.

Most big manufacturers make dependable bikes that can take a beating. I don't know about the dependability of commuter-type BD bikes. The Giant OCR series, Specialized Sequoia or Robaix series, Trek 2 or Portland series, Jamis Elipse or Quest or Satellite series, Surley bikes in general, etc. all seem to work great.

I say test ride a bunch of them, and see what you like best. All of those companies stand behind their product, and if your LBS is worth a darn, they will replace stuff like bottom brackets if you wear them out within the warranty.

I find it strange that you eat bottom brackets. I'm a bigger guy and put lots of pressure on my bikes, and have not worn one out since the late 1980s. I HAVE broken a few pedals, chains, and teeth off of freewheels/cassettes over the years, but I don't eat bottom brackets anymore. I DO replace the bottom bracket bearings and grease on my old vintage Trek with cone-type races every 5,000 miles or so, but not because I wear them out. I just like my bikes to run super-smooth and quiet. I've never had to do anything to more modern bottom brackets, though.

No matter which brand of bike you go with, if you are on rough roads like that, I would go with really tough 25 c tires. You can go larger than that with some bikes. Continental Ultra Gatorskins and 4000s are really popular with people that put in lots of miles around here. Other tire companies make comparable tires, but Conti's are sold at lots of places around here.

Unless you are 400 pounds this all sounds more like maintenance issues than anything else, and with few exceptions a new bike isn't going to be any less sensitive to lack of maintenance and/or poor assembly than your existing ones.

Something like StephenH's Workman is probably the best bet for someone who demands a maintenance free bike, but I think StephenH is a distinct minority in enjoying longer distance rides on that style of bike.

Only around 200lbs , my bikes just seem to hate me, however older bicycles seem to love me, never problems with older bikes.

If I use a road bike, getting to work is just so much more easy, so I do want one anyway, Also, none of these damn bike stores wanna fix the Vertex's hydraulic brakes, so that leaves me the one fixing them, I'm gonna sell this bike, how would I refill them and why do they become empty? I see no leak.

If I use a road bike, getting to work is just so much more easy, so I do want one anyway,

I just push myself that much harder, and get just as tired as riding slow on a tanker. But get to work much quicker... And the Conti 4000 tires are just amazing. I have an old used set that I've put close to 400 mi on since January, riding along the shoulders here is WA state. Tons of debris, sand, gravel, glass, everything you can imagine over the course of a winter in the Northwest. Not one flat, great tires. I would also suggest the 25's over 23's....

It defintally sounds like a maintnence issue more than anything.

With the brakes, the vast majority of the time if you properly bleed them they will be happy for a long time...especially if their are no leaks. Sometime all it takes is one small air bubble in the lines to make them feel like there is no fluid in the system at all.

As to which bike, it really depends on your budget and what your priorities are. An awesome but tough commuter/roadie would be any number of cross bikes (preferably the less racier versions) Things like the surly cross check, the soma double cross, masi speciale cx, or if you wanna go nicer than that still you can do something like the gunnar cross hairs, or any number of custom or semi custom steel frames.

You have alot of nice options out there for you which should get you thousands of trouble free miles, just focus on getting a comfortable fit, tough tires, and a strong wheelset.