Commuting - Does your beater/commuter bike get way more miles than your nice bike?

Hello! I have noticed that a lot of people on the forum, particularly the commuter one, own multiple bikes and one of them is always the designated beater. Sometimes this beater is also the commuter, especially for folks who can't bring the bike into their offices/school classrooms.

I am one of such people-- I have a nice touring bike and a beater. I commute on the beater, because I don't have anywhere but outside to store it, and I don't want my nice bike stolen. I also sometimes get groceries on the beater, because when I ride my touring bike to the grocery store I keep thinking if it's still there. I love riding on my nice bike, but I realized that even with long rides on weekends, my beater still gets more miles.

Does this happen to anyone else?

No, my commuter bike is my nice bike. I put about 140 miles per week on my commuter bike, and the ride includes a fair amount of rolling hills terrain. I have an enclosed bike locker at work, so I don't have to worry about theft or leaving the bike outside in the elements. So I get to use my nice bike for commuting, which is the majority of my weekly bike distance. My "errand bike" which is used for short trips near home is the closest thing I have to a "beater bike", but it gets light use and low mileage. My fair weather "weekend bike" is a 29 year old Ciocc which doesn't have fenders or a rack. I like to take it out for a 40+ mile leisure ride like I did today. After riding the heavier commuter bike during the week, the Ciocc feels a lot different, and is a bit quicker on the hills.

Yes, my commuters sees all the miles and my road bike stays in the car trunk or in the house.

No, but I built up a cheap singlespeed road bike to save my nice bikes from commuting wear and tear. I enjoy the bike a lot, and have even taken it on some longer road rides. Now that I realize I like the singlespeed thing, I'm building something a little nicer, though it will still be a commuter. Not sure that answers the question, though.

I will say that most of my recreational miles in the past year have been off road rather than on, so a bike that's good for commuting isn't going to be so good for my "fun" rides.

i have three bikes: rb, cx, mtb. Mtb currently doesnt work and is the oldest. I dont consider any of my bikes to be beater bikes. I commute on my favorite one (rb) but all my bikes are left outside, in the rain, snow, whenever I cant bring them in (another story).

I noticed the same thing a few years ago, so I started commuting on my nicer bike and just figured out a way to keep it safe. If I'm going to put all those miles on, might as well do it on my favorite bike...

All of my 3 bikes are nice and expensive. They all get used a lot. That's what I bought them for.

I own three bikes, however, the X gets all the miles and all the bling. I am not sure what to do about the other two. If I sold them, then, I would need them. It doesn't cost anything to keep them around.

I'll let you know once I get a nice bike. :)

My general philosophy, though, is if I can't afford to really use something, don't buy it. When I buy a nicer bike, it will basically be an upgrade to my low-end hybrid/comfort/commuter bike, which is very much in the "it ain't pretty, but it works" category. I ride to get around and have fun. If I'm not going to be able to use the bike for those, what's the point?

The question presumes one bike that is better than another. My bikes are all in some sense beaters. I don't have what most people would consider a nice bike. So...... I just ride what suits me that day.

EDIT: the question also presumes that one keeps track of miles, which I don't do either. All of my bikes are a "favorite" at one time or another.

sadly my commute bike gets more miles.

eailier in the year had a small crash, and bent the front wheel. so that wheel is on my commute. and my road bike i never bought proper cycling shoes so i have to transfer the front wheel and commute toe clips to road bike. finaly i just replaced the seatpost on the road bike because i could never get a comfortable angle for the seat. on my road bike it seems like one thing after another. i've also had to replace the handlebars(ergo wasn't comfortable for me), new stem, replace cables and housing, the seat, bought new bibs, still need to buy new front wheel.

hopefuly this year i will get more road bike miles in. lesson learned is that somethings its better to invest a bit more money on something rather than take a gamble on something half the price that just breaks after a month or two. you don't know how important a good seatpost is till one breaks and your riding around for weeks till one arives in the mail.

All of my bikes are nice...they all work.

Dunno, none of my bikes really qualify as "beaters" and all but the Tri bike have been used for commuting on multiple occasions. I put down too many miles that I really want to risk walking, so I tend to buy nicer bikes and maintain them heavily.

Lately, yes. In fact the rainbike just got 34 more miles in a training ride today. But come summer, the "good" bike will get tons of miles.

My main commuter is also my nice brevet bike, so it's my big-mile machine. I'll have 4000km just in randonneur events on it this year, plus some commuter mileage.
My beater singlespeed is my commuter/trainer for building strength on the climbs. I'll probably put 35% of my yearly mileage in on that bike. and 5% on my utility/basket bike which gets used for grocery trips up the street.

My bike with rack and fenders is getting more mileage so far this winter. Come spring and summer it will probably be 50/50. I don't consider either of my bikes beaters, however the ones I have seen are doing their jobs.

My commuter, a Surly LHT, isn't a beater, but it still gets the most miles by a large margin. I try to commute at least 3 times a week, more if weather permits, and I'm pretty much ready for a rest on the weekends.

Does this happen to anyone else?

Yeah. I have a road-racing bike and an all-around road bike, and the all-rounder gets most of the road miles, while the race bike mainly gets used on race day. The all-around bike is a Soma Smoothie ES with a rear rack, fenders and lights, and is still reasonably fast. I also have an XC-racing mountain hardtail, and an XC full-rigid mountain bike that doubles as my winterbike & grocery getter, and I save the XC race bike for performance riding and races.

None of them are "beaters" in the sense of "old obsolete $100 bike," however.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff237/mechBgon/007-1.jpg
Everyday bike

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff237/mechBgon/IMG_0020.jpg
Raceday bike

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff237/mechBgon/Ziggurat.jpg
Winter/everday bike, shown in summer performance mode

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff237/mechBgon/IMG_0189.jpg
Raceday/performance bike

my "beater/commuter" is not entirely a piece of trash, but it is a $100 bike that came with pretty beaten up components and lots of scratches on the frame. It rides okay and is reasonably fast, but not nearly as smooth as my surly cross check fitted for light touring.

Peliot, on principle I totally agree with you, but do you have any tips on "keeping it safe"? I ride about 5 miles to a major university and spend all day in one building. I know there's a faculty who keeps his bike in the office, but for students the storage options are either outside on the bike rack, or under a roof (like a balcony) to wooden benches. I have a onguard bulldog and I am going to get a kryptonite soon since I lost my original receipt for the onguard and can't get the anti-theft protection.

My commuter (LHT) is not a beater, and it doesn't get nearly as many miles as my road bike. The reason, very simply, is that I live < 2.5 miles from work. And I like it that way. Commuting is great and all, but I'm far more likely to do it if it isn't a long way, and it leaves me more time to do other things with my day... like ride my road bike.

Unfortunately many people live where bike theft is a problem and don't have employers that will provide secure parking for bicycles. As you notice from the posts, people who have secure parking at work generally don't commute on beaters unless they have a very short commute. One thing you might want to consider is a folder. Check out the folder forum, some of them are very nice to ride and they fold down very quickly to a very small size that you may be able to bring inside at work and the grocery store. Then you can ride a nice bike and have it secure.

I have secure parking at work and I ride a very nice bike for the commute.

No. My commuter bike is a mode of transportation that also doubles as weekend rides. I see it nothing more than a refrigerator or toaster oven. It does keep my RX-8 nice and cozy in the garage though. :p

My "Chevy" is my '99 Trek 7500... definitely not a beater by any means as the wheel set and brakes are worth as much as a decent beater and it's a great all rounder, does everything without complaint, and sees a ton of miles.

http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikepics/trek2009commute4.JPG

If I have a beater it is my Kuwahara Shasta and even then, it has a triple butted Ishiwata frame, handbuilt wheels, and got built up for winter and messenger use and ended up seeing much more than that since it is such a nice ride and is rather bombproof.

http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikepics/uav1.jpg

The really nice bikes tend to be for specific purposes (mtb and road bike) or are vintage bikes that I don't subject to the daily pounding that is one's commute.

I don't really have a beater bike; I have a Specialized Tarmac and Hardrock and they are both beautiful and well taken care of, but my Tarmac was purchased for weekend fast rides and the Hardrock was converted for commuting (replaced the fork, tires and put on a rear rack) but I commuted on the Tarmac more last year. I may start using the Hardrock more this year though and give my Tarmac a rest for the weekend rides. I guess I'll also soon be a part of the 3 bike crowd since I want to do my first build this year and it will probably be a steel Surly, Salsa or Gunnar cyclocross type commuter. I like to own nice bikes so I guess I'll never truly have a beater bike.

Yup, I found out I like to ride for utility more then pleasure so I ride to the store and work and such, and now I am moving farther away so I can ride more. :)
So ya' all my bikes are really just commuters with secondary purpose's they seldom get used for. :)

Once I got the "nice" bike, the old geezer bike sat around until its tires went flat and then it was retired to the garage. Last month I got 37% of my miles commuting.
My commute is 15 miles each way with plenty of hills and I am a "fair weather" commuter with safe covered parking for the bike at work. The geezer bike also does not fit as well, so it's not nearly as much fun to ride.

Since we've had sub-freezing temps here, I have been tempted to get Rusty up and running as it can be ridden with (warmer) boots on the campus pedals. But not tempted enough.

apparently my steel, cheap 16" folder ($40) is the one with more miles.
is it ugly? many say so.
but it is in a very good working order, mechanically, that is.

I only own one bike. I've never come up with anything I wanted to do on 2 wheels that it couldn't do. I wouldn't take it on a serious offroad jaunt, but I'm not likely to want to do that either.

Yeah. The commuter bike is a utilitarian item that gets beat around plenty, so I guess it's a beater, though always well maintained. But it gets 80 miles of riding every week, and these days it's rare I get a chance to do 80 miles of other riding in a week.

I've got 4 road bikes, and they are all what I would consider pretty nice bikes. When I built up my main commuter, I got a new Bob Jackson touring frame and used nice components because I knew it would see the most miles. If I'm riding it the most, why not make it a nice ride? My nicest bike, a ti Merckx, gets the highest mileage on the weekends -- and most of my long rides -- but still not as much as my commuter.

No. They are one in the same.

I've got two road bikes. A cheap chickabike "dawes lightning sport" with a rack, light kit, tons of reflective tape, etc. It is my commuter and gets more miles. I've also got a 2009 Trek 2.3 with nothing added but a tiny computer. Its purpose is so I can try to keep up on the weekends with guys that are younger and skinnier than I. Its actually kind of like swinging a heavy bat in the on-deck circle. The Trek is SO much lighter, that it feels fast under me on the weekends.

I don't really have a nice bike and a beater bike. Both my bikes were bought used and both are in good shape, though one is quite a bit newer than the other. The "all rounder" is my winter bike and even though it is my all rounder, it's the road bike gets most of the miles. I choose the road bike 95% of time from April through November. Though it doesn't get ridden as much, I depend on my winter bike to get me through the worst so I have an equal fondness for both bikes.

I bought it knowing that it would get the lion's share of miles and ride time, (about 2/3rds of my miles) so I made sure my commuter is the nicest bike in my stable.

I only have one bike which most people here would consider a beater - a winter beaten Trek 7.2fx. It gets me around with no problems though. I do everything on it from daily commuting to long-distance rides.

I don't really have a nice bike any more. Two bikes: one custom built by LBS one DYI MTB/commuter. To me, the commuter MTB is the nicest bike I ever had: it's smooth, comfortable and works very well. It's all black, down to spokes:) Once I upgrade the drivetrain to Deore XT it'll be even nicer :)

Adam

Yes, but it's because my 'beater' is a good general purpose bike - an early 90s hybrid with a frame geometry remarkably like the cross check. It's fast (enough) in summer, can handle some offroading, deals with any weather that isn't frozen, and hauls stuff without complaint. My only gripe is the frame is appallingly heavy.

Of course, with what I've put into that 'beater', the crankset is about the only thing other than the frame that's original anymore.

My mileage seems to average out over the course of the year. Right now, I'm riding the Trek MTB with studs, but that will change in a couple of months, when the Jamis Commuter 3.0 gets used full time. During the warmer months, the Raleigh road bike goes for longer rides on weekends. I store the Dahon folder in our camper to ride around the campground. They all get used, they just take time off at different times of the year!

My beater most definitely gets more mileage due to theft and road conditions. Riding on the roads at this time of year with the salted slush wreaks havoc on anything metal. It's much more sensible to maintain a $100 rigid beater than it is to maintain a $2000 full suspension bike. A lot less damage and chance of theft to worry about.

Yeah, it wasn't always that way. I use my "beater" bike (a Novarra Buzz bike) to commute well over 5000 miles per year. But my road bike- my nice custom steel framed bike only gets about 1500-2000 miles over the course of a year. My nice Gary Fisher mountain bike gets only about 200 miles on it a year. And my folder about 150-200.

It's mostly due to my work schedule- I just don't get the free time for recreational riding as I used to- but I do get my daily commutes in with regularity.

One of the nice things about the "nice bike" is that it's always clean since it only gets used about once a year.

I only have one bike. Not sure if it would be considered a beater or not though. It's a Jamis Coda. Not top of the line but I like it. Not finished working on her yet but here she is:
http://girlonbikewrites.blogspot.com/2010/01/new-tires.html
(having trouble posting a pic so here it is on my blog)

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not "nice looking" doesn't always mean not a "nice ride"

I only have one bike. Not sure if it would be considered a beater or not though. It's a Jamis Coda. Not top of the line but I like it. Not finished working on her yet but here she is:
http://girlonbikewrites.blogspot.com/2010/01/new-tires.html
(having trouble posting a pic so here it is on my blog)

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I suppose definitions differ, but I wouldn't call that a beater. That's a nice bike.

When I think of a beater I think of something that's got at least a bit of rust, plenty of nicks/scratches and maybe even a small dent or two. Dirt when present (and it should be) will enhance the appearance rather than detract from it.

"Beater" to me would be the one you beat up as a daily driver.

Maintenance? Bah! Just hose it down with some lube and get going!

Years ago I went on a few offroad rides with a coworker. This was before I started commuting regularly though I was already doing it from time to time.

We'd go through mud and sand, over rocks and logs, etc. We'd often end up in a shallow creek after unsuccessfully navigating this narrow log bridge. It even snowed on one of these rides.

Upon finding out that I was going to start riding to work regularly, the first question out of his mouth was: "Aren't you worried that you're bike's going to get all beat up?"

Winter aside, my commute is pretty easy miles for a bike. If you have to lock it up outside, then it's subject to getting banged around, but even when I did that it was in a place where it wasn't going to get disturbed.

interesting question. for me it depends on the time of year. meaning, last year I racked up a lot of miles (~1,000) commuting but then racked up about the same amount (~1,000) with weekend joy rides during the spring and summer months including vacation time. for me though, I switched between as many as 5 bikes for all those miles.

only during the winter months my road bike doesn't have fenders or paniers

When I think of a beater I think of something that's got at least a bit of rust, plenty of nicks/scratches and maybe even a small dent or two. Dirt when present (and it should be) will enhance the appearance rather than detract from it.

Ah, you mean "a bike that actually gets used" as opposed to "statuary with two wheels".

I suppose definitions differ, but I wouldn't call that a beater. That's a nice bike.

When I think of a beater I think of something that's got at least a bit of rust, plenty of nicks/scratches and maybe even a small dent or two. Dirt when present (and it should be) will enhance the appearance rather than detract from it.

In that case I have no beater. I only have one bike. When I got it I bet you would have considered it a beater though. It needed a seat, rear derailleur, major truing to both wheels, a chain, and cables. A lot of work has gone in to that thing to take away its beater status.