Commuting - Good commuter

I'm in the market for a new commuting bike, light touring. Right now I use a road bike-Colnago C-40-but I want a true commuting/touring bike. I'm open to any suggestions and money really isn't an issue. The one bike I'm really looking at hard is the Rivendell custom. Also I want to run a rohloff and I want 700cc wheels. Right now I'm commuting 20 miles each way.

i've heard the rolhoff is a tank....

which might be an issue comming of a cologno.

with money being no object why not get someone to build you a custom frame?

if money is no object, get the rohloff.

if your ride is in stop-and-go traffic, forget the drop bars, and go with bullhorns. also consider biopace chainrings, for better acceleration.

Surley, Soma and Gunnar all produce good value, light-touring frames in stock geometries, ideal for a long commute.
If you really want a Rohloff, then look for horizontal dropouts, or check out the Thorn Raven at sjscycles.com (or co.uk?)

Surley, Soma and Gunnar all produce good value, light-touring frames in stock geometries, ideal for a long commute.
If you really want a Rohloff, then look for horizontal dropouts, or check out the Thorn Raven at sjscycles.com (or co.uk?)

The Raven is the bike I dream about. As someone noted above, the Rohloff is a tank and a person coming from a Colnago C-40 might want performance. Why not test ride a Nexus 7 bike and if you like that, then you'll love the Rohloff.

Let us know what you come up with.

--Pete

I ordered a 2005 Jamis Nova (http://www.jamisbikes.com/bikes/05_nova.html) about a month ago. It should be here soon. I really hope I like it because it will replace my old road bike as my commuter. Give it a look.

if money is no object, get the rohloff.

if your ride is in stop-and-go traffic, forget the drop bars, and go with bullhorns. also consider biopace chainrings, for better acceleration.

I agree that drop bars are not so good in traffic - I would also consider a straight handle bar though with bar ends- advantages (a) you have a couple of hand positions (b) hands are usually close to the brakes for emergencies (c) good control (d) good riding position in between a road bike and a MTB for good visibility.

Also for traffic I would consider disc brakes. They are worth a bit of extra weight in the city

The Rivendell is a beautiful bike, but I've never been convinced that, for the price, you get much more function for your money than you would get from other steel frames. You had better get a LOT of aesthetic pleasure out of your bike, because on the Atlantis, for instance, the frame alone is $2500, and I would be hesitant to go with cheaper parts on my Rivendell, so the build up is likely to be expensive, too. Surly makes the Long Haul Trucker for about $400, and it is likely to be as good functionally as the Rivendell. All steel construction, brazeons, etc. It will last you a lifetime, if you care for it. Not a work of art, but a strong, competent frame for everyday (and every day) biking. Then, if you build up with "the Best" components, you have a great custom bike that hasn't cost you more than you needed to spend.

What is your commute like -- a stoplight every block, or all open road? Hills, or flat? What weather conditions do you have -- rain, snow? Do you enjoy tinkering, or just take the bike into the shop every six months or so?

I think this whole commuter bike thing is all "horses for courses." What works for me might not work for you.

Paul

What is your commute like -- a stoplight every block, or all open road? Hills, or flat? What weather conditions do you have -- rain, snow? Do you enjoy tinkering, or just take the bike into the shop every six months or so?

I think this whole commuter bike thing is all "horses for courses." What works for me might not work for you.

Paul

The commute is all open roads and farm roads, some flat but mostly hills. The biggest hill is a 12% for about a mile and a half. I get all four seasons over here and will be riding in all four. And I do enjoy tinkering, none of my bikes go to a bike shop. Hope that helps a little

If money were no object for me, I would commission my custom commuter/all-arounder from Jeff Jones - do a search under Jones Titanium Bicycles. I am really intrigued by his 'vertically compliant hardtail' concept. He builds them in 29'/700c wheeled versions and could spec' any drive train your heart desires.

DanO

because on the Atlantis, for instance, the frame alone is $2500

OOPS! :o It's $2500 for the custom. The price for the Atlantis is $1300. Still, 3x the Surly LHT.

Koga-Miyata makes some nice bikes http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/koga/index.html if money isn't an issue. Dutch city bikes with expensive japanese made frames.

Mike Flannagan, in Boston builts city bikes. antbikemike.com, his frames are welded not lugged but he does make beautiful bikes and they're not too expensive, utilitarian art would be a way to describe his work.

Kettler of germany makes some nice bikes, a less expensive alternative to Koga-Miyata. I forget the address, see momovelo.com, also a place to get nice custom commuters.

I'm really enjoying my Surly LHT as a commuter bike. My go fast Waterford Paramount has be regulated to weekend duties now. Check out the LHT, it can be built up nice for 800-1200 bucks depending on how much of it you do yourself, and what you have in your parts bin.

http://www.wolfenet.org/gallery/surly?page=4

wow, dropping some big names there (C40, Rivendell). money must not be an object, you're lucky. all the Riv's are awesome (Atlantis, Rivendell, Rambouillet). i only hope you've got a good place to park at work. i wouldn't leave one on the street for any time.

i think it's lame, however, to spend that kinda money on a commuter if you are truly commuting on it. it should be a bike that you're not going to worry about weather, paint chips, or excessive maintenance. there are tons of bikes out there that fit the bill. i think the LHT is a great place to start.

let us know what you decide.

I think a Rivendell frame with horizontal dropouts, a Rohloff, priest bars, rack, fenders, Schmidt dynohub, and maybe a chainguard (or even chaincase) would be great. You could ride it to the opera in evening wear or put on casual togs and go touring.

Assuming that you have secure parking, I think spending money on a commuter is a fine idea, particularly if most (or all) of your riding is commuting, running errands, or whatever. You are going to spend a lot of time on the bike, so I believe it really should be something you enjoy riding. Unlike a lot of high-end bike stuff, a Rohloff has practical advantages -- less maintenance downtime, reduced need to replace chains, no fragile stuff exposed to the elements, ability to ride in normal clothing.

If you want ready-made, Utopia, in Germany, has some very fine high-end utility bikes (you can use one of the search engines to translate if you don't read German):
http://www.utopia-fahrrad.de/.

However, your proposed bike would probably be lighter than the Utopia bikes, which might be important if you have significant hills.

Rudgey mentioned Kettler. Kettler now has a US distributor, which should make it easier for you to get one than it was when I got mine:

http://www.kettlerusa.com/page14.html

I replaced the sidewall dynamo with a hub dynamo. If I had longer rides or more hills, I would want the Rohloff instead of the Nexus. As upgraded, it is the perfect bike for me, but maybe or maybe not for you.

Sounds like an interesting project.

Paul

commuting in the city, stopping often and having to deal with heavy traffic. i have been riding a cannondale silk path 400 for 4 years. its a great bike for daily riding and have taken it on rides of a 100 miles without any problems. its a hybrid and works well on road and paved trails.

I ordered a 2005 Jamis Nova (http://www.jamisbikes.com/bikes/05_nova.html) about a month ago. It should be here soon. I really hope I like it because it will replace my old road bike as my commuter. Give it a look.

Please post complete pix and rundown when it arrives. :)

After a lot of thought this is what Ive come up with. Surly LHT with campy centaur triple. I went with this because of all the good things Ive heard about the frame and to get a rivendell and ride in the snow and salt is crazy. I moved away from the rohloff and went with centaur because I can get 30 different gears now instead of 14 and for 300 less (and I love Campy!). If anyone has any other ideas for me Id be happy to hear them. Ill post pictures once I get this thing together, but it wont be for a while.

I assume you will also be running a campy cassette then. Are you concerned about a lack of low gearing? (30/29) is as low as it goes I think. If this is just commuting and only the one hill I guess its not a concern, but I'm struggling with the gearing issue and wondered how you came to your conclusion.

Edit to add:
Also, did you find a campy compatible 135 hub, or are you going to run a shimano splined/campy spaced cassette?

if your ride is in stop-and-go traffic, forget the drop bars,

I disagree. I think drop bars are great, even in stop-and-go traffic. I used to ride in center city, philadelphia and montreal, and in both situations i very much preferred drop bars to flat bars.

Don't forget to save money in your budget for lighting. If you can afford it, look at HID's. Look at the following factors: Burn time; recharge time (make sure to get a a "smart" charger); length of low battery warning; LED backup; and battery configuration (don't get a bottle charger if you can't give up a cage for it).

I use a Cygolite HID with a bottle cage NiMH battery. I will soon have a 10w NiMH halogen backup with a battery that fits on my top tube. If I had to do it all over, I would probably buy the NR Flamethrower (because of the LED back up) or the L&M HID (because of the early low-battery warning).

Also, save money for other "necessities": An emergency tire repair kit, frame pump, multi-tool, rack, saddlebags, appropriate clothing, etc.

Don't do the Centaur triple, get a Sugino XD triple, less $$$, ergo compatible and looks great. 70-100 for the crankset, and here's what it looks like on an LHT. http://www.wolfenet.org/gallery/surly/img_1532

Rest of drivetrain is shimano, except for Chorus Ergo shifters. :)

[QUOTE=Daily Commute]Don't forget to save money in your budget for lighting.


I just bought a light and motion ARC ultra. It was expensive but with a 6+ hour burn time I felt it was totaly worth it.