robertyknwt

We just moved to be within about 11.5 km/7 miles of my work, so I want to start commuting by bicycle. I've googled a lot, read a lot, checked out reviews and manufacturers' websites, and recently visited a number of great bicycle shops here in Vancouver. I'm trying to keep everything (including fenders, rack, lights, helmet, lock, and maybe panniers) to under C$1000, but I might let myself go over that for "the right bike". I've heard people say that because I'm a big guy (6'1" and 270 lb) that I should look for wider tires, more spokes, and possibly avoid carbon fibre forks (can't afford carbon frames at my price point). And here in Vancouver (especially now as winter's coming) it's Wet, Wet, Wet, so many have suggested to me that I should really consider disc brakes, although I wonder if they're worth the price difference (seems to make a difference of about $125-150).

Anyhow, after all that, I'm trying to decide from among these dozen-ish bikes:

• Norco Indie 4, Indie 3, Indie 2 - Local company, all have disc brakes, prices aren't bad ... not very "exciting", but might be the best bang for my buck.
• Brodie Voltage, Bolt, Tesla, Dynamo - Another local company, all but the Bolt have disc brakes, lots of people I've talked to really like their Brodies.
• Kona Dew, Dew Plus - One store had these, disc brakes on the Plus.
• Specialized Sirrus, Sirrus Sport Disc - Lots of stores carrying these, and they seemed pretty good choices.
• Raleigh Detour 3.5, Asama Fastlane, Rocky Mountain RC10 - First two cheap at one store ($389 & 399), both with wide rear wheels and lots of spokes, but heavy and bit "clunky" to me. RC10 might be good, but only 28 mm tire?
• Devinci Dublin - Fell in love with this bike on a test drive, and I love that they're completely built in Canada, but not sure if it's worth the extra bucks ($850 on sale, most expensive of all the ones I've looked at), or whether my weight would be too much for the carbon forks.

I'd love to hear from anyone who's commuted on any of these and can share their experiences. Please don't suggest other bikes, because they're probably not carried here, and I want to buy from a local shop (and get great service) rather than buying online.

cooker

It's great that you are planning this. Here are some more general comments:

You can go to a reputable bike store or MEC and get advice there as well.

I'm heavy although lighter than you and I think the advantage of wider tires (about 1.5" or 37 mm) includes cushioning as well as better traction in wet conditions. Even so, I would recommend smoother road tires as opposed to knobby off-road tires.

Whatever bike you choose needs fenders and possibly a rear rack. Many of us older folk like a rear rack so we can carry any gear in an attached pannier (more stable, less sweaty back, perhaps less fatigue), but some younger more aggressive "roady" type riders prefer a backpack, as the bike feels more responsive to them with no weight attached.

I recommend against suspension as it is annoying and slows you down on pavement - you really only need it on rugged off-road bikes.

A firm saddle with minimal or no cushioning is best for avoiding numbness "down there", but your butt may need some "breaking in" before it is comfortable, (springs underneath like on the Raleigh are okay, but avoid a too spongy or gel-like top). A lot of people like the slung leather Brooks saddles but they need to be waterproofed, eg with Brooks Proofide.

I recommend Robert Hurst's books on urban cycling, but I understand there is also a new good book for beginner urban cyclists from Yvonne Bambrick.

Steel is my favorite bike material, but I'm a "retro" type guy. I commute on a used 1984 vintage trek tour bike and of course it holds my weight as it is designed to take you and 100 lbs of gear over the rockies. So I'd be more attracted to something like the Brody Elan, but that is just me.

CrankyOne

Good comments from @cooker. What all do you want to be able to do? Do you plan to do any shopping with it? Ride to lunch or dinner? (both recommended).

If you'll deal much with wet or snow than I'd stay away from any kind of rim brakes as well as disc. Coaster, Roller, and Drum are my preferences in that order. Specifically, I prefer coaster rear and roller front. Also consider an internal geared hub (IGH) as this will be easier and require a lot less maintenance.

More: City Bikes | LocalMile

cooker

i agree the Raleigh Detour looks a bit heavy and slow, but at the same time it might be the most stable and safe of the bikes as the upright position gives a good view of the road. If you are not confident in your balance and general skills that might be a good one to start with, and the sprung seat gives some cushioning without needing additional suspension.

Dave Mayer

I've been Vancouver bike commuting for 12 years. Daily riding, through winter. Get the lightest possible bike. Currently I am riding a 17 pound titanium road bike with tubular tires/wheels. Works great during the dry weather. Vancouver streets are the best anywhere I've travelled. Seriously: no frost heaving, potholes or post-winter gravel swales. Therefore, you don't need or want heavy tires and wheels. A heavy bike is just an inefficient impediment.

For year-round riding, I recommend this something like the MEC internally-geared commuter bikes:

MEC Hold Steady Bicycle (Unisex) - Mountain Equipment Co-op. Free Shipping Available

Things to avoid: suspension forks. They are useless on pavement, and provide less precise steering. They forks are heavy, require regular servicing, and slow you down due to energy-sapping suspension bob. And eventually the lower legs fill with water and turn into a seized-up corroded mess. Obviously, rear suspension is even more useless and inefficient.

Another thing to avoid: knobby tires. They are heavy, slow, drive you crazy by howling at speed, and actually feature worse traction than slicks on pavement. In fact any 'texture' on the tire is suboptimal. Bike tires cannot hydroplane.

Disks: I have a major descent every day. Disks - for me not worth the weight penalty and extra cost. Your commute may be different.

robertyknwt

Yup, got lots of good advice ... but, of course, conflicting advice, depending on which bike the particular staff member at the particular store was recommending to me.

Definitely fenders. I'll probably just use my backpack to start with, buy a rack and (waterproof) panniers later (we're on a fairly tight budget).

Thanks!

robertyknwt

The odd bit of shopping, like when my wife calls and says "Could you pick up some X on the way home?" Probably not too much else.

Pretty much everything I've seen so far, though, was either rim brakes or disc brakes. On the few days when it snows here, there's a good chance I'll just stay home. (I've commuted with a bicycle in snow before, but that was in Yellowknife, where "a little snow on the road" doesn't freak the entire city out.)

I've seen the Norco Indie 8 IGH, and the MEC Mixed Tape, but all I know about IGH are the crappy old "3-speeds" that were around when I was a kid in the 1970s. I'm assuming they're much better now, but I'm just Not All That Sure right now.

Thanks!

robertyknwt

I'm actually pretty good with my balance and such (ride motorcycle as well as bicycles). It's tempting to start with something low-priced like that, but then I also hear a constant chorus of "You'll be wanting to move up to More Bike before you know it!"

Thanks!

robertyknwt

That's why I loved the Devinci Dublin; according to the specs I can find online, it's only about 2 lb lighter than the others I was looking at (like, 22 lb vs 24 lb or so), but it felt way lighter.

That one's a bit out of my range, but they do have this one....

I'm not sure if this counts as a major descent or two (more than 12% downhill!). This is the profile for going from home to downtown.

Thanks!

mconlonx

Test ride all the bikes in which you are interested. Pick the one which appeals to you the most.

Dave Mayer

If you are climbing steep hills, then you'll need a wider gear range than almost all internally-geared hubs provide. Exception is the Alfine 11, but this hub comes on $1,500+ bikes.

So as much as I dislike derailleur-based bikes for winter commuting duty, due to your price and gear range constraints, you should go with a bike that has a triple crankset and derailleurs.

BTW: snow and frost. I try and ride every day of the year. But when there is snow or a hard frost on the roads, I drive. And I'm a prairie lad.

InTheRain

I won't recommend a specific bike. However, If you're in Vancouver, you should consider sticking with one of the Canadian bikes - Norco or Rocky Mountain. I've been commuting with a Rocky Mountain touring bike for about 8 years. It's been excellent. It's great steel frame. As far as brakes go - I would not buy a commuter in our weather (Vancouver-Seattle-Portland) that did not have disc brakes. In fact, I recently had the Rocky Mountain converted to disc brakes (expensive conversion.)

Dave Mayer

Have a look at this:

Save up to 60% off new Cafe Bikes | Hybrid Bikes Cafe Latte Disc 2014

We've brought in several bikes from BD with great success. You obviously don't ship to a local address, but into Blaine or Pt. Roberts, and then pick it up there. Otherwise MEC may have something similar.

Guess

Hey, I've Lived in Vancouver for all of my short life and have been biking most of it.

I agree with mostly everything in this thread, I would avoid coaster brakes though, they work fine when its dry out but that's not super helpful when you live in Vancouver, especially since there's going to be an el nino this year. Disks or rim brakes would both work, but that depends on your commute.

some things that haven't been said yet.

Keep in mind that bike theft is prominent in this city (nowhere near NYC levels though), I have not had a bike stolen, but i know many people that have. Some areas are very risky to lock at, down town east side, UBC, or anywhere where it would be obvious you are leaving your bike for a long time (skytrain stations, for example) are a little risky. This doesn't mean you cant lock there ever, but put some thought into the way you lock up.

Choose your route wisely, Often times you can avoid massive, or really steep hills, by simply taking another route, and often this wont make the ride any longer. a good example is spruce and Oak at 6th ave. both some of the worst climbs to do in the city, can easily be avoided by going up ash or hemlock.

This may increase your stress levels, but its important to remember that there is a good chance that next years models will be priced higher, in a response to the Canadian dollar being worth so much less then the US dollar, so getting a bike within the near future as shops are trying to clear out last years models is a good plan, plus a lot of shops have end of the season sales right now.

BobbyG

I absolute agree with everything you suggest except for the firm seat. Firm seats tend to leave me numb. It is a matter of personal geometry. I have gel seats on all my bikes. My big mtb-commuter has a gel seat with springs. My roadbike has two gel covers (two!). And my new bike has one. I tried the new bike without my usual "hand and butt cushions" but after a month I added what I needed. I'm sure with time and patience I could find a firm seat that doesn't beat me up or leave me numb and then get padded shorts; but gel seat covers are cheap. Try one, and if it leaves you numb, you're only out $20 or so.

CrankyOne

Nah... :-) IIRC the post dude is riding a 7 speed and estimated his pannier at about 90 lbs.

CrankyOne

I have fairly firm (Fizik Aliente) on road bikes and padded (and wide) on upright bikes.

CrankyOne

Nearly every bike in Europe is IGH (aside from racing people). That's because they're much more reliable and require less maintenance than external (and allow the chain and its grease to be enclosed). They do cost a bit more though. Same goes for coaster, roller, and drum brakes.

robertyknwt

My office building has a very secure-looking bike cage.

Thanks! I figure the first thing I'd do after getting the bike is use a weekend to scout whatever route Google Maps gives me for cycling, along with whatever seems to be a good "default" route based on cycling maps of Vancouver and Burnaby. Then identify the gnarly bits and look for alternatives. However, no matter what route I take, I'll still be climbing 85 m net from work to home.

For sure. Lots of great stuff on sale now. Most of the bikes I've identified are $100-200 off MSRP (and a few even more!). Thanks!

robertyknwt

That'd be the Devinci Dublin, at which point my treasurer (aka my wife) will then beat me over the head. Maybe.

robertyknwt

Hence my looking at the Norco Indies. Maybe I need to test drive them again; I don't remember how they felt as much as I remember that Devinci (which is also Canadian, of course).

I've heard that from many sources. I think I can justify disc brakes to my missus. Thanks!

robertyknwt

I should have noted what saddle I had on my old Specialized Hardrock; that was the 3rd or 4th saddle I tried on it, and it was great, firm enough for support, a bit of give (not as much as gel, but enough), and a groove down the middle that did a great job of not pinching that nerve that we men don't want pinched. Maybe I can email the person I gave it to back in Arizona and ask them to look for me or send a picture.

RubeRad

I think you got your answer right there. I would'nt worry about a carbon fork. Whole carbon frame maybe, with slender seatstays and chainstays, but carbon forks on metal frames are well-established technology, and at your pricepoint you won't be getting the absolute race-premium fork that rides the razor edge of strength and lightness.

I'm very similar to you; 50 (if you round up from 45), 6' (if you round up from 5'11.5"), 250lb (no rounding necessary, my fat gut is round enough on its own). I ride a surly crosscheck, which is a little beyond your stated budget.

I would calculate out the gas savings you get, say, per day of bike-commuting (or better yet, gas + car maintenance, like 50c/mile or whatever the going rate is nowadays), and commit to your wife (and yourself) to recover the extra cost of the DeVinci (or even the whole cost of the bike!) with X number of replaced car-commutes. That will give you a good incentive to give bike-commuting a good run, rather than trying it once or twice and giving up.

cooker

It won't take long to afford gear. For me the bus fare is $2.90, or $5.80 per day. So every two weeks of riding I can spend $58 on my bike!

At least, in theory....

robertyknwt

My two-way bus ride is either $6.30 or $5.25, so maybe $30/wk. This being Vancouver, there will be days when it's really hosing and I won't want to ride, so say we go down to $6/wk., so cost reduction of $24/wk. ~= $100/mo. Yeah, I'll try to leverage that.