wphamilton

Kind of strange statements to make in a bicycle commuting forum. You realize that many of us commute daily in those temperature extremes, in high winds, sometimes on cheap department store bikes? And we are neither desperate nor, mostly, unable to drive.

You should realize, when you make such statements, that your "90% accurate" comes purely from your own mind without any objective foundation, and from your own impression of public perception - and that the people you're talking to almost certainly know better.

Andy_K 

I don't know that I've ever heard the DUI thing except in online discussions. In the Portland area I don't even know that riding cheap mountain is limited to the working poor. It seems to be common knowledge here that you don't need a fancy bike to use your bike as transportation. I work at a high tech company in the suburbs that pays pretty well, and the bike racks here are filled with beaters (along with some really nice bikes).



There's also a small regional airport across the street from where I work and there are almost always a handful of young Asian men (I think they are students at the flight school) riding to or from the airport on newish but very cheap Walmart-type mountain bikes. I've thought about carrying a spray bottle of oil so I can lube their chains a bit as I ride by, but I've never thought that they should get a driver's license.

GovernorSilver

I never heard "you ride a mountain bike - you must have a DUI!" until I read this thread either. Hopefully you're not trying to say I came up with that.

At my workplace there is a wide variety of bikes, as I have stated earlier in thread. What I did not also state is that they vary in appearance/condition too - some are scratched up looking beater types, some are nice racing bikes, all kinds.

However, I don't live where I work. I live in a working class neighborhood. That is where I see people dressed like maintenance workers, gardeners, cooks, etc. riding mountain bikes that do not appear to be expensive. This is the "invisible commuter" population that bike advocacy groups, bike trail planners, etc. tend to not reach for whatever reason.

I also see people dressed in nicer clothes (kit or what have you) riding around my 'hood. They tend to be riding road bikes.

noglider 

I read your post and disagreed. Then I thought about it, and you're right. Reliability is key. Sometimes the reliability of a bike's theft deterrence is important. In my neighborhood, 3-speeds and Dutch bikes don't get messed with, even though they're not cheap. It's weird, but you have to know the market of bike theft to combat it.

For me, reliability of my lights is important. After using dynamo lights on one of my bikes and then riding a bike with battery lights, I got too annoyed. I'm now putting dynamo lights on most of my bikes. I just love knowing my lights will be installed and ready to go whenever I jump on. Most people who don't use dynamo lights haven't tried them and expect they won't like them. Most people who try them stick with them. If you're on the fence, I encourage you to get some. The reduced maintenance is a lot of peace of mind.

I make one compromise with my tires. I don't mind fixing a flat every once in a while, unlike most people. I prefer lightweight tires most of the time.

Andy_K 

Oh, no. I definitely hear it on this forum.

My theory is that it stems from insecurity. Some people are worried that other people will think they are riding to work on a cheap MTB because they got a DUI and it's a few short steps from that to believing it is a common public opinion. Of course, people collectively come up with some dumb ideas and spread them, so I don't doubt that there are some people who think MTB=DUI. It may even be a common misconception in some areas where utility cycling is uncommon.

Andy_K 

Sure. A road bike is part of the costume. (For the record, I dress in kit and ride a road bike. Ironically, when I get to work I change into a T-shirt, grubby old jeans and baseball cap.)

GovernorSilver

I will be part of the minority of road bike riders, in my working class 'hood in VA, who will still wear my MTB shorts and cheap REI Coop tech t-shirts when I start bike commuting again - that is, on days that I opt to ride the Renegade. Still riding on the Breezer hybrid/utility beast when I plan to stop somewhere for groceries or go to some evening event after work.

There are more non-kit wearing road bike riders in DC proper.

I'm not against wearing kit - it's just not a priority, given the money I've already spent on cycling gear.

Andy_K 

Like @noglider, I find myself wanting to disagree with this but not being entirely able to do so.

I think my top priorities are comfort and enjoyment followed by utility, but I have to admit that if the bike weren't reliable I wouldn't tolerate it. I enjoy working on my bikes so I don't mind doing routine maintenance, but I also really, really like being able to ride my bike in all sorts of weather and just hang it up at the end of the day knowing that it will work pretty well even as a dirty, grimy mess.

It's kind of a delicate balance, the reliability and maintenance thing. There's a minimum level that absolutely must be met, but beyond that it becomes a complete non-factor. I would never build my commuter bike like a touring bike, where maximum reliability and serviceability really is a top priority. I don't choose heavier parts just because they would be more durable. The bike needs to be able to carry me 10 miles to work (and ideally another 10 home) with nothing more than a quick tire change pretty close to 100% of the time, and it should't require constant attention to keep it working. Beyond that, I don't really think about reliability.

But maybe this is a matter of how each of us defines reliability. For instance, IGH vs. derailleur vs. singlespeed. Singlespeed has this hands down on reliability and low maintenance, but it brings some penalties that make it a non-option. A lot of people choose IGH for reliability and low maintenance reasons, but I prefer derailleurs and partly I prefer them because I know that no matter what goes wrong with my derailleurs I can fix it, usually on the spot and often without even stopping the bike.

Then there are tires. I'm kind of obsessive about tires, but puncture resistance isn't my top priority. I use different tires for commuting than I use for recreation road riding because they do need to be tougher, but I simply refuse to use tires that are thick, heavy and stiff. I'm willing to change a few flats a year to get a more pleasant ride the rest of the time. I'm not willing to change a flat every other week. So, yes, I am prioritizing reliability a bit there, but in terms of reliability versus performance and enjoyment, the scale tips a bit toward performance and enjoyment for me.

The cheap mountain bike discussion puts an interesting twist on this, I think. You wouldn't typically think of cheap mountain bikes as being reliable or low maintenance, but I think there's a case to be made that a bike that you can completely neglect and abuse and have it still maintain the same (low though it may be) level of performance meets the reliable and low maintenance criteria. It's kind of a maximum entropy argument. When I was a teenager, I claimed that I kept my room in such a state of mess that any change at all made it cleaner. Similarly, if an old mountain bike in a really bad state of repair is carrying you to work day after day, it's probably not going to get any worse at it until something breaks completely, and then it will get better.

GovernorSilver

Utility cycling is pretty common here in my area. Also, lots of people ride bikeshare bikes here.

That's probably why I never heard of the DUI thing until somebody brought it up on this thread.

dim

I've just bought a new Surly Long Haul Trucker to commute with (I cycle between 120-150 miles per week to several sites where I work). I receive the bike at the end of the month.

I thought long and hard about what bike to get, and the Surly ticked all the right boxes. Will add a rear rack, fenders, wide tyres, brooks b17 saddle etc etc... a heavy bike, but comfortable and strong .... very good for commuting

and I will also get a carbon bike for fast long rides on weekends

noglider 

@Andy_K, it sounds like you and I have the same approach. Reliability lives on different scales when comparing commuting with touring. Touring bikes have to go many miles and many days between repairs because there's no bike shop for many miles or days. You don't want a commuter bike to have frequent breakdowns, for sure, but the most important thing is that it doesn't break down in the middle of a single day.

1/8" chains have a lot going for them, but I find that IGHs just aren't for me, for the usual reasons. An enclosed chaincase with an oil bath can keep a chain going for decades, but I prefer a light bike, and I'm a competent mechanic.

@GovernorSilver, where are you, and why not put your location in your profile?

@dim, that bike should last a lifetime. There are a lot of happy LHT owners.

GovernorSilver

I'll update my profile because you're a nice and cool guy.

I'm so used to typing where I am all the time I could probably save some key strokes by just having it there.

pdlamb

The definitive answer I haven't seen yet is that a commuter bike is dirty, but not caked in mud. Unlike nice road bikes that are only ridden in fair weather, or obsessively cleaned after a sudden thunderstorm, the commuter is ridden all week and only cleaned up on the weekend. And unlike the MTB, since it's typically ridden on roads or trails, the commuter isn't covered in mud.

joeyduck

Cleaned on a weekend, that was not anything I ever did. I may have given it wipe down when I replaced the chain and cassette, but that was about as regular as it got.

Reliability is a big thing for me. My first hybrid that started my adult commuting days was not great in that department and I hated it. Especially the day I tore off the RD. I prefer sturdy and reliable tires, I hate being in the dark and cold rain changing flats, it doesn't happen any other time or when it is nice out.

But then I got my LHT and it worked great, only a few broken chains, a frayed RD cable in the Tiagra brifter house a couple of times, a few broken things of my own doing, and only one major show stopper. But I would give it an A for reliability.

My old MTB was reliable, it worked great for years before and after taking a hit on a parking garage roof. About four years after the run in with the garage ceiling I finally has to replace the right grip shift that was broken. Other than that I think I only changed tires and pedals.

GovernorSilver

I have several colleagues who commute on a Long Haul Trucker or Disc Trucker. Solid choice.

Andy_K 

I've got a Long Haul Trucker, which I have sometimes used for commuting. I left it at my brother's house in Pittsburgh last summer after doing a tour on the East Coast. (You know you have too many bikes when you leave one 2500 miles away because it might be convenient to have one there. )

The LHT is an outstanding bike for touring, and it can be for commuting depending on your preferences. I mostly used it for commuting on days when I was in the mood for a relaxed and comfortable ride. That's not usually my preference, so it wasn't my favorite for commuting, but for some people it's perfect. Given your description of it as "a heavy bike, but comfortable and strong" I think you'll be happy with it.

The secret to enjoying the LHT is to embrace what it is. If you try to ride it like a race bike, you're likely to hate it. If you let yourself slow down and just enjoy the ride, you'll love it. I always felt the LHT was something like a Zen master trying to teach me peace and tranquility. Every time I'd try to sprint, the LHT would calmly and quietly ask me, "Why the rush?" Like any bike, it will go as fast as you pedal it, but the natural flow of it is slow and steady.

jimmie65

About half the (very few) bike commuters I've seen in my area ride mountain bikes. Some of them are pretty old or worn-out but my thought was always they didn't have the money for anything newer, not that they had a DUI.

Now the guys in shop shirts riding a kid's Mongoose or BMX at rush hour against traffic - those I've always assumed have one too many DUIs.

ColonelSanders

Now you just need to update your bike list in your profile.

GovernorSilver

What an honor! I enjoyed visiting your grave in Louisville a couple of years ago - such a beautiful cemetery. The beers we had in Old town Louisville afterwards were top notch.

It's updated, sir.

ColonelSanders

Thank you.

HardyWeinberg

My commuter tips over if I divert off the shortest route to the office.

zacster

I tried commuting on a road bike and was not comfortable doing so. There is too much stop and go, the traffic is heavier than during my usual road biking hours, I don't want to be clicking out of pedals and I want to be able to get my feet on the ground quicker. I built a commuter from an old Trek MTB, put on Gatorskins, added a rack, lights, fenders, swapped the cantis to v-brakes, and then upgraded just about everything else in the process. What I have now just feels like an ideal commuter bike to me, and even though I sometimes think I'll take the road bike instead, I never do. My front light is dynamo driven, the rear works off of eddy currents generated by the wheel, I have a messenger type bag that clicks onto the rack like a pannier that even has a rain jacket for itself. I don't want to have to worry about anything, I just want to hop on and ride it in any conditions (not that I ride if it's raining in the morning.)

I can ride a lot faster on my road bike, but here was the rub. It still takes an hour door to door with either bike. The extra speed doesn't translate to any significant time savings, maybe a minute or two, and that just doesn't mean much unless you're in the TdF. Maybe I'll be able to catch a traffic light that I'd have missed, but mostly not. It doesn't feel safe racing towards traffic lights. On the uphill on the bridge a road bike would be faster, and that may be the only time savings, but maybe a minute? You still have to stop at the bottom, and I can make up most of it on the downhill side. So with all that, comfort and safety were more useful than raw speed.

kickstart

While I won't claim to be a lot faster on my road bike, I too find factors outside of the bike, and engine are the biggest influence, and the ability to just hop on and ride my commuter bikes more often than not makes up for the remaining difference.

Robert C

Right, I read that and thought "clean the bike? People do that?" I recon that is what rain is for.

Gresp15C

Granted, I'm almost exclusively a commuter and utilitarian rider, though I went on some longer pleasure rides last summer. So I don't know what I'd demand of a road or touring bike. For me, "reliability" means that I don't have to hesitate about grabbing my bike and heading out, under the range of conditions that I'm likely to encounter. Especially when I was still getting into the habit of riding instead of driving, if I had to look up the weather for the day, or search for all of my gear, when I was running late for something, I ended up in the car. If I had to worry about how long it would take to deal with a minor emergency such as a flat, I ended up in the car.

So for me, a commuter bike is one that supports regular use, in my case on typical urban streets in a relatively flat locale. When I give people advice, I tell them to get something that they won't have to worry about whether or not to ride it somewhere.