Seven999

Hey all,

I'm very much a noob and haven't biked in years. I've moved into Chicago recently and am looking at bikes now for various uses - I usually take the train to work, but some days I might use the bike to commute, most days though it'd simply be a way to get around town after work, and some weekends I might take it on a longer bike path up and down the lake shore here.

I've been steered towards 2 bikes mainly - Trek SU100 ('07 model, I doubt I need the disc brakes of the 200, that looked like the only difference) and Gary Fisher Nirvana '06 model. Anyone have an opinion on either of these two?

Or any other bike recommendations are more than welcome. I'm really, really new at starting to bike around the city.

Thanks for any help if anyone can.

EDIT: forgot to mention, I'd be getting a Nirvana that didn't have front fork shocks on it. Just rigid fork.

rhm

Why an "urban" bike? I don't know what it is about a modified mountain bike that entitles it to the title "urban" anyway. But if there's a good train for your commute, I'd suggest a folding bike that you can take on the train if you don't feel like riding one direction or the other. Check out the 'folding bikes' forum, you'll see posts by several people who do that in Chicagoland. I do it in NYC. Good luck! --Rudi

AndrewP

I would prefer the Trek SU100 since it doesnt have the additional weight of the suspension fork. The adjustable height stem on the Gary Fisher might be nice if you are not comfortable with the height of the Trek. They are both decent bikes. When you buy should be able to get deals on accessories - pump, rack, fenders, water bottle and cage, under saddle wedgie bag, multi-tool etc

Seven999

well, that's exactly what I mean... I really am not sure what is "urban" and what is not. I was told that "urban" is basically a mountain bike with slick wheels on it. Personal preference for me would be to stay away from folding bikes... they look convenient, but I think I prefer to go the other way.

Is there actually a better case to make for just getting a straight up mountain bike and putting different tires on it instead?

JeffS

You're about to open up a huge can of worms. There are literally hundreds of bikes that fall into the hybrid or fitness categories. Some are simply mountain bikes with slick tires. On the other end of the spectrum are the road bikes with flatbars... and everything in between. I would say: determine your price range, determine your size, then pick what is the most appealing to you. When comparing two of these bikes of similar price, there just isn't going to be enough of a difference to matter.

Hoshnasi

I'm kinda curious. What will you be riding on? Pavement? The road? Dirt paths? Will you be going up many hills?

I ask this because I need more info to dial in exactly what would be a good choice. Right now almost any bike meet the requirements above (as long as the train allows bikes).

Thanks,

Seven999

In Chicago, the roads are what'd I'd say are decent... bike paths are paved, so I wouldn't do much or any dirt paths or gravel or worse, really. The roads in some areas have a small bike lane.

That being said, Chicago roads do have their fair share of potholes and some are in worse condition than others.

Thanks everyone for the comments so far, they're much appreciated.

Chicago is fairly flat, almost no hills. (generally true for all Illinois/midwest).

14R 

You should consider a Brompton or another folding bike. These are efficient bikes (people are qualifying for 1200km brevets on them, keeping 45km/h *FLAT TERRAIN* on slightly modified models) that will keep your options to take the train available, and also open some other options (like traveling with your bike without paying extra or needing a mechanical engineer degree to pack it) that you wouldn't have with a conventional bike. The price range is somewhere between US$350.00 to US$4000.00. They look odd, but the ride is fantastic.





Good luck on your final choice.

14R

Hoshnasi

If it were me I would get a single speed or fixed gear road bike. I did a search on craigs list chicago and got a TON of hits. there ya go

thdave

A good urban bike is a Breezer or REI Novara Fusion. They are well suited for city riding in terms of the basic equipment on the bike, like fenders, rack, lights, chainguard, internal gear hub, and kickstand. The tires on mine are 1.75" wide slicks. I love my Breezer.

It's significant that the fenders (which you need for Chicago) and such are designed into this bike--everything fits together very well. No shake rattle and roll.

Another option is the Electra Amsterdam. That model looks a lot like the old style bikes that they still sell in Holland.

Folders are nice, too. I have a Downtube that I use when I camp. It's almost as much fun to ride as my Breezer.

ConstantRider

Since that's the case, it looks like the biggest difference between the two is that the Nirvana has 700c rims (road bike size) while the Trek has 26-inch rims (mountain bike size). That, and the fact that the Nirvana has a suspension seatpost.

In my opinion, the suspension seatpost isn't necessary and should probably be avoided. You could easily swap it out, though, if you decide that you'd prefer to have 700c wheels vs. 26-inch wheels. For the kind of riding it sounds like you'll be doing, either wheel size would work fine.

Doug5150

You were misinformed.
An "urban" bike is a bike that uses a geared hub, so that you are free to change gears while standing still--such as at stoplights, or while not pedaling.

This feature isn't significant on a mountain bike, but it is extremely useful in a city-riding environment.
~

JeffS

The urban label is not consistently applied. Some companies do, in fact, call their internal geared bikes urban, but just as many use it to describe something entirely different.

Breezer doesn't advertise their bikes as Urban.
Trek advertises the Soho and Sport Urban as Urban - all of which have derailleurs
Specialized advertises ALL the Gloves as urban/utility - even though they don't all have internal hubs.
REI only considers the Big Buzz to be Urban, not the fusion or transfer

14R 

Brompton, by the way, comes with internal gears.

d2create

Ditto on the singlespeed.

I'm just about to build one starting with this...

JonathanGennick 

Disc brakes are nice. You may not "need" 'em, but they sure are nice to have. I have them on several of my bikes now, and I'll never go back. Well, never say "never", but it's highly improbable. Not only to they stop the bike better, they also make it easier to pop wheels on and off. You don't have to mess with disengaging the v-brake noodle first.

I have hills in my town to contend with though, so braking power is perhaps more important to me than it will be to you in Chicago.

I ride a Specialized Crosstrail, btw. It's similar in concept to the Trek SU100 and SU200, but with a suspension fork thrown into the mix. I ride off pavement a lot, and down and up curbs, so the suspension fork is nice to have.

Someone mentioned suspension seatposts. I used to run one of those on an earlier bike. I've gotten away from them since. These days I just take my weight on my feet when I'm about to hit a bump. I let my legs absorb the shock. It's gotten to be second-nature.

axejeep

I ride a SU200 though the imperfect streets of Chicago....I love it! It is a very enjoyable ride. I picked it up from the Village Cycle in April.

hubcap

I commute in chicago and in the western burbs. I use 2 different bikes to accomplish my commute. Both are suited to the roads I ride for those legs of the commute. How far is it from your home to work?

bonechilling

Chicago is probably the flattest city in America. There really
is no reason to run gears there at all. So I agree with the
others who recommend you set up a singlespeed.

Industrial

I really like my shimano nexus for commuting so far. Seems like they like to put stop signs and lights at the top and bottom of every hill in New England. I use a specialized globe IG8 and think it is a great commuter but a tad pricy.

If it wasn't so hilly here I could probably use a single speed. Fixed gear kinda scares me.

Doug5150

I was speaking about a key feature that is "urban".

What various marketing departments think qualifies is a lot of other unrelated things entirely.
~

tcs

Are there ever headwinds or tailwinds in Chicago?

TCS

Raiyn

As I understand it there's a constant headwind. Much like in Florida you can ride one way into the wind forever, and the moment you reverse course - so does the wind

soze

Are you in the city proper? Do you only take El trains or do you end up on Metra/Amtrak/South Shore? If the latter, I'd really go for a folding bike.

If you're taking the L don't forget the rush hour restrictions on bikes on the trains.

Also, buy a big ****ing lock and learn how to use it. Take off your quick releases and use Pitlocks. Be wary of bolt-together bike racks, sometimes they're setups by pro thieves. Don't be afraid to confront people who don't match the bikes they're twiddling with on the racks. If they do own the bike they'll prolly be grateful.

Be nice to the Mexicans riding to work on the sidewalks. They work harder than you or I.

If you're riding around Midway, approach the L from 63rd St.; riding on Cicero between 55th and 63rd is a death sentence after the reroute.

Wowbagger

Unless your commute is particularly rough a suspension and gears are pretty much unnecessary. I tooled around Chicago for two years on a fixed gear with 23mm tires. Yes some roads are rough but few are bad enough to justify the extra weight and maintenance of a suspension. Gears may help you keep up with the roadies when it's particularly windy, but are unnecessary for commuting. Just make sure to get a bike with rack and fender eyelets.