lisitsa

And if you look at the basic offerings of Trek and Giant at the 500 dollar price range eg Trek 7.2FX, you can hardly fault them for making a reliable bike. I have found that entry-level Shimano components (Alivio, Sora) are very reliable indeed if not as light or fancy.

This is coming from me, who has owned a 1000 dollar bike, and at the moment rides the Trek 7.2FX as the sole form of transport 150km a week. Such a bike can last the distance. Just make sure to check EVERYTHING after you buy it. You can't trust even the best shop.

mickey85

Yeah, but it's half the price. I'd rather have a derailleur and a battery powered light and keep the $350 in my pocket.

And as far as horizontal dropouts, how are they finicky? Every last one of my bikes has HD, and they're easy as pie. just slide the wheel out, change the tire, then slide it back in. TO get it really tight, get a rag (or your backpack, or anything else) and walk it between the frame and the tire.

tarwheel 

There must not be any hills on your route for you to call that the ultimate commuter. It must weigh at least 35 lbs. Not a problem if you live in Kansas, but in NC you would be suffering up a lot of hills.

dynaryder

I like that they went with discs,but I'd much rather have an iMotion 9 hub. Not real up on the color either. I'd have to see how heavy it is before I'd consider letting one take over for my Safari.

dynaryder

My Otis has a coaster brake. I've ridden it in rain,I've ridden it in snow. I've bombed steep hills on it. And I've limped home with one hand on the bars from a wrist injury. I'll keep my hand operated discs,thank you very much. Coasters are fine for bimbling along the boardwalk or in flat areas with unagressive traiffic,but they've no place on bike used in the real world. I wouldn't even have the Otis if it wasn't for polo.

JeffS

It really is unfortunate that some of these Novara bikes weigh so much.

That said, I've been riding a new-to-me Raleigh Sojourn for the past week and it is considerably heavier than my Salsa Las Cruces (similar style disc brake road bike) and the weight, while noticable, is not a dealbreaker and the bike has been an enjoyable ride.

That said, given a choice, I would certainly drop weight. Of course, you pay for that privilege. A lighter disc brake road frameset would cost me more than the entire Sojourn did. I absolutely love the Las Cruces, and the only reason I would even consider replacing it is the lack of fender/rack mounts.

Nightshade

I do not lie. I simply tell it like it is in a blunt straight forward fashion.

BikeKraft

I emailed REI twice trying to find out the weight but was told

"I understand where you are coming from, and apologize that we cannot provide you with the bike weights. It is an industry wide dilemma, and although lots of customers ask for the bike weights, the manufacturers simply won't give them at this point. I recommend that you go to a bike shop and test the bikes out yourself in order to get a good comparison."

Nobody has a scale up there!

dynaryder

Most manufacturers don't give weights because it varies between the frame sizes. Also,sometimes the specs can change from what's on their site.

You could always swing by the shop with a scale and weigh them. I picked up a digital fish scale for like $25 that I've been using to weigh my bikes and equipment. I was amazed at how much weight I shed off a couple bikes by swapping tires.

PaulRivers

I rode around the 2008 model of that bike. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it just felt...crappy. I don't know why, and I really really wanted to like it, but it just felt cheap.

I'm not trying to promote it, as I haven't even ridden it yet, and it's certainly more expensive, but I'm waiting for this one to become available - a Giant Seek 1 with an Alfine hub:
https://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-US/...le/2345/32164/

Metricoclock

i think that skeletal chain guard is pretty sweet, cool enough that if i could get one i would consider putting one on my bike.

djkenny

How would this bike compare with the Jamis Commuter 4? They share the same Alfine hub disc brake feature, and have thumb shifters. Only the Jamis has an adjustable stem and no rear rack (no big dea to add one of course). The Jamis is nominally less at around $840. Jamis does not have the nifty hub light.

Too bad all these commuter bikes are aluminum.

Being able to resist rust is nice, however...

They look equally as attractive.

https://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/bikes/...commuter4.html

I have never seen one of Bike Forums. Has anyone road one yet?

tcs

Adding the chain tensioner is not for the consumers' benefit. In fact it's a retrograde step. The real reason for the Alfine chain tensioner is so the manufacturers can build one frame and by equipping it with either hub or derailleur gearing create two models.

tcs

dclaryjr

That may be true for Bianchi but not for Jamis. The Commuter 3.0 has no tensioner but the 4.0 does because it has a double on the front. And BTW, djkenney, the 2009 Commuter 4.0 DOES have a dynohub but I haven't seen anything on what the MSRP is going to be.

djkenny

I might buy a Large Diamond Frame 08 Breezer Uptown 8 someone couldnt keep. It is a large, and I am 5'8...I *think* I can go with the Large or Medium. I tried one once and it seemed fine, but the step through medium seemed a little too small.

Jean Beetham Smith 

I like the OP's suggestion and would buy it in a flash, but no one makes one in a small enough frame for me. I understand posters' concerns about cost, but I think they have to consider that the ideal commuting bike in FL, AZ, CA are not that good in colder, wetter climates. Having ridden home on a hilly route with my rims iced, and cassette & cogs turned into a SS because of ice, disc brakes and IG hubs ARE the best for safety reasons, not for economic reasons. Why did I ride that day? The weather report was wrong by 24 hours. If you are going to commute by bike it is nice to know that you won't be completely caught out if the meteorologists are wrong. I think you can object to the price, but not the specs.

jgedwa

Ouch. Too true. And very funny.

And, by the way, you are all missing the correct answer: the ultimate bang-for-the-buck-townie/commuter is an old 80's rigid MTB set up precisely with the bits and pieces you want. Cheap, tough, and reasonably fast. Ratrods for me, not Pontiac Aztecs.

jim

uke

A crucial point almost no one in this thread has addressed is the overwhelming degree to which one's cycling environment affects one's commute. Think about it: do people log on to car forums and argue about which cars are best for driving to work? No? Why?

Because it really doesn't matter. As long as the vehicle starts and keeps moving reliably, a host of other factors will have far more significant effects on the commute; factors such as the length of the ride, the quality of the roads, THE TRAFFIC and congestion, and the parking availability at each end.

In other words, once the vehicle works, it becomes a utility transport device, and little more. However, the environment also has to be supportive of the traveler for travel to be feasible.

Don't worry about the bike so much. Any bike will do. Worry about the weather. Worry about being run over. Worry about the traffic, and the options you have for getting to work. Those are the important things.

Pride aside, a $50 Walmart bike will get you to work about as quickly as a $5000 TT bike if you live and work within a few miles from home, which most people do. Focus on finding a conducive environment to cycle in, and save your money.

Cyclists in this country have a tendency to preoccupy themselves with the gadgetry of their bikes over the quality of their routes, compared to cyclists in bike-friendly countries. I wonder if people only realize how little the bikes matter once they find themselves surrounded by cyclists--sort of the way no one really cares what they drive to work as long as it starts twice a day.

djkenny

I saw a photo recently online. Seems like it will be more complete. Hopefully they can still keep it below the $900 range.

joninkrakow

This is true for cars, but less-so for bicycles. A car is a maximalist device. On the other hand, a bicycle is a minimalist device. Think of Occam's razor. The more you take away, the more important each individual part becomes. On cars, for instance, flat tires are not an issue for most people, because the tires are thick enough to withstand everything. However, a bicycle tire is much more fragile--it is much smaller, and more susceptible much smaller threats. For instance, a couple of my bike-riding friends have suffered a lot of flats recently. They've bought multiple tires and tubes, all to no avail. I mentioned my Kevlar Marathons... and they're all over them! They are desperate for peace! Let's not start on saddles, handlbars and grips, etc. Oh, and I've personally been frustrated with illumination--bottle generator that died, batteries dying, etc. I finally installed a hub generator and decent lights, and again, peace! Obsessing over gear _is_ a problem, but sometimes, there are genuine reasons we obsess. ;-) Not always, but sometimes--and too frequently, in fact.

-Jon

Ken Wind

I disagree. Bicycles can vary greatly in position, components, and size, which makes comfort and usability paramount in the device. In a car these things are more adjustable and less important because they work well for the vast majority. There are very few car seats that I could sit in that would immediately make me uncomfortable, but the majority of bikes probably wouldn't fit me well, which would be inefficient and uncomfortable. Comfort may be much more important on a bike ridden 30 minutes through the rain as opposed to a car driven 10 minutes through the same rain. What about safety? All (street legal) cars have headlights, but most bicycles do not. A bike with dynamo lighting may be more suitable and safer for someone that rides at night.

I understand your point. Any bike will do! It is more important to have a bike that feels good and is appropriate for the application though because most people will be in the saddle longer than they are the car seat, usage injuries are more likely on a bicycle, and certain non-standard features can make a bike commute considerably safer.

Tommyr

True. I just bought my first bike in 30 years a few months ago, a Fuji road bike. $500. I would not go higher. I want to get a commuter type bike next and won't spend more than $500-550 on it either.

If bicycling is REALLY going to take off they HAVE to lower prices. You shouldn't have to take out a freaking loan to buy a bicycle.....

Ken Wind

As long as there are people paying the prices that manufacturers are charging, then the prices won't go down. I don't see it happening. The cost is very reasonable if you consider the price of a motorized vehicle.

ok_commuter

Remind them that the dollar is worth half what it was last time they considered buying a bike.

Sigurdd50

If you can afford a new commuter, by all means, go for it. In the northern latitudes, when the snow and salt and crud start to throw up on the frame and drive train, I begin to look toward less expensive used options... tho the aforementioned commuter-specific rides have always appealed to me. It's a free market (so to speak) so if folks want to buy that ride, go for it!

I think one adapts to what one has. I converted an 80's mountain bike frame with a three-speed internal rear hub and it slops thru the crud just perfect... and I don't feel bad when it gets encrusted and left in the snow or the chain gets ratty and rusted. Spring thru fall I have a modified 700C wheeled tour bike for commuting, but winter, I'm a 26" wheel convert (studded when needed)