bud16415

I agree!
That’s why I think a touring bike also doubles as a great commuter bike. Of course you will want to leave the pots, pans, stove, tent, sleeping gear, GPS equipment and most of the clothing at home.

bud16415

My second choice for the best commuter would be a the above. Mid 80’s mountain bike, with road slicks and high pressure in them, For me loose the flat bars and replace with a slight rise and some back angle. Add fenders, rack and or basket and go.

Tearlach61

There are a number of commuter cyclists where I work, people who cycle year round. We all struggle with retro-fitting fenders, lights, racks and other things to bikes are essentially expensive toys, not practical transportation.

I personally have been a commuter cyclist my whole adult life. We are a one car family and the car is not available to me for commutes so it's either the bike or a lousy bus system for me.

For years, I have been using a mountain bike decked out with lights, fenders and more recently racks. I am just now switching to a Breezer Uptown.

Last year I visited Amsterdam and was utterly amazed at the variety of bikes they have. Imagine someone from a country where people starve to death visiting one of our grociery stores. That's what it's like seeing all the variety of bikes they have in Amsterdam. Only about 1 in 5 or 1 in 10 of their bikes are like the typical bikes we have here. And their typical bike seems to be unavailable here.

Saw a word of advice earlier in the thread advizing to travel to Amsterdam and picking out a bike there. That's not bad advice. The have a very wide variety of really practical bikes there.

Weight: Not an issue for me. By the time you accessorize your bike for commuting, you've already added a fair amount of weight it will probably be 35 lbs empty. Throw on a bag with clothes, lunch and a laptop on the rack, I bet I am up to 50 lbs. If I stop at the grociery store on the way back, it goes up from there.

To me a bike isn't practical if I can't at least carry a load of beer on it.

no1mad 

Not even qualified to answer this, but thought I'd pass along something one of the sales staff from the local Trek shop told me.

Disc brakes will soon become the new standard. Proven tech for mtb, now legal for CX, and apparently there are pro road racers wanting them. If the elite racers adopt them, it's only a matter of time before the average Joe will be getting them as well.

Trifusion

My perfect 'stock' bike would be the Scott Venture 10 but it's not available in Canada and so may not be available to you either.

I am considering modifying a Scott Sub 10 which has the same frame to match the Venture but I'll have to get the front wheel rebuilt with a dynamo hub.

Maybe this might appeal to you as well?

Greg

tjspiel

Roller brakes are not known for their stopping power so I wouldn't consider that an advantage.

I have a roller brake and a disk brake on the same bike and by the time you consider return springs, retaining clips, pads, pistons, and the rotor itself, I don't think there's a whole lot of difference in terms of moving parts. Anyway, roller brake advantages as I see them are:

1. Ease of set up. With disc brakes you need to adjust the distance of each pad from the rotor. I found that to be kind of a pain to do. With roller brakes, the only adjustment is cable tension. You tighten the cable until it starts actuating the brake.

2. No need to worry about a warped or bent rotor

3. No pads to change.

4. Almost completely unaffected by moisture. My disc brakes work fine when wet but Oh My do they make noise !


There are disadvantages too.

1. Not as much stopping power, or at least it doesn't feel like it

2. HEAVY

3. Dependence on grease causes increased drag on wheel in cold weather.


I'm on the fence about whether or not to keep the roller brake on my bike. It gets pretty cold here and I feel like I have to work a lot harder when it's cold to spin up that wheel. Part of it is the IGH but the roller brake isn't helping. I'm not thrilled about the weight either but I could live with that. I do really like the low maintenance.

If you live somewhere where it rarely gets much below freezing and there aren't any long, long ascents or descents, then I think they're a great commuting option.

HappyStuffing

https://images.mec.ca/fluid/customers...w1_720x720.jpg

I was just looking at this today. I think this would make an excellent commuter. Even has the disc brakes you want.

Would make a great touring bike too!
https://www.mec.ca/AST/ShopMEC/Cyclin...cle-unisex.jsp

consumes

im bias .. but for short commutes .. my vote is the Kona Dr.Good .... 7sp IGH , disc brake in front , drum in the rear ... relaxed sitting position ...

geeter

I've got a Bryant. I love it and ride it all year round. Discs take some getting used to but they work great in inclement weather. I also have Breezer Uptown 8 and ride when I need a change of pace or for short distances. I also have a couple of fixies that I rotate as well. I feel that in the winter riding fixed gear is great because of the control you have over the bike. But if you have the cash the Bryant will do the job.

RickB.

Pake

https://www.pakebikes.com/product_ima...95F_detail.JPG

tar wheels 

Wow. That's beautiful.

BarracksSi

FWIW, the bikeshare bikes here in DC all have roller brakes instead of discs or rim brakes. They also have dynohubs, skirt-protecting fenders and a front carrier with bungee cords.

AltheCyclist

That Kettler looks fun, I like the frame-built pannier rack. I'm not a big fan of suspension on a commuter but to each his own. The aforementioned Breezer Finesse looks like a fine choice too.
All of them at pretty good price. I think an out-of-box should be pretty easy to find for the OP. Many "touring" rides also fit the bill as a good commuter.

erg79

There are some nice Pake C'Mute builds that I've seen online. It seems to be pretty versatile.

https://www.dionridesbikes.com/2010/1...ute-do-it.html
https://oakbaybikes.com/pake-cmute-citybike-build/
https://cascadecycling.com/index.php/Bikes/ (about 3/4 down the page)

pkulak

Just about every one of these bikes hits all your requirements (they can all have a dyno installed for you by the shop): https://www.joe-bike.com/commuter-bikes/

xophereschafer

there are some last year Rahleighs you should see if you can get i hear there are screaming deals on them. The are exact matches and are less then a 1000.
scott sub 10, scott venture 10, spot acme, specialized source 11,

Basically there are alfine 8 bikes around 1200 and alfine 11 bikes around 2200.

I don't think I trust the other igh systems besides the rohloff which is just silly pricey...

this is the one that has a great cost... could probalby get it ordered for less then $700.
https://www.raleighusa.com/archive/20...our-deluxe-11/

If probably just didn't sell here. Which is sad because it is a great pacific northwest bike.

BarracksSi

On a whim, and partly because of the Raleigh link that xophereschafer posted, but mainly because BMC lists recommended rider heights in their geometry charts and I'm keeping my eyes open for a lighter hybrid for my wife, I went to BMC's site to see what other bikes they have now besides their Pro Tour roadies. Check this out --

https://www.bmc-racing.com/us-en/bike...9/cs01_xt.html

Flat bars, discs, dynohub, fenders, etc. If the taillight isn't wired, that's easy enough to fix; and if I really wanted one, I could swap the Tiagra shifters and drops currently on my Bianchi over to this bike and return the Bianchi to OEM specs.

I have a BMC road bike now and really like it. These are pretty tempting. Wonder if my wife will agree. Crap...

consumes

i have a shimano roller brake next to my nexus 7 igh ... how often should it be greased ? .. and how do you know when you have proper cable tension on it?? ....

acidfast7

that's easy Christiania Bikes...

I can drop the kids off at day care quite easily while supporting the Christiania community (freetown/micro-nation in the middle of Copenhagen)



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freetown_Christiania

Robert C

I see a lot of those here in China, primarily on low end bikes. My biggest concern with hem is that they will not stop the bike. If you watch, people that use that style of brake generally stop by putting their feet down.

I frequently go on rides with students. If I see a student show up with that style of brakes on their bike I will alter the route so that we don't have any hills.

One thing I found interesting was when an unexpected stop was need once (wrong way motorcyclist coming around a corner). The students reaction was to jump off, and clear of the bicycle (yes, they ride slow enough for this to work). This was a reaction, not a stunt. It showed me how much they trust the brakes while learning to ride. At low speed, on flat ground, I see them as being acceptable. Other than that, no.

idc

Same here again. Except I wouldn't care so much about a rack and low gear under 30 inches (but I would want rack mounts for the option).

I love the idea of a relatively maintenance-free, enclosed drivetrain as I commute in virtually all conditions but the weight and cost just doesn't make it viable for most commuters. I would be fine with no FD and a 9 speed (or even 7 or 8 probably) as long as it had a gearing of around 35-100 gear inches.

I also love the idea of a dynamo hub so you can forget about batteries but again... weight and cost.

pdlamb

What you get is a bike kit, not a bike. Other than a custom bike, there's no bike "out of the box" that doesn't need just a little something. For instance, last time I bought a bike, I then turned around and added:
Speedplay Frog pedals (my preference)
Brooks saddle (ditto)
fenders
headlight
rear blinkies
water bottle cages
headlight
pump
saddle bag
spare tube
repair kit
tire irons
multi-tool

Even if the custom builder puts on your favorite pedals and saddle, you'll still have to add the rest.

zoltani

This one looks pretty damn sweet:



https://www.ridecvln.com/bikes/corduroy-rebel/

erg79

$1249...not too bad! https://www.competitivecyclist.com/fr...bel-10920.html

a1penguin

Whoa! Nice looking bike in the blue. And it's under 19 lbs! If the fenders are included it indeed is a nice blke.