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First Bike For Commuting

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Commuting Bicycle commuting is easier than you think, before you know it, you'll be hooked. Learn the tips, hints, equipment, safety requirements for safely riding your bike to work.

First Bike For Commuting

Old 10-28-13, 02:26 PM
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First question, flat bar or drop bar? Go from there, fenders, cargo, rack, disc? You LBS should be of help with fitting and extras.
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Old 10-28-13, 03:07 PM
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Originally Posted by Giant Doofus
I think it's the Straggler.
Yes, thats it. Thanks for saving me from having to look that up
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Old 10-30-13, 09:25 PM
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Originally Posted by Giant Doofus
I think it's the Straggler.
Also the Disc Trucker...
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Old 10-31-13, 02:50 AM
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Originally Posted by Giant Doofus
I think it's the Straggler.
Originally Posted by Null66
Also the Disc Trucker...
+1

Surly makes superior commuter bikes!

* In most cases you'll get liberal tire clearance, adequate water bottle braze-ons, rack and fender eyelets.

Last edited by WestPablo; 10-31-13 at 02:57 AM.
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Old 11-01-13, 09:19 AM
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I think it needs to be said: there are disc brakes and there are disc brakes. What most of you are praising as the be all and end all of braking state of the art are what, Avid or Shimano mechanical discs? Don't get me wrong, they are fine for what they are, but IMO are not worth holding out for. Hydraulic Magura's for a commuter would be overkill, and mechanical discs are definitely more practical than that, but... so are decent V-brakes. Cantilevers. Dual pivot sidepulls. Just saying. On a single (i.e. not a tandem) bicycle, the limiting factor in braking performance is the ~39" wheelbase! That, and the brand of tires you use. My back-up commuter is a bone stock Schwinn World Tourist from back in the day that I found at a garage sale. I am riding it with the original brakes and only recently bought better tires. $12 Kenda's to fit the vintage 27" wheel size. Low tech side-pulls, low tech brake pads, bottom of the line tires. I have absolutely no trouble going on a 8 mi commute through mixed suburban/semi-rural cycling. If you read that as having to use the brakes hard and often at times, on the route, you would be correct. I also have a tandem equipped with Avid BB7's with 160mm rotors. I ride that tandem solo at times so I know how much haul down can be obtained from discs and I know that that much braking power on a regular bike sounds like "oh yeah, bring it on, I'm ready", but, are you really? Chances are the raw power of the disc is limited in the setup and the "advantages" become the wet weather superiority and ability to get away with neglecting out of true rims. Well, discs warp and getting discs absolutely true is a real pain. An expensive pain if you don't know how or don't have the tools to do it yourself. Mostly my bikes (7) have some kind of v-brake and I really think that V's are THE commuter bike brake par exellence. I would absolutely not turn up my nose at a bike just because it didn't have discs.

H
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Old 11-01-13, 05:05 PM
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I'm paranoid about theft, so I must ask: where will you be parking this bike? If it is in a known theft hotspot, you may want to compromise a bit (i.e. get something cheaper). You really don't want to have your bike stolen within few weeks.
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