FunBikeLady

I would like to start commuting one or two days a week. My commute one way is 18 miles. Because of recent ankle surgery I have been doing trainer rides to help get back some of my bike fitness. I would like to work up to being able to do all 38 miles of the commute. I would begin by doing a bike bus commute. It's 5.4 miles from my house to the bus stop. As I get more fit I ride a bit further to the next bus stop before geting on the bus. Buses here have racks on the front. I have a carbon road bike, a hard tail mountain bike and a single speed crusier. I would like to use the carbon bike because I can get places faster. Would puting the carbon bike on the front bus rack add a bunch of wear and tear to the bike? Would it get bumped around alot? OR should I put slicks on my Mountain bike and use it to start? Or buy a cheaper al road bike?

Thanks FunBikeLady

no1mad 

Welcome to the Forums

I have no experience with carbon frames, but I am a former bike/bus commuter. Any bike you use will get bumped around a fair bit. I'd suggest either slicks for the mtb or get a cheap roadie until your fitness improves to where you can use the carbon for the full trip.

-=(8)=-

I have a theory that your commuter should be like those old smoking mini-vans that carom down the road in a foggy haze making all kinds of noise . . . They need to be able to get wet, dirty, grimey, take a nice knocking at the company bike rack, have spokes pop etc, but still be able to get you home without taking out your tool bag. Im not sure a carbon bike could do that with me as the owner

squeakyschwinn

Agreed. I would definitely not use the carbon as a commuter if going multimodal. Craigslist will be your friend for a commute friendly road bike.

martianone

Commuting bike frames, no matter the material are subject to a lot of stresses; not just from the ride. Parking, locking to a rack or other fixed object, then being knocked about - all stresses. Parking your carbon bike at work might cause more wear or damage than the ride. Commuting wheels take a lot of abuse, would suggest investing in a set of solid full spke count commuting wheels, save the low spoke/aero wheels for your weekend rides. With the heavy commuting wheels off and aero on - you will feel like you are going faster.
Also would suggest touring or commuting tires vs. road tires, 25 or 28 mm which ever will fit and run them a few psi lower then your roadie tires.

gregf83 

Around here the bike racks on the buses clamp on the wheels so no extra stress on the bike. I take the bus through a tunnel in the summer after a weekly bike race with no worries. I use an Al bike in the winter as it has fenders mounted. Once the spring and summer gets here I'll start taking the carbon bike to work.

FunBikeLady

I own my business so I can bring my bike inside the building. It makes it nice not to have to lock it to a rack. Last summer I would bring one of my bikes to work and during lunch time go for a short ride. Made a nice refresher in the middle of the day. We had a car break down and was too old and costly to fix. I'm hoping that bike commuting will prevent the need to replace that car. And free up my car.

There is a used Dawes Shelia for sale here. But they want $400 for it which is the same price as you can buy it from bikes direct. Does anyone have one? Is it worth it to see if they would be willing to lower the price?

fietsbob

Heard stories, Here, of people taking Bikes off the front of Busses when they are at stoplights ..

FunBikeLady

That is not good news. Don't like the thought of someone stealing my bike from the front bike rack.

spare_wheel

nonsense x2.

i ride two carbon commuters because i broke multiple aluminum and steel frames from the stresses of commuting. in fact, one of my carbon frames was a free warranty replacement for an alu trek that cracked at the bottom bracket. no other frame material is as strong as carbon fiber when it comes to handling the stresses of commuting (or pro competition). while my plastic bikes have a few nicks and scratches (as does my steel bike) it's a myth that damage to clearcoat and surface weave impacts structural integrity. another advantage of plastic is that frame repairs are cheap and effective (the top tube of my orbea was repaired after a crash on a woodland trail).

i have used low spoke count factory wheels and hand built wheels with 28-32 spokes. both have advantages and both work fine for commuting. i currently have 20 aero spoke XC 29er wheels on my A commuter. (competitive XC puts far more stress on wheels than toodling to work on city streets.)

lostarchitect 

I think you could ride the carbon bike, or the mountain bike. If you choose the MTB, you should get some slick road tires which will improve the commute a lot. Personally, I have a few bikes and depending on my mood I might take one or the other. If I want to go fast and light, I have a racy bike for that. If I want to carry stuff and be more mellow, I have a tour-ish bike. You could try using both bikes for variety and to see which you like better on your particular commute. Since you can take the bike inside I don't think there's a big risk of theft. I wouldn't be too worried about the bus rack. Just sit in the front and watch.

FunBikeLady

I think I'm probably a little too worried about everything. I really like riding my carbon bike. and it's a long commute so I would get home fastest on my carbon bike. I think I should go with what I have for now.

I am tempted to get this cyclocross bike for fun commuting and to share with my nephews. They borrow and ride my bikes a lot.

https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...s_xii_sram.htm

Anyone have this bike?

fietsbob

You need to go read the long thread on the cyclocross section, the fanzine is over there.
https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ntom-Cross-UNO

Myself, a Brompton, Here

mstraus

For your full commute your carbon bike will be fine - assuming you don't want to put a rack on it, don't mind it getting dirty etc. If you want to get another bike, a more commuter oriented cyclorcross or touring bike may offer some more flexibility and comfort while not taking away that much speed.

I wouldn't have a problem putting a nice bike on the front of a bus occasionally, but I would be nervous doing that daily. I would probably want something a less expensive and rugged if putting it on the front of the bus. I don't have experience with Bikes Direct, but if that bike is half decent it could be a good option for a multi-modal commute.

gregjones

Look here for tires for your MTB.

Most folks don't realize the faster speeds from "racin' machines" over anything else when used for commuting.

You will probably find the need for "commuting items" which might call for a rack or another way to carry them. A lot of people like fenders.

Look here: sticky thread with commuter advice at top of forum.

OneGoodLeg

?? Your question was valid. I've seen people get tightly wound, because thei'r $2500 bike that they brought on the train got treated just like the $40 Walmart bikes by the conductors. I tell anyone who asks, commuting can be the crap out of your bike, especially so with multi-modal commuting.

I've always thought of my commuter as the VW Beetle of the bikes I own, dependable, but not flashy or loaded with creature comforts, like carbon fiber.

enigmaT120

I certainly don't worry about my Fargo on the bus bike racks.

tsl

There's no need to worry about any type of bike being damaged or excessively worn just from being on the rack. And carbon isn't nearly as frail as some people would have you think.

No matter which bike you take, you'll want to sit in front, and keep an eye on it every time the bus stops. I'll never forget the day, a few years before I owned a bike myself, that I guy I knew came and sat in the back of the bus with me. At a stop, someone else snatched the bike and rode off before he could even get off the bus to chase.

PatrickGSR94

I don't have any carbon bikes, but I ride my alu/carbon fork road bike to work exclusively because IMHO it's actually more comfortable. More comfortable than my alu MTB with a rigid steel fork and 26x1.5" tires. Plus it's generally faster. My MTB is geared lower and so the one time I commuted on it (31 miles total round trip) I ended up using lower gears on hills and clocked a slower overall time.

My one wish is that I could easily fit a rack and fenders on my road bike. I have the fenders that strap on with rubber straps, but they're not full coverage. And there are no provisions for a rack so I have to use a backpack to carry anything which kind of sucks.

If I could find a carbon frame with rack and (ideally) disc brake provisions, I think that would make the perfect commuter bike for me.

enigmaT120

A light weight bike would sure be easier to put up on the rack. The Salem city buses have low bike racks, but the rural commuter buses I usually ride require me to military-press my bike up in the air to get it onto the rack. It's good for me.

DavidOglesbee

I have been useing bus racks for about 10 years and would not take a carbon fiber bike on board. The real danger is other bikes that may put a pedal against your frame or have over sized racks with all kinds of hard boxes attached to them. It is only a matter of time until you will be sorry.

David

Baytree

I've also had someone take my bike off a bus rack, and it wasn't nearly as expensive as that carbon fiber one. Stick with the mountain bike for this type of thing.

PaulRivers

Yeah, I agree that there's no reason not to use your carbon bike for commuting. I've always thought it was absurd that people would suggest with a straight face that you not ride your most comfortable and enjoyable bike for 80% of your riding, and instead get a beater.

As other people have said, main concerns are -
1. Someone stealing your bike off the front of the bus
2. If your components are expensive, they'll wear out because you're using them more - just a question of if it's worth the cost to you

Another option, if you own a car, is to drive part way, find a good spot to park your car (like a parking lot in a decent neighborhood), and do things that way rather than taking the bus. Biggest problem is just making sure someone doesn't take your bike off the front of the bus and walk off with it.

ClarkinHawaii

Other thoughts----
Our local buses have nice bike racks on the front, but I am reluctant to use them because:
1) they are used almost exclusively by homeless and near-homeless folks with the nastiest, scummiest bikes you can imagine. Needless to say, they dump their clunkers onto the racks with little regard for others.
2) the buses that come to my little town run every half-hour. Sooo, let's say I just miss one and have to wait a half-hour (maybe much longer if they're delayed, which happens often/usually, especially near rush hours). So by the time the next bus arrives, I'm really exhausted from waiting. At last, here it comes!! Oops, the bike rack is full. Have to wait for the next one . . .What if its rack is full?? Never again will I do this. . .

Bike Gremlin

Hard tail mountain bike with slick tyres would be perfect. For commuting. Once you get to riding greater mileage, perhaps all the 18 miles, it could make sense to use the road bike.