noisebeam

Not for me

Al

Roody

So who says bike commuting has an image problem? My co-workers brag on me.

And I ride a second hand "entry-level" MTB.

chipcom 

how convenient...you can just throw on some aero bars and wheels and it might be TT bike! Man, what will they think of next!

Elkhound

Without fenders, how do you keep the gunk off you in wet weather?

Without racks and panniers, how do you carry your stuff? Do you never have to stop at the drug store or grocery store on your way home from work?

white_feather

I would ride that bike like I would ride Heather Locklear. As often as I could and as long as possible! I don't know which one is hotter either. I love that bike. It is sexier than socks on a rooster!

JeffS

Does it rain every day? Do you have to stop by the store every day? Is someone forcing you to only own one bike?

Just saying... there's a great many commuters who don't ride forum-approved commuter bikes.

Elkhound

I'm sorry, I can't agree. I wouldn't like to use that hunched-over posture. That's all very well and good for racing, but for commuting and other transportational cycling, an upright posture is much more comfortable.

My next commuter will look something like one of the ones in the top row. (With a man's frame, of course.)

JeffS

I was just discussing the price of a Velorbis with them today. I knew I didn't want to know the answer... especially since the bike I was considering wouldn't have been for me.

Then I got sidetracked comparing and contrasting the Velorbis 8speed with the Civia Hyland 8speed - both of which try to accomplish similar things in very different ways -- and do so at the high end of the price scale.


Let's see... if I sold my car, I could get a Victoria Classic for the wife, a Scrap Deluxe for myself, and a Bakfiets for hauling the dog/kid. Probably wouldn't have enough money left to cover the shipping bill though.

white_feather

I have a Kona Eighty-Eight and I want to get an Africa 3.0 bike. I almost wish i had gotten the Africa bike instead but I do love the Eighty-Eight. I will get an Africa 3.0 before the summer though. I may even try to sell my Trek Y3 or even trade it.

Elkhound

I didn't say that I would get one of those; I said I would get something along those lines, namely:

1. Up-and-back handlebars;
2. A foreward-placed crank and/or a back-leaning seat;
(1 & 2 together resulting in a comfortable, upright position.)
3. Integrated fenders, chaincase, and skirt/coatguard to protect both the rider and the mechanisms from the mess thrown up from the tires;
4. A hub gearing system, tucked away from the elements, no derailleurs to skip and slip;
5. Integrated racks, the better to carry stuff;
6. Generator-powered lights; no more batteries failing at the worst possible moment.

I would NOT get a Brooks saddle; my prostate will thank me. I'd also want 'campus'-type pedals.

noisebeam

Very little rain where I live, ~7" annually.

I use a messenger bag and do sometimes stop at the store on the way home for smaller loads, a half gallon of this, a box of that. But my errands for larger size or quantities are done from home so I start with an empty (and a larger) bag.

Al

Elkhound

I understand about the rain; I hadn't noticed you were in AZ; here we get lots of rain and snow.

Don't you find the bag on your back rather hot and uncomfortable, and doesn't it raise your center of gravity to where it affects your balance? Panniers put the weight of your cargo down low.

noisebeam

It doesn't bother me so I am fine. I've carried a lot at times on my back, it changes balance, but doesn't affect my cycling.

If I could dedicate one bike for large load errands I'd put panniers or the like on it, but as it is I prefer to use one bike for all my riding transportational and purely recreational.

A trailer would be more useful for me at this point. I can carry groceries, etc. on my back, not not large goods from hardware store (which would not fit and be too heavy for panniers) - these are also the kind of errands that get me in the car - so a trailer would reduce my car use more than panniers.

Al

Elkhound

Trailers certainly have their place but:

1. When empty, they tend to bounce and fishtail;
2. You have to consider when you are going out to run errands if you are likely to be buying enough to need the trailer, and then hitch it up; if you underestimate your returning load, you are in trouble.
3. When laden, trailers affect the way the bike handles.
4. Getting a bike+trailer around tight turns and/or through doors into buildings takes either an assitant, a good grasp of triginometry, or both.

That's why I X-tracycled one of my bikes for noncommuter use, and am saving my pennies for a Big Dummy.

Sixty Fiver

That thing makes my eyes hurt, it's fugly as sin, and makes the baby jesus cry.

I don't know who would commute on a bike like that.



I do commute on this:



And my answer to fugly bikes and the poseurs that ride them is this:

cutman

Same here. I ride a single speed to work with a messenger bag but my commute is only about a half mile. If I'm going across town, or if it's raining, or if I'm getting some groceries, I'll bring my Trek Multitrack, complete with fenders, rack, lights and an upright seating position.

Elkhound

I take it then, that your commute isn't very far and is as flat as a pancake.

Roody

I think the Giant is a beautiful bike. But what's the theory behind the low flat bars? It seems they give fewer positioning options than drop bars on a longer stem. Why is that considered to be a good point? Why not stick with drop bars if you want an agressive stance?

The combination of the seat post and the flat bars would probably make the Giant a good single purpose bike--like a TT bike--but a poor choice for the more diverse needs of a carfree cyclist or even a commuter.

Sixty Fiver

rhm

Hey, if Giant wants to set one up for me with fenders and dynamo lights, I'll be happy to commute on it for a year and review it here. A rack and chainguard would be good, too, but like I say, I'll be happy to try it out for a limited time. Then ebay it.

ajmstilt

If cycle commuting has an "image problem" *that* bike is the problem. Too many people i talk to think you have to have a $3,000 dollar bike and $500 of specialized ugly as sin spandex cycling gear to ride that 5 mile commute.

JeffS

Yes, that's true, but just as many "advocates" believe you have to have racks/paniers/fenders/dynamo lighting/20 tools/etc to commute as well.

The huge shopping list that some people propose as almost-mandatory is just as intimidating to a potential rider.

CaptainTandem

No way. I like to blend in; not stand out as some wannabe racer-dude. Looks like it would be an uncomfortable ride.

noisebeam

I really think most folks overestimate how that bike vs any other will be perceived by the general public driving by. To most it looks like just about any other bike once a cyclist is on it. Far more important to total image is how the cyclist on the bike looks and where they ride.

Al

noisebeam

I haven't heard this sentiment even once, not even hinted at. Most workday cyclists seen by the public are wearing street clothes and are riding inexpensive mountain style bikes, how could anyone even begin to this this? Most everyone own or has owened a bicycle and know they can get a perfectly workable one for much less than $3k.

Al