Originally Posted by
agarose2000
Good luck. Not to be a downer, but as a non hard-core cyclist without dedicated gear already, I suspect that 13 miles on a mountain bike on busy roads in fall/winter on the east coast will be too much to handle for a new bike commuter. Not impossible, but I guarantee it will be difficult, unless you really, really enjoy being on your bike.
Despite what folks on this forum say about needing minimalist solutions, for your kind of described commute, I anticipate that you will actually NEED most of the equipment you hear folks talking about. Like:
- Raingear
- Lights - serious front and quality rear
- Fenders
- Rear rack+panniers or a bike-friendly backpack
- Hardcore reflective gear
None of these are optional if you're riding for an hour+ in darkness, rain and with significant car traffic the whole way. All of these are optional on a road bike in summer conditions with a <5 mile commute, but in the tough conditions, they are not. And on the east coast, it's more likely than not what I describe.
And on a mtn bike, 13 miles in traffic will be a chore if you're riding in the dark+rain, which will be fairly soon. I do it (18 miles one-way but with bike-friendly roads), and so do many on these forums, but I'd consider myself "hard-core" in those conditions, and honestly, in dark+rain, I find it no fun to be out there. Plus, I'm on a road bike, which is a good 20% faster than the mtn bike, easily.
Definitely take it easy at first - once a week is plenty with 13miles on a mtn bike, and do it on days with great conditions and when you're feeling great. If you force yourself too much early on, I guarantee you'll stop even considering it.
Okay this poster makes some good points. is this imoves on, I see I missed the MTB part of the OP's commute - AND the 13 miles. While the right MTB can make a good commuter, not all of them will. Sometimes the frame geometry is wrong, or sometimes the gearing isn't quite right. The trick is to get yourself fairly upright, high enough and with the proper stretch, seat-to-bars. MTB's tend to be cramped in the cockpit, so getting up and behind their usual center becomes important.
Things of further importance, far in excess of their seeming innocuous appearance, are these:
- Raingear
- Lights - serious front and quality rear
- Fenders
- Rear rack+panniers or a bike-friendly backpack
- Hardcore reflective gear
I stick by my stance that you can use L.L. Bean or backpacking rain gear, that sort of thing. There are a lot of choices along these lines.
But lights and reflective gear will be a requisite, if even part of your commute is in darkness. Good headgear will be, too, when the weather turns cold.
Fenders are not just for when it is pouring rain, either. They are really at their best when the roads are simply wet, or mucky. They protect you and your bike from the crap that comes
up from the road, and it doesn't have to be pouring rain for it to be there. It is there when puddles are present when the spring thaws come and so on.
I have a MTB that I use as a commuter myself, and Ive added the following things to it:
A rear Rack
A wider, softer seat.
A signaling bell
A higher seat post
A set of comfort tires.
Next additions will be some riser bars and a set of fenders.
The tires are also a deal breaker, IMHO. The usual knobby stump jumpin' rubber that comes on MTB's should be replaced with a more road friendly tire - but one which is still rugged. You are looking for a happy medium between the buzzy, high resistance (slow) knobby tires, and the smooth, high pressure (fast) road tire.
If your bike is like most MTB's and has 26" tires, WalMart sells a good Bell comfort tire with Kevlar belting for $15. They also have "Slime," or you can get tire liners to prevent flats.
Seriously look into different tires, if you haven't already.