Originally Posted by
SouthFLpix
In road bike sizing, you would probably need a 54 or 56cm bike. If in doubt, go with the smaller size. In mountain bike sizing, you would probably need about a 19-20" frame. For commuting you probably want a bike that can easily take a rear rack and that has some fairly decent tire clearance.
If you're 'ok' with buying online Nashbar.com has a pretty big sale going on for Father's Day. Bikesdirect.com is another place you should check out. Note that to buy online you should be at least a little bit experienced with bikes, or otherwise mechanically inclined and willing to learn.
For a commute as short as 3 miles, almost any bike would work without any trouble. By far the most important thing to worry about is that the bike is a good fit for you (as far as sizing).
Thanks for the links to those online sites, definitely giving me an idea of what I should be looking to spend for a bike. Seems like $300-$500 is the sweet spot for most of the ones that I'd be interested in. That will surely save itself in car maintenance in a few months.
Also, thanks for the sizing specs!
Originally Posted by
richardmasoner
Where on ECR? Which city?
For three miles, any bike will do. Go to the thrift store or a flea market or Craigslist. For your height, a 56 cm road bike or 18 inch (or Medium) mountain bike will likely fit well enough.
Like @Saurwald mentions, there are likely parallel routes that are a little bit nicer. There are good bike maps available for both Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties. Santa Clara bike map is available at vta.org website. I think San Mateo's is available as paper only, and you have to pay for it (something nominal like $1 IIRC)
Don't forget Google Maps as well -- enter your start and destination address, click bicycle icon and you'll see bike routes in green on the map.
FINALLY, VTA and SamTrans both run buses along ECR. VTA it's 522 and 22 buses, depending on where your stops are at. I'm not as familiar with the SamTrans routes.
Wow! Thanks for all that, definitely helpful I'm probably going to spend a little time on CL and see if I can't find anything that I like, if not I'm probably just going to size up a bike and either get one from a local store or buy one online.
About commuting on ECR, I think my girlfriend doesn't want me on it either and it'd probably be best if I stay off of it and just ride streets parallel to avoid getting hit.
Thanks again, especially for the cycling maps.
Originally Posted by
squirtdad
Definitely going to have to scrounge around on CL now - I'm guessing there's a huge used bike market.
Originally Posted by
no1mad
I know I'm going to flamed for this, but you don't really need a bike for the work commute. You're in walking distance. However, a bike will cover the same distance a lot faster.
Exactly - walking would totally be possible, but I'd much rather only have to take 20-30 minutes to get to work and spend more time at home than spend 45 minutes to an hour walking.