I haven't the exact number, but the national average for bike trips is 7.5 km. Up to 10 km the single speed city bike is still the preferred format: cheap, reliable and less likely to get stolen. For teenagers, an omafiets with a milk crate is a must-have, both for girls and boys:



For longer commutes, up to 20k one way, the e-bikes are rapidly taking over, mostly electrified city bikes:



Blog (in English) on how things are done here, bike-wise: Bicycle Dutch.

Thanks for all of the replies! Sorry I couldn't reply back. The forums wouldn't let me make more than 5 posts in 24 hours since I'm new. I also can't access my PMs yet (until I have 10 posts)!

MTB idea seems intriguing. I hadn't really thought of that yet since I'm more of a roadie and want to go "fast" on my commute. Would it be possible to replace the groupset on an old MTB with 130mm spacing with something like a modern road groupset? Maybe get a nice 2x11 setup going like that?

If you put good street tires on an upper tier rigid mtb, you won’t give up much speed. At least that’s been my experience. Then again, I don’t have a boatload of speed on any bike.

Cool, I'll look out for those models!

I don't think ALL the old bikes had good clearance for fenders and wide tires. At least not all of the old ones I've looked at...


Awesome! I'll check out Bikeworks for sure.

People in the U.S. tend to live 10 miles or more from work. I think that has something to do with it. My commute is 10 miles. Hopping on the bike in suit and tie wouldn't help because even on a cold day I'd still be so sweaty when I got to work that I'd need to change. Happily, I don't have to wear a suit and tie at work, so I'd be changing into a T-shirt and jeans, but I'd still need to change. When I first started biking to work, I did so in my "work clothes." I quickly discovered that it wasn't a viable solution. So now I use a road bike and wear my cyclist costume and change when I get there.

Centurion ProTour15 converted to 700x28c from 27" - so plenty of clearance for fender.
Higher quill stem for more relaxed sitting.

Wow, that rockhopper looks really cool. I realize you're making the opposite argument but that picture makes me want to do the same thing!

Yes, though, I'm a roadie and would prefer a road bike since my commute is all on the road. I just really want clearance for larger tires. I guess I'll look for road frames with canti brakes. And the Sequoia is gorgeous as well!

I completely understand. It was a fun project, and I really don't want to overstate how bad it was. It was kind of a fun bike, I just often felt like it was fighting against me making it what I wanted it to be.

The thing to notice with my Rockhopper -- and most other mtb-to-drop bar conversions -- is the tall stem with very short extension. I think I've got a 70mm stem on an adapter in that picture. Since mountain bikes are typically designed for flat bars, the top tube is typically longer than it would be to get the same relative reach with drop bars. At least in theory that translates to some difference in handling, though for commuting purposes I'm not sure it matters.

What I really wanted was a cheap, sturdy road bike that would take fat tires. Honestly, the RockHopper got me pretty close to that. A true touring bike (think Surly Long Haul Trucker) is built for heavy loads and so doesn't really feel any more like a road bike than a converted mountain bike does. A sport touring bike like my Sequoia won't take really wide tires. It's limited to around 700x30 with fenders. A sport touring bike converted to 650B gets closer. I've got a Motobecane Grand Jubilé that will take 650x42 tires with fenders, but to get the conversion beyond the sloppy "try-it-out" phase took a decent amount of money.

So I guess you need to decide how wide you want to be able to go with the tires. Really wide? Then a MTB conversion is a decent option if you're willing to give a little in the way of "road feel." If 700x30 is good enough, then a sport touring bike is the way to go. There are a few old bike that will take 700x32, which is more common. Usually bikes from the 70's that originally came with 27" wheels fall into this category. The 27" wheels are close enough to 700c that the brake reach isn't usually an issue, and the bike were designed for wide tires. Here's an example to tempt you:

1972 Motobecane Grand Record. Factory spec was 27x1-1/4" tires (32-630). The tires I have on it are 700x32.

I think there's a trend in the market that is driven by marketing, fashion, and the cycling industrial complex.

While I understand that all the magazines say you gotta have clearance for 50mm + tire cross section and fenders etc, ask yourselt - for riding that 'required" tires of that size, would you not want to use a mountain bike ? And the MTB world is going thru a similar evolution - huge 29" tires and full floater suspension with 8" or more of travel ?

Trying to backfit those new standards into old classic bike frames is challenging to say the least, and finding brakes that can fit around tires of that profile is hard, unless you want to get out the brazing torch and install canti bosses. And bikes with classic frame geometry may not be well suited to serious off road riding, altho the members of the "Rough stuff fellowship" did fine with classic bikes.

So I guess my point is, what? trying to backfit those new fat tires into classic touring bikes will be challenging and probably cost you more than 150 bucks :- ) That said, I found this real nice looking Miyata at Sellwood in Portland.

https://sellwoodcycle.com/collection...yata-three-ten

Mark Petry
Bainbridge Island, WA USA

I kind of agree with Mark, here.

Options are great and all, but I think the whole wide tire thing is a bit overblown. Don't get me wrong; everybody's got a preference. If you like wide, ride 'em if you got 'em!

But they are by no means necessary for poor road quality. Pa, where I live, ranks near the bottom when it comes to the integrity and maintenance of roads and bridges. I see Seattle's roads rank poorly as well. I feel your pain.

The bike I'd commute on, the one pictured earlier in the thread, has 27 x 1 1/8 Paselas. They're about 28mm wide. I ride them all over the place here. Never once have I ever felt the need to put wider tires on it. I could go to 1 1/4 or even 1 3/8, or switch to 700s and have at it. But, for me, the cost would be completely unnecessary. I've got a vintage mountain bike with 26 x 2 tires. I prefer the road bike, even over some of the mine fields they call roads here.

The options for a solid commuter are endless, having said that most of my fleet qualifies and does commuter duty. In my personal opinion I think a rack is required for commuting but I like having a waterproof pannier and I am not crazy about carrying stuff on my back when I ride.

Love my Surly, while I was giving it an overhaul My SOMA and my Grand Jubile all did commuter duty. The only bike I did not press into commuter duty was the Allez ( irreplaceable if I were to wreck ) and the Ridley( which is on the stand being overhauled as we speak) .

Velomine has the 2013 Jamis Satellite Sport on sale for two hundred and fifty dollars. Not an old frame but it’s steel and a pretty sweet price. Only available in a 51, though.

Looks amazing! Pretty much exactly what I want. Were there issues with the brakes when going down to 700c?

The tires don't need to be really wide. I'd be okay with 28mm. WITH fenders though.

Truth. After demonstrating to myself that I don't have the skills to safely own a mountain bike, I decided that anything I can't ride on my CX bike with 700x35 tires I shouldn't be riding anyway. It turns out the CX bike can handle an awful lot though. Pretty much anything that looks like a road or a trail.

For 30 mm + tires and fenders and commuting I would say find a 70s or 80s sports touring bike that came stock with 27 x 1 1/4-in tires. For that matter, if it still has those wheels and they're in good shape, throw some 27 x 1 1/4 Paselas on there and consult one of the Frank Berto tire pressure apps with your weight, etc., and go - it's still a valid tire size, and new tires is cheaper than whole new wheelset and tires.

If you really want cantilevers, there were a host of 80s Japanese tourers that would fit your bill - Nishiki, Miyata, Univega, etc.

Don't really want cantis specifically, just want good brakes that'll allow me to run my 30mm-ish tires with fenders. I'll probably swap out the brakes for a more modern dual pivot if it has a center pull though since all the center pulls I've used were mush.

If you haven't tried Weinmanns with good modern cables and teflon lined housings coupled with good Kool Stop pads, you're missing out. If you couple them with modern aero levers, even more so. I know the cognoscenti have declared MAFACs to be superior, but a well set up Weinmann Vainquer with modern cables and pads is a wonderful thing. And stealthy, too.

You'd have to talk to a wrench about that. For myself, I prefer comfort and style over speed. Also, I'm in no hurry to get to work.

OP, what do you plan to carry on the commuter? If you intend to use panniers, pay attention to the stay length so you don’t have heel strike problems. Maybe especially an issue for you as you’re tall. Touring bikes, or bikes spec’ed for 27” wheels may have an advantage.
Speaking of touring bikes, has anyone mentioned Cannondale yet? The ST models seem to get lots of love here.

I actually got it already with 700c - I just rebuilt myself to have modern components and better wheelset.

Some pics on this thread - I just keep a close eye on it and adjust if it if the rubber is to close to rim edge.
27" wheel conversion to 700c with cantis

I do plan on panniers and definitely paying attention to chain stay lengths.

some more possibilites

univega touring cantilevers lots of room $160 https://seattle.craigslist.org/skc/b...957864338.html






centurion $200 could be 700c already has eyelets looks clean https://seattle.craigslist.org/see/b...935348758.html





miyata fully set up $200 https://seattle.craigslist.org/kit/b...956869308.html