Casual Commuting on a Road Bike
 

This is not exactly a commuting question, but this still seems like the best place.

Had a car issue recently and my wife/I are considering trying out a one car lifestyle. We are both retired so have some personal flexibility here.

While my wife is not going to 'go out there on a bike', I am a recreational cyclist so this is a possibility. We live in a somewhat small area (3 adjacent towns with a total population of around 30,000). So this 'one car experiment' would take the form of me doing a lot of misc. stuff on a bike. This would take the form of 3-10 mile (one way) trips to go to the bank, go to the golf course (I can store my clubs at the course), mail a letter, etc. I can imagine such things 4-5 days/week.

And I'm not looking to start biking around town with 15 pounds of stuff that I just bought. I'd probably limit my load carrying ability to a messenger bag or something like that - after all we will own a car. And at this point I see no reason to ever get off OK to very good pavement.

I own/ride/like a older, but quite nice, late 90's EL-OS Nivacrom Binachi with upgraded Bontrager RXL wheels (23cc clinchers) and 2014 Chorus groupset (mechanical). And the question comes "do I just use this bike for dual purposes?". To achieve this I would acquire a pair of Flypedals (platforms that will clip into your pedals so I can avoid the clipless pedals/shoes issues), acquire an inexpensive set of wheels/cassette and put on a set of Gatorskins (maybe go tubeless??), etc. And then just swap wheels between real road rides and local riding.

I was just wondering what folks thought about this vs. acquiring an older 'beater' to achieve the same thing. And if I were to go down the 'road bike path', what kind of wheels (very willing to sacrifice weight to get to achieve low cost and durability, at least from a flatting perspective).

Thanks.

dave

You need Peer support? nobody will talk you out of N+1..

My Go To Bike Now is a Brompton. Because I live a 1/4 mile from town Center.

& I Bring it In, fold & park it under the new kind of internet Juke Box .. and have a Pint :beer:

Commuting on a road bike is fun. It's the "casual" part that may be a concern. See, if you have it set up really aggressive for fast group rides, with none of those low gears you don't need when going fast, the bike may become uncomfortable when you're riding slower and putting more weight on the handlebars. At least, that's what I run into when taking my "go-fast" bike on casual rides.

I'd be sorely tempted to get a 2d bike for casual commuting and keep the road bike set up as a road bike. A little fatter tires (say a 28c) would be a plus for commuting and you could set the bike up with bmx platform pedals so you can use any shoes you want to. Fenders wouldn't be a bad thing to have either.

What kind of terrain? What kind of roads/traffic? How much do you care about your appearance while riding?

Both ideas will work just fine. The beater will probably be capable of carrying more via a rack if that matters to you down the road, and also will likely give you the ability to run wider tires. The sweet spot for tires in terms of commuting and utility riding tends to range from 28-35mm wide. From that general range you can choose what's ideal for your needs based on your weight and the road conditions you intend to ride in. Schwalbe Marathons (there are various flavors), Specialized Armadillos, Continental Gatorskins, Pasela Panaracer Tourguards and similar tires are recommended for their puncture protection. Going tubeless will work, but it's not something that is generally seen as essential.

If you go with a 2nd wheelset, the 'Vuelta' brand from Nashbar is often recommended. There are various flavors available depending on your needs, from more heavy duty wheels with high spoke counts, to lighter and 'racier' models.

My opinion would be that going with a (mechanically sound) beater would give you a bit more options. For instance, you would have a second bike that you can rely on should the 'mainstay' be in the shop or otherwise unavailable due to an untimely mechanical issue. Having said that, being retired you are presumably not tied to any strict schedule, and therefore the 2nd wheelset option is also quite viable.

I don't see why you'd have to change anything other than the pedals. And even then maybe not, depending on the pedals you have now. I treat my Ultegra pedals as platforms all the time for commuting/errands. No big deal.

I say go for it and if you like it keep it up. The wheel thing would annoy me after a while...I don't even like moving lights around.

The only thing.... bag vs rack is a very individual thing. For short 2-5 mile trips a bag (IMOE) is great. But longer ones make me really like my rack and bike bag! Really, for me, it's about the locks. Those buggers are heavy in a bag after a while.

To answer a few relevant questions.

1) Rolling terrain and (unfortunately) there isn't a big climb in many miles (Pinehurst, NC area)
2) Mostly 35mph speed limit stuff with a couple of unavoidable, but less than a 1/2 mile, highly congested areas.
3) Roads are OK and I honestly haven't closely inspected the shoulder areas
4) Regarding appearance I am not sure how I feel about that. E.G., I certainly do NOT spend an extra penny on clothing items unless there is a functional trade-off. But bopping around on a beater - a bit different and I am not sure.

BTW, I am just not an N+1 guy and am quite satisfied at N=1.

What slightly complicates things around here is that there are a HUGE number of golf courses (and golf course communities) in this relatively small area. And there are virtually no paths through them - just around them. So there are a few/short 'funnels' that are the only way to get across.

Thanks for the useful input.

dave

Road bikes are fine for this type of light utilitarian riding and you don't need new wheels or tires. You might want to buy some clip on fenders (raceblades are light and cheap) and flypedals are not a bad idea at all.

Is your bike OK for riding around in jeans, flipflops and a tshirt? (or your favorite summer weather weekend garb!) If not, you may need another bike. If it is.. go for it!!

(And, n+1 does not have to be a beater! Really, Dutch omafeits/opafeits and English style roadsters are perfect for this kind of thing...and some of them are very nice. A Pashley is on my eventually list..)

What you are describing sounds a bit to me like you want to use the bike to bop down to the corner store or whatever instead of driving. That's what I do, outside of taking it to work. I wouldn't bother if I had to put on padded pants! ;) I just splurged on a Brooks b67s... and I'm already in love.

As for the speeds and terrain. Totally doable. Sounds perfect, honestly. Even on my not-a-road bike I can and do ride happily in traffic at those speeds.

Actually, a 3-speed townie is exactly what this situation calls for.

I tend to use the same bike for both utility trips (commuting, shopping, etc.) and for faster club rides although I do have another road bike that's set up specifically for shopping and touring. I prefer having a rear rack for the versatility of carrying things so on club rides mine is always the only one with a rack. But often I want to stop off and get something at a store on the way home from a club ride and it makes more sense to be able to do so with my lighter/faster bike instead of riding past the store on my way home and then returning on the touring bike. I opted to go with MTB SPD pedals and shoes that are very comfortable for normal walking. I'd be concerned that any adapter such as the Flypedal would require readjustment of the saddle height each time I switched shoes.

HEY-HEY - I've got my limits here :P

Actually if I went the N+1 route I would probably just use my local brother-in-law's Trek 700. He bought it 3-4 years ago, probably put 50 miles on it, and it hasn't been out of the garage since who knows when. Almost every golf club in his bag is one that I built, used, and gave him after I replaced it with something else (I am a dedicated N+1 type golfer). So that would not be a problem.

dave

Hey now. As a golfer I bet you use the right club for the right golfing ....thingy... (I assume so, otherwise why a whole gosdarn bag of the things?? ;))

A 3 speed town bike (and I own one LOL ) is purpose built for just the kind of riding you are describing. Why use a wedge when a driver is better... or vis versa. I obviously do not golf. You get the idea. ;)

My plan to deal with this was to simply wear four pair of padded shorts when using the Flypedals :)

Actually I had not considered that. Thanks for bringing that to my attention.

dave

Trying out? Why wouldn't having only one car work out for a retired couple?

My advice is ditch the second car, and get a second bike. Your present bike deserves to be left as is, and you deserve a second bike designed for your errands. Besides, just think of all the money you'll be saving by dumping one car.

:lol: :lol: :lol:

I am also retired... but my wife is still employed.

Many of the normal errands I run... I accomplish by bicycle (weather permitting). The post office, the bank, sure. Maybe more importantly... an occasional trip to Starbucks or to the gas station to buy a lottery ticket. We still own two cars but only drive about 6K miles combined.

My old (2010) road bike has become my back-up/spare/rain bike. It has campus pedals so cycling shoes or tennis shoes work fine. I just added a mirror the other day so I can ride without my contact lens and cycling glasses (that have an attached mirror). It also has a rear rack with a trunk bag. No it won't haul groceries... but mail and a check book are fine... not to mention a jacket and tire repair tools.

I'd try the 2nd bike... one car route. I've thought about this same idea for when my wife retires.

While this certainly can be made to work, this is HIGHLY experimental (since it is a choice). Any time I have the car my wife will be stuck wherever she is.

- How would I go ride the Six Gap Century (on the off chance that I feel that my conditioning warrants that)
- I make a trip or two back home to Missouri to help my aging mother around the house - now I have to fly and rent a car
- I am on a couple of local boards and I don't control those meeting schedules. Maybe I don't want to show wet and I had not arranged for a ride..

VERY/VERY experimental and I certainly will accrue additional costs (but they are unlikely to be as much as the costs avoided)

dave

You may like a second bike that is a little less eye-catching for thieves. Or less heartbreaking if it does get stolen. To me, locking/theft protection/worry is the biggest difference between a recreational road bike and an errand bike.

I recently bought a bike rather like yours (mint ’94 specialzed Allez chromo).
I find a nice steel bike of that vintage with 28mm tires can do just about anything. It is mindlessly easy to raise/lower a quill stem if you want to switch between casual and club sport mode. I got a set of vuelta wheels & 28mm gatorskins tires around town, and a better set of tires/wheels for the club rides. I like commuting on a fast steel road bike, but of course others have different tastes.

The big bonus of a second bike is that you have a backup in case there are any mechanical issues with your primary bike

I also have the same thought since I have suffered twice from theft. Unless the owner has a very secured way to protect from thefts, the second bike might be slightly better option

We are in a small and non-bikey (for the most part - there is a local/active cycling club) area. There is no quick way to sell a bike around here that I am aware of. The 'nearest' Craig's list location is 40 miles away so I guess that (or ebay) would be the path here. I've never heard of a bike stolen in this area, but ....

I would never leave my bike unlocked and would be cautious about leaving it for extended periods where you could cut a cable/chain/lock without being noticed. And maybe I am underplaying the issues here in my mind.

Thanks for the reminder and I will make it a point to inquire at our local LBS about the history here.

dave

Just wandered the neighborhood for a bit today on my clipless pedals and some running shoes with a deep tread pattern in the cleat area. It just isn't obvious to me that you (in the case of casual commuting) need anything else.

dave

Put in about 35 miles this weekend trying out routes and stuff. As ThermionicScott pointed out, clipless pedals 'work OK' as their own platform. But I will admit that this many miles in that configuration will give you a real appreciation for the value of clipless pedals/shoes 'when things are serious'.

And boy did I look cool out there with my:

* cool red 1996 EL-OS Nivacrom Bianchi frame
* cool 2014 Campy Chorus groupset
* cool lycra cycling shorts and jersey
* cool Bell Gage helmet
* cool Saucony Breakthru running shoes

yeah - the world was really impressed :-)

dave