The commuter thread for the rest of us!
#151
Senior Member
More than just him. I didn't start the thread to start a war. Just wanted a place for the "rest of us" who don't use the normal commuter bike to be able to chit chat without the non stop "where are the fenders" or "I don't see a rack on that bike" comments that are thrown around like nobodies business.
OK, just kidding about the last part.
#152
Senior Member
I don't think anybody, including myself, find fault with anybody's preference for this or that kind of bicycle equipment. The issue here is that the OP did not sing praise for the kind of bike equipment he likes but rather chose to start off by establishing his (and the rest of us) bona fides by spouting derision at those who use equipment different than that he and "the rest of us" do not prefer; i.e. his desire to establish the special status of "The commuters who don't run fenders or racks, no panniers, no Dynamo hubs, no milk crates bungeed onto a DIY fender made from recycled milk jugs, no high viz green safety vests, no internally geared hubs, etc."
I think you yourself have made the point, correctly, that commuting to work is not really some kind of heroic effort of human and mechanical endurance, requiring equipment capable of surviving a trek through the Outback or the Alaskan wilderness. It's really pretty straightforward and can be accomplished on lots of different machines, from the very simple, to heavy and heavily built, to fast and sporty, to decrepit and barely functional. I see lots and LOTS of people riding bikes in the latter category in real life, and they are still getting to their jobs on time, somehow. And for whatever reason there's a small minority of the heavy and heavily built contingent here feel as though they are constantly being sneered at, which is nuts because they are the majority of the Commuting board population. Let it be.
#153
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Fortunately, the weather here in SoCal is about as good as it gets (73 and sunny with a light breeze as I write this) so I am a fair-weather commuter mostly because the weather is usually fair...
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Today, I believe my jurisdiction ends here...
Today, I believe my jurisdiction ends here...
#155
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#156
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Have to comment on this...
...because I just found out that I have a commuting co-worker who is "like the rest of us."
He rides his everyday road bike into work. He pre-positions clothing, shower gear, etc., and is very organized. This permits him to ride twice a week, 20 miles each way. No fenders, no rack, no milk crate bungied to the back of his bike. Sort of a run-of-the-mill bike for these parts.
Oh, the bike...it's a Cervelo R5 with DuraAce Di2, Garmin pedals with the little gizmo for power or whatever, and he has a really nice Garmin unit strapped to the bars. And Sidi shoes...
Sheesh. His rig costs more than the value of the car that I drive. Wow. Just, wow.
He rides his everyday road bike into work. He pre-positions clothing, shower gear, etc., and is very organized. This permits him to ride twice a week, 20 miles each way. No fenders, no rack, no milk crate bungied to the back of his bike. Sort of a run-of-the-mill bike for these parts.
Oh, the bike...it's a Cervelo R5 with DuraAce Di2, Garmin pedals with the little gizmo for power or whatever, and he has a really nice Garmin unit strapped to the bars. And Sidi shoes...
Sheesh. His rig costs more than the value of the car that I drive. Wow. Just, wow.
#157
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...because I just found out that I have a commuting co-worker who is "like the rest of us."
He rides his everyday road bike into work. He pre-positions clothing, shower gear, etc., and is very organized. This permits him to ride twice a week, 20 miles each way. No fenders, no rack, no milk crate bungied to the back of his bike. Sort of a run-of-the-mill bike for these parts.
Oh, the bike...it's a Cervelo R5 with DuraAce Di2, Garmin pedals with the little gizmo for power or whatever, and he has a really nice Garmin unit strapped to the bars. And Sidi shoes...
Sheesh. His rig costs more than the value of the car that I drive. Wow. Just, wow.
He rides his everyday road bike into work. He pre-positions clothing, shower gear, etc., and is very organized. This permits him to ride twice a week, 20 miles each way. No fenders, no rack, no milk crate bungied to the back of his bike. Sort of a run-of-the-mill bike for these parts.
Oh, the bike...it's a Cervelo R5 with DuraAce Di2, Garmin pedals with the little gizmo for power or whatever, and he has a really nice Garmin unit strapped to the bars. And Sidi shoes...
Sheesh. His rig costs more than the value of the car that I drive. Wow. Just, wow.
Then I decided it's just easier to have the rack and trunk bag so I can carry clothes for that day, without a backpack, and I have clip-on fenders I can use in case of the threat of rain. All this on a modern road bike, alu frame with carbon fork, and lightweight wheels.
So what does that make me? I'm just a commuter cyclist. Why does there have to be an "us vs. them", "one of us", "one of them" etc. etc. even amongst commuter cyclists?
#158
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#160
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It's a fair question. The theme of the thread is that each must decide how to bike commute. Many ride what they have and whatthey can afford. My co-worker's bike was so over the top (for any purpose other than competition) that I was stunned, frankly. I guess that I was simply reacting...
#161
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...because I just found out that I have a commuting co-worker who is "like the rest of us."
He rides his everyday road bike into work. He pre-positions clothing, shower gear, etc., and is very organized. This permits him to ride twice a week, 20 miles each way. No fenders, no rack, no milk crate bungied to the back of his bike. Sort of a run-of-the-mill bike for these parts.
Oh, the bike...it's a Cervelo R5 with DuraAce Di2, Garmin pedals with the little gizmo for power or whatever, and he has a really nice Garmin unit strapped to the bars. And Sidi shoes...
Sheesh. His rig costs more than the value of the car that I drive. Wow. Just, wow.
He rides his everyday road bike into work. He pre-positions clothing, shower gear, etc., and is very organized. This permits him to ride twice a week, 20 miles each way. No fenders, no rack, no milk crate bungied to the back of his bike. Sort of a run-of-the-mill bike for these parts.
Oh, the bike...it's a Cervelo R5 with DuraAce Di2, Garmin pedals with the little gizmo for power or whatever, and he has a really nice Garmin unit strapped to the bars. And Sidi shoes...
Sheesh. His rig costs more than the value of the car that I drive. Wow. Just, wow.
#162
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I would ride that as well. The less likely of a commuter style bike it is, the more likely I would be to ride it.
#163
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Is this thread a response to the Bikes For The Rest Of Us blog? Bikes For The Rest Of Us
Look, ride whatever you want to ride. It will always be better than sitting in traffic in a car.
Look, ride whatever you want to ride. It will always be better than sitting in traffic in a car.
#164
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Going all out anti common commuter today. Full carbon road bike, no racks/panniers/fenders/dynamo hubs. Wearing a jersey and padded bike specific shorts along with a backpack. Even doing the matchy matchy thing with the helmet and glasses along with the jersey to the bike. I love this!!!!! Never worn just the shorts without a layer over them and it feels really weird. Currently in the mid 80's and a 8.5 mile commute to work simply prevents me from wearing any type of normal non cycling clothes without becoming a soaking wet mess.
#165
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Going all out anti common commuter today. Full carbon road bike, no racks/panniers/fenders/dynamo hubs. Wearing a jersey and padded bike specific shorts along with a backpack. Even doing the matchy matchy thing with the helmet and glasses along with the jersey to the bike. I love this!!!!! Never worn just the shorts without a layer over them and it feels really weird. Currently in the mid 80's and a 8.5 mile commute to work simply prevents me from wearing any type of normal non cycling clothes without becoming a soaking wet mess.
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An ounce of diagnosis is worth a pound of cure.
Just because I'm tired of arguing, doesn't mean you're right.
“One accurate measurement is worth a thousand expert opinions” - Adm Grace Murray Hopper - USN
WARNING, I'm from New York. Thin skinned people should maintain safe distance.
#166
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Going all out anti common commuter today. Full carbon road bike, no racks/panniers/fenders/dynamo hubs. Wearing a jersey and padded bike specific shorts along with a backpack. Even doing the matchy matchy thing with the helmet and glasses along with the jersey to the bike. I love this!!!!! Never worn just the shorts without a layer over them and it feels really weird. Currently in the mid 80's and a 8.5 mile commute to work simply prevents me from wearing any type of normal non cycling clothes without becoming a soaking wet mess.
#167
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all black for me all the time...i was a goth decades ago and the aesthetic has never completely worn off.
#168
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*bump*
I recently leveled-up my low gear on this commuter bike, and figured this was as good a place as any to post about it. The cassette has been rebuilt from 13-23 to 13-21, gaining a ratio in the middle, and I've replaced the 39T small ring with a 42T, raising my bottom gear to an old-school approved 42/21:
I'm loving the change, and wish I'd done it a lot sooner. I used The Mule to haul in a week's worth of clean clothes yesterday, so I should be able to commute lightly and swiftly on this bike all week!
I recently leveled-up my low gear on this commuter bike, and figured this was as good a place as any to post about it. The cassette has been rebuilt from 13-23 to 13-21, gaining a ratio in the middle, and I've replaced the 39T small ring with a 42T, raising my bottom gear to an old-school approved 42/21:
I'm loving the change, and wish I'd done it a lot sooner. I used The Mule to haul in a week's worth of clean clothes yesterday, so I should be able to commute lightly and swiftly on this bike all week!
#169
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*bump*
I recently leveled-up my low gear on this commuter bike, and figured this was as good a place as any to post about it. The cassette has been rebuilt from 13-23 to 13-21, gaining a ratio in the middle, and I've replaced the 39T small ring with a 42T, raising my bottom gear to an old-school approved 42/21:
I'm loving the change, and wish I'd done it a lot sooner. I used The Mule to haul in a week's worth of clean clothes yesterday, so I should be able to commute lightly and swiftly on this bike all week!
I recently leveled-up my low gear on this commuter bike, and figured this was as good a place as any to post about it. The cassette has been rebuilt from 13-23 to 13-21, gaining a ratio in the middle, and I've replaced the 39T small ring with a 42T, raising my bottom gear to an old-school approved 42/21:
I'm loving the change, and wish I'd done it a lot sooner. I used The Mule to haul in a week's worth of clean clothes yesterday, so I should be able to commute lightly and swiftly on this bike all week!
#170
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It makes the steeper hills a challenge, but I dig it. I blame my fixed-gear for sending me down this path.
#171
Senior Member
yep. i pay a lot of attention to the weather forecast. it informs my decision of which bike to ride on any given day.
sometimes it's my regular commuter bike, a CX with with fenders, rack and panniers.
sometimes it's my winter beast, a hybrid with IGH, disc brakes and studded tires.
and sometimes, when the sun is shining and i need a thrill, it's my titanium road rocket with a backpack.
horses for courses.
sometimes it's my regular commuter bike, a CX with with fenders, rack and panniers.
sometimes it's my winter beast, a hybrid with IGH, disc brakes and studded tires.
and sometimes, when the sun is shining and i need a thrill, it's my titanium road rocket with a backpack.
horses for courses.
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