In need of serious upgrade!
 

Hi there, I've been commuting around in Southern California for the past six months. Yesterday my odometer showed I had reached the 1,000 mile mark, so yay for me. This important milestone has made me want to reconsider what I'm riding. I've been on a used Specialized HardRock with some slick tires; it does the job, but not as quickly as I'd like. I've always been a mountain bike guy, so I've been hesitant to really consider something more road-specific. So I started looking at performance commuter bikes like the Specialized Sirrus, Giant Escape, and Trek 7.3. Slick as hell, definitely, but I'm wondering if I should be thinking about something a bit more aggressive, like a cyclocross. I find myself spending an inordinate amount of time online looking at different bikes, though before long I just end up with a million tabs open, and still no wiser for my efforts.

I'm a pretty aggressive rider, so I want something that can get me places quickly. Headwinds are an issue in my area, which makes me want to consider something with a more aerodynamic posture. I'm riding exclusively on pavement, with few bumps, and the terrain is fairly hilly. I need to be able to mount a rack on the back, as I run errands on it. It's rare if I ride for more than 15 miles at a time; any place I'd need to go to is fairly close, and as I don't have a car (and am on my bike nearly every day), recreational rides aren't really something I have the energy for.

I'm looking to spend no more than $800, and I'd love to hear your recommendations. What say ye?!

The Raleigh Clubman disc is a little more money, but sounds like a great all-a-rounder.

Don't forget used bikes. Can you do your own maintenance?

For a commuter, there are benefits of not going for the most expensive bike on the block. The cross bikes represent a growing market, and perhaps are often overpriced. Lots of road bikes though, dating back for decades. And, the older ones can often take a bit larger tires than some of the new ones, if you desire.

But, there are lots of people who also commute on narrow tires. It is all up to the person, and I suppose environmental conditions.

It sounds like your commute is under 15 miles. You may well enjoy the quickness of a road or cyclocross bike, but when all is said and done, you might not get to your destination all that much faster. Just keep that in mind. I've used all kinds of bikes on my 6 mile commute. My road bike is definitely the fastest and the most fun. Still, at my normal level of effort, it only saves a few minutes.

Any shops in the area that would let you rent a road bike? You could see if it makes a real difference for you or not before you spend a lot of money.

If you know how to handle a wrench (or not. YouTube and this site has all the resources you could possibly need to fix/repair/maintain/upgrade cheaply any parts you need) - I'd look secondhand. Craigslist is littered with great finds, and some often amazing finds from some who simply just have no more interest in cycling.

Bikesdirect has some great value in the $800 range too.

Get a new bike if you want one but with only 15 miles your MTB with slick tires is more than sufficient. On my commute I've seen a lady on a mountain bike with semi-slick tire wearing sandals and yesterday I got to talk to her a bit. Her commute is 30 miles EACH WAY. Quite impressive. I switched to road bike when my commute got that long.

probably want a bike costing 1/3 more than you are willing to pay , go to some bike shops and see what $800 gets you, these days.

Is that one way? Daily round trip?

15 miles each way is a petty decent ride. With wind... Yep, it would be possible to do on an old English 3 speed. Or even a one speed beach cruiser. BUT IT WOULDN'T BE FUN.

Get a bike that one enjoys riding... and that 1000 miles in a year will become 3000 or 5000 miles, and continue year after year.

$800 is scraping the bottom of the barrel for new road bikes or cross bikes at the LBS.
However, on the used market, or perhaps the Bikes Direct or online market, it can get a pretty decent rig.

A good bike can also last for a very long time... years, or decades, leaving the purchase price very small.

That's one way. We are riding East-West direction so there is always head wind in the afternoon going home but no wind in the morning going to work most of the time. It's worse in the winter. What I learn after I got my road bike is that the expense on other things for the bike can cost as much as the bike itself.

I have Trek FX 7.2, with fenders and a rack.I used it everyday to commute. I love this bike. My son just bought a 7.3 and put fenders on it as well. No rack yet but he will not use it for commuting. He paid $700. The 2015's will be discounted soon so keep an eye out at your LBS.

My wife has a Trek FX 7.3. It's very impressive.

But you really should try drop bars to see if you like them. They're not for everyone, but their advantages should be appreciated. In my mind, a cyclocross is the most versatile kind of bike. It's more road-ish than most bikes, but you can put fat tires, fenders and racks on. Handling isn't twitchy (road race oriented), nor is it slow.