A $600 ebike would not be my favorite. My bike was $2000 and the bionx conversion was $2400.

A number of different bikes can work for commuting but if you want a bike that's good for commuting and long distance riding with a budget of $600, I'd look for a cross style bike. The drop bars are a big plus in long rides. The fat tires really help in commuting.

See post 4 above.

Something like this for $400, http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...liberty_cx.htm

You'll have to build it yourself but you'll have money left over for lock, helmet, lights, and a rack.

Yes, good points. Just one person's opinion: I see a CX bike as the most balanced, all-purpose kind of bike, because the geometry is in the middle of so many different designs.

My wife has an All-City Macho Man, and I'm envious.

For 5 miles pretty much anything will work. I used a super relaxed cruiser for a similar distance. I liked it, it did the job, but eventually moved to road bikes.

But buy the bike you'll want to ride every day. For as cheap as possible. Because after a year of riding every day, what you want out of a bike will probably be different than what you want right now.

I like racks because I don't like my backpack getting all sweaty while I'm riding. But rack vs backpack/messenger bag is a topic as dangerous as politics and religion. :deadhorse:

With flat terrain, I would probably just buy a single speed/fixed for commuting and save my money for a nice touring bike to take on trips.


I would go for a gravel bike instead of cross. Or if cross, one with lots of tire clearance. A bit more versatility with the wider tires. But I wish I had bought a cross bike instead of a road bike, for sure.

I have my bike set up for my needs and my preferences and my commute, and it's the bike I want... well, mostly! It has some coincidences of deal-hunting and some things I'm trying. I don't think it's my perfect forever bike. It's a cross bike but that's the taste I've developed and I think I'd be just as happy with a sport touring style.

I think I'd still recommend a rigid hybrid to anyone who wants to start out and try commuting. They're just so much more approachable than a drop bar bike. I think they'll be even better with 1x11 gearing if the manufacturers could just get around to building them all that way instead of pretending that it's high tech and premium.

Agree, except I'd stick to 3xN gearing. N being 8 or lower. Cheaper and less sensitive to any RD misalignment, pivot play, as well as cable and housing imperfections (dirt, rust etc).

IMO, 1x setups are more hype than function.

OK. I disagree, but I think we've all been through this before so I won't belabor it. If you are going to stick with that I prefer 8 because they have freehubs and the 7's are freewheels (typically).

My recommendation is to partner up with a friend/acquaintance you trust who is an avid cyclist and ask her/him to peruse Craigslist and FB sales groups for/with you. And, if possible, ask that person to tag along when you go look at a bike. I'm a pastor and have done this with 10-12 persons/families in my congregation (one family has picked up five bikes with my help in the past few years). You can describe what you're looking for and you friend can look for things that match. You would be amazed what you can pick up for $600 working with someone who knows bikes.

Touring, sport touring and cyclocross bikes all make great commuters and can be used for touring as well. I've got all three types as well as a road racing model, and I have commuted on all of them. I enjoy riding my sport touring bike the best, probably because it is the nicest frame and build (Waterford RST-22 with Dura Ace group). However, I commute most frequently on my Bob Jackson World Tour because it is a workhorse with fenders, rear rack, dynamo light system and wider tires.

Which type of bike do you like best for commuting?

In response to the title of this thread, as a year-round commuter of a minimal 14 miles one way, I recently posted about my bikes:

With respect to the OP’s query:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Vitani (Post 19226967)

... I want a bike that I primarily use to commute and (maybe) on occasion go on biking trips for a few days. For example,a bike trip from Miami to Key West type of deal (~160 miles). What do you ride? What do you prefer? My budget is anything up to about $600. I'm super excited to get a bike! Thank you for the input :)

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I am very impressed with Diverge Elite as an an all purpose bike for road, possibly gravel, and even touring. The Elite model, fully equipped, was about $1500, but I think there are cheaper versions of the Diverge models.

Nonetheless, while the S-Works carbon fiber was MSRP $8,000 (got it for half off) if I were to pro-rate the value of the Diverge Elite for quality of ride plus utility compared to the $4K S-Works, I would estimate its value at $2500-3000. You may be significantly less satisfied in the long run with a bike for $ 600…Just sayin’. :innocent:

Wow. Thanks for the replies, that really helped.

Breaking out the studded tire equipped MTB this week..

Different weather , different Bike.