osirisdon

Here is what my hootpie looks like.

buzzman

oh, and that Castro Valley by Bianchi is further proof that you get what you pay for- more $$ than the Kona but that's a really nice bike if you can afford it.

osirisdon

Here are some reviews on the bike I currently own.
review 1
review 2
Total specs

chipcom 

Keep the beater bike for your..beater bike. Always good to have a backup bike.

buzzman

You're right it's a beater bike. But it's actually a great beater bike. But the springs in the seat, the shocks in the fork, the shocks in the seat post, the lower pressure wider knobby type tires all translate to more comfort but less efficiency in your energy going into forward motion.

That wide plastic seat for over 2 hours a day in the heat- oh, man. I'd look for a better seat. I prefer any of the Brooks leather seats (they ain't cheap).

osirisdon

Can anyone give me some pointers with this?

I am confused regarding traffic. I have always riden "with" traffic. In other words I ride in the same direction of traffic. Is this right way of doing things? Also, should I stop at all red lights and stop signs? Usually if the coast is clear I go for it. NOT SAFE, but is it illegal? What kind of traffic trouble, other than getting hit by car can I run into?

Bottomfeeder

Osirisdon, that's the freakin' BOMB of beater bikes! It sure puts mine to shame. We were all picturing a rusted out, 10 year old mountain bike. Now I now that specialized is a tank, 'cause my wife bought one. (Of course when she FINALLY decided she wanted to ride and chose that one, how was I to argue? But that's another story.) But anyway, if you put some 1.5" inch wide city tires on it that pump up to say, 85 lbs, you should be flyin' down the road. Add a rack and the cheapest travel trunk you can find and save for a really nice ride. By the time you pick up something snazzier and say, 10 lbs lighter, you'll be a rocket man.

DanO

PS: And yea, the pedals are death waiting to happen. Pick up some of those spiky aluminum platfoms for twenty bucks. They hold onto tennis shoes like velcro. I cruise with them on my beater. I think a good grippy platform is like 80% efficient as a clippless system as long as you're not racing.

chipcom 

Ride according to the rules and laws of the road. While most don't stop completely for stop signs, you best slow down enough to ensure the coast is clear before rolling through and to stop if you need to. For lights, I stop, but if the light will not activate, I treat it as a 4 way stop and proceed when safe to do so. Sometimes I ride over and hit the ped switch.

Most importantly, be visible, be predictable, be aware of everything going on around you and always expect the other person to do the stupidest thing possible and plan for it. I've been commuting for over 30 years, I won't jinx myself by telling you I've never got hit by a car, let's just say that it has been very, very rare!

osirisdon

Thats the thing, I have been hit by a car in the past. The bike got hammered, not destroyed but hammered. I flew over the hood and it all happened in a blink of an eye.

Not something I really want to go through again. Thanks for the pointers.

Mars

Dude, you rode like 17 mph on that thing? Nice going, you sure have my respect.

buzzman

yes, you want to ride in the same direction as the traffic (to do the opposite is very dangerous). You're in Florida and, unfortunately, many of Florida's road builders did not take into consideration making much room for anything other than motor vehicles and many roads lack any kind of shoulder despite plenty of space to have added one. Add to that the sandy soil that lines the roads, high speed drivers and it can be kind of a scary place to ride. I've noticed you mention riding on the sidewalk. People unfamiliar with Florida will think of sidewalks in other locations and completely freak out about this but I have often retreated to the sidewalk in parts of Florida when the stress of the road just wore me out. But sidewalks are deadly places to ride because people aren't going to expect you to come flying by their driveway or through an intersection off of that sidewalk at 18 mph. So, believe it or not, you are for the most part safer on the road.

How you ride on the road is a topic of endless discussion in other areas of bike forums and you might want to browse through some other threads and posts for ideas of how people deal with traffic and issues. Then again, you might want to avoid getting too heady about this and look for some experienced riders in your area and just go for a ride or two with them and see how they deal with the unique conditions in your area. You should watch for experienced riders either when you're out riding or when you are in the car and notice how they are riding. You'll learn to use all your senses. Listening for cars coming from behind, or even a small mirror to attach to your helmet or handlebars can help. Depending on my speed and the traffic when I'm riding a two lane highway in Florida I will sometimes move pretty far into the lane to establish my position and as I hear a car approach I split the difference allowing them to pass by moving to the right.

Wear bright visible clothing. Signal with your right or left arm when turning unless it's unsafe to let fo of the handlebars. Have lights and reflectors at night. Stop at stop signs, traffic lights, intersections. Legally you've got to wait until that light changes to green to go and unless Florida makes any exceptions you have all the legal rights and responsibilities as any other vehicle on the road. You may want to check exactly what the laws are if you are in doubt. In any case, err on the side of safety. You want to ride confidently, predictably but not over confident and know that drivers will be very UNpredictable.

And keep your head up and your line of sight well forward. Many cyclists look only a few feet ahead of their front wheel as if looking for a pothole or road hazard. You want to look well ahead of the bike to anticipate not only road hazards but cars, pedestrians etc.. Don't expect drivers to stop for you even when they see you. Drivers can sometimes have a kind of selective blindness when it comes to someone on a bike so stay alert especially at the end of a long day of work and commuting home as it's getting dark.

edit: p.s. and do a forum search for "door zone" if you are unfamiliar with this term.

And don't let all this "advice'' screw you up in the head- cycling is a pretty safe activity if you're a sensible human being.

osirisdon

I am back guys. Yes unfortunetley after this last thread of mine, I kept riding for maybe a month or a few weeks. I got LAZY, and now I am a fat pig! I disgust myself, lol not really. I am 5'8" and weighing at 190lbs. Looking to get down to 170lbs and biking will be my way there.

But anyway, just placed an order on Nashbar for a rack, trunk bag and some LED lights. Ive been reading on the HIDs but they are out of my budget right now.

This time around I am shooting for commuting both in the mornings and afternoons. This is an 18mile each way commute. I will be commuting a total of 36 miles a day. I cannot wait to start.

I humbly ask for a re-consideration into the XCC club and the bike forums general commuting forumers society.

Anway gents, its good to be back and even better to get back into the game. C U around.

sauerwald

My commute is 15 miles each way, rolling hills. I commute in most weather, and I am pretty sure that we have more weather here in Maine than you get in FL With a flat terrain, weight is not nearly as important as it is when you have hills. As an FYI, my commute is 60 mins by bike, 30 mins by car, but on days when I drive the car, I spend an hour working out, so bicycle commuting does not take any time out of my day.

Things that I would look for in a bike:

Comfort will come from a good fit. A good fit will come from a bike shop who are willing to spend some time with you.

I prefer drop handlebars as it gives me a variety of places to put my hands, and different positions so that I can move when some part of my body doesn't feel right.

Drop bars also reduce your profile which will reduce your wind resistance - the biggest factor for flat rides.
Slick but durable tires. I use Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires which are a good compromise between not too heavy and not too wimpy.

Things that are seldom found on most bikes in the bike shop, but which are required by a serious commuter include: fenders, rack, lights.

You do not want suspension on the bike, it sucks up energy going up and down when you want your energy to bring you forward.

mallfellow

My commute is about 16 miles each way and I've been doing it on a [mostly] daily basis (winter included) for the past year. The year prior to that I had been riding to and from work about 3 days a week on average (and hardly at all during the winter). When I first started commuting, I had a slightly shorter route (~14miles each way) and could easily do three days in a row but, beyond that, I would get really tired/worn out. I kept at it and slowly worked on increasing my endurance and recovery capabilities to where I can now pound out 200+ miles week in and week out. As such, I think that 18 miles each way is completely doable. You just need to realize that it may take you a little while to be able to get in all five days without being totally wasted by the end of the week.

CigTech

Osirisdon, you will be a welcomed member into the VLCC/XCC. All you have to do is ride over to my house in Tampa Bay (on the bike) and fill out the VLCC requst..... LOL No really just go to the "Very long commute club: week 24" and join in on the fun. In the winter it's called the XCC.

ccd rider

I commute 14 miles one way. I have a Raleigh Hybrid.....a Passage 3.0, and while I'm not going to break any speed records anytime soon, it's by far the most comfortable bike I've ever had. Like riding on a cloud. It has a front suspension and a suspension seatpost. I love being able to ride with my back straight up because of a lower disc problem. If you're on a budget I highly recommend this $300 bike. Who cares about energy absorption (from the suspension) when you don't even feel like you're expending any? I may get home 15 minutes later, but I am not sore after those 28 miles.....and I'm 42 and do physical labor at my job all day. When riding my old Marin mountain bike I frequently had sore arms and back from bending over. But the hybrid is like riding a chopper....without the motor.

TheDL

I do 18 miles each way currently, traversing a valley. I've done it with panniers and messenger bag, geared and singlespeed. It's doable.

<edit> Good to see all the VLCer's chimin' in on this one :-)

SimonEd

My 2c worth is first to ask, does the bike fit you well?

If Yes, then I would suggest this.

1: Get some good slicks that will go around 90 psi+ That will make the bike feel about half the weight it is now

2: Get a better chain set (2 chain rings), or even get an internal hub gear. This way you get a nice chain line and you can keep your pants clean easier.

3: Get new pedals and some commuting shoes, they dont have to be clipless, but you will want some with a hard sole to stop your feet from going numb.

4. Get some bar ends so you can change up your hand positions as you ride.

5. Get a new saddle

When I went from 1.9" GEAX tyres on my MTB to 1.25" Panaracer slicks my crusing speed went up about 5 km/h

Top and bottom is that this will save you a fair bit of money compared to a car, even if you dont include insurance. So, get the best you can afford and it will make your life easier, the easier it is, the more willing you will be to stick with it.

TheDL

Yes, like SimonEd...uh...said...simplicity is the key to being able to stick with it.

craigdurkee

try the giant crx range i have a crx 2 2007 and i do a 50km round trip 5 days a week

just got the panniers as well its awesome

steveindenver

Very doable. Break yourself into it by just doing it one way and work up to both ways.

I do 22 each way 4 days a week now on an old Merlin. It is a great way to get the miles in without thinking about doing so and as an added bonus I can out sprint all of my weekend pals with ease.

Not sure I would ever ride a bike on the roads in Florida given the large number of old folks driving big cars.

banerjek

It sounds like your dilemma is exactly the same as I faced some years back. My basic take -- just do it. If you really feel it is too much, drive part way and bike the rest. You'll eventually get rid of the driving section. If you are not in shape, expect to be in pain for the first month or two. However, you'll get in good shape fast.

I rode a beater at first for my 18mi one way commute. After a year, I got a touring bike. It's a good way to go, especially if you have to lug a bunch of stuff to work. By the time you add lunch, clothes, and other things, you'll want a rack and panniers (also, this will allow you to stop at the store). If you don't have to lug junk, a cyclocross bike would be great.

As far as your question about riding with traffic, it's insane to ride against traffic. Be sure to get a helmet or eyeglass mounted mirror and some decent lights. Don't cheap out on the lights, particularly the tail light. The cateye TLD-1000 is very good and the niterider universal taillight is outstanding. Clothing is important. I'd highly recommend hi-viz with reflective stripes.

osirisdon

Thanks guys. I apreciate all the replies. But I already decided to keep my beater. She is a comfortable ride. I did purchase some lights, rack and trunk bag. My bike has thin tires and I removed all the excess stuff that I do not need.

I do not ride against traffic at any point either. So all is well. I only need to get back into the game. 18miles each way is no joke. Takes me around an hour to and hour and twenty minutes to complete that trip. So it will be a good daily workout.

steveindenver

You will see that time drop dramatically if you keep at it for a couple weeks. Treat it as a game and time yourself daily.

My first attempt was 1:40, that was down to under an hour on a regular basis after a couple months with a few incredible runs faster than that (40MPH on the flats with a strong tailwind).