metal_cowboy

The brake levers are Dia compe 287V's. They are designed to give more cable travel, eliminating the use of cable pulleys. They work great with V-brakes, I use them on both my LHT and my Co Motion Tandem.

steveknight

I had the same problems with pads. I got discs in october and I jsut changed the pads. that month of rain was hard on them (G) but the front would have lasted longer if the caliper had not come loose (G)

I-Like-To-Bike

If a single speed is good enough, save $1450, and buy an older working single speed, coaster brake bike at a garage sale or thrift store for $10 or $15 and the change on new tires and a saddle. Ta-DA! A single speed bike with foolproof all weather brakes, at least 32 spokes, full fenders, comfortable ride and bullet proof reliability. And you can coast downhills. Sounds a whole lot better to me than a $1200 single speed.

Bekologist

You can't get decent spoke cards for single speeds less than $1200.


I see so many fixed gear riders on the sidewalks in Seattle, it's like a clown circus of helmetless newbies.....

pmseattle

LOL, the other night I had just started up the Harvard Ave. hill from Eastlake near the University Bridge when one of these swooped silently past me. His momentum carried him about 50 feet ahead of me but then he lost speed on the hill and couldn't maintain his lead despite standing up and thrashing desperately from side to side ( in very slow motion ). I spun easily by on my elderly mountain bike with two large bags of groceries in the panniers. And to rub salt in the wound, I am in my mid-50s.

-=(8)=-

Just needs lites and a rack !

wakewater

https://www.simonsbikeshop.com/images..._RMB_RC-ST.jpg

I just got one of these Rocky Mountains RC-STs
Steel frame, disc brakes, road gears, Mavic wheels. Sweet!

bostontrevor

If I'm looking for a Trek "ultimate commuter", I'll go with the 520, thanks. It's not flashy by any stretch but it has eyelets for fenders, a rack, plenty of tire clearance, and yes, a triple.

https://www.trekbikes.com/bikes/2003/road/520.jsp

And they've been doing it for the last 20 y ears. The Portland is a trendy bike that misses the point.

pmseattle

Beautiful, but I don't see it on RM's website. Is it last year's model ? It looks like you have a steel fork, and the nearest comparable bike on their website ( RC-70 ) has a carbon fork.

Are your brakes Hayes ?

metal_cowboy

Well, after emailing a friend of mine in Portland a picture of the bike and telling him what a silly thing it was: he promptly emailed me back and told me that he had one on order....oops.

He is a very experienced rider and has good taste in bikes, so I am going to give him the benefit of the doubt on this bike. Maybe I am just jealous. I do like the disc brakes, and I have always wanted to ride some fancy wheels. But then again, those fenders are just plain silly!

Savas

Those are training fenders - one that help bring too-cool a person over to fenders usage. The triple rings are OK - a commuter goes into headwinds that a casual rider would simply avoid by not taking the bike out that day.

Totoro

That's a bute. You're right to be proud. Lucky you. Did you build it yourself?

zeratul

having seen the fenders in person, they do cover more than the side shot appears to show. one nice feature is a quick release latch to remove them when not needed. This doesn't make them the best out there, but they are not terrible.

grolby

No no no. SS is not the ultimate commuting solution for everyone. For some bizarre reason, the ready-built commuters out there are either Euro style, upright-posture bikes (nothing wrong with those, either), or more road-bike style SS. The market for those of us who like road-style bikes with more than one gears does exist. For many reasons, SS is not necessarily a bonus. I'm pretty sure that I wouldn't want a SS if I lived in Portland, anyway.

It does need real wheels, a much lower price tag, a different drivetrain, etc, but SS is not what it needs. Maybe an internal-gear hub? Mmmmm...

wakewater

You're right. It's a steel fork, and the model is 2005. They were clearing them out I guess so I got it for $1500 CDN. Shimano discs, rack and panier, full wrap fenders - I'm doing about 45 kms per work day (except this week in unusually high winds).

I'm going away from an excellent hard tail I've been riding the past year - I got used to the discs and they're the best for dealing with the significant hills here with an everpresent threat of rain on the wet coast. My first steel frame since the 80's and I'm glad I went back!

metal_cowboy

Yes, my first bike build. Picking out my own components made for an ideal bike. There is a great sense of accomplishment in building up your own bike. No need to swap out saddles, wheels, tires, stems, etc; which has usually been the case with my past complete bike purchases.

CHenry

32-spoke would be better, for sure, so would real fender fittings; otherwise it looks like a nice bike. Pricing? I think is a little high, given what you would get from other small production builders, like Burley.

Internal gearing? Great idea. Nexus-8, SRAM DD, Rohloff? First two could be done reasonably-priced, but the Nexus wouldn't give you enough range in a hilly area.
Does Shimano make the Nexus-8 disc-compatible?

Nice Surly LHT. What we need is a LHT with disc tabs.

HiYoSilver

negative. Considered 520 and it failed the need test: no disc brakes. At least the Portland has good brakes.
The diffence in price point is just the difference between rim brakes and disc brakes, but you get 10 speed cassette instead of 9 speed for free.

Jarery

has everything but the fenders, but it DOES have the eyelets for them.



https://www.konaworld.com/shopping_ca...8&parentid=253

HiYoSilver

The Kona is a very nice bike, but for the $40 I'ld get the Trek and find some way to make the fenders work.

Trek Portland vs Kona Sutra

MRSP $1,540 vs $1,499
Middle chain ring: 39 vs 42
Cassette: 12-27 10 speed vs 11-32 9 speed
Tires: 700x28 vs 700x32
Pedals: shimano clipless vs --none--
Geometry: provided vs --not provided--
Disc brakes: avid BB7 for both bikes

The having pedals included is better than paying extra for pedals, the lower middle chain ring where most of riding is happening is very nice for those hilly conditions, the closer gear ratio of the 12-27 vs the wide jumping 11-32 is sweet, and the thinner tires, down to the smallest without losing comfort is a good mix.

Neither bike would be a mistake. Again big minus of the Trek is the fender problem, other than that it seems to be slightly better than the Kona.

bostontrevor

Disc brakes aren't necessary. The world has been doing just fine with rim brakes in wet conditions for a long time now, you just have to have them properly adjusted.

Discs provide an advantage in that they work better than rim brakes at cold temperatures and don't wear rims. Using a soft compound pad like Kool Stops will both improve braking performance and rim life. Problem solved.

In my opinion, the only real advantage discs provide for most people is the rim doesn't get all mucky with brake residue and knocking a rim out of true doesn't mess up your braking.

If they were so overwhelmingly superior in foul conditions, the UCI wouldn't ban them from cyclocross. They may be slow to allow new technology but they tend to be pretty serious about safety.

HiYoSilver

Depends:
-- wet conditions, disc win hands down with no argument from anyone
-- long descents with weight, disc again wins
-- risk of overheating tire tubes, again disc wins
-- lower maintenance, disc wins
-- emergency stopping for clyesdales or someone with a full load of books, disc wins
-- components weight, this is the only area disc loses.

It would be interesting to find out why UCI bans them. My guess it is to benefit local manufacturers who don't produce good bikes with disc brakes. UCI rules are not that good for the cycling community. The rule of keeping a minimum bike weight is good, but disc brakes and aero frame rules don't make sense.

Cyclist0383

Sanded streets and rim brakes will kill a rim in a winter.

chipcom 

Disk brakes have been on bicycles for over 30 years - hardly new technology.

CHenry

There are a few more coming out this spring: Schwinn Super Sport DBX at under $1200 with TruVativ and 105 and Avid mechanical discs, and the Redline. The Redline cross bikes also have disc tabs, even when sold with race-legal cantis.