Burley commuting bikes
 

Burley has released a couple of commuting specific bikes that look pretty slick.

http://www.burley.com/products/commu...s/default.aspx

One uses tiagra / 105 components, and the other uses the SRAM internal hub gearing, which would be very nice in the wet.

I'm very, very happy w/ my Trek 520, but I like the disc brakes on the new Burleys. No worries about wearing through your sidewalls when the rain throws road grit onto your wheels.

Trek make something like this
http://www.trekbike.co.uk/bikes/city...uiser/7400.php
but its only on their UK website. I saw one locked outside the railway station a few weeks ago, and thought it was some custom build by an experienced commuter.
Brixton Cycles, a commuter shop in London also made a quality 7speed for urban riding . Its a very sound concept, and I wonder why it has taken so long for the manufacturers to twig.

I just bought a VanDessel Straight Up X 7 with the Shimano internal hub for use as a commuter. The absence of any derailers to adjust, freeze up, slip, or clean was a big plus in my purchase decision. In fact the bike has only one (fully enclosed) cable, used for shifting gears.

VanDessel decided that a coaster brake was what was needed on a commuter bike. Again nothing to adjust, maintain, or freeze up. It is also so simple it can't fail.

I understand why the manufacturers (marketing departments mostly) would want to equip a commuter with disc brakes. It is a novel selling feature, but I'm not convinced that the marginal stopping power gained from the disc is worth the added complexity. Especially since commuters don't require the same stop on a dime performance mountain bikers might, or even the "I've loaded up my bike with 50lbs of stuff and now I'm going down a mountain" level of braking some touring types might need.

regards
Dan


Dan

Burley Commuter is a nice bike but where are the fenders? I still think the Bianchi Milano is just as good and less expensive. The Burley at $1000.00 dollars is pretty high. One of the requirements on a commuter is the price must be under $600.00 as these bikes are often parked outdoor.

Trek offers no hub geared commuting bike in the US and leaves this for the European market. It's a mistake. The Nexus 7 and Sram Spectro 7 make great hub grear commuting bikes. Yet, you never see them selling in the US.

I will NOT commute on a bicycle that doesn't have a hub gear. The last thing I want to do after riding in the rain or snow is spending the next hour cleaning the rear wheel so the cogs don't get destroyed. It's one of those things that makes too much sense to catch on.

The advantage I see on a bike that has a disk brake is that is stops well in wet conditions. When I ride in the rain and my panniers have 40lbs in them, it is a chore to stop or slow down quickly.

I have cantilevers on my current commuter, but I ride a cyclocross bike for commuting.

I rode with a commuter bike with straight bars for a few years. Then I switched to a commuter bike (actually a Trek 520 Tourer) with drop bars.

I wouldn't ride a straight bar commuter again. I guess it's easy to swtich them out, but I wonder why the commuter-style bikes listed here are all straight bars.

Yes, indeed, wet-weather braking performance is IMO more critical in a commuter than any other kind of bike, simply because any other kind of bike is more or less recreational unless you're a professional racer.

It does look like this Burley is fender-ready, and I applaud its avoidance of shock absorbers. I think the gearing on the derailleur model is a little high for a dedicated commuter with fat tires, though. A MTB crankset would make more sense.

And if it's really $1000 it's overpriced.

Still, just to see a high-quality 26" bike with a rigid fork makes me feel better.


RichC

I guess bikes with drop bars and hub gears are just too niche. There is one guy in my town who built one up on an old road frame.
The Thorn Commutour from sjscycles.com has horizontal dropouts, spaced at 132.5 (for use with either standard width), and drop bars and is available with a hub gear option on 26" MTB size wheels.
I ride my 3x7 derailleur system in all weather,leave it parked outside, and would never consider cleaning it after a bit of rain or snow. I throw a bucket of water over it every few weeks, but thats all.

I have a dozen or so different bikes and use my 1962 Hercules 3 speed the most for my 20 mile round trip commute. Fenders, internal hub, rear rack and upright riding position-everything you need for a comfortable low maintenance commuter.

Well, after looking at the pics and stats, what it looks like is a $500 hybrid with a standard rack-nothing more. Maybe add another $100 for the disc brake, but still, it looks like it's only worth $600 retail.

What about the "Breezer" commuters? What about the "Milano" by Bianchi? What about the Van Dressel "Commuter"? Doesn't anyone find it strange that Bicycling would choose the most expensive hub gear bicycle to showcase?

Seriously:

In my opinion, Bicycling should have looked at the Breezer bikes. They have everything a commuter could want. Hub gears, fenders, rear rack, Chain guard and dynamo lighting. It's a complete package as far as I'm concerned. I'm not making any money from stating it but if I didn't purchase my Milano last year, this bike is the one commuter in my garage.

If you are riding every day in all weather, disk or drum brakes are good because the rims don't wear and you don't have the hassle of continually replacing brake pads. However:

No fenders. No lights or generator. No chainguard. If anyone sold a "commuter car" with no lights, fenders, or windshield wipers (although with brackets to mount them) it would be seen as a joke. If I pay a grand or two for a bike, I want it to be ready to ride to work.

Paul