My title says it well. I'm researching bicycle commuting, and looking for a good bicycle.

I'm located in Denver, CO. I'm looking at a variety of bicycles at this point. Some of the brands (bikes) I'm researching are Bianchi (Milano), Dynamic (Ricochet), Incline (Cross7), REI (Navarro), Trek (but having issues finding decent commuter bicycles), and Zero (City Bike).

I'm most interested in the low maintenance associated with internal trasmissions (e.g. - The Shimano 7-speed). I'm looking at the Dynamic, Incline, and Zero because of the additional low maintenance associated with shaft drive. I'm not out to race anyone and have no interest in off-road/mountain biking, so the issues with current-technology shaft drives in racing or mountain biking are unimportant to me. I'm looking for a rock-solid commuting bicycle for at most 20 miles one-way, over streets and bicycle paths with few if any hills of consequence.

So, please be kind to a n00B. I'm looking for opinions, comments, and information on any other bicycles which might fit into my needs and preferences. Good-natured flames are acceptable.

Do you have a budget?

Will you need to be able to carry personal item like clothes, books, laptop..etc?

Will you be riding at night?


Sorry, I don't know much about shaft driven bicycles.

Regarding shaft drive bicycles:

From Sheldon Brown's website:

Shaft drive proponents also often compare sealed, enclosed shaft drive systems with open, exposed chain drive systems. This is also a misleading comparison. All of the advantages claimed for shaft drive can be realized by the use of a chain case.

You'll get many and varied opinions on this topic, along with at least one exhortation to please use the search function for the info you seek. For a short answer, I have this to offer: Test ride every chance you get, on as many different types of bikes as you can. Since you're a novice you probably have no predisposition (beyond visual aesthetic, perhaps) toward any one type (road, mountain, hybrid, yadayadayada), so test them all. Enjoy!

Budgeting $500-800 for bicycle (including shipping if necessary). Figuring a total of $950-1000 including all necessary items such as Freddy Fenders, lights, paniers, mirrors, helmet, etc.

I'll be carrying work clothes, normal briefcase/backpack items (e.g. - laptop, PDA, paper day planner), and occasionally a day's shopping for dinner on the way home.

I'll continue to use car when shopping for weekly groceries (3-5 bags full) and/or larger items. At least, until I can budget a good trailer for hauling larger amounts of items. Will also use car on snow days, as streets are especially tricky here in the Denver areas on the days when snow falls. Day or two after is no problem, usually, and I'll be back to biking on those days.

Cold is not an issue, as I've already got REI gear to manage down to -15F. I will be buying goggles to protect my eyes, but those are in a different budget as I need them anyway for high-mountain hiking.

Oh! I looked at the Kronan Classic as an option. According to Kronan, there are simply no authorized dealers for the USA/Canada, and if I'm going to ship something from GB it'll be a Zero.

Okay, no drop bars.

In your list above my choice would be the Bianchi Milano.

Thanks georgiaboy. Sadly, due to some back issues, drop bars are not an option for me. I'm looking at both flat and riser bars, for comfortable body positioning. Also, I'm looking at a old-fashioned seats rather than the racing type, again for comfortable positioning (of my big butt ).

The theme here is utility and comfort. I have no interest in trying to be the fastest, or the coolest looking, bicycle rider on the road. Safety, usefulness, and comfort for this old man.

You might also want to look at the Jamis Commuter 3.0, if there's a dealer in your area. Also the Breezer Uptown 8 or the Villager.

Thanks johnnycoke. Definitely the type I'm looking for now. I've added both to the list.

It's hard to beat the price/value of the Kona Smoke

Looks as if the Smoke is a good bike. I'm simply not interested in the rear derailleur. Too much maintenance, too many potential road issues.

After all, as this post proves, I'm kinda lazy.

btw, before anyone mentions the Advice for New Commuters thread, I'm on page 9 (05-31-06) atm.

Well, after a day of reading threads here I'm definitely in the right place. Thank you to everyone who's posted here, and on other threads. I have much more information after spending a day here.

Note that a purchase like the Breezer (www.breezerbikes.com),which has the internal gear hub, has all the equipment you need. So, the approx. $950 for an Uptown 8 is all you'd need to spend. A Villager is several hundred less. I love mine.

I hear they are coming out with some improvements for 2007--you might want to look at that. I don't know what's changing, but I hear they will have improved tires (puncture resistent-liners or gators or something) and other features.

The thing to be aware of with the 2007 Uptown 8 - It's retailing for $1099. I just bought the 2006 model at $899 in order to stay in my budget range. The enclosed chain guard will probably look kind of cool in a retro way, but that and the led light aren't worth the extra cash for me.

By the way, here's another endorsement for the Breezer from a new commuter.

Tom

You say you have back problems. I broke my back in 1986; needless to say I look at all bicycles from the perspective of back comfort.

Something a little out of the ordinary to consider is the RANS Fusion, or if it is a little too pricey, the Electra Townie. The RANS bikes are beautiful high end bikes with nice components from a top manufacturer of recumbents. The Electra Townies are suprisingly nice bikes. They use something called a Crank Forward design. It's not a recumbent, you don't sit back, there is no seat back. You do sit lower in the bike by a bit than on a standard diamond frame, and you can flat foot the bike.

The beauty of the crank forward bikes is that you don't stress your back, not at all. You do feel some pressure on your arms, and you definitely use your core muscles so you feel it a bit in the stomach. On the first couple of rides you might feel a bit of stress on the lower back. But once you acclimate the back pain is gone. RANS makes some very light high end crank forward bikes as well.

I searched and searched. I tried everything, putting on a higher stem, using a hybrid, using a suspension fork, various handlebars, various seating positions. Some of the things I tried worked to some effect to keep the pain manageable. The Crank Forward design meant no pain at all. Check out www.ransbikes.com and www.crankforward.com and www.spincyclz.com.

Tom,

Where are you getting your info on the new Breezer bikes for 2007?

You are on the right track, but I'd recommend forgeting about the need for a shaft drive to achieve low maintenance. 1/4" Chains for single sprocket hubs cost about $5, are rock solid reliable and easily last 5,000 miles or more with minimal to no maintenance. Shaft drives? I assume they just add weight and expense for no efficiency gain and who knows if they really are low maintenance or reliable.

I'd stick w/ an internally geared hub like the Shimano Premium hubs or the SRAM i-motion. Test ride everything, then pick the most comfortable.

Dave,

My LBS owner told me about the pricing and features on the new model. And, btw, he wasn't just looking for a quick sale on this year's model. In fact, he had to check and see if this year's was still available.

Tom

Please visit this site for a look at the bikes used by people that use bike as their only means of transport. Please note the riding postion along with features incorporated into the design. The
riding postion is VERY different from the back breaking,arm twisiting handle bars, sold in the
U.S. for a VERY GOOD REASON.

Sadly,these bike either cost to much in the U.S. or are simply not available. However, bikes "like" them
are. You'll find that this type of bike is best suited to the ol' reliable 3 speed hub in 99.999% of cases.
In fact if you shop carefully you might find an older Raleigh 3 speed that would be an ideal choice cheap
as these old Raleighs were designed for the yeoman duty of daily travel.

European bikes.......
https://www.dutchbikes.us/

Bikes sold in the U.S. that are similar......
https://threespeedbicycles.angelcities.com/

Please also note that the bikes frame is the foundation of the bike and aluminum frames are not a long
term good choice. Note that the European commuter frames are most often NOT aluminum.

I have a Bianchi Milano. The Nexus 7 speed (the new ones are 8) has a really good spread, and you can change gears while stopped. VERY comfortable, and pretty quick for a bike of this style. Retail is about $650, and usually not lower than that, as their in pretty high demand. Funnest bike to ride I own, period. Also, one of the best looking bikes you can buy, fantastic paint.

Nothing really bad to say about it save the pedals, which are poop (replace immediatly, get some metal one's, anything other than the plastic P.O.C. that the bike comes with), and the seat, which is cool with the rear built in LED and all, but not very comfortable for longer rides, or day after day. I put a Brooks saddle and aluminum Eastern BMX pedals on mine, as well as a adjustable riser stem, which sounds like could help you as well.

You'll get catcalls from girls, and thumbsup from other bikers as well, cause it really, really looks sweet. Err, also, make sure when you're looking at the Milano that it has rack mounts, cause I've heard tell that some do not.

two cents.

Another option is a Cannondale Daytripper Premium. It uses a Nexus 8-spd internal hub.

https://www.cannondale.com/bikes/07/c...odel-7DS2.html

More and more appear to be offering commuter style bikes. Cannondale has a couple of models--I prefer the Cannondale Street Premium. Also, the Specialized Globe City 3.1 looks nice--it is a lot like my Villager.

Wow--I hope this continues! I love these commuter bikes. If they catch on it could influence people to ride more often and in more seasons, given that these bike are better equipped and utilitarian in nature.

I enjoy the traditional, upright riding position. Still, I'd like to try the semi-recumbant and the recumbant bikes. I sure enjoy the recumbants when I'm at an excersize facitiliy--I always go for one of them over an upright bike.

Tightwad gives very good advice, especially given the OP's stated preferences.

ILTB do you use the orignal rear spocket on you Raleigh? I think they are 18th. Have you ever gotten a larger rear spocket say 20-21th to make the third speed a bit more user friendly? Just curious. Assuming you are using a standard 3-speed.

The delicacy of aluminum bikes is overblown. I've broken exactly the same number of steel frames and aluminum frames - 2 each. Aluminum doesn't shatter into a million pieces. They don't break without warning. If aluminum broke the way that some people would have you believe, why would you want to ride on aluminum wheels?

Eshvanu: Some things to consider for riding in Denver. Fenders are almost unnecessary. I have them mounted on one of my bikes but seldom need them, even in winter. As you've stated, the roads clear on their own here quickly after a storm.

We are at the foot of the Rockies. Unless you are only going to ride around downtown, you will need to climb hills at some point. The usually means you need lower gears than what you can get on a single speed, a fixed gear or an internal hub bike, especially if you want to be adventurous and head towards the mountains.

We don't have sloppy winters so maintainence of a derailer equiped bike isn't that hard. For the most part, a bottle of White Lightening is your friend. To those of you who don't like WL, it's ideal for Denver and the surrounding area because we have to deal with much more dust than water and as long as you keep the dust from sticking to your chain, everything runs smoothly.

You might want to look at mountain bikes. They are rugged. Relatively cheap. And, if you want to go adventuring, just the ticket for a couple of hours of strenuous fun. You will need to look ones that can have rack mounted on them or you can use a post rack - yuck! - or Delta makes a good cheap rack called the Disc rack for bikes with disc brakes. Put slicks on it - again, yuck! - and it's relatively fast.

Finally, from the stand point of long term use, internally geared bikes are rare. Parts to fix them are rarer still. Finding a mechanic that can fix them might be close to impossible. I'm sure that they will last a long time without problems but stuff happens...just like with derailer bikes.