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Why can't any bike be a commuter bike?
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Any bike can be a commuter. It is the act of going from work to home that makes it a commuter not how the bike is designed. However, certain bikes are more suited to particular commutes than other bikes. Not to mention personal preferences and riding styles.
Though I would be hesitant to call a bmx bike a commuter. That would be an amusing sight. Commuters I have encounterd ride many of the following -road racing bike -road sport -touring -cx -hybrids -mountain bikes (hardtail, full suspension, and everything in between) -recumbents - and more I can not remember at the moment |
My computer bike is a 2,000 dollar hardtail - I like riding it - and it works great. Nothing special on it for commuting other than fenders.
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Uh, OK. Good thing the weekend is here. As far as I'm concerned, one can commute on a unicycle and that would be fine by me. Would I do it? No. To each is own, and don't really see anybody bashing recumbents or any other bike. I think the only bikes looked down upon are unreliable ones.
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Some people even commute on a (shudder) Walmart bike...
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Originally Posted by DataJunkie
Though I would be hesitant to call a bmx bike a commuter. That would be an amusing sight.
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I commute on a conversion fixed gear, a 700c "cruiser" with pegs and bars so wide it's hard to get through doorways, and for short errands (4 miles round trip max) I even ride the homemade chopper. No clips or clipless pedals, I like sneakers and sandals. No racks, I prefer a bag and rarely carry more than 15#. Living in Oregon, they all have fenders for the rain. If you get around town on it, it's a commuter bike, even if you use it for something else on the weekends.
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dang...someone has a complex or something. from my perspective, there are fewer purists on the commuting forum than in any others. check out the road or singlespeed/fixed gear forum and you'll know what i'm talking about.
any bike that gets you to and from work is a commuting bike. ride your recumbent with pride dude! |
Originally Posted by crtreedude
Some people even commute on a (shudder) Walmart bike...
There's a guy that I pass most evenings, commuting on an X-mart bike. I know he's commuting, because he's got a work shirt with a factory logo from right up the street, so he's coming off a midday shift. You can hear him coming from 100' away, bike creaking like a cheap motel bedspring. I swear, the only oil it ever gets is if he rides through an oily puddle on the road. Yet, he's out there every day. I think it's funny to see him out there in the rain, snow, cold, etc. on his $100 platform pedal beast, chugging along in his workboots and jeans every day and then it gets to be 50 degrees and dry out so the fairweather club riders make it back outside and give this guy the "you've gotta be kidding me" look as they whip past him; never realizing that he's got the dedication they wish they had. |
No kidding. And a lot of commuters ride beaters so they don't have to sweat them getting stolen. Whatever works for you is all it takes. Just ride.
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I normally commute on my track bike..which out of all my bikes is actually the least like a typical "commuter" but its fast and fun to ride. I travel light and can easily fit all my stuff in a backpack, so I don't need a dedicated commuter all decked out with racks pannier's and such.
I have a fendered fixed gear beater for rainy days, and a SS mountainbike for snow. Once in a blue moon I'll ride my geared road bike in. If I could only use one bike, I suppose I'd go for something that was a little more utilitarian, maybe something like a touring rig, but personally I think that would get boring day after day. |
I have a specific commuter bike, but that's because I like to ride bikes that are light, fast and sexy most of the time, and prefer not to mount racks and fenders on them. I spent a grand total of £22 on my 80's tourer for commuting, and it works a treat, but sometimes, just for fun, I commute on my chrome singlespeed or my track bike, or my vintage road bike.
Bottom line - I like having the convenience of panniers, fenders, and permanently attached light brackets, but I don't care if you don't. |
I have 2 bikes and have commuted on both. One is an older tour bike that is my primary commuter because it has racks and panniers, a more up right geometry and wider tires. Works great as a commuter.
My other bike is more of a racing bike style (but not really a race bike). It is more aero and lighter weight then the tour bike, has a triple chain ring, but geared higher then the tour bike and has no rack attachments, so I have to use a backpack to commute on this one. |
Originally Posted by CliftonGK1
The horror! :rolleyes:
There's a guy that I pass most evenings, commuting on an X-mart bike. I know he's commuting, because he's got a work shirt with a factory logo from right up the street, so he's coming off a midday shift. You can hear him coming from 100' away, bike creaking like a cheap motel bedspring. I swear, the only oil it ever gets is if he rides through an oily puddle on the road. Yet, he's out there every day. I think it's funny to see him out there in the rain, snow, cold, etc. on his $100 platform pedal beast, chugging along in his workboots and jeans every day and then it gets to be 50 degrees and dry out so the fairweather club riders make it back outside and give this guy the "you've gotta be kidding me" look as they whip past him; never realizing that he's got the dedication they wish they had. |
You wouldn't believe what people commute on here. First of all - most people use either a bike, feet or a horse to get to where they are going. After that, motorcycles and then cars with a few ATVs thrown in for good measure. No one even thinks twice about a bike.
The vast majority of bikes are hardtails - or no suspension fat tire bikes. Often, the gears don't work - so they find a good gear and stick it there. Keeps things simple I suppose. They can't afford more than one bike, so they use whatever is available. Often, they can't make it up the hills - so they walk and then coast down - hoping the brakes still work. Just the thought that someone would think you need somethings special for commuting would make them shake their heads in wonder on the wealth of people in the USA. Oh, perhaps it isn't necessary to mention this - but people tend to be a lot thinner here - think there is a connection? :D |
Sure, any bike is a commuter if you commute with it! Your recumbant is a nice choice for doing so.
Note that utility style bikes, that is, ones that come with lots of gear that most commuters like, are sometimes called "commuter" bikes. Companies like to segment product, so I suspect that's where that came from. |
I commuted on my road bike until I got my OCR Touring. The OCR-T is pretty much the ideal commuter bike, in my mind. My road bike has stayed hung up in the garage while I rode the OCR-T.
Here's why my OCR-T is better - for commuting - than my road bike: 1. Full fenders - keep me cleaner and dryer when it's wet out 2. Rear rack - handles my bags better than a seatpost rack 3. Disc brakes - good braking in the rain, clean. Wheel trueness less critical. 4. 32mm tires - cushier ride, safer over grooves in pavement 5. Strong wheels - duh 6. Fully internal cable routing - handles rain and grunge better 7. Triple crankset - for those big hills when I'm feeling tired 8. Got it pretty cheap, no strong emotional attachment You can ride on whatever, and the shorter your commute, the more viable options there are out there. But the best "commuter bikes" handle the peculiarities of the commuter's situation better than other bikes. |
Having a bad day are we?
I'm not sure what prompted this, but I don't think the forum really has this feel at all. Sure, if someone asks, people are going to steer them towards what they think is a practical bike. This is never going to be a full-suspension 6" travel mountain bike, or a $6000 Madone. Yes, there ARE people who commute on them, but even most of them would admit that's not ideal. Whatever the recommendation remember: friends don't let friends ride bent :D |
Originally Posted by N_C
With all this hype on having or thinking a person needs an actual commuter bike, why not just say any bike can be a commuter bike? Does a commuter bike have to have the so called commuter bike gearing, have racks, panniers, etc?
Why can't a commuter bike be a recumbent with a rack & panniers, or not? Why can't it be a TREK Madone or full suspension Fuel? Why can't it be a Specialized Stump Jumper? Why can't it be a any bike a person wants to commute on? Or do the purists not like anyone commuting on anything except a commuter bike & think you're not a true commuter unless you do so? Then again why should anyone care what a purist thinks of us? My "commuter bike" bike is my recumbent, the only bike I own, :eek:. It is a SWB VisionR40 with over seat steering. The only thing I did to it to make it easier to commute was added a rear rack & saddle bags to carry my cloths, lunch, etc. Sorry to disappoint you purists, but this is my commuter bike. Don't like, well tough ****! Flat bars or drop bars, internal gears or derailer or fixed, thin tires or fat tires, 26" or 700C, steel or aluminum, recumbent or upright... if you can use it to commute safely and effectively, it's a good commuter bike. There are some bikes that do seem pretty unlikely to be practical as commuting bikes though. A high-end race bike will likely have twitchy handling and aggressive riding position, which many wouldn't find comfortable in stop-and-go city traffic or after a hard day of work. Plus, thin tires, no granny gear, no place to mount racks and fenders, and possibly high-maintenance wheels. Likewise a downhill MTB would be too heavy, with power-sapping suspension, wrong gearing, very upright riding position... |
Bents rule!
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Originally Posted by N_C
With all this hype on having or thinking a person needs an actual commuter bike, why not just say any bike can be a commuter bike?
Does a commuter bike have to have the so called commuter bike gearing, have racks, panniers, etc? Why can't a commuter bike be a recumbent with a rack & panniers, or not? Why can't it be a TREK Madone or full suspension Fuel? Why can't it be a Specialized Stump Jumper? Why can't it be a any bike a person wants to commute on? Or do the purists not like anyone commuting on anything except a commuter bike & think you're not a true commuter unless you do so? |
Originally Posted by JeffS
I'm not sure what prompted this, but I don't think the forum really has this feel at all. Sure, if someone asks, people are going to steer them towards what they think is a practical bike. This is never going to be a full-suspension 6" travel mountain bike, or a $6000 Madone. Yes, there ARE people who commute on them, but even most of them would admit that's not ideal.
Whatever the recommendation remember: friends don't let friends ride bent :D |
Originally Posted by N_C
I posted this because it seemed like there may be the thinking that if you commute you should do so on a commuter bike. I wonder how many of us here have actual commuter specific bikes?
My commuter rig is a low-end Trek 1000 equipped with racks and trunk, lights and fenders. For variety, though, I'll sometimes switch off to my garage-sale mountain bike, my old steel fixed gear, or my shiny new road bike. They all get me to work just fine. RFM |
My commuter is whatever bike I feel like riding into work that day.
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Just about any bicycle, that can be ridden, can be a commuter bike; it's just some are easier and more comfortable to ride. I rode a MTB(with slicks) a few years, when I got dusted by some older woman on a old hybrid (with a horribly squeaky chain) and a guy on a chopper style bicycle; I knew it was time for change on what I rode. My current hybrid is several MPH faster than the MTB, and uses less pedal effort, even at the higher speeds. The hybrid is much more enjoyable to ride, and greatly increased the number of my riding miles
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