TranDz

Heya all. I take a bus to school every day and it is really boring. I live in New Jersey so there is some great sights and sounds in the mornings around here. I'm 16 and am a sophomore in High School that is thinking about getting into commuting.

I can use the bike to get to school which is a pretty long drive, its about 15 minutes on car anyone know how many miles that is? Also in the summer I can take the bike with me to Brooklyn when I stay at my grandmas and ride around there. I need some help on a bike to get because in my opinion all the bikes look the same to me even though I know they are all very different. I want something that will last, and I read a few threads here about stuff to bring with me. So I am looking for a good bike, and some bags to attach to my bike.

Thanks

lima_bean

15 minutes via highways and freeways with little traffic?
Or 15 minutes through urban streets and red lights, with traffic?

centexwoody 

I've never heard anyone describe bicycle commuting as boring - dangerous, cold, hot, wet, but never boring.

Get on GoogleEarth, find your house, find your school. Use the TOOLS dropdown menu & pick MEASURE and then PATH. It will let you draw a set of connected lines from any point to any other point. You can find out how many inches, centimeters, miles, light-years or any other measure your actual route would be.

TranDz

I described going by bus as boring. And 15 minutes through urban streets with red lights.

lima_bean

Yeah thats most likely very bikable then.

georgiaboy

Yeah, TranDz, were here to help you. Like centexwoody said map out that distance.

Put in your house address in the JUMP TO box ZOOM IN until all the roads appear and map out your route to school.

Is your route paved?

What kind of bike do you want? What is your budget? Do you know your bikesize?

Hang in there with us, you will get there.

tsl

That sounds like a nice commute. Depending on traffic and terrain, I'd plan on 30-45 minutes. Just long enough to get the juices flowing, and not so long that you're worn out or need a shower afterwards.

TranDz

My budget is around 1 grand I guess as I see most bikes being 900$+. Yea the route is paved all nice roads. Hardly any people on the roads aswell except school busses and such. My bike size? No idea what that means haha. Sorry, just new to commuting on a bike .

georgiaboy

Alright with $900-1000 you can get a super nice bike.

What is your inseam size of your pants? How tall are you?

TranDz

I'm 5'5, pants are 30x30.

georgiaboy

Ok,

Moutain bike size probably 16"

Road Bike more than likely you would need a 51cm or 52cm. I am 5'6" with a 29in inseam. I own a 51cm Bianchi and a 46cm Surly. Both bikes fit me well, the different size are due to the geometry and sizes offered.

So, if you will be riding on paved roads you will probably want a bike with road geometry.

How much stuff will you need to carry.

newbojeff

$900-$1000 you can get a super nice bike that's going to get stolen at your school. Either that or you're going to be carrying so much weight in locks that you're not going to notice you have a $1000 bike.

The bike you get should match the ride, but also needs to match the reality of where it's going to be sitting most of the day.

TranDz

I doubt anyone in my school would actually go through the hassle of breaking a chain and lock.

I mostly want to carry a chain, lock, some spare bike parts incase something breaks, snack, 20$, i-pod. I'll lock my bike up about a block from school and no one goes there since people either go on the school buses or their own cars in the parking lot. When I get back from school it is going to be in my garage so no worries there.

georgiaboy

Newbojeff made a good point. Any other guys at your school ride bikes. Have there been incidents of other bikes being stolen or tampered with?

Do you need to carry books or other school items?

jyossarian

Sounds like a 15 minute commute by bike too considering buses make a lot of pickups and drive slow. And for HS, I'd buy a couple of garage sale specials, regrease everything and ride them into the ground or until they get stolen. I'd be heartbroken if my $1000 bike was stolen at school. As for bags, a backpack will do the trick.

jeff-o

You'd be surprised, both at how many people would go through the hassle, and how easy it is with the right tools.

I suggest buying a used bike, then upgrading certain components so that it rides well but is still relatively undesirable to thieves. Upgrade the derailleur so that it shifts smoothly, and install V-brakes if it doesn't have them already. Install slick tires, they work so much better on pavement than knobby tires! Then get a U-lock and a cable lock, lights that can be removed, and a rear rack to carry stuff. Shouldn't cost you more than $400 bucks, if that.

TranDz

Well I dont really want a bike that looks undesireable, because it would look undesireable to me haha. I am going to carry a bookbag but thats just for books. I cant fit the chain, bike parts, ipod, etc. all in my bookbag haha.

And no, no incidents of tampering with bikes. There are 2 Hummer H3s sitting in the student parking lot and no one touches them. It is a good neighborhood, so none of that haha.

And U-shape?

Artkansas 

I used to commute to school by bike, of course back then we had to bunnyhop a lot to avoid running over dinosaurs....;o)

I'd say forget a $900 bike. Look in garage sales or on eBay and get yourself a bike you can afford to lose, a dependable beater. Make sure it has fenders and lights on it and a rack to attach panniers on. Any sturdy bike should do for a short commute like that. Don't worry about the looks. Once you are familiar with your bike, looks take a back seat to feel and how it makes you feel.

Good luck. Since school, I've continued to bicycle commute for many decades. It's cool.

georgiaboy

He's talking about a U-Lock.



Are you familiar with Craigslist?

CBBaron

As a new cyclist I think you will probably want to keep things simple and reliable. A good way to do that is get a bike that is ready to go for your commute.
Breezer makes some nice bikes that are complete and simple to operate.
So does REI.
Easier to find might be a Specialized Globe City or similar.
A 15min urban car ride is probably 30-45 min bike ride. A nice fun ride.
Get a good U-lock and read up on how to lock. Sheldon Brown has alot of good information on bikes including how to lock them. Don't be complacent because you think no one will try. Most bikes that are stolen are unlocked.
$1000 will get you a pretty nice bike. That is about what I am targeting for my next commuter. As a beginner you may want to target something much cheaper until you figure out what you really want and need. If you can find a friend or family member that has good knowledge of bikes then shopping used can save you alot of money for an initial bike.
Good luck.
Craig

CBBaron

[QUOTE=Artkansas]I'd say forget a $900 bike. Look in garage sales or on eBay and get yourself a bike you can afford to lose, a dependable beater. Make sure it has fenders and lights on it and a rack to attach panniers on. Any sturdy bike should do for a short commute like that. Don't worry about the looks. Once you are familiar with your bike, looks take a back seat to feel and how it makes you feel./QUOTE]
I'm concerned about recommending a new rider to pick up a used bike for several reasons. If you don't know what you are looking for it is easy to pay too much for newer POS and over look the older gem. Its also easy to buy the older bike that is a pain to repair or upgrade because it uses obsolete standards. Also an older bike is likely to require some work to get working correctly. That takes knowledge and experience or a trip to your LBS which cuts into your savings. Buying a new bike from an LBS should get a free tune up after a month or two of riding an hopefully a bike that is ready to go out the door. A knowledge shop employee can help a person who doesn't know alot about the subject.
An experienced bike rider can take advantage of the deals available on the used market but I think it is much more difficult for a newbie.
Craig

georgiaboy

Look at all the suggestions and pick what you think is best.

My suggestion is the Bianchi Volpe in a 52cm size.

https://bianchiusa.com/06_volpe.html

You can check for the nearest Bianchi Dealer near you and take it for a test ride.

Dealer search is here: https://bianchiusa.com/dealers.html

Good Luck!

Once you get a bke log back in and ask about a bag.

TranDz

Thanks for all the help guys. I am currently looking into this bike here:

https://www.breezerbikes.com/bike_det...=u&bike=uptown

Can anyone recommend me a nicely sized pannier to attach to cary the items I had listed (ipod, U-Lock, Chain, some small bike parts, a multi-tool , $20, and a small umbrella or something when its raining out.

roughrider504

I am a Freshman HS commuter. You will want to get a bike much much cheaper than 900$. I commute with an older steel Raleigh, and since its steel the ride is very nice. It is a singlespeed for simplicity, but even though its an old bike I put new parts on it to make it reliable. A reliable bike and still rather theft resistant- a great commuter. I would use some of your money to invest into a nice bag so you dont have to leave anything on your bicycle.

caloso

I think Roughrider has the right idea.