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Originally Posted by acroy
(Post 5842123)
well here's the trick: using a set of wire cutters, lop off the very end of the Presta stem so you can unscrew the cap all the way off. now the stem is free to fall into the tube, so hold onto the tube with a couple fingers, you can feel it in there, don't let it fall all the way in. Now squirt the Stan's in, still keeping the stem from falling all the way in...
now push the stem back into place, you might have to finagle it some. air it up a bit, then take the pump off the tube, let the air pressure help push the stem back into place. put the cap back on. ta-da! the cap will come all the way off again if you let it. hopefully you won't have to mess with that tube for a LONG time. the stan's will seal small holes (like thorns & glass) even at hi pressures. sounds worse than it is - first time i did it took about 10 min on one tube, now 2-3 min per tube. Time i'd much rather spend in the garage with my bike than on the road with a patch kit ;) i've been running this for the last year in all my tubed tires. road bike (100+psi) & wife's cruiser 60psi. had no ride-stopping flats! Used a 1" belt sander at work instead of wire cutters. Worked great. Applied the Stans with the special Stans syringe that screws onto PV and measures the volume of fluid. (I work at a bike shop....we have it all!) I filled two tubes in no time and will install them tomorrow. BTW... I asked around and some of the guys at the shop knew the "wire-cutter" trick too. Were they sadistic watching me poke holes in my Pugsley tubes for the past year to install the Stans? Ever want to strangle a co-worker? Thanks again! If it prevents just one roadside flat fix out of three I will be happy. -Joey |
Originally Posted by SDRider
(Post 5817407)
I haven't managed to break a road bike yet in my years of riding. Why would I need to "jump a curb" anyway? I've never had to jump a curb when driving my car and I ride my road bike on the same roads that I drive my car on (BTW-I have hopped curbs, RR crossings, and pot holes on a road bike).
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Originally Posted by JoeyBike
(Post 5846514)
BTW... I asked around and some of the guys at the shop knew the "wire-cutter" trick too. Were they sadistic watching me poke holes in my Pugsley tubes for the past year to install the Stans? Ever want to strangle a co-worker?
Thanks again! If it prevents just one roadside flat fix out of three I will be happy. -Joey sure thing - hope it works out well. I bet the co-workers were snickering the whole time....;) cheers |
Originally Posted by thirdin77
(Post 5847972)
I ride a road bike too and have been surprised at the abuse it takes. I too have ridden over railroad tracks paralleled by broken pavement as well as other pavement overlaps and defects that feel like they mercilessly pound the bike. I do get out of the saddle and bunny hop/rear wheel hop whatever I can, but the bike still takes a beating. Despite this, it just keeps on rollin and I get to work just fine :).
Same as you said. Only time I grab the ATB is when torrential rains are forecast that might fill up the streets with water. Can't see potholes, trolly tracks, etc through even an inch of water during dark commute homeward, or even if the holes are just holding water level with the street. Normal rain - no prob with the road bike and decent tires. (Vredestein Fortezza Tri-Comp). Our streets in New Orleans are mostly horrible. I don't baby the bike by going slow, but I do baby it with some technique that racers use on cobbles. My current road bike is from the late 80s. It does not seem to care how or where I ride it. |
Originally Posted by alanbikehouston
(Post 5800287)
Many of the experienced bike messengers in Houston prefer mountain bikes. They find that with light weight slick tires, a mountain bike is about as fast as a road bike for the one, two or three mile trips they are taking. And, if a mountain bike is properly fitted to the rider, the looong wheelbase soaks up road shock and makes for a stable ride no matter how terrible the road conditions...gravel, dirt, debris, rain, ice...
But, unlike road bikes, mountain bikes can handle the broken concrete, potholes and other problems that exist on the bombed out streets of inner city Houston. The guy on the road bike must go around those obstacles, or even avoid certain streets entirely. The guy on the mountain bike can ride in a straight line from "A" to "B", no matter how bad the streets are in between. I had a regular twenty mile circuit that I was riding four or five times a week. My times on a mountain bike were more or less the same as on a road bike. The only days I regretted being on the mountain bike were days I was riding into a powerful headwind...a mountain bike makes a little harder to stay in an aero position for long periods of time. |
FWIW, for me personally, I have too many other obligations to spend on multiple bikes; hence, the one I can afford has to fulfill a variety of roles. The MTB does that. My riding style is best described as "guerilla", as I will take a sidewalk/MUP/side street in a second if it benefits me. That, and my creaky skeleton won't take a rigid frame under any circumstances.
Besides, I just like the MTB.... |
Originally Posted by uke
(Post 7342523)
I can get this. I have a flat bar road bike, but have often considered an MTB with suspension for the winter, or for getting around bumpy roads.
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Originally Posted by alanbikehouston
(Post 5800287)
I had a regular twenty mile circuit that I was riding four or five times a week. My times on a mountain bike were more or less the same as on a road bike. The only days I regretted being on the mountain bike were days I was riding into a powerful headwind...a mountain bike makes a little harder to stay in an aero position for long periods of time.
To the OP, I'm a MTB rider as well but on my lighter MTB I swapped out my 26 x 2.1" for 26 x 1.75" semi-slicks which have a higher PSI (80 vs 65) that allows me to ride faster. Also I have side hand grips which I normally grip on to while riding in a semi-aero position which I find more comfortable when the winds are high or for longer riding times. Tho most MTB bikes I see around on the streets here are just the handlebar with no side hand grips and most are using 26 x 2.1 tires which I can easily fly by those guys as they by the looks of them riding the bike have the PSI somewhere around 55-60psi. |
Eight month old thread, awesome.
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I've used either a road bike or a fully rigid MTB. In the past, I used a road bike even on a partially-unpaved route because the distance was something like 12 miles each way and the road bike was just faster and more efficient. It was a revelation the day I realized that the bike wouldn't fall over or disintegrate the moment it touched gravel. However, on that job I was able to park the bike inside in a fairly secure area.
Now, I use the MTB primarily because it is less dear to me, and I don't mind (as much) having it locked to an outdoor bike rack all day. It is also a little easier to commute with because it has platform pedals, vs the clipless on my roadie. My tires aren't bad, but I plan to add a better rear rack, fenders, and slick tires to it as money allows. Now that I've moved the "commuter gear" from my road bike to the MTB, I'm much happier with the "sport bike" remaining true to its intent. I still would like to find a used beater roadie to replace the MTB as "the daily." Meanwhile, much cheaper to keep running the MTB because that's what I have. |
It is what I have. I was given an old bike from a roomate was moving out and I used it to save my other bike (a full suspension mountain bike) for backcountry trips.
I also get snow/ice six months of the year and can go off road on the commute (when I go the long way) another 4 months of the year. |
Originally Posted by lil brown bat
(Post 7344560)
Eight month old thread, awesome.
Better than starting a new thread ... We could use some more thread consolidation around here ... I wonder if the people who start "What bike should I buy for commuting" threads actually read any of the solid advice in threads gone by. |
I bought an old Bianchi Grizzly to convert to a commuter. I changed the straight bars for drops and updated everything. It's heavy, but I don't worry about hurting it and it's always reliable. It's damn near as fast as my road bikes. Unless I have to climb.
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While my folder is out for repairs, I'm riding a junker MTB/hybrid -- it's basically a cheap hardtail frame with slick tires and commuter accessories (fenders, rear rack, etc.). 21 speeds mean I can get up all the hills, and the tough frame and fat tires mean I don't have to swerve around manhole covers and storm drains. My commute has a lot of potholes and unpaved MUPs, so I appreciate having a bike that can get over some obstacles.
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I'm putting drop bars on my old Specialized Rockhopper this week, after riding it all summer. The roads here suck and I don't want to subject my road bike to the daily beatings on my 38 mile RT commute, so I put "comfort" tires (1.65") on the Rockhopper. It's a rigid steel frame bike and does great over all the frost heaves and potholes. With the drop bars on it, it'll be pretty close to a full blown touring bike (without 700c rims). Good wheelbase, so I don't kick the panniers; it'll also get full fenders this week. The drop bars will give me more comfortable (for me) hand positions, as I prefer riding on the hoods or in the drops versus the palms down, wrists cocked flat bar position. I'm really looking forward to riding it with the new bars!
As for the weight, there's no doubt it weighs a ton. But, I have occassionally taken my carbon fiber road bike to work, and at best I save ten minutes over my usual 1:15 ride time. Stop lights, traffic, etc. have a much bigger impact than bike speed. |
Originally Posted by gronk40
(Post 7347163)
Better than starting a new thread ...
We could use some more thread consolidation around here ... I wonder if the people who start "What bike should I buy for commuting" threads actually read any of the solid advice in threads gone by. |
I rode an MTB as a bike messenger with slicks in 1997 and 1998 because I had it in my basement (it was my old MTB before I replaced it). When I stopped being a messenger, I kept it for commuting because it did the job well until 2004, when it became my winter bike. I bought another MTB for commuting for robustness, parts interchangeability and because I liked the fit. I thought I could just change the fork on the new bike from a suspension to a rigid fork, but found out I couldn't because the angles would be too messed up. I also found out that I did not necessarely need the robustness of an MTB. I started to regret the buy a couple of years later when my commutes became longer.
In essence, unless you really need it, an MTB is overkill for commuting; an hybrid, touring or cyclocross bike is much better suited for the job. That's why I bought a cyclocross bike yesterday. |
+1 to above:
Get a cyclocross bike, best of both worlds. Adjust tire choice based on road conditions. |
Originally Posted by gronk40
(Post 7347163)
Better than starting a new thread ...
Originally Posted by gronk40
(Post 7347163)
We could use some more thread consolidation around here ... I wonder if the people who start "What bike should I buy for commuting" threads actually read any of the solid advice in threads gone by.
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Originally Posted by Industrial
(Post 7342623)
That's all you have to say to resurrect an 8 month old thread?
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i use a MTB because of the terrible road conditions where im going to school.
after i graduate and move someplace decent im buying a road bike with the first money i scrape together |
Originally Posted by Artkansas
(Post 5824634)
I used to. Riding the dirt road down the center of the Los Penasquitos Nature Preserve allowed me to cut 4 miles off the all-road variation of my commute. And I got to race coyotes. Best commute I ever had. :D
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More comfortable riding position, thicker more resilient tires and better gearing for hills. I also cant afford 2 bikes and love to ride in the woods. a mountain bike can be ridden anywhere, unfortunately the same cant be said for a road bike.
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Cyclocross and touring bikes are more ideal but mountain bikes are more available.
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I if get a flat, itīs easier to inflate to 40-45 psi than to 90-120 psi with a handy pump....
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it's what most people have sitting in their garages/basements when they decide to start commuting.
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Originally Posted by Az B
(Post 5801256)
One thing that is not mentioned is image. Many people think road bikes are not manly and prefer to be riding something tougher looking.
Az |
Is a road bike really going to snap in half or bend a rim or something if you hit a pothole or a curb? Is it impossible to cut across a grass field with 23mm tires? I thought the main reason not to use one was due to a lack of fender and rack eyelets but "durability" seemed to come up a lot in this thread.
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I use my mtb to commute because I had a $500 bike I didn't get to ride as much as I wanted. I am fast enough on it with the 60psi Kenda Krisp 2in tires and suspension fork. A friend of mine that rides a road bike can attest to that. Now I have a rigid fork and 100psi 1in Richey Tom slicks on their way. In addition to that I can stop carrying around a floor pump strapped to the side of my milk crate as I have an inflater on its way also.
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Originally Posted by degnaw
(Post 7382926)
Is a road bike really going to snap in half or bend a rim or something if you hit a pothole or a curb? Is it impossible to cut across a grass field with 23mm tires? I thought the main reason not to use one was due to a lack of fender and rack eyelets but "durability" seemed to come up a lot in this thread.
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