Why a commuting bike?
 

HI I think I bought the wrong bike for my own personal use: the OCR c3 by giant. Now i'm thinking that i should swap it for a bike used more for what I need. So I don't race but I do plan on riding home to work to school but I love to go FAST. In fact, it would be great if there was a bike just as fast as a racing road bike or at least just as fast. So I want a bike that is...

-fast or nearly as fast as a performance bike (prob most important second to comfort, smoothness, and virbration damping)

-can carry a heavy guy 230 lbs but expected to lose 30 of those lbs

-Am expected to carry stuff around me but probrably not more than 15 lbs like books, groceries, and gym stuff. So I need a clamp on rack or if it's nice, one has a frame built for a one of those racks used for long touring

-But i'm NOT going to do long expedition tours. I'll use my bike mostly for getting around suburban areas and have fun riding at parks.

-Can handle gravel, dirt, and pothole surfaces well.

So is this what a commuter bike is all about or should I just use my racing CF Giant OCR C3 bike and use it as a commuter bike? If NOT, tell me which bike (also brand) is suitable for me.

Said you were buying a touring bike here: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...990&highlight=

You're going to get better advice providing all the info rather than trying to tailor your post to the individual forum.

Yeah but I wasn't sure the difference between a commuter and a touring bike and THE BIKE THAT IS FOR MY NEEDS and WANTS.

There are specific types of bikes aimed at commuters that come with one or more of the following:

fenders
rack
lights
chain guards

The first three things are what people usually recommend as being important to have on a bike used for commuting. "Commuter" bikes also tend to have a more upright riding position than a touring or racing bike and they typically don't have drop bars.

Having said that, around here people commute on everything from race oriented bikes to cruisers.

For you I'd recommend a cyclocross or touring bike. Both are better equipped for rough roads/off road than race oriented bikes like your OCR and can accommodate wider tires and heavier loads.

Your OCR might be just fine too. Put on the widest tires it can take and try it out for awhile.

I commute on an OCR C3 regularly. I have a Tubus Fly rack that's pretty minimal, and Tubas also sells a QR adapter that lets you mount the rack thru the QR at the bottom end. I used a P-clip to attach it at the top end rather than trying to bend the rod to attach to the brake bolt. Add a trunk bag big enough to carry clothes and lunch and I'm good to go.

I've currently got 700 x 23 tires, but when these wear out I'll probably move up to 25's. It beats having another bike laying around, and the rack is not heavy enough to notice it on a normal road ride.

What isn't working for you with the OCR c3?

Nothing, the OCR C3 is AWESOME!!

But the problem is that it cannot handle off road. So I want a bike that can go off road but at the same time go as nearly as fast as a road bike. PERIOD. I want the best of both worlds.

So I guess it's probrably a cyclocross bike I should look into.

But is it ok to replace the wheels with a "hybrid" wheel on my c3? I mean I may as well just buy a cyclocross.

Cyclocross. I probably said that in the other forum too. Cyclocross is pretty much the epitome of "can go fast, handle potholes and carry loads".

Steve

Crosscheck
Volpe
Double Cross
Poprad
Jake
Jake the Snake
Casseroll

... and many more.

These guys have good advice :)

I would like to point out one thing... a slight mistake I personally made. My first 'nice' bike was a Cross Check - and what sold me was the "do all" capabilities of the bike. I wouldn't need another bike!!

Turns out I'm sort of addicted to bikes and have bought two more since, with more on the way the second I have disposable income... so that 'do it all' bike sort of doesn't have a place right now in my stable. I might turn it into a monster-cross thing, but I don't know.

I'm not sure if that's even relavant. haha :D I guess if you plan on more bikes, keep the sweet racing bike you have and get a dedicated bike that can haul anything and be quick enough. This way you have both tools and can select which one you need for the day. If you have just one bike - a cyclocross bike is excellent advice.

The Cross Check is a fan favorite... as are most Surly bikes (they all have a purpose).
The Kona bikes (Jake the Snake) are also favorites.
The Lemond Poprad is cyclocross' version of Pornography - so hot.

Search these boards for models - and if you need more info/eyecandy go to Flickr.com and search thru photos. You'll usually get so many you can't look at them all for ideas.

The geometry on the OCR3 looks quite appropriate for an all around bike. It's pretty long. I would think that simply putting larger tougher tires on it would do. 30 x 26 gives a sufficiently low gear for most use without loads. Wheels might be a problem. That suggests to me getting nice old fashioned strong wheels, 36 spoke 3x box section and mounting good tough 28 mm tires. If there's enough clearance. Then swap out wheels if you want to do off road. Or you might find the 3x wheels more to your liking all the time.

Of course, the frame might not fit 28 or 32 mm tires. That's an issue with 2 of the frames in house here. My normal road bike won't even really fit 25 mm tires. Fortunately I'm pretty light.

It all depends on your budget and distance your commuting. Other things to considder are, how much do you have to carry on the bike? How are weather conditions? Is your commute going to be wet? How are road surfaces? Bumpy pot holes bad pavement. I have always felt that mountain bikes and cross bikes make the best commuter bikes. You can always put on slick tires, fenders, racks, lights, mirrors, with ease. They handle nice in all conditions and are cheap. I commute 42 miles a day. I carry in my clothes and lunch. I am riding a old Trek 8500 mountain bike. I have equipped it with a seat rack, fenders, and lights. I am running Performance Terramax mtb wheels with perfromance City slicker tires (60 psi). I use crank bro eggbeater pedals. I ride everyday, rain or shine. Life is good!!!

yes, as stated above, your commute route surface conditions, personal riding style, traffic, regional weather and so forth all will dictate your equipment needs.

You may need to just stick with one bike for a while and do a little tweak here and there until you hit upon a better bike choice (assuming one exists). Jumping around from one to another when you haven't gotten a certain amount of miles under your belt will probably just confuse you. Just my 2 cents....