New Commuter Here
 

I've just recently started road biking and I want to start commuting. I've been getting around on my road bike but it's just not suitable. I'm now wanting to buy or build up a commuting specific bike. I've been checking out the different options...cyclocross, 29ers, flat bar road bikes, touring bikes...etc. I want this bike to be as fast as possible while still allowing for racks, fenders, larger tires, disc brakes etc. I'm starting to think that a cyclocross bike or flat bar road bike would be the way to go....fast geometry but more rugged than a racing bike. I'm looking for recommendations. I'm playing with the idea of using an internally geared hub but know that wouldn't help with weight. I want something that doesn't require too much maintenance. A single speed isn't an option since I live in Tennessee. Even getting around on an 8 speed has proven to be a challenge.

Please let me know of any frames or complete bikes that I should check out.

Here are some of looked at:

Trek Portalnd
Surly Cross Check(no disc), Long Haul Trucker(no disc) and Karate Monkey
Kona Dew
etc.

The commute I'm looking at is roughly 11 miles one way. I don't mind a fairly aggressive racing position on the bike. I want to go fast!

Any help would be wonderful. Let me know if you have any questions!

Thanks!

Eric

Raleigh Sojurn and the Kona Sutra are two tourers with disc brakes.

If you are going to be commuting any distance you need to think like someone who tours as you will want a bike that is going to be very comfortable after the miles start piling up... fast is good but long term comfort and rock solid reliability should top your list.

I would avoid flat bars as they do not allow for multiple hand and riding positions and can contribute to repetitive stress injuries while touring or trekking bars allows for more positional changes.

If you are struggling with an 8 speed then conditioning may be a factor and needs to be considered... you might want to commute every second day for some time to get the body into prime shape as commuting is an intense activity with lots of stop and go (this burns a ton of energy).

Disc brakes are great but so are well set up cantis and v brakes... I only run discs on my mountain bike.

My primary commuters are a Trek 7500 Multitrack (very similar to the Portland), a Kuwahara mountain / expedition bike with a fixed gear conversion, and a fixed gear road bike... they are all reasonably fast and get used depending on the prevailing conditions.

My 7500 used to be a comfort hybrid but I have refitted it with cross tyres and bars, cantis, and more rigid components so it would be suitable for touring / commuting...it is much like the Portland save for the lack of disc brakes but from a touring perspective, having simpler and still very effective brakes means I can get parts pretty much anywhere I may find myself.

Even with 700:35 tyres the bike rolls out at some amazing speed and can handle pretty much any kind of terrain which is good as a portion of my commute is multi use trails and sometimes even involves some singletrack.

Full fenders are also a must in my book as they protect you and your bike from road crud.

http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikep...500tourer1.jpg

Kona Jake or Jake the Snake, Specialized Tri-Cross but they dont have discs. The Brodie Ronin has discs but I dont think they are necessary unless you are riding a lot in muddy conditions.

That Trek looks great. Thanks for your knowledge.

Ok, so should I build up a bike or by one complete? I'm liking these two.

http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=32209
http://www.konaworld.com/08_jakethesnake_w.htm

Will I be able to mount racks and fenders on either of these?

And what about the soma double cross? http://www.somafab.com/doublecrosspix.html

My buddy is a mechanic at a local bike shop that carries Soma and Kona. I could easily have a Soma built up there.

Does anyone know of frames other than the cross check that can be ran as a single speed or geared?

Don't treat the ride to work as a race.

Depends on how much you have to spend.

If you opt for the more upright position, the Kona Dew is a great bike. I've been riding one since 2006 and I don't regret that purchase at all! I even take it on 60-80 km rides and it's still a comfortable at those longer distances.

My choice as well.
They are about as sporty as you can go whilst retaining foul weather, rough road and loadcarrying capability.
Im going for hub gears in my next commuter but I dont have a long or steep commute. Hub gears and disc brakes can work but you need a special frame with an eccentric bottom bracket or sliding rear dropouts.

i'm getting a notion that the OP is looking for either a Salsa Casseroll or La Cruz. The Casseroll can be setup SS or geared, will take rack, fenders, fuzzy curb feelers, whatever...

I'm a fan of Kona myself, but I think that the Specialized TriCross would be the better bet.
The Kona will take a rear rack, but I don't think that it will take fenders (at least w/o being inventive). Also, it only has a double chainring up front.
The TriCross frameset is spec'd to take a rack/fenders. It also has a triple chainring up front. If you live in the Eastern part of TN, then you'll really want the triple.

I've got a Kona Jake set up with rack and fenders. I absolutely love it, though the stock tires (same as on Jake the Snake) are noticeably slower than the 25c Gatorskins I swapped on. The rack and fenders were both very easy to install -- no drilling or jerry-rigging required, all the mounts right where you'd want them.

One difference between Jake and Jake the Snake is that the Snake has a 46-36 double crankset while the base Jake has a 50-39-30 triple. If you've got troublesome hills you might want that 30t ring, and if you like to go fast you might want the 50t. On the other hand, the Snake's 105 component group is a nice upgrade over the Jake's Tiagra (although really I'm pretty happy with the Tiagras).

Both Jake and the Snake have Avid Shorty 4 brakes (nearly ubiquitous among cyclocross bikes) which I think are really weak as they come stock. I've read that putting on some real brake pads (e.g, Kool Stop) and/or switching to a shorter straddle cable will fix that, and I'm going to the LBS today after nearly being hit yesterday and seeing how bad it is at emergency stopping.

The rack mount points on the Sutra are rather strange. It makes me wonder how well it would co-operate with fenders. The geometry is a bit more relaxed than on the Jakes, which could be good or bad depending on your point of view.

The Raleigh Sojourn is a sweet bike. I don't personally like bar-end shifters, but that might be the only thing I'd want to change about that bike. The 11-34 cassette is a really wide range, and it makes me wonder how it would feel in practice, so that might be another thing that I'd change.

Thanks for all of the replies! This is going to be a big help.

I'm in no big hurry to make this happen so I might wait for this if it's going to be commuter friendly. I've sent them an email and I'm waiting for a reply. The Jabberwocky has an optional derailer hanger so I'm hoping this one will as well.

http://vassagocycles.com/news/upload...oto-740375.jpg

I'm trying to find the bike that I'll get the most out of for years to come.....various ways to set it up.

Again, thank you for all of the replies. It's really helping to narrow it down.

That Raleigh Sojourn is damn appealing.

We'll see how much money I make at the new job!

I work as a bike mechanic and build up all my own bikes to suit my personal preferences.

I personally like drop bars and all my regular commuters have them... all are randonneur type bars which have a slightly different shape than what you would see on a full on road bike as they are better suited for long distance riding.

If you have the skills and tools building up your own bike can be really satisfying although it can take longer than buying off the rack... and once you get that bike you will probably start to experience some upgraditus and change a few things. If you were to come across a nice older touring bike they make excellent commuters as they have accommodations for racks and fenders and can move out at some good speed.

I have a 1982 Trek 610 touring bike that I have used for commuting and have also taken it on some pretty fast road rides with friends who were a little astonished at how fast a touring bike can be and is certainly far more comfortable.

Also... the most expensive commuter I have is that Trek as it was picked up very cheaply and over time I replaced the parts I didn't like, the build up cost has to be sub $400.00 and the bike has been bombproof.