seattle commuting: weather vs. efficiency?
 

so i just want opinions, discussion, whatnot... if there's already a thread for this feel free to close.

what about something like this?
http://www.redlinebicycles.com/adultbikes/R750.html

not terribly high end but still nice components... good range of gears, and it's light and responsive for dealing with traffic. problems- no full fenders or whatnot.

my feeling is, if you're commuting 30 miles, it's going to suck to be on something with fenders and knobby tires.

thoughts?

get a tyre that rolls nicely like panaracer preselas or schwalbe marathons.

fenders add drag, but they're better than getting wet.

Since I commute into Seattle I guess I fit the bill. Not sure what the question is. Seems like a decent bike. I'll take my Armadillo all condition tires over knobbies any day though. In mid-December through Feb, I'll probably go with Schwalbe Marathon Winter or Nokian Hakkapeliita w106s to deal with black ice in the mornings. Do not ride here in the fall without fenders. November average rainfall is 5.65 inches. Buy Showers Pass gear too and you'll be comfy.

I wouldn't ride in this area without fenders; their effect on performance is negligible, and it really sucks to be caught on a long commute in steady, day-long rain without them. Rain gear and waterproof bags are really good ideas, too.

Knobbies, though, aren't so great, with or without fenders, unless you're riding on ice & snow a lot.

BTW, does anyone know how fast you have to be riding to notice drag from fenders? I've been riding a few years with fenders, year-round, usually at a pretty brisk pace for commuting, and I've never noticed any drag from fenders at all.

weather versus efficiency?

that's why some of us have more than one bike!

don't know where the knobby tire thing came into things.

some of the new road bikes from Trek (the 2.1s) have long-reach brakes and tire clearance for a little bit more rubber.

but carbon fork? no thanks, prefer something a bit more robust.

fenders no? no thanks, i like fenders for rain.

i suspect the lack of fenders on a rainy day would make you LESS efficient as an everyday rider doing 30 miles as your backside gets soaked, your face filled with road spray, your waterbottles gunked up, your bike getting much more wear and tear from all the road crud you're effectively going to firehose from your front tire directly onto your drive train.

no thanks, all year round seattle commuters eventually come to the realization fenders= efficient bike setup sooner or later, it just depends on how long it takes them to realize it!

+1 Fenders.

Two of my four bikes have fenders and I have Race Blades for one of the others.

I do 20 mi round trip commute in Seattle. If I were buying a Redline to commute on I'd get the Redline Conquest 'cross bike (or Conquest Pro or Team, depending on your budget); mount 32 tires, fenders and a rear rack. Cross bikes make good Seattle commuters.

cool.

i really didn't mean fenders v. no fenders, i meant road vs. no fork atb.

the fenders thing is just because i have a bike that doesn't have clearance for fenders. i guess i'll think about some race blades or something similar.

i was thinking of recommending the r750 to family. they have a very specific price point and a conquest is way outside of it.