These aren't great photos of my ride, but you get the idea. I'll take better pics when the lighting is better and maybe after I clean her up a bit.

http://blackdaisies.com/photos/IMG_1391.JPG
http://blackdaisies.com/photos/IMG_1388.JPG

That's a lot of seatpost exposed. You sure the frame fits?

I'm sure the frame does not fit. LOL. It's 14" and I think i need something a bit bigger. Which was odd because it felt comfortable when I first tried it out.

The seat also may be raised higher than normal. I tend to wear thicker soled boots in the winter because i'm a fashion hag :p.

Be careful. With that much seatpost exposed, you risk snapping off the top of the seat tube. I'd also be concerned about the reach to the bars on such a small frame.

I'm a tall guy, but I have long legs in proportion to my torso and also run a size smaller, exposing more seatpost than "normal". Nothing like yours though. Are you perhaps a female? If so, you may find a better fit in a women's specific design.

It's not so bad... the seat's a little high right now but give or take an inch or so depending on my footwear, but I've never felt the seat post was wobbly or anything. I'm 5'3" (and yes i'm a girl) so for the most part, it's pretty comfortable. I can lean in or sit up right and reach the bars comfortably. I wish I can go faster sometimes, but my trip to work, short as it is, isn't always clean asphalt.

There are a few bikes in my budget ($300-600 CAD) that I've been looking at if I decide to get a decent commuter. I know a little bit more about what I need now, so I'll be looking for those features and qualities. :)

While wobbly isn't good, I was more concerned with having enough seatpost left in the frame. The post should be long enough to extend down past the bottom of the top tube, otherwise it could break the frame. Look for a minimum insertion marking on the post.

The reason I mentioned women's specific design is that type of frame works on the assumption (often wrong) that the majority of women have longer legs in proportion to torso than men. These frames have a shorter top tube and would fit much like you have made yours fit, but with less exposed seatpost and better centering over the wheels. By default, all bicycles are a men's design using standards that are smack dab in the middle of the range of sizes people come in...in theory. It's a bit silly as sometimes guys like me could benefit from a shorter top tube design...but I don't like pink. :D

Ah I see what you mean. I never noticed any insertion marks like that. I dropped it an inch this morning... any lower would be uncomfortable, so there should be enough post in the frame to keep it steady. It seems like such a logical observation, I wonder why I never thought about it. :o

No problem Bdaisies. :)

I'm not trying to give you a hard time about it, just trying to save you the anguish of breaking a frame!

I suppose you could say that I am trained to see things like that. At the shop I fit people to bikes all the time, and have had to recommend a longer seatpost, or even a different size of frame. It happens most often with bikes purchased at a "great deal" that just don't fit the rider. Buying the wrong size frame is such a shame as a bike that fits is so much more comfortable and leads to the rider riding more often and for longer distances with less pain.

That's why i'm here! To learn. :D

Bdaisies when you get your new ride you should turn that one into a trials bike! (That's just what the geometry reminds me of).

Looks good, just make sure it fits. I used to ride an 18" before I discovered that bikes had sizes other than wheel size and I had terrible back pain and couldn't go more than 10mph sitting. (I'm 6'6" btw).
So proper sizing makes a big difference in comfort and performance.

I think it's a Topeak Explorer

He, he... like "camping" in an RV:)

My new commuter is a Schwinn coffee. I will use this bike on my 6 mi R/T commute. It replaces a Trek 800 Sport mountain bike.

The bike has the features that I want, but the parts are kinda cheap, but I will upgrade bits as they break/wear out.

I will post a more detailed review after a few weeks of riding it.

Cross-post from my snowy bike thread. This is my Karate Monkey Commuter specs are:

Large Karate Monkey Frame
Scwalbe Big Apple 2.0 Tires (not pictured - These are Nokian studded tires)
Cascadia 29er fenders
Brooks B-17
1x9 gearing (34T salsa chainring & salsa bashguard and 11-34 cassette)
SRAM X-9 Shifter and derailleur
Avid BB-7 disc Brakes

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j4...l/Upright2.jpg

I commute everyday 20km to go and 20km to come with this bicycle (a Caloi "Barra forte", which means "strong tube"):

http://img509.imageshack.us/img509/3316/bike1fn4.jpg

http://img509.imageshack.us/img509/9678/bikw2ku7.jpg
(these photos are from a voyage 190km through coast, don´t from my commute route, which is very urban).

Nice looking! Reminds me of my Schwinn...kinda.

I really dig that circle in the middle of the frame. That sucker must weigh as much as an old Schwinn!

It weigh 19.3 kg. The circle is supposed to make it "forte" ("strong"), to last many years. It´s the most common bicycle in Brazil, mainly in small cities.

Just got my new bike yesterday.

http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/h...y/100_1622.jpg

Set it up for commuting today.

http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/h...y/Commuter.jpg

Randy

Kona makes one or two that fit your price range. The Smoke 29er is around $370 CAD and comes w/ fenders. You should be able to find them in most LBS' since they're a Canadian company. There's several other companies that'd fit your budget like Schwinn, etc. so shop around.

abbynemmy: that bike looks fast.

Yep, there's 3 bike shops in my immediate vicinity and my favourite one to go to has a lot of Konas in stock. I was in there the other day imagining myself on the Dews.

Here's where I debate to myself whether I need a new bike or not: http://bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=395436

Also the more I think about it, the more longer leisure day trips are beginning to be appealing to me so I'm really thinking of either getting a bike to do that and commute or gearing my mtb up for it.

Hi. First-timer in this forum. But any excuse to show my new bike :). It will be used as a commuter for my new job, only 13 miles round trip. More pictures can be seen here, http://www.wooljersey.com/gallery/v/...pado+Commuter/


http://www.wooljersey.com/gallery/d/...2/Torpado1.jpg


http://www.wooljersey.com/gallery/d/...2/Torpado2.jpg


http://www.wooljersey.com/gallery/d/...2/Torpado6.jpg


http://www.wooljersey.com/gallery/d/...pado_Bars2.jpg

Today was a good day to commute (at least it was for me, I hope others too). Here's my Truk 1100 (Trek ;) ):
http://home.comcast.net/%7Encherry/o.../Image0004.jpg
And here it is with the trailer:
http://home.comcast.net/%7Encherry/o...Image0005a.jpg

Sorry about the size and the glare, I'm not so good with the camera (it's a phone).

Pics of my Giro 26 during it's first cruise around with my wife yesterday. Today I braved the super dense fog with it for my commute to work with it. Only have 80 miles on it so far but already have no problems starting/stopping/turning even on hills. It is definately high though I'm 6'3" and I can't flat foot it at stops while reclined or I feel like my hamstring is going to snap.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2104/...3dc7cf.jpg?v=0
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3212/...06f72e.jpg?v=0

Wow! I'd commute in plus twos, a vest and tie just because I was on this bike!

Very nice!

Nice! I have a Specialized P2 (free from a buddy) and I've been trying to figure out if I can fit a rack and fenders on it. I'm a noob at these things, so I either have to go to my LBS and pay for someone else to tell me these things or learn to do it myself, which is preferable. This was helpful because I haven't seen a lot online about retrofitting a Specialized to become a commuter. It gives me hope. :) Thanks!