just joined the list. i commute 4.5 miles each way. the yellow bike is for the nicer weather and the green bike is for snow and carrying heavy loads. i hope the pics come thru.
mike

maybe now...........

My commuter, Trek 1000C, 25 mile round trip commute. Now My Sun EZ sport CX The best commuter bike I ever had. Since I have most of my miles on bike paths it makes for a nice ride.

I just got this and since I am new to cycling, I know nothing about it. All I know is it is a 10 year old (I think) Puch that I got for $99 flat. If anyone can tell me anything about it, I would be very grateful :D. I use this for training, and my 9 mile commute.



http://img72.exs.cx/img72/7999/picture0177vu.th.jpg

http://img72.exs.cx/img72/4975/picture0185hk.th.jpg
^ my homeade timing set-up :D.

Cheers.

I'd tack a few more years onto the age. It looks like a entry level model, probably high tensile steel frame, most likely made in Japan.

Quick update of my commuting ride. Sadly I didn't get the new fenders on in time to protect me from the recent LA deluge, but the panniers gave my back a break from the messenger bag. The only problem is I've forgotten how loaded panniers turn your bike into a tank, no more bunny hopping the potholes.

My Single Speed in commuter trim (minus pannier, which I do commute with)
1985 Centurion Accordo, 42x16 gearing.

http://r2.hostrack.com/ryko/accordo-frontleft.jpg
http://r2.hostrack.com/ryko/accordo-rightside.jpg

This is my commuter built based on the recommendations of the good folks on this forum. It is a 1990ish Fuji Suncrest hardtail with stainless steel fenders and a Topeak Quick Track bag/rack combo. I had to rebuild the headset and add a new cassette and chain to repair the rough treatment it experienced in the "real" mountain biking of my youth. I only commute from March to daylight savings time so no lights are needed. Maybe someday...

Here's my commuter. The bike is an old Schwinn which in a previous life was used to pull a pedicab trailer in Austin in 2001 (here's a picture of it from back then... http://www.jmbzine.com/graphics/bikecabbie.jpg)

I paid $45 for the bike used (I bought it from one of the guys I worked with at the Pedicab company). --- In this reincarnation, I've added a seat-mounted rack and zip tied a plastic milk crate to it. The old license plates were also zip tied for fun and to add more reflective surfaces to improve night-time visibility.

Right now I have a back red LED light, but will be buying a front white headlight.

hey i am soon going to buy a road bike but i also want it to be a good commuter bike
i was looking at the trek 1000 or 1500
any suggestionds on commuting upgrades and what not
thanks

trimmedinred,
This forum has alot of info on building the ideal commuter. My bike needed fenders and a rack/bag for lunch and clothes. Lights are nice if you commute in the winter. Tire liners are good if you drive on streets with alot of debris. Make it unique ... that's part of the fun.

Here's my baby - a 1986 Miyata 210. Most of the major components are original. I'm running the OEM Dia-Compe low profile cantilevers in the rear, but I've switched for a set of vintage Shimano XT wide-profile cantis up front. I would do the same in the rear, but for some reason the used set I bought only had three of the spring cartidges. I really need to call the bike shop dude about that - I was annoyed! I also replaced the foam and levers that came with the bike. I've got aero levers and black tape on the bars, now.

Hrm, let's see, what else... 27-inch wheels, running Panaracer Pasela Tourguard tires (630X32), Planet Bike fenders (covered in grime!), and the glare is reflecting off of my Jandd economy panniers. What you make not be able to see in the photo is that my bike is covered in grime! Plans for the future include bar-end shifters and cleaning all of the crap off of my poor bike. The tire in the upper left there belongs to my roomie's Specialized Crossroads, which I can tell you is a very comfy ride! We like bikes here. ;)

I love my bike.:love:

Tada! Here's my new commuter.
04' Giant OCR touring.
Ultegra shifters, triple ring, spd pedals, avid road bb disc brakes, 700x35 specialized infinity tires, inline brake levers, 27 watt light & motion dual light setup, 19-LED NR rear light, full wrap around planet bike fenders.

I figured it must finally be time that I took some pics of my current commuter... Surly Cross-Check, bought about July last year. Drivetrain is stock from the basic Cross-Check build with somewhere around 1500-2000 miles on it. Has knobby tires in the pic, but on the weekend I changed them out for my summer tires (700x28 Armadillos). Have added:

Crank Bros Candy SL pedals
Brooks Team Pro saddle
Planet Bike Freddy fenders
Blackburn Expedition rack with Arkel T-42 panniers (laptop etc in one, clothing and lunch in the other)
Lights (two read LEDs, front 10W halogen + LED)

This has been a fantastic bike for my commute. Very comfy, and the stock gearing has been great for the terrain and load. It's getting a brake upgrade soon, but I'm not sure yet whether I'll go with cantis (Avid Shorty) or V-brakes. Also on the cards is a new wheelset.

Here's it is the day before her maiden commute. It's a 1986 Schwinn Sierra frame that I bought used and built up. It'll serve as an occassional tourer as well. Rollin' on WTB Speed XC hubs hand laced to Sun-Ringle 0 degree XC rims that are shod with 1.25" GEAX StreetRunners. She can flatten any hill with the ability to go to a 30/32 gear ratio (built with Mt. Constitution on Orcas Island in mind).

One interesting thing about the frame is that in its current configuration the center of the bottom bracket is about 11" off the ground!

http://img178.exs.cx/img178/9961/schwinn9ac.jpg

1990 trek 420 converted into a fixed gear.

Nice bike!
:beer:

brrr....

http://root-core.org/bike.jpg

Specialized Sirrus 05:

Full fenders
Blackburn Expedition rack with Arkel Bug
Topeak seat bag
Topeak road morph pump
10 LED cateye rear light / cheapy 3 LED front light

Commute is about 12 miles round trip. Also my around town bike.

Hey Dee-Vee,

How do you like that Arkel Bug Bag? Do you use just one?

I like it. But due to my compact frame and my rack and size 13 shoe I have to put it fairly far back on the rack or I will hit my heel on it. Otherwise so far I love it. It isnt a super comfy backpack but I usually just carry it around by the top strap, I might get the shoulder strap for it. It is built really well and will last a long time. I am thinking about getting the Arkel trunk bag next.

Here's my Cannondale from the early '90s. Has more miles than it appears...

http://barnardesign.com/cannondale-90.jpg

pretty sharp ;)

my commuter
http://pic10.picturetrail.com/VOL326...8/90118073.jpg
'01 Jamis Aurora
Shimano PD M545 pedals
Brooks B17 Narrow saddle
freddy fenders clip-ons
Blackburn rack
Serratus pannier(s)
Conti TT2000 700X32

Here is my new steed, I've been riding it about two weeks. Its a Fuji Supreme with Planet bike fenders added. A Jandd rack and Hurricane bag on the back. The yellow box on the front holds my lights, battery, spare tube, patch kit and tools all in one easy package that can be easily removed from the bike when I get to work. One of the headlights is a 10w narrow flood while the other is a 20w narrow spot for really dark sections of the trail. So far its all worked beautifully.

Marylandnewbie, great looking bike. Can you give me some details about your your light set-up?

The lights and toolbox combo are really a cobbling together of two ideas I found on the web. The idea for the lights came from this website: http://nordicgroup.us/s78/. He provides a ton of info on lights as well as sources for parts. I bought the battery, charger, lights and bulbs from sources he lists. To keep the price down I used a 5amp hour SLA battery that cost like $13. My switch, a fuse and some connectors came from Radio Shack. All the parts to make the lights cost me maybe $45.

The two light housing are auto driving lights that come with 55w bulbs, but they can be switched to MR16 bulbs. In one light I have a 10w narrow flood which provides enough light to be seen and to see in twilight. The other has a 20w narrow spot for riding in total darkness and is really wonderful. The lights are mounted on a piece of 1/4 UHMW plastic which is connected to the tool box with 4 nylon bolts. I think they're 1/4 in.

The toolbox is made up of corrugated plastic (sometimes called Coroplast). At this website: http://www.mile43.com/peterson/Kents_Tailbox.html you'll see some of the inspiration for my design. I worked out a pattern on some cardboard (actually 2 patterns since the first one didn't work). Once I had a working pattern I cut it out of the plastic, folded it properly and the glued things together with Superglue and then used some more nylon bolts to make sure everything stays together.

The box's lid fits pretty snugly to keep rain and spray out. Two nylon straps go around the box and the UHMW plastic base to hold the lid down and keep everything together should a glue joint or bolt fail. I mounted some velcro strips to the straps and use those to hold my minipump on top. The minpump serves as a carrying handle when I take it off the bike.

The whole rig is held on the bike with hooks bent from 3/8 PVC rods. To keep the box from swinging I bolted a strip of metal to my front brake bridge that sticks up through a slot in the back of the UHMW sheet on the bottom of the box. It takes me about 20 secs to lift it off my bike and go. I ordered the corrugated plastic, UHMW and PVC rod online through Modern Plastics. I am guessing that all of the plastic, glue, straps, etc for the box cost about $40. So for about $80 bucks I have a very bright, durable, portable light/toolbox. I haven't weighed the whole box loaded, but I would guess it is in the 7 - 9 lbs range.

Here's the latest in my search for the perfect commuter. It started out with drop bars and an internally geared hub. Then I made it a single speed with mustache bars. Now I've added a second chain ring up front for just a bit of variety without resorting to a dished rear wheel with a cassette full of cogs.

Here are my commuters. The Motobecane Cafe Latte is my preferred ride, it is a cromoly flat bar road bike. It has 700x28 tires, the panniers are nashbar grocery panniers, I just put my backpack in one of them. I like how they fold flat when not in use. The light is a DIY halogen 20W wired to a homemade lithium battery. It is also wired to the 1.5W amber strobe on the back, that thing is awesome and was $5 from ebay. The switch and fuse are in the bottle. The battery is made for DVD players, it has a built in gauge. Best of all is a switch to change from 12V to 9V output, so I can dim my light if I want to.

The second bike is a 1985 (estimated) Fuji Espree I just picked up for 25 bucks. It has 27" tires. All I did was flip and chop the bar and add zefal fenders and new tires. I use a big fanny pack mounted with pedal straps as a sadlebag. This is my foul weather ride. It has a mount for the same homebrew lighting system.

Here's my highly modified Surly Crosscheck commuter. Hope you enjoy the pic.

http://img11.exs.cx/img11/6528/dsc006430uq.jpg