Horrible Quality thanks to my iphone at around 6 am the other day... really really foggy out...

Since you're all commuters. Which lower cost panniers do you suggest for carrying a laptop, some manila folder with papers, and a book or two? I'm a high school teacher.

I got two for $70. You're gonna need fairly big ones for all that stuff, I wouldn't go TOO cheap with 'em.

I use this one and it's good. It will hold what you want and then some.

https://www.workbycycle.com/store/ind...ct_detail&p=11

My Bianchi Milano is a glorified cruiser bike.

Bought it a few years ago (used) with a letter from the cops indicating it was not a stolen bike. I paid $250.
I changed the seat and grips to Brooks. I added Velo orange mudflaps. Unknown rear rack. Nashbar front 6-pack rack. Frost River panniers. Ihome ih85b ipod player. A bell. PlanetBike Alias 15 watt headlight. Unknown seat post blinky and in the winter I add a couple more PlanetBike superflash units to the panniers to give a visual "SAFETY TRIANGLE." The cup holder is unknown, but has a Bianchi sticker on it.

I ride about 25 miles/day 4-5 days a week as a commuter. This is also my primary bicycle so it sees use on weekends too. In the summer, I also ride this bike downtown with the DenverCruisers. That makes for a 50 mile day on this bike.

I think this bike has 15,000+ miles on it. I had to change the tires at 10,000 miles and several tubes have been used over the years. I also oil the chain once in awhile. Otherwise, the bike has been a rock. Even the Shimano Nexus 8 speed hub has been trouble free. It was loud when I got the bike, and it hasn't gotten much louder over the years.

I plan on keeping this bike until it gets stolen or the IGH dies on it.

I took the picture 2 days ago on the way to the DenverCruisers' ride.

That does look really nice. Is it not uncomfortable to ride with just one heavy bag on one side?

Really nice! My butt would be so sore with that seat

Your wheel looks like it is either mounted wrong or dished incorrectly.

Just beautiful.

And the fork with the built-in head-tube extension is kind of bizarre.

So few spokes on the rear wheel...I'd be afraid to load too much back there. Looks pretty backwards...the fewer spoked wheel is usually in front, where less weight/stress is.

I'd replace the IGH when it wears out. It'd be worth replacing. A new 7 speed hub is under $150. With a rim, spokes, and wheel building fee you'd have a new hub in a GREAT wheel for less than $300.

I'm shocked that your chain hasn't broken yet.

Nope. You'll be fine with what you want to carry.

That Huffy with the disc brake does have an incorrect dish on the front. Might have had to do it though due to not having the 'other' length spoke. As long as the disc works though, it shouldn't cause any major problems.

(but would bother the mess out of me if I had to look at it every day!)

ATV

I've been commuting by bicycle on and off since about '92. Currently, I have 3 bikes that I rotate through depending on the time of year (and how much stuff I need to transport).

So, I'll start off with "The old Red Bicycle".

This bicycle has a red-anodized aluminum 20.5" frame/ 26" tire MTB with some SPD single-entry/platform pedals. It was purchased in '92. It has seen quite a few off-road and on-road miles. The swirl marks in the frame material make it very distinctive and the finish has been quite durable over the years and miles(well over 13K). It has also been stolen and recovered twice! I've used it to commute in several southern states and I have actually ridden some mountain single-track (in CO at >10k feet!) and mountain rock trails (in OK) with it. (along with singletrack/swamp here in the south) I suppose I should call it 'lucky' too... it has been hit by cars (well the last one was a mini-van) twice. The last accident destroyed the original wheelset and I picked this set of wheels to finally get out of the 'freewheel' game and upgraded it to a cassette. This picture shows a triple chainring setup (44/34/24), but I do have a Campy road double (53/39) that I sometimes run on it. In this configuration I "spin-out" around 31 MPH. With the Campy double... I don't, but you need the triple off-road. These pictures also show the single pannier that I usually use to commute. I have a larger double set that I fit when carrying a lot of stuff. I currently have slicks on it (1.5" wide), but I do have some fat off-road tires (and tubes) for that. The front fender is off-- 'cause that is how I ride it in the summer. It also has one of those Nashbar frame-pump bags on it. I store the pump, CO2, spare tube, multi-tool, patch-kit and lock in there. Empty and naked the bike weighs in at 27 lbs... loaded up and heading for work--usually around 60 lbs. (And yes, I can hit 30+ on the way to work--several times!) My commute is 15-25 miles round trip--depending on the rain and me+[this] bike usually average around 15-16MPH. I purchased the rack (I think it is called a Trek II rack now) for this bicycle from LBS in South Carolina exactly 1 day after I commuted with a backpack on my back. And yes, I hate that saddle on it, but as long as I keep the ride <2 hrs it isn't a problem.


The "New red bicycle" is the latest addition.

It is a fixed-gear track-style bicycle. I run a 44/16 on it with 170mm cranks and a front brake. 23mm tires make this guy pretty fast, but the heavy wheels make it accelerate slower than the old red MTB. Practically, it can travel loaded around 18MPH in the flats, but I usually average around 16.5 (hills--yum!) Naked, this bike is 21.5lbs, and loaded it is around 45lbs with racks and bags. It has a flip-flop hub, but I've never run it as anything but fixed. TBH, the racks and 're-light' lights cost more than the rest of the bicycle combined, but the racks and bags were originally for my race bike that I sometimes use to commute (That includes the purple bungees used to secure the panniers to the fork-ends). If you look close you can see the reflective ankle strap I use when I wear long pants with it. I've only had this bike < 1year, but it has really improved my strength. This bicycle has really taught me how to 'attack' hills and what it really means to 'SPIN!SPIN!!SPIN!!!'. I'm not sure I think a fixie is the be-all bicycle, but it definitely has something to teach. (I just _thought_ I knew how to spin before this bike.) This bicycle also has the distinction of being the cheapest I own, but it gets the most miles lately. The handlebars are a 'flop and chop' job set, and I replaced the hood brake levers with a singe (for the front only) MTB lever. It has a frame-pump-bag, panniers, and a trek rack/interchange trunk. Same stuff goes in this frame-bag as the old red bike, but the panniers/trunk don't haul as much as the old MTB's single pannier. It also has a 'free' set of mis-matched pedals+clips+straps that the bike shop in VA gave/lent me when I purchased the Lemond. It has a battery powered headlight ($3) and a rear blinky ($5) in addition to the set of re-lights. Additionally, when I'm expecting to ride at night, I mount an additional headlight that I can aim where I need to see. (the re-lights and the cheap blinking headlight are for others to see ME) I do not run a computer (speedometer) on this bicycle--cause it is fixed! If you know your cadence... you know your speed. As for the odometer, I don't generally ride this bicycle more than 20 miles or so at a time, so it really isn't needed.


The "Black bicycle"

It is a 2008 Lemond. I've added some ultegra clipless pedals, speedometer, lube to the chain, and air to the tires... In commuting trim it looks a lot like my new red bicycle, but is much lighter and faster. This is what I ride mainly for fun on the weekends now. It was (is) my 1st road bicycle. Race bicycles can be used to commute on, but it just costs so much more when you break something or something wears out. That and you are sorta' limited on how much stuff you can take on the bike (e.g. low spoke-count means lower total weight). This did pull commuter-duty for about 3 months before I got the new red bike and moved the rack and trunk/panniers onto it. Now I mainly just take it out for the weekends and some high-speed riding... I know there are faster bicycles out there.... but OMG is it FAST--and it is mine! This is a 100mile+ in a session type of bicycle... it just wants to keep going and going and going... FAST. The Lemond is by far the most fun bicycle I've ever had.

So that's the "three amigos". My commute only has about 2 miles of bicycle/multi-use trail out of the 7.5-12.5 [one-way]total, so I try to keep my speed up at max on the road sections--makes for some pretty intense intervals!

BTW, I really like seeing how everyone else sets up their bicycles--there are some really nice setups here!

bad arse pannier(s)!!

Is that a LHT fixie/ss?

Thats a Surly Travelers-Check.

It's a Cross-Check with SS couplers

David 1024-- you have a nice stable there, a bike for every season. Do yourself a favor and get the road bike out every now and then for your commute. It really livens it up.

Suspension-corrected fork, maybe?

Same-length spokes would put the rim too far to the right side of the bike, correct? My disc hubs' disc-side flange is further inboard than the non-disc side, so same-length spokes would have the rim centerline to the bike's right. Something certainly looks funky, though, whether it's a little crooked in the dropouts or just the angle of the pic.

Beautiful! What frame/fork/wheel/tire size?

My new beast. I love my Marin Larkspur so much that I brought it home a sibling. Not that it didn't already have enough two-wheeled companionship. Got my Marin Point Reyes at REI this afternoon. I had them shorten the wingspan of the handlebars for me and I had a spare shorter stem at home that's on it now. The front fender is a 700c fender I had lying around. Unfortunately the fenders I bought with the MPR didn't fit. Not sure what I'll do for a rear fender. Might try to fit a 700c fender on the rear but it'll be tricky with the brake and only one attach point for rack and fender. It's looking like this bike will take the same width tires as the Larkspur, just in 26". The MPR came with wider rims, tho, to support the wider tires.

Yes, the rack is level, I even checked with a level. It's something about the angle of the bike that makes it not seem so in this picture.

I haven't had a chance to ride it since putting on the rack, Brooks, fender, shorter stem. Took about an hour to get all the decals off, but at least they were removable. I'm liking the stealth look to it. And I might ditch the wheel reflectors in favor of using some black reflective tape to decorate the rims and spokes.

Where is the back fender? That's the one that counts :-)

Where are your reading skills? They count here.