Good to see 'em started off right.

This bike (a Trek FX 7.2) gets my son to daycare and me to work, 5 days a week. I started out with an i-Bert safety seat (which mounts on the front) and a rear rack and panniers, but my knees kept hitting the seat and it made it hard to stop at stoplights (my bike doesn't have enough room for me to hop off the saddle with that seat). So I switched to the Topeak seat with front rack. Makes the bike feel more cumbersome but feels safer. I think my son preferred the front seat- the view from this one is pretty boring.

I'd always wondered about those iBerts. The Topeaks seemed boring but a safer model. In the end I decided I liked doing the trailer thing instead (but them I'm lucky enough to be able to leave the trailer at the daycare when I do it (not as often as I should).

Here's the CX bike I commute on...



Zoom Zoom...

Where're the racks and fenders? Ok, if you live someplace dry (I remember those days), you don't need fenders. I hate wearing a backpack when I ride, so I have to have some kind of bags on my commuter.

Yeah, I'm a camelbak guy. It doesn't bother me too much. I like having my water on my back, and most of everything else I need is here at my office.

I usually stop by and exchange my laundry on the weekend.

Fenders are something I have thought a lot about though. Especially when it rains. But do they really make that much of a difference?

Yup. The clean water from the sky (relatively speaking, of course, depending on local air pollution ) is just water, but the oil- and silt-loaded water from the road makes the real mess.

It's best if you can get fenders that drop low enough to keep water away from the bottom bracket and away from the rear. If you draw a line from where the tire meets the road to the rear-bottom edge of the fender, then extend that line, you'll see whether the fender is long enough or not. Most fenders aren't long enough, but some models are, and you can also find extension flaps to attach to whatever you've got.

Here is one of my best all-round bikes in it's commuter mode (actually, pre-commute home). The true color is a more vivid orange.

I have had fenders on a few bikes and really just found them annoying. If its raining your gonna get wet. Yes the road crap can mess things up if you don't have the right gear or don't clean it. But wash your bike often and makes sure everything runs good!

Not the typical commuter. I ride with a large backpacking pack and have clip on fenders when needed. This was taken with a flash to show the reflective tape (it looks gold in the pic, otherwise it would appear black)...tape is also pointing backwards from the post, forward from the head tube, and strips have been added to the hubs. Tail lights, helmet light, and a handlebar light are queued up for winter. I'll be picking up a pair of crappy wheels too.

I also have a junker road bike and a MTB but I haven't spent much time on them lately.

Yes, proper fenders make a great difference. This sort of fenders (see below) with long mudflaps made me forget wet feet entirely. And they protect the bottom bracket to a such extent that during one particularly wet and dirty spring i didn't need to clean it once. Also, people riding behind do appreciate good fenders on your bike.

These are Gilles Berthoud fenders, a bit on the heavy side.


SKS longboard are my second favorite. The rear fender does let through a tiny bit of spray, but the front one is as good as Berthoud fenders (excuse me for posting this picture twice in this thread)

Commuting in Portland for the past two weeks has been a joy... Had one of the prettiest commutes possible.

Hey thanks for the info!

I'm lucky, because I have a bending machine at my disposal. I would have to make a die to roll the material, but I bet I could fab up a set. I'll have to play around with the idea.

I haven't really looked much past the LBS, but I know they are out there.

As soon as I get my SS, I'll have to look into making a couple sets. What gauge would you say the material is? Does anyone have a caliper that they can get a good measurement?

Thanks!

I love the pictures here. mikalit, that's a handsome and well equipped bike. I'm afraid to ask what it weighs, though.

I love seeing kids, and families out riding together. Especially wearing the right equipment, being taught right. My 7 year old daughter now rides a respectable 12 miles on Saturday mornings with me now. We live on the top of a vineyard, and she can now bike to the top. Love seeing all the photos here.

Got the Giant ready for the pdx winter...

My 28mm stock Continentals didn't give me the clearance I wanted on my new PB Hardcore Fenders, so I put on some 23mm Gatorskins. The stock tube said it was designed to fit 25mm+ but I used it. No problems so far. I also added some Lightweights stealth tape.

I'm done with modifications. I think so. I hope so.

Did some much-needed maintenance on the commuter:



New bar tape, new chain and (small) chainring, cleaned and lubed everything.

The winter bike as it looks now:

Added: Marathon (1.5 in) tires w/ reflective sidewalls, SPD's, goofy mudguards. Just need to get some lighting going now...



This will be my monsoon/mudfest bike and I plan to try just using a backpack instead of rack/panniers that would just end up getting caked in filth.

Rainy season starts... any day now...

They're some cheap lizard skin grips with Giant contact ergo bar ends.

Just added fenders and rack. Will modify when i learn about more stuff

I'd recommend getting some full fenders for that if you plan on using it as your rain/mud bike. Have you tried your current setup in the rain yet? You're going to get very wet legs, and your bike and drivetrain won't be protected from the crap that gets flung off. Just sayin'...

No it hasn't really rained yet here... I'll get completely soaked regardless. I'll see if those clip-ons help, and adjust as necessary.

A bit blury, but wanted to ride this fat-beast in today. so now its a commuter bike!

It's as handsome as it is practical.