My wife's bike has some new bags and parts, so I thought I should take a pic and post it up! She commutes a very modest 3mile round trip to work, but also uses her bike for most other transportation, as we are currently car-free.
Bruce
http://i.imgur.com/kl7YD71.jpg?1

what a sweetheart. nice bike too. stay safe

$40 Peugeot. No rust, everything works perfectly. Had to modify the rack to get the panniers on, but it seems to be holding. I added the fenders and all the lights, replaced a couple cables. It's perfect for around town!

My current rig:

http://www.gravelbike.com/wp-content...1-56-53-PM.jpg

(I just realized that photo makes the bike look really odd.)

Is that the current Sora R3000? Looks really good.

Yes, it's R3000. Marin spec'd it with an 11-32t cassette, and I'm thinking of replacing it with a 12-36t (and MTB rear mech).

You must have a hilly route. I'd think that the granny gear 30-32 combo would be enough for most climbs, or do you not like the small 11T cog?

The 50/11 is complete overkill, IMO. My route also has a couple of decent-sized hills, hence the desire for a 30/36.

Agreed. The 11t is pretty useless on a commuter bike, and on most other rec rider bikes too. I find for me 12-27 or even 13-28 is perfect for my compact double.

Did you ever get the fenders and rack mounted? I'd love to see some pictures if you did. I really like your bike. So pretty. I'm thinking about getting one for myself to use as a commuter.

-Shin

80s Specialized Street Stomper...one of two bikes that I use to commute, the other is an older CAAD9.

http://i.imgur.com/ChqnC51.jpg

https://flic.kr/p/Tmh3kB

I did. Not sure if this image will work so go here if not...
https://flic.kr/p/Tmh3kB

These fenders are the 45mm Specialized Drytech. Not 100% satisfied with the fenders for 3 reasons.
1) The LBS had to cut a portion out of the rear fender for the rear derailleur to have enough room.
2) got about half way into a 30 mile ride when I broke the plastic clamps on the back of the front fender. Ended up taking a hack saw to the attachment bar ends and partially tacoeing two metal washers to use has replacement clamps.
3) I have also since removed the rubber ends of the fenders as they were hitting the tire on bumps and making noise. Much better now.

Would be nice is Specialized offered fenders for that specific bike as they do for the AWOL.

https://www.specialized.com/us/en/awol-expert/115663

[IMG]<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/13908549@N00/33703654745/" title="Accessories"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3946/33703654745_b77248abc7_k.jpg" width="2048" height="1536" alt="Accessories"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>[/IMG]

Bellissimo! You can hardly tell it has fenders.

Thanks for sharing that.

-Shin

like how long & low the front is. did you have to do a little cutout at the front of the back fender near the FD clamp?

Yes, just above, LBS did it for me. I then had to take a file to allow derailleur enough room to hit the highest 4 gears. The photo on Flickr lets you zoom in to see what I mean.

Finally got my commuter ready to ride. Specialized Tri-Cross.

http://i.imgur.com/duS2cth.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/lzG41HL.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/MQQD4hc.jpg

I had to change out the wheels because the original rims had cracked eyelets all the way around. The MTX trunk bag is exactly what I was looking for. Roomy and you can drop the side pockets into panniers for extra storage.

It was a great first ride until I flatted, again. Swapped tubes and made it home just fine. I learned that I'll need to carry more things with me on the commute, more tubes, frame pump, more patches. Other than that, I'm very pleased with my new ride.

-Shin

Raleigh Tamland Commuter
 

I made some changes to my bike at the end of last year to make it more commuter friendly. I swapped the stock FSA Gossamer 50/34 crankset for a Shimano Deore 42/26. The short cage 105 rear derailleur for a mid cage with an 11-32 cassette. Changed the front derailleur from a 105 to a CX70 so that I could move it far enough down for the smaller chainrings. Lastly I added the SKS Chainboard, which I absolutely love.

It's a fun bike to ride, even loaded down for my commute. The 42t chainring with 11-32 is great as a 1x system for where I live, but having the 26t for bailout on tired days is nice.

Here's the bike out for a joy ride with my lady.

http://i594.photobucket.com/albums/t...pspeol5mby.jpg

Very good looking bike. I agree, that chainboard is pretty sweet.

-Shin

Have biked to work on recumbents for a decade. In March began using a long wheelbase bike as my commuter.

http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z...M/IMG_7088.jpg

That too long front fender is going to be trouble when you drop off a high curb, slow or not. I tried mine like that one day and I figured that out soon after. So I chopped off another inch and a half and made a boot flap about 5" clear. I had 2 rear old fenders to work with.

Great looking bike, perfect commuter that doesn't attract thieves and good tourer as well I guess!

[MENTION=26168]High Fist Shin[/MENTION], I've found that getting two flats in a day is very unlikely. When it happens, they usually have a common cause such as a wire that should have been removed after the first puncture. To balance my risk and trouble, I carry one spare tube and a patch kit (and of course a pump). If I get a second flat, I'll patch on the road, but I'd rather not. I check my vulcanizing fluid periodically, since an open tube dries up over time. At home, I use a big can of the stuff rather than a tiny squeeze tube, and this way, I avoid opening the tubes.

Hi Tom,

You are right, two in one day is highly unlikely. I just want to be prepared because I have had the worst luck. Three rides, three flats and each one was different. Twice it was a wire sliver; one in the rear tire, one in the front and the third time it was glass. I guess I"m getting a bit paranoid. I picked up a nice Topeak mini-pump, some more patches and a new tube. I think I'm all set for now. I'll start the commute next week. 20 miles each way and I can't wait to begin. Thanks for your excellent advise. It is appreciated.

-Shin

1990 Cannondale
ST400.
This thing has been my daily rider for about 2 years of commuting, and it's like the postal service: it delivers me in rain, snow, ice, you name it. Needs a few tweaks--700c wheels are coming soon--but I've generally got it set up how I like it.

https://goo.gl/photos/Xq8tvo6BsYXXemY99

That's not an image. This is an image.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Wm...A=w811-h541-no

Thanks, I knew I did something wrong. Been a while since I posted a photo.

My wife's commuter. #rideswithcoffee

This is my daily ride, an '04 Eros. I do have a carbon seat post and carbon drops that compliment the buttery smooth steel frame. I'm running 700 x 23 Vittora Rubino Pro Slick tires and haven't had a single flat in the four years using these tires. I did get new tires as the old ones were showing their age, but never flatted.

The frame is a little big so I had to reverse the seat post clamp to move me up a bit. I also ride with a backpack quite often so adding the stem riser helps keep me upright when riding with my hands on the hoods.