Here's my commuter/do-it-all bike:

http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q...ing/DBR008.jpg

http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q...ing/DBR001.jpg

http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q...ing/DBR007.jpg

http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q...ing/DBR009.jpg

http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q...ing/DBR004.jpg

And a couple of fun pics from the local trails:

http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q...eTrails009.jpg

http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q...eTrails021.jpg

http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q...eTrails104.jpg

http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q...eTrails089.jpg

Try it, you'll love it! Everything else you ride will feel like a tank afterwards.

I figured that one out alright :) I have always rode MTB or variations. I wonder though if I ride a road bike will I ever go back to mtb :) Only time will answer that one.

Keep the pictures going ... great ideas just by viewing.

I force myself to ride my MTB because I paid $420 for it and I got my road bike for free. So it just seems that I should be riding the bike I worked all last summer for.

It's a good mtb but you just can't compete with a road bike!

Here is my Specialized Expedition in commute dress http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/b...3/100_1448.jpg http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/b...3/100_1449.jpg http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/b...3/100_1450.jpg

I have paced a road bike a few times, when I use to commute Salinas to Monterey everyday. Work eight hours and ride back home. To pace and to keep pace now that is two different stories. I will admit I keep trying though because it makes sense to me. An MTB definitely has comfort over the road though besides the riser bars.

sweet 7.3.
I bought a 7.5 a few months ago, and love it so far. what rack is that? mine seems too short, and angles towards the seat post

See I don't think risers are any more comfy than the tops of drops.

Very nice! I almost bought a mid-90's Campione d'Italia to commute on. It was very similar to your Premio except it had Campy Mirage ergo shifters on it. I was a bit concerned with clamping on fenders and the reliability of Ergo shifters at the time, so I passed on it. I'm still kind of kicking myself for passing that up.

everyone seems to have shiny new rigs so i'll post my re-purposed 20 year old roadbike, i only go 5 miles each way so it doesn't need to be all that fancy

i am missing having gears on the hills though

edit: yes my front brake routes to the left, i came from motorcycles and i can't get passed having the front brake on the left bar

edit: yes its missing the lock for the stem, gotta find it

Thanks. I have been out of riding bikes sense I was 13 so i am learning everything over again. I am about to put some fenders on mine in a few weeks when I get the extra dough. Over all, I am very happy with the bike, and I got it for 175.00, which isn't bad if you ask me.

Here is my latest ride, AKA Ninja bike

http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/i...zz_webshot.jpg

07 Novara Buzz

Here's my commuter, a '91 Bridgestone CB-Zip. I posted a pic last year, but since then I have (finally) fitted it with fenders. I didn't need them before, because I never rode it in the rain. Since then, I've realized that it will probably outlast me, so I might as well use it even when the roads are wet. (I still try to avoid riding in the rain).

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u...der/CB-Zip.jpg

Here's what I do my 5 minute commute on:

http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u...e/DSCF5380.jpg

http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u...e/DSCF5384.jpg

http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u...e/DSCF5386.jpg

Just finished turning the old road bike into my new commuter. Added the Tubus Logo rack, upgraded the headset to a Shimano 105, new Salsa Stem, and a Nitto Noodle handlebar. Just wish the weather was a bit nicer to for riding.

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w...vaCommuter.jpg

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).