chrsnyder

Ok, here is my brief story. Lost 112bs in the last 12 months. Ride a road bike (Fuji Team CF). I have a family and my riding time is limited. SO......

I want to build or buy a Commuter bike....

I live 15-20 miles from work, have a gym at the office to shower, have limited funds....

I want to ride a bullet proof commuter. I will need to ride some at dawn and dusk and I will need to carry my laptop back and forth to work. SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME FIGURE OUT A WAY TO BUILD OR BUY A GREAT COMMUTER.... PLEASE???

Any suggestions on buying a bike off the shelf? Should I buy a Mountain Bike frame and make adaptions? Should I buy a steel road frame and make some adaptions.

YOUR INPUT IS GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!!

Doohickie

Try getting a mid-90s hybrid bike. Should have fenders or room for them. If you don't like flat bars there are other options to look at. Add a rack and some panniers and you're good to go.

adaminlc

First off, what is your budget? That will tell us what you mean by limited funds. Beyond that, if you read on here you will find that people commute on pretty much every possible incarnation of bike there is. There isn't any reason why you couldn't ride what you have. Most people prefer to ride something with a rack and panniers, but to start there isn't any reason to not use a back pack. The most important thing is that you have a bike you will ride. beyond that, bulletproof will come from a combination of good parts and luck. No bike is perfect, as you may have learned. Good maintenance is the key to that.

KitN

First, what is the landscape like that you will be commuting over? A lot of hills? Or mostly flat? This makes a HUGE difference when buying a bike.

No matter what, get a bike with fenders and a rack. You'll need the fenders to keep crud off of you, your stuff and your drivetrain. Then you'll need a rack to carry your laptop and effects.

For carrying your laptop, I would highly suggest getting a separate laptop sleeve that is well-padded. Next, you can get a pannier to put it in or anothe bag and strap it down very well. You'll want to make sure the laptop doesn't knock around so get a pannier/bag that's snug or simply fill up the pannier/bag with things like your clothes, lunch, etc.

As for limited funds, know how much you can spend on a bike including accessories like a helmet, lights, rack, bag(s), etc. Next, I would suggest that you look into buying a solid USED bike. Check local listings on Craigslist. Also, thrift stores and yard sales are nice to check out too. Lastly, you can take a look at eBay just make sure you know what you're buying.

ryanwood

I started with a Surly cross check, its a pretty versatile frame, but if you are looking at carrying panniers you could think about the Surly Long Haul Trucker. The surly frames are 4130 steel frame which is nice for smoothing out the ride. They have all the braze ons you might need too.

Main draw back of Surly is the price. They are a bit pricey so it depends on what your budget is.

Sailguy

I used to do a 30-mile round trip commute on my road bike with a backpack. After doing that for awhile, I learned what it was I liked and disliked about it before I spent a lot of money on anything new.

I then figured out I hated using the backpack and got some P-clips to add a rack to the bike and some cheap panniers. That configuration was much better and lasted me some time. The more I rode on that the more I wanted fenders and a bit more all-around comfort so I made the move to get a dedicated commuter. For that, a Trek-520 did nicely. It was comfortable for the daily trips. Steel, so it held up well. I could put 32's on it for a bit more comfort. I could load it up with whatever I wanted.

Today, I ride a different commute, and have since upgraded my panniers to Ortlieb backroller classics since they are waterproof and I don't have to worry anymore about my computer getting wet.

I recommend you try it a few times with what you have and learn about what you like first.

sg

AndrewP

If the roads are not too potholed, and you have a safe place to keep the bike at work, attach a rack tti the Fuji with P lips, and put on 25 or thin 28 mm tires. Dont bother with fenders, and take the car on rainy days. Once you have tried it, consider getting a CX bike like one of the bikesdirect ones. You can then swap over the rack, put on fenders, and replace the CX tires with smoooth 28 or 32s. For lighting red blinkie at the back and two LED flashlights held onto the bars with elastic bands.

TempeRider

What comes to mind is buy used. Bikes lose money fast, so that will save a lot.

For your distance, you are probably better off with a road bike. - faster, more hand positions.

I'd be thinking 28 mm wide tires with kevlar belt for flat protection. You could go 32 mm, but if so make sure the tires you pick are high pressure - 80 PSI or more; not 60-65. I use Panaracer Pasela Tourgaurds in 32 mm. Good shock absorbtion, 95 PSI, reasonably fast.

If you need fenders, choices are more limited - an older touring bike probably (or new if you can afford it). Dont waste your time with those fenders for bikes with no eyelets. They are better than nothing...barely. If you need rain protection, get real fenders.

You need a good light. I have a nite rider trail rat - 10 watt with lead acid battery. Heavy but solid. However, now days, a good high power LED would be better - make sure it is rechargable, or can use rechargable batteries.

Kimmitt 

I agree with the road bike thinking -- for 15-20 miles, you'll need a bike that crunches distance.

Sawtooth

+1 unless speed is not a factor. My commute is 13-15 miles each way and I hardly every ride my rigid mb anymore (even though it is bombproof). That kind of distance just seems to be better served by a drop bar bike for me.

I personally prefer my cross bike for the commute most days but I also use an old road beater (1982 Peugeot P8) that I picked up at a thrift sore and put about $100 into, not including the wheels, which I upgraded for the fun of it. The old wheels were fine and the ones you see in the picture are not the ones I usually ride (usually ride a set of open pro/ultegras that I swap around between bikes. I am currently running it as a 1X9 but it has also been a sinle speed and a fixie (depending on my mood). I like it and the cross bike because they both allow wider tires than my modern road bike will. This means I can run knobbies or even studded tires in snow if I want as well as 28's for every day comfort.

The 1X9 drivetrain is new but the clamp on friction downtube shifters were some old one's I had laying around. The original shifters were friction as well and would easily have worked on the 1X9 but they were stem mounted and I don't really care for those.

My suggestion (depending on what you mean by "limitted" is to pick up an old road bike like my peugeot. Expect to pay $50-$200 for one depending on local market conditions and the condition of the bike. You may or may not then need to put additional funds into it.

These old bikes may be heavy but they were made to eat miles. I have many bikes that are much nicer than my 27 lb peugeot but they are not necessarily faster. My fastest century ever was done on the Peugeot set up as a fixed gear at the time.

I am attaching pictures of all three types of great, bombproof commuters; 2 of which are very attainable with limitted funds.

squirtdad

Use your Fuji......you are doing 30-40 miles a day
as noted by other posters:

* put the biggest tire you can fit on.. 25 should be no problem 28 better
* put a rack on.....there have been a bunch of threads about racks and Carbon fiber bikes
* look at the sks race blades for fenders
* Redundant lights...ie 2 rear blinkies, and two upfront....check out the lights and electronics thread you can get a huge amount of light for $50

Artkansas 

You are getting a lot of good comments here. You didn't tell us what kind of terrain, weather, streets and neighborhoods you go through. These affect what you want to be riding.

Last time I had to prepare a commuter bike on a limited budget, I looked at a 30 year old 10 speed I had, bought $170 of components and spent a week bringing it back from the dead where it did great service for three years commuting across a desert valley at temps up to 120 degrees.

Then, I moved for a different job took a hard-tailed mountain bike that someone had given me, added street tires, a rack, fenders, lights and toe clips and that bike did a yeoman duty as my only transportation vehicle for 4 years over steep hills, narrow rough streets and through snow.

Point being, you don't need to spend a lot of money, most bikes are basically dependable and you need to tailor your bike to the conditions you are riding in.

From what little you have told us, my recommendation would be finding an old steel touring bike with 700 wheels, add racks, fenders and lights. For your laptop, get a backpack and a water tight container to go into the backpack(a plastic bag will do the trick). This protects your laptop from shock, because your body becomes a shock absorber and you can lift yourself off the seat for the worst jolts. I used to carry military electronics on my bike for my employer. A number of chips failed after being carried directly on the bike, none failed when I'd carry them in my backpack. Put your change of clothes under the computer bag and you are set.

Clothing to ride in will be another issue, but you can pick that up seasonally. The winter riding forum has lots of good advice on riding through snow and cold.

nashcommguy

https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/..._cross_cx2.htm

https://www.biketiresdirect.com/pscma...us_700c/pp.htm

This bike w/these tires. 700cx28mm @ 110 psi gives a solid, but comfortable ride over a variety of terrain. My commute is 35 mi rt. Over 8000 commuter/utility miles w/1 flat and one slow leak. The bike has a compact double 50/36 w/a 12x26 9sp cassette. Braze-ons for rack/bags combo, etc. I have one in yellow. It's a hoss at a very reasonable price. The stock tires are too soft for road use. The SMP's can be had cheaper other places, but I thought I'd offer a starting point. You may want to go to 32mm as the frame/fork will accomodate the larger size, but I think you'd be very happy w/28mm.

There are those who take a dim view of Bikesdirect.com as per their experience...rightfully so. Mine was great. Ordered the bike on a Saturday night and received it via UPS-Ground the following Wednesday. The bike had a mis-matched(color) crank and a couple of nicks from shipping, but otherwise sound. I decided not to make an issue about it. Expect minor adjustments. I re-trued the wheels(minor) and set the brakes. Otherwise, all was good. Good luck on whatever you decide.

rugerben

Here's what I would do if I were in your shoes.

I'd check craigslist in my area, and in local areas that I could easily drive to. Look for older steel road bikes in your size. Make sure it can accommodate fenders and rack. Ride it to see if you like it.
Buy it. Ruy fenders and rack, and a pannier that can fit all the stuff you'll need to bring.

then, get some bar end shifter pods to swap from DT shifters to bar end shifters. Strap on two PBSF (Planet Bike SuperFlash) lights on the back of the bike (I use 3 actually...love 'em). And get a good headlight (or two cheaper ones. I use 2, $7 LED lights from Home depot. They work just fine in all weather.)
Ride the snot out of it.

I'd bet you could do all of this for under $300 and end up with a bike that is as good for commuting as any of the modern ones that cost $1k before all the add-ons.

Edit to add:
My daily commute is 16.5 miles in each direction over some pretty major hills. Thankfully, I too have a shower and locker room in the office.

rumrunn6

old school '70s or '80s era steel 10-speed. they are cheap enough to get a couple of them and swap back and forth for variety and to always have one in running condition. I'm a big fan of old Schwinn bikes.

tballx

List your terrain, weight, height, climate, range of trip lengths you'd like the bike to travel and purpose of the trips (you said commuting. i get it. what else?), road conditions on your route, speed of traffic you travel with and what else you will carry in addition to the lap top for starters.

CCrew

While a road bike would cover the distance, no way no how would I beat a carbon fiber frame into the ground that way nor attach a rack to it. Call me a purist, but that bike is NOT a commuter.

Look for something like a flat bar hybrid, Trek FX or similar. Or go with a cross bike if you want drops.