I think a light touring/cyclocross is the best bike for commuting (most light touring and cyclocross bikes have similar frames). With commuters, you need a good balance of performance, function and comfort, and cyclocross bikes fit the bill perfectly. They're more stable than straight road bikes, but nearly as fast. Cyclocross bikes are much faster than mountain bikes. They don't have the cargo capacity of a true loaded touring bike (like Trek 520), but with panniers they have plenty of space for commuting gear (clothes, etc.)

Though some people swear by them, I don't think a loaded touring bike is a good choice for commuting unless you only want one bike and actually plan on doing loaded tours. Loaded touring bikes are slow, and less stable when they aren't fully loaded because of the geometry. Before I got my bike, I tried out the Trek 520 (unloaded) and it felt less stable on fast decents than my cyclocross.

By "so expensive", I assume you mean very expensive. There are a bunch of reasons to buy an expensive commuter bike that I can think of (some better than others):

1. Severity of climate. Cheaper components are more likely to fail in serious weather conditions, making them not cheaper and, at least in the frozen North, potentially life threatening.

2. Severity of terrain/distance. A road bike may work for you, but some people may have a more hilly climb, or perhaps roads in worse conditions to commute over.

3. Speed of commute. A bike with expensive components may allow a rider to reach the far side of their commute faster.

4. Multi-purpose use. If a person wants to tour, race (on or off road), or whatever, they may need a bike for more than just their commute.

5. Comfort. A more expensive bike may have more comfort features that a person wants, such as a nicer seat, handlebars, shifters, etc. that make the ride more pleasant.

6. Coolness. A nice ride can be a sign of your individuality, your strong interest in cycling, or just your wealth. (A nice thing about bikes over cars is that just having a cool ride is almost never enough to look cool, you need to have some legs to back it up.)

Thank you for everyones great input on this subject. I've come to the conclusion that there is no "ultimate" commuter in general but that each person has their own needs/wants that defines what their ultimate commuter is.

I'm going to start searching for a road frame for mine, and go from there. 700c's but it will be geared hub in the back, so that'll mean horizontal dropouts. A drum brake in front and coaster or drum in the back will get me stoppinig power, and some Armadillo tires should round it out. Not sure about the handlebar arrangement. Will use whatever is comfortable I guess.

Anyhow thanks again for everyones input, I learned alot :)

That looks nice, I would ride that to work ,no trouble :D

This sounds like a very expensive project. If I were going for a hub geared commuter bicycle, it would be the Breezer bikes plain an simple. Trying to convert an old road bike frame to a Nexus 8 with a drum brake up front is a major project that will probably cost more than the Breezer bike.

I have two bikes with the Nexus 7 with a roller brake and you really don't need a drum brake up front. The calliper up front is fine and you really won't need it most of the time unless you're going down a huge hill and need to stop. The roller brake on the Nexus will stop you 90% of the time.

Probably the only thing I don't like about the Breezer is the hard Alu frame but would choose that over building the type of bike you're thinking of building.

Good luck

I'd have to agree with Steve on the buy versus build issue here. You will probably come out ahead buying a bike designed for commuting then building it up. Finding a frame with horizontal dropouts will not be easy -- you may have to order a new one. That costs. Of course, if you enjoy mechanics and really want a custom bike that suits your needs, then that is the way to go.

Paul

Touring bike with 700x25 or 28 tires (depending on roads), fenders, rear rack with panniers and rain covers if needed. I guess it depends on how far you have to ride, but if more than 15 miles or so round trip, I would go with a touring bike or cyclocross bike over a mtb with slicks.
Quote

Something like this.....or that

More great info! I have looked at the breezer bikes too, and they definitely caught my eye. We'll see what kind of budget I'll have when the time comes, I may just end up with something completely different... or a breezer! Never know.

The Thorn Raven is designed as the ultimate commuter bike. It has a lightweight quality frame, with Rohloff gears.
sjscycles.com

Not quite as tricked out as the Thorn, but I like where Burley has been going with commuters...

Burley Runabout 7

http://members.101freeway.com/davidm...r_bicycles.htm

Here's another site that has an extensive list of commuter bikes.

This is a subject I need to "stop" thinking about .....

My route to work is such a mixed bag of rural and city that no matter what I pick is a compromise. The ultimate in versatility seems to be a Rohloff geared cyclocross bike with fenders and a rack. My experience searching for the ultimate bike has taught me that what I think is ideal on paper doesn't necessarily have that "feel". You know the feel of that perfect fit and geometry and karma that makes you wanna quit work and do that global tour.

A rohloff geared cyclocross would be a mark for bike crooks. They would only need pair of wire clippers to brake all the spokes and walk off with the hub. Lets not forget the weight of that hub and friction losses would do wonders on the hills out in rural areas.

I'm probably stepping into a minefield here, but...

I've been riding (and selling) the Giant Lite electric bike for the past couple months and absolutely love it. Before I hear any kvetching about the weight... 47 lbs (with battery, motor, 4 speed Nexus). Heavy? Sure, but I can easily get to 30 km/h in a 3 or 4 seconds, climb hills at double the speed of un-assisted cyclists, and choose my level of exertion depending on mood/needs and not the terrain. Fair trade ;)

This ain't your wacky Uncle Harrold's electric bike, with a couple of car batteries bungied onto his homemade rack, powering a car wiper motor that rubs against his back wheel. The Lite is a pretty slick looking bike and gets pleanty of compliments before people even realize it is electric:

http://www.voltage-ev.com/images/pro...lite_slope.jpg

I'm not in great shape (but getting there) and did my 25 km ride to work yesterday in just under 45 minutes. Not too shabby...

Is the bike perfect? Nope. Ideally, I'd love a little more aggressive riding postion (it's pretty upright), and I will be fitting a Nexus 8 to one in the near future, but the stock bike is spot-on for casual riding in hilly areas.

Even just for kicks, next time your in your local Giant delaer, see if they have one and would let you take it for a spin. Even if you don't like or need it, maybe your (husband/wife/aunt/friend/Uncle Harrold, etc...) would consider riding a bike if the barrier to a quick and speedy commute was lowered a little...

I would never spend $1000 on a wheel ... must be the Irish in me. The bike I use for commuting is an old school mtb with rack and fenders and it's perfect for my situation. My backup is a made in Chicago Schwinn Collegiate 10 speed.

The problem I would have with commuting on a hub geared bike is the inability to back pedal. I would need to relearn starting and stopping. I'll probably stick with deraileurs.

Hmmmm.... yes a few internally geared hub bikes also include a coaster brake, but as best I can tell most do not. We have three different bikes (2 shimano Nexus 7 and 1 SRAM 7) with hub gears... one has a lever controlled drum brake and the other two uses V-brakes. Back pedal to your heart's content.

That would NOT be a good commuter for me. Chances are I would never get to workplace. I would get everywhere else though :D.

--J

A quick question for the nexis hub riders.... can you petal backwards at a stop and down shift? (I can do this with a old 3 speed I have-- makes up for the beast weighing 45 lbs)

Not only can you pedal back and down shift - you don't have to pedal at all to shift! Absolutley the coolest thing about hub gears.

You most certainly can backpedal with a hub geared bike, unless a coaster brake has been fitted. Just think of it as an old three speed with 10-20 pounds less weight and twice the range of gear ratios. In urban cycling, the ability to shift while stopped at a light is a benefit, as it allows one spin away in low gear from all stoplights. It is highly amusing to come up alongside a Spandex person at a stop and drop him like a rock as soon as the light turns. Of course the fun only lasts for a block or so -- unless the next block is also a stop.

Paul

You have described a bike a lot like my primary commuter!
FRAME - old, used early-80s Schwinn Voyageur touring frame, original raggedy paint job.
WHEELS - rear is a 48 spoke Mavic T519 700c touring rim. Front is generic 36 spoke
TIRES - Specialized Infinity Armadillo, 32 mm front, 35 mm rear, with Tuffy tire liners and thorn resistant tubes
DRIVETRAIN - Single 39 T chainring, 9 sp rear, LX rear der
BRAKES - The original Shimano centerpulls
STORAGE - heavy duty rack with Ortlieb waterproof panniers.
LIGHTS - (my morning commute is in the dark year round) Optronics Halogen auto driving light for headlight with 35 W lamp, 2 red 8-led trailer marker lights with reflective lenses for rear, 5 amp hour SLA battery in Carlon junction box.
I assembled this bike with a few criteria in mind:
ANY WEATHER
ANY TIME
ANY TERRAIN (OK, if I were going off road up the Rockies I would put on a different chainring, cassette and tires)

My secondary commuter is fixie on an old steel Trek frame with 28 mm Avocet Cross II K tires. These are my favorite commuting tire because of the tread design and 28 mm availibility though the Specialized are good, and I can get them at my LBS.

I love my Bianchi Milano with a Nexus 7-speed hub and chainguard and fenders. For a while, I put sort of drop bars on it (mustache) for longer commutes. But for shorter commutes, I can wear all but a business suit while riding it, and it's gotten me more compliments than any of the racing bikes I've ever had. And you can get it in Celeste green for about $500 or so...

I did upgrade the saddle to a Brooks b17 - couldn't resist, and it's just beautiful on the bike. The frame is aluminum, but heavy.

http://home.comcast.net/~a0000004/db_night1.jpg
http://home.comcast.net/~a0000004/db_night2.jpg
http://home.comcast.net/~a0000004/db_night3.jpg

I still don't see the advantage. How hard is it to downshift a couple gears with a regular derailleur equipped bike as you're rolling up to the light?

If beating Mr. Spandex off the line is your thing just ride a fixie and track-stand the light. You'll be half a block down while he's still trying to clip in ;)

-Trevor

Sort of like this.....

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