My Perfect Commuting Bike
 

I'm trying to find a frame that'll let me do everything. So far my only option looks to be the Gunnar Fastlane. Any one know of another frame that'll let me do all of the following?

Disc Brakes
Rack/Fender Mounts
Steel (or something else very comfy)
Vertical Dropouts
Be able to handle big studded tires (I'd want to run with the nokian W106 45s, but might have to settle for 35s)

I'm trying to keep this kind of cheap, and transfer over as many components as I can from my road bike. I'll guess I'll have to buy some disc wheels, what's the open pro disc equivalent?

Surley Pugsley takes discs, has front and rear rack braze-ons, is steel, and laughs at mere 45s. Horizontal dropouts though.

Really? Someone's looking at a road bike and you suggest a pugsley? Why stop there, why not tell him to buy a big dummy?


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Raleigh Sojourn ?

If you can settle for having discs just on the front, that'll open up a few more options. Get the fork separately.

that's a good idea. I don't really care about the rear brake.

Soma Double Cross DC
Steelwool Tweed

I'm sort of partial to the Steelwool because it's Canadian-designed but it's also a beautiful frameset. Love the green! That being said, I prefer the chainstay-mounted disc brake tabs on the Gunnar.

If you're ok with buying a complete bike,Novara Safari will do everything you want. I have an '06 that's been my daily commuter for over 3 yrs. Plenty comfy,comes with a rear rack,mounts for front,easy fender mounting,trekking bar's just as good(better IMHO) than drops. Current larger models are 29ers and come with I think 45's. The only downside to mine was the twist shifters;after I ditched them for SRAM dual-thumb triggers it's been all love. I've seen a few '09's left at REI,should be on clearance.

I'm probably missing something, but why do you want vertical dropouts on a commuter frame? It seems to me that the only thing that they do is to make it harder (and/or more expensive) to use an IGH if you should ever want or need to do so. And eliminate some frames from consideration. As far as rear fork ends go on a commuter, my preference (in order) would probably be 1. sliding vertical, 2. horizontal, 3. vertical, 4. track ends (only under duress as they make it more difficult to change a tire with fenders).

Because he's probably not interested in using an IGH. Given the range of gears I use on my commute,if I were to use an IGH I'd either have to drop the dosh for a Rolhoff or run a tensioner with front gears.

It's just what I like. Everytime i've had to deal with horizontal dropouts it's a pain. I like the comfort of knowing my wheel is straight and secure. Even if for some reason I don't lock my skewer down tight enough, it'll still stay in.

I might be more inclined to run an IGH if I could use standard STI shifters. I like road bikes, I just want to be able to run studs and disc brakes really.

Most of us buy a frame/bike for a specific purpose, and stick to it. Vertical dropouts are the best option for derailleurs, AND for disc brakes. If I wanted an IGH/fixed/rohloff frame, I'd buy one - all all three of those would be different. The horizontal dropouts are the only complaint I have about my casseroll. They're unnecessary, and a hassle for my purposes.

BTW, horizontal dropouts also make removing a wheel more difficult with fenders mounted.

Yeah, that's kind of how I feel about it. No pros unless I ever want to not have a derailleur, but lots of cons.

Thanks. Curiosity satisfied.
Grateful for my W106 on this morning's commute over soft ice -- and wishing that I had discs. (Also grateful for the the Shimano IGH and the J-Tek bar end shifter.)

I had thought of a couple of bikes that meet _most_ of what you spec'd. At a (relatively) low price, the Raleigh Sojourn (http://www.raleighusa.com/bikes/road/sojourn/) tourer is very close to your spec as built. It's heavy and the wheels could be better, but it's nicely equipped including a Tubus knock-off rack and a Brooks saddle. At the other end, the Singular Peregrine (http://www.singularcycles.com/bikes.html) frame seems lustworthy. I think you'd might be limited to Nokian 37s on the Raleigh- but maybe not.

How do you like the W106's? which size do you have?

How are they on black ice?

[QUOTE=JeffS;10107869]Really? Someone's looking at a road bike and you suggest a pugsley? Why stop there, why not tell him to buy a big dummy?


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if the tire spec is 45's how is this "looking at a road bike" ?

Why discs? I didnt think rain and mud were problems in SLC, or are you thinking of moving to the Pacific NW.

Mainly for the increased stopping power. Stopping for a surprise Red light while loaded makes me a little nervous, especially on some of the steep hills we have. The few times it does rain or snow, the discs will be very nice. Kind of the same idea as studs, the reason I'm getting them is the 10% of the time I need them not the 90% of the time that they're overkill.

I'm trying to figure out a bike that'll work all year round, no excuses/exceptions.

I strongly recommend the 2010 Kona Sutra. I posted a detailed review of it here: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?593959

I love mine for commuting and I ride with two fully loaded Axiom Typhoons (large, waterproof bags) on the back. The bike comes with racks and fenders as well, ready to ride.

Regarding the Raleigh Sojourn, it's a nice bike, but for the same price the Sutra (2010 models anyway), the brakes and wheels are not as good, and I wasn't impressed with the quality of the frame welds either. You're really paying a premium for the Brooks Saddle and tape.

However, neither bike can be done "on the cheap" as its hard to find just the frames. Having a dedicated commuting/touring bike and a separate road bike is really the way to go, but it's not as affordable as just having one all-rounder. If you're just looking for a frame, you're going to have a tougher time finding something that meets all of your requirements, but you might look into the Salsa Fargo, which can be had for about $500 for a frame and fork. If you're really cheap, just get a disc fork (Salsa Fargo 29"/700c would probably work) and put it on your current road bike. With a disc specific hub and wheel, and a BB7 caliper, you can probably do the front disc brake conversion for about $250 if you're a careful shopper.

The most important thing to keep in mind when putting racks on a disc-equipped bike is the position of the rear brake caliper. It has to be between the two stays, and not on top of the seat stay, for you to easily mount racks. You can work around it (Kona did with the earlier Sutras) but everything is a lot easier if the caliper is between the stays.

EDIT: By the way, buying a complete bike would still be cheaper than buying the $1,175 Gunnar frame and fork + Avid BB7's + Rotors + Disc-specific wheels! For as much as you'd spend on the Gunnar frame alone, you could buy a Kona Sutra :D

Yes! The Nashbar XCross frame and fork will do all of that. Including really fat tires. I currently have a set of 35mm wide tires on mine and there is still room for a much larger tire. I still have over 10mm of clearance on each side of the tire.

Nashbar aluminum clyclocross frame

I also have the Nashbar cyclocross fork. Carbon fiber with aluminum steerer. Avid BB7 on the front. The rear can take disc or cantilever brakes.

You can have it in any color you want so long as it is black. I have covered mine in black reflective tape. It's invisible in daylight but, really lights up when you shine light on it.

There is a large selection of frame sizes.

The ride: I like it. I've put enough miles on it to recognize some spring on big bumps either from the fork or the fork and frame and or to include wheel and tire.

Why aluminum? I live in South Florida, commute in the rain. The frame won't rust, ever. I even drilled a little drain hole at the bottom of the bottom bracket. It's covered up by the cable guide that keeps sand from blowing in but lets any water drain out. That includes condensation inside the frame.

I built my entire bike for what the Gunnar frame alone costs. It's just as ridable an reliable as anything else.

If you don't mind riding aluminum, that's a good deal on a frame. I think you might have trouble mounting a rear disc + rack on it though.

I have the Nashbar frame with disc brakes. If you get a disc compatible rack it'll go on pretty easily. I'm using the a Topeak one:

http://www.topeak.com/products/Racks...bularRack_disc

Mounting fenders with that rack is a little harder. Since the rack has a built in spacer to keep it away from the brake you can't mount the fender stay with the same bolt as the rack. I ended up using P-clamps to attach my fenders to the rack.

What's to mind? This is a commuter, not a racing bike. I cannot complain about the ride quality. The narrowest tires I have had on it were 32mm Pasela TGs. I haven't ridden a wide range of similar bikes, so I don't know what I might be missing.:lol:

Everything I want my bike to do is done. No complaints. I haven't asked

I still don't understand why an aluminum frame bike that accepts big tires is going to be a ride quality issue. The people at Schwalbe love to wax prophetic about the joy of large diameter tires.


What's your point?

I don't have anything against aluminum bikes in general. But he did say in his first post that he prefers "steel or something else very comfy". That's what I was referring to. Aluminum bikes have a lot of advantages - low weight, no rust, low cost, rigidity etc.

I would have to go with a Moulton Am Gt for the ultimate commuter.

I think The Tick makes a good point, with that big of tires, any frame will feel pretty comfy.

And I think an aluminum frame is a good idea with all the salt around here.