Looking for a commuter
 

hey guys, I'm new here and I was looking into getting a commuter bike. I was looking into getting a commuter bike to use to get from home to school and to work and where ever else. What do you guys think of this one:

http://www.swobo.com/catalog/product...cPath=201_207#

my commute will most likely be 20-25 miles from home to Santa Monica College and another 20-25 back.


i'm 5'8-5'9 on a good day lol and about 170 lbs.

Any other bike recommendations are welcomed!

and as a new comer myself is it safe/okay to do a 20mil commute?

For that distance I would look into a Touring or Cyclocross bike with drop handlebars. I think 20 miles is doable on the right bike. On my hardtail I can only do about 3-5 miles without some discomfort setting in. On my touring bike I wouldn't have a problem. You may need to start off small by doing only half the distance at a time. Eventually you will work your way up to it without problem. Also knowing your budget might help with specific bike recommendations.

My suggestion to new bike purchasers is to test ride as many bikes as you can. When looking for my new bike (my touring is a little over a year old) I test rode every touring bike and cyclocross bike I could get my hands on. I eventually drove more than 3 hours away to test ride one that a shop had in my size. I started seriously looking around september and eventually purchased in december. Thats with some bikes being test rode more than once and notes taken on my part. Basically give yourself some time.

If you do go used have someone experienced help you out. For kicks and giggles I took a look at my local craigslist and couldn't believe some of the deals available (where were they when I was shopping). If you are unfamiliar with bikes sometimes it's buyers beware when you shop used.

Good luck and hope things workout for you.

Sure, you can do a 20m commute. I took up a 15m-each-way commute last November, and you are in much better shape than I am. Especially if it is in Santa Monica, where you don't have to deal with weather. how are the hills? the one thing you might find at first is that the hills are really tough (I avoid them whenever possible).

if there are a lot of intersections on your route and you will be stopping and starting, then I would highly recommend an internally geared hub, like the Swobo you listed. If there are any hills though you might want an 8-gear hub like the Shimano Nexus, Shimano Alfine, or Sturmey-Archer 8.

If the weather is good then you're probably fine with rim brakes and a chain.

what are the differences between the bike i picked out and a touring and cyclocross?

i would really like to keep the price under 800 dollars

there are alot of intersections on my route as i live in a major city, there aren't many hills and if there are any they aren't steep just a mild incline i think.

they will seem a lot steeper on a bicycle.

then you are probably okay with a 3-speed internal gear hub and maybe you could even go with a single-speed or fixed-gear (I hear they are remarkably reliable).

can't help you on the cyclocross though

what does fixed gear mean? i was looking at other bike and I found some that I like but they are single speed or fixed gear not 3 speed, do I need 3 speed?

okay so in the future I will be moving up to san francisco not like anytime soon maybe in a year or two

so my choices are the swobo otis and this one

http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-gb/....0/4864/38991/

which one would you guys pick ?

I commute every day (no car), and one of the things that doing this implies is that you will be riding in the rain, in the dark, and will sometimes be carrying extra stuff with you. As a result, I think that any bike you consider should either have, or have the ability to add, lights, fenders and a rear rack. At 20 miles, you may want to use drop bars, but Santa Monica is pretty urban, and I prefer to be more upright when in urban traffic. One bike that you might consider is the Novarra Fusion from REI, which comes out of the box with everything that you would need for a commute:

Novara Fusion

http://media.rei.com/media/ss/764b57...7441c55b72.jpg

ooh i like that one too! We have an REI store about 5 minutes from where I live. Will I not be able to add a rack and fenders on the Giant Seek 0?

If $ is no object then the Seek 0 is a good choice. I rode one last week. You are paying extra for hydraulic disc brakes (instead of mechanical) and their styling. Other than that it is really their road bike (rapid/fcr) with internal gears and disc brakes.

To save a few hundred dollars you might look at the Giant Tran Send EX, which comes with fenders and a rack. It's not as pretty though.

You can certainly add fenders and a rack to the Seek but be careful that your rack is sized for disc brakes (they add width).

btw if you are moving to SF then you will definitely want more than the 3 gears on that Swobo. in that case the hydraulic disc brakes on the Seek 0 might be worth it.

the Fusion could also be a good idea if you want integrated lights and all that.

I just picked up a Trek Soho, which I am liking quite a bit. it has internal gears and brakes. best thing is it has a carbon belt instead of a chain, so it's basically a maintenance-free bike!

You should be able to add a rack and fenders to the Seek 0. Of course, that will add to the total cost of the bike.

A few other responses to your questions:

-If you are considering 40 miles round trip, 5 days/week, that is a lot of riding, especially if you aren't doing much (or any) now. There are some regular posters here who do those distances, so it's physically possible. However, if I were to ride that distance, I'd have to allow 3 hours per day for the commute (i.e., 1.5 h there, 1.5 h back), minimum--that may be more time than you can (or care to) spend riding. You might want to ride the route once or twice for fun (i.e., when you don't have to be at the other end at a particular time) to get a sense of how much work it's going to be.

-It's hard to get a really good sense from Google Maps, but it looks like the greater LA area has enough hills that you're probably going to want more than 3 speeds if you're riding 40 miles/day. Ignore this advice if you've ridden the route before and you KNOW that it's flat, even for a bike.

-A fixed-gear bicycle has a single speed, and no freewheel--it doesn't coast at all. This forces you out of your most comfortable pedaling rhythm (or cadence), particularly in hilly areas, so it's more work. Probably not what you want at this stage, although supposedly they're great fun. I might buy one someday if I can ever talk my wife into letting me keep 4 bikes in the shed.

i'm really digging the seek 0, will it require a lot of maintenance?

in all reality do you gys think I can do a 40 mile commute 3 times a week? i mean some of my friends think its not doable

why is the one I have my eye on have to be 1200 dollars....sigh!

Why are people even suggesting a fixed gear bike for a commute of this distance?!

Phaseshift, I have some grim news for you, they often say on this forum that your first bike is used to determine what your actual bike will be. So with something like this, check out Craigslist first to see if you can get a good deal on a very decent commuter. Then after riding for awhile, you'll find that your preferences will develop themselves and you will know what you want without having to ask our opinions, you'll just know them. Everything from flat bar to drops, discs to cantis, gears to internal hubs will be answered by you.

Speaking from personal experience, I dropped well over $900 on a new Specialized Sirrus to be used as my primary commuter. I sold that bike. Not because I disliked it, but because I knew better of what I really needed. So please, check Craigslist first before spending anymore money than you need to.

A Touring bike is meant to carry people and loads over a distance. It tends to be more comfortable and have a more relaxed geometry and riding position. A cyclocross bike will be a little bit more aggressive in its handling and rider position. Usually it will be faster than a touring bike, but not as aggressive as a racing bike. It is considered somewhat a jack of all trades.

I think the drop handlebars will give you more hand positions than some of the flat barred bikes mentioned which I think is beneficial over distances. However if you are riding 20 miles in the city and stopping at lights, intersections, and so forth the handlebars may not matter. If you will have a route with 3-5 miles here and there of straight riding than drop handlebars would probably be beneficial.

Starting at $800 you might find the Surly CrossCheck and Long Haul Trucker just a bit over your budget. You might find a Windsor or Fuji tourer right around that price. I believe you can also look into the Soma Double Cross or REI Novarro (I believe those are two others). Do a search for Touring Bikes or Cyclocross Bikes to give an idea. But as always ride a variety of bikes.

well I would ride the Seek 0 before you buy it. I really had my heart set on it when I saw it, then I rode it and thought "this is not *that* much better than my $300 Giant bike." so, unless money is really no object I would also check out the Giant Tran Send EX, which is currently going for less than $700 (at least for the '09 model).

the only real difference I can tell between the two is hydraulic instead of mechanical disc brakes, tire width, and the appearance.

Some questions to answer for yourself.
Why are you riding?
Are there poor weather alternatives? Will you ride in poor weather? What is poor weather?
Will you ride in the dark? What if it gets dark?
Can you fix a flat? Will you learn? What about other repairs?
If you have a catastrophic failure, do you have a friend who can pick you up?
What if you need to take the bike to a shop? Do you know a local bike shop? They'll probably be willing to speed up repair time if they know you depend on the bike for a 20 mile commute.

20 Miles is not horribly challenging, although it might seem like that if you are not used to being on a bike much. However, the logistics of getting your pink little body to and from a location 20 miles away using only a bike can be challenging. That's the point of this whole forum.

Can you do it? Yes.

Will you succeed in it over time? That is a question only you can answer. Think hard on that. Think much harder about that than about your bike purchase. If you answer incorrectly, you will waste 800 bucks.

i see a lot of custom ads on this forum, is there a good custom commuter bike site around? and would you guys recommend going that route? will it cost less?

You generally couldn't even get a custom frame for $800, much less a rideable bicycle.

For your needs, it doesn't sound like you need to go the custom route.

No, you don't need a custom bike for your purpose. And you don't need an expensive bike. You should be able to pick up something in the $500-600 range that will be more than adequate. Do you have a secure place to store a bike when you are at school? If not, don't spend big bucks.

You can always look at a used bike. I haven't bought a new bike myself since I was 13 and thought Huffy's were as cool as it gets.

Prices on craigslist are good now - I got a 1993 Cannondale Touring bike in my size for $175 right before Xmas.

3Spd IGH is pretty cool, but for 20-25 miles? I wouldn't do it. I'd go for something like a road bike, or a cyclocross bike. Drop bar would be pretty appreciable as well, as it gives you a few extra hand positions and makes riding in headwinds easier. Except for that, more gears are pretty much 'needed' as well. I have 27 at the moment and am thinking about going down to either 18 or 20. It gives you a wider range in your gears making it easier to ride easier in very different scenarios (variable wind speeds, hills/flats, you name it).

Buying used without at least a mediocre knowledge of what is out there, the history of some companies, components etc. is a crap shoot. If you know someone that can explain what your getting into with a used bike, its a good deal.

Case in point: I've heard of people here paying well over $200 for a used Schwinn, but then I've seen a Bridgestone RB-1 and a Lemond of unidentified origin both sell at pawn shops for less than $50 each. Do you know what the various brands of components are, and what (say 1993) offered in top end, mid-range etc? Do you know the difference between the mountain bike and road bike offerings?

I think you sound like you want to do the commute, and that's the first step. The problem you seem to have is that you're limited in having someone explain to you what you need to make this happen.

My honest recommendation. Find a LBS, go in and chat with them. Explain your intentions and see what they recommend. They probably will be the safest guides.

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/..._cross_cx2.htm. At your height/weight I'd recommend a 52cm frame. This is an excellent commuter for the money. I got it because it has a great gear range and wasn't a triple chainring crankset. They can be a bit of a pain, sometimes. I wanted a double. Add a rack/bags/lights/fenders/frame pump/wb cage/tool kit for around 2-400.00 depending on what you get. You'll be swapping out the tires very shortly as the stock tires are too soft for road use. Get a set of Schwalbe Marathon Plus 700x28mm and you'll be set for the next 10-15,000 miles. I bought my bike in May of 2008 and have well over 15,000 miles on it. Have only had to do minor deraileur adjustment, brake adjustments and a minor re-truing of the rear wheel once. I've said this before in other posts, but this bike is a hoss. Best 500.00 I've spent in over 20 years of commuting/touring/recreational and utilitarian cycling. Here's a list of my gear w/prices and some webstores:

Jandd Saddlebags(had them, but they're avilable online...do a googlesearch) 75.00
Delta Universal Mega Rack 30.00 ( www.nashbar.com )
Topeak Road Morph w/gauge 35.00( http://www.bikeisland.com no shipping)
WB cage from my LBS 2.00 on closeout
Niterider Trailrat 2.0 w/Universal Taillight 150.00 for both( http://www.brandscycle.com free shipping on orders over 75.00)
Jandd toolbag 24.00 from my LBS...you can find them much cheaper online.
Park MTB-3 Multi Tool 20.00 from bike island w/no shipping
Tubes 2 for 8.00 @ bikeisland (closeout deal)
Metal tire levers by Pyramid from bikepartsusa.com 3.00(Get 2 sets)
Fenders are SKS Raceblades from http://www.bikepartsusa.com 45.00. You probably will want full coverage so bikeisland is your best bet. The Raceblades are pricey, but versatile as I've got 3 bikes I use for commuting.
Tires: Schwalbe Marathon Plus Order them from your LBS. Bite the bullet on the price and have them mount them. Pay the freight for mounting because you'll NEVER get them mounted by yourself. 70-90.00 mounted.

If you don't want to bother w/all the above the Novara Fusion is alotta bike for the money, too.

BTW, my rt commute is the same as yours when I'm working, 40 mi rt. However, I'm laid-off at the moment. Good luck w/whatever you finally choose. :thumb:

so I went to the LBS today and tried on a couple bikes, tried the trek 7.2(?) and the giant rapid, I like both bikes, the seat needs a little getting used to. I told him that I would be commuting 40 miles 3x a week and he recommended those two, and also the Giant Seek but he said if I were to go with the Seek he recommended the seek 1 which has 27 gears.

Although I really like the seek 0, but it has 8 gears only. Would you guys still recommend the Seek with 8 gears? considering that within the next year or two I will be living in San Francisco? or should I go with the one that has more geering?

SF hills might require a real "granny" gear, which is not what you get with the Nexus/Alfine setup. (I hear the Sturmey-ARcher 8 has a really low hill-climbing gear, but that's not offered on Giant bikes.) So yes I would proably go with the Giant Rapid (or FCR, as it was called last year--might be cheaper).

the main reason to get the internal gears (8) is if you have a lot of stops on your commute. in that case, take it from me it's Really Nice not to have to downshift and keep pedaling while you're trying to come to a quick stop. Instead, you can just shift at the light and start up easily again.

good luck