re:
"If this is the (one) you will dream about riding every day, then get it." "The most important thing is that you enjoy your ride."

Does this apply to women too?

If you think you'll enjoy the ride for the rest of your life, then yes. ;-)

Absolutely NOT! Some dreams are entirely too expensive per ride in reality!

I ride a time trial frame 15 hilly kilometers on a ss (50x16). My front wheel has only 16 spokes, and the rear a few more. I get tons of enjoyment and wouldn't at all consider a different bike to commute on.

That's my standard M.O. during the spring and summer. I have a standing pre-work training ride on M-Th. The other guys go home (or to the coffee shop); but I go to the office. On Sunday night I'll bring my clean office clothes and leave them in the locker room (yes, that's a nice benefit here).

If it were me, I wouldn't get it. Then again I have a soft spot for large tire clearances, racks and fenders. :) I also am not a fan of carbon anything, and think its rather shiny to handle the abuse of commuting duty.

Then again, you sound like you know the pros & cons, and that is a VERY shiny bicycle, so I wouldn't call it a bad decision if you did!

Incorrect.


Also:bikes that have been written off my insurance adjusters are excellent values. That isn't advice, BTW

Thanks for all the considerations.

I originally decided on the Orbea because I wanted a road bike, but not for commuting purposes. I liked the way the bike handled, the fact that not many people have them, and the sharp blue color. I also did not want to get a cheaper bike and get the upgrade urge early on.

Then I got to thinking: I'm not really going to do that much "road bike" leisure riding due to lack of spare time and the fact that my wife would not want to take up this hobby with me. She'd rather mosey around on a cruiser. So I figured the only way I would really ride the bike would be as a substitute for the car, and all it would take would be allocating extra time in the morning (The way home will probably be the same or quicker on a bike due to traffic).

So basically, I am wanting to use my commute as an excuse to enjoy a 2K road bike.

I'm close to a final decision and will probably get the Orbea and only use it when it's not raining, I'm carrying absolutely nothing to work, and would be unlikely to want to stop on the way home. Right now, this is the case almost every day. So I figure I will need the car 1 day a week to bring laundry to/from work or plan that when the 5 day outlook shows rain. I pay the office rent, so storing the bike and a weeks worth of clothes is not an issue.

If the road bike experience turns me into a hardcore commuter, then I'll look for a second, more practical bike to replace the car on rainy days and when I need to transport stuff to/from work.

As a side note, after about 200 trips to the office (less than a year), the bike would pay for itself. Parking is $8 a day here and a minimum of 1 gallon of gas to go 22 miles is over $3.

FTFY. Few things are more frustrating than trying to explain to someone why their "great deal" is in fact a donor bike.

wut?

That's as legitimate a reason as any. No need to apologize for that.

Why not ride in the rain? Some of my favourite riding is in the rain.

That was my way of saying I wouldn't put a nice $2k bike through the rigors of commuting. I don't know how many scratches I've put on my commuter(s) just from locking up to the work racks alone. EG - don't commute on a bike unless your ok with it being scratched/abused a bit.

Yeah but if you do a lot of commuting miles then why not get something nice?

adds character :thumb:

i know, I commute a lot on my nice bike. I hated the scratches at first, but I grew to accept it. If your bike doesn't have scratched then you don't ride it enough.

+1 to "as legitimate a reason as any." Ride that sucker.

After loads of rides, the bike pays for itself. Fact. Though, I suspect you are a bit like me, and will not be riding in comfy shorts and cotton shirts. You'll be riding in a full spandex kit, just because it looks better with the bike and you feel more confident wearing it ;)
The bike pays for itself. But don't forget all the other gear you get along with the bike. February 2009 I bought my bike and gear, this year I am actually starting to save a bit of money from it (even though my bike and gear has cost me no less than a stunning $800).

Or unless you can keep it in your office like the OP. I'll go out on a limb and say that careless members of my young family would put more scratches on my bike if it sat in the garage all day than what I put on it by commuting. It's safer in the office with me than it is at home.

Still, at some point to you have to accept that the bike is going to get a scratch. After that first one, the next won't bother you as much. The bike will still be as much fun to ride.

If you don't scratch it, your falls and crashes will.

8 dollars a day parking? WTF, I don't pay that much for parking at concerts.

Go for it. It is important to like your ride when you want to commute day in/ day out on it.

Heck I ride this bike as my commuter:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2774/...4d1f8d7aa0.jpg

I love it, but it isn't a normal commuting choice for sure.

From a financial point of view, go for it. If you can fork out the cash now, then buy it. It will much easier to downgrade to a lower cost bike later than to try to buy a higher price bike later. If you do end up enjoying your commute, your reasoning to buy a cheaper commute so that you can "preserve" your higher end bike will be more sensible reasoning for your SO. Just tell her later on that you need a cheapy commuter for commuting and to give her a chance to keep pace with you on her "cruiser". (please don't quote this to her :) )

Wait so it this advice now?

Okay, the alignment of the frame is a bit off.

I leave two tracks side-by-side in the snow. :D