That is so very true, and the reality is that any bike that will get you there and back can be used for commuting. We'll all have a different slant on comfort, speed, convenience.

16 miles each way is pretty big to start off with, and personally I wouldn't want to jump right into it with a comfort bike. It's doable though; I sometimes take my wife's comfort bike out for a ride of 20 miles or so. Too small, too slow, and not comfortable to me but not any ordeal either. I think at first I'd start off with half-commutes. Drive it to work, ride home leaving the car at work, ride back to work, load it in the car and drive home. Only 16 miles each day that way.

Carry the tools you need to fix mechanical problems, at least until you know the bike is reliable or you can spot problems before they stop you. I'll second the advice for fenders, racks and lights.

What kind of saddle would you guys recommend? Daredevil you said change out the seatpost. Is there anything I should be looking at when doing that? I figure go with something lighter but I am not sure if there are other things I should consider.

I'd say the bike is going to be ideal for commuting but you might want to fit narrower tires 700x32 and a better saddle. If you're route takes you over some rough roads then stick with those tires but if you have pavement all the way I'd fit the lighter ones.

I think you are making the right decision. Try out the commute on your cypress. As you adapt to becoming a commuter keep in mind that a different style bike could make the commute significantly faster, more efficient, perhaps even easier. If you decide you enjoy being out there on the road pedaling, then you can start researching on the forums/Internet to discover the nuances of different commuter bikes: hybrids, mtbs, road, touring, cx, single speed.

Don't go out and buy a single speed online without test riding one first. If you decide to spring for a new bike be sure to visit all your local bike shops and test rides as many bikes as possible.

What kind of saddle would you recommend? I have been looking at so many I am not sure what to get.

I would try doing the 16 mile ride. That's a pretty long commute and you might find that you don't want to commute that far. If you are going to commute by bike once a week, then that bike won't be too bad. But if you think you'll be commuting by bike 3+ days per week, you might find you'll want a different bike. How many hills are then and what is your average speed? If you do find you like commuting, then you'll probably want to replace the bike. For a commute that long, I would recommend a bike with drop bars which has more aerodynamic ride. And you have to consider how much faster you might be on a better bike. I have an 8.7 mile commute, but there are a number of stops for red lights so moving time != wall clock time even at 16 mph. I would not rush out and buy a bike right away until you have some experience on the existing bike.

Welcome and here is my thoughts. Plus 1 on looking up information and asking questions. I never did that and learned the hard way. Now that I've been riding 5 years I have some exp.

First Do not ride on the sidewalk.
Always wear a helmet.
Do not be foolish.
get as much info as you can.
ease into it. the more you ride the more it will become part of your life.
Eat the right foods, like meat, veggies, and drink lots of water on hot days.
If riding at night get a front and rear light. The more traffic your with the brighter you want it to me.
Be careful at intersections. I have been crossing 3 sets of stop lights on my afternoon ride into work and I cross more the 7 on my morning ride. There would be a lot more if i rode more. Ive never had a problem with letting all the traffic go first and then proceeding after. But make sure the light is still green and make sure you can stop somewhere like a parking lot, driveway, or wait on the sidewalk until the traffic clears. Also if you are behind a larger Truck make sure you can see the person in the opposite lane as they often will want to turn as soon as the last car goes through the intersection. It is important to make yourself visible at that point in time. good luck.

Of course you realize that if you do get another bike, you are duty bound to post pictures of it.


And as a gentle scold, where are the pictures of your current bike?

I'd suggest using the bike you have for as long as you can stand it. Definitely replace the saddle w/ something more appropriate (smaller). You might like the bigger tires, but I suspect you'll find 32's to be a bit faster and still will give adequate ride quality/flat protection. Get some tire liners put in to help prevent flats. Check tire pressure before every ride to prevent pinch flats and to make it easier to push those tires down the road (less resistance). Tire liners are cheap - around $15.

As you commute, make note of the things you don't like about the bike given the purpose for which you are using it.. Spend time reading this forum. See what works well for you. See what others rant about, and what they rave about. Once you've done it for a while you shouldn't have a big problem figuring out what kind of bike is appropriate for you.

I've been riding a hybrid to work for the last three months. I don't care for it. My biggest beefs are that I can't duck under the wind and I only have one hand position available to me. I hope I have solved it by buying a used early-80's Fuji. I guess in today's parlance it would be considered a great credit card touring bike. It has drop bars, 18 speeds, fairly long chain stays (great for mounting a rack & panniers) and it fits me perfectly. I just bought it, so right now it's in the shop being made ready for use as a commuter. I am putting a bit more into it than I had hoped but when it's all said & done I think I'll have a great little commuter. It is an old C&V (classic & vintage) bike that was made when I was a sophomore in high school. That appeals to me for some reason.

It's weird. The older I get the more I appreciate the things I liked when I was young. I certainly appreciate road bikes of the type I used to ride.

Someone else suggested that you do the ride on one of your off days. This is excellent advice. Do not try to kill yourself doing the ride. Remember, early on you will not be used to the commute. You will still need to have some energy when you get to work to actually do some work. Gotta keep the boss happy, right? Give yourself plenty of time - and allow at least a half-hour extra "just in case" (flat tire). Most of the time you won't have any problems at all on the commute and you can use that extra half hour once you get to work to cool down, wipe down w/ baby wipes, towel off, hydrate and get ready for the daily bummer. The elapsed time of your commute will go down of it's own accord as time goes by. I have a 40 mile round trip. At first it took me 1 hr, 50 min to get to work. I'm down to an average elapsed time of 1 hr, 30 min - and sometimes I do it in 1 hr, 25 min.

Buy some appropriate garments. If you don't want to go full-kit you don't have to. I don't wear the jersey or have the clip-on shoes or any of that stuff. Remember, though, that your hindquarters will be pumping and you run the risk of chaffing. I would suggest getting some sporting undergarments (at least) that wick away moisture and don't rub your skin raw like cotton underpants can. Next up on the clothing food chain would be underwear specifically designed to be used while bicycling. They have a chamois and pad between your skin and your bicycle seat. You can also purchase mountain biking shorts which resemble standard cargo shorts, but have the underpants built in or attached in such a way as you can remove them.

I wore cotton and developed a tremendous boil on my rear end which has me off the bike for a couple of weeks. I've had some suggest that it was more a function of an inappropriate fit (bike-wise), but I'm pretty sure that the wet cotton abrading my skin didn't help matters any.

Good luck. Enjoy your rides. Right now, my bicycle rides are the best part of my work day - although my coworkers would think me crazy for saying that. It's not that the job is that much fun. The bicycling is that much fun.

+1 ^ This is all 100% excellent advice! A+

Pics as requested.

So I took the bike out for a nice little 10 mi ride. It wasn't too bad. The saddle was not very comfortable and the wind does make riding this bike harder but overall it was a nice ride. I didn't go to fast only about a 13mph pace. I think a lot of that has to do with me not use to riding and the fact that it is 110 outside.

You keep asking about saddle recommendations. Those are gonna vary as much as bike recommendations will. Best thing to do is to measure your sit bones and start researching ones that come close to fitting you. Any Specialized or Trek shop can do this for you or you.

...and as far as the seat post is concerned, just pop off the old one, take it to your LBS, and they should be able to set you up with a rigid one pretty easily.

You seem to assume that I am just going to go out and buy the first thing someone recommends, that is not the case. People suggest that I change things out I am just wondering if they have specific recommendations. If I look at them and I don't like them I would not buy it but it may lead me to one that I would like. I have been looking at a bunch of saddles and it is hard to know what is good and what isn't. There are different materials and designs. I was just looking for some guidance, that's what this whole post is about.

That's just it. Most of the recommendations/suggestions that you receive will be from experience. And everyone is different. There will be point and counter point on any bike, route selection, gear, article of clothing, frame material, cargo management, drive train set up... saddles are generally one of those items that takes time to find one that fits and is comfortable.

Lots of people will swear by a certain Brooks saddle, yet there will be a few who- though not really trash talking- will point out that model isn't for everyone, because they tried it out for themselves and found it lacking somehow.

You yourself pointed out that you find the saddle uncomfortable. The best way to minimize the chances of replicating that with another saddle is to find one that comes closest to lining up with your sit bones- and you won't know what size you need until you measure them.

Not a bad looking bike. Your situation sounds a lot like mine. Several years ago, I bought a Gary Fisher Nirvana hybrid, very similar to your Giant (at least your giant doesn't have the massively heavy suspension fork like my GF ). Anyway, I bought it because 1) I could only afford one bike and therefore 2) I reasoned that a hybrid would be the "best of all worlds". Turns out, it does everything okay but absolutely nothing exceptionally well. Pretty quick after I bought the bike I made a few upgrades: I traded the suspension seatpost for a rigid one and added a Brooks B17 saddle. I also added a rack and fenders.

I started commuting 28 miles round-trip to work this summer. I felt like the 700x35 OEM tires were slowing me down, so I went for a set of 700x28 Vittoria Randonneurs which improved my speed considerably but are still wide enough to be comfortable. I did a trial run one Saturday and quickly realized that the stock grips and lack of hand positions on the flat bars were making my hands numb and sore. I ended up adding a pair of Ergon grips and some inexpensive bar ends which solved the numbness issue. It's still probably not the best long distance commuter, but it's much better than before the upgrades.

My backup commuter is a 15-year-old Cypress, suspension seatpost and all. I added rack and fenders. When I take it, the added commuting time (11 miles each way) is barely noticeable. It's not a bad ride except for the old and cheap components.

Once you get some miles in, you'll know soon enough what you want to change, if anything. The more you ride, the more you're going to want a harder, less-padded saddle. You may end up changing the stem so that the handlebars are lower. But maybe you'll do neither of these things.

One way to make bike commuting easier is to do it half the time, at least as a trial. Put the bike in the car on Monday morning and drive in. Then ride home. Then ride in on Tuesday morning and drive home.

You may want to show your riding position to someone at your local bike shop if you're looking for recommendations on getting more comfortable on the bike. You may learn that your seat is too high or low or forward or back. Or something like that. I worked as a mechanic in a shop last year, and most inexperienced riders had their saddles in bad positions.

Selle Italia - Flow, or
Bontrager - Affinity

(both these are narrow so avoid chaffing, the Flow will reduce pressure on your taint)

I am about 15 miles from work. But I do 5.75 mile partial commutes, from a park-n-ride.
Maybe one day I will do the whole thing. I have a 22lb. drop bar steel road bike before add-ons. So far, so good.

Went to my LBS today and got some new tires. I went from my 700X38C to 700X28C. I haven't taken it out yet but I am sure it will make things smoother. I decided not to change my saddle just yet. We adjusted my current saddle and I am going to see how that feels before I buy a new one. My LBS also has a clinic this thursday to talk about bike maintenance and repairs so I am going to go check that out. Thanks for all the advice guys it really helped me out.