Another "is this a good commuter bike" thread
 

Hey commuters, I'm looking into riding to class and I'm searching CL for bikes. I'm sure I'll post a few as I find them but I want to start off with this Fuji mtb and see what you all think. I'm 6' for sizing purposes.

http://tampa.craigslist.org/hil/bik/3542235899.html

That should make a fine commuter for someone going to school. The 19in is considered a medium size frame. 21in would be a large. If your 6ft it may be just a tad small but you'll never notice the difference. Just adjust the saddle and handlebars and you should be good to go.

Alright. Next question. How feasible is it to add bags and fenders and racks to a frame that wasn't designed for them (lack of mounting points). If you can't tell I don't know much about this area of biking :)
Is there a good resource to read up on all this stuff that I can't seem to find?

Would you still say it'll be OK size wise if I said I would put drop bars on it? Seems like it would be too low for me if i put them on.

It should be fine. All those points are adjustable whatever is most comfortable for you is what you should go with as far as adjustments. What part do you think will be too low.

The drop distance from the saddle to the bars.

A rear rack, (seat post type) is real easy to install and a small set of panniers will go on that well. Look at the Planet Bike fenders for mountain bikes, or check here for a great source of components and just about everything you'll ever need. http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/TopCate...10053_10052_-1

The top of the head tube vs. the top on the seat post are generally higher on any mountain bike than road bikes which use drop bars so there certainly will not be an issue of it being too low. A normal setup would be to have them on equal level. Some people with real long legs actually set their saddles up higher than the handlebars but you would have to bend your neck way up to ride that.

Dude thanks a ton! I'm gonna go read through that stuff and try to get a hold of that seller.

I like this one better...

http://tampa.craigslist.org/hil/bik/3522131580.html

Hmm, that looks pretty rough. After it's all said and done I'm sure I will have put more $ into the Rock hopper. And it looks really small and has no shock up front..

That Rockhopper is tiny -- I wouldn't recommend it for a 6' person!

Okay, this one might suit you..
http://tampa.craigslist.org/hil/bik/3522850162.html

Wow that's almost too nice of a bike :)
I'm liking this junky $25 Schwinn that I wouldn't mind abusing or getting stolen.
http://tampa.craigslist.org/pnl/bik/3552314515.html

If you don't mind spending to replace the missing parts, I'd say go for it.

You think i would need to replace the brake? One is enough for the fixie guys but this bike is a lot heavier (32 lbs!)

ok how about this one for a dropbar conversion?
http://localbikeoutlet.com/products/...-rockadile-sx/

This
http://tampa.craigslist.org/pnl/bik/3521307865.html

Just make sure it doesn't have the death fork.

1. What is the death fork?

2. Why would you want a suspension fork on a campus commuter bike? And dropbar conversion??

If I lived someplace flattish and had mostly 5-mile and under trips to do, I'd buy me the Large Schwinn Willy single speed, new, from a local dealer who will assemble it right. It's cheap, sturdy, RED, simple, bulletproof, and there's nothing on it worth stealing. Geared pretty low, not bad for small hills. Delta frame, not as laid back and heavy as a real cruiser. You could even stick drops on it, why not? And it has all the braze-ons and holes for the stuff you want to put on it.

The only reason I don't have one is my rides are too long and hilly. And it's still tempting.

The death fork was on some of those models and it would just snap in half with no warning.
I want a drop bar vintage mtb because they are awesome, versatile, and I would like to take it off road once in a while.
How about this mb-4?
http://localbikeoutlet.com/product_c...ountain-bikes/
I like it but is it worth the money?

Maybe this one would be better?

http://tampa.craigslist.org/psc/bik/3551802198.html

I like the Bridgestone (lugged frame!), though I hate the fork. Definitely worth $200 if you like it and the parts aren't too worn. Just my opinion, after looking at a million CL ads.

Keep in mind that putting drop bars on an MTB means you'll either have to decide what concentions to make as far as stock MTB lever placement is concerned or how much money you want to spend on road brake levers. MTB brake levers were designed for flat(ish) bars and road bike levers have the wrong lever ratio and lack barrel adjusters to be directly fit to v-brakes without a little finagling.

When I put drops on an MTB I also mounted a pair of bar ends on the top of the drops (the upper portion running parallel to the frame) and mounted the MTB levers to the bar ends. Essentially what I had was a flat bar with drops... however I didn't have quick access to the brakes when in the drops. Clear as mud? ;)

Clear as mud. I think I'm going to have to make my current road bike my commuter. The wife just doesn't understand n+1 or the fact that I can pay off the bike in gas saved with 51 trips to campus :/