New guy starting a commute.
 

Well hello people of this forum. I am planning on starting a pretty regular commute(maybe daily maybe every other day) of about 13 miles round trip. Yes I know it is short. I have a Cadillac MDS 2.4 Men's Mountain Bike. Yes I know it is a bad bike, but hey give me a brake I bought it at 15. it said cadillac it looked cool, what more do you want? Well anyways, I am trying to, as no one I would say, pimp out my bike. I just trashed the cruddy tires the bike came with so I am in the market for new ones. I am looking at these. I am trying to keep it budget but not cheap and crappy. I am also tryng to find the most comfortable solution for carrying a small backpack with a change of clothe. My commute will be to martial arts dojo so I need to carry the gi. I am also wondering, what to wear? I am thinking long sleeve cotton t? I will be riding in california during the summer at about 5pm. The sun is not killer but it is not nice. Well, Let'm rip.

Umm...Ok? A link to store? The heck do I need that for? I was asking on advice about good cheap commuting tires.

13 miles is a healthy commute. Don't sell yourself short. The hardest part of commuting is knowing you have to get somewhere at a certain time, do your job/workout/whatever, and come back.

Use any backpack you have for now. When your back gets sweaty, think about a rack and a trunk bag or inexpensive panniers from Nashbar or other discount store.

When I started commuting, it was on a 30-year old bike that hadn't been well maintained. I found I really liked commuting, but didn't like my bike. So I saved until I could afford a new one. It doesn't have to be expensive, and you can get excellent used bikes from Craigslist.

Happy trails.

x2 on the backpack getting sweaty. It will work, but it won't be that comfortable. I would look into putting a cargo rack on the back. They shouldn't be too expensive. Then, you can tie stuff to it, use bungie cords, get a milk crate or other sturdy box, and just stuff your things in there. It will also make your bike a lot more versatile if you ever want to bring home groceries or whatever.

It is nice to know 13 miles is decent. I thought it would be like a 15 mile minimum.
I figured as much with the backpack. I have used it for now on shorter rides to carry heavier load. It is not ideal but it works for now. My problem is that if you look at the bike it is full suspension so it is hard to find a rack.
My main concern though is my tires. Like i mentioned earlier, I trashed the rear tire so I need to find an upgrade. The one I posted above seems like a cool tire. It is like the best of a narrow tire and a fat tire.
Also how do I know the dimmensions I should be looking for? I only know that the wheels are 26.

As for the tires, I started commuting on an old mountain bike with Continental Towne and Country 26 x 1.9 tires. After maybe 300 miles, I thought about a smaller tire, and not knowing if I would like it, I went with the Forte 26 x 1.5 tires (9 bucks a piece). Looking at the specs, the smaller tires were each half a pound lighter than the larger ones, and it made for a better ride and I could actually notice the weight difference. I'm not big on the bike weight, but if you are looking at it, wheels are the first place to start.
My commute is 24 miles round trip and I will stick with the 1.5 inch tires. It may ride a little stiffer at 50psi vs the 40psi I was running in the continentals, but for a mid range commute, it works better.

I got nothing out of that story. I am sorry. I am just a little dense about the number in bikes. I have no idea what fits my rims. I have no Idea what tires I am using. All I know is that I have the stock tires on this bike.

The Kenda tire in your link seems just fine for commuting. And you really should learn at least the basics: in byrd's post above: wheel size=26 (this is the diameter of the wheel) and the 1.9 number quoted above is the nominal width of the tire. Lower numbers mean skinnier tires. He's stating that Forte-brand, $9 1.5-thick tires seem to work great for him.

These things are good to know as you'll want to carry at least one spare inner tube and a basic set of tools (for the inevitable flat, seat post height adjustment, etc.).

How do I know if they will fit my bike? As a repair thing, cant I use one of those canisters of compressed air that also seal the tire? Like the one for cars.

It seems like you have the right frame of mind. Use what you have for now. You will learn, it time, what you really need. It may be a few things here and there, or it may be an entirely new bike. 13 miles round trip is a good distance, but not hard. That's about the same as my daily commute and I love it. I often extend it further, but just as often, I'm glad it's so short.

Just get out and ride, and you'll figure the rest out. These forums are a treasure trove of information.

Those canisters don't have compressed air, they have foam that hardens. Good for getting a trashed car tire to a shop to install a replacement, but not good for repairs. Get a tire patch kit (<$10) and you'll be okay. Lots of people carry spare tubes around just because it's faster to install a new tube than to patch the existing tube.

I believe that if you get the right wheel size, the tire will fit, but beware of the clearance between the wheel and the frame. Look at the size of the tires the bike came with and go from there. I ride 700x32 (both in millimeters, so about 27.55"x1.26") and they work great for my commute (14 mile roundtrip).

Don't worry about the details yet. After a few weeks, you'll get some good ideas on what you need and what you don't.

I use a Burley Travoy to carry my stuff when I commute. It is great for commuting and for the things you mentioned.

Here is my review: http://www.280dude.com/2013/04/24/oobe-burley-travoy/

Here is the manufacturer's site: http://www.burley.com/home/bur/page_11329

http://www.burley.com/shop/images/tr...llowonline.jpg

Some thoughts...
1. Good for you for wanting to commute by bike!
2. Tires: I am a fan of panaracer pasela tourguard tires. They are a more puncture-resistant than many tires, so you should get fewer flats. With some looking, they can be had for $20-25 each (retail is about $30). They come in 26x1.75 and 26x2-either will work with your bike.
3. Flats: Get a spare tube, a flat kit, and a small pump you can carry along. If you are on a bus line (and the buses have bike racks) and are willing to wait for the next bus if you get a flat, you can skip the pump, and just fix any flats when you get home. I prefer to replace my tube when I get a flat, then patch it when I am back home. If you are unfamiliar with the process, there are tons of youtube videos that should be able to help you out. Practice a couple times at home, that way when you get a flat, it is raining, and you need to quickly change a tube to get to work on time, you can fly through it.
4. Racks: I took a look online at your bike, and a standard rack won't attach to it. However, there are seatpost-mounted racks that will. They have limited weight capacity, and you can't hang panniers off the sides of most of them. That said, you can use a couple bungies to strap on your backpack or a milk crate in which you put your backpack or other bag.

Good luck! You sound like you are off to a good start.

Don't spend too much money on that bike because you'll have to start over when you get your new bike in a few months... :rolleyes:

Seriously that's about what I did: I bought a lot of stuff I don't need and a lot of accessories for a bike that I replaced after a 5-6 months. Like others sugested get the minimum to fix a flat and go ahead, it won't take too long before you know what you want and what you need.

Welcome to bike commuting and good luck

Thanks Guys.
@Monkey. Overkill much?
I am trying to keep it simple. for now I guess I will just start out with the new tires and a helmet and a plain long sleeve white t. I will see how it transforms down the road.

Heh... maybe. I don't pack as much as that stock photo has. What I use it for is when I can commute and I have not prepared. Laptop, food, clothes, etc. I tend to talk myself out of going if I have to stuff all that into a backpack. With the Travoy I don't have an excuse anymore. I'm sure I'll find new excuses but I may not be able to convince myself.

Also.... I will use that when camping off my bike.

Well I'm sure its fine for you but I meant it is overkill to carry around a gi in.

As others have said, 13 miles is decent, and nothing to be ashamed of. My old commute was 9 miles round trip, and I normally carried a backpack, in part because I didn't trust my laptop to a rack bag. I do have a rack, and occasionally used it to augment. You will be able to find seat-post mounted racks, usually with a load limit of around 20 pounds, that will work fine with your full-suspension bike.

As for tires, that kenda does look about right. However, I recommend finding a local bike shop, for two important reasons. The first is that they may be able to teach you some basic repair, like changing a tire, and may have a beginner class to cover such things. The second is that you will end up needing repairs that are beyond your ability, and it's good to have a working relationship built before you bring the bike in the first time.

Buy some slick tires for your bike and an inexpensive rear rack and rack-top bag. If you have a Performance Bike store nearby, you should be able to get all of the items without too much money. If buying on-line, Nashbar apparently has all of its stock on sale this week, and they would carry such items.

I, personally, wouldn't invest money in trying to convert that bike into a commuter (unless you plan on riding mostly on bumpy dirt roads/trails for your commute). Save your money (the money you would've spent trying to convert it and some additional money / sell the bike) and invest in a practical road bike for commuting. Even if you did convert it, it'd never work as well as a true road bike (too heavy, too much wasted energy with the front and rear suspension, probably not designed to easily take fenders or racks, etc). If it were me, I'd just use it as is (inflate the tires to max recommended pressure) while I saved and researched for a real road commuting bike. While doing this, you'll probably discover whether or not bike commuting is for you. You'll get experience riding in traffic, carrying stuff, working on your bike (for the inevitable flats / maintenence that's required). By the time you have enough saved, you should be in much better biking shape, you'll have a much better idea of what you want / don't want in a commuter, and if you find out that bike commuting isn't for you, you're not out any money. If you've gotten used to commuting on that beast, moving up to a real road commuter will feel like going from an overweight, underpowered, overly plush (read energy sapping), slow, impracticle vehicle to an efficient, practical, FAST (in comparison) real road bike. You can always keep the cadillac and use it for it's intended purpose - mtb.

I may be misreading the OP, but my understanding is that the OP wants to make this workable as is, and currently that means at the very least, replacing a tire. I do agree that saving up for a better commuter rig is great, but that shouldn't discourage the OP from using the tool at hand as well as possible.

X2. Slick-up that bad boy, toss a pack over your shoulder with basic tools, a pump, patch kit, and have at it... No reason why it wouldn't work. Later, when you find you love the idea of cycling to work, you can come ask us about the N+1 factor... :thumb: