Bike for urban commuting
 

I recently moved to Chicago and need a bike. I have a mountain bike i'm using temporarily, but people often zoom past me on other styles. I was all set to get a road bike, but being the city with potholes and such, I'm afraid it will mess up the wheels.

I've been looking into cyclocross bikes as well as touring bikes, and fitness road bikes. Are there any road bikes that can also take a beating? My main quirk is that the bike go fast and also accelerate fast (a lot of yellow lights and stop and go traffic in the city, especially when i go downtown). Handling in the city is also a point, but definitely behind the speed factor. I was thinking I would avoid hybrids but they may be a necessary evil, and I am sort of leaning toward a cyclocross bike.

Any suggestions or input?

If it's going to spend any time outside, the prime criterion is that you don't mind it being stolen. Any speed gains with a nicer bike will be moot if your bike gets away from you :D

I'd go with a steel road bike that can accept larger tires before considering a hybrid. ;)

Skinnier, high pressure tires could help a lot on speed depending on what you are using.

But doesn't that put it at serious risk regarding potholes? I was thinking aluminum or carbon with a good hearty tire maybe? I don't mind feeling the bumps in the road, I just don't want it to mess up my bike or wheels.

I'll definitely keep a solid lock to keep thiefs at bay (to some extent).

And i guess one of my other questions is- what is the fastest alternative to a road bike?

26 in mountain bike wheels are normally stronger than the 700c and have higher spoke counts. Also tire inflation plays a key and you need to find the comfortable balance with some cush yet no pinch flats and good rolling resistance. Personally from my experience tires make the biggest difference. A carbon bike is just asking to get stolen and I personally think the frames can be brittle.

If you are really worried about the unavoidable potholes I think a 1.5 to 1.75 would do good. Also does the mountain bike have an aggressive geometry? If so it could be about the same speed as a flat bar hybrid.

Have you tried slicks on the mountain bike yet? Something like Schwalbe Big Apples? Great city tire.

No, its actually an old beat up mtn bike, good for getting from A to B, but not fast.

Would a mtn bike w slicks be faster than a hybrid?

I might just say screw it and get a road bike and take it back to the shop when the rims get out of symmetry, but I was hoping there would be a nearly as fast alternative to a road bike.

Note: I don't usuallly need to turn much (3 or 4 times on my way to most destinations), so I don't really think i care all that much about hybrid/mtn bike advantages.

Thanks for the help so far.

doesnt need to be impervious to potholes, just needs to be able to handle the quirks in the road.

Cyclocross road bikes seem to fit more to your liking. However, if I were you, I'd take a real close look at the Cannondale Commuter, the Jamis Coda, and the Surly Ogre.

* The Cannondale Commuter is the same as the Badboy 9 with fenders.

A cyclocross bike is a great choice for a commuter as long as it has eyelets for racks and fenders even if you are not going to use them. Eventually you might. With most cross bikes you have room for big tires to absorb some of the shock from crappy roads. Or you can go with 28's. Personally I wouldn't commute on anything less than 32's. You never talked price so that would help if you are looking for specific models.

i commute a few days a week on a trek antelope 800 (which was a hardtail mtn bike on knobby tires) in NYC usually trying to avoid the potholes - on slick tires 26 x 1.5" (nashbar kevlar - cheap) - sure they aren't as fast as the road bike but it does the job. about 16 miles round trip. switching from knobby to slicks based on recommendations here at bikeforums.net. the slicks make a big difference. i've only had one flat - but i couldn't even find a puncture on the tube but replaced it anyway because the tube is like 20 years old.

recently got on a trek fx 7.7 hybrid as my weekend "fun" bike -

Price is negotiable. I can be talked into pretty much anything. 4 or 5k absolute highest, but I probably wouldn't spend more than 2 or 3. Was hoping for something between 1 and 2, but like i said, I'm flexible.

Could be the reason why "others are zooming past" you is because they are simply stronger riders.

If you are planning on riding during the winter (not that far off now...), you'll be wanting something with clearance for wider tires. While you continue your search for a new ride, I do recommend that you swap out for some slicker tires- wide, smooth tires do tend to roll a bit smoother/faster than wide knobby ones.

I think a high-end, rigid, probably late 1990's MTB with slick tires and road gearing, possibly with a different handlebar setup, could be a good place to start.

I also like old sport-touring bikes for this purpose. But I rarely ever ride fast.

Mostly I would just avoid suspension, use a reasonable tire of whatever size you like, work out the appropriate gearing and an aero hand position, however you choose to do it.

I agree with this one!

Its possible, but its really just people with high end racing bikes going past (never hybrid or mtn). I'm not trying to match them, just trying to find something that can keep up.

+1 - my urbanized MTB with drops and slicks isn't a terribly fast bike, but it's quick enough.

80s sports tourer is a great choice too...sort of similar to cyclocross, but lower bb shell.

The high-end 'cross bikes are pure race bikes and don't have rack and fender eyelets. Something like a Cannondale CaadX, a Kona Jake, Ridley Crossbow, or a Trek CrossRip would suit your needs very well and all are under 2k. Keep in mind than any tire will get pinch flats in potholes if you don't keep the pressure high enough. As for the high bottom bracket, that's mainly a result of wider, deeper tires. If you put narrower ones on it's the same as any road bike. They could design for that height with large tires, but then the versatility of being able to use a variety of tires would be lost. You just get used to the bottom bracket height after a week or two.
A lot of people here in Saskatoon ride 'cross bikes for the same reason you want one - the roads are really bad and they don't want to plod along on a bike designed for something else. They've sort of replaced the old sport-touring bikes as the default road bike. The offshoot is a very active cyclocross race season.

Cyclocross can be a great alternative, depending on how you build it up. Durable wheels & speed/quicknesss sort of work against each other. You need to draw a line where you want to make that compromise. I ride 32mm tires on my cyclocross. I wouldn't go bigger than this for the city. You could even drop to a smaller size, depending on what conditions you are facing. I love my cross bike but, heavy wheel/tire combos will never spin up like a lightweight road wheel/tire combo. You can be quick on it. But don't expect any "bike" to propel you like a racer. That takes work

Look at the XRL Cyclocross Frame from performance bike. This is what I built up for our dirt roads & poor weather. Frame fork & headset for under $300. It has mounting points for racks etc. I've been happy with it. It doesn't carry the "wow" factor of a $4000k race bike. As a commuter it will work perfectly. & you could build it up any way you like. I built mine with campy record road components, cantilever brakes & a flat black spray paint job. It's a great frame for the price.

Cannondale bad boy
Giant Seek
Trek District

I have a bad boy and ride around NYC. Does well againsts the pot holes, and is strong and fast. Looks awesome and is cheap. Its a winner in my book.

If money is no ya problem, try a cannondale bad boy one with the lefty shock fork. I hot one this past year and ride in Philadelphia and it handles the potholes and obstacles just fine. It is a pretty fast bike to. And you can always lock out the shock if you want