I've been commuting just long enough now to gain some clarity about what I want in my next bike and could use some help sorting out some questions. Just for clarity's sake: the new bike is probably 8 months away. I'm still in the "mental building" stage.

So, here's the issue: I want a step-through frame so that I can ride in skirts and dresses (as it is I have to change once I get to work not because of the weather, but because of my bike frame). I don't want rim brakes, which make me nervous in wet conditions. There are plenty of step through frames that can use drum/roller brakes and that might be how I go, but I've also been reading lots of great things about disk brakes.

The only step-through frame I've come across that I know will take disk brakes is the Soma Buena Vista, but it's not really a step through. The top tube is 26" from the ground (if I'm reading the geometry correctly). That's almost the same height as the top tube on my current bike, I can't realistically mount/dismount in a dress.

So my question is, is there an easy way to tell if a bike will accept disk brakes? Here's an example of a frame I like: https://www.bellaciao.de/en/?page_id=159. It's the Bella Ciao Corvo Citta Donna. I also like the Velorbis Scrap Deluxe: https://www.velorbis.com/products/bic...-deluxe-ladies. I'm not wed to any particular frame right now, just want to know what my options are.

Thanks!

https://www.simpel.ch/velos/ww/14/damen.html

How about the Raleigh Detour 5.5, Route 5.0, or Classic Roadster? Their top cross bars slope down close to the level of the chain ring and they have disc brakes. The bar connects just about the same height as on some of the Trek (Verve, Shirt or Pure), Giant (Via, Cypress, or Simple), or Jamis (Citizen or Hudson) women's recreational bikes, but slopes up more quickly. The Giant Sedona has an even lower step through, but none of those bikes come with a disc brake option.

If you are not locked into big wheels , Bike Friday .. My Pocket Llama Has Disc Brakes..

Its frame tube is low [20"] and easy to swing my feet over it , in mounting/dismounting..


Neither of those bikes you referred to have fittings for disc Brakes , But wheels with Drum brakes dont need special frame fittings

but are good braking in foul weather Or Fair.

My Studded tire bike has Drum brakes , built on an old MTB (way pre Disc)

European market, as AF-7 offers , is Koga's super metro Ladies.
https://www.koga.com/koga_uk/#6

Is there a Kona dealer in your area?

https://www.konaworld.com/coco.cfm

Thanks, this is very helpful! The classic roadster looks very nice. I would need more than 3 gears, but I'm sure that hub could be switched out.

Oops, I just realized the classic roadster doesn't have disk brakes.

Yea, part of what I'm trying to figure out is whether it will make any difference whether I go with drum or disk brakes. Both seem good for wet conditions. I'm not planning to do any super fast, super steep descents, so disk brakes may not be the way to go. I've never had anything but rim brakes before, though, so I'm just trying to understand what my options are.

There is. I'll have to go check out that bike. I had hoped for an IGH because my commute has several hills where I have to stop right at the bottom. I just can't seem to get the hang of downshifting while going downhill, so it would be nice to be able to shift while stopped. Still, that Kona Coco looks interesting.

Had Sturmey Archer Drum brakes on one bike for 25 years, the brakes needed zero Service.

because the drum shoe has so much surface, on a bike , its wear is un noticeable ..

SA drum , IGH might need a few drops of oil in the gearbox every once in a while .

3, 5 and an 8speed (8speed the chainring would be tiny , since the 1st gear is the direct one

The other 7 are overdrive gears, so what you want for Low gear is the crankset chainring)

Now that is what I like to hear!


I'm still a little confused by how gearing works. This means that I adjust for easier or harder gears based on the size of the crankset vs. the size of the hub?

when the sprocket turns the hub-shell at the same rate as itself, that is is the direct 1:1 gear

with a 3 and 5 speed , that is the middle one .

but their 8 speed it is the one on the bottom end

all the others the gear ratio multiplies from that gear size
wheel turns faster than the cog on the hub turns.


so say the chain ring is a 30t, the cog on the hub 23t, the external ratio is 1.3:1 [x the wheel diameter]

that will be the Low gear.

insert ..divided/or multiplied by, rather than vs,.. and that's basically it.

Got it. Thanks.

That's one adorable bike, with many color options, except for the price.

For the front wheel, you could always get a different fork that accepts disc brakes. For the frame to accept disc brakes, there has to be some mounting tab or post on the left side either on the chainstay or seat stay to accept the caliper. Frames with the caliper mounted on the seat stay are better if you want to put a rack on the bike. The Soma Buena Vista will NOT take disc brakes; the two mounting tabs you see on the rear triangle are for a rack and fenders.

That said, however, I think for most people a disc brake on the front and rim or hub brake (or whatever you decide on) on the rear will work fine because the front does most of the braking even when it is wet outside.

to be fair ... it does have a Rohloff (14-speed IGH) which is about €1000/$1350 alone and accounts for roughly half the cost. As one would say in Germanised English, "Those Swiss know what they do when they build a bike."

I don't think the Buena Vista is designed for disc brakes. You'd have to have it modified by a frame building to have the disc tabs added.
The Kona Coco is a mixte that comes with disc brakes, a single chainring, and a rear cassette:
https://www.konaworld.com/coco.cfm

Thanks. I thought I saw an advertisement that said it could take disks. Must have misunderstood.

It does look pretty amazing and makes me wish we had more options like that in the US, though I'm not ready to spend that much just yet. Just at a glance, the frame doesn't look like it would be easy to step through, but the components are definitely great.

The Opus Zermatt Womens bike is step through and fitted with disc brakes.

More than enough for dresses and the like

I'm in the UK now and I can't find central european bikes that easily here as they're too expensive compared to people's disposable incomes.

Consider multi speed IGH bikes with coaster brake on rear, supplementary front brake of any type. This will provide all weather 100% reliability at a reasonable price (if you can find one where you live or shop.) In Germany they were quite common and inexpensive when I bought this seven speed bike for my daughter for about the equivalent of $450 or $500 in 2001. Perhaps Acidfast7 can provide an update on current availability of this type of bike.

https://www.lidl.de/de/City-Raeder

pretty good bikes for €300 or less:

https://www.lidl.de/de/City-Raeder/VC...ate-L-in-weiss

great bike for €219 (without VAT and the current EUR:USD conversation).

that's about 240USD new.

Thanks for the links---just to look at them is a pleasure . Europe certainly has more varieties of commuter bikes and bikes for women.

these guys make great bikes from €449 to €2000+

https://www.fahrradmanufaktur.de/de/index.php

they also offer most packages in "Herren" (men), "Damen" (women) and mixte-style frames. all with the same components just moved around.

in frankfurt, i worked with a woman who had 10 years commuting on hers with no service (7-speed IGH) just tire/tube changes. altough the distances are much shorter (maybe 20km for her or 13miles RT day).

Note that in Germany at least, plenty of men, especially older less flexible men, prefer to ride "women's" bikes because of the ease of mounting and dismounting the bike.

The alleged loss of frame strength/integrity of "women's" frames for typical riding is an urban myth propagated by the racing obsessed crowd. However this belief may explain why it is difficult to find such bikes in many U.S. LBS