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I'm in the market for a commuter bike for my daily commute to work. The people at Bike Doctor and Westwood cycle, recommended me a few models. I'm basically a noob when it comes to bike and parts. I was hoping some people could see based the specs, which bikes would be the best buy.
hmm for that kind of coin ( ~$800+taxes) you could probably get an older gen (like two or three years) cyclocross bike with 105 components. That said, the riding position would be a bit different but if you wanted to take it out on the weekends you'd have a road worthy ride!
full disclosure: I'm partially biased against 'commuter' bikes in general things weigh like 25pds which is fine if your commute is all flat, but if it isn't then you're going to hate the thing pretty quick.
edit: so yeah I just picked up my coworker's flat-bar commuter. Definitely over 30 pounds! It seems to be a nicer Giant one as well.
Last edited by dat_steve; 09-19-2013 at 12:07 PM.
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I use mine for road riding on weekends and I just put fenders on for winter commutes, looks ugly man. They really are a do-all type bicycle. If you're planning on toughing it out and commuting in foul weather, which we get 6 months of, I would opt for a disk brake model.
As for weight in a commuter, its not crucial to be light but it does help for longer rides. Having low gears on the other hand trumps weight IMO. I'm in the range of 25-26lbs fully loaded. Remove fenders, saddle bag, light, and top tube pad hovers around 21-22lbs. Sub 20lbs with my secondary road wheels.
HHmmm, well my commute to work right now is about 10-15 minute by car depending on traffic. My route is mostly along Rumble up to Boundary toward Joyce area. There aren't really any significant hills along the route so the weight isn't really an issue. I probably won't be carrying much of anything. Just snacks, lunch and workout gear. So I don't really worry about installing a rack.
any good 3/4 or at least, waterproof work pants that are "affordable"? I know there is outlier's but I was hoping to spend about 50-100 on a pair of cycling pants that will look semi decent with a dress shirt.
HHmmm, well my commute to work right now is about 10-15 minute by car depending on traffic. My route is mostly along Rumble up to Boundary toward Joyce area. There aren't really any significant hills along the route so the weight isn't really an issue. I probably won't be carrying much of anything. Just snacks, lunch and workout gear. So I don't really worry about installing a rack.
This is basically my commuting route to work, but in the opposite direction. You'll be fine with an old mountain bike with slick tires installed, if you want to save some money. Also, if you want to stay off Rumble to avoid car traffic, there's the 7-11 bike route, but you may have to dodge pedestrians depending on time of day. I would still install a rear rack, just to give you more options of how you want to carry gear. I use a rackpack, this one but older version: Mountain Equipment Co-op - MEC Rackpack 2 RT member reviews - product reviews - read top member ratings
Prevents you from having a sweaty back, and when you get off your bike, you can carry it like a backpack.
If you want to go the Mtn. bike route, let me know, I have a few kicking around.
any good 3/4 or at least, waterproof work pants that are "affordable"? I know there is outlier's but I was hoping to spend about 50-100 on a pair of cycling pants that will look semi decent with a dress shirt.
Maybe you would like the Shower's Pass hybrid pants. I have a pair from 3 years ago, and still going strong, good resilience against light rain, can zip off bottom of legs to convert to knickers, and I wear them in the office often. However, they are slightly above $100, but imo, a good investment.
This is basically my commuting route to work, but in the opposite direction. You'll be fine with an old mountain bike with slick tires installed, if you want to save some money. Also, if you want to stay off Rumble to avoid car traffic, there's the 7-11 bike route, but you may have to dodge pedestrians depending on time of day. I would still install a rear rack, just to give you more options of how you want to carry gear. I use a rackpack, this one but older version: Mountain Equipment Co-op - MEC Rackpack 2 RT member reviews - product reviews - read top member ratings
Prevents you from having a sweaty back, and when you get off your bike, you can carry it like a backpack.
If you want to go the Mtn. bike route, let me know, I have a few kicking around.
Well I was thinking of taking that jogging/ bike route that runs along the skytrain from Royal Oak Station that runs along Metro and Central park to get to and from work.
I'm most likely gonna leave my work clothes at work and just change when I get there.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dat_steve
hmm for that kind of coin ( ~$800+taxes) you could probably get an older gen (like two or three years) cyclocross bike with 105 components. That said, the riding position would be a bit different but if you wanted to take it out on the weekends you'd have a road worthy ride!
full disclosure: I'm partially biased against 'commuter' bikes in general things weigh like 25pds which is fine if your commute is all flat, but if it isn't then you're going to hate the thing pretty quick.
edit: so yeah I just picked up my coworker's flat-bar commuter. Definitely over 30 pounds! It seems to be a nicer Giant one as well.
Hhhmm, I gotta admit, the bike is kinda heavy, not that heavy. I admit I do like the feel of those $1,500+ road bikes. Like I don't really know much about bike parts. Like are there any particular brands I should stick with or avoid?
Couldn't get my bike to shift properly so I brought it in. The guy says I need a new chain. That was quick! I think it was barely 2500km. How fast are you guys burning through a chain?
Depends on how u take care of the chain and cassette.
I got at least 8000 kms out of the chain and my cassette is still in mint condition. I replaced my chain 2mons ago when it started to shift funny. They measured it using the park tool and showed me it was worn out Posted via RS Mobile
Yeh, I had definitely neglected my chain for a while, and he measured it with his tool as well. Off the chart. Haha. But after asking a few other riders, 2000km seems to be about normal with hard riding. So i'm not too upset. New one on the way, with a new set of tires.
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