Bike recommendation for someone starting a car free lifestyle

[dasgeh]

@dkel 86796 wrote:

If I were going to build from scratch (or have someone do it for me ), I’d be thinking about this that I saw today. Complete build is only available in the UK, I believe. I don’t know much about it…I’d be interested what others think!

IT COMES IN PURPLE! Too bad it doesn’t take belt drives (from a quick glance…)

[jabberwocky]

@vvill 86803 wrote:

Ah yeah I should’ve read that first, Falls Church would be a jaunt from Takoma Park. I’ve also heard good things about Proteus (also Bicycle Space and the Bike Rack, fwiw). Proteus also carry Bianchi, Kona and Jamis, amongst their brands (same as Bikenetic!)

I recommended Bikenetic to her previously just because Pete works there (and Pete is pretty much the awesomest human being alive), but it is a bit of a trek. Though its not that far via metro. I did point out that, living car free and having one bike, you definitely want excellent local support. No bike is 100% reliable or lasts forever.

[jrenaut]

I have had excellent experiences (and bought bikes from) Proteus, Bicycle Space, and the Bike Rack. The most difficult thing for me is not supporting my LBS but supporting all my LBSes.

[ebubar]

I’m in Takoma Park too! I just bought a Jamis Quest Comp from Proteus. Excellent and smooth steel bike that’s worth a look (though I’m still wondering if I should’ve gotten a Volpe instead). It’s a bit faster and slightly lighter/livelier than the the Volpe, although not quite as versatile. I would definitely recommend Proteus (only about 7 miles from Takoma Park).

I also have some experience with Takoma Bikes. They’re a good bunch of people too. The owner is always there working on fixing up peoples older bikes. I’d give them a look too. They carry Giant, Masi and Redline.

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[ebubar]

If interested I can share a mostly trail route that will get you to Proteus from Sligo Creek trail too!

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[SoSubtlyObvious]

@ebubar 86861 wrote:

If interested I can share a mostly trail route that will get you to Proteus from Sligo Creek trail too!

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Yes, interested! Thank you!

[SoSubtlyObvious]

Hi! Thanks for all the great info and advice! Thanks, jabberwocky, for posting on my behalf. There is a lot here, and I’m grateful! I’m registered and can participate now, hopefully more so when it’s not past my bedtime!

[Dirt]

Seems odd to have a guy with 27 bikes giving advice about having only one bike. Keep that in mind as you read this.

Lots of good recommendations here. Finding “the one” bike should involve a lot of test rides. Not only do you want a bike that you enjoy riding, but it also helps you shop for a shop. If you’re not going to work on the bike yourself, there will inevitably be times when you need to get it fixed or tuned up.

When shopping for a shop, see if the shop will let you make an appointment to bring your bike in the night before they need to work on it. During peak season, some shops can get 2-3 week back-ups for repairs. Find a shop that you’re comfortable giving your money to. Having it close to home is important. Find a shop that has people who listen and communicate well.

Bring your bike in for service before it is completely broken down. It’ll save you money, time and headaches. Learn to clean and lube your chain. Keep it clean! the drivetrain will last much, much longer.

My suggestion for “the one” bike takes a little different form. I won’t recommend a specific bike, but just some things to think about.

• Fenders — Help keep you dry
• Racks front and rear (Now and then I carry a lot of stuff. Balancing the load helps) Think about the most stuff you’ll ever need to carry and then get a bike that can haul a little more.
• Comfort: For me, that is drop bars. For you it could be flat bars, or riser bars.
• Basket: It is sooooooo easy to have a way to just drop stuff in the basket and go
• Fat tires: They’re more flat resistant and give a more comfortable ride. You’ve got room for studded tires for winter. You may not be psyched for that now, but in a few years you’ll want that option.

Mine

I’m sure that I’ve forgotten stuff, but that’s a start.

[Sunyata]

I recently purchased a new commuter bike and had a few requirements to narrow down the field of choices:

I wanted a bike that was virtually maintenance free. I have four other bikes (three mountain and one road) that require regular maintenance that can take up a lot of time. I did not want my daily commuter to have to take up extra time when I could be riding.

I wanted a bike that was fairly light (base model <26 pounds) since I would be loading it up with racks and lights.

I wanted a bike that had gears. I live near Shirlington and work in Clarendon… My commute to work is ALL up hill.

I wanted a bike that had flat bars and disc brakes. I am above all a mountain biker and feel much more comfortable on flat bars and with the stopping power of disc brakes, especially in less than ideal weather.

So, I opted for a belt drive with IGH, which narrowed my choices considerably. I looked at several (Spot Brand Ajax, BMC Urban Challenge, Scott Sub, Focus Urban, and Raleigh Misceo 4.0), but ultimately chose the Raleigh Misceo due to components and price.

And I must say, the Misceo has been my absolute favourite bike purchase ever. It is super fun to ride, requires only pumping the tires up on occasion as maintenance, and has made my commutes to and from work the best part of my day.

If the individual in question wants to test ride mine (it is a medium frame), I will be happy to let her. It really is a fun bike, super stable, and stealthily quiet!

[83b]

I’ll just throw in a recommendation to go check out the Daily Rider on H Street NE and Bicycle Space by the downtown convention center when you’re checking out shops. Almost everything in both stores is oriented toward transportation cycling and the staffs are both great. If I were you I’d test ride everything in both stores!

[SoSubtlyObvious]

Yes to test rides; yes to shop recommendations! Thank you to everyone!

So, I am the 2014 car/bike trader New Belgium selected! Hooray! (video is on youtube, if you care to see my entry) That means tomorrow at Tour de Fat, I get to symbolically trade in my car for a bike, and that in the next week or so, I need to find a shop to work with, decide whether to build or buy complete, and check out some weather appropriate gear! I just got a call from the tow company who will actually pick up the car, so wheels are in motion! I’m super excited!

This last couple of days have been crazy busy, so I hope to check in here a bit more in the next couple of days. I have been reading and appreciating all the posts, if not responding very efficiently, yet.

Dirt, your suggestions are right in line with what I’m looking at. Thank you for confirming that I’m on the right track! And (one of)your bike(s) is very pretty. *droooool*

dasgeh, I definitely will be picking your brain, if you don’t mind, about family biking and errands. I think you had asked about groceries, etc. Yes, I plan to do it all by bike, as much as I can. Our family consists of my 12 year old son, my 9 year old daughter, and me. We do have car2go, zipcar, and metro all within a very reasonable walking distance, so emergency situations should be just fine. Everything else will be pedal power.

First priority this weekend is to pick a shop to work with. Thanks for the suggestions so far, and do keep ’em comin’. Your endorsements help a lot, as I’m still pretty new to the DC area.

Also, if you’re going to Tour de Fat, I hope to meet some of you there!

[PotomacCyclist]

In addition to a new bike, I would recommend an annual Capital Bikeshare membership, depending on how close she lives to one of the four bike stations in Takoma Park. She may want to do one-way trips on occasion: if it rains in the morning, she could still ride CaBi in the evening; trips in the early evening for an event that won’t end until late at night; etc.

[Sunyata]

Congrats on getting rid of your car! I was at the TdF, but missed the reveal of the trade-in winner because I was distracted by (drooling over) the ELF near the other stage.

If you wanted to check out/test ride my Raleigh, feel free to let me know. I am in Alexandria, but can meet you in DC as long as I can bike there.

[SoSubtlyObvious]

@Sunyata 87202 wrote:

Congrats on getting rid of your car! I was at the TdF, but missed the reveal of the trade-in winner because I was distracted by (drooling over) the ELF near the other stage.

If you wanted to check out/test ride my Raleigh, feel free to let me know. I am in Alexandria, but can meet you in DC as long as I can bike there.

Not to worry! There was a lot going on there! This week is nuts for me, being my last week at work, friends in town on Friday, and organizing my car donation! I hope I can squeeze in some bike time, and more specifically, time to visit shops and test ride stuff! Next week will be a much, much more open schedule! I hope.

[dasgeh]

@SoSubtlyObvious 87099 wrote:

dasgeh, I definitely will be picking your brain, if you don’t mind, about family biking and errands. I think you had asked about groceries, etc. Yes, I plan to do it all by bike, as much as I can. Our family consists of my 12 year old son, my 9 year old daughter, and me. We do have car2go, zipcar, and metro all within a very reasonable walking distance, so emergency situations should be just fine. Everything else will be pedal power.

That’s awesome. We now have a midtail (Yuba elBoda) and a bakfiets (bakfiets.nl), both with e-assist. We LOVE them both, though they have their own pros and cons. I also ride a road bike to work, which is faster. E-assist doesn’t really make you faster because the bikes are much heavier, and in our case, carry a lot of stuff. It just makes it easier to carry the stuff, which enables us to do more by bike. We pretty much only use our car for trips, and we live in a hilly part of Arlington. I can pedal 2 kids in the bakfiets without e-assist (did it the other weekend when the battery died), but I would max out at lower mileage. Plenty of people do cargo without eassist. If you were interested in that route, I’d recommend looking at the Kinn midtail, which I think is lighter than the Boda, but may not be able to handle as much on the back. I like the idea that an adult or 2 kids can sit on the back of the Boda. If you really need cargo capacity, you can go long tail — Yuba Mundo, xtracycle Edgerunner, Kona Ute or Surly Big Dummy, each with its pros and cons. I realized pretty quickly that we didn’t need that much cargo capacity (we also have the bakfiets), so focused on midtails. (Kona also made and will make a midtail, the MinUte, but they’re not making it this year. )

HTH

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