commuter bike – road vs. hybrid vs. mountain

[rose_surfer]

@Crickey7 102562 wrote:

Disk brakes are non-negotiable in a commuter in my book.

what do you mean by this? I’m assuming you mean they are a must if I am going to commute in bad weather? That would be one factor that would push me away from my trek obviously…

[Crickey7]

@rose_surfer 102597 wrote:

what do you mean by this? I’m assuming you mean they are a must if I am going to commute in bad weather? That would be one factor that would push me away from my trek obviously…

Yes, as in must-have. Everyone’s tastes are different. I appreciate the low maintenance and predictable modulation in every weather situation.

[dasgeh]

There’s no one right answer for everyone. A lot of it is personal preference. The main question is geometry — do you like drop-bar geometery or flat-bar?

Then you have individual components: fenders, rack (v. backpack and to be fancy, you could even consider a front rack or basket), brakes, max tire size, super maintenance free (internally geared hubs, possibly with a belt drive) — those will determine which frames are options. Other stuff, like lights, can be added to any bike, though you want to think about them when you’re building up the bike, as you may want to get a dynahub.

In other words, the question isn’t really road v. hybrid v. mountain. The question is what do you like to ride, and what options do you want to have available on it. We can help you understand some of the trade-offs, but really, it’s personal preference.

Also, a commute to Capital Hill will be different depending on where you end up, so you may want to figure that out before committing to a bike.

Oh, and with the free, secure, covered bike parking in Hart, and with CaBi so far from the building, I wouldn’t rely on it either. Though it’s nice to have if you’re running errands, or doing a one-way trip.

[jabberwocky]

I disagree that discs are “must haves” for bad weather. My first two commuters were disc equipped CX bikes (a Redline Conquest and a Lemond Poprad), and my current is a carbon roadie with road caliper brakes. 99% of the time there is really no noticeable difference. The other 1% the difference is marginal. I honestly don’t think road mechanical discs are really that great (both my bikes had Avid BB7 roads). Put a good set of pads in road brakes, like the koolstop salmons, and you’re good.

I do look forward to the day that hydraulic discs become more common on road bikes, but they aren’t there yet.

[chris_s]

Start commuting on your current bike. Everything you’re talking about buying is probably transferable to another bike. Riding your current bike for several months will give you the best possible information on how you would like your next bike to be different: personal experience.

You may think now that you want your commuter to be faster and then discover after riding for several months that you prefer a leisurely pace. You may think now that you want a more up-right riding position in order to have a better view of traffic, but discover after riding for several months that you actually spend the majority of your time in the drops. Wait and see.

[ebubar]

@rose_surfer 102594 wrote:

I guess i’ve been out of the loop because I’d never heard of them, but they look perfect. When I bought my trek, I originally was tempted by cyclocross bikes but really couldn’t justify the extra expense given that in Florida I ride exclusively on the roads. But if those can really be had for under $1k they look perfect. The diverge elite A1 looks like the closest match to my 1.5 in terms of componentry, etc. After reading a bunch of the posts above, I was kind of sold on the idea of just riding my trek for a while, maybe upgrading the wheels. But those gravel grinders look awfully tempting. I really like the idea that if I need to cut across a path or a patch of grass or something, I can.

I don’t know that you’re out of the loop. It seems like more manufacturers have been releasing and/or rebranding cross-ish bikes that fit this “gravel” moniker better. They seem to generally be road bikes with large tire clearance, disc brakes and super comfortable geometry for all day riding!

For what is worth i’ve got about 3000+ miles on my Sora equipped road bike commuter. It has held up just fine with only 1 chain replacement. While many online forums disparage Sora, I’m perfectly happy with it, so “lower end” components don’t scare me.

These “gravel bikes” seem just a little more built for comfort over long rides when compared with a cross-bike, so while they’re similar to cyclocross, they are also a bit different.

Since you seem interested in gravels, i’ll summarize my finding thus far after my many hours of dreaming research:

Giant Revolt 2/3 – $1025 – I’ve test ridden this one. It was a size too large, but I still REALLY loved it. Wider/more knobby tires, but rolls quite nicely on pavement. Also had cross-brakes for upright riding. There’s another person on here that rides one of these and says he loves it!

Giant Anyroad – $1025 – Skinnier tires (32’s) and looks more performance oriented. Gets good reviews but isn’t easy to mount a rack and fenders, though it is possible (i’ve seen forum pictures). I think it looks pretty snazzy. Like a poor man’s Vojagi Viaje!

Specialized Diverge – $? – I’ve researched this one the least as I think Specialized is overpriced for what you get. My brother (whom i’ve inspired to start bike commuting!) is set on getting this one though! He was sold on it by the bike shops out in the California desert where he lives.

GT Grade – $899+ – This one gets GREAT reviews from Bikeradar. The tires are smaller (700×28) but it can fit larger ones. From my research, this one seems the most “road”-like. I like the looks of this one for the price. It seems like a fair cost to me and my bargain hunting. I really need to go for a test ride… (performance bikes)

BUDGET OPTIONS:

Bikesdirect Gravity Zilla 29er (http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/gravity/zilla.htm) – $599 – The bargain option in the bunch. This is the one i’d replace my hybrid with if I wanted to do so on a budget…or just wanted a project to play with!

Charge Plug – $599+ – The local bargain option in the bunch. A steel gravel bike. Supposed to have large tire clearance and gets reasonably good reviews for the lower price (the Sora-specced version).

[dplasters]

@baiskeli 102581 wrote:

Whatever you do, don’t get a bike from Singapore, Hong Kong or North Korea!

Except this bike. You may purchase this bike from Singapore. It is pretty.

I am another no racks, no fender (I actually use an sks s-blade on the rear) rider. A good backpack/messenger is a must if you prefer this setup. Your future path/route could make a big difference in what works for you.

Any old bike will work a large majority of the time. I’d suggest giving it a go with what you currently have before deciding it can’t do the job*.

*My Advice is moot because:
I haven’t ridden through a winter here yet
My bike is far too hipster
Who uses bullhorn handlebars?
Two speeder? What the hell is that?

[Justin Antos]

@dkel 102593 wrote:

Not everyone likes fenders, as apparent from the responses on this thread

Fenders are also a really nice courtesy to the bicyclist(s) behind you. Don’t spray ’em!

[Justin Antos]

@chris_s 102605 wrote:

Riding your current bike for several months will give you the best possible information on how you would like your next bike to be different

Really good advice!! Hear hear. You know more about you than a Forum.

[jabberwocky]

The bottom line is that you’ll find a lot of variety to commuting setups. One persons “absolute must have” won’t matter at all to someone else. Some people won’t even look at a bike that doesn’t have full racks and fenders, others carry things in a backpack or messenger bag and have nothing on the bike. Some want discs, others are happy with rim brakes. Some ride converted mountain bikes or big heavy hybrids, others are on lightweight road bikes. Fixie vs singlespeed vs geared. There is really no right answer, so theres a lot of “what do you want?”

I’d recommend test riding some bikes and seeing if anything tickles your fancy. A bike you’re excited about is a bike you’ll ride more often. Doesn’t really matter why you like it if you do.

@Justin Antos 102610 wrote:

Fenders are also a really nice courtesy to the bicyclist(s) behind you. Don’t spray ’em!

The spray kept people from riding my ass on the W&OD, which I considered a feature rather than a bug.

[kcb203]

I’m a firm believer in N+1 and have six bikes currently. Carbon race bike with 23mm race tires, full-suspension MTB, flat-bar road bike, cyclocross bike, fixie, and triathlon/TT bike. I’ve commuted on all except the MTB, but I tend to gravitate to the road bike. Despite going into the potholes of DC on a regular basis, the only flat I’ve had on the skinny tires in the past 1.5 years was on a smooth stretch of the W&OD.

I’ve had racks on the cross bike and the flat-bar road bike, but just prefer to use a backpack these days. I don’t have fenders on any of them, but I’m something of a fair weather commuter. (I typically drive if it’s raining in the morning, but don’t mind getting wet on the way home.)

That said, a cross bike is perfect for most anything. Put on knobby tires, and you can go 90% of the places a MTB can go. Put on skinny tires, and you’re 99% as fast as a pure road bike. If I only had one bike, it would be a cross bike.

[rose_surfer]

Great advice everyone! Thanks in particular to ebubar for the head start on the gravel grinder research. This forum is a great resource.

I think I’ll take the advice repeated a couple of times here to get started with what I have. I still need to figure out whether I’ll be carrying my clothes in and showering/changing at the gym, which will probably depend a lot on the distance, and that will drive the need 100% for fenders if I’m ever going to be commuting in my work clothes, along with the pannier/rack as well (I get sweaty with a pack on FAST).

Then it sounds like the rest of my decisions can wait. I’ve got 25mm bontrager hardwalls on there right now, and in about 1000 mi of riding I’ve only ever had one flat, and I’m pretty sure it was from my garage. So I may not even need to change out the tires & wheelset for now.

[baiskeli]

@rose_surfer 102597 wrote:

what do you mean by this? I’m assuming you mean they are a must if I am going to commute in bad weather? That would be one factor that would push me away from my trek obviously…

I’ve never used disk brakes. They’re negotiable in my book.

[hozn]

I am a disc brake fanboy if ever there was one; all of my bikes (MTB, CX, and road) are disc-brake, but I agree with others that they are not necessary. I was able to commute just fine before them, whether on my road bike or ‘cross/commuter. In general, I think rim brakes will go the way of CRT monitors, but they are still standard equipment on the road. And they work adequately [on alloy rims].

And you definitely don’t need a rack or fenders to commute. They can be nice, especially if you have a bike you can dedicate to commuting. Commuting is great, but it is not the most fun I have on the bike. So my fenders are removable and I don’t use a rack. I can transform it into an off-road bike in a few minutes. And *that* is much more fun.

Finally, I will say that my experience doesn’t match dkel’s when it comes to fenders keeping the bike nice/clean longer. My chain wear is affected by riding conditions, but has made no noticeable difference if I have fenders or not (I used to have full fenders with mud guards that nearly touched the ground). The chain is gonna get dirty regardless. Same for rest of the bike. But fenders do help you stay dry/clean when roads are wet. And I find them useful enough to deal with the clip-on variety. I have no doubt that others have different/better experiences, but don’t expect a magic bullet there.

[jabberwocky]

@rose_surfer 102632 wrote:

I think I’ll take the advice repeated a couple of times here to get started with what I have. I still need to figure out whether I’ll be carrying my clothes in and showering/changing at the gym, which will probably depend a lot on the distance, and that will drive the need 100% for fenders if I’m ever going to be commuting in my work clothes, along with the pannier/rack as well (I get sweaty with a pack on FAST).

I missed that you already have a road bike when I originally read the post. Yeah, you’re set. Just grab a pack and start riding to work. It doesn’t need to be complicated. On a quick google perusal, the 1.5 does seem to have eyelets for a rack if you decided you’d rather do panniers. My first few years commuting, I bounced around between panniers and a rack, a backpack and a messenger bag before deciding on the messenger bag as my preferred method, but they all work and its just personal preference.

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