Commuter Question – To Buy New or Used?

[Smurf183]

Hi all,
New to the forum. I commute on occasion and would like to do it much more frequently. I commute on a real p.o.s. and want to upgrade to something more enjoyable. I have a nice road bike for weekends and such, but don’t want to leave a nice bike locked up during the workday. Hence my question – for those who are adept at commuting – should I go for a new commuter/city bike? Or a used hybrid? Just looking for opinions on the matter from more experienced cyclists. And, yes I know any 2 wheels will do. But, I’d like to get something I am pumped to ride though, and also for quick errands around town. I live in Arlington and commute ~12 miles each way to National Harbor on road, trails, and crushed shells.
Thanks!
Sarah

Topic

[jabberwocky]

If you’re locking up outside all day, its probably best not to spend too much on your commuter. If it were me, I’d watch craigslist for a decent older road bike; something not too new, but still serviceable and nice to ride. Such bikes come up fairly frequently.

Kinda depends on how you like to commute though. If you’re a pannier person, you need something that can mount racks. I know the route you likely ride, and while the crushed shells are totally doable on 23mm road tires, they’re probably a bit more manageable on a larger tire. What are you riding now?

[TwoWheelsDC]

**Obligatory cyclocross bike recommendation**

[TwoWheelsDC]

Also, welcome to the forum!

[Smurf183]

Yeah, that’s probably the smartest option. Perhaps with the end of the season looming, more will appear on CL. The new fancy rides are just so very tempting right now. I just don’t want to spend the work day anxious about a stolen bike. My current commuter ride is some no-name bikes direct build yourself piece of sh** that cost ~$100. It’s a road bike but the chain pops off, shifting is terrible, and it weighs a small ton. Appreciate the $.02!

[rcannon100]

Please see the forum Compendium. It will have some good advice.

It is SO a matter of taste. I dont agree with the sentiment “any piece of junk will do.” If you are going to put in the miles, you are going to want a vehicle that can perform. I own a DREK and a Cannondale. The DREK is terrible. It rides like I am dragging a dead zombie. The Cannondale is fabulous and seems to simply fit me.

My Cannondale is an urban bike: A Cannondale Bad Boy. sort of like a hybrid, it is more urban in design. Stronger than a road bike, it can take a beating and support racks. But it still has somewhat of an aggressive design, allowing for good speed – I am not sitting upright like a giant parachute. It’s an absolutely wonderful bike.

And for the same reasons, I agree with the cyclecross recommendations. These bikes can take a beating, fit you well, and give you speed. The Specialize Cyclecross from this last year looked fantastic. While it has drop bars, I love the additional brake levers up in the flats of the handlebar, for upright urban cycling when you want to be more able to see the traffic in front of you.

Someone else on the forum just bought a space horse from All City. A steel road bike that looks like a dream. Steel is going to give you a lot smoother, more comfortable ride. For this reason, many commuters seem to love the Surly’s. We test road the Long-Haul Trucker. Magnificent bike. Probably a more comfortable ride – essentially a touring bike design – with the benefits of a road bike position. But my kid elected for an aluminum road bike because, well, he’s a kid and he wanted a fast machine.

Are you going to have secure parking? I have a secure indoor garage. This means the cyclists at my work frequently ride *nice* bikes.

Check out Phoenix Bikes. They are a youth organization that sells bikes in Arlington. They are going to have their big sale at Big Bear Cafe…. This saturday. Great group.

Check out Ye Old Bike shop in Arlington. They also show up at the farmers market at Courthouse on Saturdays.

Watch Craiglist. Good deals there.

[Smurf183]

Thanks! And I totally agree that I don’t want ‘any piece of junk.’ That’s what I have and I showed up to work with greasy fingers because of a chain popping off. If something was more fun, I’d ride more. That’s basically the crux of it. I keep checking out the old bike shop. Big fan of those guys. And I may have to pop over to the Phoenix bike sale. Thanks!

[mstone]

for what it’s worth, the chain falling off may indicate that simple adjustment needs to be made.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@mstone 63386 wrote:

for what it’s worth, the chain falling off may indicate that simple adjustment needs to be made.

That could be construed as encouraging someone to violate Rule #12, which is a clear violation of Rule #2.

[consularrider]

@TwoWheelsDC 63389 wrote:

That could be construed as encouraging someone to violate Rule #12, which is a clear violation of Rule #2.

Cut her some slack, I didn’t hear Smurf183 say she would get rid of her “piece of junk.” I’m sure that she of course would keep it as a back up (after getting it properly adjusted as per Rule #65 by said Phoenix Bikes see Rule #58). Rule #43 :p

[Greenbelt]

12 miles each way is a substantial commute! Nice. I’ll throw in my two cents (disclosure, my wife runs a bike shop in MD).

Unless you’re mechanically inclined, and can spot good Craigslist values, I’d consider testing lots of hybrid/urban/commuter bikes at a good shop. Think about a 28-35mm tire width range for winter riding/rougher trail sections? In addition to a rack for panniers, consider fenders? With that long a distance, you’re looking for a good balance of comfort/carrying capacity/speed/traction.

-jeff

[Smurf183]

Nice, thanks for the list of rules of which I may follow roughly half. Too funny. And I just might donate said bike to Phoenix Bikes. Planning to stop by en route home today to see what they have. Thanks for the input all!

[vvill]

For me it depends a lot on how secure/unsecure the parking situation is.

I don’t know a lot about old bikes, or servicing them, so if it were reasonably secure I’d look at a new commuter specific bike, maybe one of the cheaper flat-bar road style bikes (wider 700c tires, rack mounts, no front shock) – that would be generally an efficient ride over that distance, and be useful for utility riding. I’d also consider disc brakes if you want to ride through the rain. I generally prefer to ride something with dropbars, but I feel like the cost/value of the bike goes up more easily then.

[ebubar]

My two cents:

I ride a hybrid for commuting on paths that sound similar to yours (crushed gravel, roads, etc.). It works fine for this purpose and is much more economical than a road bike, especially if you have to lock it up outside. If you do get a hybrid, i’d definitely invest in extra long handlebar grips for your palms and some bar-ends for different hand positions and hill climbing. They made a world of difference for me. Happy bike hunting!

[CPTJohnC]

If the POS you have fits you well enough, have you considered just putting some money into getting it running well? the problems you describe with shifting are likely to be quite fixable, even if it requires changing out components, and probably for less than even a decent used bike. I love buying used, and I’ve been generally well served by my used CL purchases, but I can say for sure that there can be headaches (something you didn’t spot in the 15 minute examination/test ride phase). Other advantages to this approach are the ability to make it as close as possible to what you want, and the ability to fly beneath the radar in terms of theft attractiveness.

I can’t tell you how often I consider putting ‘Huffy’ or ‘NeXt’ graphics on my bikes for times when I am forced to lock up somewhere that seems sketchy, or worse, at metro…

[Author]

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