Commuting on a road bike

[dasgeh]

There’s a thread for that:

Tires: http://bikearlingtonforum.com/showthread.php?1201-Commuting-tire-recommendations&highlight=sick+flats

Bags: http://bikearlingtonforum.com/showthread.php?2277-Junk-in-the-trunk&highlight=backpack

[Arlingtonrider]

Certifried, I have a Trek 7500 hybrid that is also an accidental commuter and it has turned out to be an awesome commuting bike for me, even with the heavy loads I sometimes put on it. I have 35 mm tires (very inexpensive Forte Gothams from Performance Bikes for now – they were an emergency purchase because I wanted to commute the next day) and they’ve worked out very well. I used to use a backpack, but now much prefer a rack and panniers. I drive some clothes into work every once in awhile so I don’t have to carry them every day. We have a dry cleaners so I just rotate things.

[DaveK]

@Certifried 21042 wrote:

I had not expected to commute on my bike when I bought it recently, it’s a Trek 2.3 (last year’s model, $400 off!). Unfortunately, I’m running in to some problems using it to commute.

1) skinny tires don’t handle glass/rocks well. What tires would be a nice compromise between durability and speed, and will they fit OK?
2) the messenger bag really starts to annoy me (swinging around) and is heavy after a while. I don’t think a rack is possible on my bike.. what other solutions are there?

I commute in cycling clothes for comfort and convenience, so need to carry my slacks and collared shirt eventually. Right now I’m bringing stuff to work one day, then biking in the next. Eventually I’ll need to carry my clothes most days. I know what I need is a different bike altogether, and I’m planning on piecing one together myself. What frame’s are good for this? Cyclocross? Touring?

Any other commuter tips for me? I’m really shooting for every day commuting, 200 miles/week, all weather.

You can get a rack on almost anything – the question is what type. If your bike has no mounts at all you can still use the type that clamps around the seatpost (as long as the seat post isn’t carbon). Those don’t have a ton of storage but you can easily get a rolled-up outfit in there. I wouldn’t recommend it for a suit and tie though. If you have fender eyelets but no rack mounts on the seat stays there’s a type that mounts to the fender eyelets and to the rear brake bolt.

Tires – see the link…

[KLizotte]

Old Man Mountain and Tubus specialize in racks that are made for bikes without eyelets.

There is a pannier out there designed for suits; there is a thread somewhere on the forum about it.

I have 32 mm tires on my commuter and have had only 1 flat in a year and a half on them (and that flat was totally my fault). I like the Armadillo Elite line of tires.

I have found that lightweight road bikes with skinny tires don’t tolerate weight on a back rack very well. I installed a rack on my road bike and only use a tiny trunk bag on it that is just big enough to carry my U-lock, cable and emergency supplies.

I’d say a cyclocross, hybrid or touring bike makes the best commuter.

[Certifried]

@dasgeh 21045 wrote:

There’s a thread for that:

Tires: http://bikearlingtonforum.com/showthread.php?1201-Commuting-tire-recommendations&highlight=sick+flats

Bags: http://bikearlingtonforum.com/showthread.php?2277-Junk-in-the-trunk&highlight=backpack

thanks! I had done a search for “convert road bike” and didn’t find too much. ^^ perfect links

DaveK – the seat post is carbon The Trek site says it has fender mounts, I just haven’t noticed them. I’ll take a closer look tonight.

Fortunately, I’m not in a suit and tie. Just some dockers and golf-shirt type of shirt, no tie. By the time I have the dockers, shirt, socks, undergarments, belt, shoes, towel for the shower and toiletries… my messenger bag is stuffed! We have a gym in our building, but they don’t have a “lockers only” membership. There’s also a small building locker room where I can shower, but the lockers aren’t overnight. So I have nothing real convenient for storage other than desk drawers. I can’t offend my neighbors with smelly wet clothes lying around but luckily there’s already another topic on that! lol

[jabberwocky]

What messenger bag are you using? Not all bags are created equally. I’ve been commuting for 7 years with a chrome metropolis (I own 2 now) and have always found it to be a very solid bag that carries my stuff comfortably. I commute in bike clothes and carry my work clothes, toiletries, as well as anything I need for the commute home in the bag.

For tires, there are lots of solutions. I ran Panaracer Pasela TGs in 28mm guise for many years (and still run them on the CX bike and fixie).

[pfunkallstar]

@Certifried 21068 wrote:

thanks! I had done a search for “convert road bike” and didn’t find too much. ^^ perfect links

DaveK – the seat post is carbon The Trek site says it has fender mounts, I just haven’t noticed them. I’ll take a closer look tonight.

Fortunately, I’m not in a suit and tie. Just some dockers and golf-shirt type of shirt, no tie. By the time I have the dockers, shirt, socks, undergarments, belt, shoes, towel for the shower and toiletries… my messenger bag is stuffed! We have a gym in our building, but they don’t have a “lockers only” membership. There’s also a small building locker room where I can shower, but the lockers aren’t overnight. So I have nothing real convenient for storage other than desk drawers. I can’t offend my neighbors with smelly wet clothes lying around but luckily there’s already another topic on that! lol

Those threads are excellent! I also commute on a racing steed and have gone through a lot of tires – Armadillos (not as good as they used to be) – and I really like the Michelin Grand Prix’s they have done me no wrong. When it comes to the bag, comfort is all in the packing and making sure you have a solid chest strap.

[vvill]

@dasgeh 21045 wrote:

There’s a thread for that:

Tires: http://bikearlingtonforum.com/showthread.php?1201-Commuting-tire-recommendations&highlight=sick+flats

Bags: http://bikearlingtonforum.com/showthread.php?2277-Junk-in-the-trunk&highlight=backpack

Nice linking!

I don’t think I replied in the tires thread but I’ve commuted mostly on a road bike (with the stock 700x23c tires) this last year. The main thing I don’t like is riding on them when it’s wet – just too easy to slip on slick or unpaved surfaces. The high pressure makes it a bit bone-jarring at times but I’ve only had one flat on those tires the whole time (in the wet when I crashed and broke my arm). I think it’s a huge help to learn where the worst spots (potholes, manhole covers, steel plates, gutters, grooves, gravel, etc.) are in your regular commute so you can avoid them or slow down enough. In my experience it’s as important as having more suitable tires/gear. I think many of the zippier commuters on racing bikes just know how to ride around/through obstacles safely enough that they don’t experience issues any more than those on thicker treads.

I have similar work attire to you – I bring/take home my clothes in batches so once a week I’ll have a backpack stuffed with clean clothes in the morning and dirty ones in the afternoon. I fold + pack them just carefully enough not to get completely creased.

[DaveK]

Tubus makes a stupid-expensive version of the rack you want – http://www.thetouringstore.com/TUBUS/Fly/FLY%20PAGE.htm

…but there’s also this one – http://www.axiomgear.com/products/gear/racks/narrow-rear/streamliner-road-dlx/

That will mount to just about any bike, then the sky’s the limit with panniers, etc.

[dasgeh]

@vvill 21078 wrote:

Nice linking!

Thanks. Unfortunately, my search prowess has died in the post-lunch slump. Can someone please link to the thread with the reliable radar sites?

Thanks

[mstone]

@Certifried 21068 wrote:

thanks! I had done a search for “convert road bike” and didn’t find too much. ^^ perfect links

DaveK – the seat post is carbon The Trek site says it has fender mounts, I just haven’t noticed them. I’ll take a closer look tonight.

Fortunately, I’m not in a suit and tie. Just some dockers and golf-shirt type of shirt, no tie. By the time I have the dockers, shirt, socks, undergarments, belt, shoes, towel for the shower and toiletries… my messenger bag is stuffed! We have a gym in our building, but they don’t have a “lockers only” membership. There’s also a small building locker room where I can shower, but the lockers aren’t overnight. So I have nothing real convenient for storage other than desk drawers. I can’t offend my neighbors with smelly wet clothes lying around but luckily there’s already another topic on that! lol

See if you can at least find a place to stash some shoes & a belt. They’re about the biggest and bulkiest part of the package, and if you can skip that the rest is much easier. As posted in another recent thread, also look for a microfiber backpacker’s towel (much smaller & lighter than a puffy cotton one).

[Certifried]

@DaveK 21079 wrote:

Tubus makes a stupid-expensive version of the rack you want – http://www.thetouringstore.com/TUBUS/Fly/FLY%20PAGE.htm

…but there’s also this one – http://www.axiomgear.com/products/gear/racks/narrow-rear/streamliner-road-dlx/

That will mount to just about any bike, then the sky’s the limit with panniers, etc.

This is perfect, thanks!

Thanks to all the other suggestions, all my major issues are effectively solved now

to answer the bag type – I have some random messenger bag from the company that makes swiss army knives. It’s heavy, not waterproof, and not really meant for cycling. It just worked great on the Metro. With my back problems, I’d prefer to have nothing on it, so the tubus rack looks perfect (or the cheaper one, even better)

[Certifried]

@dasgeh 21087 wrote:

Thanks. Unfortunately, my search prowess has died in the post-lunch slump. Can someone please link to the thread with the reliable radar sites?

Thanks

these are the ones I bookmarked from the thread
http://www.wunderground.com/radar/radblast.asp?ID=LWX
http://www.wunderground.com/radar/radblast.asp?ID=DCA&type=TR0

edit: oh!! and a tornado watch!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang
glad I didn’t ride today

[DCLiz]

Well, the aforementioned racks are probably a better option, but for me, I was able to use a standard rack to my low-end Trek hybrid that doesn’t have braze-on mounts/dropouts by swapping out my quick release seat clamp for one that had the requisite mounts. The friendly folks at Bicycle Space came up with that solution and did the install for me.

[Certifried]

@jabberwocky 21075 wrote:

What messenger bag are you using? Not all bags are created equally. I’ve been commuting for 7 years with a chrome metropolis (I own 2 now) and have always found it to be a very solid bag that carries my stuff comfortably. I commute in bike clothes and carry my work clothes, toiletries, as well as anything I need for the commute home in the bag.

For tires, there are lots of solutions. I ran Panaracer Pasela TGs in 28mm guise for many years (and still run them on the CX bike and fixie).

Thanks for the suggestion on the bag. Revolution in Rockville has them in stock, so going to bike down there and snag one tomorrow. I’m going to go with this option first, since I can use the bag on days I don’t cycle. If it doesn’t work out, the bag will still be useful and I can go the Tubus rack route. Now, I just need to hope they have a color in stock that will match my bike! (I seriously need to get over the fashion statements)

[Author]

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