Drop-bar disc commuters

[ronwalf]

Making a list, checking it twice. No, thrice. No, just until drool shorts out my keyboard.

Every time the weather’s nasty, I start getting the urge to go bike shopping. If I really knew what I needed, I’d have bought it by now, but this is the set of requirements that I’m working with:

• Disc brakes (BB-7s, equivalent, or such a good deal that upgrading is economical)
• Drop-bar, or drop-bar-ish. I run mustache bars and like them.
• Enough tire clearance for studs and fenders (45mm?)
• Geometry somewhere between touring and relaxed cross (inclusive).
• Rack and fender compatible

I’m flexible on frame material and cost, not all of which meet my ‘requirements.’ I’m just trying to maximize some value metric which I can’t quite pin down.

Here’s my current watch list:

• Charge Filter Hi ($850, discontinued?)
• Raleigh Sojourn (~$1000)
• Redline Metro Classic (MSRP $1151)
• Kona Jake (MSRP $1200)
• Specialized CrossRip (MSRP $1270)
• Jamis Bosanova (MSRP $1300)
• Specialized Tricross Sport Disc (MSRP $1300)
• Surly Disc Trucker ($1320)
• Salsa Vaya ($1400)
• Salsa Fargo ($1500)
• Kona Sutra (MSRP $1500)
• Jamis Aurora Elite (MSRP $1600)
• Surly Straggler ($1800? h/t KelOnWheels)
• All-City Macho Man Disc ($1800 h/t KelOnWheels)
• Habanero Cross Ti (drool, but ~$2734 complete)

Topic

[peterw_diy]

And for winter safety, spend a little more and put studded tires on. I’ve been watching videos this week of cars spinning in icy slush — that just doesn’t happen with studded bike tires. Of course sharing the road can be dicey when the cagers are underprepared.

Peter White’s advice seems sound: http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/studdedtires.asp. You’ll especially want to decide if you want tires geared more toward snow or streets. I love my Marathon Winters but some of the pics I’ve seen here suggest many of y’all would be better served with other tires, as the MW knobs are pretty short and spaced close together.

[Dirt]

@peterw_diy 71839 wrote:

And for winter safety, spend a little more and put studded tires on. I’ve been watching videos this week of cars spinning in icy slush — that just doesn’t happen with studded bike tires. Of course sharing the road can be dicey when the cagers are underprepared.

Peter White’s advice seems sound: http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/studdedtires.asp. You’ll especially want to decide if you want tires geared more toward snow or streets. I love my Marathon Winters but some of the pics I’ve seen here suggest many of y’all would be better served with other tires, as the MW knobs are pretty short and spaced close together.

You’re right. Studded tires are not created equally. There are different designs for different purposes. Some of the pedestrian ice and ruts we get on the trails around here react quite nicely to mountain tires made for snow. The icy streets like tires more like the Marathon Winters.

[Raymo853]

Regarding disc brakes, I routinely experience them failing, or being problematic, in the winter. It usually happens when near the freezing point when there are puddles or slush around. Water coats the rotor or gets in/on the caliper and then freezes. It never really disables them, but can greatly reduce the effectiveness and/or require a lot more hand force. I often drag the brakes a little to keep the rotors warm to stop this.

Once it is really cold, below 20 F, it is no longer a problem.

This has happened with a range of brakes for me: Avid BB7, Juicy 7, Shimano XT 785, XTR 985.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Dirt]

I didn’t mention it before for two reasons:
1) I hadn’t ridden it in a long time; and
b) It is virtually impossible to get one these days as far as I know;
but

Steelwool Tweed.

[Phatboing]

Get a Fargo! It will not disappoint. Here are things I’ve done with mine so far:

– set it up as a heavy commuter, for carrying random crap around because you gotta use all racks, right?
– rode it from Pittsburgh to DC
– got knocked about on the mtb trails
– put on a suspension and fat tires and got less knocked about on the mtb trails

If you commute on th w&od between Tysons and EFC, you’ve likely seen me on this machine at least once.

In all these scenarios, the main finding is that the bike is limited only by its squidgy engine.

[Author]

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