Junk in the trunk

[hencio]

@Tim Kelley 20490 wrote:

The “body” of the Skuut can be turned upside down so it slopes downward. That’s how little McKenzie is able to ride it at just over a year and half old! (Granted, she comes from tall genes and is in the top 5% for height at her age…)

Wish I had known about turning it upside down. It was too big for my kid until he turned close to 2 1/2. I can’t get over how he has taken to it and how fast he can go.

[dasgeh]

And here we were thinking we had to wait ’til Lil Gal’s 2nd bday for her own bike… I’m hoping my brother saved the Strider that my nephew rode, and we can just steal it out of their overpacked garage (like we’ve done with most of our baby stuff). Thanks for the tips. Look for the pink mohawk-ed helmet on a Strider/Skuut in Cherrydale next month (after we finally move next week!)

[Tim Kelley]

@dasgeh 20503 wrote:

Look for the pink mohawk-ed helmet on a Strider/Skuut in Cherrydale next month (after we finally move next week!)

I saw a pink mo-hwaked helmet this past weekend during our Kill Bill ride, but I can’t think of where exactly…

Would you guys have been near the CVS/Italian Store/Starbucks on Lee Highway? Pete–do you remember?

[dasgeh]

That’s basically where our new house is (actually up the hill in Cherrydale), and it’s possible my husband was out with our daughter (it’s her helmet) near there, but I don’t think last weekend… It’s been a long week, though, so I can’t really remember last weekend.

[KelOnWheels]

@Greenbelt 20385 wrote:

Our LBS has to patiently explain to customers that it usually takes 2-4 hours to buy a bike, including discussing the types of riding anticipated, testing several models and frame types, and getting fit properly, and then thinking about accessories that may be necessary (flat repair kit?, lock? helmet?).

This is the kind of LBS I need to find! Where do y’all like to go?

I went with a friend to buy his new Jamis Coda Comp last weekend and they basically tossed him on the bike and pushed him out the door, with a quick detour by the mechanics. No fitting at all. :confused:

OTOH, the folks at my neighborhood LBS were nice enough to do a fitting for me on my crappy old MTB a few years back when I bought pedals & shoes and got a tuneup. They seem to carry mostly superspeedy road bikes though. And tiny pink kid bikes.

I certainly don’t expect a pro fit on a $500 bike, but some advice would be good since I have very little idea of what’s out in the wide world. I’ve been reading through the commuter forums on bikeforums.net for recommendations and now I definitely don’t know what I want! (Actually I am assembling a wee list of bikes to look at. Perhaps one day I will be brave and tell you what they are.)

The whole commuter/hybrid/utility/touring bike definition seems to be pretty blurry.

To me, a skinny-tired fixie with no brakes seems like a TERRIBLE idea for commuting, but then so does a 50-pound cruiser with 3 gears, since my commute’s going to be a somewhat hilly 10 miles each way. (Stupid uphills being all at the end of the way home! What’s up with that?)

“Hybrid” makes me think MTB with smooth tires, so basically what I have now.

“Utility” sounds like a baksfiet or something built to carry 300 pounds. I do not need to carry 300 pounds of anything on a bike.

Is “touring” what I want? I think so… maybe? A relaxed geometry, maybe flat-bar, road bike with fatter tires?

Eh, I dunno. I think I think too much.

[DaveK]

@Tim Kelley 20505 wrote:

I saw a pink mo-hwaked helmet this past weekend during our Kill Bill ride, but I can’t think of where exactly…

Would you guys have been near the CVS/Italian Store/Starbucks on Lee Highway? Pete–do you remember?

You’re right, they were coming off the trail towards the Italian Store while we were at CVS.

[DismalScientist]

@KelOnWheels 20560 wrote:

The whole commuter/hybrid/utility/touring bike definition seems to be pretty blurry.

To me, a skinny-tired fixie with no brakes seems like a TERRIBLE idea for commuting, but then so does a 50-pound cruiser with 3 gears, since my commute’s going to be a somewhat hilly 10 miles each way. (Stupid uphills being all at the end of the way home! What’s up with that?)

“Hybrid” makes me think MTB with smooth tires, so basically what I have now.

“Utility” sounds like a baksfiet or something built to carry 300 pounds. I do not need to carry 300 pounds of anything on a bike.

Is “touring” what I want? I think so… maybe? A relaxed geometry, maybe flat-bar, road bike with fatter tires?

Eh, I dunno. I think I think too much.

The classification is sorta like this:

A road bike is anything that is not a mountain bike.
Racing bikes have light frames (and typically shorter wheelbases) and skinny tires. These bikes are designed for people who enjoy dishing out and receiving pain.
Tri bikes are racing bikes that make you swim and run faster. Actually they are more aerodynamically favorable since these people aren’t allowed to draft.
Touring bikes have heavier frames and rack and longer wheelbases and are designed to carry heavy loads. Tire widths are wider. Typically they will have drop bars and bar end shifters because if your fancy brifter malfunctions in the middle of nowhere, you are basically screwed.
Cross bikes are touring bikes with higher price tags. Just kidding. Cross bikes are road bikes with wider wheels and can be raced off road.
Sports bikes are intermediate between racing and touring bikes and are probably the most common road bikes with drops sold.
Fixies can be made from any bikes with gears, from racing bikes, old “ten speeds,” to whatever Dirt may come up with. People who ride fixies in urban areas with no brakes are called morons.
Hybrids are crosses between road and mountain bikes, with up right seating, lighter frames than mountain bikes, wide, but typically not knobby tires. As one gets better components and stronger frames on a hybrid and goes up in price, they begin to resemble touring and cross bikes. You can put a flat bar on any road bike, but that does not necessarily turn it into a hybrid.
A commuter bike is anything on which someone rides to work. Many consider a touring bike best because it can take stuff on racks, has wider tires. Some people choose flat bars for the upright position allow for better monitoring of traffic. Others prefer drops because of the better aerodynamics. Different people prefer different tire width, with wider ones offering a softer, more comfortable ride less affected by road surface and less likely to get flats. Narrower tires offer more speed. Others on a budget may think that a hybrid offers the best tradeoff.

[KelOnWheels]

@DismalScientist 20580 wrote:

The classification is sorta like this:

A road bike is anything that is not a mountain bike.
… These bikes are designed for people who enjoy dishing out and receiving pain.
Tri bikes are racing bikes that make you swim and run faster…
People who ride fixies in urban areas with no brakes are called morons.

So which one comes with a new monitor? I just spit coffee all over this one.

[rcannon100]

Is “touring” what I want? I think so… maybe? A relaxed geometry, maybe flat-bar, road bike with fatter tires?

Dismal’s summary was most excellent. Particularly about Fixies.

Even tho we are giving you information, you still have to decide. What do you want the bike to do. Here is what I want out of a bike:

* Big (I am 6’5″) (aka fit matters)
* Takes an urban beating – able to hop curbs, path bumps, and other crap
* Bigger tires that wont blow out – but not so big that they are heavy
* Flat bar – as an urban rider, I like having my hands in a position with brakes and gears right there, and a bit more upright so I can see traffic. I put extensions on the bar so I can stretch out a little on the open trail. I also have lights, and GPS, and bells on the bar.
* Can carry a load on racks
* Is fun to ride

For me, that’s a hybrid. Someone criticized hybrids above as being ‘poser mountain bikes or something. And that’s right. A lot of them are. My hybrid is closer to a road bike, its strong, and stiff. It is made for urban riding.

Now that you have your bike, you can make adjustments. Hybrids use to come with nobby tires. I always swap them out for slicks. Slicks give a smoother ride for those doing primarily bike path / asphalt riding. I found tires that Michelan makes that are urban slicks. Its a smooth tread. Its a bit tougher rubber to take road abuse. And it has a refletive strip built into the sideway (like the CABI’s).

Bottom line: Find a bike you love to ride. I alway wanted a Canondale (guess why). When my old bike got run over, I got a black, made in the USA, XL Canondale Bad Boy urban hybrid. Other than the stupid name, I just love the thing. It is huge, and had really stood up to an urban commute.

Consider all these factors folk are talking about, and then buy a bike you love.

[DismalScientist]

Clearly, the only solution is multiple bikes.
I switch between what was closer to a racing bike from the mid ’70’s, to a mid 80’s touring bike with shifters on the downtubes, to a new Nashbar touring bike with brifters (oh the sacrilege). Sometimes I want to be racy and sometimes not. Plus it’s fun when this OFIK* lays some pain on some guy in full kit with his new carbon toy.

*OFIK = Old Fart in Khakis.

rcannon’s bike is an excellent example of the confusion involving types of bicycles. Looking at the specs, I would not call it a hybrid at all, but rather a cross bike with flat bars.

[eminva]

@DismalScientist 20625 wrote:

a new Nashbar touring bike with brifters (oh the sacrilege).

Shock!

@DismalScientist 20625 wrote:

rcannon’s bike is an excellent example of the confusion involving types of bicycles. Looking at the specs, I would not call it a hybrid at all, but rather a cross bike with flat bars.

Cannondale has some interesting things in its lineup. My husband has a Quick CX and I’m never sure how to describe that one.

Liz

[Greenbelt]

@eminva 20628 wrote:

Shock!

Cannondale has some interesting things in its lineup. My husband has a Quick CX and I’m never sure how to describe that one.

Liz

[ATTACH=CONFIG]1106[/ATTACH]

[DaveK]

@eminva 20628 wrote:

Cannondale has some interesting things in its lineup. My husband has a Quick CX and I’m never sure how to describe that one.

Liz

I always found this one to be the most confounding –

I want one.

[KelOnWheels]

@KelOnWheels 20560 wrote:

To me, a skinny-tired fixie with no brakes seems like a TERRIBLE idea for commuting…

Mind you, I think fixies are hella cool looking and I want to try riding one as soon as possible, I just don’t think me and my jello legs could commute on one. Unless Arlington Ridge would like to obligingly sink into the earth. Oo, if it did that I could commute on that sugar skulls Electra Cruiser with the tassels on the handlebars that I secretly covet!

Secretly.

[KelOnWheels]

@DismalScientist 20625 wrote:

Clearly, the only solution is multiple bikes.

I find your ideas intriguing, and wish to subscribe to your newsletter.

[Author]

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