Noob to cycling, need advice, Annandale to Tysons Corner

[cyclingfool]

See “rake” here for the answer to your other terminology question.

Also, this:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]6372[/ATTACH]

[TwoWheelsDC]

@laughter95 91945 wrote:

RE impracticality as a commuter: would a Thule Pack ‘n Pedalwork?

Don’t maim that frame!! I would suggest this instead.

[dasgeh]

Did you test ride the bikes in the kinds of roads/trails you’ll be riding on? I ask because you mentioned more racing – oriented bikes being more fun, responsive, etc. Of course they are. The reason some people choose more upright geometry over more aggressive is that in traffic, some people prefer the ability to look around and more stability at lower speeds.

[mstone]

And because a twitchy bike will exhaust you when you’re trying to drive responsibly at low speeds on a trail.

[KLizotte]

Before you buy anything I would highly suggest filling a backpack or messenger bag with all of the stuff you will carry on a typical day. This includes clothes, repair kit, lights (winter is coming), full water bottle(s), laptop, wallet, phone, keys, windbreaker, etc. and ride the same distance as your commute to see if you find the setup doable. You may find yourself surprised by how much stuff you are hauling depending on your situation. That may well dictate whether you will have to get a rack; if so, that will limit your bike choices unless you want to buy two bikes.

[rcannon100]

Agreed. I switched from backpack to panniers years ago and my back has thanked me ever since. That’s what a metal rack is for ~ not your spine.

[cvcalhoun]

Another big fan of panniers here. I always have two large ones on the back of my bike. Probably half of one is filled with stuff I want to have with me–purse, U-lock, repair tools, emergency supplies for bad weather, etc. But having two with me at all times means that I can stop and pick up stuff at the grocery store, etc., if I happen to think of it while I’m out. It’s not worth it to me to bike faster if it means I need to go home and then make a separate trip when I have errands to do.

[hozn]

I obviously am a fan of backpacks; I have ridden with paniers and prefer keeping the bike nimble. But I can coordinate it so that I don’t have to carry too much on my back. During the summer I don’t carry a bag at all most of the time. So I am probably not a representative commuting sample.

I will say, though, that a backpack with any weight in it does affect riding posture a lot. I have set my commuter up more like my road bike this summer — so more drop between saddle and bars and more stretched out. The other day I had to carry a full backpack and I realized that this makes that more road-y position really uncomfortable — or at least something that I would have to get used to / build different muscles for. Also, I think the full bags during the winter accounted for a lot more saddle discomfort when I would do higher volume weeks. All seems pretty obvious now, of course.

I guess this anecdote is just to say that if you do need to commute with a backpack you probably won’t be comfortable riding in road racing position, anyway.

That settles it; you need two bikes!

[laughter95]

@hozn 92040 wrote:

That settles it; you need two bikes!

you’re right, i do. i need a trash bike that costs $100 or less so that i can just go around w/it in sneakers and hang panniers on it and let it get rained on w/out a care (maybe a little care), throw it on a bike rack, whatever.

and then this super fun full carbon couple-thousand sport bike that i’ll have to be ultra careful of crashing, scratching, getting stolen, etc…

somewhere between this madness is the truth.

hoping to check out that 2013 synapse that’s listed in classifieds on here this weekend:cool:

[Author]

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