Novara Transfer at REI. Questions.

[mstone]

I’m not convinced weight is a big factor here. Unless you’re very small/light, the 10 or 15 pounds you could possibly save isn’t going to make a dramatic difference in your ability to go up the hills. (Adage: it doesn’t get easier, you just go faster.) Any new non-mountain bike is likely to be geared higher than the mountain bike and, if anything, may be harder. As you noted, changing out existing big knobby tires for something with a lower rolling resistance is likely to have a large effect, probably larger than losing a few pounds from the bike. If you really like the bike, go for it (it does look nice) but nothing’s going to make the hills easier but attacking the hills and building up to it.

[dasgeh]

@lordofthemark 52802 wrote:

It had an IGH, was 7 speed. This was clearance priced, I’m pretty sure its not on the website.

Shimano IGH’s get great reviews for working well and being low maintenance. I still say that if you like how it rides, it’s a good deal. Full disclosure: I have no idea what used bikes through LBS’s go for. I follow the CL market.

>

[lordofthemark]

@mstone 52803 wrote:

I’m not convinced weight is a big factor here. Unless you’re very small/light, the 10 or 15 pounds you could possibly save isn’t going to make a dramatic difference in your ability to go up the hills. (Adage: it doesn’t get easier, you just go faster.) Any new non-mountain bike is likely to be geared higher than the mountain bike and, if anything, may be harder. As you noted, changing out existing big knobby tires for something with a lower rolling resistance is likely to have a large effect, probably larger than losing a few pounds from the bike. If you really like the bike, go for it (it does look nice) but nothing’s going to make the hills easier but attacking the hills and building up to it.

I’m less than 5’6″ tall. I am currently 150 lbs, but my ideal weight is more like 135 (and I think its not unrealistic to get back that). But I hear you on building up, for sure.

[DismalScientist]

@dasgeh 52806 wrote:

>

Perhaps I improperly inferred your tastes from your advocacy of Dutch-style bikes.:rolleyes:

[dasgeh]

@DismalScientist 52811 wrote:

Perhaps I improperly inferred your tastes from your advocacy of Dutch-style bikes.:rolleyes:

Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE dutch style bikes. For errands. And kid hauling.

And I wish it were easier to find them in the US.

[hozn]

I think you should ignore all this noise about hybrids — I mean, who wants a bike that is too fragile for trail and too burly for road ?! What you want is a nice steel single speed. You should be able to get something near your price point and it should weigh in the low to mid 20s. And you could gear it as easy as you want.

(I miss commuting on a single speed, but the gears are helpful for towing my child.)

On a more serious note, I would recommend doing the commute awhile before you make a decision on what bike you need. After a few weeks (maybe longer if you’re only doing it once a week) the hills won’t bother you so much. You should also do it in the heat to decide if backpack is good enough or you need a rack. And in the rain to decide if fenders are important. But yes, spend $50 on a set of slick tires; that will make a far more significant difference than a few lbs on the bike.

And mstone is right; the hills don’t ever get easier, you just ride faster.

[rcannon100]

Okay, first off… get the bike you love. Bicycling should be fun, and if you join the collective (resistance is futile), you may find yourself on your bike a lot. Find the bike you love.

How do you do that? Do your research. Read reviews. Think about what you want to do with the bike…. and then test drive. Some LBSs will let you do extended test rides. Other places you can rent bikes from.

And bikes are really different. The slightest thing can give a bike a different feel.

From what you said, a good commuter bike that you can take for weekend rides…. I chose the Canondale Bad Boy 9. It is under $1000. It has great, somewhat aggressive geometry. It takes a beating on city streets and I like never have any trouble with it. Racks fit on it great. And it has a long flat handlebar – I added extensions – giving me lots of hand positions. You can upgrade it to disc breaks. It is aluminum – not sure how much it weighs. The 28c tires never give me flats or dented rims. This bike has really stood up well to a city beating.

I also agree that the Cannondale Quicks are worth looking at.

Drop handle bars are not ideal for urban riding. You want a more upright position where you can see traffic. Go down on L Street or PA avenue and look at what people are riding. I bet you will find that most of the bikes you see have flat handlebars.

Will a road bike be faster? Sure? But is that what you want? (that’s not a dumb question). Part of what makes a road bike faster is the position of the rider. Flat handle bars put you upright and make you like a giant parachute. Drops tuck you down and make you more areodynamic.

The primary thing I do is commute. That is what my primary bike is – a commuter. I take it out for 25 mile rides on the weekend all the time and it handles great, altho I know I would be faster on a road bike. Speaking of which, anyone have a tall surley touring bike for sale?

[KLizotte]

I disagree with rcannon a little bit. I swapped out the stock stem and replaced it with a riser stem so I have a more upright position on my dropped handlebars (this was done because of wrist issues); therefore, I don’t have any problems riding in traffic though I am less aerodynamic in the wind unless I make an effort to bend down.

Fit is paramount. If it doesn’t fit right, you won’t like riding it. Full stop. Unfortunately it takes a fair bit of testing and riding to determine what feels right and what doesn’t. For instance, if you feel terrified going down hill, the bike is too big. Some people enjoy this testing period, others do not. My first foray into road bike buying led me to buy a bike one size too big and I had to sell it a few weeks later. Not a fun experience. I now have one that fits much better. More upright oriented bikes are more forgiving when it comes to fit; if you decide to go the road bike route, I’d highly suggest a fitting session with one of the local LBSs to find out what your ideal dimensions are. Would have saved me much frustration if I’d done this the first time round. If I decide to buy another road bike, I’ll have a much better understanding of what feels right.

FYI: I’m 5’2″ and I ride a 44″ road bike. If you are under 5’6″ you will be looking at the smaller end of bikes; I’m guessing a 48-50 but please don’t take my word for it since I’m a true novice at fitting. It also makes a difference how your legs and arms are proportioned to each other.

Try the various LBSs in the area (used or new) as well as REI. I suspect you may get better service in a full-fledged LBS but on the other hand, you can return a used bike to REI no questions asked. You can’t do that at an LBS.

While you are in the window shopping stage I would swap out your MTB tires for something as skinny as possible and continue commuting as much as you can as others have suggested. As others have noted, this will help you decide whether you want to stick to this commuting idea or if you want to ride only on the wknds. This will help you decide what your needs are bike-wise and equipment-wise. And for what it’s worth, I find hills much harder the heavier the bike.

[mstone]

Upright-ness and handlebar style are separate issues. People tend to size drop bar bikes for an aggressive position, but you can just as easily select a bike that will leave you more upright on drop bars. There are pros and cons to every style of bar, so it boils down to what you like. If you’re not quite sure what you’re looking for, then give it more thought, do some more riding, and try more bikes. As someone said earlier, there’s always another deal, so don’t jump too fast.

[dasgeh]

I guess it depends on your overall bike budget, but I’d say, if you take the Transfer for a test ride (at least 10 minutes) and you like it, $360 isn’t a huge leap of faith. And you’ll save a lot of time. From what I see online, it looks like the components are good. With the free 6-month tune up at REI, you can sell this “just tuned up” in 6 months if you hate it. You’d get at least $200, maybe $300 on CL.

So while I’m normally in the “do lots of research and lots of test rides” camp, for that price for that bike, I’d say one test ride is enough. Hey, this might be the bike for you, in which case you’ve saved a TON of time.

And if you ride it this summer and then decide you don’t like it, you’ll probably have a better idea of the next bike you want. You might even keep this bike for errands/guests/a backup.

[Vicegrip]

150 pounds or less rider, Noted issues with hills while living in a hilly area. The last thing I would want is a 36 pound bike. if I could ride a drop bar bike with chainrings and cogs that is what I would get. There are plenty of them to chose from new and used. You will get the most from the power you have, be less discuraged with hills and be less inclined to give up.

[lordofthemark]

I’d love to spend time checking out bikes, but right now we have one bike for three of us in the household, and getting at least one more bike quickly has taken on priority (PM if you want details). So I’m tempted to just get the REI bike (Novara is their house brand, apparently) assuming it feels comfortable. OTOH, what vicegrip says above.

[dasgeh]

@lordofthemark 52871 wrote:

I’d love to spend time checking out bikes, but right now we have one bike for three of us in the household, and getting at least one more bike quickly has taken on priority (PM if you want details). So I’m tempted to just get the REI bike (Novara is their house brand, apparently) assuming it feels comfortable. OTOH, what vicegrip says above.

Do it. You’ll be happy.

[KLizotte]

You may want to check out the Trek FX series which has reasonably priced commuter hybrids. The lowest 2013 model is MSRP as $599 but you could get a 2012 model for much less. The Spokes chain around here carries Trek.

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