What kind of bike do I want: commuting all the time edition

[dasgeh]

In an attempt to un-hijack the other thread, I’ll try to move this discussion here. The short version: I’d like a bike that I’m comfortable commuting in all weather on. My commute is currently 7-8 miles each way, and includes both Capitol Hill and Rosslyn hill (the deal breaker for “it’s kinda comfortable but not really” bikes). I have a Raleigh R500 which is comfortable to ride for a long time but (1) is not upright enough to be comfortable with limited vis (aka ski goggles) in traffic and (2) doesn’t have the clearance and braze-ons for wide tires + fenders. I haven’t ridden a lot of steel, but from what I read, that’s where I should be looking. I haven’t ridden fat tires ever, but I doubt that’s the way I’ll go. I am will to test ride them. Any bike has to be able to get me up Rosslyn hill comfortably (aka not too heavy). I can do basic bike maintenance, but would prefer not to.

I’m almost certainly going to put a back rack, full fenders and a dyna-hub on whatever bike I end up with. Flexibility to, e.g., do some touring in future years (once kids grow up) would be great.

And budget-wise, it looks like I’m going to get a windfall in the next couple months, so I’m not looking for the cheapest thing out there. I’m still an economist at heart, so I do want the best deal and don’t want to pay more than I have to just for a fancy brand.

The conversation so far (thanks everyone who chimed in):
@dasgeh 73925 wrote:

Alas, I didn’t bike to work today. […] I realized that clothing wise, I was fine to bike. But bike-wise is another matter. I have been commuting on 2 bikes: 1) my (Dad’s) Raleigh, which fits very well, but I don’t think has clearance for better tires; and 2) Raleigh Detour Deluxe, my no excuses bike. I love the Raleigh, but I must admit, it is too small for me. It’s just not comfortable enough for the 7.5 mile commute, and I end up dreading the ride home.

So on my bike to lunch (on a CaBi), I swung by BicycleSpace to see what they would recommend for a bike I could use all the time. I was steered toward the Surly Straggler, but might consider another Surly or an All-City… Any thoughts?

And I got some helpful responses:
@cyclingfool 73936 wrote:

Something of a Surly fanboy here, so I think the Straggler would be a fine choice. The Straggler is basically a Cross Check w/ disc brakes, so if you’d rather stick with rim brakes, there’s always the Cross Check as well.

My old bike was a Long Haul Trucker, which I was very partial to and miss immensely. There’s also a Disc Trucker now, if you want disc brakes.

Fitting/sizing info for both Truckers and Cross Checks here: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/SurlyLHT/2pGsJfXWb6A in case they don’t have/can’t order the specific size you’d want to test ride.

Either would be good as an all around bike IMO. Straggle/CC should be a little lighter/more nimble than a Trucker if that’s important.

Can’t speak to All-City bikes.

@Riley Casey 73939 wrote:

You like Raleighs? Oh boy, oh boy you need a new, bottomless pit of a bike addiction.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/623699-For-the-love-of-English-3-speeds

@TwoWheelsDC 73940 wrote:

Straggler also comes with STI shifters, IIRC. Compared to bar ends that come standard on the Crosscheck.

@KelOnWheels 73946 wrote:

ALL-CITY!

A Surly Straggler would be awesome, actually. I want one.

But it’s basically the bike I have just with disc brakes.

But I still want one.

@vvill 73965 wrote:

Both brands focus on tough, steel, urban bikes so either would probably be good if that’s what you’re after. All-City have a bit more of a track/CX/700c focus perhaps, and don’t make any MTBs whereas Surly has a presence in all sorts of bikes. All-City’s marketing seems a bit edgier and “epic”, Surly is a bit more off-beat and quirky.

I think figure out what kind of tire clearance you want, and also if you want flat bar or dropbar and if drops – STI or barend shifters. CX-specific bikes will usually fit up to 35mm comfortably but not necessarily that much more – so that may limit your studded tire choice if you plan to get those at some point. Having disc brakes or not will also influence your options quite a bit, if you have a preference on that.

@peterw_diy 73974 wrote:

Belt drive 26er fat tire fixie will take care of you all through the zombie apocalypse.

Don’t brifters suck with gloves/mittens? So I’ve heard… Otherwise, when I go shopping I wish my Cross Check had longer chainstays, and Surly cuts the steer tubes kinda short on their “complete” builds. I’d also like less toe clip overlap. (I shoulda bought a 26er Disc Trucker.) Straggler is one of a few they bother treating for rust, the others you might want to Weigle.

Topic

[hozn]

Awesome — I’d certainly consider aluminum too!

Edit: I’d seen that frame mentioned on some blog (bikeradar?), but never followed the link. It *does* look *awesome*.

[dasgeh]

Saw this in the newest Bicycling, and it’s pretty…

http://spotbrand.com/bikes/product-page/wazee/

[consularrider]

Yeah pretty, but at $2349?

[dasgeh]

@consularrider 76106 wrote:

Yeah pretty, but at $2349?

I know!

[DaveK]

Point of order: Colin Chapman would not be caught dead on anything with an IGH and disc brakes. His preferred ride would be a stripped-out singlespeed with only one brake and wheels having exactly as any spokes as needed not to collapse. Bar tape is an optional extra.

/Lotus chat

[dasgeh]

Hi all,
I’ve been working way too much, so I haven’t had a lot of time for bike shopping. But I have had time for bike dreaming.

I also realized that there are two bikes that I like on paper: the Spot Wazee ($2350) or Acme ($2300) and the Raliegh Misceo 4.0 ($1500) or 3.0 ($800). Ok, that’s 4 bikes.

A couple questions for the crowd: 1) What are the pros/cons of belt drives?
2) Can someone explain the price differentials? (Did I mention I’ve been working way too much – I was hoping someone with more time and more bike shopping knowledge could some it up)
3) Which bike do I want? Or should I just keep looking in the Salsa/Surly world (the drop handlebar road, which seems to mean no hydraulic disc brakes)

[NicDiesel]

You could always go with the Surly Straggler and outfit it with a flat bar and still keep your disc brakes. The nice thing about the Straggler is that you can run it with gears or go single speed (or even a flip flop hub if you want a fixed gear option) thanks to the rear drop outs and still have disc brakes. The frames are pretty much no frills and the decals come off pretty easily (they’re not clearcoated, a plus for me) but for a sub $500 frame I think they’re pretty excellent. For a commuter I don’t see why you’d spend over $1,500 unless you’ve got money to waste since it’s going to get used and abused and for $1,500 you can build out a killer commuter rig that’ll last forever.

[jabberwocky]

@dasgeh 77886 wrote:

1) What are the pros/cons of belt drives?

Pros: No cleaning required, almost immune to dirt and dust and poor weather. Light.
Cons: Frame needs to be designed for it (there needs to be a way to separate the chainstay or seatstay to put the belt inside the rear triangle, since a belt can’t be broken like a chain). Belts are much more sensitive to chainline alignment than chains. Belts are much more sensitive to tension than a chain and must be run at a much higher tension to avoid slipping. Need the correct length belt for your specific frame (again, it can’t be cut and shortened like a chain). I’ve heard mixed-to-poor things about their durability, though thats in the MTB world so take it with a grain of salt.

(disclaimer: I don’t own any belt drive bikes, but have a couple friends who run them on mountainbikes).

[jrenaut]

Never used a belt drive, but chatted with a guy at a light once who had one. He said the big drawback for him was a lot of flexing under heavy load.

[mstone]

@dasgeh 77886 wrote:

A couple questions for the crowd: 1) What are the pros/cons of belt drives[/quote]

pro: almost no maintenance, internally geared hub which usually accompanies the belt drive is much nicer for things like shifting while stopped.

cons: expensive, maintenance is harder (they’re fairly reliable, but there’s basically no chance you [or a passing rider] can tinker with it on the side of the road to get it going again if it does break), changing a tire is a bit more work

Quote:

2) Can someone explain the price differentials? (Did I mention I’ve been working way too much – I was hoping someone with more time and more bike shopping knowledge could some it up)

for the spots, steel vs alu/carbon. both have a brake upgrade and other bits and pieces from the raleighs. whether it’s worth $800 is subjective. the 3.0 is a standard derailleur vs belt drive.

Quote:

3) Which bike do I want? Or should I just keep looking in the Salsa/Surly world (the drop handlebar road, which seems to mean no hydraulic disc brakes)

You tell us. Hydraulic discs are coming for drop bars, but I wouldn’t buy at this point. (And they’re expensive.) If you prefer drop bars, I don’t think the hydraulic brakes are a reason not to get them. I don’t think you’ll realistically be stressing the limits of mechanical disks on a commuter bike. The difference mostly will come down to the hydraulics needing less maintenance and the mechanicals being easier to maintain. (Just like the belt vs chain.)

[Greenbelt]

Drop handlebars will hydro disk brakes? Jamis Supernova 2014. Best bike I’ve ever ridden, period.

Sell your car first, though, it’s pretty expensive. I can’t afford and don’t need (already have a great CX/road bike), but still…

[guga31bb]

That’s pretty…

[dasgeh]

@Greenbelt 77902 wrote:

Drop handlebars will hydro disk brakes? Jamis Supernova 2014. Best bike I’ve ever ridden, period.

Sell your car first, though, it’s pretty expensive. I can’t afford and don’t need (already have a great CX/road bike), but still…

But you can get the Nova Pro 2014 with Hydro disc brakes (does it matter that they’re cable actuated?) for a mere $1900…

[Greenbelt]

@dasgeh 77906 wrote:

But you can get the Nova Pro 2014 with Hydro disc brakes (does it matter that they’re cable actuated?) for a mere $1900…

And probably a bit more practical/durable for commuting too! That’s actually not a bad price with SRAM Apex, hmmm…

[culimerc]

@Greenbelt 77909 wrote:

And probably a bit more practical/durable for commuting too! That’s actually not a bad price with SRAM Apex, hmmm…

Braze-ons for racks ??

[Author]

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