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My response (which had me worried about slashed tires…) was to relock their bike to mine (alongside a very friendly note) to contact me.
I received a nice call around 6:30 apologizing profusely and asking me to come by whenever I got a chance. I get the impression that
if I wouldn’t have forced the call by locking our bikes together I would’ve been sitting here wondering if my bike was free yet.

As it is, its safely in the living room awaiting a well deserved cleaning.

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I’m a new cyclist, so take all my “advice” with a grain of salt. I’m talking the really heavy, big rock salt type too…

I suspect I have more hills and a longer commute, so I’m looking more into cyclocross/touring style with three big rings in the front (more gears for when mah legs be sleepy!).

You might be good to look into some of the road/cross bikes that they sell at places like Performance? The gurus here know better than I, but my naive self would look at
an entry Fuji road or cross bike with two rings in the front (a compact double, if I understand the terminology right…). These can be had at Performance for around 600-700 with
Tiagra or 105 shifters, which I think are middle of the road/decent components. This leaves you will another 300-400 which i’m guessing would be enough to get another set of
wheels/tires to switch between comfortable commuting and speedy training?

As for shop recommendations, there’s no shortage of them around here. My basic breakdown of who i’ve actually had experience with:

1) Performance is all over the place. Their prices are low, you get lifetime maintenance (I think) but i’m
not sure about their staff. I’ve been into the store in Rockville a few times and was never offered help. Maybe they were just really busy.

2) Revolution Cycles. This is where I bought my hybrid. I can only describe it as “corporate-ish”. They seem fine. They fit me okay on my hybrid. Though oddly, they
sold my wife a new bike that had a poorly patched tube and she blew out her wheel at the beach because of it. That being said, they replaced tube and tire for no cost.
I don’t think they’re bad, but I don’t get that “cool and friendly bike shop vibe” from this place (I visited the Rockville branch).

2) City Bikes. I’ve visited the one in Chevy Chase. They’re very relaxed and chill. I think they know a lot about bikes, depending on who helps you.
I’ve test-ridden bikes in the middle of my commute home. They sell a lot and would probably be pretty helpful. Almost got my first “real bike” from them
because they were very honest with me and didn’t pressure to upsell me. I told them I just wanted to ride around on weekends with my wife and they
suggested an entry level hybrid. That’s before I knew I’d love commuting the 30 mile roundtrip!

3) Big Wheel Bikes. I’ve visited the one in Arlington. They were very friendly and let me test ride what I asked for. However, I don’t know that I’d recommend them as they
seem more intent on selling than fitting. They tried to sell me a 2012 Kona Jake at 59 cm which obviously would not fit me well (i’m more of a size 53-55). Furthermore, they were selling it for a high price
and made no mention that it was last year’s model. I also noticed they had some bike models/years listed wrong. Selling last years model for this years prices is not cool.
I don’t think they’re bad, but I don’t think they’d be my first choice.

5) Bikenetic. If you’re in Virginia, i’ve heard good things about these folks. Gave them a call yesterday in my hunt for a 2013 Kona Jake to test ride and they responded quickly.
Told me that they had it (field trip this weekend!) and suggested a few other cross bikes that were right in the similar price range. Their recommendations matched those of Proteus (below).
From what i’ve read of them, they will make sure you get fitted to a bike that is a good size for you and really just want more people to ride! My gut says this would be a great option.

4) Proteus. If you’re in Maryland around College Park, this place is great. Very relaxed store. They carry bikes that they know and like. Definitely a quality shop.
The owner, I believe, is on these forums and she helped fit me when I went in for some testing. I told them what I was looking for. Their recommendations matched
my own research with a surprise suggestion that I’d never considered. They took the time to make sure my seat was well adjusted and that I was comfortable on each bike.
Gave me a variety of options (aluminum, steel, three rings, two rings, shimano shifters, sram shifters, disc brakes, cantilever brakes!) and encouraged me to test ride each
one as long as I wanted/needed to. Didn’t pressure me to buy anything and were just genuinely great people. If you want good recommendations and want a good fit to your bike,
I think they are a great option!

Rambling done. Keep us posted on your hunt!

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Muddy and rainy commute home today. Its days like this that make me think I need some disc brakes on the eventual new commuter.

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@Arlingtonrider 51510 wrote:

A big key to this challenge is riding every single day – even more so than was the case with Freezing Saddles. I’ll do the best I can, but unfortunately I have a few trips coming up (including all of next week) where I don’t think I’ll be able to ride. I’ll try to make some of that up with milege if I can, but if others can make sure they get in at least one mile a day whenever possible, it will really help the team!

I’m doing what I can to get at least a mile a day. Only been commuting for a couple months, so my base miles are low. But this is great motivation to get me going and to convince myself I need a new bike.

I kind of wish they had an option to specify if you’re a new bike commuter. I’d like to compare how I’m doing relative to others that just started commuting this year.

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@DismalScientist 51223 wrote:

Tiagras have an optical indicator showing in which gear you might be in. This is highly insulting to retrogrouches. I have 105s on my only bike with brifters and they seem fine. They are almost as smooth as my drive train with Suntour racheting bar-end shifters paired with a Cyclone rear derailleur.:rolleyes:

Sacreligious, I know, but I’ve liked that optical indicator on my test rides… 😮

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I am by no means an expert at component specs. However I am also looking at a better commuter after riding my hybrid for the last few months. Have you considered cyclocross bikes? Several folks on here use them as their all purpose bikes. My research suggests they’re great for all weather/condition riding!

I’ve been testing mainly tiara level stuff (my price range) and it all seems pretty smooth to me. I’m not sure I’d notice the difference since I’m new to the curvy bar bike works and I’m not into racing or that kind of stuff where I think the differences would be more noticeable.

Let us know what you pick out!

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I only resort to the sidewalks when the road is busy and my legs are too tired to spin at 15-20 mph. I think that sounds like a fast pace to go at, and people on the roads should be fine with it. I tend to top out at 10-12 on the uphills of north Arlington (on a good day!) and still feel pretty safe next to traffic. Occasionally the odd expensive car will honk or cut me off, but I pay taxes too and have just as much right to the road as they do!

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It sounds to me like the guy concentrated on the negatives. For every crazy driver that almost hits me and makes me mad, about 10 leave me alone.
Occasionally, there’s that one driver who actually encourages me at a stop light!

I personally look at the positives of the bike commute and relish in the feeling that i’m getting away with playing in traffic on my bike. In particular
I love when I manage to accelerate from a stop light and keep pace with a line of traffic. The looks of shock from drivers is great!

I wish this guy would’ve had more of those positive experiences to focus on.

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@DaveK 50829 wrote:

Psst… I don’t know if it’s your size, but at this price it’s worth a phone call.

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/doc/bik/3777638267.html

Thanks for the heads up! Maybe I can check it out on my commute home Friday…

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@ebubar 50720 wrote:

Interesting commute this morning. Slight rain the whole way in. Felt like I needed those windshield wiper glasses that Screech and Slater invented on “Saved by the Bell”. I figured this dedication made me a true commuter…until the afternoon ride home.

Bridges get really slippery in the rain (duh) as do brakes. Had my first flip over the bars. I like to think it was a pretty epic wipeout, with a couple inch slide. The bike is still in good shape and I got by with just a sore ankle. The jacket is nice and dirty. Pannier protected the physics exams and ipad. THAT little event, I think, makes me a true bike commuter. Now my wife has to let me up my bike budget to afford a Volpe. Its for my own safety!

Confirmed that this particular commute was devilishly tough…Total ascent according to Garmin was 666.

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I almost took the long route along CCT and over Key Bridge to Marymount University. Could’ve gotten a free high five!? Curses for not checking this last night.

On the plus side I rode up the “vertical climb formerly known as 41st street”.

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@Greenbelt 50608 wrote:

One more obs on disks in the rain. I’ve never had trouble with braking power with decently tuned/toed in cantis, even in the wet, even at my heavy load weight. However, if I neglect maintenance (which I sometimes do), and the cantis get a little off, sometimes they can get a bit grabby, which can be a bad thing in the rain – you can lock up a wheel if you’re not careful and hit the brakes too hard. I was riding fast up to Baltimore in the pouring rain on my CX bike with cantis the other week, and felt my rear wheel almost lock a couple times when I braked. In fairness to the bike, though, that was a pretty rugged road test with an inch of water on the roads sometimes and we were going way too fast!

The disks braking seems smoother, so less likely to lock up a wheel when it’s slippery — more forgiving if you’re not paying attention and have to brake harder than expected on a sloppy day. Just my observations… others may have different experiences. -Jeff

Good to hear observations from another commuter. I seem to recall an old thread of yours about canti’s versus disks for braking? After launching myself over my handlebars braking on the way home, i’m pondering if the disks are best. This makes a 2013 Kona Jake a number one choice for me (plus the lifetime warranty). Close second is the Bianchi Volpe (no disk brakes or lifetime warranty). Perhaps the 2014 Bianchi will fix all my worries…:confused::cool:

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@DismalScientist 50718 wrote:

This is normally the point in the thread where I suggest you consider the potential internet discount if you don’t mind the lack of LBS support.
My suggestions (based on specs) would be:
From bikesdirect: (free shipping, no sales tax for now)
Motobecane Fantom Outlaw (Disc brakes/Al frame/ Carbon fork/Tiagra shifters/105 RD $1000 for 20 speeds/$900 for 18 speeds)
Motobecane Gran Turismo (CroMo frame/canti brakes/bar end shifters/Deore XT RD/27 speeds/$800)
Windsor Tourist (CroMo frame/canti brakes/Tiagra shifters/Deore RD/27 speeds/$600)

I bought the following from nashbar and I am happy with it:
Nashbar Steel Touring bike (CroMo frame/canti brakes/105 shifters and derailleurs/30 speeds/$700)

I have looked at those exact bikes at bikesdirect. I’ve heard and read good things about them all, but at this point I still don’t trust my bike skills and want to buy from an LBS for the support. However that Nashbar is REALLY attractive at that price point.

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Interesting commute this morning. Slight rain the whole way in. Felt like I needed those windshield wiper glasses that Screech and Slater invented on “Saved by the Bell”. I figured this dedication made me a true commuter…until the afternoon ride home.

Bridges get really slippery in the rain (duh) as do brakes. Had my first flip over the bars. I like to think it was a pretty epic wipeout, with a couple inch slide. The bike is still in good shape and I got by with just a sore ankle. The jacket is nice and dirty. Pannier protected the physics exams and ipad. THAT little event, I think, makes me a true bike commuter. Now my wife has to let me up my bike budget to afford a Volpe. Its for my own safety!

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@Greenbelt 50601 wrote:

Agree with all of this. I think disk brakes are also a function of load and descent requirements. With really big loads (my bike plus me is about 235 pounds), and several descents with stops at the bottom on my commute, I like my disk brakes very much. However, if I were 170 pounds fully loaded, I’m sure the cantis would do fine, even in the rain.

Bianchi is neither confirming nor denying that the 2014 Volpe will have a disk braking option.

Dare I hope…2014 Volpe with disk brakes at 1299? I think this would be my attainable dream bike….When do new bike models typically get announced?

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