[jabberwocky]

@invisiblehand 283 wrote:

At least by my quick interpretation, I’m going to agree with the comment about stubby tires but disagree somewhat with the general comments of jabberwocky below. The connection between rolling resistance and tire width is more complicated than (1) skinnier = less rolling resistance and (2) higher tire pressure = less rolling resistance. There is growing research that concludes that supple and wider tires — at least over some range — have less rolling resistance than the typical 23 mm road tire. Mind you, to gain less rolling resistance you might be increasing the likelihood of a flat. So there is no free lunch.

I definitely won’t argue with you there. My comment was more a general rule, and depends heavily on the tire in question and the surface you’re riding on. For instance, the wider tire would likely not be faster on an indoor track (which is very smooth). On very rough pavement, an even wider tire might actually be faster. At some point, the skinny, high pressure tire is giving up a lot of energy by bouncing over pavement imperfections rather than flexing and absorbing them. Which is why my recommendation was for a 28mm-32mm tire rather than a full-on road skinny (which are usually 23mm).

And my personal favorite commuter tire is the Pasela TG in 28mm. Its worth noting that the Paselas are actually quite fast for their size; most tires in that width are a bit slower rolling.

[jabberwocky]

@Diane Kean 265 wrote:

My commute is mainly roads or paved trail, depending on how fast I want to get to work. I have a space to park the bike in a parking garage that is relatively safe for the most part. I don’t want to spend more than $500 or $600 dollars.

All this, to me, points to an entry level road bike of some sort.

@Diane Kean 265 wrote:

I will need to carry a lot of things with me: change of clothes, shoes, make-up, etc so I would be interested in panniers or something so I won’t have to rely on my backpack. Right now my bike is HEAVY, so I will definitely need to look for a lighter bike. Does the style of wheel make the bike heavier? Currently I have knobby mountain bike tires, thinking I would like something a little smoother but not the thin road tires.

You have two options for carrying stuff. Panniers (bags that hang on a rack mounted to the bike, either over the rear wheel or alongside the front wheel) or a bag you carry on your back (either a backpack or messenger bag). They both have advantages and disadvantages, and choosing one over the other is largely personal preference. I’ve used both and for commuting loads I prefer the messenger bag. Many people prefer racks and panniers. I generally wouldn’t recommend a backpack though; if you want to carry stuff on your person, get a good quality messenger bag. They are wide and flat and distribute the weight across your back, whereas backpacks tend to pull your shoulders backwards (which is not all that comfortable on the bike). I use a Chrome Metropolis, which is expensive but very durable, comfortable and large enough to hold all my stuff.

As for tires, skinny road tires are by far the most efficient thing to ride on pavement. They roll much, much quicker than knobby mtb tires on pavement (seriously, get on a road bike after riding a mtb on the road and you’ll feel like your bike has a motor on it). Wider slick tires get you some comfort at the expense of speed (they run at a lower pressure that absorbs road chatter better, but at the expense of increased rolling resistance). My personal recommendation would be a dedicated road tire in a slightly wider width (28mm-32mm), unless you ride on seriously rough pavement.

Bike weight actually doesn’t play a huge role in commuting speed unless your commute includes a lot of climbing. On pavement, rolling resistance is your primary enemy (and wind resistance is a close second, especially at higher speeds). Mountainbikes (which it sounds like you have) are poor choices in both departments; knobby tires are incredibly slow on pavement, and mountainbikes usually have a rather upright seating position which is highly un-aerodynamic.

[jabberwocky]

Hi Diane-

A little more info would help. What does inexpensive mean to you? Whats your commute like? Is it all on pavement, is it partially off-road, is it hilly? How are you intending to carry any work stuff with you (or are you not intending to carry stuff at all)? EDIT: Also, do you have a place to bring the bike inside at work? If you have to lock it outside, you might be better off with an old beater than a new bike to lessen the chance of theft. If you have an indoor place to store the bike, thats not a concern.

My initial recommendation is to look at an entry level road bike. They can be had for $500-600. Components won’t be high-end, but will be serviceable. If your commute is short and relatively flat (or you’re a masochist ), you could look at a single speed. I prefer carrying my stuff in a messenger bag so rack mounts aren’t super important, but if you want to use panniers you’ll need to look for models that have mounts or be prepared to purchase a rack that can attach in other ways (which tend to be expensive). If your commute includes gravel or off-road sections, you’ll want to look for decent tire clearance (or perhaps step to a hybrid or mountainbike).

No matter what though, you need to get yourself to a few shops and test ride bikes to see what you like to ride. Theres a lot of personal preference in bike geometry. I’d recommend hitting at least 3 shops and test riding at least 2 bikes at each one to get a wide range of experience. Odds are that one or two will stand out as feeling better to you than the others.

[jabberwocky]

@Deb 249 wrote:

Does anyone have any updates on the WOD? I’d like to ride this weekend, either Shirlington-Vienna or Reston-Leesburg. I know some other folks who would like to get back to commuting by bike and are wondering about the section west of Vienna.

Deb, I’ve been riding it all week and can confirm that its currently totally clear between mile 18.5 (bridge over 7100 in Reston) and mile 10 (between Park st and Cedar in Vienna). I’ve been told its clear onward to Gallows, as well. They plowed the Reston sections last week at some point, and finished between Reston and Vienna yesterday.

I can’t say whether anything north of Reston is clear.

[jabberwocky]

For our more western commuters: the W&OD was plowed and totally clear between where I get on in Reston (7100) and Sunrise Valley. South of Sunrise Valley, there were still patchy sections of snow, with long sections of snow on the north side of the climb to Buckthorn Ln and the long stretch coming up on Hunters Mill. After crossing Hunters Mill, first 2 or so miles were clear but the last 2 miles coming into Vienna were still totally covered in rutted snow and ice (4-6″ deep). I hopped off there and took back roads to work, but the section after Park street looked equally bad.

They definitely hadn’t plowed between Sunrise Valley and Vienna at all.

[jabberwocky]

I’m planning on spot checking the W&OD in a few spots in Reston tonite. I’d like to resume commuting. I’ve heard they are going to do some plowing on the W&OD, but dunno if its been done or even if its accurate.

The 7100 trail (which I use to get to the W&OD) is a disaster. Most of the snow from 7100 was pushed right up onto it where I’d be riding. I have a road route I can use instead though, assuming the W&OD is ridable.

@Dirt 182 wrote:

I fear that conditions will be what I call “Pedestrian Ice” for a few more weeks as this stuff melts. That is particularly not good for me since I’m going to be riding a trike while my recently dislocated shoulder rehabs. GRRRrrrr.

One thing the GF found with her trike is that you at least don’t have to worry about going down (you just slide if you hit ice). The downside is that its bumpy as hell and the wide track makes dodging ice hard to do.

[jabberwocky]

My office is pretty bike friendly. The office building has a “no bikes inside” policy, but it isn’t enforced and the building maintenance folks all know me since I’ve been bringing the bike in for years (and in return I’m careful not to bang up doorways and walls when I’m walking the bike around and I always bang the water and snow off before I bring it in). I work at an architectural firm, so I just put the bike in a little alcove in the print room. No dedicated place to store clothes. I usually drape them over my computer under my desk (it radiates heat, so it dries them out quite well).

The building does have a small gym with showers.

Nobody else in my office commutes by bike, but there are a small handful in the building that do.

[jabberwocky]

I used panniers when I started commuting, but switched to a messenger bag (chrome metropolis) at about the 1 year mark. I don’t have a strong preference either way, but the messenger is much easier to deal with since I have multiple bikes that I switch between at whim, and it makes bike shopping easier since a lot of bikes don’t have provisions for racks. I generally prefer the weight be on my body anyway, which is just a personal preference thing.

Recently built a touring bike, so I’ll probably switch back to panniers when using it for commuting just to get used to having some weight hung on the bike again.

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