Bicycle Suggestions
polycounter lvl 18
The local shops have weeks delays on repairs and I commute. Since the Bike I have now is getting long in the tooth, I have been thinking about replacing it. Kinda seeing whats out there. Hoping we have some enthusiasts out there??
Need:
-Front Suspension Fork (Ride over poor quality roads/potholes)
-All Weather Larger Tires.
-13+ shifting (Lots of Hills in Seattle)
-Hella Light (Have to cart by hand in some places)
-Rain/Snow/Ice durable.
-Quick Release Rims (for flats in the middle of commute)
Request:
-Disc Brakes.
-Domestic Made Frame.
Nice to have:
-Some sort of rear shock absorption other than frame.
-Bright color. (Ride at night on major roadways without bicycle lanes)
-Standard Pedals versus bicycle shoe types.
-Handlebar with more than one grip option and/or vibration absorption. Does my carpal no good with the pressure I have to put into my palm along with road vibration.
Budget:
Under 2000
The Commute bikes I have seen won't cut it. They are not made for truly year round and crappy roads.
Example Ideas:
http://www.konaworld.com/splice_dl.cfm
http://www.konaworld.com/shred.cfm
http://www.torkerusa.com/bikes/commute/2012-dually-2
Need:
-Front Suspension Fork (Ride over poor quality roads/potholes)
-All Weather Larger Tires.
-13+ shifting (Lots of Hills in Seattle)
-Hella Light (Have to cart by hand in some places)
-Rain/Snow/Ice durable.
-Quick Release Rims (for flats in the middle of commute)
Request:
-Disc Brakes.
-Domestic Made Frame.
Nice to have:
-Some sort of rear shock absorption other than frame.
-Bright color. (Ride at night on major roadways without bicycle lanes)
-Standard Pedals versus bicycle shoe types.
-Handlebar with more than one grip option and/or vibration absorption. Does my carpal no good with the pressure I have to put into my palm along with road vibration.
Budget:
Under 2000
The Commute bikes I have seen won't cut it. They are not made for truly year round and crappy roads.
Example Ideas:
http://www.konaworld.com/splice_dl.cfm
http://www.konaworld.com/shred.cfm
http://www.torkerusa.com/bikes/commute/2012-dually-2
Replies
I swear by hardtail mountainbikes for an all around best ride.
For mine I ride with slick tires most year round untill winter, either tiny nops for frost or bigger nobs in the snow. (Do mind that snow will kill your bike if you dont clean it right after, the salt or just exposure to random dirt will eat it)
I added bigger handlebars to throw the bike around a lot in the city, other grips and paddles that are more downhill focused.
For me the gears are not sufficiant in mountain like areas, if i was in seattle id def gear up, i max my cannondale at about 37 miles an hour, my haibike about 45.
cruise speed is about 17 miles with slick tires.
just got home, ill drop by later cause i love me some bikes
cannondale sl3
and a haibike,
I can only speak for what Ive ridden recently, my Felt Edict Nine 60 2013, but it definitely hits on most of your needs. I bought it from a local bike shop (up in snohomish) at the beginning of the year for 1600. I bought it with cross-country style riding in mind, and have since put hundreds of trail miles on it with very little issues.
I cant say for sure whether it would make a good city bike, but it does have:
Front an rear suspension (100mm travel) with a lockout (stiffens front shocks, very useful for hills) The rear suspension is designed in a way that it doesn't cause you to "sag" when pedaling hard up hills.
Disc brakes, not the best but way better than non-disc.
20 speeds
Dont know exact weight but its light compared to everything else Ive ridden.
29er wheels let you easily mob over(nearly) anything.
And its relatively cheap considering the quality of the components.
Factory page:
http://www.feltbicycles.com/USA/2014/Bikes/Mountain/edict-nine-series/edict-nine-60.aspx
Hardtail is the only way to go if you're traveling on roads. You need that stiffness to avoid bouncing and losing power in your strokes. Get a good rack (I'm a huge fan of the Bontrager Interchange racks) with a bag to go with it. The Interchange bags just lock in to the rack and don't need any special cargo nets or anything.
My Bontrager city trunk bag carries my change of clothes (except for my jeans, I keep those in my desk), my 600 lumen XT-11 headlight, my keys, and my lunch bag. It just pops into my rack. No fuss - it's a godsend after months of using cargo nets on a duffel bag and bungie-cording a lunch box on top.
Be sure you invest in a good headlight. The [ame=http://www.amazon.com/Klarus-XT11-XM-L-Cree-Flashlight/dp/B006UEZIJS]XT-11[/ame] is unbeatable:
I've used the XT-11 for the better part of this year and it casts a huge spot of light in front of you that's almost as bright as a car headlight. It even has a tactical mode for irregular flashing, which makes you much more noticeable.
Some good batteries to go with it wouldn't be a bad idea. Pick up a tail light that will make you visible. The bike itself won't be enough to stop psychopaths from running you over. The Serfas [ame=http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005M2EDG8/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=25MYV6ZA76CGO&coliid=I3DWN3B6DA44XF]USL-TL60[/ame] is my top choice for night visibility.
Good luck with your choices, and happy cycling!
2k is low-medium range
(you dont have to be a bike enthusiast to see the engineering awesomeness though!)
http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p185/shepherdbrooks/102_1121.jpg
If just for commuting get road tires for it.
Lots of UCF students do this, but they pull a Shiniku and ride around on Wal*Mart "Next" bikes. I get a kick out of it every day I pass them on the ride to work.
Which I got for a good deal, has pretty decent components and has the plus of being folding. I lived in a crazy hilly place and the gear range was more than enough to handle anything. And it was pretty fast when I needed it to. It could withstand crazy rains without feeling weird afterwards.
Here in Canada I decided to downgrade and get a tough single speed beater for the winter, but I decided to ride it year-long. It got rusty after the first winter, but I just threw the chain away and put a new one.
Is bike theft common in Seattle? I know it is in Montr
I don't bike commute any more, except when the weather is nice I'll park as a park and ride and bike to work, but I skip the crappy days, which is roughly 9mo out of the year here.
When I did commute daily rain, snow or shine I stuffed everything in a dry bag and then into a backpack. It was a pain double bagging everything. The backpack always kind of bugged me too. I had a rack but never used it for the same reason you switched, balancing it and bungees, baa just put it on and get going, ha.
It will be interesting to see what you settle on Oxy, I'm looking to replace mine in the spring.
I feel your pain on the double-bagging. I still carry around a set of plastic bags for my phone in the probable event that it rains as I'm heading back. It's always a nightmare to ride through a torrential downpour wondering if your phone will be destroyed from water damage.
I can't imagine not commuting by bicycle. I thought it might be dangerous at first, but I've learned to ride big to be seen and be safe. It also really helps to work in an office that has a shower facility. Co-workers don't appreciate someone who's a bit earthy after a ride.
- can be built much lighter than any regular MTB hardtail
- gearing can be similar/identical to MTB's, depending on your setup
- you can get them with disc brakes or MTB-style mini v-brakes
- studded/fat tyres fit, no problem
- you can go offroad, although it's not meant for proper mountainbiking
you have to like the road type handlebars and STI's and the sporty seating position though. might be too extreme for the casual rider but lot'S more hand positions than on a flat bar.
there's a wide range of prices out there. if you stay away from carbon and competition frames, you'll find acceptable pricing levels.
if you're running decently sized tyres at not too higah a pressure, you should not require a suspension fork on the road, really. it'll only add weight and provide a squishy feel/reduce the power transfer.
for reference i'm running a scott addict CX with a stiff carbon fork, rocket ron tyres and rather high air pressure and have never even missed the suspension fork on- or offroads (very similar setup to this one: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BybngojQrB0/TrU3yiYwh2I/AAAAAAAAI88/20xnJCHzcsk/s1600/John+Addict+CX.jpg , save for the type of brakes. which probably only means that i never really made proper use of my MTB in the first place.
http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2016592435_pavement24m.html\
2 Years later, other than one area, its still very poor.
Could you in good conscience still recommend a bicycle without a front suspension fork relying on the tire alone to absorb such abuse?
http://tinyurl.com/lmu5nor
Free global (!) shipping
Yes, u will look like a ninja but it's really good
Works gr8 if u wonna tease the police and look crazy
Also, side view Hi-Viz : http://respro.com/store/product/i-shots-reflective-stickers
Synaesthesia: how much litters fit in that bag? the way it fits on the racks looks mighty comfy
Bontrager has a selection of Interchange-style trunk bags you might want to check out.
hey sorry for the late answer - these links don't work for me for some reason. if you're talking about really deep potholes and hitting them at at least moderate speed, a suspension fork might make the difference between staying on the bike or kissing the tarmac and/or damaging your wheels.
you should try cross bikes for a test ride on the type of roads you intend to use and see for yourself if they fit your bill. i'm told the sport is quite popular now in the states so it should not be hard to find a store that sells them.
remember to give it some time if the seating position and bartype/shifters are completely new to you.
Anyhow, it turns outs most mountain bike frames are made in Taiwan these days, with only a few continental brands left. Then adding in the fact aluminum has more chatter than steel, while the Taiwan steel bikes don't use as good a quality a steel as domestic (better quality=more absorption)...
1: 2012 Santa Cruz HighBall Carbon. http://www.santacruzbicycles.com/en/highball-carbon
Now, customizing it with all the things I need like narrower street rims, fenders, lock, etc, after tax I would be near $3500. But having rid it, other than the gears being a little off which I think was because it had been sitting around so long, it really ran smooth. They would retweak the gears before selling of course.
2: ~$2800 is getting a custom Steel Frame from a local company and building up a bike around it. I was looking at these guys: Bombus Bicycles. Specifically the Malus without the front fork (so can buy a 3" suspension fork). http://bombusbikes.com/products/the-malus/
[vv]19402606[/vv]
So other than the huge cost. My biggest fear with the Santa Cruz is theft.
[ame="
The Bombus being a less known name and not carbon might be easier to "hide" as it were from thieves.
::thomasp, I tried a Ridley cyclocross and though they are bad ass, even with a composite frame, it couldn't handle the street chatter.
Not the most effective bike to cover distance... but at least I look good. Which is the most important factor here right?
[ame="
...in lieu of the above-posted Bontrager bag (hard to get here). Anyone has experience with this type of trunkbag?
Normally I bike with my North Face Recon bag strapped on my back, sometimes packing it full of 20l., and I'm looking to 'relegate' it to the rack. I wonna still be able to carry the backpack inside the trunkbag.
e.g. on the lightweights there's often a weightlimit for the rider and you are not to sit on the top-tube or chain the bike against a lamp post. the frames are designed to be stressed only one direction. carbon also does give you zero warning before failing - it'll not bend but simply snap. it's common to replace a carbon part after one crash and that can well include the frame.
race bikes are often built specifically with the typical weight of bike racers in mind - pretty uncommon to encounter anyone serious about the sport who weighs more than 75 - 80 kg and that's the tall guys with all their gear.
also bike racers might buy a new steed every other year or even more often so longevity is not much of a concern here.
i'd say you need either alloy or steel for a frame and parts that are at least one, better two levels down from the highend-groupsets. i.e. you would not want dura-ace-level equipment but shimano 105 would be plenty (in road bike groupsets - i'm not up to date on MTB ones but should be at or better below XT). with the fancy stuff you'd only be paying for weightsavings, bling and particular features at the expense of longevity and cost of replacement parts and making your ride very attractive to thieves.
Bombus has never gotten back to me. Man, finding a domestic hybrid/mt in bike manufacturer-even for just frames is painful. The few shops I have found thus far that offer such only deal in road bikes.
of course you could go 'full retard' - that might make the difference: http://road.cc/content/news/79843-just-canyon-vcls-post-20 - at great cost.
bottom line - don't buy any fancy stuff for a commuter. it will either get ground down through daily usage / in bad weather or will simply get stolen.
did you try ventana?
http://www.ventanausa.com/
they do custom stuff and are working on a cyclocross bike.
Yea, I was. They only have a hardtail with 29" wheels which is great for the trails, but the rotating mass of such large tires will wear out the brakes faster and require gearing that may be un-optimal for city riding. That and having to sometimes take it on the lightrail when its crowded, those super large tires will get in the way of everyone. I could only go to a 650b/27.5" at the most.
If only..
http://calfeedesign.com/products/bamboo/
Anyhow more research has lead me to this bike: Thoughts?
Cannondale Quick CX1
http://www.cannondale.com/catalog/product/view/id/31186/s/quick-cx-1/category/935/
Waiting to hear back from their CS about a few Qs I had about the bike. Man, what is it with bike companies actually responding to customers?
Cannondale make good bikes. The headshock system works pretty well. The components on that look pretty decent too.
I can't speak to that particular frame but I've had an f600 Cannondale mountain bike for 8 years and it's still in great shape after a lot of use. I've replaced all the original parts as they wear out but the headshock is still in-tact. I got a Cannondale as their replacement policy is supposed to be really good.
I had an early 90s Peugeot for a while before I replaced it with the Bianchi, and it was great. Why the heck would you get rid of the gears though?
It was a pure road bike, no kind of shock absorption but I liked my bikes that way back then, I don't like ridding soft tails, I don't ever do any kind of trail riding, its just a bunch of mechanical BS I don't need. BUT the roads where kind of rough and there was a pretty smooth crushed rock trail (but with some minor pot holes) that I could take to get to work faster. I avoided the trail most of the time because they where murder on the tires I had. I didn't have any issues with it mechanically and the forks never failed, even though it took a few poundings that I thought it would.
I still avoid carbon, I just don't trust it and I'll put up with a little extra weight to get some piece of mind. I do like front fork suspension now but I blame that on my computer job wrists, heh.
You will want gears in Seattle Oxy. Looks like an awesome bike for what you want to do. Front fork will be nice as well for around here and I think we salt the roads maybe once a winter.
Cannondale makes a good product. I use a prophet for my all mountain and love it. I sometimes commute on my f600 and it works great. I prefer something that I can jump / bunnyhop a curb with and not taco the tire because people drive stupid and things happen fast.
Frame design attached. He uses American chromoly steel. Its based around a hardtail MTB source with a 100mm fork, and 27.5 rims.
I'm trying to go over the details now of what equipment to ad, that and I am still somewhat up in the air if I want to have full on drop down handlebars like in his draw up, or sorta a Frankenstein like this: http://www.flickr.com/photos/doingthemiles/11040535894/lightbox/ (inverted) or this http://www.flickr.com/photos/89033380%40N06/11040535894?rb=1 (heavy!).
The issue with dropdowns -
-Its harder to find good disk brake systems for them. In fact, all I have found thus far are mechanical wire types (want specifically mineral oil based fluid types *NOT the other type of oil). Any ideas of brand that might have these?
-Being that much more crouched over at night makes me less visible.
-Better or worse on backs on long distance?
Standard Uprights-
-Straight bars will most likely not help with RSI wrist movement over long road distances.
-More wind resistance from rider.
I'm learning toward dropdowns simply because it gives me more option to possible do overnight treks (frame above has all connection points for attachements). Yes, yes I realize the shock wouldnt be much use, but I need something like me, Jack of all trades, master of none.
Per the actual attachments, here is what I have thus far.
Fork:
Manitou Marvel Pro 27.5 100mm
http://www.manitoumtb.com/products/forks/marvel/
Marzocchi 320 LCR (29 but can take 27.5??)
http://www.marzocchi.com/template/detailProdotti.asp?LN=UK&IDFolder=113&idTR=8040&uf=WD&idWD=56730&IdOggetto=62482
RockShock SID World Cup Or SID RCT3
http://www.sram.com/rockshox/products/sid-world-cup#specs
http://www.sram.com/rockshox/products/sid-rct3
Brakes and Drive Chain
Shimano Deore XT ? (Need Mineral based fluid)
You might be able to run magura HS-77 or HS-66 levers with some magura calipers. But HS-66/77 brakes are hard to find. All magura brakes run off mineral fluid.
If you can wait a tiny bit SRAM is working on hydraulic brakes for drops. However I run DOt4 fluid brakes and have no problems - I've even bled my own brakes (I have hayes)
Here's some interesting off-brand hydraulic brakes.
http://www.trpbrakes.com/category.php?productid=1184&catid=206
You don't have to be crouched over when you're using drops. Just get a taller stem. Have a look at how touring bikes are setup.
I'd get the marzocchi forks. Marzocchi just make more reliable forks. Although the SID world cup forks are probably lighter but also more flexy.
another issue is simply that the frame+fork geometry is often not suited to running drop bars. meaning your seating position will either be *really* stretched out or the stem so short and steerer tube so long that steering is a mess.
disc brakes are hydraulic now even for road bike STI's but these are 1st generation and you are stuck with high end SRAM (red?) and dura ace shimano where hydraulic only comes for their electronic shifting groupset.
i thought you wanted an affordable bike?
the question would be in any case if you can either combine a disc-brake road bike STI with a mountain bike brake caliper or if you can mount road bike brake calipers on a mountain bike frame. i would not be surprised to hear that for now both systems are not really engineered to be interchangeable. e.g. usually lever throw on STI's is completely different to that on MTB brake levers.
all this stuff is quite complex and better asked in specific forums. i wanted a hybrid bike like that, had the frame and fork already but the remaining issues made my head spin. got a cyclo cross as mentioned previously and was done with all of it.
btw. i'd argue that visibility to others when hunched over drop bars is not the issue, however you yourself see less of the environment/have a harder time looking behind. noticeable to me when riding in town.
Thomas, as always thanks for the info. Per geometry, Bombus did design the blueprint around that mixture. Which is why I need to finalize this so it canbe redesigned before he begins construction if need be.
While the Salsa Fargo uses a dropdown head with a more mtb type body. It has those swooped to the side at the bar end shifters. That is just asking for troublein a tumble when your shifter snaps off.
The sram Red and Shimano Ultegra road disc brakes are postmount. So they will bolt to the forks oxynary has selected without any problems at all. if you have international standard disc mounts on the back (which is common) you can just get an adapter to mount the brakes. This would be normal anyway if you wanted to adjust for different size discs.
here's a postmount to is adapter:
http://www.biketiresdirect.com/product/shimano-disc-brake-adapters-post-mount-to-iso
I have these on my bike.
But I agree with thomas. It would have been a lot simpler to just get a cyclocross bike.
Even if these cyclocross disk brakes fit, could they handle the power needed to stop larger and heavier rims without premature wear?
SRAM Reds also look like they take DOT 5.1 fluid versus mineral. The Shimano Ultegra only looks to offer disk brakes on the Di2 (electronic version). I also can't see what
type of fluid it uses.
I could ask the bike manufacturer to build/weld that disk brake type into the frame design versus using adapters if its a non standard disk brake retainer.
Stopping power on disc brakes is mostly governed by how much heat buildup the brakes get. This is mostly from the size of the disc and not the caliper - although under extremely heavy use you can look at bigger calipers.
I run 160mm discs on my mountainbike and they work fine for all except the most extreme descents. The shimano brakes look like they've got all the same cooling features as the mountainbike brakes - which is more than my current brakes. Either set of brakes should be fine for commuting. Bigger brakes and discs are for people competing in enduro and downhill mountainbiking where heat buildup is extreme.
All the shimano brakes are mineral. Hydro Disc brakes for road bikes are a luxury item at the moment as they're still not considered a standard unlike MTB.
Something to keep in mind is that mineral oil will go solid below about 20 degrees farenheit. Dot fluid works to -50 farenheit. So if you move to canada you'd need new brakes.
There are only two standards that anyone uses anymore. They are International Standard and Post mount. The forks you've specified have post mountings - however it's not uncommon to have a International Standard rear as that kind is easier to weld onto the back of a bike. The adapters cost about 10-20$ which is the fraction of the cost of the brakes themselves.
here's a review that shows the shimano brakes being mounted to an IS rear mount with an adapter - it also mentions that they're mineral oil.
http://www.bikerumor.com/2014/01/06/shimano-sh-r785-hydraulic-road-disc-brakes-actual-weights/
I will probably get shimano brakes if I need new ones in the future.
Below pictures aren't current, the stem was at full height to allow for finding the right height. Front plastic fender replaced with full size one (quite a project to get it on suspension). Seat has been replaced. Front gears have been replaced with a mountain ratio as I couldn't go low enough on Seattle hills with stock ratio.
Other than issues below, I'm enjoying it.
.............................
The issue I'm having
Seat discomfort. We (Shop and I), have tried a different brand but still uncomfortable. Any Suggestions? Need a deep slot, and it sounds like I have a wide pelvis.
Handle bars are a little short width wise, and we have lowered it to a better position. However, my hands go numb quickly holding it right at that bottom curve. Like all the weight is being pressed into "pinky" side. The middle of my palm doesn't have much contact on it especially with my two forefingers holding the brake lever, so it isn't helping distribute the weight.
They thought the curve was too tight and suggested things like a woodchipper or cowchipper. I'm wondering if ergonomic is the way to go, but the shop isn't a big fan of those. They say it puts the brakes further from your outstretched fingers and doesn't have that bottom swoop to allow any other hand position on the bottom of curve.
Any other ideas for dropped handlebar/on road style?
But have you measured your sit bones? Brands dont really do much if they are all the same width. Measure your sit bones, and get a seat that's wide enough for you. Then just put the time in.
Nah, the guy who created the frame took it into account. He had a cad setup and spec'd my measurements and knew the situation going and everything. That frame isn't truly MTB, as he made it specific for this use. Can you link to the bullhorn bars your using? I think I know what you speak of.
Slipsius, I have lots of time in the saddle. Have measured the sit bone, yes. But I seem to be wider than what it measured.
So my suggestion is lower the bars and try riding on the hoods, brakes should be fine especially with disks, although I always find the disk pads really easy to contaminate and then the set is ruined. If you have poor performance and need loads of pressure to stop maybe worth swapping the pads.
edit: oh and have you tried re-taping the bars with more padding around the problem area?
edit #2: re saddle, are you wearing padded bib shorts?