Uglyhead

As promised, here are my thoughts on picking a style of bike to ride to work. The title of this post really ought to be “My Incomplete, Rambling and Assumed Knowledge Post About Choosing the Almost Perfect Commuter Bike,” because there is no way you can cover all questions or concerns on a blog. (Note: I will discuss accessories in a separate post). And besides, all you *really* need to start riding to work is a bike (any bike) and the right attitude. Ever notice how many service industry workers ride around on Wal-Mart specials or yard sale castaways? I am talking about the cooks and janitors that are all over town…except that you hardly ever notice them because of their shift times. These people do not ride bikes to work for fitness or to save gas, but because most of the time it is their only form of transportation.

I got (back) into bicycling several years ago by purchasing a mountain bike. Later, after hearing that road biking was a good way to build fitness for the trail, I went out and bought a road machine. Unfortunately, I found road cycling to be just as much fun and far more convenient than mountain biking. (To go trail riding you have to get your gear ready, load it into the car, drive to the trail, unload everything, suit up, finally do the ride, clean up, load your stuff back in the car, drive home, put everything away and possibly hose/wash down the bike (if the trail was muddy). While road biking is not 100% more simple, it is still a lot easier when you can start and end your ride in your driveway.) Since then the majority of my riding has been on asphalt. Only last weekend did I go offroading for the first time in two years. Currently I am using the mountain bike as my main commuter, but when it is in the shop I ride my road bike. The ideal bike is something in between the two.

A mountain bike is not as bad for commuting as you would think. It has a comfortable geometry (i.e., your body’s position on the bike), a wide range of gears and is plenty durable for the daily grind. The key downsides are the suspension (you don’t need 3″ of travel for the road) and the tires (knobbies are slow on pavement and can actually be dangerous at speed or in wet conditions). The way to solve for both of these is to: 1) increase the spring tension (or air pressure) in your front shock; and 2) swap your dirt tires for a pair of slicks. The tires will cost you around fifty bucks, but if you plan on alternating your riding a lot — street one day and trail the next — then you might want to invest in a second set of wheels. It will cost a little more, but it should still be less than buying a second bike. (Note: You can never have too many bikes. Some bikes can “do it all”, sure…but condition specific bikes are the way to go if you can afford it…or your spouse will allow it.) I am not recommending any particular model of mountain bike, but if you want one for commuting and trail riding, then it would be best to stick to a hardtail instead of a full suspension (i.e., shocks on both the front and the rear wheel).

A road bike is also good for commuting because it is designed for the road. The ride position, the larger diameter wheels and the gear ratios are all made for speed. If you want to get to work fast, then a road bike is the way to go. While I can ride at a good clip on my mountain bike, my average speeds are higher and my ride times shorter when I take my road bike to the office. A great entry level road bike is the Trek 1000 or 1000WSD (women’s specific design). This latter type of design creates a riding position that is more natural for a women’s body. Trek’s women’s bikes are the real deal, but some companies just paint their bikes pink and call it a women’s model.

While the road bike has a lot going for it in terms of commuting efficiency, they are not necessarily the best suited bikes for pothole strewn city streets. I have to be extra careful around downtown Chattanooga, because running over a railroad track too fast could cause my narrow 23mm tires to pinch flat (when the tube gets caught between the road and the rim). Running larger tires can help combat this problem, but room for larger tires is often an issue. A way to combat this is to go with a touring bike. They look a lot like racing bikes, but they have longer wheelbases and are designed to haul heavy loads over long distances. As a result, touring frames allow much more clearance for larger tires and fenders (helpful in the rain). However, it has been my experience that touring bikes, because they are specialized, are generally more expensive than common recreational road bikes (i.e., there are no “entry level” true touring bikes).

Ideally, I think that the ultimate commuter bike combines the comfort and durability of a mountain bike with the speed and weight savings of a road bike. Sort of a hybrid, the new breed of commuter/fitness bikes are essentially road bikes with sloping top tubes (i.e., a relaxed geometry) and wide flat bars (like a mountain bike). The Jamis Coda is a great entry level version ($440) and even comes in a women’s specific paint scheme model. Add about a thousand bucks to that price and you can get the Code Elite, which has a better frame and component mix — including disc brakes. A more reasonably priced ($600) disc braked commuter is the Kona Dew Deluxe. I thought I wanted one of these, until I saw the new Raleigh Route 24 (since we actually have a Raleigh dealer in Chattanooga). If you opt for one of these, then I would recommend adding something like the Cane Creek Ergo Control II bar ends. (Note: Bar ends only go with flat taper bars…not riser bars). This will give you some additional hand positions, which is something you lose by not having a drop road bar.

Not only do I think that these hybrid road bikes are perfect for commuting, but they are also equally suited for fitness and recreational riding. They are not necessarily heavy duty trail machines, but you can always put knobby cyclecross tires on them and do some offroading. Also, if your hybrid has disc brakes, then you do not have to worry about adjusting the brakes every time you swap wheels (i.e., the offroad wheels could have a slightly wider and more durable rim). If you really want just one bike that can get you to work on the weekdays, but then take you on epic trail rides on the weekends, then something like the Cannondale Bad Boy Ultra or the Soma Juice might be what you need. The Cannondale comes with 700c street wheels, but it also has a front shock, disc brakes and mountain geometry. It was designed so that you could easily throw on a pair of 26″ mountain wheels. The Soma is a true 29′er, which means that the frame will accept 29″ offroad wheels or 700c road wheels (the Cannondale only has clearance for 26″ mountain knobby tires). Still, the Cannondale is probably a better “one bike fits all” choice. It also looks sweet with it’s urban stealth paint job. I am currently tracking one on Ebay…hee hee!