Comments on: What are they thinking?

By: Mike Myers

Mike Myers — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 02:14:59 +0000

But the upside to the dynamo light is its permanence. No batteries to worry about. No forgetting the light, which can happen with lights with internal batteries.

The hub dynamos are supposed to be magnitudes better than the old tire rubbing dynamos.

By: Don Nevin

Don Nevin — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 19:43:14 +0000

For a commuter bicycle:

A battery-powered light is superior to a dynamo-powered light (the latter has many negatives, chief among them: it dims/ceases when speed diminishes …)

Kickstands make little sense; they add weight, but are used only when the bicycle is not being ridden and, when so used, are an unstable way to park a bike.

By: Brian

Brian — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 23:12:12 +0000

I’ll second the recommendation of the Breezer Uptown8. For my 3-mile commute, which involves a couple of short but steep (8-10%) grades, its 8-speed Nexus hub is fine, and it has everything else I want too. I slapped on a couple of collapsible Wald baskets on either side of the rack (because of the thick rack tubing, I needed to use a couple of worm-gear hose clamps and some zip ties to attach the baskets). I particularly like the full chainguard on the current model.

By: Tim

Tim — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 03:18:40 +0000

I’ll second John’s comments about the puncture resistant tires. It seems like an afterthought, but a bike sold as a commuter should come standard with kevlar lined tires. In my experience the difference is huge, and it’s absolutely worth the extra to buy the better tires.
I’m also a big fan of the internally geared hub. I hope I never have to buy or service another derailleur. When I used to commute year round in Boston, I would have to clean and regrease my chain and derailleurs on almost a weekly basis because of the dirty salty slop on the roads in the never ending winters. Now, the thing I love most about my shaft driven Dynamic is its Nexus 7 hub, which has been absolutely bulletproof in the first 4500km.
Rack and fender mounting points and an upright geometry for visibility in traffic are necessaries for a commuter bike IMHO.

By: john

john — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 12:42:39 +0000

What about the Trek Soho? I know people have issues with Trek, but it appears to be close to what a lot of people want – an 8-speed hub, fenders, chainguard, mounts for a rear rack, disc brakes, puncture resistant tires and, saving the best for last, two bottle mounts. Maybe the belt drive technology is too new to trust when it comes to ensuring you get to work? Or maybe people just don’t like aluminum?

http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/urban/soho/soho/

By: Nomen Nescio

Nomen Nescio — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 01:01:35 +0000

full fenders are not negotiable. they need to be standard, as most aftermarket ones tend to be cheap plastic crap, like mine. aluminum or steel, by preference.

i wish i had a chainguard, might need to see about adding that. lights are not a luxury, and i’d prefer ones built in to keep them permanently attached. haven’t found good enough aftermarket ones yet. (i want generator power, since i’d just forget to keep fresh batteries in them otherwise, but that’s mostly personal taste.)

i made my bike into a commuter/grocery getter by adding grocery baskets to the rack, a pair of those folding ones that flatten down neatly when i’m not using them. since i never ride far at all, five miles at most i’d say, this is convenient and the extra weight is negligible. a good optional extra, but maybe not a necessity. certainly better than stealable, soft, cloth panniers.

derailleur shifting works well enough for me, but i wouldn’t turn down a good 7- or 8-speed internal hub either. disc brakes look too attractive to thieves around my town, i think.

seating position and handlebars are the big issue for me. upright, with comfort and good control. a nice, stable front fork with a decent rake to it. pedals and feet out of the way of everything else. a racing crouch or converted mountain bike just aren’t right, either one.

By: Dan D

Dan D — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 20:59:41 +0000

I just recently picked up a Spec Tricross Sport for use as a heavy commuter, and it has a carbon fork. It also has threaded inserts for fenders (near the dropout) and another set about halfway down the fork that I can only assume is for a front rack. I had my LBS mount rear rack and fenders before I ever rode it, and have had no complaints.

Also I tend to think worries about carbon fiber cracking or delaminating are somewhat outdated. Early carbon composites were prone to this, but there have been major advances in the process in the last couple of decades, and in general I suspect they are stronger than steel, and definitely less fatigue prone than Al.

By: Russ Roca

Russ Roca — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 20:33:55 +0000

Carbon forks may give a smoother ride but aren’t very useful for putting on racks or anything else.

Steel is also very comfortable with the added practicality of being able to put a front rack on it without worrying if you’re putting too much stress on it. Also, I’d be less paranoid about cracking a steel fork as oppose to a front fork.

My feeling is that many technological “advances” are put on bikes as selling points but don’t add to the overall real-world practicality of the bike.

I’ll concede to disc brakes in certain weather, but I still don’t buy that they’re easier to maintain, set-up or fix.

By: Paul Rivers

Paul Rivers — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 19:43:57 +0000

I don’t get the sentiment against the carbon fork – they put a carbon fork on practically every bike nowadays to give you a smoother, easier on the hands ride. Sounds like a good idea for a commuter bike to me.

Disc brakes can be very useful as well if you’re biking in rain and snow.

I don’t know what kind of idiot doesn’t put waterbottle brazeons on the frame – even high end road bikes have them! I don’t really know why a lot of bike don’t have the eyelets for a rack, though. It’s annoying.

But like someone else said, the ideal commuter bike just varies from person to person. If I rode 3 miles to work my 1st priority might be cheap. But if I rode 15 miles, suddenly speed is a much higher priority.

By: Mike Myers

Mike Myers — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 16:23:44 +0000

Didn’t Trek take a bath on a fully loaded European styled commuter a few years ago? I seem to remember hearing stories about dealers having them on the floor for years unsold.