Oh, the money I'll save...

[Antaresia]

My monthly bus pass costs me $110. This is the first month in YEARS I haven't bought one - I just got a bike less than two months ago and started commuting.

So what do I do? Save the money? Lordy no, I blew it all on a brooks saddle.

My bike today (http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab17/Candoia/bike03.png), and picture a blue milk crate strapped to the back for when I get groceries.

My plan is to eventually get a *nice* commuter bike, and put the brooks on that. Of course, I'd still keep ol' beater for when I want to do errands.

Also, why is it so hard to find a steel step through frame with disc breaks and derailleur system? Is it a bad idea for a commuter bike or something?

[Tri Girl]

Yippee!!! Your bike is beautiful!!! LOVE the Brooks with the white cables. Classic! What kind is it (the bike) I can't quite tell.

Congrats on ditching the bus for the bike! Does it take you just as long, longer, or a shorter amount of time to get to work now?

I don't know about the step-through with disc brakes. I'm sure you could have a custom one built that way, but I don't know that I've ever seen one (but I could be totally wrong on that one).

[Reesha]

You may want to look at a Salsa Fargo. I think the frame is fairly compact, perhaps not quite step through, but if you're flexible you could get a leg over the top tube:

http://gallery.mtbr.com/data/mtbr/500/medium/Fargo-800x600.jpg

[Tri Girl]

I don't think that sailboat is a step-through. ;)

Beautiful boat, tho... I love the water!!!

[Reesha]

Oh, god! Totally a case of copy and paste fail. lol

[redrhodie]

I was thinking she could buy that boat with all the money she's saving! :D

[Trek420]

Not a step through, or a boat :p but steel with disc brakes.

http://www.konaworld.com/bike.cfm?content=honky_inc

[Tri Girl]

Oh, god! Totally a case of copy and paste fail. lol

That's funny! That made me laugh (and long to go for a sailboat ride).

[Reesha]

Yeah I had just made my sailing adventure thread just before replying to this one. Whoops!

[KnottedYet]

.

Also, why is it so hard to find a steel step through frame with disc breaks and derailleur system? Is it a bad idea for a commuter bike or something?

Disc brakes might be a bit of over-kill for a commuter.

Steel step-through can be had, both as loop frame and as mixte.

If you felt like building up your own from the parts of your current mixte, you could look at getting a steel mixte frame like the Soma Buena Vista. Mmmm, mixte... http://somafab.com/bvista.html

These are steel:

Linus mixte: http://www.linusbike.com/models/mixte-8/

Deja vu in the Public mixte: http://publicbikes.com/p/PUBLIC-M8 but Public comes in 3 sizes, where Linus only comes in one size (little). The Public has an internal gear set-up, though.

[Antaresia]

The linus has internal gears too, and I was thinking a little more than 8 would be nice. It is a beautiful bike though, it's on my wish list (omg the lug work!) but it's too much like my current bike and whats the point of having two if they're the same? Disc breaks might be overkill, but my commute has some pretty steep hills and I live in a rainy city. I figured if I was upgrading, upgrade where it counts the most.

Still trying to figure out what I want & need. It's going to be a bike I ride every day, I want to LOVE it.

And thanks for the suggestions everyone! There are so many bike brands, I'd never run across them all on my own.

oh, and Tri Girl, it's a CCM Elite. An old Canadian brand of department store bikes. It weighs 38 pounds.