City Commuter

[Crankin]

Tulip, the Coda is heavy compared to my road bike, which weighs 14.6 pounds! It's about 30 with my pannier on it. I am in OK shape now. Not perfect (it IS February), but I have done some intensive nordic skiing and I was fine there, and I have been riding indoors or doing other winter sports about 5 times a week. My husband felt the same way on his Coda, too. My commute is during the week and is suburban, almost country. When I said 56-59 minutes, that's riding time, not total time. When I leave it's very early AM (5:45), not much traffic. There are 2 stop lights, one without a sensor I have to wait for. The way home is about half a mile longer and I have to go up 2 good hills; it adds about 1-2 minutes, depending on how hot it is. There's a couple of spots where there is some traffic in the PM, but this is not city riding by any means.

Right now I have 28's on it. I could change them to 25s when the weather improves.

[Blueberry]

Plus, you have to remember that your weight matters when looking at bike weight. A 30 lb bike isn't that heavy to me. It might be to someone who is smaller (100-120 lbs).

Just a thought...

CA

[tulip]

I'd use a road bike if I had a non-urban commute. The Coda was great for my commute, but I don't go out in the country and ride it; I ride my road bike then. I hope you like it for 'round town, though.

Now that I don't commute anymore (I work from home), I use my Coda for exploring the city and errands. The closest healthy food store is about five miles across town, and it's a great little ride on the Coda with my panniers. I just have to make sure I don't buy too much because my panniers are small.

I also love alley rides through historic neighborhoods. Coda's great for that.

[Crankin]

CA, I never really thought of that. Yes, I am a light weight, at barely 5' 1" and 107 lbs.
Tulip, I am going to use the Coda for exactly the things you describe. I live about 4-4.5 miles from Concord Center and about 6 miles from West Concord, where there is other shopping. I don't do my "big" grocery shopping in these places, but I do go to the natural foods store, restaurants, and other shops (including the bike store) here. It is also where I can catch the train into the city and there are places about 4-9 miles away in neighboring towns that I can ride to, for errands. Anything to not use the car once in awhile. I try to not use my car once a week, which is realistic for me. I live just far enough away that walking isn't a quick option, but the bike is.
I love both my bikes and I made my commute as light as possible last year, by taking the bladder out of my Camelbak, and using all of the space as a backpack. I do have to bring my clothes to work ahead of time, but I leave a lot of supplies there, so it doesn't require too much planning.