I Need a Commuter!

[uforgot]

I have a Downtube folding bike. I really like it and it's an easy fold. It seems to be a good deal for the price!

If you are thinking about a folder, here is a forum which helped me decide.

[Aggie_Ama]

Today I went to the LBS and looked at a Long Haul Trucker, more than I want to spend but a beauty. Surly Cross Check, the end shifters seem a little much for uncoordinated me.

We then went to REI, I really like the flat bar road bikes. We are trying another bike shop tomorrow who sells Jamis, Kona and some others I cannot think of. I may actually be thinking a flat bar roadie. The quest continues.....

[Zen]

Trek FX...

[Tri Girl]

That TrekFX is very nice! I LOVE the color.
I have a Giant OCR1 that I'm slowly turning into a commuter/touring bike. I don't want to buy another bike, seeing as how this one has been oh so good to me and we have a long history. I'm really thinking about changing the drops to a flat bar. I'll bet a flat bar would be great for commuting.

Let us know what you decide so we can drool over your purchase.

[Aggie_Ama]

So right now I want to test the Kona Dew Plus and the Trek 7.3FX WSD. I am not keen on the gold bikes on the screen but they make look better in person. I really shouldn't worry about my commuter being easy on the eyes but it will be sitting in my cubicle all day, I want it to be nice "art".

[KnottedYet]

I had a Kona Dew.

Kitsune06 has a Kona Dew Plus.

Fabulous commuter bikes! And you don't need to worry about the aluminum as much as steel for corrosion. My LBS calls the Dew "bombproof." And the geometry on them is sweeeeet. Tough sweet bikes.

I rode Kit's a bit on Saturday, and it made me really miss mine. (I traded mine in on a Surly Cross Check. Adore my CC, but there's something about that Kona Dew... )

Another one to look at is the Kona Smoke 2-9. http://www.konaworld.com/08_smoke29.htm (I have an older Smoke with 26 inch wheels.) Comes with fenders already. Steel. I like steel, and am able to keep my bikes inside so I don't have to worry about damp and rust and such. If you worry about the weather and the bike, maybe aluminum is the way to go.

(Edit to add link)

[Geonz]

My 7500 FX rocks, tho' I put skinny tires on it so it's my fast bike. (Now they call it 7.5)

I also have a Dahon Speed p8 (I needed that 8th speed, too) which I commuted with today and I luv. Had three honkings on my way home... all friendly sounding, especially the second and third which were followed by "ooh, baby baby!" and "Sexy!" respectively. (They were both women's voices... and possibly - though not likely - the same ) It was ferociously windy and it had been stormy, and it's WARM today so I know people were gettin gweird

[anakiwa]

I can't comment on the specific bikes, but I will say this. I commute on my old touring bike and love it- if I were looking for a new one I would get something designed as a cross bike or a touring bike. The longer wheelbase makes it a very stable ride, but I still like the drop bars and really wouldn't want to go to a straight bar (riding my mountain bike on the road feels ridiculous). My bike has bar-end shifters and that works perfectly fine (the gearing is such that the gears are spread out a little more so I'm not shifting constantly anyway the way I would be on my road bike). My tires are a little wider (700x30) and that probably helps with the stability.

Good luck!

[KnottedYet]

My commuter tires are 700x32, and fairly low pressure (75 lbs) Love them. Narrow enough to be juicy-fast when I want, wide enough that they handle road conditions nicely.

[Crankin]

Well, MD, you are a better woman than me, with that speed on the Jamis. Of course, I do have a bag, a rack, and my lock in the bag. It feels like I am dragging a load on the rear, even on a flat. I can up to speeds of 16-18 on a flat, but I guess there's not a whole lot of flats around here.
I guess I have come to terms with the fact that I will be using this bike for "fun" rides around town and errands. I still love the way it looks.

[Harley]

I test rode a Kona Dr Dew today, for a replacement for my Marin Palasades Trail that I have been commuting on. Love the 700c wheels, and the flat bar, upright position, good gearing for hills, Disc brakes. It's a sweet bike.
Now I just need to sell my Marin... sigh, too many bikes, too little money.

[Aggie_Ama]

Ugh the only shop in town with the Konas doesn't have any of the Dews in a small size. They would order it but seemed kind of weird about what to do if the fit didn't work or I didn't like it. My quest continues......

I am thinking maybe a road bike with a more upright geometry might work? Being short torsoed (is that a word?) is really frustrating because many bikes don't work for me.

[NbyNW]

I'm also short-waisted/short-torsoed, or whatever the correct term is. Bikes with short top tubes seem to be a WSD or custom feature, which hasn't always been available and is not affordable to everyone. I've always compensated for this by building up my core strength to take the strain off of my neck and shoulders.

I think it really comes down to trying out a lot of bikes and figuring out what feels comfortable to you.

If your LBS has to order your frame size -- are they trying to commit you to this bike before you've really tried it out? That seems strange. I'm sure they'd still be able to sell it even if you decided it wasn't right for you. Don't let them pressure you into a decision you're not fully comfortable with.