Picking a commuter

[Owlie]

I couldn't decide whether to put this here or in the commuting forum.

I'm looking at commuting to school and doing some errands by bike for grad school. (Dependent on where I'm living, of course. If it's walkable, that's even better!) I've decided against using my road bike for commuting. It looks more expensive than it is. It's also a little less practical--it'll take a rack, but not fenders, and I wonder how well it'll handle with a week's worth of groceries. (Maybe I'm being paranoid here and it'll be fine, but there's still the "STEAL ME!" factor!)

So, what do you look for when picking a commuter? Obviously the ability to take fenders and a rack is important because I don't like riding with a backpack or getting wet and muddy.
What should I generally be looking for? Other than for something used, of course!

[DebW]

What distance will you be commuting? Do you want drop bars or flat? If the distance is only a few miles, then a rigid MTB with slick tires will do nicely. A cyclocross-type bike is a good choice for somewhat longer distances.

[Cataboo]

I'd say check your local craigslist - if you're not biking very far, you just want something that fits reasonably well and will work for your purposes. The suggestion of a rigid mountain bike is a good one - look for old steel trek 800's or specialized hardrocks or something like that.

[Owlie]

Hm. I kind of want an old Giant Iguana, if only so I can say "I ride a giant iguana to class every day."

[azfiddle]

If you are accepted/decide on Tucson- we can watch Craigslist here for you, so you don't have to transport the bike.

Sharon

[emily_in_nc]

Hm. I kind of want an old Giant Iguana, if only so I can say "I ride a giant iguana to class every day."

Clever, very clever. I don't know anything about Giant Iguanas, but this is a good enough reason for me!

[badgercat]

If you end up here in Tucson, I don't feel like fenders are totally essential... I don't have them on my commuter (my Trek 7.2 FX) because when it rains, it basically either isn't that big of a deal or is SO torrential that I wouldn't feel safe riding in it (i.e. monsoon).

I second (third? fourth?) Craigslist... we're a pretty bike-y city here, so there's always stuff coming up in a variety of sizes (unless you're really-really-really petite or tall, I don't recall). Of course, I can't speak to any of the other cities you're considering moving to. I used a Craigslist bike (vintage mixte, $100) as my commuter when my Trek was still my "nice" bike for long rides, but after I bought myself a "real" road bike this summer, my Trek got demoted (or maybe actually promoted, since I ride it much more often now) to commuter.

I'll keep my eye out for Giant Iguanas.

[laura*]

Hm. I kind of want an old Giant Iguana, if only so I can say "I ride a giant iguana to class every day."

I'm building up an old giant Giant Iguana for use as a Burning Man bike. I say giant Giant because it apparently is the biggest frame size they made. The standover height is almost that of a my size road bike. Interestingly the top tube seems quite short given the frame size.

This bike may lose its Iguana identity because I think it's due for a full repaint.

[hebe]

Hm. I kind of want an old Giant Iguana, if only so I can say "I ride a giant iguana to class every day."

I love this!

[Owlie]

If you end up here in Tucson, I don't feel like fenders are totally essential... I don't have them on my commuter (my Trek 7.2 FX) because when it rains, it basically either isn't that big of a deal or is SO torrential that I wouldn't feel safe riding in it (i.e. monsoon).

That was my thought about ending up in Tucson--no fenders necessary! Most of the schools I'm applying to are in Indiana or Ohio, though, so it does really depend where I end up.