New to commuting



MrA

New Member
Jul 23, 2007
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I have just scored a new job that is about 21km from home. The trip takes about 20-25 mins in a car. Would take me 40ish on a bike with 80% being on nice back roads of surburbia.
I wont ride everyday and cant see myself riding if there is a good chance of getting wet. I am also carrying some excess kg's and this might help to shift them!!!
My options are:
ride my Schwinn MTB (its all on roads)
My Giant Trinity TT bike (has bard ends, not a pleasure to ride in traffic or around corners)

http://thebikebarn.com.au/product.php?productid=16242&cat=291&page=1
2nd hand $900

or a Kuota Kharma with Campag gear for $1350

a few things I need help with

which bike should I get. Both are a good deal, just the Kuota has the bling factor and better running gear (centaur/chorus)

My other decision is, will commuting suit! I will be working at a high school (teacher) and will need to take a few things to and from school each day. Mainly books etc, do others do the same?

I have the option of getting a motor bike also (more expensive). However I would need to sell my car because I dont want two cars AND a motor bike.

Sorry for the slight rambling, still confused!
Any thoughts, experiences or comments would be appreciated!
 
FWIW. You'll want a REAR RACK + at least one REAR PANNIER which will be mounted on the curb side ... otherwise, transporting anything beyond yourself will become tedious very quickly.

So, that rules out your TT bike ... and, realistically, the Kuota & Potenza.

TRY riding your Schwinn MTB along the route from your home to the school on a Sunday morning to see if that will work for you -- BOTH the bike AND the commute -- then, try the ride on the following Saturday morning when you will undoubtedly experience more traffic.

BTW. You can mount a TRIPLE ROAD CRANK (or, a DOUBLE CRANKSET with a longer BB intended for a triple to provide chainstay clearance for the chainrings & crankarms) on your MTB to achieve higher gearing if a 48t Shimano "Touring" chainring isn't large enough.
 
MrA said:
I have just scored a new job that is about 21km from home. The trip takes about 20-25 mins in a car. Would take me 40ish on a bike with 80% being on nice back roads of surburbia.
I wont ride everyday and cant see myself riding if there is a good chance of getting wet. I am also carrying some excess kg's and this might help to shift them!!!
My options are:
ride my Schwinn MTB (its all on roads)
My Giant Trinity TT bike (has bard ends, not a pleasure to ride in traffic or around corners)

http://thebikebarn.com.au/product.php?productid=16242&cat=291&page=1
2nd hand $900

or a Kuota Kharma with Campag gear for $1350

a few things I need help with

which bike should I get. Both are a good deal, just the Kuota has the bling factor and better running gear (centaur/chorus)

My other decision is, will commuting suit! I will be working at a high school (teacher) and will need to take a few things to and from school each day. Mainly books etc, do others do the same?

I have the option of getting a motor bike also (more expensive). However I would need to sell my car because I dont want two cars AND a motor bike.

Sorry for the slight rambling, still confused!
Any thoughts, experiences or comments would be appreciated!
OK...
21km works out to, what, 12-13 miles? Doing that in 40 min. on MTB is pretty ambitious, especially 'in suburbia'. You WILL be sweating -- so why the disqualifier on rain? Get a rainsuit, and you'll still be wet, but sweat evaps faster than rainwater.

A rear rack is a good suggestion; one-sided pannier, not so sure about (balance issues)....quick suggestions for the MTB -- skinny urban tires, say 26x1.5 slicks like the Maxxis Xenith or the Kenda Kwest. Consider a tubeless conversion; both, or either, will result in increased speed and efficiency.

Sounds like you have some liquidity to play with; think also bout a 'cross bike, say a Redline Conquest; rack-ready, the gearing you need, and fast enough to do the job.
 
You could throw some drop bars on the tt bike & put the bar end shifters in the drop bars.

However, if you have a fairly low position on the mtb you won't be too far behind aerodynamically speaking. Wearing work clothes also seems to erode the advantage of using drop bars, but that's just my feeling.

I don't think you need a new bike and I would use whichever one you'd rather put wear and tear on provided the drop bar thing worked.

I have never had much problem transporting a few books in a backpack. I commuted to school for a few semesters over a distance of 11.1 miles. I preferred just using a comfortable pace and arriving bone dry.
 
If you need to buy a folding bike for commuting take a look at CRAFT CYCLES. It is a small company in the Bay Area. The Bay Area has BART and CalTrain, perfect for commuters with folding bikes.
 

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