On Feb 3, 9:33 pm, "Bob Newman" <
[email protected]> wrote:
> You sound pretty knowledgable Mike. I'll be making about a ten mile in town
> round trip to work every day. Do you think I would gain a lot by going to a
> lighter more traditional "townie" bike?
>
Mike *is* very knowledgeable, he runs bike shop.
I'm Max, and a
guy that has commuted on and off for years. ;-) My three bits are: if
it's not a hilly five miles there, it's not vastly important what you
ride--indeed, if you have to lock in a sketchy area, something with a
less than stellar physical appearance may be just up your alley. If
that's no worry, and you don't mind spending money, then there are
plenty of options. The big three would be 1) Get a larger wheeled "do
everything" hybrid with 28-35mm tires and add whatever accessories you
need 2) Get one of those Euro style Breezer town bikes with all the
trimmings and a geared hub 3) A traditional drop bar touring bike with
added whatnots.
A utility bike won't necessarily be any lighter than the bike you're
selling, but it can most certainly feel zippier. Even if it has all
the doo-dads on it that make it hefty to lift, if it's got, say 350g
30mm tires instead of twice as heavy and wide tires that were on your
Navigator, it's going to feel much nippier as you've got far less
rolling resistance and gyroscopic force to accelerate.
What's your route like, how do you want to use the bike, in what
clothes, how much to spend--all are factors in what to start looking
at. It's a good time of year for shopping used as well, nice nearly
new bikes are going on my local Craigslist for less than half of their
summer prices.
