Road biker looking for a commuting-purpose city bike

[normanwells]

Hi!

Does anybody know a good city bike model equiped with road-type handle bars? I own a Lemond road bike that I use to commute and also for sports. I use the bike every day to go to work, but I live in Montreal, Canada. Our roads do not even diserve to be called as such. Therefore, I find myself straightening wheels twice a week and I'm getting really tired of it. I'd like to keep my road bike healthy for sports usage (club cycling), and I'm looking for a good city bike that would be around 300-400$US. I could live with a straight handlebar (I think I'll have to for that budget!).

My favorite brands are Giant, Trek, Specialized and Look.

Do you guys have recommendations (again, it doesn't absolutely have to be equipped with road-type handlebars or be one of the brands listed above)?

Thanks in advance,

 

[gclark8]

For commuting, good visability, I suggest a flat bar road bike, Giant FCR/CRX, Trek and Specialised also have good flat bar road bikes, some with Ultegra components.

I built a CF Kestrel for commuting recently:

 

[lechat]

my first adult bike was,is, a raleigh mojave outfitted with mich. transworlds(87psi) and a nashbar mtn. rack it's a great city bike.retails for $250. us, is fairly light and no problems with the shimano components. it's listed as a mtn. bike but is really a hybrid. have a jamis rb now but the raleigh
comes in handy.
good luck.

 

[Julian G.]

Personally, I'd just pick up a second set of wheels for the bike you have now. I'm sure you can get some beefy rims that will take the abuse, possibly something aimed at cyclocross maybe(?). I can't think of one good reason why anything other than the wheels would get damaged in your commute.

Or, pick up a decent hardtail MTB and slap on some street tires.

 

[normanwells]

Thanks for the replies all.

Julian, I want to keep my road bike for sports rides with clubs, and I'm pretty sure that my fork would not take a wider rim. I did put some thought into getting a mnt, but trading the wheels. I was looking at something at a store today... Aluminum frame (I didn't recognize the brand; K2, anybody knows?), SRAM components and (about) 1 1/2 inches wide tires. 400 CAD, ok price, but I'm scared of buying a frame from a manufacturer I've never heard of.

Gclark, your bike is really nice! My concern is that it would get stolen in 2 seconds. My work doesn't let me take the bike in, although there's plenty enough space in the 10-foot wide hallway surrounding the office space (I'm the only biker at my work). They don't want me to scratch the brand new paint on the walls... idiots. Anyway, it has to be low-profile, so I can lock it outside without looking through the window every 30 seconds (which is what I'm doing now).

I'm putting some thought into lechat's Raleigh. I'll check the manufacturer's website. If there's anything but Shimano SIS on it I'll go for a test ride if I can find a retailer near me. Even then, it's always possible to upgrade.

Anybody knows that K2 company?

 

[gclark8]

Thank You for the nice comments on the CF Kestrel!

I am currently doing a steel frame bike in the same size: http://www.cyclingforums.com/t403611.html for a progress report. I have chosen mainly Shimano TX Components for being cheap, strong and reliable:

FRONT DERAILLEUR, FD-C051 48T
REAR DERAILLEUR RD-TX30 6/7-SPEED AXLE MOUNT
BOTTOM BRACKET, UN26
CRANKSET TX71 28/38/48 170mm
MULTI FREEWHEEL MF-HG50 7-SPEED 11-28
CHAIN HG50 or KMC Z51
Microshift Shifter RH, 7 Speed, Black
Microshift Shifter LH, 3 Speed, Black

 

[lechat]

Thanks for the replies all.

Julian, I want to keep my road bike for sports rides with clubs, and I'm pretty sure that my fork would not take a wider rim. I did put some thought into getting a mnt, but trading the wheels. I was looking at something at a store today... Aluminum frame (I didn't recognize the brand; K2, anybody knows?), SRAM components and (about) 1 1/2 inches wide tires. 400 CAD, ok price, but I'm scared of buying a frame from a manufacturer I've never heard of.

Gclark, your bike is really nice! My concern is that it would get stolen in 2 seconds. My work doesn't let me take the bike in, although there's plenty enough space in the 10-foot wide hallway surrounding the office space (I'm the only biker at my work). They don't want me to scratch the brand new paint on the walls... idiots. Anyway, it has to be low-profile, so I can lock it outside without looking through the window every 30 seconds (which is what I'm doing now).

I'm putting some thought into lechat's Raleigh. I'll check the manufacturer's website. If there's anything but Shimano SIS on it I'll go for a test ride if I can find a retailer near me. Even then, it's always possible to upgrade.

Anybody knows that K2 company?

the front derailler is sis. rear altus. no problems yet. front ders are cheap to upgrade.