[InactionMan]

I only live about 8 km from my work so I'm going to try biking to work but I'm lacking in the bike department. I'm not looking for anything too fancy, actually, the less fancy the better. What kind of bike should I buy for a short city commute? What should I expect to spend? Are baskets on the front still cool? What about bells? If I get a helmet, do I have to kick the crap out myself for being a giant sissy? Which makes me a bigger sissy; wearing a helmet or having a basket covered in plastic flowers on my bike?

Green dots for good advice, red dots for bad advice. You've been warned.

Thanks, fellow Aldoers.

[Kickaha]

Get the helmet. Grey matter is important. It's saved my skull a couple of times.

[scrouds]

well a good choice would be between a helmet or a possible hole in your skull, so i would suggest the helmet.

[ghoti]

Regarding the basket: It may not be teh cool, but it's certainly useful. Are you going to take a bag or something else with you (groceries on the way home)? Then get a basket. You can also get one that you put in the back, which you don't have to decorate with flowers, and which imho is more useful anyway.

The most important thing is to get decent lights. Those don't have to be the battery driven ones (though they have their advantages), but get some decent halogen lights and a lighting dynamo with good ball bearings. Most people either don't have working lights, or ones that do practically nothing. But especially in a city you need light to see stuff (there are always dark corners, especially where you're going with a bike), and especially to be seen. The costs for that are minimal, but it makes a big difference.

Oh, and brakes, of course. Don't skimp on the brakes. Everything else is really secondary.

[709]

I'll be picking up a Simple Single this year, and if I can pull a few strings with my buddies at the bike shop the parts to turn it into a Simple 7 (I lust for the black, and it only comes as a Single). Behold:



No pussy helmet for me ( ), but a basket and handlebar streamers will be mine.

[billybobsky]

Check out marin's bikes... They are nice, and their hybrids are probably ideal for your purposes...

And GET a helmut.

[Windswept]

Originally Posted by InactionMan ...a basket covered in plastic flowers...

[Windswept]

Originally Posted by 709 ...but a basket and handlebar streamers will be mine.

hahaha

I love you guys.

( )

[Wickers]

Last year I bought a Trek Hybrid for the exact same reason. It has served me well. Check out Dukes's on Queen...where I picked up mine.

One thing I liked about them is the 3 year labour warranty and free tune ups. No matter what happens to the bike (covered by warranty or not) the labour is free for 3 years and you can take it in at any time within 3 years for a tune up... as many times as you want.

I wanted a bike that would be great on the streets, as well as great for the many bike paths around Toronto, (like the dust bowl in the Don) so I went with a Hybrid style bike (half road, half mountain).

I love the thing, and it's going to save me a lot on TTC in the upcoming months. As it has already from last year.

Oh and, don't be dumb, get a helmet... It does not take long to realize that while you might be a safe rider, most Toronto drivers aren't. I've been nearly hit a few times by cabbies (mostly), and drivers who just don't 'see' you on the road.

Stick to bike paths and bike lanes when you can, Toronto is laden with them and they are much safer then rush hour traffic.

[DMBand0026]

Check out Mountain Bike Reviews. I've used that site to buy several bikes including mountain bikes and a road bike. They have reviews of all types of bikes posted by people who actually ride them. You're able to search by frame type and than sort by price, number of reviews, or overall score. It's a great site, check it out.

[Banana]

If you want cheap but serviceable bike, odds are it there's a underground bike shop run by volunteers. In my li'l hometown, the best bikes for bucks are usually found there, not at your Wally World's.

[Artap99]

Baseball cards for the spokes are a must. Especially if they match the streamers.

[sunrain]

Originally Posted by Kickaha Get the helmet. Grey matter is important. It's saved my skull a couple of times.

Quoted for emphasis.

My Dad was the highway engineer in charge of bikeway programs for the state of Oregon before he retired. They called people who don't wear helmets while riding 'Oregon donors'.

[Dorian Gray]

Congrats on your plan to cycle to work! It's a very good idea for a lot of reasons.

Absolutely get a helmet. The fact that every professional cyclist wears one should be all the indication you need that helmets are important. Unless you think Lance Armstrong and Jan Ullrich are sissies! In weird countries like the UK there is [incredibly] still a debate about whether helmets increase or reduce safety, but even there, most cyclists have moved on.

For the bicycle itself, how much do you want to spend? Are there any significant hills on your route to work? How fit are you? How competitive? If you're not very overweight and you'd like a challenge, you might want to look at some low-end road bikes. Really good ones with few compromises start at under 700 dollars, and include the Giant OCR 3, Trek 1000 and Specialized Allez, as well as sexier models from Bianchi, Orbea and others.

If $700 is far more than you were thinking of spending, consider a second-hand bike from a specialised bicycle store. Below about $700/£450, road bikes tend to be excessively heavy, gears don't work reliably, brakes have a soft feel and are a nightmare to set up accurately, wheels are very difficult to keep trued, etc. Quality goes off a cliff, basically.

Dedicated commuter bikes (hybrids) are cheaper because they don't try to be as lightweight, and therefore more money can go into components that are heavy but well designed. Many hybrids come with hub gears (Shimano Nexus) nowadays too, which are brilliant for new riders for three reasons: they're far easier to shift smoothly, they require much less tweaking, and they simply don't have the very high gears that newbies insist on using when they should be pedalling far faster. As pedalling with a slow cadence is second only to a low saddle position on the list of most common newbie problems, this is a good thing. I second billybobsky's recommendation to look at Marin's line. And definitely go to a dedicated bike shop, where someone knowledgeable can set up your riding position properly.

Another thing you'll need right from the outset if there's any chance the light will fail on your commute is LED lights. These are cheap ($15 for a basic pair?) and dramatically reduce your chance of being hit by a stupid/blind driver.

[InactionMan]

Here's a long ugly link from Wickers' link: http://dukesonqueen.com/product_info...d8b6d32428e87d

This bike doesn't look gay and it's kind of cheap (I think, I don't know what a cheap street bike should cost). Most of my ride would be on Commissioners Street (it's essentially a dead street in a dead part of town)in the Big Smoke so there wouldn't be much traffic.

Either something like this or that kickin' Simple Single just to impress the ladies.

Lots a green dots to give out. Thanks.

[Dorian Gray]

Damn, and I thought I could make a cyclist out of you!

Bikes like those look far better than road bikes, but you only have to ride 8 km against a stiff headwind once on a hybrid to make you give up all aspirations of arriving in style! The riding position on a hybrid is pure torture to me. Non-cyclists think I'm crazy because my saddle is 8 inches higher than my handlebars, but in reality it's much more comfortable than battling air resistance at 20 mph.

[macleod]

In my opinion the helmet is not a must. It really depends on the roads you will be riding. If they are low traffic and you feel comfortable on a bike, then I would say the helmet is not a must. I ride for exercise on a race type road bike and I wear a helmet because when I ride hard and on traffic covered streets I am more likely to crash (and have had a couple where the helmet definitely helped). But if the ride to work is low traffic and not too physically demanding I don't think you really need a helmet unless it makes you feel better/more comfortable to wear one. In my opinion you never can look like a sissy wearing a helmet, it is just a matter of if you want one or not depending on the type of riding you will do.

In terms of what type of bike to get, it also depends heavily on the type of ride you will be doing. I would lean more to lower end road bike just because they are easier to ride up hills and a quicker because of the thin tires. If you are fairly physically fit and are comfortable on bikes then I would definitely go with the road bike. If you are not hard on it and take good care of it, the maintenance is minimal.

A mountain bike would be my last choice because the big knobby tires will just slow you down and make the ride harder than it has to be.

The hybrids/cross bikes are a pretty good idea though as they kind of mix the good aspects of the mountain and the road bikes. The hybrid will be a little more stable easier to ride if you are not accustomed to riding bikes. Also it has better tires for commuting than a mountain bike has. It is kind of a blend of the two.

Trek bikes and Specialized are very good bikes and you get what you pay for. They are reliable and well built! I am going to post some links below for you to bikes in each category that I think might be good fits for your plans. Hope this helps!


road bike:http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=13175
hybrid type bike:http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=12388
Those models each have several different categories within them such as pro and comp. This is generally just components and such.
Those are two great choices in my opinion; however, if you would like additional links and suggestions on specific bikes then just ask!

[beardedmacuser]

First of all, get a helmet! (And make sure it fits comfortably and securely).

Second, get a decent lock. Even if you're only leaving it for a minute while you're in a shop.

Third, get proper mudguards (or whatever they're called in North America). If it's raining, or the roads are still wet from earlier rain, they're a godsend.

Also, consider finding the oldest and ugliest bike you can find. If you hunt around there'll be folk only too happy to give you their old unused bike which is cluttering-up their garage. At worst it'll need some new tyres and new cables. An old bike with a basket on the front will be the last to be stolen*.

Avoid modern hybrids if you can. They come with lots of unecessary crap which just bulks the bikes weight, slows you down and gives more things to go wrong. The best bike for commuting bikes are the simplest. Light, reliable and simple. You probably won't need many gears, don't need suspension, or disc brakes. Cheap suspension and disc brakes are best avoided anyway. Cheap aluminium frames can be immensely heavy. A simple secondhand steel bike with mudguards and few gears may be best?

EDIT: and if it's your kind of scene you can have some fun with paint, spraypaint, stickers, etc etc on an old bike with no warranty!




* For a couple of years I commuted a couple of miles each way on a knackered (but reliable after new tyres and cables) rusty 3 speed bike I found buried in my sister's overgrown garden (hence free!). It was great to ride round town on something I really didn't mind if it got trashed, dirty or stolen (although I still locked it). After one late night drinking I tried to bike home but I just couldn't ride the thing. I couldn't ride in a straight line and whenever I stopped or tried to get started I found myself lying in the road. The next morning I woke to find I couldn't find my bike, and figured it had gone (oh well, it wasn't a big deal). Imagine my surprise when halfway on my walk to work I found my bike parked in a hedge! Even left overnight unlocked on a busy road nobody had touched it (unless it wasn't me who shoved it in the hedge?). Crap bikes rule for short rides round town.

[DMBand0026]

Get a helmet. I can't say this enough. Anyone who says you don't need one is wrong, no question about it. Regardless of whether you're riding on roads with a lot of traffic or not, wear one.

I was riding about a year ago on a bike that I had ridden for years. The bike was meticulously maintained and in very good condition. However, this day I had been experiencing some gear jumping, but I continued to ride. I was rounding a curve doing about 25mph (according to the last reading I had noted on my speedometer) when the chain jumped and locked up, I lost my balance and went down, hard. My head slammed into the ground and I lost a good bit of skin off of the right side of my body. It hurt, badly. I have no doubt that the helmet saved me from a head injury.

There were no people around, no cars, no other bikes. It happens, it was a freak accident that I was lucky to get away from with minor scrapes and cuts. If I hadn't been wearing a helmet, it would have been much much worse.

Wear

a

helmet.

[murbot]

Helmets are gay make you look funny though.

[sunrain]

Originally Posted by murbot Helmets are gay make you look funny though.

...whereas drooling, brain-damaged accident victims are teh sexy.

[Kickaha]

That's how mur likes 'em.

[sunrain]

Originally Posted by Kickaha That's how mur likes 'em.

Hey...be nice to Carol.

*runs fast and far*

[InactionMan]

Jebus! Road bikes are expensive. Actually, bikes are more expensive than I though they'd be. I should get some sort of freaking tax credit for saving the environment.

Dorian, if you're one of those riders that rides with their ass way up in the air then you're right, I do think you're crazy.

The commute to work is on flat ground but it is right by Lake Ontario so it's usually freaking windy. But not windy enough to make me ride with my tookus higher than my head. I'm a recovering smoker so my health is really shit right now. Smoking is bad for you but quitting is way worse, which is partly why I want to start biking to work.

If my girlfriend has any say (which she does) I'll probably end up getting a helmet. Though I'll have to make fun of myself before I leave every morning. I'll just look in the mirror and mutter, 'gaylord' under my breath on my way out the door.

[Kickaha]

Originally Posted by InactionMan I'll just look in the mirror and mutter, 'gaylord' under my breath on my way out the door.

Hey, it's better than others muttering 'dumbshit' under their breath as they pass your coffin...

And sunrain, so help me god, if you get me in more trouble, I'm going to drive my express bus right up your backside and park on your spleen. See if I don't.

[Bean]

It all depends on how you are going to ride you're bike. If you are going to ride casually buy a hybrid, or a cruiser. If you want something fast for the streets, buy a road bike. Or if you want something sturdier buy a mountain bike.

Personally I bike to work everyday, 14 miles each way. I bought a pretty good bike, a Specialized Stumpjumper. Yeah I know that's kind of expensive, but since I'm basically replacing my car with a Bike, might as well buy something decent. It's a mountain bike so I replaced the tires with road tires, so it handles much better on the streets.

BUY A HELMET. Trust me.

[murbot]

I know I should get a helmet, but I just haven't gotten around to it. Ever. I will one of these days, probably after my next big wipeout.

I feel kind of lame riding my mountain bike around, but whatever. It's a GT Karakoram I bought in either 1990 or 1991 I think. It has this bright orange and yellow splatter kind of paint job. I paid like $1100 for the damn thing.

I'm toying with the idea of painting it a dull black or grey. I can't believe those colours were popular back then. Jesus.

As for seat height, I keep mine pretty high. My extended leg on the pedals are just short of full extension. I don't know, I always thought that's how you did them. I keep seeing people on mountain bikes now though with the seats way down.

I really don't know anything about biking now though. I do the odd commute to work, it's maybe about 7-8 km, and that's about it. There is always wind though, and there is a climb at the end that makes you consider getting off the bike. Nice to get to work all hot and bothered. I usually prefer to only get that way after reading my PMs from Carol, but whatever. If I didn't go home for lunch every day I'd probably bike all the time.

Man, I just realized this post has no useful information in it for you, InactionMan. Sorry. What the hell, I'll post it anyway.

[InactionMan]

Don't worry about it. I have 1500 posts and not one of them has any useful information.

[billybobsky]

One thing that most bike purchasers forget is the inner tube valve type... After destroying three inner tubes with the standard Schrader valves, I have discovered that the more long lived Presta valved inner tubes are much nicer and easier to inflate.

[stratotom]

I'm a mountain biker, but the advice on buying I can give you is this.

City communters will not need suspension. I know you're not planning on getting a 'bouncy' bike, but don't let the sales man tempt you. A bike with suspenion will have inferior gearing and brakes to a rigid bike of the same price.

Disc brakes are extra, and also take cost and quality off gearing. Go with standard rim/cantilever brakes.

If you're going to look into it that far, 6061 T6 Aluminion tends to be stronger than 7005 [or similar number] Aluminium. 6061 T6 is heat treated there fore making it theoretically stronger.

Edit: Get a helmet. Even if you think it looks gay, it's worth protecting your head for the [comparitavely] short time you are on your bike.