Comments on: Hot road bikes for the commute

By: menash

menash — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 23:11:53 +0000

I commute on my only bike. A self build on an old litespeed titaniun. mostly 105 or better components.
I train on my commute when i have time.
I ride in yellow jersey and “touring shorts”
they dont look as weird as spandex
these shorts have nice deep pockets very convenient,
my lunch goes in my oversized saddle bag. and more things (wallet, cell phone) in jersey pockets.
no need for backpack
cant imagine hauling heavy bike on my 15 mile commute

By: DaveP

DaveP — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 14:01:47 +0000

I used to commute on my Mountain Bike – a full on Maverick ML7 with DUC32 forks – in baggies and a Camelbac.. But I used to get cold sweats about the bike getting stolen so I’ve upgraded ( ?!? ) to a Giant Bowery singlespeed for commuting. At less than the price of the brakes on the MTB I have no issue with leaving it locked up outside all day, and it’s a whole load quicker than the Mav, but any damage or wear to the road surface is now VERY noticable.

By: Best Motor Pictures

Best Motor Pictures — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:42:10 +0000

I think I’ll stick with the SOMA for commuting, and save my money for a real road bike.

By: burnsey

burnsey — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 04:58:43 +0000

My “Frankenstein” (Bridgestone RB2 and various mismatched parts) bike has turned out to be a nice stealth bike. I have passed many a rider in full kit on the uphills. I can only imagine the look on their faces when I pull past riding an old steel frame with a single pannier and fenders. The Nitto mustache bars give it some class.

By: LosFelizRider

LosFelizRider — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 03:27:23 +0000

I guess I’m a member of the club: Specialized Roubaix all the way!

My commute is 17 miles each way through Los Angeles > Hollywood > Beverly Hills > West LA > Santa Monica.

I have “hardier” bicycles but, really, why pedal a slower, heavier bicycle? If I had a Porsche, I’d drive it to work everyday too, so there.

Ride on!

By: surlyrider

surlyrider — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 03:05:32 +0000

I have been riding my new Tarmac with a mix of force and rival bits to work and it is so nice to ride a fast bike. I am always concerned that I am going to get hit, and that bike will be toast. I also ride my Tricross elite. That bike is fast as well, but I think it will take a bit more abuse. My workhorse is my surly cross check with racks and fenders and all that jazz. Problem is that it is much heavier than the other bikes, but I am not really nervous about getting hit on that bike at all…except for my body.

By: Eric

Eric — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 13:16:10 +0000

I commute to work and forth on a Pashley Roadster Sovereign.

20 miles a day is always easy to ride on such a comfortable bike. I’m seated straight on a Brooks B33 and see the lanscape at an ideal position. And I’m seen by the traffic, which is a great, secure feeling.

Full chainguard allows me to ride calmly with my office suit, not worrying at all about grease. Low maintenance. Stylish. Still keeping me elegant, ready for real life.

This is the bike that makes me want to go out even when it’s raining. That way, I ride twice as much as I would have done with another bike. So reliable and easy gliding, even with panniers full of errands at the end of the week.

Whatever the bike, I hope it makes you feel that great between destinations. Cheers!

By: Quinn

Quinn — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 20:07:17 +0000

I have no interest in a geared road bike, how ever I use my fixie for a lot of my sub 5 mile rides, when im not on that im on my 29er, rollin’ on Serfas Drifter 9′r tires.

By: eric s

eric s — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 19:39:22 +0000

Count me in the fast-roadie-commuter category. After two years on my Jamis Aurora I got a custom Della Santa last year and since the weather got nice I’ve been doing my 20 mile-each-way commute on it almost exclusively. As others have noted, I do not take it on the Caltrain because it WILL get damaged — the Jamis or beater fixie conversion comes out fo the garage on train days. But I have a really hard time going back to the Jamis for the full ride. The plus side, I can leave my fenders on the Jamis year-round and not have to wrestle getting them on and off each season.

By: J.D.

J.D. — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 18:28:15 +0000

I ride a Giant OCR 3 (recently purchased about 2 months ago) and commute on it daily (I don’t own a car). I originally bought it with the intention of buying a bike that was both comfortable and fast, with enough gears that a day (or weekend) long touring excursion was a possibility. So far, the bike has met all of those standards.

One thing that I was kind of disappointed with is the fact that there wasn’t enough clearance to attach fenders. However, I was able to buy a set of halfsie fenders (also made by Giant) that hook on the outside of the wheel rather than to the frame itself. They’re a little noisy and don’t block mud from getting onto the bottom of your dérailleur, but they keep your bottom from getting that fashionable “wet line” look. I just make sure to clean my bike at least once or twice a month, or after a particularly hard rain.

As an added bonus, the OCR 3 comes with a second set of brakes on the flat of the handlebars for easy braking in heavy traffic. Otherwise, the drop bars are great for those long distance weekends when I want to make sure my hands don’t get cramped from being in the same position for too long. One note about the flat-bar second set of brakes… they make buying a decent light extraordinarily difficult! I’ve opted for buying two little white lights since I wasn’t able to find a larger headlight that would fit while still allowing me to brake.

I love traveling on my roadie… though I have been known to take my bicycle into class with me instead of locking it outside in the rain. With a little T.L.C I think this multi-purpose road bike is an absolutely FABULOUS commute bike for anyone that’s interested in getting into touring but is on too tight a budget to get a separate bike.