[KelOnWheels]

Bikes and beer! I approve this message.

[KelOnWheels]

@baiskeli 20597 wrote:

Yeah, you could take 34th St. across 395 to 31st St, or Valley to Gunston to the pedestrian bridge across 395 to Shirlington. It would add a little to the ride, but that’s good, right?

I’ll just have to reward myself with a coffee stop in Shirlington. OH THE SUFFERING.

[KelOnWheels]

My ride would be better if I could get from Valley Drive to the 4MRT without having to hike down the glass-covered sidewalk on W Glebe with my bike.

(Is there a better way? Should I go through Shirlington instead?) :confused:

[KelOnWheels]

@DismalScientist 20580 wrote:

The classification is sorta like this:

A road bike is anything that is not a mountain bike.
… These bikes are designed for people who enjoy dishing out and receiving pain.
Tri bikes are racing bikes that make you swim and run faster…
People who ride fixies in urban areas with no brakes are called morons.

So which one comes with a new monitor? I just spit coffee all over this one.

[KelOnWheels]

@Greenbelt 20385 wrote:

Our LBS has to patiently explain to customers that it usually takes 2-4 hours to buy a bike, including discussing the types of riding anticipated, testing several models and frame types, and getting fit properly, and then thinking about accessories that may be necessary (flat repair kit?, lock? helmet?).

This is the kind of LBS I need to find! Where do y’all like to go?

I went with a friend to buy his new Jamis Coda Comp last weekend and they basically tossed him on the bike and pushed him out the door, with a quick detour by the mechanics. No fitting at all. :confused:

OTOH, the folks at my neighborhood LBS were nice enough to do a fitting for me on my crappy old MTB a few years back when I bought pedals & shoes and got a tuneup. They seem to carry mostly superspeedy road bikes though. And tiny pink kid bikes.

I certainly don’t expect a pro fit on a $500 bike, but some advice would be good since I have very little idea of what’s out in the wide world. I’ve been reading through the commuter forums on bikeforums.net for recommendations and now I definitely don’t know what I want! (Actually I am assembling a wee list of bikes to look at. Perhaps one day I will be brave and tell you what they are.)

The whole commuter/hybrid/utility/touring bike definition seems to be pretty blurry.

To me, a skinny-tired fixie with no brakes seems like a TERRIBLE idea for commuting, but then so does a 50-pound cruiser with 3 gears, since my commute’s going to be a somewhat hilly 10 miles each way. (Stupid uphills being all at the end of the way home! What’s up with that?)

“Hybrid” makes me think MTB with smooth tires, so basically what I have now.

“Utility” sounds like a baksfiet or something built to carry 300 pounds. I do not need to carry 300 pounds of anything on a bike.

Is “touring” what I want? I think so… maybe? A relaxed geometry, maybe flat-bar, road bike with fatter tires?

Eh, I dunno. I think I think too much.

[KelOnWheels]

@rcannon100 20384 wrote:

Every kid walking into REI yesterday sure new which bike they wanted -> one of those bright shiny new bikes sitting strategically positioned right inside the front door.

That’s where I found the one I want! See? [ATTACH]1092[/ATTACH]

[KelOnWheels]

@eminva 20350 wrote:

Had this forum existed four years ago and had I known about it, I would have asked that very question. I think you will get a better and more honest answer from the folks here than from LBS sales staff, unfortunately.

Liz

A nice complete answer, anyway, since there are so many different kinds of riders here with lots of experience.

[KelOnWheels]

Hmm, maybe I should start a “This is what I think I want in a bike, now tell me what to look at” thread

[KelOnWheels]

@mstone 20316 wrote:

Yup. And if you’re not sure what you want, and are just looking to try things/buy something, you’ll never know about them. Definitely you’re unlikely to order 4 or 6 of them in different models and sizes to see what works for you. But there are like 200 road bikes on the floor, and that’s what everyone buys, so why waste time on something else?

Yup. This is the problem I’m having as I look for something new… well, that and mah tiny budget :p

[KelOnWheels]

I have SPDs on my mountain bike… they’re probably worth more than the bike

[KelOnWheels]

I like the videos on Timbuk2’s website where they say you can easily carry a bike frame and an extra wheelset on their backpacks. Packing an entire extra bike seems a bit redundant

[KelOnWheels]

@Dirt 20227 wrote:

Shoulder/messenger bags are sometimes hard to get adjusted correctly. I used them for years because I have shoulder issues that make backpacks painful most of the time.

Maybe it’s my total lack of upper body muscle, but I have a rough time with heavy stuff pulling on my shoulders. Sometimes it makes me feel sick :p

Not that I need to carry anything heavy to work, just lunch and clothes really.

[KelOnWheels]

Thanks for the advice! I was disappointed that the POE bag isn’t going to work out. I reckon I’ll pop it on the Classified forum once I get something else. I think it would work well for a taller and less slanty shouldered person – the shoulder pad on it is fairly stiff and wide so it wants to fall off me.

Yeah, backpacks seem like they might be sweaty. I was checking out the Timbuk2 Swig pack though which looks nice.

Are the Chrome bags heavy? They look quite cool

REI has $50 off the Ortlieb Back Roller panniers right now… I’m tempted.

[KelOnWheels]

“JelloLegs” would also be appropriate after today

[KelOnWheels]

I made it home!!!
The first 8 miles were great – passing all the cars on the 14th St Bridge was good fun. Stopped by the airport to have a fight with the straps on my messenger bag.

The last mile was a 99% uphill grade. I don’t know who put in all those hills while I was at work today.

21-mile round trip today. Go me!

[Author]

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