Commuter advice, please

[GoneOffShore]

I'm about to get my Panasonic Mountain bike fitted out as a commuter bike. (Short commute - 4 miles round trip, but some shopping).

We live in Philadelphia, PA.

I'm thinking fenders, rear flashing light, maybe panniers (but I do have a messenger bag), bar end mirror. I'm already using street slick tires.

I'm not going to go clipless, cause I don't want to do two sets of shoes.

Any other thoughts?

[mike_c]

1. well, I can describe my commuter bike and what I like about it....

It's also a mountain bike conversion (Trek 6700). You already mentioned street tires-- keep 'em pumped up to their maximum pressure. I put a kevlar liner under mine-- haven't had a single flat tire since. That said, I don't leave home without a mini frame pump and tire kit.

Rather than fenders I installed front and rear racks (and a half fender/mud-guard on the front). I DO use panniers and like them a LOT more than my messenger bag or a back pack. I simply do not ride with anything on my back other than a hydration bag on long rides. Much more comfortable. I carry my work clothes, books and papers, lunch, tools, etc. in the panniers. As an added bonus, the bike is ready to tour.

Adjustable stem. I put this on to fine tune my riding position. I like it. I also use a set of comfortable bar ends to provide occasional change of hand positions.

Mirrors. I use a bar-end mirror and a flex mirror mounted on my glasses.

SPD pedals. I know you want to use your street shoes to ride, but once you become accustomed to cycling shoes and clipless pedals, you'll never want to tighten toe clips again. Seriously.

A Brooks leather saddle. I ride a B-17, basic black on my commuter bike. Best. Saddle. Ever. I've had the Brooks on that bike for about six years and it still looks almost new. It is well broken in but was more comfortable right out of the box than any other saddle I've ever ridden.

Headlight. I've been through several, currently using a low end Nite-Rider halogen. The nickle-metal hydride battery pack hangs from the top tube-- it doesn't preempt a bottle cage. Good headlights are ridiculously expensive. However, I ride on town streets and along a busy four lane highway, often in the dark, so skimping on lights is just not an option. A bright flashing tail light is necessary too.

Finally, I rarely (never) ride in street clothes-- spring for good quality cycling clothes that are matched for the weather you'll encounter, including inclement riding gear. I have winter tights that, paired with a polypro underlayer, will keep me warm on just about any day that it's safe to ride, at least in my relatively mild northern california climate, and the appropriate gear for warmer weather too. My commute is only about 8 miles each way, although I sometimes throw in an extra loop to the beach just because it's fun, but it's long enough that I don't want to deal with chafed bits from clothing seams all day. I change in my office and just hang the sweaty stuff up beside my desk to dry. It's bright, visible, and reflective, too.

on edit-- here's a pic, without the front panniers mounted (I don't use them very often).

[GoneOffShore]

3. Very impressive!

Thanks for the advice.

Your bike sounds ideal for a long commute. And if I had to go farther than 2 miles on fairly flat terrain I would go clipless - I have Ritchey's on my Fuji Roubaix.

The lights however were the really impressive part.

[Kolesar]

2. I bought the xenon strobe at USPS

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=324&topic_id=821#882

[happyslug]

4. Front Light

Now I commute with a Generator (I do not need to worry about batteries) but most lights today use AA or AAA batteries which are generally available. Now about 15 years ago bicycle tail lights went LED, in the last few years various LED headlights have come out. I would go with the LED for the use a lot less battery power than the older Halogen lights. Also remember Pennsylvania law requires you to have a FRONT light if you re biking at night.

Now if you decide to have a second front light I would recommend getting a Nite-Rider Helmet light. These are very bright (Much Brighter than LEDs) and rotate with your head (You can get a tail light for the Nite-Rider). How I hooked my Nite-Rider light up was first attached the front light to the front of the helmet with the helmet adopter. I then used a screw to crew in the taillight to the rear of my helmet. At that point you have a Choice, most people run the power line to their battery kept on the bike itself (The battery is quite heavy). I on he other hand, glued Velcro to the Battery and my helmet and mounted the Battery to toward the rear of the top of the Helmet. I had also to get a Velcro Strap that wrapped around the Battery through the Helmet to strap down the helmet (This combination of two types of attachment, glue and strap did an excellent job of keeping the battery on my head, but either by themselves could NOT do so).

I also would recommend some Panniers on the bike, to store extra clothing. As you peddle you will heat up and want to ditch clothing, the panniers give you a place to store the clothing (also the Panniers give you a place to store s clean set of clothing to change into when you get to where you are going).

I would also get a front Handlebar bag for storing gloves and hats that you take off and put on as your body reacts to the amount of Peddling you re doing OR the lack of peddling as you coast down a hill.

As to messenger bags, I hate them for anything except light items. Such bags just shift around to much with anything heavier then a few papers.

Now if you want to really get fancy, think about changing your front tire for one with a Generator in the Front hub (Or if you do not want to get rid of your front wheel, try a bottom barrel generator). No the ones to get are made in Germany (The Chinese one are Junk and NOT worth the money). Peter White Wheels out of New Hampshire sells both Wheels with Generator Hubs and Barrel Generators:
http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/

One great advantage of Generators is they are not affected by Cold Weather (Batteries lose power in cold weather). I have a constant joke with my Sister (an electrical Engineer) when I complain to her why the capacitors in my Generator power lights take 2-3 minutes to lose power in Summer but only about 10-20 seconds in Winter. The difference is do to the temperature and its affect on any electrical storage device (Most modern Generator Lights have Capacitors in them to keep some of the light going when the bike is not moving). She then just tells me some story about losing power do to cold weather and I say believe the real reasons is Stanta Claus is stealing the power to run his Toy Shop.

One last comment, I have use Paniers without Fenders, Fenders help keep the water off you better than Panniers, thus I recommend BOTH.

[happyslug]

5. Some comments on flashing lights...

About 20 years ago the Police started to go to strobe lights in place of the Conventional rotating ball. Strobes had a huge advantage for it naturally attracts people eyes to the strobe, it has a huge disadvantage for it Naturally attracts people eyes when those eyes should be where they car is going NOT the lights on the Police Cruiser.

Flashing lights have a similar problem, people seem them and try to figure out what they are and before you know it, they car had run over you.

On the other hand, solid red lights are like taillights of cars, something people see everyday and thus react to as if a car is in front of them. When the red lights gets closer, people act like they are behind a slow moving truck or car. By the time the driver realized it is a bicycle, they have slowed down enough to react to you in a safe manner. Thus solid red tail lights are the best form of rear lighting. Second, surprising, are reflectors. People see reflectors all the time in the rear of parked cars, along drive ways etc. Thus drivers will react to them even if the reflector is caught in their headlights (And like cars it is better to have both reflectors and lights, and just like in cars in one light/reflector combination if possible).

People do NOT see small flashing lights every day, for the only time they are being used is on bicycles (As opposed to LARGE flashing lights on Emergency vehicles). Since such flashing lights are so rare, they tend to attract attention but in a way harmful to cyclist i.e. the Car Drivers look at the Flashing light and tried to get closer to see what it is and then before the driver and the cyclist know it, the car has run over the Cyclist.

For the above reason, Germany BANS flashing lights on Bicycles, I believe they are legal in most other countries, but from a safety point of view I would stay with a solid light, even if it means you run down the battery quicker than if the light was in the Flashing mode.

[GoneOffShore]

6. got a CatEye rear light

Went to my local shop - Jay's Pedal Power on Girard Avenue - and they recommended the CatEye. Takes two AAA batteries and has multiple modes. Steady, *****, *-*-*-*, *--***----****. ****----****----.
Easy to attach and waterproof.

Not getting a front light as I don't commute on darkened streets and the cops have never stopped me.

Nice bar end mirror, so I don't have to swivel my head. And the fenders are coming in on Saturday.

I'm going to stick with toe clips without the straps, wide reflective "trouser clips" from Nashbar and my messenger bag with a flourescent "No Bush" sticker. I've got plenty of 'Cycle Specific' clothes, but changing at the office after a 2 mile ride just seems a little like overkill.

If I was doing a 10 mile each way commute, I'd go with the pannier suggestions, etc.

Thanks for all the input.

Now I'm going to look for a mixte frame bike for Mrs GoS. She wants to wear a skirt to cycle to the office and her hybrid Mongoose just doesn't cut it for that. Maybe a Dutch bike with a front basket.

[happyslug]

7. Looked at a Trek?

http://www2.trekbikes.com/bikes/bike.php?bikeid=1324601&f=27



http://www2.trekbikes.com/bikes/bike.php?bikeid=1210601&f=30

In 2005 Trek had this step through L300 Model. It has NOT been listed on Trek Web Site since 2005:


Here is the picture of the one I saw in Town (i.e. with "Low pass through" frame.


I saw someone I know with one, he uses it to bike about 40 miles a day (20 miles to Johnstown, 20 miles to his home away from Johnstown). Prior to getting this bike he walked the trip (and it is ALL up hill, I've done the trip, right up Allegheny Mountain).

I like it for it is one of the few bikes made in the US the last 40 years that has a chain guard (It is hard to put a Chain Guard on a front Derailleur System, so most bikes since the 1960s just do not have them).

It has an Shimano 8 Speed rear internal hub. I have the same on my Phat City bike, it does an excellent job of shifting gear (Through not as quick or as wide as my Shimano XT system on my Cannondale). Through I should note one of the draw back of my Phat City Bike is that its geometry does NOT make for a good bike going up hills (Through I have biked it up Allegheny Mountain, but mostly doing my bike till my knees start to ache and then walk the bike the rest of the way up the hill).

The Shimano 8 Speed hub should work up short hills etc, but with the geometry of the Treks, will do a lot better than on my Phat City Cycle when it comes to hills.

[happyslug]

9. One last comment on Lights.

One of the problem with Bicyclists and Motorcyclists is that people driving cars do not "See" them. Various reasons for this have been made, but the best was the one that came out of some research in the 1970s regarding Motorcyclists and why (if you control for things like drinking etc) why Motorcyclist were less likely to be "Not Seen" at night then doing the daytime. The reason seems to have been that car drivers are looking for Cars and Trucks NOT Pedestrians, Bicyclists or even Motorcyclists. Thus during the daytime such Pedestrians, Bicyclists and Motorcyclists were "Not Seen" or they were NOT Cars or Trucks, but at night people were looking for Car and trucks LIGHTS and since Motorcyclists lights looked like Cars and Truck Lights Car drivers "missed seeing" them less (i.e. at night people are looking for Front white headlights and rear red taillights).

About 15 years ago I was trying various headlights, including putting a Sear Die-hard 6 volt rechargeable light on my front bike rack. One thing about that rack is that oncoming vehicles saw it, mistook it for a car or Motorcycle Headlight and turned off their high-beems. My point is that the purpose of the Front Light is NOT to see with that light, but to be seen, ideally as a Car. In the last decade you have had a switch to HID lights (And other lights) that permit small bright lights even on cars, thus you do NOT need huge light to be effective. On the other hand, you need to have a front light at night so that people will see you as a VEHICLE.

Remember people how are driving are ALWAYS seeing front headlight and rear taillights at night. Thus they are CONSTANTLY BEING REMINDED THAT FRONT LIGHTS ARE ON THINGS COMING TO THEM. RED LIGHTS ARE ON THINGS GOING AWAY FROM THEM (Or they are at least following). You yourself are trained that way every time you see a car with its lights on. This repetition makes this lighting situation the "Normal" situation for ANY and ALL vehicles INCLUDING BICYCLES AT NIGHT.

You can get a Good LED lights for under $50 (and many under $25). LED do NOT use that much battery power (And thus last much longer than the older Halogen lights). For the price buying and using the light is well worth the money in my opinion.

[GoneOffShore]

12. Finally got it done

Blackburn rack, Bike Planet fenders, Kevlar street slicks, bar end mirror and front and rear lights.

The front light is a LED bright white with two modes - steady and flashing. I've been using the rear light on the steady setting, even during the day. And the front light on flash, so that I'm noticed in traffic. It does seem to make a difference. Haven't used the rack yet, but have only had the bike back from the shop for two days.

Thanks for the advice everyone.

[keith the dem]

8. Bicycle swap meet on Saturday

You could probably save a lot of bucks by going to the swap meet at the Lehigh Valley Velodrome on Saturday 910/7/06 @ 9 a.m.). That's about an hour drive from Philly.

I also use a converted mountain bike, with road handlebars and fenders. Would highly recommend a good messenger bag to carry your stuff. One with the extra strap to hold it in place.

Some may see bike commuting as a chore, I see it as a luxury afforded by my job at this time. I miss my little ride on days that I need the car.

A cool thing about Philly is that the lights on the cross streets are timed at 18 mph. If you can keep that pace you can cross the city nonstop, except at broad.(not part of the timing)

[GoneOffShore]

10. Didn't see this until Sunday

I'll have to keep an eye out for other swap meets in Philly.'

Did the river drive from my place in Northern Liberties this AM. Beautiful day for a ride.

I'm going to have to take the fenders back as the stays were too long and I didn't want to play with cutting them down.

thanks for the 18 mph tip. I've lived here for 20 years and didn't know that.

[keith the dem]

11. You missed a great time

Bobby Julich and Greg Lemond were there. There is another, they say even bigger swap meet in April. Watch the website: http://www.lvvelo.org/ I raced in the first race aver at the velodrome this week, 31 years ago, October 12, 1975

[gilpo]

13. The only thing I would add...

Get rid of the front shock. I switched to a carbon fork that accommodates a 26" tire a couple of months ago, best thing for my 19 mile commute I ever did. So much pedaling energy is lost to pogo-sticking, even with a quality front shock. i got mine at Nashbar.com

[Kolesar]

14. I was considering replacing my unresponsive RockShox w/ that Nashbar carbon

...or maybe the Surley Long-haul trucker to get the front rack mounts. (not that I tour..yet) Do you think you get any "shock absorbtion from that carbon fork?

[gilpo]

15. Sure, minimal, though. Carbon is only slightly more forgiving than steel or aluminum.

The main thing you'll notice is the acceleration... awesome!

[happyslug]

16. Watch out for the bike frame if you do this.

I switch between a solid Aluminum front fork and a Suspension front Fork. I like the lightness of the Aluminum front fork, but my Cannondale was design around a front Suspension fork. The two to four inches in height changed the height on the front end which required me to seat lower to reach the front handlebars. When I use the Front Suspension fork, I can sit more upright when peddling which is more comfortable to me.

Now I am 48 years old, which may be the reason I opt to switch back to the Suspension front fork (more for the extra height than the Suspension), but another reason is my bike is about 4 inches to small for me overall (I need to buy a new taller bike frame but had other demands on my cash in recent years).

My point here is to make sure you realize if you are riding a modern designed mountain style bike, the frame is design with having a front suspension fork, and a switch to a non-suspension fork will change the overall height of the bicycle. You can raise up the front handlebars only so far to compensate for the lost of height when you switch from the Suspension to the solid front fork.

One last comment, keep back your old suspension front fork long after you start using the new solid front fork, you may want to opt back to the suspension more for the extra height than the need for suspension.

[GoneOffShore]

17. Didn't have a front shock fork

This is a 1986 Panasonic frame. All steel.