Comments on: 5 Things I Wish I Knew When I First Started Bike Commuting

By: jdc

jdc — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 13:29:27 +0000

Bike Shop Girl….I made a move from the western half of Canada to the eastern half several years ago. In the west, a small group of us locals had found that the hot winter setup was a mountain bike equipped with drop bars, John Tomac style, since we couldn’t afford a real cyclocross bike. When I arrived on the other side of the country and rode this setup around, people looked at me like I had green skin and six arms. It was as you said, we modified our bikes to OUR liking, regardless of what the masses thought. Remember the first time you ever saw a messenger on a fixie road bike, perhaps in the snow, pre hipster trend? They were pioneers of this way of thinking.

By: Bike Shop Girl

Bike Shop Girl — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 13:12:18 +0000

Yoshiyahu -

The goal of the bike build is to help people learn that modifying their ride to their liking.. is part of the fun!

By: jdc

jdc — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 13:06:20 +0000

Actually, I think that a Flying Pidgeon would be a cool addition to any avid collector’s stable. I’d love to own one just to experience what many commuters in Asia have to contend with machinewise. Might be strong enough to do light freeriding on…..or full-on downhill!!!

By: Yoshiyahu

Yoshiyahu — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 23:53:10 +0000

LOL @ Kevin Love — every place he posts, he has to mention his Pashley.

But Kevin’s point is brilliant– if we measure the best commuter by what most cyclists ride, by the billions, Bike Shop Girl could have saved a lot of time and effort by purchasing a Flying Pigeon or Hero and being done with it.

By: jdc

jdc — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 20:53:52 +0000

Now THAT one we’d have to talk about! That’s exactly how I got a mid-cage XTR derailleur for my Tricross as a matter of fact lol. My original point was that a surprising number of people feel that they can buy online in a haphazard fashion and just let the local bike shop sort out the mistakes. My favorite is when someone buys a used suspension fork…..and is shocked to find that the steerer tube is the wrong length due to it being from a bike with a shorter headtube. Or buying a fork with a QR20 when they have a standard axle front wheel. You’d be surprised at the caveat emptor stuff we see.

By: John

John — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 20:42:39 +0000

jdc – so you’re saying if I brought in an XTR rear de that I “got a sweet deal” on and its, say, a short cage when I really need a long cage, you wouldn’t swap it for a Deore long cage?

By: jdc

jdc — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 14:31:17 +0000

I’m a shop mechanic and daily commuter. I own a large stable of bikes and use two single speed converted bikes, old steel road bike for rain, rigid steel mountain bike for snow, as my workhorse commuters. No fuss, no maintenance.

As far as online shopping is concerned. Go ahead and do it….but please dont come into the shop, show me that new xtr derailleur, and gloat over your “sweet internet deal” as you ask me to install it “because you couldnt figure it out or broke something while doing so”. It pisses me off, I remember faces, and might not be so ready to help you out with a freebie when you really need me. If I had a nickel for every person that has needed my help when the “sweet deal” hasnt been correct for their bike, I’d be a trillionaire. And no, I’m not going to exchange the wrong part that you bought online for the correct one out of my inventory.

By: Kevin Love

Kevin Love — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 23:26:29 +0000

Columbus –

People in The Netherlands, and some I know here in Toronto, routinely commute 10-20 km on commuter bikes. This includes school children. See, for example,

http://hembrow.blogspot.com/2009/09/school-cycling-route-from-village-into.html

Any extra weight of the bike is insignificant compared to the extra weight (alas!) on my body. Not to mention my briefcase, laptop, etc that I’m taking to and from work.

The reality is that wherever there is a mass cycling culture, whether in Northern Europe, Japan, China or here in Toronto, there is an overwhelming consensus about what type of bike works best.

Just look at the streets of Tokyo. Or the thousands of bikes parked at Amsterdam’s Centraal Station. Seeing is believing.

By: John

John — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 20:54:03 +0000

tom – I think you are exactly right. You’ve sort of hit on a chicken and egg dilema. If there were shops with cheap and easy parts service, more people would bike commute. But until more people bike commute, those types of shops won’t be economically viable. (at least in the U.S.)

Most large cities already have parts-only shops such as you describe and often take the form of co-ops, used part shops, community do-it-yourself repair shops and things like that. The only problem with them is they tend to be in highly urban areas and generally cater only to the cognoscenti because they are too small to do much, if any, advertising. Since most American middle class family types tend to live in suburbs and are not plugged into the cycling “scene”, those shops don’t help them much – especially if we’re talking about potential commuters who are not necessarily bicycle enthusists. Not that an urban co-op wouldn’t serve a dorky working stiff from the ‘burbs, but the dorky working stiff probably doesn’t know the co-op exists.

By: Columbus commuter

Columbus commuter — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 19:08:57 +0000

Like I said your idea of a commuter bike is great for short distances. A typical commuter in the US and I would suspect Cananda as well travels further distance and requires lighter, speedier bikes. What is suitable for Hans Brinker doesn’t always cut it here. I appreciate your passion for bike commuting, but the one size fits all agenda fails to recognize these differences.