Quote:
Originally Posted by trebuchet03
For example Now you say you're commuting... Have you considered something closer to a commuting/touring bike?
like this?
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Damn! I'm too slow to get in the first shameless Surly plug!
To me it sounds like your looking for something more along the lines of a commuter or touring bike. Unfortunately, most of the big bike brands make really crappy (or exorbitantly expensive) commuters or tourers, but there are a few bikes out there that are really excellent for those purposes.
Things to look for in a useful bike:
Steel frame.
Steel is a fantastically durable and repairable material. Hell, it's even recyclable if you can't get it repaired for some reason. Steel frames may be a tiny bit heavier, but in everyday use a few extra grams of toughness goes a long way. And anything you hear about rusting is pure BS, I've never seen or heard of a steel frame failing because of rust. (plus you can use JP Weigel's framesaver if you're still paranoid like me)
No carbon fiber anything.
Carbon is great for racers who want to shave off some weight, but it's unnecessarily expensive for those of us who don't race. Plus CF has the unfortunate side effect of a "shattering" failure-mode.
Braze-ons for fenders and rack(s)
A useful bike is not much use without fenders and a rack.
Lots of Spokes
You'll want wheels with 32 or 36 spokes. Most road bikes come with low-spoke count wheels, which is great for weight savings. Not so much for having to ride home with a broken spoke, or just completely tacoing a wheel for that matter.
Tire clearance (and lots of it)
Whenever you look at a bike ask the following question: "What are the biggest tires that will fit on this bike?" Make darn sure you get an answer. Skinny tires are great for racing, but for commuting and touring fat tires rule. Cushy ride and fewer flats, that's why you want to make sure you can run AT LEAST 700x28c tires, preferably up to 700x38c WITH fenders.
(for MTB sizing I'd go at least 26x2", preferably 26x2.3" with fenders.)
And lastly, make sure that the bike and it's components follow the KISS principle as much as possible. When in doubt: Keep It Simple, Stupid.
That's why I use bar-end shifters instead of STI type shifters. Nothing can really ever go wrong with bar-ends, STI's break all the time with heavy usage, and they're not reparable (Campys are, to their credit)
Some bikes to checkout:
The Surly Long Haul Trucker (as a former owner I highly recommend)
Kogswell P/R (sold as frame/fork/fenders/seatpost/headset, you build the rest)
Electra Amsterdam (Uber-classy)
Bianchi Milano (Italians make everything so darn good-looking)