I posted this in a thread on facebook, in response to someone who was asking my cousin, who actually did legally changed his name to XXXX as you see below, for advice on what type of bike to get for commuting.
He wrote, “Dear XXXX, I want to buy a bike for me to ride in place of driving a car to most destinations. You know more about bikes then any of my friends I think. I was looking at road bikes (craigslist of course) because most of my travels will be on road, but i heard they are really uncomfortable to ride. Do you have any experience or wisdom to offer? should I just stick to mountain? Thanks for the help man!”
So, I, of course without being prompted or asked directly, replied with this:
Hi XXX, this is XXXX’s cousin.
I know a few things about bikes.
If you’re looking for a commuting rig, then yes, a bike like Lance Armstrong rides is going to uncomfortable and impractical. Unfortunately, this is what the bike industry is geared toward selling you: an extremely light, and very expensive “racing bike.” I’m not Lance Armstrong, and I doubt you are either, meaning, you’re not going to train for the Tour de France anytime soon. So, since you want to commute with this bike, I suggest getting a bike that at first glance will still appear to be a “road bike” but there are a few characteristics that you should look out for.
1) You should be able sit more upright that you typically would on one of those fancy racing bikes, you probably shouldn’t have the drop bar handle bars (picture typical racing bike handlebars). However that’s not a sure thing, if the geometry of the bike is designed for you to sit more upright even with the drop handlebars, then the handlebar type you get is really more of a personal preference. My wife’s bike for example is a “flat-bar road bike” It’s got flat handle bars like a mountain bike. The geometry of the bike coupled with the handlebars help her sit more comfortable upright.
2) It should be made of steel ideally. Aluminum is much more stiff than steel and you’re going to get a lot more feedback from the road (i.e. bumps) transferred to your body.
3) It should have a lot of braze-ons (little threaded eyelets on the frame) that allow you attach very useful things like water bottle cages and racks, both on the front of the bike and back. You’ll probably get to a point that if you have to carry something, you wont want to wear a backpack when I riding. This was my personal experience.
4) You want the road size, or 700c, wheels. Mountain Bikes come with 26″ wheels typically, and they’re about 650b size. Per revolution you travel farther with the 700c wheels because the circumference of the wheel is longer than a mountain bikes. You’ll go faster. If you’re afraid about feeling too many bumps in the road, it’s all about tire size. Run tires that are 28mm or bigger. The fatter the tire, the more comfortable your ride will be, while still allowing you to ride efficiently and fast.
5) Another thing about mountain bike tires is that they’re knobby, which is great for tearing up the trail, or rolling over logs and rocks, but it’s horribly inefficient for commuting on pavement. Go with the fat slicks you’ll put on the 700c wheels.
Sorry that was a lot to throw at you. Bottom line is that Mountain bikes are great for … mountain biking. They can be retro fitted with slick tires too, but the gearing on them is designed for climbing steeps hills in dirt, so you’re not going to be able to go as fast on pavement with them. You want a commuting bike. Don’t be afraid of the “road bike” look of them. You won’t be uncomfortable.
Hope this helps and didn’t confuse you too much! If you have any questions I’d be happy to try and answer them. Happy riding!
It took some time and I thought I would post it here too.
