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Single Speed Cruiser vs. Mountain/All Terrain Bike for Commuting?
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Single Speed Cruiser vs. Mountain/All Terrain Bike for Commuting?
Hi,
I am considering purchasing another bike for errands and commuting (within a 7 mile radius usually, but the occasional longer ride is possible). what bike do you have already, if you want "another bike"? I have a mountain/all terrain bike. I'm still going to keep it around. My ride will be mostly on city sidewalks with the occasional street, gravel trail, and grass/rock surface. I'm about 215 pounds and 6'2 and usually bike with a backpack with supplies. Unless you're walking the bike, get off the sidewalk. Statistically speaking, riding on the sidewalk is more dangerous than riding in the roadway. Yep, I read that as well, but my experience has been that on the street I get buzzed by drivers. Plus I live in Houston, TX which has the worst drivers I have ever seen. Many of them drive in the biking lane, and I had a case where one of them continued to do so despite the fact that I was in it! On the sidewalk, it is far easier for you to be struck broadside by cars entering the main roadway--they generally won't be able to see you, and won't expect you. This gets even worse if you're riding on the sidewalk opposite the normal flow of traffic--then a car entering traffic looks left to see if there's anybody coming, and, finding no-one, proceeds--mowing you down. Yeah, the 2 times I have almost been T-Boned were by drivers entering the flow of traffic -- however, I have had success riding opposite the flow of traffic. Of course when possible, I try to navigate using neighborhood side streets, avoiding main roads when at all possible. This is to say nothing of the danger your bicycle poses to pedestrians, or the danger pedestrians pose to you. Or of the street furniture that clutters sidewalks: cafe tables, trash cans, mailboxes, streetlamps, fire hydrants, etc... Well, I don't ride fast unless I can clearly see that there are no pedestrians around and the sidewalk is in good shape. In the roadway, of course, no such problem exists. If the car entering the roadway doesn't yield to you, it sure as hell will yield to the car/SUV/Mack Truck right behind you. There are fewer obstructions in the middle of the road, too. Consequently, you can go faster, and more safely. I don't know about that. Between road range incidents (drivers tend to get sore when bikes are in their lane), bad drivers, and people looking to harass you for the sheer hell of it, sidewalk riding seems pretty attractive despite the occasional T-Bone risk. For the full story find _Effective Cycling_ by John Forrester. I'll do that, thanks. 1) Wide road slick tires make them more durable and better performing for city riding. These can be easily added to any other bicycle Right, they can. But since my bike is starting to get a bit beat up, I'd like to get something that has what I want already on it. 2) Fenders mean my back won't get splashed with water when I go through puddles. Some older, rigid MTBs will allow the mounting of 'real' fenders. True, but with my MTB's wobbly front wheel, it would probably scrape against the fender -- it already scrapes against the front fork! 4) Single speed and foot brakes means the bike is easy and forgiveable to maintain. (eg: wobbly wheel won't interfere with braking, tire and chain changes should be quicker, etc...) Single-speed cruisers all have nutted wheels--you have to use a 15mm wrench to remove the wheel. Other sorts of bikes have quick-release wheels, which may be removed....er....quickly, with no tools. My MTB also has a nutted wheel, so there's no disadvantage at this point. Besides, I would prefer to require at least a bit of effort to remove the wheel to discourage would be vandals and pranksters from too easy a target. What I would like to know is this: What are the disadvantages? What kind of top speed can I expect with this bike vs a Mountain/All Terrain Bike? Ditto for durability -- can I take those potholes and broken glass without too much worry? on any bicycle, your top speed is entirely determined by you. Right, but some bikes max out. For example, on my MTB I can hit a ceiling where no matter how much I pedal, I will not go any faster -- and this is at the highest gear. I was wondering if any such ceiling existed in a Cruiser (I think not, given the lack of gears, but I'm not mechanically knowledgable). You'll probably be faster on the mountain bike overall, since the gears let you spin up hills and crank down while maintaining a good, fast cadence. I live in Houston, TX. There are no hills. I'm not looking to spend a lot -- from $100 - $250. Would you recommend any brands? Any brands to stay away from? Any other tips? The singlespeed cruiser will probably be the cheapest way to go. Millions on millions of Chinese workers can't be wrong--the Peoples Republic of China still runs on single-speed Flying Pigeon roadsters... It is also much less appealing to thieves. This is probably one case where Huffy is every bit as good as anybody else: there's so little to go wrong on this sort of bike! Be aware though that these bikes are heavy, wind-resistant, and slow. Yeah, but my MTB is pretty heavy. The 2 other factors are important though. The wind resistance came as a bit of a surprise -- they look relatively aerodynamic. Also, you said the top speed would be determined by me, so how would it be slow? If you're eventually going to do more than go a few miles at a time in a relatively flat area, then I'd go for a rigid (unsuspended) mountain bike. Swap the tires out for 1.5" slicks, mount real, full fenders and a rear rack, and go. (you can keep the knobbies for when you want to ride real mud--detach the fenders first, though) This route is more expensive, however, and new, unsuspended mountain bikes are very rare indeed these days. Rarer still are ones with the necessary rack and fender mounting points. Try and find a good-quality (ie not a department-store bike) used rigid mountain bike and kit it out. That set-up will get you around *and* take you whatever distance you should with to go, *and*, should you wish it, take you out onto the trails. Thanks for the info. -Luigi |
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Single Speed Cruiser vs. Mountain/All Terrain Bike for Commuting?
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om... Yep, I read that as well, but my experience has been that on the street I get buzzed by drivers. Plus I live in Houston, TX which has the worst drivers I have ever seen. As a former Houstonian, I sympathize with your plight. However, Luigi is right - you are safer in the street than on the sidewalk. Besides, if you are commuting along the same route every day at about the same time, you will "train" the drivers to deal with your presence. Yeah, the 2 times I have almost been T-Boned were by drivers entering the flow of traffic -- however, I have had success riding opposite the flow of traffic. Of course when possible, I try to navigate using neighborhood side streets, avoiding main roads when at all possible. Those two incidents should tell you something. People do not look for fast moving traffic on the sidewalk. To make matters worse, riding contraflow is riding *opposite* the direction that is expected. People turning right are looking left for a clear spot and rarely look right. This is perhaps the best way to get run over. snipped descriptions of bicycle Single-speed cruisers all have nutted wheels--you have to use a 15mm wrench to remove the wheel. Other sorts of bikes have quick-release wheels, which may be removed....er....quickly, with no tools. My MTB also has a nutted wheel, so there's no disadvantage at this point. Besides, I would prefer to require at least a bit of effort to remove the wheel to discourage would be vandals and pranksters from too easy a target. With the proper set of locks, this is not a problem. Besides, "nutted" wheels are typically cheap wheels which are heavier and more prone to being warped. You can always replace the quick release with a new one that has a removeable lever or requires an allen wrench (something that you should be carrying anyway). A quick release wheel makes it much easier to fix a flat. What I would like to know is this: What are the disadvantages? What kind of top speed can I expect with this bike vs a Mountain/All Terrain Bike? Ditto for durability -- can I take those potholes and broken glass without too much worry? on any bicycle, your top speed is entirely determined by you. Right, but some bikes max out. For example, on my MTB I can hit a ceiling where no matter how much I pedal, I will not go any faster -- and this is at the highest gear. I was wondering if any such ceiling existed in a Cruiser (I think not, given the lack of gears, but I'm not mechanically knowledgable). If you are strong enough to push your current mountain bike to its limit, then you could use a taller gear. The single gear on a cruiser will be nowhere near the top gear of a mountain bike. Take a look at it for yourself. Go count the teeth on the chainrings (the front gears) and the sprockets (the rear gears) and then visit this website: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/gears/. Enter the numbers along with the wheel size (26" for a mtb) and the crank length and it will output gear-inches or mph at different cadences (pedalling speeds). You will quickly discover that the cruiser will not be nearly as fast. Try starting off in your top gear on your mtb to see how it would feel on a cruiser if it were geared to be fast. Cruisers are called cruisers for a reason! I'm not looking to spend a lot -- from $100 - $250. Would you recommend any brands? Any brands to stay away from? Any other tips? Add another $100 to your budget and you will be in the territory for some really nice entry-level bikes. Yeah, but my MTB is pretty heavy. The 2 other factors are important though. The wind resistance came as a bit of a surprise -- they look relatively aerodynamic. Also, you said the top speed would be determined by me, so how would it be slow? Wind resistance is only a function of the bike because of the position you are forced into. The more upright you are, the greater the wind resistance. Take a look at this: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/rinard/aero/formulas.htm. In short, if you ride two bikes with the same amount of effort, you will be faster on the one that puts you in the more aerodynamic position. If you're eventually going to do more than go a few miles at a time in a relatively flat area, then I'd go for a rigid (unsuspended) mountain bike. Swap the tires out for 1.5" slicks, mount real, full fenders and a rear rack, and go. (you can keep the knobbies for when you want to ride real mud--detach the fenders first, though) This route is more expensive, however, and new, unsuspended mountain bikes are very rare indeed these days. Rarer still are ones with the necessary rack and fender mounting points. Luigi is right on this one. It's hard to beat a mtb with slicks and fenders for commuting duty. But there are a few options Many people will swear by a road bike for commuting duty and many more will suggest that you never get suspension for road purposes. But I suggest that many of them have never ridden on really rough roads like you find in Houston. Find a shop that carries Giant bicycles (www.giant-bicycles.com) and take a look at the Cypress DX or LX. A bike like this will give you higher gearing, 700c wheels (road bike wheels), some suspension to deal with the horrid Houston roads, plenty of space for fenders and racks, and a decent set of components. As a final thought, you mentioned using a backpack. There are advantages to getting a rear rack for carrying your loads, but I prefer a backpack as well. Look into a new backpack that will help you deal with the heat - my favorite is a Vaude (www.vaude.com). Yes, it really is much cooler than a standard backpack. Good luck, Buck |
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