Long Distance Commute -- Anyone?
Posted: Sat Aug 19, 2017 12:06 am
hey everyone,
i recently moved and am hunting for a commute route to work... i think i found one that is mostly on a paved bike trail, but also has a few sections on a cyclable highway. it is long, though: about 50 miles. all told i think about 15 miles are on highway, 28 on the paved trail, 2 on a pretty wild trail and then the rest through the city... the paved trail is one of those old rail trails, that often has sections broken up by tree roots or where the surface is pushed up by tree roots like tiny mountain ranges, making things rather jouncy. the 'wild trail' ranges from hard packed dirt to total swamp if it rained within the last 3 days. so... the terrain is pretty varied, and i don't really have an ideal bike for it. my ride bike works for most of it, though on the paved trail it can really hammer pretty hard and isn't the nicest, and on the 'wild trail' honestly i am walking most of it when it is in its swamp form...
i am pretty motivated to do this commute, but i don't have the ideal bike for it. my road bike might be able to squeeze 28mm tires on it, making the bad trails a bit smoother and the mud a bit more navigable, but it is way too nice to commute into the city on, where i might need to leave it locked up outside. i still want something fast, because there are parts where i can really fly, and with a 50 mile commute i don't want to have it turn into a trudge... but i think i would need at least 30mm tires. mudguards would be nice, but i think i will go with a light backpack so a rack isn't necessary. also, i want to try and avoid disc brakes, as i don't see the point of them for the mostly flat commute, though tire clearance with caliper brakes might be an issue... also the increased maintenance of disc brakes would be a drag, not to mention the weight. the other thing is that if i do the return ride, i can go the long way, about 60 miles all on nice roads, since i won't have as tight of time constraints-- so another reason i would like something fast!
so i am thinking of doing it 2 or 3 times a week, maybe just in one direction and take the commuter train in the other direction. does anyone have a long commute? what do you ride? what is the route like?
i am considering something like the new Specialized Allez... affordable entry level has the same frame as the expensive one, so i could strip it and build it up into something a bit more zippy for a decent price. it is light and has mudguard mounts and clearance for 28mm tires, but i saw one in person and i think i could squeeze some 30s on there.
does anyone know a caliper brake bike, fairly affordable, that might be able to squeeze 30s in? or at last 28s?
any other bits of knowledge to share about long distance commuting?
thanks!
o
i recently moved and am hunting for a commute route to work... i think i found one that is mostly on a paved bike trail, but also has a few sections on a cyclable highway. it is long, though: about 50 miles. all told i think about 15 miles are on highway, 28 on the paved trail, 2 on a pretty wild trail and then the rest through the city... the paved trail is one of those old rail trails, that often has sections broken up by tree roots or where the surface is pushed up by tree roots like tiny mountain ranges, making things rather jouncy. the 'wild trail' ranges from hard packed dirt to total swamp if it rained within the last 3 days. so... the terrain is pretty varied, and i don't really have an ideal bike for it. my ride bike works for most of it, though on the paved trail it can really hammer pretty hard and isn't the nicest, and on the 'wild trail' honestly i am walking most of it when it is in its swamp form...
i am pretty motivated to do this commute, but i don't have the ideal bike for it. my road bike might be able to squeeze 28mm tires on it, making the bad trails a bit smoother and the mud a bit more navigable, but it is way too nice to commute into the city on, where i might need to leave it locked up outside. i still want something fast, because there are parts where i can really fly, and with a 50 mile commute i don't want to have it turn into a trudge... but i think i would need at least 30mm tires. mudguards would be nice, but i think i will go with a light backpack so a rack isn't necessary. also, i want to try and avoid disc brakes, as i don't see the point of them for the mostly flat commute, though tire clearance with caliper brakes might be an issue... also the increased maintenance of disc brakes would be a drag, not to mention the weight. the other thing is that if i do the return ride, i can go the long way, about 60 miles all on nice roads, since i won't have as tight of time constraints-- so another reason i would like something fast!
so i am thinking of doing it 2 or 3 times a week, maybe just in one direction and take the commuter train in the other direction. does anyone have a long commute? what do you ride? what is the route like?
i am considering something like the new Specialized Allez... affordable entry level has the same frame as the expensive one, so i could strip it and build it up into something a bit more zippy for a decent price. it is light and has mudguard mounts and clearance for 28mm tires, but i saw one in person and i think i could squeeze some 30s on there.
does anyone know a caliper brake bike, fairly affordable, that might be able to squeeze 30s in? or at last 28s?
any other bits of knowledge to share about long distance commuting?
thanks!
o