Super commuter for my wife - build or buy, and which geometry?
Posted: Thu Sep 13, 2018 5:42 pm
Hi folks,
I have the pleasure of having been asked for a super commuter for my wife. We live in Seattle, in a hilly area, and with decent amount of rain, so I would want the bike to have:
- Decent gearing (e.g., 1x11 with an MTB cassette), for leisurely climbs, if she wants to go slow (she is a good biker, but still)
- Disc brakes
- Fenders
- Built in lights
- Pannier mounts
- A step-through frame, to allow riding in a dress
- Reasonably robust yet fast tires (e.g., Gatorskin 28mm)
Big question - build or buy? If I buy, something like the Spot bikes ACME looks quite nice (https://spotbrand.com/collections/city- ... ducts/acme), It even comes with a Gates drive and Alfine 11-speed - although I haven't been the biggest fan of internal hubs - my last Nexus8 was always a bit crappy (grinding, skipping, etc.)
I could go to Waltly and get a Ti frame welded for about $1200 with a Ti fork. $400 for Deore group. $200-300 for ti stem, handlebars, and seat post. Leaves saddle ($50), grips, wheels ($300 for cheap Mavic with Shimano hub), tires ($100), lighting system ($250) - so would come out around $2.7-3k?
the last question I'm pondering - what geometry do I make the frame? How should the stack and reach of the handlebar compare from her road bike with drop bars to her city bike with a flat bar? and should I make the head tube angle slacker and the chain stays longer?
Thoughts welcome!
I have the pleasure of having been asked for a super commuter for my wife. We live in Seattle, in a hilly area, and with decent amount of rain, so I would want the bike to have:
- Decent gearing (e.g., 1x11 with an MTB cassette), for leisurely climbs, if she wants to go slow (she is a good biker, but still)
- Disc brakes
- Fenders
- Built in lights
- Pannier mounts
- A step-through frame, to allow riding in a dress
- Reasonably robust yet fast tires (e.g., Gatorskin 28mm)
Big question - build or buy? If I buy, something like the Spot bikes ACME looks quite nice (https://spotbrand.com/collections/city- ... ducts/acme), It even comes with a Gates drive and Alfine 11-speed - although I haven't been the biggest fan of internal hubs - my last Nexus8 was always a bit crappy (grinding, skipping, etc.)
I could go to Waltly and get a Ti frame welded for about $1200 with a Ti fork. $400 for Deore group. $200-300 for ti stem, handlebars, and seat post. Leaves saddle ($50), grips, wheels ($300 for cheap Mavic with Shimano hub), tires ($100), lighting system ($250) - so would come out around $2.7-3k?
the last question I'm pondering - what geometry do I make the frame? How should the stack and reach of the handlebar compare from her road bike with drop bars to her city bike with a flat bar? and should I make the head tube angle slacker and the chain stays longer?
Thoughts welcome!
