Ideas for a commuter setup?

[ts01]

Any suggestions on good flat resistant tires? Weight is not a concern for me.

Continental Gatorskins on the fatter side - I've been commuting 4 years on 700 x 28mm or 32mm I forget which, but only 1 flat in 4 years. That was a pinch flat from a nasty sewer grate incident - zero punctures.

[nwslider]

the front brake is responsible for a majority of the braking power, even in a two brake setup

I know this. My point was that in an emergency (the only time I can think of to use a traditional brake on a fixie) a front brake wouldn't help that much because you'd probably end up over the bars

[nickwm21]

Continental Gatorskins on the fatter side - I've been commuting 4 years on 700 x 28mm or 32mm I forget which, but only 1 flat in 4 years. That was a pinch flat from a nasty sewer grate incident - zero punctures.

+1. Go as fat as you can for your commuter. A little cush is nice when riding in your tuxedo pants.

[ill-advised strategy]

Do you all have secure storage where you park these bikes?

Yes. I'd probably work a few things differently if it were out in a rack.

[::: :::]

I know this. My point was that in an emergency (the only time I can think of to use a traditional brake on a fixie) a front brake wouldn't help that much because you'd probably end up over the bars

It may seem that way, but you're no more likely to go over the bars on fixed + front brake vs front + back brake

There are ton of good reasons to use the front brake outside of emergency stops...managing hills being the foremost on that list

I commuted long enough by bike to have a gamut of traffic experiences but never over the bars from braking. I did training rides fixed in a group of geared riders where the consequences are magnified by proximity

Only time I went over the bars was when I got right-hooked by a car and went across the hood too

I think I fell over from not unclipping more times than I ever had troubles braking

[xyz]

^^^. This
I've been using my circa 1991 MTB for townie/commuter duties for awhile now. About 2 miles each way for me. Skinny tires makes it plenty quick enough on pavement, the geometry is nice for urban duty and the extra beef over a true roadie is welcome and ability to run fenders, a rack or panniers is great. Its a 1x drivetrain by default cos the front shifter doesn't work anymore.

^not this. 26" wheels kinda suck in comparison to 700c for road riding. I commuted for over 5 years on an old Klein Attitude hardtail with a rigid fork and ~1.5 tires. After I switched to a 700c bike last year i was blown away how much faster they were. My commute time was noticeably faster and the ride was almost effortless in comparison. I highly recommend 700c over 26".....

[Supermoon]

I know this. My point was that in an emergency (the only time I can think of to use a traditional brake on a fixie) a front brake wouldn't help that much because you'd probably end up over the bars

Stopping with just your legs is all fun and games until you break a chain on a downhill. Then you're really glad for a second stopping option.

[ghosthop]

+1 on using a steel mtb frame set up singlespeed with slicks as a commuter. I never feel bad about leaving it in the rain or unlocked at the bar. I'm sure 700c is rad but I like stair gaps to keep my commute interesting.

[scrublover]

front brake on a fixed gear cross bike setup. rack on the back, big ass basket on the front, fenders. decent tires with a kevlar liner thingys in- have found all sorts of things stuck in the tire that the thing prevented from nailing the tube. handy. daily commute is a hair over 3 miles, decent hill at the end both ways. just short enough that the ratio i'm running doesn't kill me up or down, or really the other hills around town. fenders and rack and all that depends on your weather and how much crap you need to bring along though.

the rack/bag and basket setup lets me get ~4-5 grocery bags of stuff home from the market, though it steers like a barge when loaded such. luckily the two places i hit when on the bike are only a bit over a mile away. save the big bags of dog food for the car!

the front brake fixed gear panic stop isn't any biggie. can stop plenty fast with the legs, but faster with the front brake. have had plenty of emergency stops, never had any issue going over the bars. have tried a IGH in the past, but for my shortish commute and not a ton of hilly stuff where i'm riding just decided to stick with fixed. YMMV.

fixed, SS, geared, whatever all just depends on what your route is like, how much you want to spend vs. what you've already got in the garage that can be converted! the heads up thing others have mentioned is spot on! far prefer being up in traffic vs. head down.

lights are cheap and easy - don't have to spend a ton. i've got four of the little blackburn usb rechared flea lights. two red rear, two white front. one each on the bike, one each hooked up to the helmet. there is enough light around town i don't need them to see by, but the flash enough and pretty damn brightly to keep me seen by traffic. especially the ones up high on the helmet. far more visible by drivers that way.
mine.


the barsket setup on my wife's is pretty sweet.


c'mon folks, lets get some commuter/townie bike porn going on here!

[bean]

I know this. My point was that in an emergency (the only time I can think of to use a traditional brake on a fixie) a front brake wouldn't help that much because you'd probably end up over the bars

I've been using a fixed commuter for years and would never consider going brakeless. Dual brakes always.

[ill-advised strategy]

c'mon folks, lets get some commuter/townie bike porn going on here!

You asked for it:


88 Rockhopper Comp
nitto noodle, sunrace stem shifters, spc armadillo 26x1.5, mousetrap supertourist rack with a quick mount for a rectangular milk crate, persons b17 clone saddle, converted chainstay u-brake to seat stay cantis with danscomp bmx plate.
1 "pannier" is my old fire pack from 97-2001. I bought my own fire pack because I was dissatisfied with what I was being issued at various employers. Other pannier is a forest service tote bag from when I got an award one year way back. Many stickers are hardhat stickers from my brief apprenticeship in LIUNA local 252.
I love this bike. Lots of sentimental stuff.










Early 80s Ross clunker Mtb... This was my mom's...when I was little and my dad had died, we were very poor. Her car broke down and, being a hippy, she bought this bike instead of fixing the car. So this was her everything, trail bike, bike to work bike, bike to nursing school bike, bike to the grocery store bike. Times got better and she got better bikes. It's beat to shit, unrideably so, but I refused to let her donate it to the thrift store, and I'm slowly working it into something rideable for my gf. It's a super brick, 45 lbs at least.



89 Diamondback Apex project. "project Ape"....hopefully a more upright and cushy version of the specialized.
soma high rider stem. suntour power shifters...lol. surly open bar. panaracer 26x2 tourguards. Bar tape, racks, fenders, nos deore xt pedals coming. This thing is smooth and flexy. Should be a nice alternative to the spc.

[stuckathuntermtn]

It would help if the OP defined "biking distance" and his budget.
I use an old mountain bike converted to a 1x8 with 1.5" slicks. It's somewhat comfortable, too. I get lazy and don't really bike more than a mile or 2 tho. Great for runs to the grocery store, the bar, whatever. I live at the top of a short, steep hill, or I'd convert to single speed. Really, I just don't want to mess with it. The mechanical disk brakes work great. Don't matter that the wheels are old and out of true and full of flat spots and probably coming apart, lol.
For the record, and probably not important: I found myself in the big ring all the time with the slicks, so I went 1x8 with a 42t ss ring up front and an 11-32 cassette that's been back there for quite a while. Use an old front mech as a chain guide.

[::: :::]

This was my commuter
I work out of the house so it's not seen a commute for a while
missing lights, pedals & race blades
42x16 flip/flop
soma rush frame



any local pdx folks want a 60cm fixie as shown?
garage kept, but ridden year round for 4yrs

[Greydon Clark]

I know this. My point was that in an emergency (the only time I can think of to use a traditional brake on a fixie) a front brake wouldn't help that much because you'd probably end up over the bars

You won't go over the bars.

[XXX-er]

I've been using a fixed commuter for years and would never consider going brakeless. Dual brakes always.

turn in your metro sexual hipster card

[nwslider]

Stopping with just your legs is all fun and games until you break a chain on a downhill. Then you're really glad for a second stopping option.

I've had the chain accidentally pop off on a downhill. I was super lucky there were no cars around

And am I the only person who has seen some go over the bars from slamming on the front brake? Whoever said that will never happen is fos because I have done it and seen it

Managing speed/hills with brakes totally defeats the purpose of a fixed gear imho

[::: :::]

I've had the chain accidentally pop off on a downhill. I was super lucky there were no cars around

sorry to hear that...sounds pretty scary!

And am I the only person who has seen some go over the bars from slamming on the front brake? Whoever said that will never happen is fos because I have done it and seen it

if you read back thru, you'll see no one said it will never happen

Managing speed/hills with brakes totally defeats the purpose of a fixed gear imho

"totally defeats"?
don't be so dogmatic
the brake(s) is(are) there to be used whenever/however you feel like it

[nwslider]

Very valid points. This being a thread about a commuter bike, probably better to have brakes considering the amount of time spent riding it

[Rontele]

Fenders, flats and 35s. 16 mi roundtrip commute.

[CS]

I've been using this for around 3 years for my 16 mile round trip commute. I got it off bikes direct for real cheap. I went singlespeed because of simplicity and the dead flat commute. It was fixie when I first got it and I spent a couple of weeks riding it that way. Holy hell is fixie stupid. I was never happier than when I got the freewheel on there.

[GeezerSteve]

Here's a commuter bike frame/bike I built for my wife's birthday. It was my first disc brake frame. (I have built 150+ road bike frames). Built it from tubing I had in stock. Main triangle has one each Columbus/Reynolds/True Temper. Stays are Columbus. Fillet brazed. Paragon dropouts. Built it tall with level top tube for the hipster urban bike look. Dyno hub (Shutter Precision) on front, have not yet hooked up the dyno headlight. Paul Thumbies so she can switch to friction shifting in a pinch. Low gears for Seattle hills. Had it powdercoated international orange. She calls it her Orangutan bike. Gatorskin 700x32C tires. Will eventually build a custom 4130 tubing rear rack and put some fenders on it. Might double as a HD touring bike.

[bean]

turn in your metro sexual hipster card

Even if I were cool enough for one, it would've been confiscated years ago for getting too old.

[stuckathuntermtn]

Here's a commuter bike frame/bike I built for my wife's birthday. It was my first disc brake frame. (I have built 150+ road bike frames). Built it from tubing I had in stock. Main triangle has one each Columbus/Reynolds/True Temper. Stays are Columbus. Fillet brazed. Paragon dropouts. Built it tall with level top tube for the hipster urban bike look. Dyno hub (Shutter Precision) on front, have not yet hooked up the dyno headlight. Paul Thumbies so she can switch to friction shifting in a pinch. Low gears for Seattle hills. Had it powdercoated international orange. She calls it her Orangutan bike. Gatorskin 700x32C tires. Will eventually build a custom 4130 tubing rear rack and put some fenders on it. Might double as a HD touring bike.

Bad ass!

[The Suit]

Managing speed/hills with brakes totally defeats the purpose of a fixed gear imho

What is the purpose of a fixed gear?

[ts01]

Awesome work Big Steve.

I'll add to the show-and-tell later but for now would just add this little revelation from yesterday's s ride (13 miles each way, mixed suburban / urban traffic):

The most important thing on your commuter bike is you, and it's well worth the dork factor and moderate expense to protect yourself with a little bell on the bars where you can hit it IMMEDIATELY and really bright annoying lights at all times, front and back.

The bell is increasingly important as pedestrians and drivers increasingly focus on their smartphones, not their surroundings. You have situational awareness, they do not, so give a little wakeup call. Also, even if they see you many folks will try to make their move in front of you when they shouldn't, because they don't understand the speed (or momentum) of a moderately fast adult cyclist; adding an audible signal helps them figure it out. The bell may be annoying but moderately less so than "coming through," "watch out," "on your left," etc., and much less so than "call 911."

Lights - same story. Even in daylight you get noticed sooner and drivers have more reaction time. The brighter the day, the darker the shadows under bridges and foliage where drivers just won't see you, and they won't be running headlights so reflectors are useless. My setup is two front lights on the bars, one red LED on the back of the helmet, and one big red blinky on the rear rack. Inevitably sh*t happens during dark fall or winter rides, so redundancy is your friend. Get good lights (great cheap stuff on Amazon) but not so good it bothers you when break or get stolen.

I've been doing this over 40 years now. Before the A/V show I had a number of bad incidents and injuries on the bike. Now, even lit up and and loud as a circus, I still see looks of surprise on drivers and pedestrians who are close enough to hurt or kill me. But no one has done so lately.

OK kids, thanks for listening. Mom says thanks too.