Just got a new bicycle (utility/commuting)

[onewebfoot]

Been through 10 months of cycling travail this year. Characterized by a high-end electric bike that has had chronic issues with basic operation (brakes, drive train cabling). So during that time, I fell back on a 20-year old mountain bike that I converted to a commuter (high-rise handlebars and street tires - lots of fun, lots of positive feedback from the masses).

But that second bike is out of commision for at least a week, and I need a bike for daily existence, as well as for toting music gear around for humble gigs I take on the road from time to time. Haven't owned a car for 18 months.

Last night ... i was nearly in tears for the pain of simply trying to get by. I thought, "what if I had a perfect new bike? Is anything on sale? Nearby? That I can get customized and configured locally in 5 hours (same day)?"

Answer was yes on all counts. Ended up with a Marin Sausalito with accessories, on major sale. Very stoked. I feel like I'm 10 years old in taking joy from the first "conventional" bike I've bought in 20 years, but it came a lot cheaper than a Porsche 911...

[elgecko]

No pic, no bike! Do you use a trailer to tow your amp?

[onewebfoot]

Mods from showroom (sale price) floor were:
-- A riser stem, lifting the handlebars a bit
-- handlebars with an additional rise, making the total rise from stock 4"
-- fenders, front and back (these are cool)
-- rear rack (my cargo bag not shown, I didn't take it to the store, as I wasn't sure I'd be buying a bike)
-- kick stand and cup holder and bike bell and.... (stuff pending from home, including some West Coast ornamentation)

So if you ever visit Bike Connection in Palo Alto, 2011 El Camino Real, ask for Max. They pulled this off in 3 hours. I was a walk-in.

{Edit} Just have to say, as a tested, and currently still alive, veteran of urban cycling, I'm an extreme fan of a shorter wheel base for my riding (compared to a a longer beach cruiser). Otherwise, I tote stuff on my back, not a trailer. I'm a big fan of the Genz-Benz micro-combo (either one).

[elgecko]

Nice! BTW, all manner of TB cyclists are coexisting here:

Biking '11, #12 speed cogs are a pain in the rear derailleur...bad bike pun, there...

You should post over there too!

[onewebfoot]

Thanks, ElGecko. I'll go over and subscribe now, then chew on how to contribute or participate. I haven't been avoiding that discussion for any reason, except that I've not been "mainstream" in cycing by any conceivable definition.

Earlier, I deleted an entire post in this thread without ignoring your question cuz I went off on a bit of tangent. But here are some observations after having this thing for about 30 hours and logging about 30 miles in that time...

1. My viewpoint on wheelbase (overall length) is tested. What I need in a commuter is instant (and very quick) acceleration, and tight maneuverability, and ruggedness combined with *FAST* road tires, without the bike becoming squirrely. The Marin Sausalito NAILS all of these criteria and much more. I can't believe my dumb luck at finding this thing on sale, and being cognizant enough on a saturday morning to realize, real-time, that *IF* something like this was to happen fo rme, I had to hit the bike shop before noon.

Certainly if one finds their cycling zone on a low down cruiser, or even a leng-base utility bike with extended rack, then more poiwer to them. Having a bike that allows you to focus entirely on riding, not on the bike, that's the zone. Which bike is secondary. :-)

2. I like riding upright, and this has three major advantages. (a) comfortable posture, (b) visibility, and (c) it radically increases your ability to carry cargo on either your back, or hanging from the handlebars. If you are all leaned over, the cargo on your back is less stable, and your back is likely less positioned for a heavier load. AS it is for me, if I'm riding upright, then my messenger bag is carried entirely on the rack, and the shoulder strap functions for stability alone, not truly bearing the full weight of my cargo. Try doing this leaning over. True pipe dream, that one is. This is one of the "utility" functions of the Sausalito or upright urban cruisers of any design.

3. I'm a hardcore fan of the urban hybrid metro bikes, and as far as I can tell or have ever seen, the Sausalito, rigged as I have it, is the best in class I've ever seen or ridden. Features. Lightness. Ruggedness. Qiuckness by every definition. Posture. Customizability. More. But I"m biased... Otherwise, it cost me TWICE what I expected to spend, but now I actually look forward to cycle commuting. Long for it.

4. There is a fourth advantage, actually, for this specific bike configuration, and that is uphill riding. Why? (a) Hardtail rear but articulating shock absorbing front. This is a fantastic combination in a commuter/hybrid/utility bike. But also, (b) once you dial in the precise fitting between the seat and the handlebars, you can squeeze your bike seat with your (um) crotch when riding uphill, use that for great leverage, and increase your uphill pedaling power MORE than if you stood up.

I would wager that half of my personal observations are irrelevant to any aspiring rider until they are physically conditioned (minimum of 2 weeks of daily riding). Otherwise, I *never* stand, ever, when riding. And this bike is the most dreamlike uphill rider or urban performer I have ever experienced (non-electric).

[fdeck]

Those are all good points. Your bike looks like a modernized version of my commuter:



My commuting probably isn't as serious as yours, as I don't carry bass gear. But I greatly prefer a side-basket, rather than carrying stuff on my back. It's just more comfortable for me.

It's nice to see what real commuters are using, as we have our own unique needs. The wheelbase is something that I've never thought about, but it makes sense.

[onewebfoot]

Your point about paniers and sparing your back is extremely relevant. But when I refer to relying on my back heavily, note that I'm sitting upright. I can use the rack-stabiliized transport method for bearing most of the load in transit, while being able to entirely control my cargo, lifting the unit as necessary off the rack (and away from road-shock), instantly. In reponse to my own manuever choices. All I have to do is adjust my posture slightly to spare my cargo from road shock, and I'm still thinking about what the @#$% traffic is doing in the meantime.

I don't know that I would ever carry bass gear in a way that subjects any of it to un-buffered road shock. That is why I am pretty hard-committed to haivng everything carried on or at least controlled by my back/shoulder strap.

I love your bike. Perhaps we should both meet in Amsterdam (grins). Your bike captures the baseline of about everything that I was aspiring to, myself. If I adopted your bike tomorrow, I would likely adjust to a slightly wider seat, and raise the handlebars about 2"-3" (I'm a tall guy with a documented pref for sitting completely upright). And I'm a fan of often riding with one hand, just cuz I can. That's why I don't like convnetional mountain bike handlebars, at all. If most of my riding was offroad, I'd think differently. But I ride a bike for survival, a paycheck, and private personal fulfillment, not for Iron Man competitions (but kudos to iron men -- to each their own).

[Edit] This bike's name is "Raven." Coworkers meet her tomorrow. I won't get much work done.

I'll soon be hanging some bright colored feathers from a couple locations to increase visibiliity in traffic on an otherwise "stealthy" bike. Stealth alone is scary to me, and this bike oozes stealth. This bike is actually the perfect profile (presuming my cargo bag), of an on-wheel cop on the beat who has the ability to appear in front of you from out of nowhere.

In stark contrast, I have to get this thing noticeable from a distance in traffic without getting dorky, as soon as possible. Bright feathers and a couple bandanas and a couple lights will do it.

[seanm]

Wow, that is seriously short. But it sounds like your commuting is a bit more strenuous than mine

I hate carrying things on my back, so I love my trailer. I use the bike a lot to get beer. I can carry four empty 24s there and two full 24s back.

[bassteban]

As a very long-in-the-torso/borderline spider monkey of a man, I must say that the proportions of that bike hurt my imagination. More power to you, though- there's nothing like finding *the one*- I have 2 or 3.
BTW, what exactly constitutes a *mainstream* cyclist?

[seanm]

Hmmm, re-reading my reply it seems slightly negative. I didn't want it to be taken that way. I am very happy that you have found such a nice bike! I am actually fairly jealous!

bassteban: I would consider myself a *mainstream* cyclist. My bike is very middle of the road. I commute to work in the summer, but mainly on paved trails and not every day. I do some shopping on the bike, but only if the weather is nice.

I used to be more hardcore For 2000 and 2001 I commuted almost every day all year round. In Ottawa that means snow and -30C (-22F) in the winter.

[onewebfoot]

No worries about your candor, Bassteban. If I had thin skin, I wouldn't be speaking to this topic at all (grins). But workaday realities kept me from following up till now.

Here are a couple observations after my first commuting day with a bike I had not even had two full days before deploying into "production":

1. We should qualify what short wheel base is. This Sausalito, 22" frame siae, is 42.5" from axle center to axle center. I don't think I could go smaller with either (1) my toes constantly hitting the front wheel in normal rotation, or (2) the bike getting squirrely.

2. About that squirrely thing - what is a definition? I definitely know it when I see it or ride it. Much too easy to crash from impulsive maneuvers. Unstable. Changes directions TOO quickly. Smaller tires. But ironically, if I got a 4th bike, which truly could happen, hmmmm. Nope. I was going to say that I would get one of those folding bikes. But I've been mixing it up with a LOT of CAltrain cycle riders every single work day for 18 months. EVery seasoned cyclist that I have known who tried one went back to a full-sized frame. Sometimes it was mechanical issues. Otherwise, I don't ask or push it. Pressing train acquaintences on the details of their bike troubles is not a good karma thing. But it's not a good karma thing either to bash on a bicycle concept that truly works for several people. A rider outside my window, riding from Oracle (I know my neighborhood) just cruised by on one. He didn't look happy, but he was using it.

3. As for my fenders of choice, I chose well, but I didn't know it until 30 minutes ago. Caltrain was extremly packed tonight. 55+ bikes on ONE train car. I had to manuever to the door from the very back. So I just popped the bike vertical, wheeling entirely on the rear tire, and if I had chosen a lesser fender, I would have bent my brand new fenders on the first day of use. Didn't happen. :-) (The point here being that the rear fender is not too low in the back, and it does not prohibite my wheeling the bike in striaght vertical position while walking through a tightly packed train car).

4. Perhaps I am a mainstream cyclist by more definitions than I care to admit, but I'm a tall rider, I ride a tall bike, true "hybrids" that combine much of mountain bikes with every critical thing of city bikes, including raised handlebars, that's not convcentional. Having a second bike that has 850 watts of electric power. that's not conventional. Having a third bike that is a 20-year old mountain bike converted to a cruiser, that's not conventional.

5. There is the one guy who gets off at the same Caltrain stop I do. We've never spoken, but he's had me in his marks for weeks. He dresses out in the cycle clothing, has a robust mountain bike with slight alterations for city riding. EVery single day, he makes a point of lingering for awhile, while I ride off. Then he loves to catch up to me halfway through his ride, and make a show of passing me (bona fide @ss). I suppose my aged commuter convert is a target for riders like him. So today, I had Raven. Just by riding under my normal physical exertion level, he couldn't get anywhere close to me for 2 miles (my total ride on that segment). I was laughing....

6. Another observation from early this morning. Another rider, tall like me, bike similar to mine (but much more beaten up), got on board, parked his bike, and then just stood there for 5+ minutes studying Raven. I get that reaction frequently with any of my three bikes, only one being ridable right now.

[fdeck]

Originally Posted by onewebfoot

Your point about paniers and sparing your back is extremely relevant. But when I refer to relying on my back heavily, note that I'm sitting upright. I can use the rack-stabiliized transport method for bearing most of the load in transit, while being able to entirely control my cargo, lifting the unit as necessary off the rack (and away from road-shock), instantly. In reponse to my own manuever choices. All I have to do is adjust my posture slightly to spare my cargo from road shock, and I'm still thinking about what the @#$% traffic is doing in the meantime.

That makes a lot of sense. I've thought about transporting my son's cello to his lessons, and would probably carry it on my back for that very reason. And a 1/2 size cello is mostly air.

I love your bike. Perhaps we should both meet in Amsterdam (grins). Your bike captures the baseline of about everything that I was aspiring to, myself. If I adopted your bike tomorrow, I would likely adjust to a slightly wider seat, and raise the handlebars about 2"-3" (I'm a tall guy with a documented pref for sitting completely upright). And I'm a fan of often riding with one hand, just cuz I can. That's why I don't like convnetional mountain bike handlebars, at all. If most of my riding was offroad, I'd think differently. But I ride a bike for survival, a paycheck, and private personal fulfillment, not for Iron Man competitions (but kudos to iron men -- to each their own).

Thanks! My bike is "artisanally recycled." My dad trash-picked it for me. It had those Schwinn steel rims that only take Schwinn tires, and the disastrous Shimano drivetrain with the ratchet in the crank. I trashed all of that stuff, and built the wheels out of salvaged parts. The chain guard is from a discarded Huffy. I prefer the "tourist" bars because they seem to put a lot less pressure on my wrists than straight bars.

When I assembled it, my day gig was at UW, so I needed something that was reasonably speedy but would not attract thieves. It's just been such a comfy and dependable ride that I've kept it since changing jobs 12+ years ago.

An amusing note: My daily commute goes right past the US headquarters of Pacific Cycle, which now owns the Schwinn brand.

[seanm]

What the heck, here is a picture of my commuter bike that I took just now in the garage.

Notice the bell. Bells are required here and are zealously enforced.