Anyone commuting on a bicycle regularly?

pmc100 said:
My last two bikes have had Gates belt drives, I'm a fan. My last one had a hub gear and was nice to have essentially no maintenance or mess. Only drawback is removing the rear wheel to fix a puncture is a bit more of a faff.

It got nicked so I bought an electric also with the Gates. It's great fun to ride and perfect for commuting and popping around town. But I do have regrets about the range. You can't go for a nice long ride without worrying about running out of power and is horrible to ride without it. It isn't geared so if I got an electric now I would make sure it's geared to make it more usable without power. The other problem with the electric is you don't get as good a workout. Depending on the circumstances that's a good or bad thing but it's nice to have the option. Again a geared bike might help with that
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One of the thing with belts is they don't have lateral flexibility. You're limited to internally geared hubs, which then rules out affordable hub drive ebikes
 
I used to for several years, and enjoyed it, and I'd prefer it if the distance to my current work was shorter, and traffic was less nuts. Out here where we live now people drive fast, and I'd think it was just too dangerous to go on a bike.

Back then it was like 4½ miles, mostly bike lanes, and if I took it easy I could make it without getting all sweaty. It's a nice way to wake up and clear your head before and after work.
 
Lerxst said:
One of the thing with belts is they don't have lateral flexibility. You're limited to internally geared hubs, which then rules out affordable hub drive ebikes
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That's true, you need to go for a mid hub model
 
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I used to go everywhere by bike, I'm Dutch, so it kinda is the thing you do. Still do in summer, but Finnish weather is not very bike-friendly for half a year :embarrassed:

I always preferred my bikes as simple as possible. My favourite was my grandma's old bike, no gears, no handbrakes, just simple and it never had any issues. I'd mostly look for comfort and easy repairability. Generally the more "features" the more shit that randomly breaks/starts giving issues.
 
Gates belt ebikes: https://www.prioritybicycles.com/pages/electric-belt-drive-bicycles

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I have an 18-speed Shimano Cannondale Quick hybrid bike, which I got second hand for WAY too cheap. It is very lightweight and is perfect for city riding/commuting.

I took it a few times for longer rides, which was fine, however I kind of want a road bike for longer rides.
 
A solid commuter bike usually has a simple drivetrain, disc brakes, and mounts for fenders and a rack. I’ve put a lot of miles on a mid‑range hybrid and it’s been trouble-free. Good gear helps too; I’ve been using jerseys from Ridestylecustom because the breathable fabric makes daily rides way less sweaty, and it’s nice being able to pick designs that fit my style.
 
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I commuted by bike for years and generally relied on whatever touring bike (i.e. upright handlebars, narrower tires) was available on Craigslist. I think that or FB marketplace might be good places to start. That way you can get into it for a couple hundred bucks and see how you enjoy it before investing a lot more cash. I always used pannier bags because I was transporting a laptop plus my work clothes along with extra tube, etc.
 
Acadiafall said:
I bought an e-bike from Temu for $800 dollars about a year ago. It's fecking awesome!
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I’ve never used a bike to commute to work. However, we bought an e-bike for my son when he was in high school nearly 4 years ago. He did use that e-bike to commute to a part time job.

I recall we spent about $800 for a Macwheel (made in China) via Amazon. At the time, e-bikes in US bike ahops were nearly double that price. I did some research and that particular brand and model got a lot of positive reviews.

I’ve riden the Macwheel e-bike many times. It’s a solid bike with a fair amount of miles on a single charge. My one complaint is the brakes. I can get going very fast when pedaling with the e-motor engaged and the brakes are not robust enough for high speeds. I’ve been meaning to upgrade those brakes.

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jrockbridge said:
I’ve never used a bike to commute to work. However, we bought an e-bike for my son when he was in high school nearly 4 years ago. He did use that e-bike to commute to a part time job.

I recall we spent about $800 for a Macwheel (made in China) via Amazon. At the time, e-bikes in US bike ahops were nearly double that price. I did some research and that particular brand and model got a lot of positive reviews.

I’ve riden the Macwheel e-bike many times. It’s a solid bike with a fair amount of miles on a single charge. My one complaint is the brakes. I can get going very fast when pedaling with the e-motor engaged and the brakes are not robust enough for high speeds. I’ve been meaning to upgrade those brakes.

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Very interesting as my brakes are being replaced next week. They were fine at first but very rapidly have gone downhill so I'm getting new ones put on. The bike itself though is very solidly built and is so easy to ride it's crazy. I have everything I need on this bike and fail to see how some of them cost so much.
 
Acadiafall said:
Very interesting as my brakes are being replaced next week. They were fine at first but very rapidly have gone downhill so I'm getting new ones put on. The bike itself though is very solidly built and is so easy to ride it's crazy. I have everything I need on this bike and fail to see how some of them cost so much.
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Are you getting disc brakes, hydraulic disc brakes, or something else?
 
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