for discussion of all thing commuting by bike
Whether it's a journey for work, shopping or leisure, maybe even tweaks and hacks to make your commute easier, feel free to share.
After getting an electric cargo bike to haul the kids around, I cannot imagine not having the motor for any hill. Sometimes I ride the electric with no assist, and sometimes I don’t want to get sweaty and leave it on full assist mode (Bosch Turbo).
I still have a road bike for individual exercise, but the electric is amazing for transportation.
Previously I used a cheap steel MTB for commuting. It was slow but I miss all the low gears for climbing hills... also didn't need to worry about leaving it anywhere because it looked like a donkey's bottom. The disc brakes had the nice sound effect of announcing my presence to nearby car drivers lol.
After a couple of years I ended up switching to a dutch-style commuter bike: Aluminium frame, High swept handlebar, 7 speed internal gears, roller brakes and a chain case. Maintenance is now generally something I don't have to worry too much about 😁
My next commuter would likely be a cheap steel beater though, albeit with the same low maintenance creature comforts. I'm careful where I leave my current bike because it looks expensive IMO, and someone's already tried to to steal it 😅
I wfh now so I don’t have a commute, but I commuted by Brompton for years and I love it as a commuter bike. The front luggage mount is nice and stiff and not off-balanced like a single pannier, I can take it into the office instead of worrying about it being unattended for 8 hours, and I have the flexibility to change plans during the day because it can be easily taken on transit or put in a friend/coworker’s trunk