updated 5/4/2008

Commuter Bicycles

a.k.a Transportation Bicycles, City Bicycles or Utility Bicycles

David Madajian, Bicycle Transportation Advocate

www.commuterbicycle.com

The vast majority of bicycles sold today are Mountain bicycles.  For street use these bikes are much more comfortable than the skinny tired Road bikes (racing bicycles) that forced the cyclist into an aerodynamic but awkward position with bent over handle bars.  The upright position of a Mountain bicycle is not as efficient, but it allows better situation awareness and control when riding in traffic and is more comfortable.  As it turns out most people riding Road bikes end up not using the "drops" on the bar, but position their hands on the top which defeats the aerodynamic advantage* and places their hands far away from the brake levers.  However, using a Mountain bicycle to commute has several disadvantages:  The weight, cost, and energy dissipation of a suspension system designed for rugged off road riding, exposed greasy chain, high rolling resistance of fat tires with knobby tread, and more likely to be stolen.

Many companies are now starting to market bicycles specifically designed for commuting, transportation or utility as opposed to recreation.  This new type of bicycle that is emerging doesn't even have a standard name yet, but I prefer to call it a Commuter Bicycle.  It took over 10 years to settle on the name of "Mountain Bike", so this is normal in the fragmented bicycle industry.  When I started this site in 2002, there were only a few companies chasing this market in the USA;  now there are dozens.  However, most local bike shops have been very slow to embrace bicycles as transportation and devote very little or no floor space to Commuter bicycles.  You may be forced to have a bicycle shop special order one for you or to purchase one on-line.  The features to look for in a Commuter bicycle are upright seating position, low top bar,  full reflectors, cargo racks, bells,  fenders, chain guards, kickstands, gearing for moderate conditions, internal gearing in the rear hub, some mild suspension, built-in generator lights, and nutted bolts instead of "Quick Release" disconnects on axles and seat posts (to discourage part thieves).  A feature just now starting to appear is a sealed drive shaft or belt instead of a chain.  Both of these need to be used in conjunction with internal gearing.

Internal gear hubs, These are much improved over the 3 speed hubs of the 70's.  Shimano, SRAM and Sturmey-Archer just introduced 8 speed versions.  The 7 speed Shimano Nexus has a range of 244% which is better than the old 10 speed derailleur bikes and very adequate for general riding.  The new improved 8 speed has a range of 307%.  They are low maintenance and easy to use.  You can shift while stopped or under load and the gears are all in order and evenly spaced.  No more "the big gear is low in the front and high in the rear".  Beginners who don't recall high school physics often have trouble with this and tend to stay in one gear.  Internal gear hubs are much more intuitive.  After using conventional gears for 30 years, I adapted to the Nexus 7 internal hub in 3 minutes.

Drive Shafts (chainless) , This is the only company I know of manufacturing these.  The drive shaft needs to be combined with an Internal gear hub since a chain is no longer available to switch gears.  I believe this is the future for all bicycles.

Off-the-shelf Adult* Commuter Bicycles:

Breezer is a new company specializing in commuting bicycles that was founded by one of the inventors of the mountain bike, Joe Breeze, who has had an interest in transportation bicycles for over 30 years.   They have 6 fully equipped models (Town, internally geared: Uptown8 $850, Uptown $770, Villager $670, and Citizen $500; Range, derailleur-geared: Liberty $960, Greenway $740) and 3 quick-fold compact models (i7 $700, i3 $399, itzy $450). The Breezer Town bikes are similar to European town bikes, but are lighter and more widely available in the USA. I bought a Villager for my wife and we are very happy with it. Breezer had a big head start on the commuter bicycle market in the USA, but now the big international players are moving in fast.  One of my readers praised the built in lighting system in the Uptown.

Zero City Bicycle is a commuter bicycle that combines a drive shaft with an internally geared hub.  Unfortunately, it is only currently marketed in England.  Last time I checked they offered to ship it to the US for $885 including freight.  This is the nicest bicycle manufactured with the shaft drive that I could find.  They are looking for US based distributor.  I test rode a demo model for 3 months and was impressed).  I did no maintenance and had no problems.

Dynamic Bicycle makes the Runabout which is very similar to the Incline with the same Susex shaft drive and Nexus 7 speed hub.  

Broadway Bicycle is a semi-custom bicycle made by a unique bicycle in Boston.  It is basically an old fashion English 3 speed with modern components that sells for $425.  A custom bike builder named Mike Flanigan builds them a full custom version of it that sells for $900.  He owns a company called Alternative Needs Transportation and specializing in building bikes for commuting and carrying cargo.  He will probably build you any bicycle you want if you can't find anything here. 

Koga-Miyata Town and Country Bicycles are now being imported to the USA.  They are hand built in the Netherlands.  They are expensive and heavy, but extremely high quality and well built to last many miles and years.  They are some of the most expensive bikes in this category.

Biria is a German bicycle manufacturer that is rapidly expanding in the USA.  Almost all their many models qualify as Commuter Bicycles.  See their website for their extensive list dealers.  They have "city" bikes that range from $400 to $700.  Biria has a very innovative "safety bicycle" which features a locking system, ABS brakes, the new Nexus 8 speed and a shaft drive.  There is a good online source for these bikes.

Bianchi Milano is the first modern Commuter bicycle and it is made by a large and famous Italian company.  It is sold world wide.  It is a very beautiful and elegant design that is competitively priced.

Kettler is a German company that makes a high quality City Comfort model that sells for $1200.  They also sell many quality plastic trikes for kids.  You can buy them online from the Bike Mania link below.

Fuji produces a line of "City" bicycles named Crosstown.

Giant now has the "Metro" line.  This is very exciting because this is a major international bicycle company and they are offering this bicycle in the USA.  You can buy it buy special order through almost any bike shop stocking Giant. 

REI is a well run sporting goods co-operative that has a large network of stores as well as a strong web presents.  They feature a large cycling department in addition to camping gear.  In 2005 they introduced an "urban bicycle" called the Novara Fusion for $700 that is close is specifications and price to the Breezer.

Kona, a company founded on Mountain Bicycles has had a  line of bicycles since 2004 called Dew that is targeted at high-end commuting.  Not surprisingly, they look like Mountain bicycles without suspension.  Interestingly, the website states that these bikes are the ones that the Mountain Bicycle designers ride to work.  This sounds like an admission that Mountain Bicycles are a poor choice for basic transportation:)  Recently they introduced a basic transportation line called "Africabike" and priced it starting at $300.

Kronan, distributes a simple, reliable and durable bicycle that is based on the classic Swedish Army bicycle design.  It is made entirely of steel except for the aluminum pedals and weighs a hefty 46 pounds.  The List price is $359.  They are sold from the corporate website as well as a dozen independent dealers across the USA.

Extreme commuting:  For very long commutes I recommend a serous Touring bicycle.  Unless you are willing to spend a great deal there are only a few choices out there for this:  A Trek 520, an REI Novara Randonee, or a Surly Long Haul Trucker.  I would recommend any of the 3 for people with commutes over 20 miles a day.

What every you do don't buy a bicycle from . Walmart may have great values in many product lines, but their bicycles are not good values.  The bikes are heavy, have many parts that are prone to rust, and not very serviceable.  Feel free to buy other items using the links above, but I wouldn't recommend any of the bicycles they stock.  Consumer Reports came to the same conclusion in their report on bicycles.  If you don't want to spend much money on a bicycle, you would be much better off buying a quality used bicycle from craigslist or a garage sale than buying a cheap new bicycle.  It may improve in the future, but at present time most of the bicycles imported from China are junk.

Bicycle Security:  I was able to finally convince my employer to build a secure bicycle parking lock, which is basically a covered fenced area with combination lock.  The best way to lock a bike is with a U-lock connecting the frame and a pole or other object embedded in concrete.  You should also consider registering your bicycle with State or Local government along with the National Bicycle Registry.  At the very least keep a record of the serial number stamped on the bottom. 

Do-it-yourself Commuter Bicycles:

It is also relatively easy to add accessories to just about any bicycle to make it more suitable for transportation.  I recommend starting from a "Hybrid" or "Comfort" bicycle.  If you start from a Road bike, you will need to change the "drop" bars to mountain bike bars which also involves replacing shifting and brake levers.  This modification can get expensive, but worth doing if you already own a Road bicycle.  If you start from a Mountain bicycle, you should replace the Knobby tires with Street tires.  Here are some good on-line sources for fenders, mirrors, bells, and  racks:

I have bought many parts over the years from Performance and have been very happy with them.  Their sale prices are usually outstanding.  If you order from my links above, I get a 5% fee.  All of my profits go to bicycle transportation advocacy (I run this website as a public service and hobby)

Recently I have been using my bicycle to "commute" to camping vacations instead of work.  I have identified the following 2 sources:

In the future I may have a webpage for bicycle camping, but my approach is relatively simple.  I just put all my normal camping gear in my bicycle trailer and go.

The 4 ads below are supplied directly by Google, so I have know idea what they will be exactly.

Tires/Tubes:  Mountain bikes all come with 26 inch wheels.  Most Road bikes now come with 70 cm wheels (metric), which have replaced the older 27 inch wheel.  70 cm wheels are about 27.5 inches.  The diameter is not nearly as important as the tire width.  I would recommend getting tires close to 700x35C (70 cm diameter 3.5 cm width) or 26x1.5 (for Mountain Bikes).  For Mountain Bikes it is especially important to get tires that are designed for street use.  The tread on Street tires is designed to roll smoothly and quietly on hard surfaces.  Kevlar belted tires and Self-Sealing tubes help avoid punctures, but in any case it is wise to always carry a mini-pump, spare tube, patch kit, and a few tools.  Self-Sealing tubes are filled with a sticky liquid that plugs leaks.  One problem with them is that the liquid works so well it sometimes clogs the valve!  Thorn proof tubes are very thick and heavy, but work great.  I like them because they greatly reduce the chance of a flat and I can go months instead of weeks without having to add air to my tires.

Mirrors:  Mountain Mirrycle Bar End - $15.  Once you ride with a nice mirror like this, you will never want to go without one.  I have received some feedback that some riders are happy with mirrors that mount on glasses or helmets.  My main point is that a mirror is an essential commuting accessory.  For a great web page on mirrors, you can click here.

Handle Bars:  Expensive mountain bicycles tend to have bars that are just as uncomfortable as road bicycles in order to put you in an aerodynamic, but awkward position.  It is best for commuting to have mountain bike style bars that flare up.  These are commonly refered to as "riser bars".  Some riders do swear by the road bike style bent over or "Drop" bars.  They like them because they can vary their hand positions on long rides and can ride faster.  This could be important if you have a long commute.  Experienced riders can quickly go from an upright position for comfort to an aerodynamic position with quick access to brake levers to .  Some people even add a set of break levers in both positions called Runkel levers that are starting to be popular in Cyclocross circles.  Also, many people never adjust to Drop style bars because their frame is not properly sized for their body.  The bottom line is that if you are flexible and willing to pay for a custom frame and 2 sets of brake levers, you may enjoy Drop bars.  For the rest of us with commutes under 5 miles, I recommend mountain bike style bars that flare up.

Brakes: V-Brakes are great for commuting.  They have plenty of cable travel which keeps them in adjustment longer.  They also have clearance for fenders and good stopping power for wet conditions.  They need compatible levers.  Disk brakes are now somewhat available and even better, but are not so common or standard and spare parts could be a problem in the future.  They also require special wheels.

Fenders:  Planet Bike Freddy Fenders.  Most stores can sell at prices lower than the factory website (This pricing is intended to support local shops- they also support advocacy with 25% of profits).  I ride year around with fenders even though it doesn't even rain much where I live.  They help to keep grit off you and your bike.

Seats:  Of course, this item is highly dependent on personal preference.  It is also very analogous to purchasing a bed.  If you spend a large amount of time on your bike it is important as well.  Please also be aware that, like a mattress, softer is not always more comfortable over the long haul.  The seat I prefer is the Hobson.

Head Light:  Best value is to buy the midrange models (about $100) from either VistaLite, Crygolight, Niterider or Planet Bike.  A 10W Halogen light is a good balance between brightness and power consumption.  A HID (High Intensity Gas Discharge) light is about 3 times brighter and a Halogen with the same energy and great if you ride at night in foul weather, but will cost over $300.  Hopefully, white LED (Light Emitting Diode) headlight technology will soon be perfected.  The "white" LEDs are not nearly as efficient as the "red" LEDs and lose brightness rapidly after about the first 10% of battery life.  The brightest LED based headlights are still too dim for my taste.  The advantage of an LED is that it is efficient, compact, insensitive to vibration, and will never burn out.  Some bikes I have listed above have generator ("dynamo") powered lights.  These tend not to be very bright and don't work when stopped or going slowly.  Some of them are not regulated and will burn out bulbs at high speeds.  The advantage is you never have to worry about a battery running out of power for long commutes.  The newer models feature secondary LEDs that remain on during brief stops by the energy stored in a capacitor.

Rear red LED flashing light: VistaLite - $10.  Cateye 500LD - $10.  Red LED lights are fantastic and very efficient because only light in the red color is created (as oppose to creating white light and adding a red filter).  A blinking red light is even more efficient because it is off most of the time and attracts as much attention of a much brighter steady light.  If you get a model with AA batteries, it should last several years (400 hours of use).  Some of the rear lights like the Cateye will work well as reflectors when the light is not on or your batteries are dead.

Bells: Bells with a thumb lever can be bought for $5 and are great to warn pedestrians and slow moving bikes of your approach.  To warn cars you can get a $20 Delta Airhorn that you can pump up with your bike pump.  It makes you sound like a semi-truck or a train.

Pedals:  Very few people who try clipless pedals ever go back to toe straps.  Two sided platform SPD pedals make it convenient to ride with street shoes or bike shoes.  The clipless pedals are safer than straps because they release like ski bindings in an accident.  The problem with clips and toe straps is that can scrap if you have them down and they don't allow you to get the force from "pulling" unless you have slots in your shoes, which can be dangerous if you have to get out fast.  I don't believe any company even sells slotted shoes any more because of the popularity and superiority of clipless systems.  I would recommend the Shimano PD-M545 for $90 (or the generic Nashbar NS-DHPS for $30 if you can't get yourself to spend more than you paid for your first bicycle for a pair of pedals.)

Cargo Capacity: I highly recommend a rear rack and panniers (technical bicycle term for "saddle bags") that can be purchased from the above sources.  You can shop for price as these items are non-critical.  Panniers are much more comfortable and convenient than a back-pack unless you have a very sort distance to cover.  If you have more to carry, you can use a Bob or Burely trailer.  Burely has a new improved hitch for 2007 that will work on any bicycle.  It is also worth considering the Xtracycle, which will transform nearly any bicycle into the most practical people and cargo hauler on 2 wheels.  It is much more difficult to attach than a trailer, but once most people put it on they love it and end up leaving it on for good.  Unlike a trailer, the ride of the bicycle is improved as the long wheel base puts you between the 2 wheels and not over the rear wheel like on a conventional bicycle.  One of my readers found that Two Wheel Gear Commuter Pannier made carrying his dress clothes to work much more practical for him.  I just roll my clothes up and set them in a conventional pannier.

Risk:  Despite what some bicycle advocates promote by selectively using statistics in clever ways, commuting by bicycle is one of the most dangerous transportation option.  One common trick people have used to make bicycles seem safer than they really are is to use "accidents per hour" instead of "accidents per mile".  This turns around the fact that bicycles are slower than cars to make them seem safer.  You can greatly reduce your risks of accidents by being careful, but you can still expect to have an injury accident on average every 25,000 miles of bicycling.  Use bright lights, don't ride on sidewalks or against traffic, yield to traffic at stop signs and lights, and use a mirror.  You should use great care in selecting your route.  The best bicycle route is usually the worse possible route by car and may be longer.  However, a 10 minute longer route will give you more exercise and could save you many days of laying in a hospital bed with an injury.  Even though the risk an injury accident is much greater with a bicycle, the health benefits of exercise more than compensate.

Email me for Advice, Comments or Suggestions

(note: you need to delete the number twenty-two from my email address shown to get my real email address, which is my attempt to reduce SPAM)

Note: I compiled this website after months of fruitless web searching for a geared bicycle for my 7 year old son to commute to school with that was not a Mountain Bike.  I never found a youth bike for him, but I found plenty of adult bikes that I feature above.  If anyone knows of any off-the-shelf internally geared youth bikes I am very interested.  Breezer promised to introduce a model in a few years and Fuji sells one in Japan and Europe.

PS.  Special thanks to Ralph, John and many others that emailed me suggestions and improvements to this webpage.

* The drag coefficient of a bicycle and rider doesn't become significant until speeds of over about 15 mph.  As an experiment, I rode the same route multiple times with my 20 lb road bike with an aerodynamic body position and with my fully loaded 40 lb commute bike with an upright seating position.  My average time for my 13 mile commute was reduced by 8 minutes from 50 minutes down to 42 minutes.