Talking to the folks on the street after the theft, someone pulled up in a pickup truck, hopped out, cut the chain with bolt cutters, and was gone in less than a few minutes.  They said he was waiting on street when I locked my bike up.  I'd like to think that the drive was smart enough to be scoping what was a VERY expensive bike, but probably they just saw that 4 or 5 of us used the same meters and posts and just walked the line and grabbed what they could quick.

Well I went to both the OCBCO and Saker Cycle today...I enjoyed both places, but didn't really find anything I was looking for...After talking to Mitch (really nice guy for the record) I need more of a hybrid / mountain bike with front only suspension with road tires...The only one he had was around 450, just a little more than I wanted to spend....The OCBCO was a neat place to visit and had awesome view of downtown from the river...They primarily deal with road bikes and didn't really have anything that would fit my needs...Though I did learn that they had a Saturday ride that starts around 10 and goes around the city and on Wednesday nights (5-9) they have free workshops to teach you how to properly work on your bike...I plan on attending a couple of those...

 

So, I think I am a little closer to finding out exactly what I need...A 17/19 mountain bike or hybrid with road tires...Does anyone have any other suggestions along those lines? 

^ hmm...I'm going to PM you.  I might have something.

Try Fridrich Cycles on Lorain Ave in Ohio City.

 

http://www.fridrichs.com/

That looks like a nice bike.

Just wanted to update you with what I ended up with...

 

 

Pretty good little bike...Probably put 60 miles on it in the last 2 weeks...Not bad for my first bike...Pretty happy and I think I got a great deal on it...

 

Thanks again for all of your help urbanohioanites...

My bike got lifted last Saturday night, so I'm bringin' this thread back.

 

My cousin let me keep his Trek Antelope a few years ago and I had no idea what that meant dollars and cents-wise until I started looking for a replacement. I owe him many, many drinks next time I see him. It was a big, heavy mountain bike with a creaky chain and moody gears. The tires were knobby but true, and I could hop a curb like nobody's beeswax.

 

Aside from the obvious sticker shock, I'm overwhelmed by the options out there. I've narrowed my search (I think) to commuter bikes or possibly a hybrid. I plan to do a lot of riding in the neighborhoods here, toss it on the Cleveland Ave. bus up to Main St. Westerville, and then hop back on the bike and peddle the rest of the journey to work in Polaris, flat-out bike/ped hostility of Polaris notwithstanding. Some questions:

 

I've read good things about the Giant FCR3. Any comments?

Does fewer gears save me money/maintenance? I only find myself using about 5. Me have big strong legs.

Fixed Gear? How are those off the start and up hills? Westerville has a few of those. Columbusite?

$500? For a bike?!!!!! Sorry.

 

 

The guy at the Bike shop I just spoke to in Willoughby tried to sell me on this...any thoughts?

 

I'm not really going major offroading, just packed trails, and things like that. I've found that I'm hard on road bikes due to my size, so I want to stay with a mountain bike.

 

 

It's more than I was looking to spend, but I'm finding that when I start telling people what I want, I always end back up with this bike.

 

Does fewer gears save me money/maintenance? I only find myself using about 5. Me have big strong legs.

Fixed Gear? How are those off the start and up hills? Westerville has a few of those. Columbusite?

$500? For a bike?!!!!! Sorry.

 

 

 

Fixed gear will save you money as they use a larger chain and steel gear set that will last for damned near ever.  I don't know about having fewer gears on a derailleur bike saving you money.

Ended up with an early 90s Schwinn Crossfit. One of the earliest Hybrids. Not bad for $80. Here's a picture of somebody else's (mine has no fenders or saddle bags, though I'm liking the fenders):

 

 

 

I suggest going to visit Mitch at Shaker Cycle (located at West 5th and Jefferson in Tremont). He's a little kooky, but no one will give you a better deal. He has lots of great used bikes and he knows his stuff. He also won't overcharge you. He'll tell you what's worth cheaping out on, and he'll tell you what's worth spending the money on.

 

If you go in and tell him you have $200 and you want to be fully outfitted in a bike, he'll put a package together.

 

I bought my commuter bike from him, and it's been great. That was a year ago. I spent $60. I also have a nicer bike that I wouldn't want to drive through the Flats on a regular basis nor would I want to leave it locked up somewhere outside for eight hours for fear it would get stolen.

 

A friend and I stopped by Mitch's tonight, and he did diagnostics of both or our bikes.  Long story short, he told me that my road bike had 40 lbs of pressure in them, but needed 120+.  So he filled them with air.  Two miles later, I'm walking my bike through Ohio City and Tremont with a flat from riding on a nearly perfect surface.

 

It wasn't the flat that bugged me as much.  It's the plans I had that were derailed and the time that I spent walking back to Old Brooklyn and that I will be sitting at Fridrich's Saturday morning having it fixed properly. 

 

I'm sure the guy know what he's doing.  But in my book, that's not an f-up that should have occurred so readily.

^ A narrow road bike tire is usually pretty hire pressure -- I think the narrower the tire the higher the pressure. I had a similar thing happen after my road bike had been hanging up for a while the tire pressure was really low. I filled with my pump and didn't make it a mile before I had a flat. Turns out the tub had got pinched when I inflated the tire.

120+ sounds just a little high, even for road tires, and like redbrick said, you might have gotten a pinched tube. That likely would have shown up sooner or later even at 40psi. Riding for a long time at 40psi might have weakened the tires because of excessive flexing.

 

Most tires have the proper inflation pressure printed or stamped on them.

 

If your tire went "pop", it probably was because of too much pressure. If it let down more gradually, it might have been a pinched tube. Check to make sure there's a rim tape between the tube and the rim, and that there are no spoke ends protruding beyond the ends of the ferrules that are threaded onto the ends.

 

If it blew because of excessive pressure, the hole will have a shredded appearance and be very visible, and there may be a hole blown clear through the tube. If it's a pinch or a puncture, the hole will be tiny and only in the tube and you can find it by inflating the tube and submerging it in a dishpan full of water. Before you take the tire off, mark the valve stem location on the tire with a piece of chalk or bar of soap, and when you find the puncture you'll be able to associate it with the location on the tire and check for a sharp object.

 

Another thing to check is a leaky valve stem. Especially if you've been riding without caps on the stems, dirt can get between the valve stem and its seat during inflation, and cause it to leak. Put a dab of spit or a drop of soapy water on the valve stem and see if a bubble forms.

 

To minimize the likelihood of a pinch when disassembling or assembing the tire/tube/rim, go to a bike shop and get a set of tire levers; they're not expensive, and they make the whole process easier. Use a sponge to slop soapy water on the whole works. That plus tire levers makes it a piece of cake.

 

... and that I will be sitting at Fridrich's Saturday morning having it fixed properly.

 

Have someone teach you to patch/or change a tube. It only takes a few minutes to do it on the road if you carry a patch kit or spare tube, tire levers and a pump, and it'll save you those long walks and Saturday mornings waiting. I prefer a spare tube, because you'll need it if you have a blowout and in any event you can swap it out quickly and easily, and fix the leaking tube after you get home.

</ :speech: >

 

Ask me what time it is, and I'll tell you how to make a watch. :wink:

^ Right, but I did 27 miles the night before and over 200 miles on that tube over the last month (it was replaced after the 2nd UO group ride on 5/31) and had no problems.  If I have to keep reduced pressure to not get a flat, even if it's slightly inefficient, that's what I'll do. 

Having reduced pressure shouldn't do anything to keep you from getting a flat.  Quite the opposite, if you ride with reduced pressure you can get your tube pinched in between the rims and the edge of a pothole or some other sharp edge when you ride over it, which will usually cause two small holes next to each other called a "snakebite" (because it looks like one).  That will be a slowish leak, not a blowout.  Either your tire was already damaged (possibly a snakebite) before it was inflated to 120 lbs, or it was defective, or there is something in your rim or tire that is causing this to happen.  Anyway, riding on too low a pressure doesn't help any of those causes and 40 lbs is way too low for a road bike.  You should definitely stick towards the 120 lb range, and try to figure out what is causing the flats.

Meanwhile,

 

Excellent video! Every rider should be prepared for a flat.

 

I live along the Rivergreenway. Every now and then I see a walker with a flat, and I try to help when I can, either fixing them up with a tube (that includes a free hands-on lesson) or occasionally giving someone a ride home.

Nice video.  I tried fixing a flat once, but it took me an hour and I apparently punctured the tube while trying to get the tire back on.  I'm going to get some tire levers and will try to repair my next flat.

 

I didn't think my pressure was that low.  I have a hand pump and filled my tires as much as it would pump. 

Nice video.  I tried fixing a flat once, but it took me an hour and I apparently punctured the tube while trying to get the tire back on.  I'm going to get some tire levers and will try to repair my next flat.

 

I didn't think my pressure was that low.  I have a hand pump and filled my tires as much as it would pump. 

Mounting a tire without pinching the tube is tricky without tire levers. Even with them, you have to pay close attention. If you're using a flat-bladed screwdriver or something similar, a pinch is almost guaranteed. Like I mentioned before, if you have access to it, water with dish soap makes everything slip into place easier. It's a good idea to inflate the tire to moderate pressure before mounting the wheel on the bike. Bounce it on the ground a few times in various spots and check visually to see if the tire is seating uniformly all the way around.

 

A pump with a fat barrel will make it very hard to attain high pressures, and slim-barreled pumps do it fairly easily. I'm still using a lot of previous-generation gear, so I don't know much about the newer compact pumps, but I know you can get devices that use CO-2 cartridges for quick, almost effortless inflation.

Here's one you can probably answer, Rob.

 

I recently purchase an early 90s Schwinn. No matter how much I tighten the expansion bolt on the headset, the handle bars still have excessive play, i.e., I hit a bump and they go off square with the fork. In fact, it takes little to no pressure to make the bars move. Everything seems sound; I just can't get the expansion bolt to bite. Any ideas?

Here's one you can probably answer, Rob.

 

I recently purchase an early 90s Schwinn. No matter how much I tighten the expansion bolt on the headset, the handle bars still have excessive play, i.e., I hit a bump and they go off square with the fork. In fact, it takes little to no pressure to make the bars move. Everything seems sound; I just can't get the expansion bolt to bite. Any ideas?

 

Just guessing here, because that's a new one on me.

 

Does the bolt pull up tight, or is it possible the threads are stripped?

 

Have you taken out the handlebar stem? Loosen the bolt and tap it down to release it, and then lift the stem out of the fork assembly head tube. I'm wondering if there's a lot of powdery rust down there that's keeping it from getting a grip on solid metal. Or maybe there's oil or grease in the tube. Maybe somebody tried to oil the headset bearings with something really slippery like silcone or lithium or graphite grease or sprayed a big dose of WD-40 in there, and got some in the tube.

 

If it's rust, a good scrubbing with a round wire brush and a blowing out with compressed air or just pulling a twisted-up rag through should get rid of it. If it's oily, some solvent on a twisted-up rag ought to do it.

 

The only problems I've ever encountered there have been just the opposite, everything seized up with rust and won't come apart when I want to adjust it.

 

Another thought; I've never seen this, but if the expansion bolt is out of threads and bottomed in the beveled nut so that the nut can't come up any higher, that would make it feel tight when it's not fully expanded. In that case you might be able to find a die with the same thread pitch and cut it a little higher, or a couple of washers under the bold head might give you enough. Or replace the bolt, if it's the wrong one for that stem.

The stem looks like new (no rust or excessive wear), and aside from some gummy residue from dirt marrying with lubricant, the expansion bolt looks solid and unstripped. Very frustrating.

Hmmm. The only thing I have left to suggest is an exorcism. Sounds like it may be possessed :evil:

Birds of a feather, I guess.

Here's one you can probably answer, Rob.

 

I recently purchased an early 90s Schwinn. No matter how much I tighten the expansion bolt on the headset, the handle bars still have excessive play, i.e., I hit a bump and they go off square with the fork. In fact, it takes little to no pressure to make the bars move. Everything seems sound; I just can't get the expansion bolt to bite. Any ideas?

 

Just guessing here, because that's a new one on me.

 

Does the bolt pull up tight, or is it possible the threads are stripped?

 

Have you taken out the handlebar stem? Loosen the bolt and tap it down to release it, and then lift the stem out of the fork assembly head tube. I'm wondering if there's a lot of powdery rust down there that's keeping it from getting a grip on solid metal. Or maybe there's oil or grease in the tube. Maybe somebody tried to oil the headset bearings with something really slippery like silcone or lithium or graphite grease or sprayed a big dose of WD-40 in there, and got some in the tube.

 

If it's rust, a good scrubbing with a round wire brush and a blowing out with compressed air or just pulling a twisted-up rag through should get rid of it. If it's oily, some solvent on a twisted-up rag ought to do it.

 

The only problems I've ever encountered there have been just the opposite, everything seized up with rust and won't come apart when I want to adjust it.

 

Another thought; I've never seen this, but if the expansion bolt is out of threads and bottomed in the beveled nut so that the nut can't come up any higher, that would make it feel tight when it's not fully expanded. In that case you might be able to find a die with the same thread pitch and cut it a little higher, or a couple of washers under the bold head might give you enough. Or replace the bolt, if it's the wrong one for that stem.

 

Follow up...

 

Upon closer inspection I noticed there was indeed some sight wear at the bottom tip of the stem, where the expansion wedge was coming into contact with the stem. Even after several stem greasings, resettings, and retightenings (and degreasings of the inside of the headset tube), I could not get the expansion bolt to secure the stem. Worse still, every time I tightened the hex nut at the top of the stem, the slightly rusted recess would lose just that much more of its material. Stripping was imminent. I took a chance and ordered a new $20 stem from Ohio's own bicycle nashbar.

 

Success!

 

In the meantime I've replaced the tires, installed fenders, a lock bracket, a side view mirror and an air pump bracket. I've tuned the derailleurs into whisper-quite perfection, as well as tightened several loose spokes and trued a wavy wheel. Most all of this is new knowledge to me (not afraid to admit it), and very satisfying. Bless you, Sheldon Brown and youtube, and a hearty SCREW YOU to bike shop mechanics in general. (By the way, anybody know of any non-asshole mechanics in Columbus?)

 

BIG Also: I have brand new a set of size 700x38c self-sealing tubes with Shraeder valves from nashbar (I needed Presta). Anybody in town want to buy them off me cheap? I'll sell you the set for a song: 9 bucks for the pair. We can settle it cash-and-carry at the next First Saturday's Lunch, high noon this Saturday at at Happy Greek.

 

Any takers?

^It's a snap. All's you need is a spare tube, a pump, and a Quick Stick (I can keep it all in a little bag under my seat along with a multi-tool and a bottle of lube. No comments, please). On my very first attempt, I changed my old dry-rotted tires with brand new kevlar-lined Schwalbe Marathons in under five minutes per wheel. Go me!

I need to get some kevlar lined tires.  I have had almost as many flats as bike rides in the last couple of weeks.

From all I've read, Scwalbe Marathons are the way to go. At about $40 per tire I'd say they're a wise investment. 

Congrats on diagnosing and fixing the problem. It sounds like you possibly averted a terrible crash, as the stem might have failed altogether at the worst time, like riding fast or powering up a hill.

 

... and a hearty SCREW YOU to bike shop mechanics in general. (By the way, anybody know of any non-asshole mechanics in Columbus?)

 

While you're on that quest, why don't you get an interview with sasquatch and bring back a couple of unicorns, too?

 

With a couple of rare exceptions, most of the mechanics in local bike shops are hyperjock off-road riders who look with disdain on old farts like me and on our old road bikes.

 

I went into a local bike shop looking for fenders for my road bike. The bike is old, but I built it carefully using a custom frame and all very good components more than 20 years ago. A good bike shop in Dayton (now closed, AFAIK) appraised it at $1,200 for insurance purposes. It rides very nicely.

 

One of those whippersnappers tried to tell me that an old bike like that wasn't worth spending money on, and tried to sell me a $300 bike that he said was better. It was a POS compared with the one I already had.

 

Get a good book (mine is old, but applies OK to my bikes) and order your parts on line; Harris Cyclery has been great for me. Bike repair doesn't take much space, and as you've apparently already learned, can be a gratifying pastime.

 

Bless you, Sheldon Brown ...

 

R.I.P. Sheldon Brown. He contributed a lot to cycling and cyclists in all their many variations, and was a strong friend of all civilized humanity.

Very sad about Sheldon Brown. He seemed to definitely fit into the non-asshole mechanic category. His site is full of plain-speak advice with a bearable amount of opinion. Speaking of opinion, his final online journal entry was posted on the day he died--February 3, 2008. He'd just made up his mind about Super Tuesday. He threw his hat in for Obama.

 

Back to topic: Yes, I am quite happy to go the DIY route with my bike. I've done a lot of mail order and I haven't ventured too far down the path where I'll need serious bike-building tools--so far a palm-sized multi-tool, a Quick Stick, a socket set and a vice-grips has served me well.

 

I purchased my bike from a well-off marketing consultant who did a total of no work on his bike--he farmed everything out to the bike shop guys. How much is everything? He had no idea how to fill his Presta-valve tires with air.

 

Seriously.

I purchased my bike from a well-off marketing consultant who did a total of no work on his bike--he farmed everything out to the bike shop guys. How much is everything? He had no idea how to fill his Presta-valve tires with air.

Seriously.

 

Reminds me of the story I posted elsewhere, from the 1960s, of a lady who, when she got the impulse to take photos, had her driver take her to a camera shop in Bloomington to have the shop owner load her top-of-the-line Leica with a roll of Kodachrome. :roll:

 

Or the attorney friend of my aunt, who bought a new telephone and asked me if I could install it in her apartment. I arrived with my toolbox, expecting to have to run some wire and install a jack. The new phone was sitting in its box on an end table, with a wall jack just above the baseboard and directly behind the table. Installation consisted of taking the phone out of the box and plugging in the cable. Got a dial tone. Good to go. :-)

 

Hmm. I haven't had a set of Presta valves since the early 70s, on the sewups that came with my Peugeot PX-10. There was a lot more debris on Fort Wayne's streets then and flats were frequent and a PITA to fix, so I changed to clincher rims and went to regular 27" road tires. The tubes came with Schrader valves, and being a creature of habit, that's what I've had ever since. I acknowledge that Presta is better, especially with high-pressure tires.

>He seemed to definitely fit into the non-asshole mechanic category

 

A major reason why I don't go to the bike mechanic unless I really need to.  It's the same way with music gear, record shops, camera stores, etc.  There's so much ridiculous ego that goes along with these kinds of hobbies.  I know a pleasantly plump girl who had basically never biked who just biked from Ohio to Connecticut two weeks ago on an old road bike, a tour that out-tours 99% of what "serious" bikers have done, and certainly well beyond what I've done.  I think the ride was about 7-8 days and she definitely looked healthier but it would have taken another week or two before she really started losing weight.   

 

The one annoyance I'm having is the number of hipster bikers riding modified old 1980's-era road bikes with single gears and only one brake or no brakes.  I remember first noticing this trend around 2000 and it's grown into a big phenomenon.  One one hand it's nice to see people reusing old bike frames, and if your bike gets stolen it's not a big deal, but there's a lot of pretentiousness that surrounds it.           

The one annoyance I'm having is the number of hipster bikers riding modified old 1980's-era road bikes with single gears and only one brake or no brakes.  I remember first noticing this trend around 2000 and it's grown into a big phenomenon.  One one hand it's nice to see people reusing old bike frames, and if your bike gets stolen it's not a big deal, but there's a lot of pretentiousness that surrounds it.           

 

Reach out and stick an old frame pump through their spokes. They won't be able to chase you.

 

:evil:

I'm looking at getting my first road bike, so I thought I'd revive this thread.  I'm looking for something to ride around town or in the Metroparks or Cuyahoga valley.  I might like to do longer rides eventually.

 

I went out today and test rode a few bikes, and liked the Torker Interurban and a KHS Flite 220.  Anyone with any knowledge of those brands/models, or other alternatives in that price range I should look at?

a hearty SCREW YOU to bike shop mechanics in general.

 

Amen. I hate them so much. Every one I have met has a major holier-than-thou attitude. Every time I need one, I cross another shop off the list of places I might go. And this is just from buying parts, not having them do work. Though maybe that's part of what they don't like.

 

I also don't like some of the car-salesman attitudes I have encountered.

 

Online ordering definitely seems like the way to go, when possible.

a hearty SCREW YOU to bike shop mechanics in general.

 

Amen. I hate them so much. Every one I have met has a major holier-than-thou attitude. Every time I need one, I cross another shop off the list of places I might go. And this is just from buying parts, not having them do work. Though maybe that's part of what they don't like.

 

I also don't like some of the car-salesman attitudes I have encountered.

 

Online ordering definitely seems like the way to go, when possible.

 

I've gotten a few tune-up, spoke repair work at Cain Park Bicycles in Cleveland Hts.  The prices were very fair and I found absolutely no pretension (sp?) by the staff there.

I wouldn't recommend on-line purchasing..... mainly because the specs really don't tell you the geometry of the bike.  Depending on the brand and design, bike sizes can be labeled the same but have a very different fit.  A road bike is really something you should be fitted for by someone who knows what they are doing.  If you do buy on-line, keep in mind that you can adjust the height of the bike to fit you much easier than you can adjust the reach (i.e. the cockpit).  Most measurements focus on height, which I don't find very helpful.

 

Also, the type of bike you want may depend on where you live.  I have two bikes.... one has 48 tires and the other has 38 tires.  Both are what would technically be described as hybrids, but the bike with the 48's is more of a mountain bike and the one with the 38's is more of what I would call a city bike.  Neither are true road bikes.  One of these days, I will get a super-light frame with 28's or 32's, but I would limit that to riding on smoother surfaces.  The roads around me are just horrible and, due to traffic, I need to be able to jump up on the sidewalk or roll over some potholes if need be without worrying about bending a rim or getting a flat.  I find the bike I have with 38's blends the best of both worlds for my purposes in that it is still light but it can take a pounding too.  I ride mostly through the east-side of the city and inner-ring burbs where the pavement is busted up enough to make my i-pod skip ever so often

Yeah, I would have to try a bike in person before buying it online. Last bike I bought was at Reser in Newport, KY (before they opened their new location in Over-the-Rhine). More salesmanship than I would like, but keeping money local and I got to ride before buying.

 

My online ordering recommendation was more about parts or accessories. I don't know if the shop people are annoyed that I am not having them fix my bike, or if they are annoyed that I don't know that much about bike repair, or if they are just d-bags, but I always seem to catch some attitude from them. And if I ask questions they act like they are stupid questions, or if I don't know the proper name for what I am looking for or whatever. At least I am making the effort to learn and be real about my bike ownership.

 

Hopefully I will find a decent place at some point. I don't need to go frequently enough that I have covered that many places.

 

I can see why people that have been into bikes for a long time are annoyed by the trend-followers getting into it now, but it seems to me the people who have been into bikes for a long time, on average, have no better an outlook or disposition. The cyclist subculture in the US and all its factions are a huge turn-off.

So you're telling me that my plan to by an off the rack bike at Target won't be met with high-fives from my local repair shop? Meh, I'm not spending big money on a bike until I know if this is a fad for me or it has some legs.

^Just say no to target, wal-mart and toys-r-us for bike buying.  You can find a bike at a decent price from a local dealer without buying one of those carbon-fiber frames north of $1000.  Point is.... how can you know if it is a fad or not if you buy some heavy clunker with crappy components and a chain which won't stay on?  At least check out your options first.  Wait until the off-season and then go and scoop up a 2011 model from Pro-Cycle, Solon Bicycle, B&B, that place up on Van Aiken (name slips my mind at the moment) or some other local shop.  Another option would be to look on Craigslist or garage sales for used bikes.  If you have to go 'big-box', your best bet for better quality would be Dick's (Legacy Village has a lot of options) I suppose.

I would think you should get something cheap and used. Try Craigslist or something. If there is a local bike collective, they might be able to help you out.

So you're telling me that my plan to by an off the rack bike at Target won't be met with high-fives from my local repair shop? Meh, I'm not spending big money on a bike until I know if this is a fad for me or it has some legs.

well, you need legs

Department store bikes are generally not made well and no care at all is put into their set up. It will make a difference in your decision to carry on. A real bike will also have a better resale value.

I'm looking at getting my first road bike, so I thought I'd revive this thread.  I'm looking for something to ride around town or in the Metroparks or Cuyahoga valley.  I might like to do longer rides eventually.

 

I went out today and test rode a few bikes, and liked the Torker Interurban and a KHS Flite 220.  Anyone with any knowledge of those brands/models, or other alternatives in that price range I should look at?

 

I don't have personal knowledge on either of those bikes, but I would recommend searching bikeforums.net to see what people are saying.  I'd use a targeted search through google (ie Torker Interurban site:bikeforums.net)

 

The torker looks pretty nice.  It says it has a double butted chromoly frame with a high-tensile steel fork.  I'm assuming the whole frame must be chromo because they don't specify.  The KHS has the main tubes only as chromo.  Will that make a big difference?  Probably not.  Both look pretty good to me.

 

 

^ My current bike is a mountain bike with smooth tires, fenders, a luggage rack with panniers, and lights. I use it mostly for local trips. I like it and it has held up well, but it is not comfortable for trips over 25 miles, and it is fairly heavy.

 

I had a road bike on my wish list, but I don't want anything too expensive or too fragile, and I want the ability to add a luggage rack. That Torker has me interested. I should check that out! Thanks for posting!

 

 

^^ Thanks, I did look there, and the reviews I found were pretty much all positive.  Thought I'd consult with some people I know a little better, though.  Couldn't find much on the Flight.

^ My current bike is a mountain bike with smooth tires, fenders, a luggage rack with panniers, and lights. I use it mostly for local trips. I like it and it has held up well, but it is not comfortable for trips over 25 miles, and it is fairly heavy.

 

I had a road bike on my wish list, but I don't want anything too expensive or too fragile, and I want the ability to add a luggage rack. That Torker has me interested. I should check that out! Thanks for posting!

 

 

I'm the same way. I love the speed of road bikes but they're so damn fragile. I had a road bike and just had a very minor crash but bent the frame and wheels.

 

Bikes period are amazingly fragile. Tires flatten much easier than those on a car.

 

I've had my last bike only a month and already have had a nail go all the way through the tire, have had to adjust rubbing brakes and most recently, the bottom bracket became history. This is all in a month!

^These concerns are why I suggested, for us "urban riders", to try and strike a balance between mountain bike and road bike.  Here's what I ride most of the time no matter whether I am on a pot-hole filled street or a smooth country road - http://www.raleighusa.com/archive/2011-hybrid/misceo-11/.  The tires are thick enough to take a beating from the city streets, but much thinner and lightweight than a true mountain bike.  The front fork has some elements of a suspension, and puts the tire out in front of the bike more than a typical road bike, but is not weighed down by the springs attached to mountain bikes.

 

X - specific to the bikes you have listed, I checked them out on-line.  Both seem like quality bikes.  I would consider either of them for riding on the towpath, in the metroparks, and on newly redone streets.  But for riding around town, I just can't recommend anything with smaller than 32's for tires.  Anything smaller and you might want to carry around an extra intertube and some tire shims in a seat bag.  We do live in Cleveland after all and smooth riding is not something you can count on.  JMO and I'm sure it is in the minority amongst bike enthusiasts.  I do want to own a bike like one of those two one of these days, I just wouldn't own it as my main commuter. 

I am also a proponent of fat tires. I'm not aiming for record speed or efficiency; I want comfort and piece-of-mind.

As a percentage of time a road bike doesn't give you a big advantage until you're talking about a 10+ mile commute.  I mean, is it a big deal to have to wake up 10 minutes earlier to get to work on time on a mountain bike verses a road bike?   

 

Thanks for the advice.  I just put down on the Torker, they are going to order and assemble one that is just a little smaller than the one they had in stock for me, so I'll be getting it sometime between Wed and Fri.  I did spring for a set of Kevlar tires.  They were highly lauded when I was volunteering down at the bike co-op a while back.  That won't help with bending rims and frames, I know, but should protect my tubes from glass, etc punctures, which kills my enthusiasm faster than anything.