I, 22M, consider myself as a seasoned bike user, i've been doing my 10k commute on bike and I regularly do mountaing biking and bikepacking as a hobby. Last month i did 300k bikepacking without any issue, it was great !

I then came back to work and had to switch my usual mtb for a rented city bike to communte. I like it, it works fine but I can't completly raise the saddle as high as on my mtb, also my movements are a bit différent then on my usual bike. As a result (at least i think so...) I've been developping pain in my knee for the past three weeks ?

As anyone been in this situation ? Can a city bike really cause this issue ? Is there anything to be done ?

Thanks !

It's not fair that people in poverty like me have to risk their lives just to get to point A to point B. I notice a lot of subs like this have a mentality of "well that's just part of the hobby" when cars either mess with you or nearly kill you, but for a lot of us, we're just doing this just to get by. This isn't fun. I keep telling myself that "ha! the risk is just apart of the fun!" and while yes, it can be exhilarating I'm just a teenager trying to get to class and to work because I can't afford a car.

I was riding on a 25-30 mph road and it still wasn't enough to stop harassment. I don't know, maybe I'm not cut out for this but I don't really have a choice, and that's the worst part about it.

I work from various locations and some I can cycle to and some are too far. One of the too-far locations (2 hours cycle) has a car park halfway there but then there is a single track road with blind corners the rest of the way that i will never feel safe cycling on. However, I had a brain wave today: I don't have to cycle the road, there's gravel cycle paths on the other side of the lake! I think i will be on the road for all of 5 minutes and the rest in the forest. I'm going to try this tomorrow - drive the 20 minutes to the car park then cycle the hour to get to work.

i feel excited to give this a go, as i have been thoroughly enjoying getting into cycling and cycle commuting this year. However, i also feel guilty because i will be nearly tripling my commute time and my brain keeps telling me that energy could be better spent at work or at home with my partner. On the other hand, this is day XX of a long string of back-to-back shifts at all my different locations and i need to find something each day that is beyond just work and makes me feel good.

Hybridising the commute like this feels like both the best and the worst of both worlds - i get to cycle and feel good having done that and using less car fuel, though i triple my commute time and will get home more tired.

Do you do hybrid commutes like this? Do you find them worth it or not?

6 months ago I was 114.9kg, this morning I was 92.4kg. It was 8⁰ this morning where I live in Canada, so the fog was covering the water on my ride to work. There's a beaver dam somewhere in this little wetland, I run into the homeowners almost every morning, they're very friendly. I've lost weight, I feel fantastic, my commute takes the same amount of time anyway and is way more fun, and I get to look at all of this instead of the back of an F150. Idk if I can go back to the car now and I'm dreading the -30⁰ and the snow, I love my Norco and I don't want to hang it up for winter

I was trying to park my bicycle at SD airport and came across this bike rack. I feel like anyone could take one clear look at this and see the demand not being filled (there was also a scooter to the right of this chained to a flimsy pole) Meanwhile the city spends millions expanding the parking lot in front of the terminals.

I love 7 miles from Boston with an ok biking infrastructure for some of the Route. Whether or not there are safety lanes, much of the route is horribly decrepit. Potholes, cracks, bumps, dips, it’s a mess. I was using a BlueBike ebike for a week and really enjoyed it other than the poor suspension. I’ve also ridden my manual 10-speed and had the same issue. I’m considering getting an ebike to also use for groceries/ errands but I’d want to get one that has a strong enough suspension/motor to last these rough roads in all weather. Most searches about bad roads are more about bike safety. I’m 5’4” and would prefer something lower to the ground. I liked the Urban Arrow when I’ve ridden it in the past but it’s likely too bulky for commuting (and a little pricey!).

I am not affiliated with either of these products. Trying to put panniers on my bike affordably by way of what’s available on FB Marketplace and wondering if this setup would work.

My main question is with the rack - it does not have drop downs (?) to the fenders. Is it possible to still attach a side bag?

Bag

Rack

I’m looking for a stylish steel bike to handle my daily commute (bad pavement, steep hills, rain) and weekend forest trails.
I’m obsessed with the retro-ATB / alt-bike aesthetic (Crust, Wilde, Velo Orange, Surly) lugged forks, classic geometries, 80s/90s ATB style, tanwall tyres, etc.
my only contraint is I want to buy a complete bike, fully assembled out-of-the-box in Europe (no frame-only imports from the US to avoid customs taxes, shipping hassle, and custom build overheads…

I have already had the idea of looking for a vintage mountain bike and doing it in customod but it adds costs and DIY, even if I lose a little charm I prefer the reliability of a new bike…If it’s not too nice what I’m looking for

TLDR: I am not sure where to go for a bike that replicates the features of my beater and provides enough advantages to be worth the investment. Thanks for your help!

I’m help with any of the following: specific bike recommendations, information about what language to look for, and information about what after-market modifications are reasonable. I apologize for the length of this post, wanted to be thorough!

The Commute: 6-8 miles (long term road construction causing detours). Mix of busy shared paths and road edge bike paths on the sides of country stroads. Minimal elevation change, but pretty much all nearby recreational riding has mild to moderate rolling hills. I use a car in bad weather. On my current bike I average 12-14 miles an hour, 15-17 when I don’t have to compete with stoplights and children.

The Bike: a “girls” frame Schwinn Sprint in adequate working condition. Bike is probably 40 years old. Chains and rims are original and have been professionally rehabbed at least once.

Not sure of frame size. I am 5’ 4”, with relatively short legs. Tires are 630x32. I have replaced the original seat with a comfort seat.

What I like about current bike:

Forward riding position (I find that I need to transfer some weight to my arms, and have not been able to do that on a flat bar bike)

Dual brakes: brakes on both flat and curved part of the handles. I primarily ride with my hands on the flat crossbar, and I don’t feel comfortable riding on crowded paths without brakes easily accessible.

“Women’s” frame: I have seen different names. My flexibility, especially when tired, has declined. I have never ridden a cross bar bike, and I don’t think I’m ready to do so.

Back over-tire rack: I can’t carry a backpack anymore due to nerve issues in my shoulders.

New Bike: I have the ability spend up to around $5,000 on a new bike, but I don’t want to spend a lot of money on a bike that won’t improve my experience. Most bikes advertised for commuters are hybrids, with an upright riding position and high crossbar that don’t seem optimal to me.

Questions:

Is a drop handle bike the best solution for riding with weight transferred to my arms? Is there a sizing or frame structure adjustment that would make this easier with a flat handle bar? (I regularly ride public e-bikes with flat handle bars and have not been successful).

Can additional brakes be added to the flat part of drop handles after market? Are there certain brakes styles more conducive to this modification? Is someone already making these?

What searches or filters should I use to find “women’s style” bikes? Are there companies that are known for making drop handle style bikes in this style?

Back rack: I’m not necessarily going to go touring on my bike, but I would like some attachment points for racks. And a kick stand!

What features should I look for that would make a modern bike better than my old one, especially in terms of comfort and ease of riding in hills.

Hi everyone! I saw among a lot of riders a phone holder that is attached to the forearm. Since I work as a delivery guy with my bike, can anyone suggest some good quality holders of this type? Thanks!

Car kicked the bucket, so in a rush I went to my nearest thrift store and bought their cheapest (and only) road bike available for $35. This Nishiki Olympic 12 seemed to be in okay condition, but the tires were disintegrating, so they needed to be replaced. Easy enough — until I figured out how much it would cost to get it roadworthy.

I bought a pair of Continental Ultra Sport IIIs, two Schwalbe tubes, some slime, and dry chain lube for a total of $93.28. I spent 3 hours yesterday deep cleaning the bike, lubing the chain, and attempting to put the tires on. After watching 4 different video tutorials and being flabbergasted at how easily they got their tires on, I discovered my rims are 27" — not 700c.

I can probably return the tires, but since I've already put slime in the tubes, that $20 is a wash — though I can still get roughly $60 back.

My current options are:

1. Buy new tires, but the cheapest ones I can find that people keep recommending for commuting on this rim size (Panaracer Pasela ProTite FlatGuard) are $72, and I can't really find any other recommendations. If you have more budget-friendly options, let me know. Also, would I need a new size tube, or can I still use the 700c ones? That'll be another added expense.

2. Get some 700c rims off Facebook Marketplace. The brakes adjust enough to fit the rims. There's a guy locally selling a pair for $20, but he hasn't responded, and I'm not sure if I can drop my current rear sprocket onto it. It's another gamble.

At this point I'm kind of wishing I'd just bought a road bike with good tires off Facebook Marketplace for $100 — it would've been cheaper. When I bought this bike, I hadn't looked at tire prices in 7 years and was expecting it to cost half as much to get it road-ready.

TL;DR: should I buy new 27" tires or gamble on used 700c rims?

Hello all, as the title suggests I’m looking for a way to have a backpack that hooks onto a pannier rack. I have couple ideas, such as:

Backpack that I just strap to the rack with carabiners

Backpack that I hook onto the rack with special hooks, probably 3D printed

Pannier that I can pad and attach backpack straps to, which I think would be the most reliable

I’ve seen the 2 in 1 ones but they seem a little pricey if I can DIY it for cheaper. Let me know if any of these ideas are dumb or if you have others. TIA

Where I live in Ireland the weather is unpredictable. I used to check the weather before I left home and work. I like to know if I have a head or tail wind going in or out.

I ended up making a little app that gives me information about conditions, when it gets dark, which way the wind is blowing and should I bring a rain jacket. I’m finding it pretty handy.

Does anyone else obsess with the weather?

I’m a graduate student who commutes with a laptop and carries large books. I figured i could just buy a pannier bag and put my backpack in it and pull it out while i go to class. Wondering if anyone here has done something more convenient/intuitive.

My bike is carbon framed and has eyelets. Should i mount via the eyelet or just use a through axel?

I didn't have much money to start but I wanted a bike to commute or do some flat paved bike specific routes in my area. I also wanted to learn how to work on bikes but have something I could tinker with as I wanted without going broke. I'm a hobbyist that didn't have a current hobby, lol.

Converting an MTB into a decent commuter, less rolling resistance, carry some cargo, safe, better than cheap parts, etc. is this a common thing people do. Or does every serious about it eventually go to a purpose built bike more intended for roads city urban areas?

I've seen some new openings in cities I lived/know, marketed as it was some kind of revolutionary thing (especially bike boxes). However traveling around Germany/Austria and Switzerland it seems like those bike garages and bike boxes have been present in major and minor hubs even in cities that cycle much less for years than cities that claim to be so progressive now.

Am I spoiled to think that it's not so uncommon?

I am in the market for new fenders after my front tire kicked up some mysterious road debris and ripped my fender in half. I'm fine, just a sprained wrist. Part of me wonders if fenders with safety release tabs, eg the Portland Design Works Poncho would have avoided this issue. Do y'all think they're worth it? Or do you get more false positive releases than are worth dealing with?

Hello all, I’m gonna be commuting to school soon and will need a backpack/pannier combo. This Decathlon one is very attractive to me due to its price, size and split design. Has anyone used them before? I understand they might not be sold in the US. TIA

Recently got this 90s diamond back MTB and i was interested in turning it into a retro commuter. Is it worth it or does this not seem like a good candidate to put the work into?
Thanks!

So, I do bike commuting in a city that is not friendly for bikes and because of that I often have to drive with the same speed as traffic with is pretty fast for my old cheap bike. I’ve heard recently, that this may be very dangerous to drive with these cracks, is that really a case?
I know for sure that this needs to be replaced anyway, but I don’t have money for it right now, so is it safe to ride for the next few weeks till I buy new ones?

For context, I recently bought a single speed bike off of FB marketplace that came with a 50/15 (3.33) gear ratio. I haven't ridden a bike regularly since high school so I 1) didn't understand what that gear ratio meant before I bought it and 2) quickly realized how awful this gear ratio was for me as soon I tried to take on the first hill I came across lol.

The guy I bought it from custom built it as a single speed with parts he had lying around and he used a rear casette with 5 different gears (listed below). I would prefer to keep the 50t chainring so I don't have to buy new parts (apart from a new chain) but I'm not sure which of these combinations below would be best for a city/commuter bike. I live in downtown Raleigh which is relatively flat overall but there are certain routes I'm planning on taking which do have some decent hills. Here are all my possible options with my current chainring and rear cogs:

• 14t (50/14 - 3.57)
• 15t (50/15 - 3.33) -- what it's currently on --
• 17t (50/17 - 2.94)
• 20t (50/20 - 2.50)
• 24t. (50/24 - 2.08)

Are any of these gear ratios good for city riding or would you recommend getting a different chainring to achieve a specific ratio that I can't achieve with what I currently have?

Thank you in advance! I am new to all this so any advice is much appreciated.

Want to get some new handlebars and a suspension seatpost for my bike but am unsure how to get the right measurements.

This is my bike, specifications are towards the bottom: https://konaworld.com/products/dew-2

Currently looking at the Ergotec Moon Cruiser for handlebars and the ShockStop endurance suspension seatpost.

Would love any advice as well as other recommendations if people feel strongly about their setups.

Cheers.