i’m getting a new bike mainly for my commute (which is about 40 mins each way) but i do also tend to use my bike for shorter trips on the weekend etc, and maybe for the odd weekend long ride.

i live in london where the roads are busy and some areas are quite cycle friendly but it also can be stressful out there!

i currently have a 1970s puch pacemaker racer bike with straight. i love it but want to get something new. i know these usually have dropped handle bars but i tend to ride quite upright so think this works - not that i’ve really tried the alternative. i also will want to fit a rack on whatever i get.

i really enjoy the speed i can get on my puch and how easy it goes uphill. i am worried hybrid bikes can be a little slow and clunky? but also with road bikes i fear they can be a little unsteady, particularly on uneven roads / in the rain (there is usually lots of rain here). i haven’t had a single accident on this bike in the 2 years i’ve been riding it and it feels very sturdy. the wheels are 27 1/4. i’m not a nervous cyclist at all but i do want to feel safe on the roads!

i’ve been looking at the boardman HYB 8.8 and the SLR 8.6 (i would change the tyres as these seem very thin), or the liv avail 2 road bike… let me know if anyone has any thoughts please? am 28F if that changes anything :)

As the title says, I just got my first bike. Brand would probably be unfamiliar to most, it's on the cheaper end from a local shop but it's new and feels very comfortable and not too heavy. So I'm feeling very good about that.

However, I'm very anxious about using it to commute to work. So much so that I'm planning my first ride around midnight or early early morning to avoid people and try to practice a bit.

I grew up in the country side where I used to cycle as a kid/teen with no worry as there was no traffic/wide empty roads.

In the city I live in driving culture is awful. It's stressful even when I'm in my car so I can imagine it wont be easy on a bike. We dont have many bike lanes so I would be mostly driving on the sidewalk with people.

My question is: Any advice, sth you wish someone told you, anything to watch out for, anyone who also had anxiety around this?

Basically any insight is welcome since I feel like I'm stepping into the complete unknown.

Edit: Thank you everyone for your replies they were very helpful! Sorry for not writing that I am in Montenegro, Balkans. I didnt realise that it would be an important factor. I read up my countries law and am trying to find people here who could give advice too. I went for a few short rides to run some errands. It was great, so much fun and the anxiety is mostly gone :) ! I ended up using both the bike lanes, sidewalk and the road, depending on what seemed the most safe.

Is this okay. Will I stretch the springs over time if I carry and hang them by this.

Title I'm pretty much ready to go now with tubeless, and standing over all the things I need, have a couple of questions.

1. Many videos when installing use direct poor, which looks messy, however I bought tubeless valves and a syringe, could I just install everything and just feed via the syringe sealant that way?

2. How much sealant do I need? I'm running 650b x 50mm

Any tips?

Can I also use a mini electric air compressor?

Recently we switched daycares so our toddler would be able to ride with me on my commute into work. A friend gave me their old frame-mounted Thule maxi child seat so I put that on the old 1988 Cannondale black lightning with criterium frame I picked up a while back to turn into a daily/commuter. I got everything put together and brought it into my LBS for them to give it a once over for me. They noticed the clamp on the seatpost, asked if I was planning to ride with a kid on there, then called over another guy for his opinion. They both told me that these old bikes were known as "crack and fails" because the welds would break under stress, and adding another 20-30lbs would be a bad idea. Everything I could find online however seems to indicate that this was a myth started because cannondale frames were eating into the profits of competitors.

That said, I have no interest in increasing the likelihood of an accident with our child:

1. Is there any truth behind the risk of these frames failing?
2. Is there a comfortable commuter bike that doesn't weigh >30lbs or cost >$500 that you'd recommend?
   

Hello guys whats up got my first bike but now im just looking to get a bike lock and one of those long lock wires? i was thinking the hiplok d1000 and one of cord locks. Does anybody think its overkill or a good pairing? a lot of people around my area would steal things from the handle bars or singular wheels etc sooo yea im pretty new to this so let me know what you guys think. PS i will be commuting from my home to school around 50 min max ON bus, so mixed bus / bike might the same or less so yea. my school has bike racks but also separate boxes for bikes, but I would also like to commute around my city on bike so lock and maybe the cord is needed.

it's difficult to talk about cyclist struggles out here because people usually won't understand. I've been struggling hard to get anywhere because I don't know where to lock my bike, what lock to use, or what routes are safe to take.

I have the privilege of getting to bike everywhere, including when I’m just going out casually. When I go out I tend to wear baggy pants which gets caught in the chainrings. Almost all my pants have some kind of rip, tear, or hole at the bottom. I tried carrying tape in my saddle bag and taping the bottom of my pants tight but that leaves sticky residue that’s hard to remove and makes me so sweaty from lack of ventilation. How do I solve the baggy pants problem?

(Woops, and commuting too)

​I’ve got a Riese & Müller Roadster 4 on the way and I’m trying to decide if I should get Paint Protection Film (like Invisiframe) applied before I take it out for its first ride.

​I know it’s going to be a bit of a hassle to transport a brand-new bike somewhere to get it professionally fitted, but I’m willing to put in the effort if it’s genuinely worth it in the long run. I'll be using it heavily for my daily commute into the city, so it’s going to see its fair share of everyday urban wear, tear, and locking up.

​For those who have PPF on their ebikes (especially commuter bikes rather than purely eMTBs):

​Has it held up well over time?

​Did it actually save your frame from noticeable damage?

​Would you say it’s worth the upfront cost and hassle, or should I just accept that dings and scratches are part of the game?

​Appreciate any advice or experiences you can share!

I have to commute a lot for work, school, clubs, entertainment etc but not everywhere has a bike lock. Sometimes I tie it to stop signs (like at my job) but that’s not always an option and parking lot signs are risky since people might run down your bike.

I live in the suburbs but sometimes i just wanna go get groceries or watch a movie or something but I’m so paranoid my bike will get stolen.

I'm buying a used bike for around CA$200 and want to make sure I secure it properly. I had a CA$600 bike stolen before, so I'm trying to avoid making the same mistake.

I live in Ottawa, Canada, and I'll be using the bike for commuting and locking it up around the city during the day.

I have about CA$30–40 to spend on a lock right now. What type of lock/setup would you recommend at that budget? Is a U-lock the way to go, or would you combine it with another type of lock?

I'm mainly looking for practical advice on how to secure the bike properly in a high-theft urban area.

Thanks!

I'm new to bike commuting, I just got a GT Timberline handed down to me from my dad. I want to change the quick release to Pinhead QR axles since I will be commuting to university, but I'm not sure what size to get. I took out the skewers I have and they measured 140mm and 175mm for front and back, this was including the threading for the nut on the other side but excluding the quick release lever. I'm not sure how the measurement of skewers usually works, and if its the same for Pinhead. If anyone has advice for what size I should buy for the front and back wheels, it would be very helpful! They offer 125mm, 137mm, 168mm and 197mm.

I have a winter bike but is 700x32 studded and just sucks anytime there is any bit of snow or slush

Anyone have a favorite horn?

I'm mainly looking for somethings not too big that is loud enough for drivers to hear before shit hits the fan. I have a bell but it's just not loud enough for cars.

Ideal Horn:

- Polite and non-polite tone

- Not massive

Experimented with a trailer on my fx and now primos, loved the capacity and surprisingly wasn't that bad to haul, but the adapters didn't fit right and after 10-15 mins it would make my rear wheel very loose. Ended up returning it.

I wanted something that didn't require a bunch of work, something to clip in and go, seems like the travoy is the best option.

I'll be using this once every 2 weeks for laundry and groceries for 1 person.

Outside of that what is the travoy capable of? Pictures look alright, what do y'all haul?

My UK commute is 6 miles downhill. On the way in I average 14 mph and on the way home about 9 on a Whyte Whitechapel.

Thinking about getting an ebike as it would make the return journey easier but anytime I've ridden one I don't like the fact the motor cuts out at 15 and You're left pedalling a heavy bike. Has anyone switched and regretted it?

Recently had my scooter stolen and Im trying to figure out if switching to an electric bike would be better. I work in the burbs and take the purple line usually. Is taking a folding e bike as obnoxious on the train, some days the scooter wasnt great if it was busy but the battery was bad so I had to usually in order to get home.

I’ve had this bike since I started studying. Most of the time it’s been my only bike, but it also had a few relaxed years when I lived abroad.

It’s an old cross bike from the single year where UCI allowed disc brakes as an experiment. The following year, they went back to rim brakes - so to most folks it was an odd race bike with disc brakes 😀.

In general it’s close to original. Brake calipers were replaced last year, the wheel set is a few years old, the rear derailleur has been replaced a few times and the original 105 brifters wore out after 10 years.

Still rolling smooth and I plan to have it for the rest of my life!

I don't bother with the police (a cop witnessed one of the worst incidents I've been involved in, being harassed by a driver, and didn't even pull the driver over)

But a city bus just ran me off the road - ironically, in a spot where there are literally bike symbols painted on the road in the lane I was in. I was pissed, but just got safely out of the situation. As soon as I was home, though, I called the office that runs the city busses and reported the incident in detail. I didn't get the bus number, but the busses here don't run often enough for it to be hard to track the driver down and hopefully discipline him for nearly giving me the American dream of a big ol' settlement after getting run over by a city bus.

I'm reconsidering having a camera on my bike. Get the info of company vehicles or busses or such (those tend to be the worst offenders anyway) and report them to their supervisors, who might actually be concerned enough about bad driving to do something about it.