# anyone use more expensive bikes for transportation?



## snowdenn (Dec 7, 2006)

just out of curiosity. anybody use a nicer bike for commuting and/or riding around town? seems like everybody leaves their pricier rides at home and switches to beaters for transportation. especially if it has to be locked up outside.

theres peace of mind not worrying about theft with a cheapie, but i find i prefer a nicer ride.

does anybody ever use a pricier bike and leave it locked outside now and then?


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## Schmucker (Aug 23, 2007)

I ride my IRO Mark V around whenever the weather is nice. I don't like to take it to the bars. I have about 1k in it. The same applies to my Karate Monkey with the road slicks. That's more of a 1.5k bike.


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## FireBallKY (Apr 15, 2004)

Specialized Tricross with some mods here.


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## rail the trail (Mar 10, 2007)

I updated a beater to run just as good as my $$$ bikes (pavement-smooth trails obviously). I upgraded the brakes, shifters, with new cables, and I am happy with it. Yeah it is heavy but I have low rolling resistance with these wally world tires!


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## rabidweasel999 (Oct 22, 2006)

Around town: (No, I'm serious. Other bike is in teh shop ATM. )
Whatever, if you wanna preach about riding this I don't care.


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## edmoloco (Feb 18, 2004)

I ride an ok bike I built and painted to look like a beater. I still dont feel good locking it outside.


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## bigpedaler (Jan 29, 2007)

I can only get one bike at a time (family obligations), so I make it count. I build up from a bare frame, so my rides are unique, and yes, expensive.

Right now, nobody has a Jamis Dakar XLT 1.0 like mine -- spec is damn near as good as the same-year 2.0, cost was close, so I call it the 1.9.

Versatility is the key -- the more places I can take it, the better it is for me.

I'll ride it 'til it breaks...but the next one, I already know, will be HT.


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## jeffscott (May 10, 2006)

Yup I ride my bike, fully updated Element, worth about $6000 every where...

I sometimes use a lock, but more often, bring it inside, and store it in a lock up...I got a whole range of places with lock up I can use around town.

Most places allow you to walk around with a bike inside no problem if they don't I don't go there anymore...


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## AlliKat (Apr 28, 2006)

I've been riding my ventana to work. it is a long 17mi with fat tires and full sus. I converted my commuter (bridgestone MB-3) to my single speed which is not conducive to commuting. If I can scrape together enough parts, I plan to convert an old 853 frame I have to SS and my bridgestone back to commuter.


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## frdfandc (Sep 5, 2007)

I've been riding my Kona (approx $2000 in it) to work a few times until I get a new wheel set for my hard tail.


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## Fuelish (Dec 19, 2003)

I ride my '01 Trek Fuel with slicks as my commuter.....


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## Furrner (Jun 10, 2004)

I rode my $5k plus custom Lynskey SS to work for a few weeks while I was figuring out if it was a viable option. Now I have a dedicated commuter which is much nicer with slicks and gears and I don't spend the day worrying about will it still be there when I head home.


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## bugly64 (May 6, 2008)

I ride my Kona that's all done up worth $2k and I store it inside at work, but I lock it up really well if I go to stores in such.


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## snailsongs (Jul 4, 2008)

Right now I'm riding my Hifi plus to work, but reading this thread has just inspired me to look for a beater that I can 'beat' on the bway to work...and, of course, not worry about anymore....


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## Bobonli (Mar 22, 2008)

Though it's a road frame, I ride my Co-Motion to work on a regular basis. I'm fortunate to be able to lock it indoors. I thought about getting a less-expensive bike for commuting and shopping but soon realized that I liked the bike I have, and anything I bought to "replace" it would just be duplicating the design/utility that I already have in my stable.


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## jelliott (Sep 30, 2006)

Weather permitting, I ride my Pinarello Prince (mix of Record and Chorus) on my 27km. each way commute. At work it is inside and about 6 feet away from me.


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## daway (Jun 15, 2008)

I live in Seattle and go to the UW. If I am just riding to class, where I know my bike will be locked up outside in an extremely high traffic area for just an hour or two, then I take my Transition Vagrant (which I am about 1,200 into). If I am going later at night to the library to study or something, then I take my Raleigh XXIX single speed. I have a New York 3000 lock, which is heavy as hell, but I can't see anyone really getting through it.


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## centerridgerider (Jul 21, 2005)

I consider my Salsa Casseroll full dura ace build pretty expensive but still a very functional commuter. I lock mine up outside at work with a on-guard bull dog mini. I never worry about it. 
Mind you I am on a Navy base with at least 2 surveillance cameras pointed right at it...


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## Psycho Mike (Apr 2, 2006)

I ride my farily modified Fisher Cake 2 DLX most places (`$2000 new, pluss all the upgrades and custom parts). There are some places I will only take a less expensive bike, but generally, the Cake is the bike of choice.


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## citybiker (Mar 20, 2008)

I ride my C'Dale upgraded to the hilt "Bad Boy" at least 3 days a week...lock it up outside work with a Bulldog mini. I also have locking axle and seatpost devices. I ride all over the city, lock it outside everywhere. I also have it insured through my renters policy, just in case.


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## Pabs (Aug 4, 2007)

Every time I've bought a less expensive bike, I end up pimping it out. 

I ride my bikes, all of which are fairly nice, everywhere. I'm mindful of where I lock them up and never leave them over night. That's just a bad idea.


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## stickslikevelcro (Feb 13, 2008)

My nicest commuter is a slightly customized Bianchi San Jose. It's not worth a ton, but it is quite special to me, and it is bright orange with bright blue wheels, so it attracts some attention.

On a related note, is there anything you guys do to make your bike visually less appealing to steal? I added a couple of stickers the other day hoping to make the bike look not quite as nice and clean, and it seems to have done the trick.


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## mck.brad (Jun 28, 2008)

I bought my sisters bike off her for $130. Barley been used. Stripped all the stickers off and wrapper parts with electrical tape to look cheap. Bought better semi slicks and I don't have to really care about it locked up at school, or ride my Giant Warp when I can keep it near me. That one's not being locked out anywhere.


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## Hand/of/Midas (Sep 19, 2007)

a 08 raleigh RX 1.0, the fork alone sells for $500. not bad for a $1000 bike.


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## psychobilly808 (Aug 26, 2007)

i ride my beater, it was free only thing I put on it was a new set of cheap tires and tubes so if it gets stolen i don't really care


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## gnslr (Dec 24, 2004)

I think all my bikes are nice, but at $900 my commuter is only worth about a third of one of my recreational bikes. Still, it is no beater by most standards.


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## mondaycurse (Nov 24, 2005)

I take either my $900 road bike or my ~$900 mtb everywhere, but then again I live in a small midwest town and all criminals have smoked away their ambition. They see a bike with 2 locks and they give up and take the beater that isn't locked.


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## PscyclePath (Aug 29, 2007)

I started off using my Trek Madone the first time or two, then settled into riding a Gary Fisher Caliber 29er, with a backpack once we moved to a new site where the most direct path includes a fair strip of doubletrack. I ride a hybrid commuter most days now, but the 29er is still my primary backup for wet weather or when slick tires aren't suitable.


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## unison21 (May 14, 2008)

I ride a beater bike that was handed down to me. Its a mongoose.. and everything has rust on it. But it works.


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## M_S (Nov 18, 2007)

I don't own a car so I ride my bikes everywhere. Had I been paying retail for them I'd be about 1300 into the cyclocross bike and 1500 into my 29er. Not crazy expensive, but nice. If I still lived in Portland full time I'd make getting a beater a priority, but in Missoula bike theft isn't really a problem at all, especially with a good lock.


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## kawsakimx6 (Apr 20, 2006)

I use to ride my main bike to work and what not untill i bought a new MTB. so i guess that now it is my "beater" but it is more like my fast hard tail with some street slicks on it


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## madcatmini (Aug 3, 2008)

I ride my '08 rockhopper disc everywhere I live in a VERY bike friendly community. I also ride to work where it gets locked up right beside the valet's. That way it has someone to eyeball it while I'm at work.


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## MB1 (Oct 8, 2004)

Life is too short to ride cheap bikes.

I'd guess that my least expensive commuter would retail for $2,500 and my most expensive cost just a bit over $15,000.

Of course they are locked up bigtime inside a secure building......


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## pimpbot (Dec 31, 2003)

*I use my Kaffenback*



snowdenn said:


> just out of curiosity. anybody use a nicer bike for commuting and/or riding around town? seems like everybody leaves their pricier rides at home and switches to beaters for transportation. especially if it has to be locked up outside.
> 
> theres peace of mind not worrying about theft with a cheapie, but i find i prefer a nicer ride.
> 
> does anybody ever use a pricier bike and leave it locked outside now and then?


... but I probably don't have that much into it... probalby on the order of $1200 or so... just guessing. Its mostly built from swap meet and used parts bought from craigslist and friends.

The previous owner powdercoated the frame UPS brown so it doesn't stand out. Stealth!


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## mondaycurse (Nov 24, 2005)

MB1 said:


> and my most expensive cost just a bit over $15,000.


:eekster: Is this a road bike pulling a Dodge Intrepid around?


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## chefmiguel (Dec 22, 2007)

Don't know the monetery value of my commuter. Its an old school Voodoo Bizango (the original company that let you pick the parts on your bike). The bike has gone through so many changes I don't know what its worth. But to me its my oldest friend making it irreplaceable. Locked in a secure building.


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## MtbRN (Jun 8, 2006)

I commute on a carbon Trek road bike. It's a fun and fast ride to work. The bike cost me around $2000. I think about getting a "commuter" bike every once in a while, but I would rather spend the couple hundred bucks on new parts for my mountain bike 

Work provides a "bike corral", fenced, with a locked door. I use a bulldog U-Lock to lock the bike to the rack inside. I also park it in the back where passers-by can't get a good look at it. 

I probably would not ride that bike to work if I didn't have a secure place to park it.


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## MB1 (Oct 8, 2004)

mondaycurse said:


> :eekster: Is this a road bike pulling a Dodge Intrepid around?


Santana Beyond Tandem (Carbon & Titanium frame) with S&S Couplers and WinZip Disc. The wife and I like to commute together about once a week.


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## newaccount (Jan 3, 2007)

what's inside the bottles? :eekster:



pimpbot said:


> ... but I probably don't have that much into it... probalby on the order of $1200 or so... just guessing. Its mostly built from swap meet and used parts bought from craigslist and friends.
> 
> The previous owner powdercoated the frame UPS brown so it doesn't stand out. Stealth!


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## Hardtails Are Better (May 4, 2005)

I ride my XC race bike to work. My commute is about half single track, half road.


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## Urnicus (May 18, 2007)

newaccount said:


> what's inside the bottles? :eekster:


urine


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## mt bk (Jun 2, 2006)

I once rode my $1300 Giant NRS to work. It was stolen by lunch time. I had a kryptonite cable lock on it. Now I ride a 650 Single speed and sneak it inside the building. I'd definately ride a pos if I had to keep it outside the building.


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## AleHole (Aug 19, 2008)

I have a 2008 Trek Soho 3.0 I got off Craigslist for $600. I also just rebuilt my old 94 Cannondale mtn bike ito a singlespeed with ALL new parts. I ride both of them equally pretty much. I just ordered a IRO mark v complete for $800 plus change. I plan on rotating them out so I don't get bored....plus I won't feel bad fo having 3 bikes if I ride them all.:cornut:


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## jddjirikian (Aug 25, 2006)

Bianchi San Jose. 

I ride to my local train station to commute to Chicago. The San Jose is kept at a bike rack in the parking garage. I use a U-lock on the back wheel & frame and a cable lock on the front wheel. I trust the thieves won't get the bike, but it also has a Brooks B17 on it, which is just starting to get worn in and would piss me off to no end if stolen.


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## dhw (Apr 12, 2008)

*low cost comuters*

Hey
I am ridding a Schwinn La tour a bought for $100 from a guy on craigslist it is one of my favorite and I ride 35 miles per day and it has served me well. It has completely made me rethink all I know about cycling and has proven to be the best investment I have made in cycling in the last 2 years and I spend a lot! I am really am looking at old mountain bikes and have been searching for things I wanted when young and could not afford but now can get them for a song like my other $100. craigslist find a Schwinn high sierra circa 83 which is really a museum piece. The point is I would never leave them unlocked or out of eyes sight and I live in a really nice safe town we have bike lockers and if my commuter gets ripped I will be bummed but not broke and I'll have room for my next adventure.
D


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## Berkley (May 21, 2007)

I ride my $2200 Stumpy to work all the time. I have keys to the facility and put it right where I can see it, all day long. No lock necessary, and all my co-workers know it's mine. You'd be hard pressed to make it more than a hundred feet without getting stopped.


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## bsaunder (Feb 25, 2004)

I built up a custom Strong dirt/road frame specifically for commuting etc - no sense on hating the ride of a POS when I'm on it every day. Granted I lock it up big time whenever it has to stay out side - at work we have well secured bike lockers, so it isn't much of an issue there, just at the grocery store etc.
I'll also commute on my carbon road racing frame or my cyclocross racing bike if I'm going to do a workout on them at lunch.


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## Tweezak (Aug 24, 2008)

My commuter is probably just the opposite of what it should be. It's old and undesirable (1989 Fisher AL-1) but it looks new because it sat unused for many years. As a result, it will probably be stolen one of these days because it looks like a good bike.

There are a few guys at work that commute on nice bikes: Cervelo, Co-Motion, Cannondale (high end cyclocross), Trek OCLV w/Spinergy wheels. Most of these guys park their bikes at their desks though.


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## TrekJeff (Oct 12, 2006)

My CrossCheck like to go grocery shopping. I get some looks, but have never been told I can't walk it along with me, plus it's my grocery cart. A bonus about it is that people ask about the wood fenders


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## ong (Jun 26, 2006)

I commute (well, I work from home, but everywhere I go, I go by bike!) on an old Voodoo Bizango, too, with nice wheels and a decent seat. I really recommend a GOOD u-lock and locking skewers -- your wheels are pretty safe with those guys, although they can still grab your seat with a little bit of patience. I had to defeat the skewers once (long story), and the only way I could get them off was to cut a slot in the head with a Dremel so I could use a screwdriver.


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## pcruz8 (Jun 27, 2008)

I have a beater bike, but commute with my Santa Cruz Stigmata the most. 

Commuting with it is a catch 22. I risk getting it stolen in exchange for getting to enjoy it everyday.


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## xxxMEDICxxx (May 25, 2008)

I now commute on a 2008 Trek Fuel EX8, I get to park it in the station.


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## fmdj (Nov 7, 2007)

I commuted on a beater for awhile. Even put a Duke race on it to try and make it more comfortable. But never found it felt comfortable for the longer commutes. So now it's my GT XCR1000 all the time (though I do try to take it inside as much as possible)


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## jmc (Nov 7, 2005)

I ride my Jamis Dragon(full xtr) to work and bring it into the office. I push big wire bead Nevegals on the streets for the resistance to make it a bit of a training ride. I have an old steel Stumpjumper, but need to switch out the drivetrain. I do like riding a smooth running bike to work. But, I have a short commute of 5 miles.


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## ADVGUY (May 30, 2008)

I'll start riding my Giant Trance 2 on Monday(not as expensive as others @ $1300) while I finish my 2000 Schwinn Mesa. Im converting it into a commuter and doing some upgrades. I've ridden this bike for 8 years and it still going strong. Thought about selling it(if I can get anything for it) and buying a better bike but she's been good to me and its time to give something back.


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## PCC (Sep 5, 2005)

At my last place of employment I rode everything in my stable while I was assembling my commuter bike. After I got that bike ready I rode it almost exclusively to work and back. Then again, I was riding 11 miles round trip back then, taking the subway for part of the trip, so it didn't matter to me whether I rode my full carbon roadie, classic roadie, or my Prophet.

My current job has showers so riding all the way to the office is not a problem. There are only two bikes I have not ridden all the way to the office (11 miles to, 17 miles back): my mountain bike and my commuter bike. With the wet season coming up, though, I'll start riding my commuter to the office but for now I'm enjoying my roadies out on the open road.


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## ScareyH22A (Sep 24, 2006)

My 2006 Trek 8500 was $2K. Not bad a commuter with a comfy seat and road biased tires but I still want a city bike tho.


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