Commuter

VT4seasoncommuterAll Season Rural Vermont Commuting Bike
A - Leather saddle with bonnet (circa 1981 Ideale saddle w/+/- 30,000 miles on it, oh so sweet)
B - Carradice Overlander saddlebag on SQR Uplift bracket. Very Large nylon cordura bag w/ nylon straps and quick buckles and zippers – why?, cause they work at –10F!
C - Nite Rider LED Tail lights. These run on battery pack kept in warmth of Overlander bag.
D - Mount clip for emergency Disco Inferno tail light. I keep this in the bag, too, just in case.
E - Grundge Guard derailleur cover.
F - Fenders, only full fenders.
G - AVID cable actuated disc brakes.
H - Headlights, sized to locale. Here a CATEYE Stadium, secondary light Marwi Night Pro 12 watt, a CATEYE HL500II is the other front spare light, fits the same bracket as the stadium.
I - Tires, Kenda Kross Supreme best snow, rutted snow, where the hell has the plow been all night snow tire I’ve found
J - Handlebar Bag- a true glove compartment, also for glasses, windbreaker or vest, goggles, etc. .
K - Climitts –With the Climitts, when you start to get sweaty hands, just stick them outside for a bit. You can still brake and shift even from the outside of the climitts.
L - If your new bike or fork requires an Aheadset,don't cut it - stick two stems on it. With a piece of handlebar on the second stem you have a great place to: mount lights (lower is better, ’cept in the city), or a handlebar bag (lower is always better).
M - Reflective tape on wheels and frame and fenders and bags and helmet, reflective ankle straps, get reflective sidewall tires, there are actually some really good tires now with reflective sidewalls. Even if your lights are really good, and never break or run out of battery power, and the bulbs never blow out, there’s not a single reason I can think of to not have lots and lots of reflective material on the bike and on the rider.


The Long Description with Editoral
A - Leather saddle with bonnet (circa 1981 Ideale saddle w/+/- 30,000 miles on it, oh so sweet)
B - Carradice Overlander saddlebag on SQR Uplift bracket. Very Large nylon cordura bag w/ nylon straps and quick buckles or zippers – why?, cause they work at –10F! I’ve used an old foam sleeping pad to create a stiffening liner (and insulation) for what would be too soft a bag partially loaded. If I need extra capacity the pad pulls out easily. This has worked GREAT for the last 6500 miles. Why not panniers? This setup keeps the bags as far from the road spray as practical. Racks with standard rack top bags, have less capacity, and shift the weight too far aft.
C - Nite Rider LED Tail lights. The only lights from Nite Rider I will trust my life to. These are awesome, run on battery pack kept in warmth of Overlander bag.
D - Mount clip for emergency Disco Inferno tail light. I keep this in the bag, too, just in case.
E - Grundge Guard derailleur cover. I can’t say enough about these. Keeps deraileur pivots clean, and on those days when snow freezes to everything, keeps the derailleurs moving. That’s a Deore hiding underneath, the cassette is SRAM 8 speed 11-32 and it’s coupled to Campagnolo Mirage (plastic/resin) Ergo 9 Speed shifters. Why? It shifts as well as the Shimano STI did, It’s a lot warmer on the hands, the ergonomics of the Ergo is much better, and I can take the shifter mech apart to clean or service which can’t be done with STI. And with Ergo it doesn’t matter what front derailleur I use. I have a Deore on here, it works good, but the Grundge Guard doesn’t fit it well.
F - Fenders, only full fenders. These are actually Planet Bike Freddy ATB fenders, the frame is actually a steel ATB frame with a rigid disc brake only fork; I have both 26” and 700c wheels for it. These are the 700c wheels, deore disc hubs, Velocity Aerohead rims. I really like my fenders longer than these, but this was an experiment, and after 4000 miles I haven’t found any need to replace them. If I get around to redoing the fenders, I’ll get another set (the same) and use the rear fender on the front wheel, so that I can get the fender down within 2 inches of the ground. Also, if there is enough fender I would extend it forward to at least the 1 pm position, for those rainy and windy rides, which probably would require a stay going forward to support it. And, in the back I’ll rotate the fender downward to about 4 inches from the ground and fill the empty space from the BB to Brake Bridge with the extra Front fender. This will require a little modification to the fenders and probably new fender stays. Speaking of which,if you have access to an archery shop, you can get the absolutely finest stays made to order, but you have to know the exact length you need. The hollow aluminum arrow shafts are light, stiff, and you can glue threaded inserts in them to attach to the fenders. If you have some nice long fenders, but they won’t stay in adjustment, or wobble/vibrate into the tires, the arrow shaft stays will fix the problem. If you wanted to be real high tech you could go for the carbon shafts!
G - AVID cable actuated disc brakes. Don’t leave home in winter without them! Seriously, they set up easily, don’t require much maintenance, allow for “riding the brakes” in sloppy weather without eating the poor rims up, and because there is nothing to release when removing wheels the brakes are not ‘forgotten’ when installing wheels.
H - Headlights, sized to locale. Here a CATEYE Stadium, expensive, but if you travel on dark 2 lane roads with SUV’s and tourists, worth it. Secondary light Marwi Night Pro 12 watt, by itself a fine light, but not strong enough to overcome on-coming vehicle lights, it is my choice for woods, and “quiet” rides without many cars, so you can still see the stars. A CATEYE HL500II is the other front spare light, fits the same bracket as the stadium, uses 4 AA and serves as a repair/search the bag light. Last 2 winters I mounted my (3)lights about 4 inches above the axle off the fork, two on one side and one on the other. This position has two disadvantages: 1) crud from the fenders can fall onto them, 2) if the bike falls there is a chance of damaging the light(s) or brackets. BUT, 1) the lights show much better what the road surface is covered with, as objects (i.e. rocks, sticks, etc.) cast shadows, 2) the lights move less as the bike is ridden, giving more consistent illumination, and 3) the lights are farther from the riders eyes, and lower which is especially nice in fog/clouds. (I didn’t mount the Stadium low, cause it’s new and very expensive, but next year I probably will.)I have recently added a 'visor' to the Cateye to cut down the amount of glare I toss onto oncoming traffic,the verdict is not in yet, but obviously it helps because more people are NOT dimming their lights when passing.
I - Tires, ah! I’ve used but haven’t found a need for studded road tires, for commuting. If the road is in such bad condition and there is any traffic at all you are in mortal danger and should stay off the road, cars rarely know what the road condition really is. Also, to be of any great gripping value, you need a lot of studs, which makes the tires unsafe on dry pavement. My all-year-round favorite tire is the WTB All Terrainasaurus 700x32. Quiet and fast on dry pavement, squarish tread – so it feels in snow and on dirt like a wider tire – with good small block tread and lots of edge bite, durable with at least 3,000 miles in the tread. Might not be the best choice if you like to push dry pavement cornering limits, but it is very predictable and controllable both on and off road. My recent find is the Kenda Kross Supreme. I bought it to cyclcross with, but it’s been on my commuter since early November. This is far and away the best snow, rutted snow, where the *%#@ has the plow been all night snow tire I’ve found. Despite all the tall blocks, it’s also pretty quiet and fast on dry pavement. On to my rules of thumb for rural commuting tires. 1) min 700x32 rounded tire for warm months, min 700x 32 knobbed tire for winter/spring/fall (the Kross Supreme is a 35/38c tire, and is really somooth at about 55 psi) Why? The larger the tire the less air pressure needed to prevent pinch flats, the less air pressure the more conformable the tire casing is to terrain; which means that the stick, rock, crack, hole, etc. in or on the pavement that you run over in the dark, or under the snow or rain water is less likely to cause you to go down. Obviously lighter tires climb/accelerate faster, but durability wins the time race commuting, especially in bad weather (cold, snow, rain) it takes a lot longer to repair a flat than any gains in time from light equipment.
J - Handlebar Bag- a true glove compartment, also for glasses, windbreaker or vest, goggles, etc. keeps some of the weight on the front and off the rear wheel.
K - Climitts – I’ve commuted by bike since 1979 and haven’t found any insulated gloves that will work for me for an extended (45 min or more) cold ride over hilly terrain. The Climitts were designed for flat bars, but work fine with STI or Ergo road shifters. After some experimentation with the climitts I’ve found that I can wear my summer gloves alone down to about 20 F, and below 20F down to about zero I wear a wool-dot glove or Cannondale rain glove. With the Climitts, when my hands start to get sweaty, I just stick them outside for a bit. I can still brake, and shift even from the outside of the climitts. And, as a plus they keep rain, dirt, etc. out of the STI or ERGO Lever mechanisms.
L - If your new bike or new fork requires an Aheadset, don't trim the steerer, stick two stems on it. With a piece of handlebar on the second stem you have a great place to: mounts lights (lower is better, ’cept in the city), or a handlebar bag (lower is always better). Last winter I had my handlebar bag on the lower stem and my lights on fork side brackets (I was running 3 15w HOT halogen headlights). Dropping my handlebar bag down just 3 or 4 inches made a really noticeable difference in how the front of the bike handled. Now my upper bar has room for the computer and horn!
M - Reflective tape on wheels and frame and fenders and bags and helmet, reflective ankle straps, get reflective sidewall tires if you can, there are actually some really good tires now with reflective sidewalls. Even if your lights are really good, and never break or run out of battery power, and the bulbs never blow out, there’s not a single reason I can think of to not have lots and lots of reflective material on the bike and on the rider. Not making yourself visible to other traffic is rude (stupid too).

Some More Thoughts On Bikes
Thoughts on commuting in general. I commuted in Southern California for 8 ½ years and of the 15 years I’ve now been in Vermont, 10 years have been bicycle commuted primarily. I own more than one bicycle, like to ride roads and trails, and believe function is more important than fashion. My “commuting bikes” are set up to be comfortable and functional. I have been building my own and others wheels since 1974. (Believe me they have gotten better over the years, and now are as good as any I’ve seen.) The black bike in the picture is an experiment. The first part of the experiment was using 700 c wheels in a 26” mountain bike frame. Rides nice, raised the center of gravity some, but gives more slush clearance in winter (equal trades in my mind). With the extra space in the frame I was able to use a wider (26” MTB) fender, so snow doesn’t pack as badly, and I can actually fit Michelin Transworld Sprint 42c (700x40) tires beneath (although this isn't an ideal snow tire). Disk brakes are now the best option for all weather commuting. Back in 1986 I built wheels for commuting in L.A. with Sturmey-Archer Elite Hub- brake hubs, because my ride was hilly and when it rained the combination of road oils, aluminum rims, and Mathauser brake pads were, uh, scary. The Elites lacked real lock up power, but were totally consistent no matter what the weather, only the slickness of the road changed how fast I could stop. I still have those hubs, built on a different bike and last winter road them off road all season, still on the original brake pads! The discs stops much better, have better modulation, and even though they squeal or scratch at times, always supply powerful braking. But, the main reason I like the discs better is that there are no cables to release or bolts to loosen to remove the wheels, just the QR levers. Simple, not much to forget when putting the wheels back into the frame and doesn’t require any tools.
Thoughts on shifters: Personally I prefer the SunTour BarCons, of which I still have 2 sets, coupled with a modern Shimano or SRAM or Campy rear derailleur and a six or seven speed cogset. But, in the winter I don’t ride them, Ergo in Plastic (Mirage), is the way to go. That way I don’t have to remove my hands from the bars to shift, the plastic is warmer (way warmer) than aluminum below 30 F and the Ergo levers are more comfortable than STI. I’ve been running Campy Mirage 9 speed Ergo Levers, with Mirage and/or Shimano Deore rear derailleurs, with SRAM 11-32 cassettes, SRAM 9 speed chains, and Shimano Deore 26-36-48 crankset for about 5,000 miles. The setup works ok, the shifts are much more solid than with 8 spd Shimano STI, and the only times I’ve had shifting problems, the cause has been either 1) worn out chain (oops, thought I was checking that), or 2) floating top jockey pulley full of road grit so it no longer floated. The shifting is not as good, however, as a full Campy Drivetrain.
Best commuting bike: So what is my favorite commuting bike? It really depends on the weather and how much stuff I need to transport with me. If it is a nice day (i.e. not very windy) and I don’t need to carry too much then my Eisentraut Limited set-up as a fixed gear/single-speed is my choice. My commute is hilly (round trip 26 miles, with 2600 feet of climb), but the single-speed takes about the same amount of time for the commute, and I'm more rested at the end of the ride. Huh? Why is that Captain Ron? My gearing is 42 x 18, (700 c WTB AllTerrainasaurus tires) so I can pedal seated from about 12 to 22 miles per hour, sometimes a little faster. Standing I don’t drop below 8mph. So, my ride has more intense climbs, and long sections of flats and descents with lots (about four of the last five miles) of coasting. My commute time is the same as on a derailleur bike, but the climbs are shorter (in duration) and more intense, and the flats and descents take longer and are very easy. With the derailleur bike I’m always trying to keep the cadence up, result in a higher effort on the flats and downhills, and less effort (sometimes down to 6 mph) on the longer climbs. Also, with the single speed there’s nothing to think about except pedaling or braking, it’s really basic, simple, uncomplicated. I’ve ridden a two speed fixed gear set-up to work ONCE. I had a 39 x 18 combo for the climbs, and 53 x 18 combo for the flats. I have a section of chain with “craig super-links” that I can take out, or put in to change gear ratio. The change takes about a minute, and is a good time to take off or put on the vest or windbreaker. The system works fine, but the 1300 foot vertical five and a half mile descent was not very fun with a fixed gear trying to continually accelerate. My arms were so tired from squeezing the brake levers I thought I was back mountain biking in Southern California in 1984 again. So, what is my favorite bike?, depends on the day, I guess my favorite is whichever one I happen to be on that day.
Thoughts on lights: I look at illumination two ways, one I call passive (i.e. reflective tape, reflectors, etc.) and the other I call active (i.e. headlights and taillights). I am a big believer in making myself visible and being able to see the road and obstacles. Those two goals – being seen and seeing – are not always accomplished with the same equipment. City riding in traffic requires headlights be mounted at or near the height of the handlebar. That way the bicycle lights can shine through the windows of most non-SUV vehicles, allowing the cyclist to be seen behind and on the side of cars. In city riding there are usually sufficient numbers of street lights that the road surface can be seen. During rush hour city riding, many times the cyclist is travelling at a speed which approaches or exceeds that of the automobile traffic. Unfortunately, mounting lights on the handlebar in a dark rural setting diminishes the ability of the light to show obstacles and road condition. With the lights mounted low you get shadows, with the lights high you only get dark vs. light, and you then have to decide if the dark is a rock a hole or just a dark spot. Most riding at night in a rural area is very dark but traffic is sporadic and usually travelling much faster than the cyclist, so having the headlight shine through the car windows is not as beneficial as being able to see and consequently ride more quickly along the road. My approach to headlights has changed over the years. In the eighties, in California I ran at times three generator light systems and at other times three battery systems. Three 2.4watt headlights, at first standard bulbs, and later halogens in the front mounted at the front of a Blackburn front rack and in the rear three 0.6 watt taillights. The generators were a Sanyo bottom bracket generator and two Union bottle generators one on the front and one on the rear wheel. The systems became pretty reliable after I ran double wires throughout rather than grounding through the frame. Off and on I would try battery units, but I stopped after one shorted out and nearly burnt my bicycle. In Vermont my commutes have had long climbs (6 to 9 miles) so the generators got replaced by commercial rechargeable lights in the early nineties. The first lights I bought were the early Union Night Pro with 6 volt lead acid battery, and standard European style 6 watt halogen headlight and 0.6 watt taillight. The circuit boards died after about a year, but the batteries and lamps lasted many years (I still have some). After the circuit boards died, and I had to manually connect and disconnect wiring I changed the headlight bulbs to 10watt and put a 6 watt halogen in the taillight. I ran one 6 watt taillight and another with a 10 watt bulb until last winter, they finally corroded away. Using those taillights I never had a car come within half a lane of me on a dark road. They were so bright that you couldn’t see past them. I was not a bicyclist, just a bright object on the roadway, something to be avoided. The new NiteRider taillights are bright, I use them in flashing mode, same as a truck uses his flashers when going slow, to attract attention. They are not however as blinding as the 10 watt taillight and I feel that passing vehicles are better able to judge my presence. One problem with winter and early spring commuting in Vermont is salt and chemicals on the roads, the stuff is bad for cars, for bicycles and especially for lights. The problem is so bad I really don’t expect the contacts and wiring of my lights to last more than 3 winters. I have found bulb life to be pretty decent, (actually long) because most of the months I use lights it is either cool 40 to 50 F or downright cold, so the bulbs and housings don’t suffer too much from excessive heat. The last two winters I ran 3 15 watt HOT halogen lamps (VistaLights) off of two Ni-Cad batteries. I mounted these 2 on the left and 1 on the right fork about 4 inches above the axle. When properly angled I got a pretty decent low angle beam with lots of shadow, and the lights were well below my line of sight so I wasn’t blinded by them. I know I was well visible, lots of people would tell me they saw me and thought I was a car with one bad headlight. This system had about a 1.5 hour run time at maximum charge, just enough to get me home at night. Car headlights either improperly aimed or not dimmed could cause momentary loss of sight of the roadway. My new light system is the equivalent of about 90 watts of halogen light if I run both headlights, and is bright enough that I get contrast even on wet roads, and I can see the road when passed by badly aimed or rudely controlled car headlights. The CatEye Stadium should provide 3 hours runtime, but unless I forget to recharge I may never really test it. With the gel-cel on the 2 taillights I (in theory) shouldn't have to recharge but once a week. Theory is great,always carry back-up. More, some other time.


Bill Kilday