Someone I know got a Linus Bike Dutchi 3i awhile back and honestly I wasn't really that stoked at first but -- I was wrong, it's pretty amazing. I've even thought about getting one. At first I thought they were just about the aesthetic but it's the real deal. Just a rock solid basic bike for running errands in town. If you don't mind, or prefer, single speed they have also have a barebones fixie/SS model for less $$.
You want just a versatile go-anywhere bike, like a Surley or Salsa or similar - probably closest generic type is a cyclecross bike.
Smaller 26" reinforced rims (if you hit a pothole they won't cause slight wobble or bump in your ride for ever after, like 27" or 29" unreinforced rims tend to). And 26" rims give you more manouevrability.
Fat tires like 1.75", slick with tread like car tires - knobblies if you're doing a lot of off-road (you won't come off in the wet because more tire touching the road)
Puncture proof tires with reflective rim like Schwabbe marathon or continentals
Do not get suspension bike of any kind - hard to maintain suspension forks, suspension forks add weight and cost, not necessary unless you're doing hardcore or semi-hardcore off-road downhill riding.
Just a mid-range drive train is fine
Use dry wax-based lube for easy maintenance - just wipe off with a rag and re-apply
Buy new so you can get fitted correctly, your back will thank you. But you can pay double compared to second-hand. But if you buy new you get exactly what you want and it's probably quicker
New bikes can feel uncomfortable, but often it's just the saddle. I found the saddle that works for me and it comes with me on all new bikes.
I have never bought new. The second hand bikes I've had have lasted 20+years no problem. My current bike is a converted mountain bike Cannondale frame (nice welding), 26" reinforced rims (trianglular profile) from my old giant mountain bike which are still going after 20years, swapped out front suspension forks for solid forks, entry level shimano Alivio drive train which is terrible for the amount of riding I do but I make do (I really need to buy myself a new bike). I've bikepacked with this bike in foreign countries, no problem, on-road and on gravel tracks.
@Overeater It's the kbin one I'm talking about. I created it just so a space existed, and now it's got hundreds of members and lots of activity, but I'm not terribly engaged with it.
I'd go for whatever you can get used and in reasonable condition with a rigid frame. I have a 1980s rigid steel 26er that I built out with lower end road bike components that's rad for getting around town/groceries/commuting because it looks busted but works fine.
Other folks have commented on general pricing, and you can't go wrong with a wheel rebuild. My last bike was having cascading spoke failures, and a complete rebuild did the trick.
But, replacing a single spoke isn't so bad if you have the tools. You can true it reasonably well by eye. If you have good ears, I like to strum the spokes to hear the sound they make, and match pitch with other spokes on the same side. I replaced one spoke on the side of the road like this and the wheel has stayed true.
I use clipless when riding recreationally, and flats when I’m commuting. I strongly prefer the feel of clipless in all aspects. The only reason I ride flats is so that I can wear regular shoes (when I’m, say, commuting to the office).
Rack and panniers obviously, but specifically panniers you can remove and re-attach in a hurry.
I found it very frustrating to have pannier bags that were attached with these long velcro straps that went between the two bags, it made just moving the bike around a lot more difficult than it aught to have been when I had a bunch of groceries onboard or whatever. Now, obviously being able to detach the bags hasn't made the ride back from the shops any easier, but hauling the lot up a few flights of stairs has become dramatically less unpleasant.
I have a pair of single-sided SPD pedals, like these. They allow me to use my clipless shoes if I want, or flip the pedal over and use any shoes. Main drawback is that you have to fumble sometimes to get to the right side of the pedal you want.
Not sure if this is against the rules of this magazine, so please let me know. Back in the Reddit days, we'd post photos of our new bikes and title the posts "NBD" (new bike day).
I used to ride a 2016 Trek Émonda. I loved that bike, though sometimes I wished it was a bit more versatile when riding with the kids, on rough ground, etc. Anyway, at the height of the pandemic, in a bout of depression, I decided to just sell it. I almost immediately regretted it.
I’ve been looking for a replacement for a couple of years, trying to find something perfect, but not rushing. I wanted something that was more versatile, with more tire clearance, so figured I’d jump on the gravel bandwagon. I have weird body proportions (6’1“, but with a really long torso and an inseam of less than 32”, so finding a fit can be difficult. I wanted a bike with a stack of 600mm+, a reach at 400mm+, but also a standover as low as possible (like 770mm or less). Even with the wealth of gravel bike choices available right now, that didn’t leave a lot of options.
I decided to go with a 58cm Knolly Cache Steel, which I had to order in to my “local” Knolly dealer. It looked to be everything I wanted, and as a bonus, it’s Canadian-made, and it’s steel!
Some points:
The frame is gorgeous. Lots of beautiful bends and elegant welds.
I debated over going with a 1x or 2x drivetrain. I decided on the 2x, because I was nervous about running out of gears. I’m already glad that I did. I tend to push higher gears than others, and even with the 2x, I find myself riding in the highest gear somewhat regularly.
I picked the grey colour, which in real life has much more of a blue/purple hue than expected, and the red lettering is much more of a hot fuchsia. Still, it has sort of a fun ’80s vibe.
While this bike is a good 5 pounds heavier than the Émonda, and the tires offer more rolling resistance, in practice it doesn’t feel much slower than my old bike.
Ordering a bike online can be very nerve-wracking when it comes to fit, especially for someone like me with weird body proportions. I had a good idea of what I was looking for from a geometry perspective, but one thing to note is that many dimensions can be measured in different ways from manufacturer to manufacturer. For example, the 58cm Cache has a listed standover of 717mm, but that number is so low partly because of the way Knolly measures: they measure right at where the top tube and seat tube connect (so not really where you wold stand over the bike), and I suspect they don’t take tire height into account, which in this case adds about 50mm+ to the actual measurement.
My understanding is that r/cycling was created partly to avoid all of those bike picture posts. They got to be a bit much. I know I personally left r/bicycling in order to avoid those posts. I found them tedious and boring because there was so much of them.
That being said, m/cycling is not r/cycling, so those old rules don’t apply.
My preference, however, is to generally not have them. Most don’t really generate any new or interesting discussion.
Ah, got it. I could see them getting to be a bit much. I wanted to post a bit of the background and also some of the things about the bike and purchasing decision to maybe give a some more value to the community. Not sure if they worked.
EDIT: Oh, I found a community on Lemmy.world that appears to be dedicated to people sharing their bikes: !xbiking
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