I stopped in at a local bike shop over the weekend. Been considering a commuter bike for my 2.5 mile commute to the commuter train station.

I have a 22 year old Schwinn 10 speed that I bought new. Racing style, curly handlebars, skinny tire bike. Now sure it's a good match for me anymore at age 41.

I really like the Kona Dew. $400 new and the shop offers free lifetime tuneups on bikes they sell. Thumb shifters looked confusing at first, but I took it for a test ride and they are easy enough to work. Really liked the upright riding position.

 

A couple of thoughts from my own biking experience.

Buy fenders. Many bikes don't include them, but if you ride to work you're one puddle away from a day of explaining that you didn't wet yourself.

Buy a rack and bags. Really more convenient than wearing a backpack.

A lock and chain. Seriously, it weighs a ton, but thieves will vandalize you stuff out of frustration before they get it. I speak from experience on that one.

Finally, ride a lot. You just "bought" 100 gallons of gas. So you need to ride, like, 400 miles to break even. Or drop your gym membership and call it good.

 

I test rode a Dr. Dew Deluxe. I really liked it but I liked the Specialized Sirrus Sport a little better and purchased it. I ride about 12 miles a day to and from work. Since I don't have a shower at work, I ride 3 in the morning to a "park and ride" then catch a bus. I ride the full 9 miles back home at night. I don't have a shower at work so riding 3 in the morning just about guarantees I won't break a sweat. Since I wear a suit at work, that's a good thing. I'm also 41. It's honestly a lot of fun and I recommend it to you heartily. Heck if anything, I'd say make sure you try some of the higher end models and buy the best bike you can comfortably afford. I use the suit pannier from this site and highly recommend it for my clothing. Totally agree with the fender comment from the previous poster. I'd also say get some powerful lights. If you plan on doing any riding at night, get a headlight that allows you to see not just be seen. Your local bike shop should be able to recommend some good models but plan on spending more for a quality light engine.

 

I ride a K2 hybrid bike--if you're not familiar with the hybrid style it's a mountain bike frame (front suspension can be locked out) with a rigid tail and narrower tires. Mine has street size tires that are certainly wider than a racing type bike. I sit more upright as well.

I used to ride a mountain bike, but the rolling resistance on my 10 mile commute got to be alot (especially up hill).

I was at REI last week and they're selling commuters right out of the box with fenders and saddle bags for relatively cheap. you might check there.

 

Great suggestions and I am glad you are thinking about riding. However, you missed the most important item that every Bicyclist should have regardless of age and that is


Always wear a Helmet!

My wife and I ride over 2000 miles a year and we never go riding without one!

 

Well, I took in my old Schwinn to see whether I could get it tuned up and running more economically. $69 for a complete tune up, which seems reasonable, especially given that it's been sitting idle for years. However, the tires are dry rotted and apparently Schwinn 27 x 1.25 tires are a very rare beast.

So, I bought the Kona Dew, plus another $300 worth of stuff. Fenders, lights, helmet, bag, toolkit, pump, lock.

Rode it home yesterday. Love it!

Took it for a spin around the neighborhood. Really felt it in my thighs. In addition to going back and forth to the train station, I'm going to have to start putting some miles on the bike down a trail that's right near my house. Goes about 12 miles. And there's expansion in progress that should lengthen it in the next few.

Shop where I bought it gives a free 2 hour class on bikes and maintenance and what not. I'm going Sunday.

Gonna start looking around online for Schwinn tires. I really wanna make it rideable. Haven't decided whether I'll keep my old Schwinn or sell it. Think I'm kinda partial to keeping it. It was my third bike, but the first one I bought and paid for myself.

 

Keep it if you can. It is a lot of fun to look back and realize how much they change over the years.

I wish I still had a couple of my older bikes, just to see if they really were as cool/bad as I remember. Unfortunately, I didn't always buy the best locks.

One bike I particularly miss was the first one I had bought with my own money. The lock and chain were so cheap that the thief cut it into a dozen pieces as if to show me just how easy it was.

 

I use to commute on a bike back in the early 90's. It was a 2 mile ride each way and I use to love it. I rode then and still have a Trek 930 Mtn Bike that I have ridden long distance as well. I did switch the tires to street treads though. Today, I can;t convince any of my customers to ride on the handlebars to use it for work. Just use it for recreation now.