The Ideal Commuter? - Part 5 My Ideal Commuter Bike

Okay, at long last, here is the final installment. As always, remember that this is merely one person's opinion and what I think as the ideal commuter bike may or may not be what you (or anyone else, for that matter) think. Also, the bike I've chosen is also (for lack of a better term) a dream bike, as in "only in my wildest". (Hey, if the automakers can make dream cars, why not a dream bike?)

The bicycle that I feel makes the ideal commuter is Tout Terrain's Silkroad.

Okay, what makes this bike so special? Let me start with the obvious features. First, the rear rack is actually part of the frame; that makes the rack and frame that much stronger. Also, fewer bolts that can come loose. Second, the frame is designed to use disc brakes and only disc brakes. For anyone who commutes in snow, ice, or rainy conditions, disc brakes will stop you a lot faster without fear of the rims being slick from ice or water. Also, in the event that your wheel is damaged, your brakes will still work and will not wear down your rims prematurely.

The not so obvious, but oh so well thought out details include stainless steel braze-ons and drop-outs; an asymmetrical front fork to withstand the torque from the disc brake; guides for brake lines and wiring; internal routing of wires to the tail light; a handlebar stop to prevent the fork from moving more than 90°; and an integrated stand mount, among others. Be sure to read Peter White's description of the Silkroad for more information.

The frame comes in two flavors: the standard derailluer set-up (as shown above) or with an eccentric bottom bracket and mounts for a Rohloff Speedhub, giving you 14 speeds of internal gear goodness. Now, I know what you may be thinking right now: I can get more gears with a standard derailluer set-up. Well, technically, not so much.

Take a standard hybrid set-up, say a 28-38-48 chain ring with a 11-28 9-speed cassette. Mathematically, that gives you 27 speeds from which to choose. However, if you plug those numbers into a gear inch calculator, you'll find that 6 gear combinations are almost identical (28x21 & 38x28; 28x18 & 38x24; 28x14 & 48x24), while eight more are within one gear inch (28x13 & 38x16; 28x12 & 38x16; 38x14 & 48x18; 38x11 & 48x14). That drops the number of gears from 27 to 20. Also, due to the angle of the chain going from the smallest chain ring to the smallest cogs and from the biggest chain ring to the biggest cogs, you eliminate another 4 to 6 gears, so your usable gears drops from 20 to 16 or 14 gears. Calculated for a 26"x1.25" tire, your gear inch range is between 24.5 and 106.8 gear inches.

Compare that to the Rohloff hub with a 48 tooth chain ring and a 16 tooth cog with a 26"x1.25" tire, which yields a range of between 20.5 and 107.7 gear inches. Not only do you get a wider range of gears, you get the added benefits of a cleaner chain line, no derailluers that need adjusting or could be damaged, and the ability to change gears at a dead stop. Granted, it does come at a cost, both in price and weight. The Rohloff hub runs about $1300US to $1600US, depending on the version (start saving those pennies now), and weighs in at around 1847 g, or roughly 0.5 kg (about a 20oz bottle of water) more than a standard derailluer set-up.

The frame itself is not inexpensive, either. Peter White sells the frame for $1500US. However, if configured with some forethought (and Mr. White's recommendations), you will have a bicycle that will not only be an excellent commuter, but will handle centuries, brevets, and fully-loaded tours with style. In other words, think of the Silkroad as a Land Rover rather than as a Ferrari.

There are a couple deviations I would take from Mr. White's recommendations, but then again, everyone has their preferences. First, I would opt for Avid BB7 mechanical disc brakes rather than hydraulic brakes; a single adjustment knob without having to bleed the brake lines. Also, I would add a trekking or butterfly bar instead of a more traditional mountain bike bar, for more positions to reduce fatigue.

Is the bike pricey? Oh, yeah. Is it worth it? Depends on who you ask. I simply name this as an ideal commuter, a gold standard if you will, by which all others are compared. If you have the resources available and you are interested, by all means pursue it. However, most of us (myself included) can only look at this bike and dream of owning one.

Now, it's your turn. If you have a commuter bike that is your idea of "heaven on two wheels", let me know what make, model, and why you feel it is worthy of being an ideal commuter. And, yes, I will post any and all replies here. I will be taking a short holiday break from the blog, but I look forward to continuing this after the new year begins. So let me wish all of you out there reading my humble blog a Happy Holidays and a bright and prosperous (let's hope, at least) New Year.