What to look for in a short distance commuter bike?

[Chris22]

I took a new job a while back with a commute by train, and the station is a little over a mile from my house. It’s been cold and all in Chicagoland so I’ve been driving to the train lot, but as it gets nicer I really want to bike, since it’s less of a pain than driving and I can ride right up to the station rather than driving to the pay lot 2-3 blocks away.

Anyways, since it’s only about 1-1.5 miles each way I don’t need anything fancy, but I do need something that works. I was hoping to pick up something cheap off of Craigslist but after weeks of watching I really don’t see anything. It’s a lot of really crappy MTBs, and medium priced road bikes and I don’t want either of those.  I want something that sits more upright, and has fenders and a chain guard (I’ll ride in my nice clothes and I don’t want to ruin my pants).  It’s mostly flat, but had slight incline/decline so I want something with a few gears, I’m really interested in something with an internal gear hub, probably a 3-speed because cheapo derailleurs drive me nuts.

My local bike shop has a couple Sun models on its web site, a Drifter 3 and a Cruz 3, both with 3 speed hubs and both about $550. That’s about double what I planned on spending, but is there something a lot cheaper that’s still good?  I plan on stopping in there tomorrow to talk to them and see what they recommend (and check out their used selection) but what else should I be looking for?  I use a backpack so I’m not worried about cargo stuff, and I’ll probably be a fair weather rider so not crazy worried about weather protection. I’ll get a decent lock and helmet. Otherwise what should I look at?

[Boofinator]

Well shoot, just about any bike out there can easily do a mile. I'd say the only major thing to look for is to make sure it fits. (Source: most days I have a mile commute each way to the bus and back (with some hills), and generally take either my crappy Nashbar road bike or my foldy bike, neither of which are fast but who cares if my trip takes an extra minute.)

[grobinski]

Bikesdirect.com has a number of "city bikes" that would meet your criteria. I have bought bikes them them in the past and the value is hard to beat without going the used route or previous years/closeouts (which can also be great values from a local bike shop (LBS). As @Boofinator indicated, fit it importantant, so if you buy on-line, make sure to compare sizing with bikes ridden locally.

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/city_bikes.htm



These will require minimal assembly, so some mechanical aptitude is beneficial. If you haven't serviced a bike a before, learning the basics by doing some assembly will help out down the road if you need to do any repairs or maintenance. You should be able to find a local resource for getting some training on bike maintenance if you need it (or track down a nearby mustachian cyclist to help out!).

Here is another potential from a closeout vendor - https://www.randombikeparts.com/collections/commuter-and-urban/products/nashbar-19-flatbar-disc-road-700c-hybrid-commuter-bike-shimano-3-x-8-speed-new

[Imma]

Bikesdirect.com has a number of "city bikes" that would meet your criteria. I have bought bikes them them in the past and the value is hard to beat without going the used route or previous years/closeouts (which can also be great values from a local bike shop (LBS). As @Boofinator indicated, fit it importantant, so if you buy on-line, make sure to compare sizing with bikes ridden locally.

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/city_bikes.htm

These will require minimal assembly, so some mechanical aptitude is beneficial. If you haven't serviced a bike a before, learning the basics by doing some assembly will help out down the road if you need to do any repairs or maintenance. You should be able to find a local resource for getting some training on bike maintenance if you need it (or track down a nearby mustachian cyclist to help out!).

Here is another potential from a closeout vendor - https://www.randombikeparts.com/collections/commuter-and-urban/products/nashbar-19-flatbar-disc-road-700c-hybrid-commuter-bike-shimano-3-x-8-speed-new

That looks like the type of bike I'd recommend for a short ride in the city, except find one with a rack on the back. That way you can carry some extra stuff if you need to bring something into the office or need to get something from the grocery store on the way home.

[eazyebeneezer]

I had the same criteria as you, but I decided to splurge on a Linus https://www.linusbike.com/products/roadster-sport  for around $600 and I love every second I spend on it. My commute is about 4 miles each way.

[grobinski]

Shopping vicariously... here are a few more that fit your criteria. Some of these may be identical frames coming from the same manufacturer with different paint, decals and mix of parts - Many sure look similar (that "hand stitched" grip in particular).

https://www.the-house.com/qbzdt356dg16zz-breezer-bikes.html

https://retrospec.com/collections/city-bikes/products/mars-diamond-three-speed-city-bike

https://cremecyclesusa.com/collections/mens-bicycles/products/cafe-racer-mens-uno

https://www.citygrounds.com/collections/city-bikes?page=1&sort_by=price-ascending

[roomtempmayo]

I don't know how tall you are, but if you really want an internally geared bike this is a good deal: https://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/bik/d/chicago-large-dutch-city-comfort-road/7085239889.html

Cheap internal hubs are often rough and noisy.  For a <$500 bike, I'd look for a hybrid with a rack and rear derailleur.

Here are some examples of what I'd look for:

https://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/bik/d/chicago-trek-75-fx/7078644882.html

https://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/bik/d/highland-park-schwinn-crossfit/7089362019.html

All of the above will take fenders and a rack.

[Chris22]

Ended up getting a good deal on a closeout 2018 Specialized Alibi at my LBS. has a low maintenance chain and non-pneumatic tires, so low maintenance like I wanted. Also had them swap the saddle to a more comfy one and put on tamper proof skewers.  Got it in black so low profile. Should last forever. Good stuff.

[Papa bear]

Any reason you aren’t walking for a distance that short? I find biking to be more of a pain for that distance.  Keeping it locked, helmet, leaving the bike in the elements all to save 10 minutes doesn’t seem worth it.


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[Chris22]

Any reason you aren’t walking for a distance that short? I find biking to be more of a pain for that distance.  Keeping it locked, helmet, leaving the bike in the elements all to save 10 minutes doesn’t seem worth it.


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Time. It’s mostly downhill on the way there, so an easy cruise down. Saves probably more like 15 min. Biking will save me time over driving, so I’m not worried about the added hassle of the lock etc.  we also have a covered pavilion for bikes so it isnt really out in the elements.

[Papa bear]

Any reason you aren’t walking for a distance that short? I find biking to be more of a pain for that distance.  Keeping it locked, helmet, leaving the bike in the elements all to save 10 minutes doesn’t seem worth it.


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Time. It’s mostly downhill on the way there, so an easy cruise down. Saves probably more like 15 min. Biking will save me time over driving, so I’m not worried about the added hassle of the lock etc.  we also have a covered pavilion for bikes so it isnt really out in the elements.

Sounds reasonable to me!


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[Boofinator]

Ended up getting a good deal on a closeout 2018 Specialized Alibi at my LBS. has a low maintenance chain and non-pneumatic tires, so low maintenance like I wanted. Also had them swap the saddle to a more comfy one and put on tamper proof skewers.  Got it in black so low profile. Should last forever. Good stuff.

I'm curious to hear how you end up liking your non-pneumatic tires. My general impression of them (rightly or wrongly, as I can't recall a source) is that they have much higher rolling resistance (you go slower) and their handling is different than pneumatic bike tires. Also, if your concern is flats, my experience has been that 'Slime' has done wonders to eliminate my flats (at least so far).

[Chris22]

Ended up getting a good deal on a closeout 2018 Specialized Alibi at my LBS. has a low maintenance chain and non-pneumatic tires, so low maintenance like I wanted. Also had them swap the saddle to a more comfy one and put on tamper proof skewers.  Got it in black so low profile. Should last forever. Good stuff.

I'm curious to hear how you end up liking your non-pneumatic tires. My general impression of them (rightly or wrongly, as I can't recall a source) is that they have much higher rolling resistance (you go slower) and their handling is different than pneumatic bike tires. Also, if your concern is flats, my experience has been that 'Slime' has done wonders to eliminate my flats (at least so far).

Here we are a year later. Obviously right after I bought the bike the world shut down, so clearly I’ve ridden it to the train station a grand total of exactly zero times.

That said I have ridden it around town quite a bit. I’d say 90% of my riding had a trailer hooked to it with either my 40lb daughter or groceries or other stuff, so hard to say how good it is as far as rolling resistance; it doesn’t feel effortless but not terrible. I will say it rides very roughly, no give whatsoever. Not a bad trade off to me but YMMV.  I added a cheap bike computer/speedo/clock, and a little holder for my iPhone. Other than that, thing has been maintenance free and it’s awesome to have my daughter say let’s go for a ride and just grab it and go, not pump up the tires or deal with whatever.

[Just Joe]

Way late to the conversation - but I would have said "something ugly" so it didn't get stolen. Glad to see that hasn't been an issue.

[robartsd]

Way late to the conversation - but I would have said "something ugly" so it didn't get stolen. Glad to see that hasn't been an issue.

It's also spent zero days parked at the train station. If commuter train station bike parking is inadequately secure, it is a target for thieves as bikes are generally parked there with owners far away for extended periods of time.