Bike

[Mike Gayner]

Having ridden both types of bikes, I would recommend the road bike. It's more fun to ride, "seems" faster and has a thinner profile for slipping between parked cars and stupid motorists who don't know how to stay in the CAR lane.

I don't really know what you mean by "more fun", but speed has more to do with the rider than the bike.

 

[MikeMike]

I'll try to break it down in a way you'll understand.

Buy a road bike = cannot go offroad
Buy a mountain bike = does everything a road bike does, plus goes offroad.

yet again, you are stating something as fact, that is completely false... again, are you saying, that when riding to campus, if he needs to go across a grassy area to get to where he needs to be, the bike will become unusable?

 

[Mike Gayner]

yet again, you are stating something as fact, that is completely false... again, are you saying, that when riding to campus, if he needs to go across a grassy area to get to where he needs to be, the bike will become unusable?

I'm saying that if he ever wants to take it somewhere other than the road and across a piece of grass he's going to be pissed off he bought a road bike. Again, what aren't you getting here?

 

[PhoKingGuy]

The best bike for commuting around a college campus is a mountain bike with hybrid bike tires. Hardy enough to let you take any off road detours when you want but still slick enough to get good riding on pavement.

 

[Mike Gayner]

The best bike for commuting around a college campus is a mountain bike with hybrid bike tires. Hardy enough to let you take any off road detours when you want but still slick enough to get good riding on pavement.

That's another good point - in 5 minutes you can change the tyres on a mountain bike to slick high pressure road tyres. You can't do this on a road bike.

 

[MikeMike]

I'm saying that if he ever wants to take it somewhere other than the road and across a piece of grass he's going to be pissed off he bought a road bike. Again, what aren't you getting here?

the why he will be pissed off about riding across grass, on a road bike...

because it makes no sense

 

[MikeMike]

That's another good point - in 5 minutes you can change the tyres on a mountain bike to slick high pressure road tyres. You can't do this on a road bike.

he is spending $100-$200...

whatever he purchases, i bet he keeps it in stock form... i guarantee he doesnt have a tire puller, or an idea of how to take a bike tire off, or on...

 

[Mike Gayner]

he is spending $100-$200...

whatever he purchases, i bet he keeps it in stock form... i guarantee he doesnt have a tire puller, or an idea of how to take a bike tire off, or on...

Tyre puller? You mean the $0.50 lever they sell at the counter of the bike shop?

I'm saying if you're not spending a lot you should get the bike that offers the most. Road bikes are like iPhones - trendy but ultimately the worst choice in functionality.

 

[MikeMike]

Tyre puller? You mean the $0.50 lever they sell at the counter of the bike shop?

I'm saying if you're not spending a lot you should get the bike that offers the most. Road bikes are like iPhones - trendy but ultimately the worst choice in functionality.

road bikes are like iPhones? really?

jesus h. christ on a popsicle stick...

 

[FleshLight]

Yeah if $200 is your budget, get a mountain bike or hybrid. If you have a few more bucks, get a cyclocross bike.

 

[Malak]

I'm saying that if he ever wants to take it somewhere other than the road and across a piece of grass he's going to be pissed off he bought a road bike. Again, what aren't you getting here?

The rest of us live in countries with roads so your points are kind of irrelevant.

 

[PhoKingGuy]

The rest of us live in countries with roads so your points are kind of irrelevant.

If you're riding around any major college campus a road bike is a pretty shitty choice. My campus had a huge park in the middle that you could easily short cut through, and a lot of dirt trails you could take as short cuts to save you a bunch of time. Or somewhere like UCLA or Berkeley with shitty paved roads that would be hell to ride on. Its so much easier to just have a mountain bike with semi slick tires.

 

[Mike Gayner]

The rest of us live in countries with roads so your points are kind of irrelevant.

I know a lot of American cities are just concrete jungles, and I sympathise with you. I invite you to take a look at the city I live in - maybe you'll learn something.

http://bit.ly/c24llz

 

[GoSharks]

um, according to your profile, you have been here since 2008... yes, you are a n00b

Noob

Anyways, nobody says that you have to put 23mm tires on a road bike. 28mm can handle some off roading.

 

[MikeMike]

noob

shit

 

[Meghan54]

For a crowded campus, and an inexperienced rider, the slower/slacker steering geometry of a mountain bike is probably the better choice, but it does exact a penalty. They tend to be heavier and slower than a road bike. If the commute is over a mile or two, a hybrid is probably the better choice....better gearing along with higher pressure tires and larger diameter wheels which give a touch better top end and easier pedaling and they tend to be lighter frames if you're careful in your purchase.

But a road bike under an experienced rider would be much better, albeit you'd have to deal with the faster/twitchier steering geometry of the road bike....and provided it's set up for commuting rather than pure road riding.....like this:

Flat/riser handlebar which sits you more upright so control is a tad better. Add in wider tires, like 32's instead of the typical roadie 23/25's, and it works much better for longer commutes.

I used that bike above for years commuting around my local university's campus after suffering through a few mountain bikes. But my commute was just over 5 miles, so a mountain bike, even with high pressure slicks (which adding those to a mountain bike completely negates any off road argument that can be made for a mountain bike....) the higher weight and slower steering made mtn. bikes just too much work.

To the OP....I'd look into mountain bikes if I had to, but I'd look for a higher line Trek than an 800. That particular Trek was their absolute bottom end and the frame is especially heavy....while it had a cromoly seat tube, the rest of the frame was made with heavier and lower quality hi-tensile steel. Look for at least a Trek 820 to move to a complete cro-mo frame....it'll be a tad lighter and more durable.

As for high pressure slicks on a mtn. bike, there really are no high pressure slicks made any longer for them. Continental used to make a set based on their high end road bike tires that were rated for 100 psi, but they were sold in such low numbers Conti ceased production of them. These days, 60 psi is now the "high pressure" slick....and almost not worth spending the bucks on them for a marginal decrease in rolling resistance you'd get, not to mention---again---the fact you'd lose any off road ability, just like with a road bike.

A hybrid with 700C tires, 32 wide, with a slightly knobby tread, would most likely be the best compromise for school commuting.

 

[MikeMike]

For a crowded campus, and an inexperienced rider, the slower/slacker steering geometry of a mountain bike is probably the better choice, but it does exact a penalty. They tend to be heavier and slower than a road bike. If the commute is over a mile or two, a hybrid is probably the better choice....better gearing along with higher pressure tires and larger diameter wheels which give a touch better top end and easier pedaling and they tend to be lighter frames if you're careful in your purchase.

But a road bike under an experienced rider would be much better, albeit you'd have to deal with the faster/twitchier steering geometry of the road bike....and provided it's set up for commuting rather than pure road riding.....like this:

Flat/riser handlebar which sits you more upright so control is a tad better. Add in wider tires, like 32's instead of the typical roadie 23/25's, and it works much better for longer commutes.

I used that bike above for years commuting around my local university's campus after suffering through a few mountain bikes. But my commute was just over 5 miles, so a mountain bike, even with high pressure slicks (which adding those to a mountain bike completely negates any off road argument that can be made for a mountain bike....) the higher weight and slower steering made mtn. bikes just too much work.

To the OP....I'd look into mountain bikes if I had to, but I'd look for a higher line Trek than an 800. That particular Trek was their absolute bottom end and the frame is especially heavy....while it had a cromoly seat tube, the rest of the frame was made with heavier and lower quality hi-tensile steel. Look for at least a Trek 820 to move to a complete cro-mo frame....it'll be a tad lighter and more durable.

As for high pressure slicks on a mtn. bike, there really are no high pressure slicks made any longer for them. Continental used to make a set based on their high end road bike tires that were rated for 100 psi, but they were sold in such low numbers Conti ceased production of them. These days, 60 psi is now the "high pressure" slick....and almost not worth spending the bucks on them for a marginal decrease in rolling resistance you'd get, not to mention---again---the fact you'd lose any off road ability, just like with a road bike.

A hybrid with 700C tires, 32 wide, with a slightly knobby tread, would most likely be the best compromise for school commuting.

why not go up to 35 wide tires?

 

[Mike Gayner]

But my commute was just over 5 miles, so a mountain bike, even with high pressure slicks (which adding those to a mountain bike completely negates any off road argument that can be made for a mountain bike....) the higher weight and slower steering made mtn. bikes just too much work.

Dude man up, what's 5 miles like 20 minutes? Jesus christ you must have the legs of a 5 year old girl if that's too hard for you on a mtb.

 

[MikeMike]

Dude man up, what's 5 miles like 20 minutes? Jesus christ you must have the legs of a 5 year old girl if that's too hard for you on a mtb.

how retarded are you to not know that this is obviously a female?

 

[Mike Gayner]

how retarded are you to not know that this is obviously a female?

OK then she must have the legs of a 5 year old girl. Shall I ask her if she's 5 years old?

 

[Fayd]

For a crowded campus, and an inexperienced rider, the slower/slacker steering geometry of a mountain bike is probably the better choice, but it does exact a penalty. They tend to be heavier and slower than a road bike. If the commute is over a mile or two, a hybrid is probably the better choice....better gearing along with higher pressure tires and larger diameter wheels which give a touch better top end and easier pedaling and they tend to be lighter frames if you're careful in your purchase.

But a road bike under an experienced rider would be much better, albeit you'd have to deal with the faster/twitchier steering geometry of the road bike....and provided it's set up for commuting rather than pure road riding.....like this:

Flat/riser handlebar which sits you more upright so control is a tad better. Add in wider tires, like 32's instead of the typical roadie 23/25's, and it works much better for longer commutes.

I used that bike above for years commuting around my local university's campus after suffering through a few mountain bikes. But my commute was just over 5 miles, so a mountain bike, even with high pressure slicks (which adding those to a mountain bike completely negates any off road argument that can be made for a mountain bike....) the higher weight and slower steering made mtn. bikes just too much work.

To the OP....I'd look into mountain bikes if I had to, but I'd look for a higher line Trek than an 800. That particular Trek was their absolute bottom end and the frame is especially heavy....while it had a cromoly seat tube, the rest of the frame was made with heavier and lower quality hi-tensile steel. Look for at least a Trek 820 to move to a complete cro-mo frame....it'll be a tad lighter and more durable.

As for high pressure slicks on a mtn. bike, there really are no high pressure slicks made any longer for them. Continental used to make a set based on their high end road bike tires that were rated for 100 psi, but they were sold in such low numbers Conti ceased production of them. These days, 60 psi is now the "high pressure" slick....and almost not worth spending the bucks on them for a marginal decrease in rolling resistance you'd get, not to mention---again---the fact you'd lose any off road ability, just like with a road bike.

A hybrid with 700C tires, 32 wide, with a slightly knobby tread, would most likely be the best compromise for school commuting.

maybe not high pressure slicks, but slicks on a mountain bike can still be used off-road with pretty good results. (IE: hard dirt trails. most of what you should expect to find.)

the main danger of off-roading with a road-bike or hybrid isnt slipping out, it's bending the rim/frame. mountain bikes are meant to take that kind of abuse, and the mountain bike wheels are good for that.

though, the mix of hard dirt trails and city streets is where hybrids are supposed to shine.

 

[Ricemarine]

I recently bought a 2009 KHS Flite 220 for $180... I posted a wanted ad for a road bike last month and someone was willing to sell it for that cheap of a price... and then I upgraded the parts from 2200 to Ultegra. I remember also seeing a 2001 Giant OCR1 going for $250 in summer. Rare sightings but they're worth every penny if you find one.

If you need it now that UW's quarter is starting Wednesday, I'd go for a hybrid like the one you posted. Albeit closer than Burien.