24" bmx frames?

[jonathan]

big wheels carry momentum well, which is why you can move faster over a distance than a bike with smaller wheels. the acceleration resistance is negligible since you are not on a bmx race track. if you have any skills at all, you can hop a curb on my sort of bike. 10 miles is a pretty good distance. my old commute was about 10 miles and I always did it on a cyclocross bike with slick tires and gears. riding that SS sounds SSlow, unless it's fairly flat or you're in phenomenal shape, or you just don't mind the extra time it takes.

if you're afraid of gears and you want something bmx-ish, there are tons of rigid single-speed 29ers on the market that you can find cheap- Surly Karate Monkey, Redline Monocog, Kona Unit, etc. most are geared very low- mine is 32/20, for climbing long hills covered in loose gravel and mud and stuff. for a commuter, you could put a taller gear and some semi-slick tires are ride the heck out of that. (a 29er tire and a 700c tire are the same inner diameter and will fit on the same size rim, within reason regarding the rim's width.) one of the raddest-looking bikes I have seen in Austin is a red/orange Karate Money with bmx handlebars on it. for that matter, 26" hardtails are a dime a dozen these days, and make fun commuters that can take some rough handling but still get you around much faster than a bmx-type bike.

[jonathan]

I'm thinking this... http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/bik/5413647461.html

you can do better than that for a modified old road bike. that looks like a turd that is ready to fall apart at any moment. on any bike on that end of the spectrum, you need to pay attention to the frame size. how tall are you?

[cmc4130]

big wheels carry momentum well, which is why you can move faster over a distance than a bike with smaller wheels. the acceleration resistance is negligible since you are not on a bmx race track. if you have any skills at all, you can hop a curb on my sort of bike. 10 miles is a pretty good distance. my old commute was about 10 miles and I always did it on a cyclocross bike with slick tires and gears. riding that SS sounds SSlow, unless it's fairly flat or you're in phenomenal shape, or you just don't mind the extra time it takes.

if you're afraid of gears and you want something bmx-ish, there are tons of rigid single-speed 29ers on the market that you can find cheap- Surly Karate Monkey, Redline Monocog, Kona Unit, etc. most are geared very low- mine is 32/20, for climbing long hills covered in loose gravel and mud and stuff. for a commuter, you could put a taller gear and some semi-slick tires are ride the heck out of that. (a 29er tire and a 700c tire are the same inner diameter and will fit on the same size rim, within reason regarding the rim's width.) one of the raddest-looking bikes I have seen in Austin is a red/orange Karate Money with bmx handlebars on it. for that matter, 26" hardtails are a dime a dozen these days, and make fun commuters that can take some rough handling but still get you around much faster than a bmx-type bike.

Good points.

Every Thursday evening there is a 10-ish mile ride/bar-cruise, and people ride it on every kind of bike.  I have definitely cranked miles around Austin on bmx 20", 22", 24", as well as singlespeed mtb.

But, when I got a Fairdale Weekender, I was blown away by how fast, smooth, etc. it was on road.  The slightly wider 32mm 700c road tires are fast but feel tough enough for minor bumps on the street. 
Here's an article on road bike tires and how tire width makes a big difference:
https://janheine.wordpress.com/2013/05/23/tire-width-how-much-difference-do-a-few-millimeters-make/

So, I definitely agree that a cyclocross or true commuter bike is worth it. 



 

[jonathan]

if I could only have one bike, it might be my CX bike. 35mm tubeless tires, disc brakes, and a wide range of gears- you can ride it just about anywhere. I have ridden the main trail on the Barton Creek Greenbelt on it. tons of fun.

[cmc4130]

Oh yeah, as far as 26" BMX goes, Volume's Sledgehammer and Hessian, as well as the STOLEN Zeke 26" are worth a look.  It seems kinda weak that Volume opted for not-full-chromoly with the Hessian (after the Sledgehammer 26" was all chromo).

https://www.danscomp.com/products/107186/2016_Volume_Hessian_26_Bike.html?gclid=CIzfnr7r6MoCFZWFaQodvhAMGw

The Volume Sledgehammer 26" was fully jumpable bike.... not just a bar cruiser. 


On the Hessian, you can see the short chainstays (rear tire coming close to the seat tube) at 15.75″ CS.  Also, not as much bottom bracket drop as the Fairdale Taj.

Stolen Zeke 26" -- Note that the Zeke has the bottom bracket above axle level. This will make it feel different from the Taj which has 40mm bb drop.  I'm not going to categorically say one design is better than the other, because I can bunnyhop and manual just as well on an mtb-dj bike with 25mm bb drop as well as a 24" BMX with bb rise, but they do feel different.

[condrbkr]

I'm 5'9. I ride a 20.5 toptube on BMX bike which seems pretty short these days.

Sorry to spam this thread in a different direction but how are these ones. All I want is a comfortable ride that can handle the elements.

http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/bik/5435534994.html

http://newyork.craigslist.org/fct/bid/5419124687.html

http://newyork.craigslist.org/lgi/bik/5438920514.html

[cmc4130]

I'm 5'9. I ride a 20.5 toptube on BMX bike which seems pretty short these days.

Sorry to spam this thread in a different direction but how is this one

http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/bik/5413657818.html

Once again the price is what gearing me towards it. The tires do seem pretty skinny though which I don't feel like would work well with a bit of snow.

That's the kind of bike I *might* buy at a thrift store for $15, fix some flats, and re-sell on craigslist. 

Last week I bought a 1982 Univega Alpina Pro for $25 at a thrift store.  They were $695 in 1982.

Don't expect old gears to work really well. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't (derailleur often tweaked).

For your price range, this looks a little better....
http://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/bik/5409158395.html

One of my friends who owns a bike shop that sells used bikes said that he sells a ton of 90's steel all-rigid mtb's as commuters.

This might have a flip flop hub where you can make it regular singlespeed. 
Fixed gear bike for sale - $100 (East elmhurst queens)
http://newyork.craigslist.org/que/bik/5438587461.html

[jonathan]

I'm 5'9. I ride a 20.5 toptube on BMX bike which seems pretty short these days.

we are the same height. I ride a 17-18" mtb frame or a 52-54cm road frame. if you have really long arms, err on the large size. if it's an old 70s road bike you could probably go a size bigger because of the way frames were designed back then.

[condrbkr]

I like that green bike but it seems to be in bad condition. Is it really worth putting the extra money to fix it up a bit? It's probably a dumb question but can I put any old rack on it?

http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/bik/5437663797.html

I'm kind of partial to this. Price is good. Has a rack. Fat tires.

[cmc4130]

http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/bik/5437663797.html

I'm kind of partial to this. Price is good. Has a rack. Fat tires.

Meh, maybe.... It seems to be in that genre that I would call an "Amsterdam" bike (just Google Image search Amsterdam bike and you'll see what I mean).  Some of them are very heavy with cheap steel.    That thing they do with the long stem/neck (for an upright riding stance) is very flexy. 

I admit my Weekender aint exactly light, but still.

[cmc4130]

I like that green bike  http://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/bik/5409158395.html but it seems to be in bad condition. Is it really worth putting the extra money to fix it up a bit? It's probably a dumb question but can I put any old rack on it?

Yes, you can add a rack to most bikes of this style.  The question is does it have the little areas for the attachment bolts...




The seat post being stuck could be a serious problem.  I've had a couple of flip bikes where I tried to un-stick a seatpost with extreme measures, and just could not make it happen.
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/stuck-seatposts.html 

Shifting cables being stuck is not a big deal. You can go buy new shifter cables, lube them well, and be good.

I might wait longer and try to find an MTB that at least has a 1 1/8" Aheadset, instead of the older 1" headset and wedge-bolt stem.  At least you can maybe later put a decent suspension fork on it, if it's 1 1/8".   But, if it's super cheap, I guess, who cares.


Maybe you should visit the mtbr commuter bike forum.....
http://forums.mtbr.com/commuting/help-me-build-ideal-commuter-bike-650542.html

[cmc4130]

This guys got a rack on even though the Taj doesn't have the upper holes or whatever they're called.  Looks like he zip tied it to the seat stays.



http://bmxmuseum.com/forums/viewtopic.php?id=542610&p=2

[condrbkr]

Mannn if the Taj can't have a rack there definitely goes my dream commute bike right now.

Thanks for all the help, I'll keep all that stuff in mind while scour craigslist the upcoming week. I don't want to show up to the big bike forum and get laughed at haha.

[Hank Chinaski]

Check pinkbike.com. They mostly have higher end bikes but I've seen cheap stuff that's well taken care of. You could post you're looking for a cheap commuter in your area, might have luck. It's a lot more lively than here.

[jonathan]

Mannn if the Taj can't have a rack there definitely goes my dream commute bike right now.

p-clamps is the answer. I have installed many racks using p-clamps on bike that don't have braze-ons for a rack or just had them in an awkward position.

a seatpost-mounted rack could work too.