n9viw
06-06-2008, 05:44 PM
I'm actually going to attempt to get out to the garage sometime in the next month and start building SOMETHING... I need some downtime from working on the house. I figured I ought to be productive, and could build something to use as my new commuter (and give my sore arse a break from the Cannondale!).
I have to take into consideration as much about my commute as I can. It's 28 miles round trip, almost completely flat, with five left turns, four right turns, and apart from a slight curve somewhere in the middle, is almost stick-straight suburbia on every road (YAAAAWWWWNNN!). The majority of it goes along a 4-lane that varies between 35 and 45 mph, although some people really push that latter figure. The remainder is 2-lane residential streets at either end (near home and near work).
I figured a LWB or CLWB would be good because of the straightness of the main 4-lane section, but then I might have a harder time dealing with cars in queue at lights and such. A SWB would really shine in close-quarters riding, but might be too 'twitchy' on long straights. I don't know if what I'm riding in could be considered 'heavy traffic', but I know that even 20-minute's difference can mean being passed by 30 cars or 100 over the course of a one-way commute. Queues at lights can range anywhere from five or ten cars to several dozen; I generally lane-split or ride the curb all the way to the front.
I like the look of the Bandito, not only because of its ease of building, but also because it really gets the rider right up in the driver's line of sight. It's a little high off the ground, though, which might become an issue at any of the over TWENTY stoplights I have to go through. A CLWB such as the BikeE (RIP) or Sun EZ-1 might suffice to add to the wheelbase, but would sacrifice the aerodynamics, most of them being little more than crank-forward upwrong designs. An even longer setup such as the Meridian or Tour Easy would be much more stable at speed, but probably harder to pilot in traffic.
Any suggestions, whether speculative or from real-world experience?
I have to take into consideration as much about my commute as I can. It's 28 miles round trip, almost completely flat, with five left turns, four right turns, and apart from a slight curve somewhere in the middle, is almost stick-straight suburbia on every road (YAAAAWWWWNNN!). The majority of it goes along a 4-lane that varies between 35 and 45 mph, although some people really push that latter figure. The remainder is 2-lane residential streets at either end (near home and near work).
I figured a LWB or CLWB would be good because of the straightness of the main 4-lane section, but then I might have a harder time dealing with cars in queue at lights and such. A SWB would really shine in close-quarters riding, but might be too 'twitchy' on long straights. I don't know if what I'm riding in could be considered 'heavy traffic', but I know that even 20-minute's difference can mean being passed by 30 cars or 100 over the course of a one-way commute. Queues at lights can range anywhere from five or ten cars to several dozen; I generally lane-split or ride the curb all the way to the front.
I like the look of the Bandito, not only because of its ease of building, but also because it really gets the rider right up in the driver's line of sight. It's a little high off the ground, though, which might become an issue at any of the over TWENTY stoplights I have to go through. A CLWB such as the BikeE (RIP) or Sun EZ-1 might suffice to add to the wheelbase, but would sacrifice the aerodynamics, most of them being little more than crank-forward upwrong designs. An even longer setup such as the Meridian or Tour Easy would be much more stable at speed, but probably harder to pilot in traffic.
Any suggestions, whether speculative or from real-world experience?