(Part 2) Best products from r/whichbike

Honestly, your needs are really pretty minimal and your budget is more than adequate. Here are a few points to consider to get the bike to do what you want.

First, get a rear rack and panniers. This might cost $100-$150 out of your budget, but is VERY worth it because now you can carry things with you. Your commute is short enough that a backpack wouldn't be terrible, but if you want to pick up groceries or go longer distances then the backpack becomes a much less attractive idea.

Second, I recommend getting flat resistant tires for commuting. A flat tire sucks when you're on your way into the office. Count on spending close to $100 for a set of these. It sounds like a lot, but the difference in dependability is huge. I have Continental Touring Plus, but there are a few brands out there that have build a solid reputation.

Third, get a good lock, and use it. The bay area is bad for bike theft, even from places that you think would be safe. They're very easy to sell for a quick buck, no questions asked. Read up on how to lock the bike and how not to.

Fourth, get front and rear lights. Get good ones. It's staying light later now, but you want to be really visible to cars. I use a light like this in front: http://amzn.com/B00GJZ015Y

Happy shopping!

I agree with /u/DoOgSauce 100%.

I'd also say they aren't necessarily that much of an upgrade from the ATX Lite as adding suspension forks means you need to spend significantly more to get something good quality vs a fully rigid bike. The ATX Lite is also more suitable as a commuter than any of those, it would be a downgrade in many respects for everything except actual mountain biking. Snow use would be debatable, like I wouldn't be surprised if the forks on several of those bikes would sieze and go rusty the first winter, and I wouldn't like to bet on cheap Tektro hydraulic brakes in freezing temps.
A large proportion of mountain bikers don't use their proper MTB to commute on but have a bike like an ATX Lite or a hybrid or road bike as a second bike to use on the road and light trails that doesn't have suspension or knobbly offroad specific tires.

It's also not true that the ATX Lite isn't designed for trails, just not more extreme offroad like anything tougher than 'intermediate' grade MTB trails in good conditions. I've done offroad cycle touring in the mountains on a similar bike in preference to my modern expensive MTB, here's a photo I took when I was 50km from the nearest sealed road.

Edit - should clarify what makes a difference to snow performance is tires, that's like 95% of it - and you could run the same tires on all the bikes except the Cujo as you could on the ATX Lite, as the ATX Lite has the same tire clearance as a regular MTB. Only a plus tire MTB like the Cujo that can fit 2.8 or 3.0 tires would give you superior performance in the snow, and that would come with even bigger drawbacks with use on the road the rest of the year compared to the ATX Lite. Extra fat tires are also perhaps more if you're riding offroad or in fresh powdery snow - for icey conditions more often seen on the roads many riders prefer narrower spiked tires like these.

I'm 6'1" and like a somewhat upright position on my commuter bike. I also have several MTB's.

It's my impression that you may need to do a little customizing with aftermarket parts to get exactly what you want.

When you say mostly pavement, and maybe gravel roads, that would normally put you in the category of cyclocross bikes, "gravel" bikes, commuter bikes, etc.

However, you also mentioned getting tires as "thick" as you can get them short of being actual "fat bike tires."

So let's start with a discussion of wheels and tires.

What is Mid-Fat or Plus?
There's a genre of mountain bike called mid-fat or "plus" tire size. They are typically either 27.5" X 3.0~ish, or 29" X 3.0~-ish. Watch this video to figure out what I mean:
https://www.bikemag.com/gear/mean-27-plus-29-plus-bikes/

These tires would do great on Chicago snow. However, these type of rims and tires would absolutely only fit on a mountain bike specifically designed for wide-tire spacing.

So, what is "cyclocross" or "gravel bikes."?
https://road.cc/content/buyers-guide/205556-cyclocross-bikes-v-graveladventure-bikes-whats-difference
They are road bikes (with the roadie look of curved drop handlebars) with wider-than-normal and grippier than normal tires. However, these tires are still narrower than any typical MTB. Although these tires would be great for wet conditions, bad roads, gravel roads.... I imagine they would not do much for snow.

https://www.jensonusa.com/Mountain-Bikes?WheelSize=27.5%22+%2b

One issue with new mountain bike design is everyone is moving towards a slanting top tube and lower standover, then using tall seatposts to get the bike fit correct for tall riders. A "dropper post" (adjustable on the fly) is great for trail riding when you want leg extension for flats and climbs, but a lower post for rocky/rooty descents (or jumping).

So......... if you were to get something like the Kona Unit X,
https://www.jensonusa.com/Kona-Unit-X-Bike-2018 , I would suggest first getting the longest seat post you can buy. Or maybe even a dropper post. I bought a 170mm one recently.

Next you said you want an upright position. For that, you'll want taller handlebars. You could just get an angle-up stem like this https://www.amazon.com/FOMTOR-Bicycle-Handlebar-Suitable-Mountain/dp/B075FL98Y8/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=riser+stem+31.8&qid=1554328430&s=gateway&sr=8-4 but that only raises the handlebars like 3-4 inches. Frankly, at 6'5", to get a very substantial upright position, I would recommend BMX handlebars. I have a 29"er myself, which I put 8.25" BMX handlebars on, and it feels great.

Right now there is a trend of big-retro-BMX-style setups like the SE Big Ripper. A lower-end company called Framed jumped in and made a 29" wheel BMX: https://www.framedbikes.com/products/framed-x-spacecraft-29er-bmx-bike-mens
If you put these SE 7" rise bars on that Kona, it could be cool.
https://www.jrbicycles.com/se-super-big-honkin-handlebar-chrome

Then you'll need a BMX stem because the clamp area on BMX bars is 22.2 instead of 25.4 or 31.8 on MTB.
This stem would be a budget option, but there are others that are in the $45-$80 range:
https://www.amazon.com/Black-Ops-DefendR-BMX-Stem/dp/B004TN08YC/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=bmx+stem&qid=1554328284&s=gateway&sr=8-5

If you don't want a BMX look, that's fine, I get it. Frankenbikes are not for everyone.

Typically frame builders made long head tubes for tall riders' bikes, rather than raising the handlebar height. Check out this old school tall dude's bike. He still has drop handlebars (I guess for aesthetics... but the head tube and seat tube are very tall. https://www.reddit.com/r/bicycling/comments/1bzc88/and_i_thought_my_64_cm_bike_was_large/

I prob. don't recommend either. Your friend's bike is probably very modern, and the tools like crank puller isn't needed. Your friend's bike isn't using square taper or Octalink. Also, the chain tool, pedal wrench and cone wrenches that comes with the kit are crappy and you'll have to replace them anyway, or close to useless.

So, the common maintenance - replacing chain, cassette, pedals, chainrings, brake pads and tires. If the bottom bracket (BB) is external bearings, you can easily change that too. The kit includes the square taper BB tool, and Shimano's external BB tool. I'd recommend the better adapters than ones in the tool. For example, if the BB is Hollowtech II, this tool works well. You need a tool for cranks' preloading nut and it's not standard.

If the BB is press fit, bring it to LBS. You'd need a removing and installing tool, and although you can do it, it's pretty specific to each style of BB. Again, it's better to buy the tool specific to it and the kit is no use for this.

Headset bearing - modern headset would be pretty simple to service. Wheel hub bearings - you'd want to use better quality cone wrenches than ones in the kit.

If you want a tool kit that can do most things for variety of bikes not just your friend's, I recommend this one. (see edit) Note that, this is probably overkill for your friend's bike but if you want to take care of older bikes, this one should cover 90% of things. (You'd need combination and adjustable wrenches, etc.)

Oh, one more thing. Buy a good torque wrench. There are a lot of alloy things on modern bikes, and to prevent stripping the screw, using torque wrench and tightening to spec is very important.

EDIT: Why I recommended the toolkit. The chain tool in the kit is excellent. The chain plate holding side is adjustable so the chain stays in place while pushing pin. Cone wrenches come in each size. The cassette removal tool (lock ring tool) has the pin in the middle to align. The headset wrenches (your friend prob. don't need) come in all the sizes needed. (I had to buy 36/40). It covers most external BBs.

If you know the shop guys, they might do it for free if you bring 'em a six pack. If you buy the brake from a shop, they might install it for you.

Honestly, though, installing brakes is pretty simple - you remove the bolt and washer, slide the pin in through the hole in the fork, and then put the washer and bolt back on. Tighten it down. The rest of it's just getting the cable tension and pad placement right, which you'll need to deal with on your own some day anyway.

The lever, on the other hand, depends on what sort you're going with. There are basically three options (I'm linking Amazon, but that's just because it was easy for me to search; you may find better deals than what I'm linking to, I just want to be clear about the sorts of levers I'm talking about - and furthermore, the ones I link might not even match the bar diameter for the bike in question):

• Bar-end levers pretty much only work on bullhorns. I believe that some will work fine with chop'n'flop bars and some will not.
  
  
• Road levers will look a bit goofy mounted on bullhorns, but will totally work.
  
  
• Mountain-style levers - be careful that you're picking up some that will fit road bars, and be careful that they have the right amount of "pull" (this will be dependent on the set of brakes that you have).
  
  If the bike comes with a brake, I'd try mounting that on the front first; if it works, you've saved yourself some money, and if it doesn't, you may gain some knowledge about what in particular you need (possibly, for example, you can get by with just getting a different center pin).

That’s a great bike and should be well suited for what you want to do. After several years loving our FX4 Sports, my wife and I wanted to go to drop bars to ride further more comfortably, and just upgraded to a Domane SL6, and a Checkpoint SL5. The bike you’re looking at is directly comparable to the Checkpoint: 105 drivetrain, carbon frame with single iso speed. It’s a great frame and solid component set. My only negative on our FXs was the tires: stock were 28s, and I always felt they were a little narrow for my comfort, but with caliper brakes, I never switched them out, although they’re pretty worn now and I will bump them to something fatter. The Domane came with 32s that the guy I got it from had upgraded to Hard case AW3s. Much more solid feeling width. Durability wise too early to tell. I also switched them up for 35s to run gravel. The Checkpoint runs 40s and they feel great. If you are changing the tires anyway, I’d personally go as wide as the frame will take if you are riding rough pavement.

EDIT: for pedals, the Domane came with these Platform Pedals that the previous owner installed, and I like them. I also have some Chester Race Face pedals on a mountain bike that are good, and some Shimanos that have platform on one side reversible with clipless. As for other upgrades, a really good lock, that bike is going to draw a lot of unwanted attention.

Thank you very much for the reply. You gave me lots of great information! I live right below a longboard shop, which also sells refurbished bicycles. I really like one bicycle that he has, but I would prefer new because all of the parts will be new, no previous issues, etc. He rebuilds them well, so his bikes are a consideration. I should also note that I would have to buy attachments for them (racks, lights, mirrors, etc), as they come bare.

I would like to stick with a commuter bicycle that I can ride sitting almost straight up. It is more comfortable for me and do not have the blind spots of when I ride a mountain bicycle (slouched over slightly).

Front and rear racks, as well as lights, will be some things I want to attach to the bicycle. I would like flat racks on the front and back, along with these attached to each side of the back rack. I pretty much want to use my bicycle to its full potential for cargo.

As far as the instant fenders go I really like the Full Windsor because the area of coverage. You might argue it's negligible since the ass saver covers the main area of spray but I've never tested and visually it looks superior albeit more bulky.

But this doesn't solve the issue for the front and you will have a lot of water on your feet and drive train without a front fender.

Raceblades are pretty thin and again might work with the bike you already have.

But ultimately as /u/autophage said, you don't want to pick a bike around it's fender capabilities because most bikes will accommodate fenders one way or another. You should think more about what kind of geometry (which affects the way you sit on the bike and overall comfort of the ride) you would like in a fixed gear and then focus on price range and then maybe fender type.

Check out /r/FixedGearBicycle and the sidebar for recommended bikes. And if you are worried about maintenance don't shy away from your LBS (local bike shop) because they will be helping you with a lot of the instillation and maintenance and establishing a relationship with them can be extremely helpful.

Pro tip: bike most mechanics love beer as tips.

> Mundo V4 Lux

Great. You should also look into the Surly Big Dummy and Xtracycle Edgerunner. Both of those are very similar to the Yuba but are probably a bit more expensive out of your price range. But just know you have choices.

Xtracycle also has a bolt-on cargo extension that attaches to pretty much any bike and converts it into a cargo bike for about $500 including accessories. They ceased production of their old freeradical 2 years ago and should be releasing the new version leap this year. I have a freeradical and it's nice to be able to switch back and forth between cargo bike and touring bike, although the process takes me about 2 beers (3 hours) and costs about $25 in rear brake and derailleur cables each time i switch.

Cargo bikes are great, and you will enjoy. The only thing that sucks is transporting them. Forget putting them on the bus or on a trunk-mounted car rack. Finding a roof rack tray that can handle the length has been hard but I'm 99% sure that the Thule 598 Criterium Upright Rooftop Bicycle Carrier is just long enough for a cargo bike. I own one but don't have my freeradical installed now to confirm; everything works on paper though. Any tandem or recumbent tray will work but those are hella expensive (like $300-$500).

Good luck!

Accessories and consumables

Hand grips, bar tape, seat, seat post, brake pads, racks and even tires are all very personal choices. I am not a serious rider but I have 4 seats and at least 3 set of tires hanging around in my basement.

These are the items that are easy for anyone to customize to their own taste. The average rider will be fine with what comes on a new bike then will start to upgrade as they become more obsessed with the sport.

BikesDirect.com is probably the best example of this. They tend to sell bikes with excellent drive trains, decent frames, and low end everything else because they know their customers. The single best example I can think of is the Windsor Fens which has a full (almost) 105 groupset for only $699 which is not much more than your or I would spend just to buy the the derailleur/shifters/crank etc. The frame is decent but the rest is entry level. This is the type of bike you buy for the platform knowing you will want and need to upgrade everything else as you improve.

You can almost throw brakes into this catagory. Again using the BD Fens as an example which uses the Tektro R530 which are under $60 for the pair on Amazon. Where the Shimano 105 brakes are going to be at least double that amount.

Using amazon because I am lazy

Well, so far people are just throwing out bike models. If you plan on touring, it is probably better not to get a pure road bike. Something like a cyclocross bike or one of Soma or Surly's options may suit your needs well. The only problem with that stipulation is that it severely cuts down your used options and your budget options for new bikes. It may be wise to broaden the options to "endurance geometry" road bikes, as many of those have rack points and longer chainstays to get the load weight closer from being behind the rear axle.

As for choosing a bike model, pick the reputable manufacturer's bike that fits you best. Different manufacturers have different geometries (e.g. Italian bikes tend to have shorter top tubes proportionally). It can be useful to scour the internet for sales. We're a little out of the "sale season" though, which occurs during fall as new model year bikes are coming out. Check performance bikes anyway (their business method is "always having a sale") along with the other internet folk that sell reliably good bikes.

Something like this, perhaps. Keep in mind if you want a rack, that one doesn't have rack points, but you can use something like the Axiom Streamliner Disc or P-clamps to get a standard rack mounted on there.

Edit: Ah I forgot, you may look into something from the "gravel" genre. Think a less-snappy cyclocross bike with rack mounts. If you like any of Surly or Soma's products (e.g. the Double Cross is probably the best frameset I can think of for your purposes), a build for one of those wouldn't be too bad. ~$500 for the frameset, get a 105 group from probikekit for $380, build a wheelset on a 105 hubset, and find some bits like stem, bars, saddle on sale and you're not looking too much over a thousand at least. Though you are looking at assembling the bike yourself, which requires some tools.

There is very little good at Amazon. Something like this Diamondback is one of the rare OK bikes at Amazon. You won't have any support sizing the bike, the bike will need to have final assembly done by you or pay a bike shop up to $100 to build up the Amazon bike.

Though for that price you can go to a brick and mortar bike shop, get basic sizing advice, assembly, basic maintenance and get a very similar bike for 360 + tax from The Bicycle Escape.

The bike should not have any suspension parts. It may be a step through frame like the Giant Alight or a more traditional frame shape like this Specialized Vita. Your height makes a women's specific bike appealing because the brand will carry an extra small and small size which you will need to see which fits you best.

I would recommend getting a 'U' or 'D' style bike lock (different names for the same thing) and a helmet as a minimum. If you will be using the bike as transportation back and front lights and fenders are your next most useful accessories.

How to use a U or D lock is covered in the first 50 seconds of this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vw9erXJvByE

I built up a Disc Trucker last spring. I stuck closely to Surly's build in the gearing department as it mainly is a touring bike. I went 9-speed because the chains are a touch more durable and when you get into 10-speed, Shimano's road and mountain offerings start having some incompatibilities. With a 9-speed drivetrain, you can mix and match road and mountain to whatever extent you like.

I actually have two different gearing setups. One for true touring with a mountain rear derailleur and an 11-34 cassette and another with a road rear derailleur and a 12-26 cassette.

Here's relevant parts off my list:

|Part|Model|Other|Notes|
|:---|:---|:---|:---|
|Crankset|Shimano Deore M590|175mm arm length|Has the trekking gearing 26/36/48 and Hollowtech because why not.|
|Rear cassette|SRAM PG-950|11-34 for touring, 12-26 for commuting|Yes, as far as casettes go, it's a heavy bugger. But when we're talking about LHTs, who really cares overly much about weight? As a side note, you'd need a mountain derailleur to use the 11-34, but you'd be just fine with the 12-26 for your 105.|
|Shifters|Shimano Dura-Ace 9-speed bar-end||If you're using this for touring, I'd recommend the bar ends. Otherwise, get whatever brifters you like, use a couple of Travel Agents and get some V-brakes.|
|Brake levers|Tektro RL520|Long-pull|Those guys are long pull, so they work with V-brakes and mountain-pull disc brakes. Ergonomics are decent, if a tad too pointy for my tastes.|
|Handlebars|Salsa Bell Lap||No longer being produced, sadly.|
|Saddle|Brooks Champion Flyer||I've put thousands and thousands of miles on this saddle. Love it. It's a little heavy if you're doing light commuting. For daily commuting and touring, though, it's hard to beat.|
|Pedals|Shimano M520||They're pretty low on the totem pole as far as component level, but I've had nary a problem with multiple sets. Clipless that won't break the bank.|
|Chain|SRAM PC-951||It's a cheaper chain more than adequate for commuting and touring.|

All the drivetrain stuff is 9-speed, but you can find the 10-speed equivalents rather easily. In your case, if you're not setting off across the country or across the world on your LHT, I'd say go for a set of brifters. If you want to go 9-speed, I'd look for an older set of Ultegra shifters. For 10-speed, I'd keep it 105 or above...or Rival or above for SRAM. SRAM has a lot more tactile feedback on the shifts while Shimano tends to be smoother. I prefer SRAM, but to each their own. Bar-ends are great and low maintenance, but not being able to shift from the hoods can get a little annoying after a while.

As to online retailers, a lot of parts can be had reasonably from Amazon. I also use Jenson USA. They ship fast, have free shipping on orders above $50, and price match on parts. I use Nashbar occasionally, but their shipping department is woefully slow and I avoid buying from them whenever possible.