Commute-Ready from Raleigh: 2010 One Way

So you're probably not surprised to be reading about a bike on Bikes For The Rest Of Us that has the following features:

• Chain guard
• Bell
• Fenders
• Brooks Saddle
• Vittoria Rondenour 700cx35 tires with reflective stripe
• CrMo frame
• Included frame-mounted pump

What will surprise you about the One Way is that these features come in a road bike package with drop bars and a nifty SRAM Torpedo flip-flop hub. The Torpedo hub allows you choose between single-speed and fixed-gear settings with the turn of a screwdriver. The One Way has toe clips with straps to help keep your feet planted in fixed mode and canti brakes to slow you down when you're riding it as a single speed.

So who will be riding the One Way? Add a rack and it's an all-weather commuter ready to tackle snow with studded tires and fixie ninja moves. There are less expensive choices out there for similarly-equipped city bikes; however, you could always lose the drop bars for city bars like @americancyclery did here:

Clearly the feature-laden One Way is not for purists. If you're looking for an ultra-light road bike or a dead simple fixie the One Way is likely not for you. So you won't find this bike on Bikes for the Purists blog. I think it will work for the rest of us, though.

Quick Roundup

Here's a roundup of some items that might be of interest to the BFROU crowd:

An Xtracycle does winter delivery duty in the snow (Old Spokes Home)

An overview of 12 bikes to replace your car found on Lighter Footstep

Something I wish I would have done on New Years Day, a cargo bike meet-up (via Kent's Bike Blog)

An installment of Bike mechanic Q and A in NYC (NY Times, tweeted by @BoweryLaneBikes)

Bike Geek has some thoughts about elevation profiles on his second ever bike tour

KHS Green and Cidi for 2010

KHS is showing off their 2010 bikes on their website. I was a big fan of the KHS Green model last year because it didn't try to be anything but a simple 3-speed city bike. 

This year the Green comes in silver as well as black. It has a steel frame built with traditional (small diameter) tubing and 700c wheels. With its curved lines the black step-through could be mistaken for a real Dutch Bike from afar. You won't find an Oma or Old Dutch for $329, though.

There's a new series of KHS Urban bikes this year, the Cidi 3 and 8. These city bikes have a more aggressive stance with flat bars a la Swobo or Biria. Despite the aluminum frame and matching fenders, chain guard and rack, the price points are competitive. The Cidi 8 (shown below) is $659 with the Shimano Nexus inter-8 and the Cidi 3 (sporting Shimano 3-speed hub gears) is just $439.

If anyone reading has ridden the Green or Cidi please drop us a comment.

Craigslist Bike of the Week - 1971 Hercules

Craigslist can be a great place to browse for used bikes. You'll soon find that there are plenty of ill-priced bikes and potential scams out there. When it comes to older bikes (you'll also notice the plentiful use of the word "Vintage") you can find some great deals.

Here's a great example. I can't speak to the authenticity of this bike nor the quality of the seller, but this post seems like a great Bike For The Rest Of Us. Try searching for the term "lugged steel" in your city's Craigslist today!

1971 Hercules "Gentlemens" 52cm Black and White English 3 speed -$175

1971 made in Nottingham England Hercules Three Speed
- 52cm lugged steel frame, 31 inch standover
- full fenders, chainguard, spring saddle, cargo rack
- Oakley grips,
- Sturmey Archer 3 speed, front and rear hand brakes
- bolt on 26" wheels, good tires, ready to ride

Torker Graduate

The Graduate is low-key commuting bike that comes fully dressed with internal hub gears, drum brakes and fenders. The frame is steel and the ride is fairly upright as it should be on a commuting bike.

The internal hub gears (SA 5-speed) with drum brakes really stand out because they work well in wet weather and require almost no maintenance. You just don't see that combination with typical mass-market commuter bike. Drums require even less maintenance than disk brakes and don't call attention to themselves when the bike is locked up and lonely.

The best part about the Graduate is that it retails for less than $500 and can be ordered from almost any LBS via Seattle Bike Supply. You can read more about the Graduate here and here.

Specs:

Frame	Torker Tri Moly 130mm Rear Spacing
Fork	Hi-Ten 28.6mm
Headset	Steel 28.6mm Threadless
Frt Der	N/A
Rear Der	N/A
Shifter	Sturmey Archer 5sp Twist Grip
Crank	Alloy 42T W Guard
BB Set	Sealed Cartridge Square Taper
Cog	16T
Pedal	Nylon W Alloy Cage
Rim	Alex X 2100 Double Wall 36H
Hubs	Sturmey Archer Alloy 5sp Internal
Spoke	14 Gauge Stainless
Tire	Tioga Gritty Slicker 700 x 32
Bar	Alloy All Rounder
Stem	Forged Alloy
Saddle	Torker
Seat Post	Steel 27.2mm x 250mm
Brake	Alloy 70mm Internal Drum F & R
Brake Lever	Avid Speed Dial
Fenders	Plastic Full Coverage