Commuter Ride Recommendation Request

vwood said:

I need a new bike for commuting. I wrecked my last bike by rear-ending a silver Lexus. The fork collapsed into the frame. Yes: I was going that fast. The frame was a light street-frame, already showing signs of wear from the load. I'm pretty serious about cycling: I think the world would be a better place if we could get all those cars off the road. I really like to go really fast, 'cuz I'm always in a hurry. I really hate pulling out my bike and discovering a problem with it, for the same reason: I'm always in a hurry.

I ride on surface streets in Los Angeles, often in traffic, usually dry weather. I weigh ~225# and I carry cargo: groceries, change of clothes, etc.

So I need a fast bike that's sturdy enough for those conditions. What kind of gear should I be looking at? The frame is really the only part that *has* to be replaced, but I'm not even sure what class of frame I want. Are mountain bikes sturdier? Are they just as fast?

FWIW. I suggest that you use the JAMIS CODA as your benchmark bicycle:

[CENTER][IMG]jamisbikes.com10s coda bk.jpgOpen ↗[/IMG][/CENTER]

[CENTER]2010 JAMIS BICYCLES - SPECIFICATIONS[/CENTER]

Retail for the 'base' CODA model is $550.
[INDENT]Almost ALL bikes should be going on sale in about a month as dealers begin to clear current inventory in order to prepare for 2011 models.
[/INDENT]When in doubt about sizing, get the one which is one size smaller ... if you think you may want to eventually switch to DROP handlebars then you may want to size the frame based on the top tube length of your current/("recent"😉 Road bike.

Another option is the Kona Honky Tonk. It's a workhorse of a road bike.
It retails for $899.00

konaworld.combike.cfmOpen ↗[IMG]konaworld.comhonkytonk.jpgOpen ↗[/IMG]

vwood said:

I really hate pulling out my bike and discovering a problem with it, for the same reason: I'm always in a hurry.

I ride on surface streets in Los Angeles, often in traffic, usually dry weather. I weigh ~225# and I carry cargo: groceries, change of clothes, etc.

For low maintenance and carrying cargo, you might consider a bike like the Breezer Uptown 8. It's not a racing bike, but the internal hub gearing is low maintenance and it comes ready to commute with fenders, lights and a rear rack.