The Perfect Commuter Bike

For years, I have been on a quest to find the perfect bike for commuting. I think I have finally found it.

If you read this blog at all, you know that I have tried several different bikes for commuting. I rode an entry level mountain bike for a year or so. I rode a very expensive, full carbon, flat bar road bike (loved it). I rode a "fitness" bike for a year. I even rode a single speed bike for a month or so.

  
 

Recently I came across a new rig, and it has quickly become the best commuter I have ever had.

It is the Trek Montare, and is in the "dual sport 29er" category.


It is pretty dirty—I already have 600 miles on it.


The dual sports are part of the Gary Fisher signature collection


In addition to the trunk bag, I have a cool basket that fits on the rack


The basket makes it easy to make a run to the store, or carry your little dogs


The remote lockout makes it easy to take the front fork out of the equation

Here are some of the things I like about it:

  • It is durable. Built like a 29er mountain bike, it is able to tackle the rough spots on my commute without missing a beat. I have a few nasty places on my ride to work, and this bike gives me a lot more confidence.
  • It has a front fork. I used to not like a front fork on my commuter, because it eats up energy when climbing. This bike has the ability to lock out the fork, and even better, it has a remote switch on the handlebar, allowing me to lock it and unlock it quickly. The fork absorbs the road vibration, and makes the ride to work very comfortable.
  • It is fast. Now, it isn't road bike fast, but it is much faster than the flat bar road bike I had been riding. But I am averaging 16+mph on my ride to work (most days).
  • Hydraulic disc brakes. I really need the stopping power of disc brakes when riding in traffic, and these are excellent. Rim brakes are not nearly as efficient when negotiating on city streets.
This bike is the perfect commuter. I can't get enough of riding it. If you're interested in the specs, click here. Good luck finding one, though. They are very sparse, unless you're really tall, or really short. Trek is re-branding the dual sport line for 2012. Instead of weird names that are hard to pronounce, they are going with numbers. The Montare (which is the one I have) becomes the 8.5 DS. The Bodega, the Kaitai, and the Utopia will become the 8.2, 8.3, and 8.4. Trek is also producing a women's specific line of dual sports for 2012. Nothing much else changes—the Bodega and Kaitai are minus the disc brakes, the Utopia has mechanical discs rather than hydraulic. You can get the Bodega for about $500, the Kaitai for about $600, the Utopia for about $800, and the Montare for about a grand. Prices are mostly unchanged for 2012.

Whichever one you buy, you'll make your money back quick by riding it to work. And you'll be comfy, and look darn stylish doing it.

Posted by Jason Kearney at 6/17/2011 12:29 PM
Categories: Cycling, Commuting
 

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  • 6/17/2011 1:02 PM Jim wrote:
    Cool basket. Where can I get one?
    1. 6/17/2011 1:39 PM Jason Kearney wrote:
      Last time I checked, Trek Store of Tulsa had one in stock. I can make sure, if you're interested. You will need a Bontrager Interchange rack for it to work.
      1. 7/7/2011 11:02 AM LBJ wrote:
        That is seriously one awesome basket. My commuter is a Montague folding bike. I don't have a basket on it yet since I haven't found one I like, but I'm going to try to get one like that. I already have a rack though - are you sure the basket is only compatible with that one brand of bike rack?
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