Redline Monocog 29er as a commuter?

[big_mountain_biker]

I've been toying with the idea of commuting 12 miles each way to work. The ride is pretty much entirely flat. Unfortunately I only have two bikes in my quiver, a Kona Stuff DJ bike and a Banshee Chaparral freeride bike. Neither of which would make for the greatest commuter rig.

I don't want to go to a road bike because I don't like the ergonomics and I weigh over 300lbs so I don't want to put that kind of punishment on weakling road bike.

I've been looking at the Redline Monocog 29er as a decently priced fully rigid SS 29er, are there other similar options out there that I should consider?

Thanks.

[Finch Platte]

Originally Posted by big_mountain_biker

I've been toying with the idea of commuting 12 miles each way to work. The ride is pretty much entirely flat. Unfortunately I only have two bikes in my quiver, a Kona Stuff DJ bike and a Banshee Chaparral freeride bike. Neither of which would make for the greatest commuter rig.

I don't want to go to a road bike because I don't like the ergonomics and I weigh over 300lbs so I don't want to put that kind of punishment on weakling road bike.

I've been looking at the Redline Monocog 29er as a decently priced fully rigid SS 29er, are there other similar options out there that I should consider?

Thanks.

You need to contact the 0gre. He commutes on a Monocog.

fp

[thecrazyfinn]

Originally Posted by big_mountain_biker

I've been toying with the idea of commuting 12 miles each way to work. The ride is pretty much entirely flat. Unfortunately I only have two bikes in my quiver, a Kona Stuff DJ bike and a Banshee Chaparral freeride bike. Neither of which would make for the greatest commuter rig.

I don't want to go to a road bike because I don't like the ergonomics and I weigh over 300lbs so I don't want to put that kind of punishment on weakling road bike.

I've been looking at the Redline Monocog 29er as a decently priced fully rigid SS 29er, are there other similar options out there that I should consider?

Thanks.

You'd be shocked at how tough a good steel road bike can be, and the ergonomics are much better than a MTB for pavement (and faster too).

Honesty, I'd look at something like a Kona Paddy Wagon. I'd be surprised if you could kill one and it would run rings around a stock 29er just due to the better gearing. I'm not much smaller than you (280lbs) and I've ridden pretty hard on steel road SS's. They'll take a serious beating (Hell, I've done 100+km in one go on one).

[johnnyb]

My second redline monocog and a commuter. $600 for the build.

[dashSC]

I can't vouch for the weight aspects of a road bike [I'm about 150 lbs], but I understand the ergonomics. I didn't like my drop bars very much, so I picked up a set of bullhorns. Best biking purchase I've made, period.

If you do go road-style though, I'd advise getting something larger than 20mm tires. That's what I have atm, and they're little.

[mattbryant2]

Originally Posted by thecrazyfinn

You'd be shocked at how tough a good steel road bike can be, and the ergonomics are much better than a MTB for pavement (and faster too).

Honesty, I'd look at something like a Kona Paddy Wagon. I'd be surprised if you could kill one and it would run rings around a stock 29er just due to the better gearing. I'm not much smaller than you (280lbs) and I've ridden pretty hard on steel road SS's. They'll take a serious beating (Hell, I've done 100+km in one go on one).

FWIW, ~225 lbs here, been riding my Paddy Wagon far harder than I should for well over a year - not a single issue. Also own a Monocog 29er and the Kona is far superior on the pavement (rack mounts, too, for all of your stuff).

[thecrazyfinn]

Originally Posted by dashSS

I can't vouch for the weight aspects of a road bike [I'm about 150 lbs], but I understand the ergonomics. I didn't like my drop bars very much, so I picked up a set of bullhorns. Best biking purchase I've made, period.

If you do go road-style though, I'd advise getting something larger than 20mm tires. That's what I have atm, and they're little.

Drops are super-comfy when setup right. Don't go all racer-boy and run them well below the saddle, instead put the tops at saddle height or thereabouts and enjoy the fact you now have 5 hand positions instead of 1-2. Note those bullhorns just duplicate the tops of the drops and the hoods of a set of brake levers, so you give up two positions (which you may not use, so it's a very viable switch).

And I agree on running fat tires. I prefer running a nice set of 30-40mm slicks over the skinny race tires. The fatter tires are actually faster at normal speeds (as proven by Jan Heine of Bicycle Quarterly) and way more comfortable, racers run the skinnies for weight and aero reasons.

[manida]

Originally Posted by johnnyb

My second redline monocog and a commuter. $600 for the build.

johnnyd, man, I saw this bike on a post you made some time back. I love this rig. Ive actually thoughtof this pic several times.......bike porn. What changes did you make? What tires are you running on this?

[johnnyb]

Originally Posted by manida

johnnyd, man, I saw this bike on a post you made some time back. I love this rig. Ive actually thoughtof this pic several times.......bike porn. What changes did you make? What tires are you running on this?

Its all parts from here and there except for the saddle, front brake and headset are new. The bars, crank, seatpost, pedals and levers are from old bikes. Comes to about $600. The tires are Kenda 700X40s, I got them at Nashbar also have a pair of 42s. I think they were under $8 bucks each. I'm running a 39X16 right now. I have a few hills on my commute and this still lets me cruise at 15mph and sprint to about 25mph. I've also managed a front rack by putting a star-fangled nut on the bottom and running a bolt up from the bottom. I love this bike!

[big_mountain_biker]

Thanks for all the feedback, that Monocog looks sweet. Especially with the Brooks saddle.

The other bike I have been looking at is the Voodoo Dambala.

Road bikes kinda scare me, I want to have a bike that can hop a curb and not have a flat or bend a rim. The Paddy Wagon does look interesting though.

Gonna try riding my Banshee tomorrow to see how feasible it will be to ride in traffic during rush hour. If I can do it on my 50 lbs. beast with 2.5" DH tires I'm sure any other bike would make it a whole lot easier.

[thecrazyfinn]

Originally Posted by big_mountain_biker

Thanks for all the feedback, that Monocog looks sweet. Especially with the Brooks saddle.

The other bike I have been looking at is the Voodoo Dambala.

Road bikes kinda scare me, I want to have a bike that can hop a curb and not have a flat or bend a rim. The Paddy Wagon does look interesting though.

Gonna try riding my Banshee tomorrow to see how feasible it will be to ride in traffic during rush hour. If I can do it on my 50 lbs. beast with 2.5" DH tires I'm sure any other bike would make it a whole lot easier.

As long as you stay away from 'race-light' road stuff, it'll hold up quite well. Messengers run bikes like the Paddy Wagon ragged without bending them out of shape, they're built tough.

[BrandonNorCal]

A bike like a Paddy wagon would be pretty cool but since you asked specifically about the Monocog I'd say yeah it would easy make a commuter. It's super easy to switch cogs to get the ratio you like. You can put almost any size tire on it. It hasn't been done by many but you could even throw gears on it if you wanted. I'm sure there are a bunch of better bikes to try. but as shown by the posters above you certainly can make it work well. and it's damn cheap too.

I mean I aint no roadie or nuthing but I do have to say that if I had a bikeable commute I'd be sweating a Surly Steamroller or a Kona Paddwagon. Wouldn't mind getting a Bianchi San Jose or a Van Dessel Country Road Bob either. Man If I could find an old Country Road Bob I'd snatch that thing up.

[paingold]

Originally Posted by johnnyb

The tires are Kenda 700X40s, I got them at Nashbar also have a pair of 42s...

Hey Jonny b, Thread jack....
Quick question about your tires. I was looking at those same Kenda's at Nashbar. Being a noob, I wasn't sure what size tube to run. Would you recommend a 29x 1.9"/2.3" or a 700x35-38c? Also, any preference between the 42's and 40's? I was leaning towards the 42's.
Thanks

[johnnyb]

Originally Posted by paingold

Would you recommend a 29x 1.9"/2.3" or a 700x35-38c? Also, any preference between the 42's and 40's? I was leaning towards the 42's.
Thanks

Hey P,

A 35-38 c tire is narrow in mountain biking terms, but good for a commuter.

29er tires circumferences are the same as 700s, I think its a matter of rim width. I've got the original Redline rims and I think they're 21-22 mm wide and they are meant for wider tires. If you put road tires on they're too narrow.

As for 40s or 42s, its whatever I bought first. I'm saving the 42s for the winter when its slicker outside and I'll have more contact patch. I also have some worn down Exiwolfs that I might run in the winter too. My commute is about 18 miles a day so I want something that rolls fast.

The Kendas wear really well, have mine on for 3 months of 80 miles a week and only a bit of wear. Good deal.

[longhaultrucker]

i used my old monocog 26er as a commuter most of last year till i took a job just too far/too long hours.i used a seatpost rack/trunk messenger bag and one of those little nashbar front racks bolted on thru the brake boss.i also ran 26x1.5" slix-loved it!

if you were to spend around $50-75 more,the redline d440 is similar to the monocog 29er with a 1x8 steup,and it has rack n fender mounts.there's also the redline 9-2-5,a 700c SS/fixie (flip flop hub) designed just for the needs you mentioned...should be around $500.

whatever ya get,post pics

(BTW,can ya tell i'm biased towards redline?they orta pay me a royalty for all the free advertising )

[0gre]

I've been running my MC 29er as a commuter for about a year now. Pretty much stock with disc brakes and slicks. I run 42x14 right now but prior to that I was running 42x16, Stockton is flat as Kansas though so maybe 42x14 is a bit aggressive for a lot of peeps. Personally I prefer pushing a bit higher gear on my commute, you stand up more and it helps build strength, not to mention that you just go faster.

I don't worry about the weight of the bike, in fact lately I've been thinking about adding some weights to the bike to make my commute a little tougher I surprise a lot of people with how fast it rolls.

[alpka]

In the winter, I had my RL MC 29 as a commuter with 35c slicks, dirt drops, which I like a lot even though I don't really like my road drops-check 'em out. I am using the Origin8 Gary which is a knockoff of the Midge. I had it geared at 40x18 and it was great with some hills in the commute.

I would definitely give er the old

[TrekJeff]

Another option for you would be to look at the Surly CrossCheck. I'm pushing 220 and run 35mm's at around 55lbs. Nice steel ride, and when I commute, I'm loaded with another 20pounds of baggage. You can also go up to a 45mm tire for more cush if you prefer and still have fender clearance.