Vitus Dee 29: Bicycle Gear Review

Last winter, I bought a $200 heavy duty mountain bike for riding through snow and slush. It was a K2 Zed, with a hefty frame and thick treaded tires. It worked out great; the bike brought me safely through cold and piles of snow on the road. However all that safety equated to a ton of weight. It would have been ok if I hadn’t had to carry it to and from my apartment’s front door through the living room and onto the balcony twice a day. I didn’t have the best carrying form, and as a result ended up minorly spraining my wrist from the strain.

This winter I decided to spring for a new winter bike. I knew that I didn’t want one quite as heavy duty, but other than that I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted. While doing some research on winter biking, I read about some people choosing to ride a single speed mountain bike with disc brakes. Apparently the single gear is good for snowy icy weather. It eliminates extra gears and derailleur, resulting in fewer metal parts that need to be maintained. The disc brakes help in wet weather because of their stopping power. I was intrigued.

The downside of this bicycle setup is that I wouldn’t be able to zip around like I can on my racing bike. However since it’s a winter bike, I’m more about safety and stability than speed. I decided to look into it. I quickly found that a single speed bike with disc brakes is actually not very common. After finding some somewhat expensive options I did find some online bikes that seemed like possibilities on a site called Chain Reaction Cycles. The reviews were by and large very positive (4 stars and up) so I decided to risk it on a 29 inch bike called the Vitus Dee 29.

I didn’t realize this until the order was placed, but Chain Reaction Cycles is based in Ireland, and has been around for quite a while-- since 1984. Even though ordering from them would be an international shipment, their prices were incredibly competitive. WIth shipping and international tax, the bike ended up being around $450 all told.

new bike euphoria

When the bike arrived (and I stopped jumping up and down like Christmas morning), I ripped open the box and saw that it came 90% assembled. Sweet! It only needed the front fork, handlebars, and front wheel put on. After putting it together, I brought it to the local bicycle shop to get it checked over, and found out that I had actually put the fork on backwards. Whoops. Oh well, live and learn. The bike shop guys at Landry’s were very nice and not at all snobby or snarky. They were quite curious about where the bike was from, since it has a very cool unique look.

The clean lines of single-gear 

Sexy disc brakes

After the bicycle was all tuned up and ready to ride, I took it out a few times to see how it did on my 5 mile commute. I felt pretty awesome riding it, and imagined I was riding a motorbike as I pedaled down the streets. However it did take some time getting used to a heavier single speed after riding my much lighter road bike with a large front gear. I felt so-o-o slow the first few times, but after that I’ve gotten used to it. This bike isn’t made for speed, although it isn’t horribly slow. I admit I’ve gotten hooked to riding it and simply enjoying the feel of the road. I’m also very impressed overall with the build quality of Chain Reaction. While many reviewers said they replaced parts like the pedals which weren’t top notch, for my commuting needs it is really solid and doesn’t feel cheap. Yet another reason to visit Ireland!

8-bit accent art

Update 1: It’s been about a month and half, and I’m still riding and loving this bike! It seems solid as ever, and the factory lube on the chain hasn’t worn off yet. I feel really stable and safe when it’s wet and windy out, and I think it’ll be a ton of fun once the snow hits and there’s slush everywhere.

Update 2: I've now been riding it in cold and snowy weather for a few weeks. For the most part it's holding up great. There are two things I've noticed-- the Kenda tires aren't great. I've had two rear flats from metal objects popping the tube through the tire. I'm thinking of either getting better quality tires. It would be nice if Chain Reaction could include better kit tires, but really this bike is such a deal. The second thing I've noticed is the rear wheel keeps shifting forward in the bike frame, eventually causing the chain to slip off while I'm riding. I've tried tightening the wheel in a couple times but it does slowly come back. Not sure if this is an equipment issue or me just not tightening it enough. Overall though this bike is great, and a good deal for winter biking!

Beginning Urban Biking: 5 Tips

Five quick tips if you're beginning to bike in the city:

1. Wear a helmet! 

Obviously. I have friends who don’t wear helmets, and I see people without helmets all the time. But as someone who’s fallen off my bike and hit my head, I can’t imagine hitting my head on the road without a helmet on.

2. Use a front and rear light. 

Probably 30-40% of bikers I see have no lights on at night. Lights make a huge difference to being visible. And while not wearing a helmet will only hurt yourself, not wearing lights puts others at risk of getting hurt if you end up hitting or getting hit by them.

3. Claim the lane and avoid the door zone. 

A lot of bikers I see ride way over in the very right side of the lane. I get it, it feels safer to be that much farther away from the cars. But you’re actually putting yourself in harm’s way of getting doored by parked cars and of cars who aren’t fully changing lanes to pass you. Riding in the center of the lane (when there’s no separated bike lane of course!) will make all but the most audacious drivers wait until they can lane change properly to pass you. And you won’t get doored. Win win!

4. Ride in the flow of car traffic. 

Bike as if you were a car as much as possible. This means riding in the center of the lane, not weaving in between cars, and yes, stopping at red lights. To be perfectly honest, I don’t do this myself 100% of the time. I will do things like ride between lanes of cars if there’s a long line stopped at a light. But biking like a car makes you a much more predictable biker to drivers and others, and also will help redeem the tarnished image of bicyclists that many drivers have. Think of it as your own PR campaign.

5. Stay cool and be respectful. 

When the inevitable happens and some jerk cuts you off or yells at you for no apparent reason, stay cool. I know I have to struggle hard to not give in to anger and I don’t always succeed. But just try to take a few deep breaths and let them go. You’re probably never going to see them again and it’s just not worth it.

This is just a short list of must-do’s while biking. Do you have any other tips for biking in the city?

Bike Journal: being outdoors and disconnecting

Living and working in the city doesn't easily dispose one to being outdoors very often. Especially during New England winters, my daily habits consist of waking up, transporting myself from home to work, sitting at a desk in front of a computer for 8 hours, then transporting myself back home for the night-- often in front of Netflix or Blizzard.net to unwind. You know how it is.

 Unless you add a gym or other exercise session into your probably busy schedule, you can quickly turn into a sedentary being that simply moves about from one indoor space to another.

 There are many reasons I'm so thankful that I am able to bike to work every day. One big one is that I am able to both exercise and get to and from work in the same breath. That, coupled with the fact that I can best a subway commute time every day, makes my efficiency-loving self incredibly happy. I'm also saving a crap-ton of money by not having to purchase a monthly subway pass or own a car.

 This week I realized one new reason that I love biking to work-- being in the outdoors. It may not be the same as camping or hiking in the White Mountains, but biking in the city is still an opportunity for getting fresh air. I feel like being able to disconnect from my usual screen-to-screen habits and pedaling down the streets clears my head and gives me space to think and reflect.

 I don't remember the source, but I read an article a while back on the effects of continual use of computers and mobile phones. In it, the author said that one overlooked detriment was that by constantly reading, watching, and clicking all day long, we're depriving our brains of a kind of negative space that helps boost imaginative thinking. Day dreaming, if you will. It's almost like sleep-- we don't understand exactly why we need sleep, but it is necessary to life. In the same way, those occasional moments of down time that used to be our frequent companions apparently help our minds take a break and just relax.

 I know that if I was on the subway I would 9 times out of 10 be looking at my phone. Biking home after work forces me to disconnect from text messages and Facebook. For those 45 minutes the only things going on in the world that I know of are physically inside the 40' radius around me. I am free to process happenings of the day, while remaining alert and cautious biking, of course! And I can move as fast or slow as my legs will take me.

Predict an accident before it happens

The first rule of urban biking is to avoid trucks like the plague.

Unpleasant surprises on the road can really throw a wrench into your otherwise blissful ride. Having a car suddenly turn right in front of you, or having a pedestrian appear out of nowhere can cause crashes and injuries. However, while not all surprises can be avoided, I’ve found that there are a few warning signs that you can look out for to give you a better chance of staying clear of dangerous situations.

Watch for right-turning cars when approaching “car destinations.”

If you think about where cars want to go on their trip, those locations are places that they will be slowing, stopping, and turning. These could be as simple as an intersection where cars want to turn right, a driveway, a taxi stand, or hotels. One stretch of road on my commute is a fairly busy street downtown near parking garages and hotels. The cars going to parking need to turn across the bike lane to get to the entrance. Some drivers watch for bikers and will slow down and wait for you to pass; others won’t. On top of that, a lot of taxis and other cars dropping people off or picking people up around the hotels will pull over, often into the bike lane, as there are no other alternatives for them to stop. They may or may not be watching for bikers, and the doors on any side of the car could open.

Watch for pedestrians cutting between cars when riding alongside lines of stopped cars.

This happens a ton, and honestly, I often do the same thing while walking. Pedestrians have places to be as well, especially on weekday mornings, and if you’re in a hurry, you don’t always have the patience to go all the way down to the crosswalks. Crossing while the cars are stopped seems like a quick shortcut, but when you’re biking, having a person pop out in front of you, especially if they aren’t watching for bikes, can result in a crash. If you’re biking along stopped or very slowly moving cars, slow down a bit and keep an eye out across the lanes for people crossing. This is a situation where a bell will go a long way in making your presence known.

Watch for signs of erratic behavior, such as a car slowing down or drifting slightly to the right side.

When you’re on the road, there’s a normal flow of traffic, as the majority of cars are driving straight ahead down the road. Obviously not 100% of cars will go straight forever, and in every pack of cars some will be slowing down or turning at any given point. There are a few signs you can check for that will hint that a car will be stopping or turning, potentially into your lane of traffic. If a car just ahead of you starts slowing slightly or drifting into the right side of their lane, there’s a good chance it may turn right or try to pull into a parking space soon. When that happens simply slow down a bit to give yourself room to swerve to avoid if it stops or turns right in front of you.

These are just a few things to look out for when trying to guess what a car or pedestrian may do on the road. While anything can happen, hopefully being mindful of these hints can help you to prevent potential accidents from happening.