I am considering attempting a run at regular bicycle commute for some general Point A to Point B needs. I have no need for exercise, I’m not especially squeezed by energy costs, Ijust find myself increasingly disenchanted with the automobile (as a number of people seem to be). I live in a decently large metropolitan area, but it’s not especially cycle-friendly in parts and the public transportation is a joke.
Well, not recently, and here’s what I can tell you:
(1) Combining bicycle with train and / or bus works (and in fact makes scheduling much more flexible), but I bought a folding bike specificially because the pitiful two or three spaces per traincar / bus / train are usually taken. I got a full-size one (swissbike.com) which I highly recommend, though I can’t use pannier bags if I want it to fold.
(2) Rain is actually the biggest difficulty. I manage to commute with a laptop and a sack lunch and a bunch of books and other random stuff, no problem, but wet weather means all of this must be encased in plastic and I need an extra set of clothes. If you work somewhere where you can keep a few clean clothes permanently, I recommend that.
My commute is about 30 miles, of which the bicycling is between 3 & 10 depending on time of day.
Hm. Some thoughts, looking at those bikes (bike commuter here: 36 Y.O. female, strangely, never had a license).
What’s your terrain like? Hills? What’s the weather like, generally? The Fisher looks a bit more like a practical commuting bike, while the Cannondale is of that meh sort of “hybrid”: for a commute you’d do better getting a regular road bike than a hybrid, which is basically a weak sauce mountain bike. The internal 3-speed hubs are cool-- a couple of companies also make 10 speed versions, but they’re pricey. The coaster brake will also be nice in the wet. If you have a lot of hills something with a wide range of gears would be good, but a three speed should be enough for most places, and requires less fiddling.
I think commuting by bike is usually feasible, especially in town and under 10 miles, depending on how much you want to do it (most people can find a reason to find commuting by bike impossible if they wish to-- you just have to move the bar for what you consider an inconvenience). I especially like commuting in the rain because I have awesome rain gear and it makes me feel invincible. I love not having to think about parking, or worrying about traffic (no matter how bad car traffic is, a bike will make its commute in the same amount of time). You’ll want fenders, and you’ll want lights (!), and a bell. You notice the seasons, weather, birds, kids, etc. much more than when you’re hurtling about in a tank.
Plus, for the level of performance they give you, hybrids are reasonably priced enough that you won’t feel overwhelming pangs of buyer’s remorse if/when you (a) decide you like cycling so much that you want to get a more serious road/mountain/touring bike, or (b) realize that the bike’s been sitting untouched in the garage for the last three months.
Something I overheard a total stranger suggest was buying a cheap used bike on Craigslist to try out for a while, before investing in your ultimate commute bike.
I should add that for my choice, I took a list of my wants and do-not-wants into a small bike shop, and let their experience guide my choice. Before, I always had mountain bikes, even though I used them for road riding, because they were cheaper.
Commuting bikes, IMO, should be beater bikes unless you have a very long ride. Any bike will get you around town. IMO, a hybrid is better then a road bike for commuting because most causal riders don’t like the body position when riding on the drops and the more upright body position allows you to see and be seen in traffic.
I don’t see the point in buying a new bike for this venture. A cheap but functional used bike from Craigs list or a used bike at a store will function fine. If you’re worried about flats, get kevlar tires or tuffy liners. Learn how to change a tire. Buy a helmet and some lights. And then just start riding.