Tackling the Commute

For the last 2 years I've being trying to make the commute into work regardless of the weather but have never really been successful in stringing together more then a few days in a row,  and definitely not weeks. After my daughter was born in the summer of 2008 my cycling literally came to a halt (no sleep = no energy). When the 2009 season approached I decided to get more serious about my riding and purchased a brand new road bike to help speed up my commute feeling that a faster commute would motivate me to ride more frequently.

My commute is just over 13 km's each way and takes me through an extensive park system that runs the length of the city. It's a great ride (mostly) with the first half running a slight downhill grade. The remainder is slightly uphill with a very short but steep exit out of the valley, and depending on the day can feel like I'm pedaling through porridge. Coming home is an exact mirror of the ride in.

The bike was a 2007 Specialized Roubaix - a beautiful road bike set up with a complete Shimano 105 drive train. Previous to this I had been riding a Trek 7100 Hybrid bike but found the riding position hard on my hands, and on windy days the upright position was not the most aerodynamic. The Roubaix solved the hand position and numbness issues as well as the aerodynamics but in the end I realized I had purchased too much bike. Unfortunately I only ever put 700 km's on the specialized.

That same summer I also purchased a great pair of vintage SuperCycle cruisers (so vintage that they are actually English made Raliegh's) as a surprise for my wife. The plan was to ride them to the beach and around town during the summer months. The problem was I loved the upright riding position! From that point on I knew I wanted to sell my road bike and get back to more traditional ride.

Around the same time 2 other things occurred - I rediscovered the world of internal hubs, and also came across a great supplier of electric hub motors. This got me thinking about building a classic cruiser that had a) an internal rear hub to keep maintenance to a minimum, and b) an electric motor in order to reduce the energy required to get to and from work (my plan is to ride every day - last year that never happened because after 2 days in a row of riding I felt too exhausted to tackle a 3rd, 4th or 5th day). With a power assisted ride I should have no problem committing to a full week's worth of commuting, and during the hot summer months I won't arrive to work covered in sweat.

Needless to say I am officially on the hunt for the perfect bike that will fit all my future requirements

1. Internal rear hub - preferably an 8 speed Alfine hub
   
2. Steel or ChroMo front fork - the folks at AmpedBikes.com recommend a steel fork (you can read more here)
3. All the necessary grommets to allow for fenders and racks
4. Classic geometry
   
5. Priced around the $900 mark (the cash I had from the sale of my Specialized Roubaix)
   

The bottom line is I can't. Either the bikes are too expensive or not readily available (I live in Toronto). But I came across a 2009 Giant Seek 1 for sale at my local bike shop that fits my budget, has an 8 speed Alfine rear hub and the bonus of 700c wheels and hydraulic disc brakes. The only issue is the modern compact geometry and the aluminum front fork - but it seems like a great deal (an Alfine hub can run you $300 easy and the disc brakes another $150+).

To buy or not to buy?