Utilitarian bicycles.....

[Jamisjockey]

No.  The frame size is usually measured from the middle of the bottom bracket to the middle of the top tube.  As a guess, you're looking at a 17-18" frame, or 52-54cm for a road bike.  Your standover height would be 28"ish.

[zahc]

IMHO, about $600 is the benchmark for any bike besides hybrid cruisers or BMX bikes.  Anything less than that is suspect to me.

I woudn't be so sure on the bmx one, particularly given the penalty for failure. I have probably $2000 in my street bike (that I can't ride because I have bad shoulders, and should sell but can't bring myself to do it).

[Cosmoline]

I'm a fanatic when it comes to utility bikes.  But I've found Felts to be a bit on the small side and somewhat cheaply made.  My own utilitarian beasty is an Electra Rat Rod which has held up through horrible conditions for many months now.  It's turned out to be one of the best ice bikes possible.  The heavy weight, esp. when loaded down in front, keeps the center of gravity low and coupled with the studs you'd have to work hard to get it to slide out of control on ice.  But it's not so good as a SNOW bike.  Anchorage has been hit with some serious snow in the past few weeks and I've had to bag a few cruises.  You really need a mountain bike with wide knobby tires and the aility to torque down on the bars to get through the snow.  Though beyond a point no bike can do it and you have to get off and push, though there again a lighter mountain bike you can toss on your shoulder would be better.  Unfortunately, the mountain bike is much less effective on hard pack and ice where the lighter frame and higher COG make it much less stable.  So you really need two bikes for winter.





I'm really interested in their new Amsterdam models, which promise to be just as tough but with a more traditional diamond frame. 

[Cosmoline]

But if you like weird looking bikes, the one John Stenner rode was WAY weird looking.  I had to do a double take when I saw it the day his girlfriend rode it to work in the Bloodmines.

http://www.americancycling.org/bar-bat/history/jstenner/stenner_photo.htm

That looks like something you'd use to chop lumber! 

[Harold Tuttle]

not bad deal for ~200 dollars

http://cgi.ebay.com/New-26-INTER-3-speed-beach-bicycle-bike-W-shimano_W0QQitemZ7235476136QQihZ015QQcategoryZ106945QQcmdZViewItem

kinda cool:

http://cgi.ebay.com/2007-New-26-beach-Cruiser-Bike-Bicycle-On-Sale_W0QQitemZ330070523472QQihZ014QQcategoryZ106945QQcmdZViewItem

tacticool:
http://www.greenlinebicycles.com/Product.aspx?ProductID=1109

winner:
  NEW 26"  7 Speed Beach Cruiser W/ Shimano
US $179.99 40 bucks US shipping
http://cgi.ebay.com/New-26-7-speed-beach-bicycle-bike-W-shimano_W0QQitemZ330059705320QQihZ014QQcategoryZ106945QQcmdZViewItem

[MillCreek]

You should have about 2-3 inches of clearance from the top tube to the wedding tackle when you're standing flat-footed stradling the bar.  Without a fitting, though, you're otherwise guessing on reach, tt length, etc.  As long as you're comfortable, you're okay, though.

As Jason says later, the above standard is fairly common when talking about mountain or BMX bicycles.  For a traditional geometry road frame, the top tube should be just touching your crotch.  I am 5'10" with a 32 inch cycling inseam and a 30" business slacks inseam.  My mountain bikes are typically 18-18.5", depending on the geometry, and my road bikes are typically 54-56 cm, depending on geometry and how the frame is measured.

[Headless Thompson Gunner]

I was trying to avoid this discussion of frame fitting, but I just can't do it.  Sorry...   

Sizing a bike based on the height of the top tube is a mistake.  Make sure you have enough clearance to ensure you won't wrack yourself if you have to stand over the bike in a hurry.  But other than that, it just doesn't matter how high the top tube is.

What matters is getting the right length between your saddle and you handlebars.  Too long and you'll be stretched out too far, and suffer neck, back, arm and hand pain. Too short and you be too upright, suffering from jarring impacts and an ineficient riding position.

How to pick a bike with the proper top tube length is a whole different can of worms, one I don't want to get into.  So suffice it to say that sizing a frame based on top tube height instead of top tube length is a bad idea.

[Harold Tuttle]

I'm 6'4" and in college i would commute to class 5 miles on a 20 inch wheeled RLII freestyle bike

it had nice wide bars and a long top tube

the seat was just for coasting

[rwc]

I vote for modern. Last year I picked up a used Trek 7300FX with disc brakes ($450 with rack, etc.). This was a pretty serious upgrade from my last commuter, a 20+ year-old Bridgestone which I'd kept running with parts from a local bike shop's bin-o-junk until I was sure I was committed to getting back into bike commuting (22mpd in HS).

Disc brakes were a revelation.  My evening ride starts out with a 150-200' descent in three blocks (James St. betw. 5th & 2nd in Seattle). Setting out on a street completely sheeted in 1/4 to 1/2" of water with rush hour commuters or worse - Seahawks' fans  - is a good exercise in situational awareness.  Without disc brakes I would be walking. Ditto for dodging falling trees and power lines last month.

As an aside, the best accessory I've found to in the last year - http://www.ledtronics.com/ds/VST-1004/default.asp   Not subtle, but darn effective.  I'm thinking about putting one in the car for emergencies. Not far behind is a coat from Showers Pass. http://www.showerspass.com/

Safe riding all.

[mtnbkr]

I'm totally sold on disk brakes as well.  I have them on the front of my mountain bike and will be putting them on the front of the rigid fixed/single mountain bike I'm building this summer.  Lower maintenance, better stopping, less noise...What else would you want?  Price is comparable too if you get the Avid BB5 (currently $40 many places online). 

Chris