Commuter for Moira

Moira has been commuting to work on a beater bike for years. She reached out to replace it with something more purpose-built for commuting, grocery-running, and general transportation.

Commuter bike with fenders and dynamo lighting

This is Moira's second Manzanita. You can read about her first bikepacker here.

Like her bikepacker, we designed the bike around the Velo Orange Crazy Bars. Moira prefers flat or alt bars over drop bars.

She also wanted lights, fenders, and a rear rack. A dynamo system covers front and rear lights. Dynamo setups are convenient. You never have to worry about charging batteries. You can even run your lights during the day for a little extra visibility to drivers. Wiring for the rear light runs internally through the frame and rear Tubus rack.

SP dynamo hub Dynamo headlight
Dynamo light mounted to fork crown Dynamo light mounted to fork crown

Velo Orange hammered fenders will keep ground water off the drivetrain and Moira. Full-coverage fenders are an important feature for a bike that will be ridden year round.

To keep the drivetrain simple, we decided on a Shimano 1x11 setup. The brakes are the reliable Shimano SLX hydraulics.

Moira chose Highend Charcoal for the powdercoat color and black graphics to keep the bike looking understated. A bike that will be locked up outside shouldn't call attention to itself. But a strong lock is of course the best security.

Velo Orange Crazy Bars on commuter bike

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