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Looking for a road bike
Doc
Registered User, ClubPA regular
Registered User, ClubPA regular
I need a road bike. I'd like to use it for exercise (I hate, hate, hate jogging), and to commute to work once a week, and my bigass mountain bike would make that a big pain. I've been looking on craigslist, and there seem to be some okay used bikes for under $200.
I'm 6'6", so that needs to be taken into account. Are there any general tips for getting a road bike that would be useful to me? I know I'll need 27" tires due to my height.
I'm 6'6", so that needs to be taken into account. Are there any general tips for getting a road bike that would be useful to me? I know I'll need 27" tires due to my height.
Doc on
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Also, I find them more fun to ride, certainly for commuting etc, and they tend to get you fitter exercise-wise, since you can't wuss out and switch gear on hills and such, as everyone does at times.
Really, just make sure the bike is big enough for you, and if it's used the frame is solid and sturdy, and when you take it for a test ride, the brakes and shifters feel like they're working well.
Er, no. It's a single speed bike. Either you are slow, or the gear ratio is too small. A single speed bike can mechanically go just as fast as a multi-gear, if you put the right chainset on. To be honest, if you were having trouble on the flat, it sounds like you were more the problem than the bike.
It's rare that I get outpaced by anyone on my single speed (81" gear ratio), if I do they're probably another bike messenger, I generally get anywhere in Central London faster than if I were taking the underground, and I can quite easily maintain 20mph in the city (ie accounting for traffic, lights etc).
Aluminum frame, aluminum fork, wheels with lotsa spokes. With that kind of height you can put some looooong cranks on.
The pain of climbing a hill is far surpassed by the joy of decending said hill. Which is far surpassed by the pain of road rash, getting doored or high centered into a broken collarbone.
The joys of city riding.
I don't plan on using it downtown too much. Mostly on paved bike paths in and out of the city.
Whats your budget?
Before you decide what bike you want, you should decide how much you're willing to spend, and what kind of gear you will need.
You need to factor in things like: Frame pump for flats, helmet (if you plan on wearing one), Shoes and pedals (if you want to go clipless, which I recommend). This kind of stuff can add up pretty fast.
Anyway, I'm 6'4" and I fit pretty well on a 61cm frame. If I was going to buy another bike, I'd buy one with compact frame geometry, because most of my height is in my legs. Probably the best thing you could do would be to run out to a bike shop and get your measurements taken. From there, they can tell you what frame size and geometry would work best for your body type.
Er again, also not true. Biking might not do much for your vanity Mens Health cover type body, but it is great for everything below the waist (much better than running), and also works a lot on your core muscles, if you are doing it right. It doesn't tend to be as high a calorie burner per minute as running, but that's very dependent on time/distance/speed.
Doc, as for hills, really depends what you mean by hills in an urban area. Plenty of hills around where I live, but not quite San Francisco. It's quite possible to do on a single speed, but yes, it's not always pleasant. Also, takes a good six months to really build up the muscles to do those climbs regularly. On the plus side, you'll have calves & quads that Arnie would be proud of, if that's your kind of thing. Also gets you very fit, very fast.
I'm mostly hammering the single-speed angle because you're going to be VERY lucky to get even a crappy multi-gear road bike, even second-hand, at under $300. You can get a decent single-speed for that price.
Finally, check this out, but I'm fairly sure that your mountain bike components etc will be incompatible with most road bike builds. Obviously your bike tools and such will be fine, but don't bet on gearsets or even chains being interchangeable.
I get plenty of workout through my core muscles already through calisthenics and weight lifting.
I am more worried about building cardiovascular endurance and losing a bit of extra fat. I am a really big person (I don't consider myself overweight; I have a slight layer of fat covering my abs which I would like to get rid of), at 235 lbs and 6'6". Running sucks when you are big. Sucks ass.
Yeah, I was talking about tools and safety stuff.
These include the Specialized Allez, the Bianchi Brava, and the Jamis Satellite.
There are a few other right around that pricepoint with very similar components, and from what I can tell, are great bikes for the money. You probably wouldn't win any races on them, but they'll certainly be fast.
For my new bike, I'll be shopping for either one of those road bikes, or the Bianchi Volpe, a cyclocross bike (bigger tires) that I like the versatility of.
Also, WD-40 is a solvent, not so much a lubricant, don't skimp, buy real chain oil.
www.diamondback.com isnt a bad place to start. I'd go with a commute ride, commuting in a damp area the last thing you want is a shit-splatter up your back from a bare tire.
Unless thats what you enjoy, takes all kinds.
that's an excellent way to destroy your knees.
took out her barrettes and her hair spilled out like rootbeer
Obviously, there are a few caveats, the frame and forks of the bike have to have enough clearance for the wheels to physically fit, and it helps if the mountain bike has an XC-biased set up.
Well, it's unlikely to cause any permanent damage, but it will probably give you serious IT band problems for a while until your muscles adapt.
Well, your best bet is to patrol craigslist, probably. You could hit Recycled Cycles in the U District. Maybe pawn shops in the area. The most important thing for you is going to be getting the correct frame size, and given your size, thats probably going to be difficult.
Do you ride your mountain bike a lot? You might consider just buying slicks for your mountain bike. That would be very cheap, and improve the ride on pavement dramatically.
edit: Just read your post in the DnD thread. $800 will get you a good, solid entry level bike from most manufacturers.
I was just at Recycled Cycles yesterday. Their selection of used stuff was very slim, since it's getting to the time of the year where they are in high demand.
Also, my mountain bike is very, very heavy.
I've upped my limit to $700 or so. I should be able to snag a good used bike from craigslist for that.
Though, I hate jogging too, so I picked up rollerblading and swimming. I'd recommend both
Check this thread out (goes to bikeforums.net). Click
$700 should buy you a lot of used bike, or a good entry level new bike.
I think I must missunderstand the meaning of "core muscles" then, because that's essentialy what I meant.
Fenders are a must for a commuter bike imho. Even if you don't commute in work clothes, fenders will keep you much drier and cleaner on those wet days (and the days after the wet days when there is still water on the ground). Plus they keep your bike cleaner and drier.
I say look for a cyclocross style bike. Something with the wider 700c tires and plenty of braze-ons so you can put fenders and a rack on it (if you are going to be carrying a lot of gear back and forth you'll want panniers with a rack, much more comfortable for riding). Plus go for something with gears.
I am riding a Surly Cross-Check frame. Highly recommended.
took out her barrettes and her hair spilled out like rootbeer
"Core muscles" generally refers to your abs.
Workingmen of all countries, unite!
I'm going for another test ride today.
FYI: the volpe only has one set of braze-ons for the rear, which would make mounting both a rack and a rear fender a problem
took out her barrettes and her hair spilled out like rootbeer
Aren't there fender designs that don't use the braze-ons?
There might be a way to stabilize the fender using the rack though.
Oh yeah, don't get one of those stupid mountain bike fenders that mounts to the seatpost, you want the full sized ones.
took out her barrettes and her hair spilled out like rootbeer
I am a zip-tie master. I'll figure something out.
http://www.electric-bikes.com/lashout2.htm
:P
The first part where they make eyelets using the ties looks like it'd work equally well on the rear.
took out her barrettes and her hair spilled out like rootbeer