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Author Topic: Biking Advice
Primal Curve
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I'm in the market for a new bike. I'm not looking for some rinkydink little bike to get me from the store to my house, I'm looking for something serious. I plan on starting to commute to work from my current place of residence. It's about 23 miles one way.

I need something fast and light, but durable so that it can take some abuse and a lot of riding (about 200 miles a week). I was previously biking to work on a "mountain" bike of questionable value and was frequently annoyed at the fact that the tires would drag me down and were never hard enough to keep the rolling resistance level down and my speed up. Also, because of its design, I couldn't keep myself tucked to cut down on wind resistance as well. It was never a huge problem, because it was only 5 miles one way then.

Now, I obviously need something better, faster. I'll actually need a helmet this time (I'll be spending a lot more time on roads) and I'm curious about biking in the winter. I want to be able to do this for as long as possible this year. I'll also probably need some saddle bags or something to store my work clothes and other gear.

Another problem is height. The bike I've been using is okay, but a tad small for me. Now, I'm looking for something my size. I need to be comfortable and don't need to put too much strain on my body. I'm about 6'3 or 6'4 depending upon the day.

Any suggestions?

[ September 08, 2004, 08:58 AM: Message edited by: Primal Curve ]

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Hobbes
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Plenty! [Big Grin]

OK, let's see what we have, you want fast, something you'll be doing long commutes on. You like being able to be in a tucked position. Something that can stand up to tough riding, you want to bike in the winter and a way to put stuff on the bike. And you want a helemt and a bike that fits.

All right, let's get the easy stuff out of the way, for the helemet, if you get something that's easil adjustable and comfortable you'll be looking at around 70 or more dollars, for you I would say completely worth it, but if you want to limit cash spent, this is one area to do it in since any helemet will keep you safe. What you're shelling out the extra bucks for is comfort, better asjustments, and more ventilation. Ohh, and as a side not, remove any thing clipped onto the helemt, like a visor, if you're at all interested in aerodynamics.

Almost everything you said just screams road bike, except for the winter and carrying stuff part, but we'll get to that. To havea fast bike on the roads, and certainly to have something that lets you lower and compact your profile in the wind you basically need a road bike. Road bikes start around 5 to 6 hundred dollars, the ones you get for these prices are actually decent, very decent. Basically, when you're shopoping for a road bike your quality control shouldn't be on the look-out for a bike that's going to come apart because none of them will. Ask about the components, how easy is it to shift? How are the wheels? These are things you'll have to ask the salesman, but they're normally very honest and knolwedgable, so I have no qualms sending you in so armed. [Smile]

Now this will solve almost all your problems, road bikes are obviously as fast as you'll get, any road bike ever made comes with the "drops", the curved down "U"s at the end of the handlebars that let you keep an aero position (but don't expect to be spending all you're time out there, most of it you'll spend probably at the end of the upper bart of the handlebars, streached out a little). Any road bike in the price-range I mentioned or above will be plenty sturdy as long as you keep it on roads, these things are designed to be ridden, so don't worry about it.

The two issues that aren't going to go perfectly along with a road bike is the winter thing and the carrying stuff. Now the latter should be easily taken care of, but I'm going to insist on one thing. You can get something to attach to your bike to strap a pack or whatever to, no problem. It'll cut down a little on the aerodynamics of it, but since you have to carry that stuff anyways, it's probably better than wearing a pack (unless you can fit everything you need into a camelback, or imitator). So that should be fine, but, I'd insist that you not get a carbon fiber frame. Now I don't know what your budget is, probably it would be out of the question anyways (full carbon fibers start, almost always, above 1,500), but whatever it is, carbon fiber could be easily damaged by attaching that type of weight to it in a place and in a way that it's simply not designed to deal with, so don't risk it. Aluminum frames are fine, and if you want to get some carbon fiber compnents (the best place to start is the fork for carbon fiber) that wont effect it, but I would highly suggest an aluminum frame.

Now about the winter thing, this will be the toughest. You can get some thicker wheels for your bike (simply open up the breaks some and it should be fine), this will of course impact preformance, but it might give you some extra traction that you need in the winter, extra balance. When you're talking ice you're pretty much doomed whatever tire or bike you're riding, so I'm not sure what conditions you want to fight. Road bike will probably be the worst for handling winter weather, but I'm not incredibly convinced that a mountain bike will get you that much more in the winter. I think you're just going to have to find a new way to work when it snows or the road freeze over. [Frown]

Hope this helps, if you've got any more questions, ask! [Cool]

Hobbes [Smile]

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Primal Curve
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Well, Wisconsin is really good about road conditions. In the winter, the trucks are standing at the ready to clear roads and salt them. It's a rare day when there's actual snow still on the road after it has snowed. Typically the trucks are out the minute the snow starts to drop and run until it stops and all the roads are clear. Any major road is going to be clear of ice and snow. However, I don't really plan on riding when it's snowing. If it's snowing when I need to get to work, I'll just take my car, but I want to ride in any other circumstance. I'm more concerned about keeping my body warm and hydrated and what the road salt will do to my bike.

Randomish question: What about those things I see that a lot of cyclists have on their handle bars? I'm talking about those things that let them lean forward in what looks like a more relaxed position.

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Hobbes
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Aero-Bars. I just got some a weeks or so ago for my bike. They are absoltuley brilliant, they flatten out your back and keep you very low. It makes you're position much more aerodynamic, as well as still allowing you to keep some decent power going (wheras being in the drops normally makes it harder to put a lot of energy out unless you're sprinting). The've bumped my average speed up in a big way (we're talking multiple mph). Now what you'll find is that any bike that has these built in is going to be very expensive, and most likely, all carbon fiber. I would shy away from anything with built in aeros for you (I'm still unclear on your price range, but typically built ins come on bikes that clear the 2000 mark with room to spare). What you can do, what I did, is buy the aeros seperatly. You can get very good ones for just under $100. And if you choose to do this, I'll give you one or two pointers, but, I would also highly suggest waiting.

They do make the bike much more difficult to control when your on the bars, and you can't reach the gear shifts or the brakes from out there, so it can be dangerous unless you've got a lot of long, flat, straight road. And even then, it's still tough to control. I would get your bike first, get used to it, and then think about aeros (it's normally just some alan screws to apply them, nothing you have to bring into a shop for so you don't need to worry about paying for someone to do it).

As for winter riding, I would say it sounds like anything you couldn't ride your road bike on probably wouldn't be good for a mountain bike either, so my final suggestion is road bike with a big fat stamp of approval on it. [Smile]

Hobbes [Smile]

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Hobbes
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Ohh, and when it comes to salt, I would think that aluminium should stand up fine to it, but I don't really know this. Probably carbon-fiber would be better but... well there's my orginal objection, and a price bump of about 1,000. Ask the salesperson, they should be well aquantied with the problem, they have to deal with it for all their customers.

Hobbes [Smile]

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Primal Curve
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Awesome, I was thinking about the same thing. I like the control I get from a hybrid or mountain bike while in the city, but I'm heading off into the country and need something for the long distances. Also, the more and more I started biking and appreciating biking and the dynamics of the whole sport, the more I appreciated the pure speed that a road bike allows.

My current price range tops off at about 500 bucks, but I have a friend who works for a bike shop and can get me bikes at or just above cost. I can also get parts and stuff through him for rediculously cheap prices.

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Hobbes
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Sorry about all these posts in a row, but I realizied I forgot something vital. Test ride your bike!. And by this, I don't mean take it around the block, I mean insist on at least two miles of test-riding. It's why I didn't suggest any specific brands, you need to pick a bike that feels good to you, and it's different for everyone. The only way to find out is to take the bike out and ride it. It's also great if they let you return it after a week or something if you don't like the feel. But it's absoltuley vital that you take the bike out on a serious test ride, or you could end up with a bike you can't stand to ride more than 500 meters, only you never knew that when buying the bike because you never did ride the bike more than 500 meters.

Also, if there's anything wrong with the bike they give you to test ride (streached chain, bad shifts, croocked handlebars, whatever), insist on getting it fixed before you go. You will have no clue how the bike actually feels to ride when you can only ride it broken. When I went searching for my bike (a Trek 1000) I took a bike out for a test ride only to discover that I couldn't shift it because the chain was streached out worse than any I had ever seen before. I brought it back in and told the guy who was handling me, and he looked at it and told me it was fine really, I should be able to get a good feel. Well, I decided since he was lying through his teeth I'd just take his words at face value, informed him then that the bike felt wrong (if the bike normally can't shift... [Big Grin] ) and took my patronage elsewhere. Almost all bike salesman are just bike enthusiats themselves, great help and very friendly, but every once in a while you run into someone whose lazy or whatnot, and then just go somewhere else.

Finally, on sizing you up for a bike, when you have your feet flat on the ground, stradeling the bike their chouls be a couple inches between your crotc and the frame, and your knees sould be slightly bent when you sit on the bike and have your leg all the way down on the pedal, but this is something much easier done, and much better accomplished on sight, and I will garuntee that anyone you talk to will know how to size you for a bike, so don't worry about that. I'd guess you're probably built for a frame 64, so if they tell you to hope onto a 58 or something then take notice, but really, they should take care of this fine.

Hobbes [Smile]

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Hobbes
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500 bucks? OK, that's fine, you'll be looking at exclusivey low-end bikes, but those are fine (my Trek 1000 that I love was about that, maybe a little over). These will be exclusivley aluminium, but that's fine too. Any store you walk into, you can just say you want a low-end, introductory type road-bike and you'll be set. [Smile]

[EDIT: I understand that you'll be buying from your friend for cheap prices, but it's probably still nice to look around everywhere just to get an idea of what you do and do not like, especially since he can probably have bikes ordered for you, if it's chain-store anyways, so I would suggest looking other places, even if you know you're going to buy there]

Pure speed is what I love in bikes too. [Smile]

By the way, you ma find that after a couple months you can actually get far better control on a road bike then any other type of bike, your center of gravity is lower, and the handle bars allow for it (especially when you're in the drops).

Hobbes [Smile]

[ September 08, 2004, 09:50 AM: Message edited by: Hobbes ]

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Primal Curve
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What about clothes? How the crap am I going to stay warm on a bike travelling at roughly 20 mph in the dead of winter?
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Hobbes
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Well for that, forget biking clothes, they're all designed to keep you cool. Wear pants, and then wind pants (though be sure to strap them down, if they get stuck in the chain not only will it ruin your pants, it can cause you to crash) and wear wind protection on top. That's the key, warm stuff is good, but really you'll be building up a lot of your own heat, the thing to worry about is the wind, so keep that wind protection gear on, and probably wear something under your helemet (especially for your ears). Putting on some warmies under the wind stuff will be good, but the key will always be to keep the wind out.

Hobbes [Smile]

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Primal Curve
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I'm beginning to realize that after a few weeks of doing this, I'm going to start dropping weight like an olympic power lifter.
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Hobbes
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[Laugh] It's true, you will. Some suggestions on diet, go heavy on protien and carbs, it'll help your muscles build up (as opposed to helping them atrophe) and make sure you don't bonk out on the road to work. Keep water with you always and I suggest putting in a few candy bars, not for everyday eating, but in case you do suddenly loose energy on your commute (as can happen), if you don't have some food handy you can be in a suprising amount of trouble even if you're in the middle of a city.

My bike to work wasn't nearly as far, 9 miles each way, but still... I gained weight despite biking it. [Grumble]

Hobbes [Smile]

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Primal Curve
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How did you gain weight?
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Hobbes
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I don't know, I have mad gain-weight skills 'yo.

[Grumble]

Hobbes [Smile]

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Primal Curve
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What do you eat usually?
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Hobbes
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At the time I was eating a small breakfast (like a bowl of ceral), two ham sandwhiches for lunch, a semi-rounded dinner. Then, this is undoubtly what killed me, I would typically get hungry again and make myself something. Sometimes I made fudge, sometimes I made eggs, sometimes I made cake, sometimes I just ate Grahm Crackers (how is that spelled?). [Dont Know] It seems like even then I souldn't have gained weight, but I have a slow metabolism. My body is kind of really bad at anything physical, including staying in shape.

Hobbes [Smile]

[ September 08, 2004, 10:21 AM: Message edited by: Hobbes ]

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BannaOj
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They DO have warm weather riding gear Hobbes, and it isn't all designed to be cool. A lot of it is more "excercise" gear in general. You will need a good pair of leggings, like football players wear that can keep you pretty darn warm. Probably wear your biking shorts underneath for padding, though you can buy some that have the padding built in. You'll need to layer for the wind as well. Probably a thermal top, with a wind breaker, along with perhaps wind breaking excercise pants (though you need ones that aren't too baggy) over the leggings.

(Yeah I know what I need for a commute in the winter, but I haven't bought it yet either.)

AJ

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Hobbes
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Really? That's good to know, I can't remember ever seeing any, now I'll have to activley look. [Cool]

Hobbes [Smile]

[ September 08, 2004, 10:27 AM: Message edited by: Hobbes ]

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Primal Curve
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So you're biking to work too, AJ?
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BannaOj
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Well I *should* be biking more. But yes I have been occasionally. Its about 13 miles each way. The dependent factors are whether I can get my butt out of bed in the morning and whether its raining.

AJ

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BannaOj
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And, while a road bike would be faster, the urban jungle where I live makes it so that a mtn bike is more practical, considering I have to ride on dirt paths to avoid being run of the road by Chicago traffic.

AJ

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Hobbes
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Yes, you should keep that in mind PC, if you need to do any off-road at all, even if it's just a few hundred meters each way, it can be really tough on a road bike. It doesn't sound like your route involves that, but if it does, well I'd probably still say road bike since I think you'd enjoy it much more, but except a pretty decent amount of flats (unless you get the thicker tires).

Hobbes [Smile]

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Primal Curve
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Trek has a bike for "Cyclocross." It looks like a road bike. What's the deal with that?
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Primal Curve
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Example

It says it's for off-roading too.

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BannaOj
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I'm guessing (and I haven't looked at the exact specs) that the tires are a little narrower than a true mountain bike, I've seen ones that have a ridge designed to ride on, but still have enough knobbiness to them that you can get traction if the terrain isn't too extreme.

AJ

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The Rabbit
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My recommendation would be to go for a real touring bicycle like the Trek 520.

http://www.roadbikereview.com/2003,Touring,Bike/Trek/PRD_139380_4346crx.aspx

Any good bicycle designed for touring has the basic geometry as a road bike but has slightly more relaxed angles so that its more comfortable for long distances. It has road bike style handle bars so you can easily tuck into the wind. You can put very narrow tires on it if you like or go with something a bit more heavy duty to avoid flats. The trek 520 comes equipped with a rack to you can easily carry paniers.

If you are going to be commuting in all types of weather, be sure to put fenders on the bike. They add a bit of weight and wind resistance but they are worth it on wet roads.

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zgator
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Sheesh, Rabbit. Any incoming freshman knows to get fenders.

My question. I see bikes in Sports Authority, Walmart, etc. that sell for about $100. What is the primary differences from these very cheap bikes and the more expensive ones? Is it mainly the parts?

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The Rabbit
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One the very cheap bikes the frames are usually very heavy and have poor quality welds so they more likely to brake. The wheels have poor quality bearings, cheap axels and cheap spokes and are often not properly tensioned. The rest of the components are also very low quality. My husband bought a cheap cruiser a few years ago and the bottom bracket wasn't straight in the frame. As a result it kept loosening up. If he hadn't tightened it every other day it would have stripped out in a short time and the bike would have been irrepairable.
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skillery
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My electric dream bike
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