Anyone into road bikes? Any recommendations?

[sgreger1]

My wife and I are looking to buy 2 road bikes (bicycles). Does anyone have any recommendations if you ride yourself? Brands, what type of metal for the frames etc?

I know we got some bikers in here.

[precious007]

:^)

Ohh definitely -

GMC

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000BT4W2C...8GGNEQ1D80PMM&

Huffy

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002NUIBKG...C4J084JRPY34F&

Mongoose

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004TJDK96...N0RE39K46PM7Y&

These are some of the inexpensive ones range $300 - $600.

Also See Kona Bikes - http://www.konaworld.com/

[potsblitz]

Hi,

i ride a Cannondale CAAD10 Ultegra Version. For a year now (i rode it for almost 5000 miles last year)
Its the lightest aluminium frame on the market with a carbon fork.
Upgrade the wheels and you will have a pretty fast and nice road bike. Also Cannondale will give you lifetime warranty on the frame and fork.
Plus it is stiffer than most carbon frames that cost one grand more then this.

I would fully recommand this bike.

[stubby2]

I've been into bikes a long time and have gone through many types including, light sporty racing type with standard racing type handle bars, mountain, hybrid city, recumbent, and my present bike, a commuter with internal 8 speed, very upright setting position, fenders, a full chain guard, built in lighting system with a generator in the front hub, and a few more odes and ends.

As I get older speed is of no importance but comfort is. I'm finding the upright riding position the most comfortable for me. It's almost as good as a recumbent but more practical for urban biking. Not so good if you want to go long distance.

You have to decide what you want to use it for. If you want to just tool around the neighborhood then stay away from the skinny ties and bent over the bars position, and the over built fat tire mountain bikes. Get a nice hybrid city bike. Touring takes another type, etc. Tell me what you want to do and I might be able to help you, but I won't tell you specifically what bike to get, just what type of bike to get.

[Snuts]

I have a Scott.

I think you should do some reading and visit some bicycle shops before choose one.

[jmdkodiak]

I ride a Trek 1.5 and I love it. I also ride a Trek Mamba 29er off-road.

[devilock76]

Second a lot of what stubby said, all though the more race purposed bikes I tend to find fairly comfortable once set up correctly. I need to get a new one myself. I am gingerly returning to it as I am not sure how much more running I got left in me.

Ken

[sgreger1]

I've been into bikes a long time and have gone through many types including, light sporty racing type with standard racing type handle bars, mountain, hybrid city, recumbent, and my present bike, a commuter with internal 8 speed, very upright setting position, fenders, a full chain guard, built in lighting system with a generator in the front hub, and a few more odes and ends.

As I get older speed is of no importance but comfort is. I'm finding the upright riding position the most comfortable for me. It's almost as good as a recumbent but more practical for urban biking. Not so good if you want to go long distance.

You have to decide what you want to use it for. If you want to just tool around the neighborhood then stay away from the skinny ties and bent over the bars position, and the over built fat tire mountain bikes. Get a nice hybrid city bike. Touring takes another type, etc. Tell me what you want to do and I might be able to help you, but I won't tell you specifically what bike to get, just what type of bike to get.

The wife and I (and co-workers) will be biking on some of the many bike trails they have where I live, and doing it mainly for fitness reasons. Wewill be biking long distances for about 4 hours at decent speeds. I will also be biking to/from work. I am looking for a road bike with the skinny tires where you are hunched over (you know what I mean). I was looking at the Giant Defy series maybe, or maybe something from Specialized.

The price range is about 900-1000 per bike.

[Darwin]

The 9-1000 dollar range is a very solid price point for the typical medium to good quality road bike. Be advised though that you might want to swap the narrow rubber that comes on many of them for something with a little more give and comfort plus a bit more insurance against flats. The Defy comes with 23mm tires but I'd recommend something like a 28, at least, or even a 32. Also you need to plan on riding with cycling shorts of some kind with padding in them. Riding in ordinary shorts will likely be torture after an hour or so at best. Don't forget gloves as well. It's easy to get sucked into an equipment binge with bikes but a certain amount of this behavior is unavoidable. Many bikes at the $1K price point come without pedals these days so buyers can customize their setups. Clipless pedals are all the rage now but you can find very good pedals meant for street shoes. Try Rivendell for some examples.

[sgreger1]

The 9-1000 dollar range is a very solid price point for the typical medium to good quality road bike. Be advised though that you might want to swap the narrow rubber that comes on many of them for something with a little more give and comfort plus a bit more insurance against flats. The Defy comes with 23mm tires but I'd recommend something like a 28, at least, or even a 32. Also you need to plan on riding with cycling shorts of some kind with padding in them. Riding in ordinary shorts will likely be torture after an hour or so at best. Don't forget gloves as well. It's easy to get sucked into an equipment binge with bikes but a certain amount of this behavior is unavoidable. Many bikes at the $1K price point come without pedals these days so buyers can customize their setups. Clipless pedals are all the rage now but you can find very good pedals meant for street shoes. Try Rivendell for some examples.

I hadn't considered the issue of wearing special shorts. Personally I think biking shorts are gay as shit but I understand they are functional. I will have to look into that, I am sure that isn't cheap. As for the pedals, I can just use normal pedals right? Or do I really need to buy special shoes with clips in them and special pedals?

Also,why do you recommend the larger tire size?


Here's another thing. There are some that are only like $600-700, but everyone online says that the components are shit on those. Would it be smarter to just spend the $1k per bike upfront and get a better frame/components, or just get a cheaper one and slowly upgrade? I would consider buying something used but there are no decent ones listed in my area on craiglist.

[truthwolf1]

Narrow bike seats and long trips might make you impotent. Something with the nerves on your ass getting compressed and not allowing blood flow.

I have a mountain bike but mostly ride in the City. Was thinking about buying a crossbike or cruiser with a comfortable seat.

[precious007]

Narrow bike seats and long trips might make you impotent. Something with the nerves on your ass getting compressed and not allowing blood flow.

I have a mountain bike but mostly ride in the City. Was thinking about buying a crossbike or cruiser with a comfortable seat.

you can always fit a comfortable "city bike" seat even on a mountain-bike

there's the ones with gel in them that don't hurt your ass

[Darwin]

A narrow road saddle gives you maximum pedaling freedom but most are just not usable without cycling shorts. You don't have to get spandex ones. There are plenty versions available with internal padding that look like regular shorts. The spandex types abet long distance riding greatly because your legs do not move around in them like they would in regular shorts and therefore chafe a heck of a lot less. They also are very cool compared to regular shorts.

Clipless pedals and shoes are great--I love 'em but they do require a bit of a learning curve plus of course they ain't cheap. Good "platform" pedals are readily avalable and almost any shoe with work with them but they just don't engender that "connected to the bike" feeling that you get with clipless versions. There are lots of "mountain" style clipless pedals that use more comfy shoes and will allow a lot easier walking off the bike. Sgreger you spoke of four hour rides, likely forty or more miles, and to keep from abusing your body some of this stuff is a very good idea but aside from the shorts most of it is not mandatory. Don't be fooled into thinking that gel filled saddles are a solution. On long rides the gel just compresses and is of little effectiveness after that. The "perfect" saddle is one thing that cyclists can chase after for years so at least some experimentation is needed but the gel stuff is only suitable for very casual riders on rides of ten miles or less. On a commuter bike for short rides they are okay but no better than anything else for long rides.

Road style "drop bars" also abet long distance riding because of the variety of hand positions available but gloves are very highly recommended for anyone. Also the very "tucked-in" riding position of many medium and upper end road bikes can be a challenge for the new rider to say the least and the new style of "threadless" headsets means that adjusting bar height is a much bigger hassle than in decades past. PM me if you need expansion on any of these topics.

[Bigblue1]

whatever you do get some high performance underwear. I am currently on addidas climalite http://www.jcpenney.com/jcp/x6.aspx?...itemid=1c4bccc. Yeah there around $10 bucks a pair but they breath well and wick away moisture. Believe you me you don't want saddle rash. That said I ride a late 90's specialized rock hopper hard tail and I love it. Won't replace it till the frame cracks if it ever does.........

[sgreger1]

A narrow road saddle gives you maximum pedaling freedom but most are just not usable without cycling shorts. You don't have to get spandex ones. There are plenty versions available with internal padding that look like regular shorts. The spandex types abet long distance riding greatly because your legs do not move around in them like they would in regular shorts and therefore chafe a heck of a lot less. They also are very cool compared to regular shorts.

Clipless pedals and shoes are great--I love 'em but they do require a bit of a learning curve plus of course they ain't cheap. Good "platform" pedals are readily avalable and almost any shoe with work with them but they just don't engender that "connected to the bike" feeling that you get with clipless versions. There are lots of "mountain" style clipless pedals that use more comfy shoes and will allow a lot easier walking off the bike. Sgreger you spoke of four hour rides, likely forty or more miles, and to keep from abusing your body some of this stuff is a very good idea but aside from the shorts most of it is not mandatory. Don't be fooled into thinking that gel filled saddles are a solution. On long rides the gel just compresses and is of little effectiveness after that. The "perfect" saddle is one thing that cyclists can chase after for years so at least some experimentation is needed but the gel stuff is only suitable for very casual riders on rides of ten miles or less. On a commuter bike for short rides they are okay but no better than anything else for long rides.

Road style "drop bars" also abet long distance riding because of the variety of hand positions available but gloves are very highly recommended for anyone. Also the very "tucked-in" riding position of many medium and upper end road bikes can be a challenge for the new rider to say the least and the new style of "threadless" headsets means that adjusting bar height is a much bigger hassle than in decades past. PM me if you need expansion on any of these topics.

Okay so I test drove one today on my lunch breakand it seemed pretty sweet. It is normally $1500 but is selling for $999 right now.

It's a Fuji Roubaix 1.0 and here are the specs, take a look and tell me if this is worth the money:

• Fuji Altair 2 custom butted aluminum frame sports stiffness for responsive handling
• Carbon fork damps vibration, smoothing out the road ahead
• FSA Gossamer crankset with MegaExo bottom bracket is embodied with stiffness and gearing so you can choose to spin or rocket up hills
• SRAM Rival drivetrain sets you up with crisp shifting performance in an ergonomic, lightweight package
• Tektro R580 brake calipers are extremely lightweight with steadfast stopping power
• Fuji handlebar, stem, and seatpost are strong, lightweight and aesthetically appealing

Equipped with SRAM's Rival components, the Performance-Exclusive 2011 Roubaix 1.0 road bike is about as close to a truly race-worthy bike as you can get at this price point. It features a custom-butted aluminum frame with carbon seatstays for a lively, resilient ride, a vibration-absorbing bonded carbon fork, and enough lightweight parts to keep overall weight within surprisingly respectable limits for a sub-$1500 bike.
http://www.performancebike.com/bikes...551_1104617_-1___