Anyone into road bikes? Any recommendations?

[precious007]

that's an awesome bike -

with the price comes the quality sg

[sgreger1]

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.........

Yah I am familiar with inner thigh chaffing and will do anything to avoid it. Speaking of which, are the baggy shorts with the pads okay or do I need to go full spandex? I really hate spandex, it makes your dick pop out and shit and looks generally gay. I know it is probably more comfortable and cooler in temperature though. Thanks for the tip on the underwear Blue!

[truthwolf1]

Does that Fuji come with a tracking device in case some punk rips it off?

That's a really nice bike.

[sgreger1]

Does that Fuji come with a tracking device in case some punk rips it off?

That's a really nice bike.

Crime is prettymuch non-existant in my city. It's really weird, there aren't even teenagers or bums or anything, i've never seen anything like it. I think a bicycle lock will be fine considering the only place I will be riding it is to work, or if somewhere else than I will be on the bike or it will be on my car.

[truthwolf1]

Crime is prettymuch non-existant in my city. It's really weird, there aren't even teenagers or bums or anything, i've never seen anything like it. I think a bicycle lock will be fine considering the only place I will be riding it is to work, or if somewhere else than I will be on the bike or it will be on my car.

I just could not spend more then $350 for a bike... and the main reason is because I would probably be parking it everywhere from the mall to the local bar.
My first bike was stolen when I was 4 year's old. It was a red, white and blue banana seat bike. First memory of anger!!!

That Fuji would be living inside the house if it was mine.

[sgreger1]

I just could not spend more then $350 for a bike... and the main reason is because I would probably be parking it everywhere from the mall to the local bar.
My first bike was stolen when I was 4 year's old. It was a red, white and blue banana seat bike. First memory of anger!!!

That Fuji would be living inside the house if it was mine.

Lol, where I live people leave their bikes unlocked, just sitting in the rack. Hopefully it won't be an issue (I am locking mine anyways). It will be in my garage most of the time, unless I am riding it on the weekend, in which case I will be on it. When I go to work they have an area for bikes and like I said, no one even locks them up so if someone were to steal a bike it would be someone elses since mine would be the only locked one.

[stubby2]

I'm not a fan of aluminum as it tends to be a harsh ride. Steal is a bit heavier but more forgiving and smooths out a lot of road bumps. With a stiff aluminum frame you're going to feel every pebble. Don't know much about carbon fiber and other high end materials as the price is to high for me.

Another option to look at if you are not really into the racing thing is a touring bike. They are more stretched out with a longer wheel base. Of course they are not as speedy as racing bikes but are more forgiving and comfortable for long distance. They also have the granny gears for tooling up mountains. If your dream of the yellow jersey at the tour de france is not in order it's an option. I believe trek and fuji make steal touring bikes that are highly regarded.

The ultimate in saddles are brooks leather.

[stubby2]

Lol, where I live people leave their bikes unlocked, just sitting in the rack. Hopefully it won't be an issue (I am locking mine anyways). It will be in my garage most of the time, unless I am riding it on the weekend, in which case I will be on it. When I go to work they have an area for bikes and like I said, no one even locks them up so if someone were to steal a bike it would be someone elses since mine would be the only locked one.

Where is this land of Oz you speak of.

[sgreger1]

Where is this land of Oz you speak of.

It's in the Eastern Bay Area east of san francisco. Dublin, CA. It's the most whitewashed place i've ever lived at. They have 2-3 police cars to pull you over to give you a speeding ticket all at once, because they have no real crime to deal with otherwise. There are no teenagers, no graffiti, no bums, noone begging for money. Literally it's like something out of a movie. I never heard of it until I moved here for work. The recession has also left it completely untouched. Housing prices are about the same as they always were.

It's kind of weird how it is here, there is no one walking on the street, and the parks are huge, the one across the street from my house is about 8 city blocks wide, and is actually 3 different parks. It looks like a golf course. AND it has a skate park. Really though, I had never heard of this place but I think I am going to retire here lol.

Oh, and all the medical MJ you can smoke is delivered right to your door like ordering a pizza.

[Darwin]

Sgreger that Roubaix is indeed a nice package but if you're gonna be riding it to work then fatter rubber is a must. Changing a tube is not a big deal but it can eat up 10 or 15 minutes easy. Although the Roubaix is named after a French race that has some very rough sections it comes with 23s which are relatively vulnerable to road garbage. First thing I'd do, maybe even before it leaves the shop for the first time is get some good rugged 28 or 32 tires, and a pump and patch kit of course, and a saddle bag, and some water bottles and cages, and some gloves, and some plastic tire irons, spare tube, and, and, and, and.

Loose shorts, with padding, are okay for work commutes if you're talking in the 10 mile or less range. Weekend rides of several hours--not so much.

[sirloot]

Sh*t son all you need is a Schwinn 2 seater !


Thats Whats up !

[sgreger1]

Sgreger that Roubaix is indeed a nice package but if you're gonna be riding it to work then fatter rubber is a must. Changing a tube is not a big deal but it can eat up 10 or 15 minutes easy. Although the Roubaix is named after a French race that has some very rough sections it comes with 23s which are relatively vulnerable to road garbage. First thing I'd do, maybe even before it leaves the shop for the first time is get some good rugged 28 or 32 tires, and a pump and patch kit of course, and a saddle bag, and some water bottles and cages, and some gloves, and some plastic tire irons, spare tube, and, and, and, and.

Loose shorts, with padding, are okay for work commutes if you're talking in the 10 mile or less range. Weekend rides of several hours--not so much.

I have a camelback leftover from the army that I will use for water instead of using the bottles, and it has lotf of pouches so I can place my alan wrench, patches etc in there as well. A small pump would actually strap onto it very nicely with some 550 cord.

As for the tire size, I am not sure whether I will change it or not. I only bike 5 miles to work, and will likely be doing it in either regular shorts of my actual work clothes. It's really not that far, shouldn't take more than 15-20 minutes max assuming I don't try to go fast.

Mainly this is going to be for going on long rides for exercise on established trails/roads. So is the reason I should get a bigger rubber due to how easy it is to puncture, or traction, or what? Will a bigger tire be slower or have any disadvantages?

[sgreger1]

Sh*t son all you need is a Schwinn 2 seater !


Thats Whats up !

Damn now I think I found the bike for me! I always thought having a tandem bike would be cool for me and the wife to ride around in. Would be fun to ride.

You know what else I see around here a lot? These bikes where the guy is literally almost laying down, and it seems like he peddles by turning this thing with his arms. I am not sure what the advantage is, but it's probably a great upper arm workout.

[Darwin]

Well the bigger rubber has, obviously, more air volume and thus will be a bit more comfortable and also less likely to get "pinch flats" where the tire hits an obstacle and pinches a cut into the tube. It will be "slower", slightly, but unless you are actually going to be racing that's really a non-issue and if you're riding in a mixed group then it will be even less of an issue. It's true that the narrow rubber feels a bit more crisp and lively but there is an operational price to be paid. Also bikes with racing intentions (or pretensions) like the Roubaix have frame geometries that tend to result in very quick handling and although this factor can make the bike seem very spritely on a short test ride that quickness, after a couple hours on the bike can become an annoying twitchiness that requires constant attention from someone who might be getting really tired. Bigger rubber will help slightly to ameliorate this twitchiness. It will also improve traction to a degree.

I keep hearing that carbon forks can soak up a lot of vibration but, being a certified old fart, I wouldn't know. The only aluminum road frame I've ridden was an early Cannondale and it was not only twitchy as the devil but the vibration absorbtion was nil. Finally switched to 32 and problem solved, mostly. Went back to real steel after that and now I lust after a Surly Pacer.

Don't get me wrong riding narrow slicks is a lot of fun, on dry roads at least, until the road turns grotty or a flat rears it's annoying little head. I swore off the narrow stuff many years ago after the second time a 23 had not just a flat but actually shredded its casing. Ain't nothin' to do then but start walking. I rode one of the local Texas 150 mile charity rides a couple of times and though my 32s may have slowed me down a few percent it made me feel damn good to pass the riders stuffing fresh tubes in their skinny rubber hoops. Tires have improved a lot over the years but they still can't defy physics.

The Camelback is a very good solution because it doesn't require taking one's hands off the bars as would a bottle. When riding drop bars and you do need to take a hand off the bar then put your other hand on the top of the bar right beside the stem. When riding with your hands on the brake hoods, probably the most comfortable position all things considered, taking one away, on a quick handler especially, can make bike control a real problem. Moving a hand to near the center of the bar helps a whole bunch to calm things down.

Oh yeah that laydown bike you saw is referred to as a "recumbent' and there are a lot of them around. The look cool, and ride easy but they don't handle hills as well as a conventional bike. Most are pedaled by foot but there are versions for the handicapped that can be "pedaled" with one's hands. Presumably that's what you saw.

A tandem is a whole other deal entirely. Big bucks for a good one and a fairly steep learning curve. What they do excel at is "equalizing" two riders with different levels of fitness. Can't pull away from your partner if you're welded to 'em.

[Bigblue1]

Yah I am familiar with inner thigh chaffing and will do anything to avoid it. Speaking of which, are the baggy shorts with the pads okay or do I need to go full spandex? I really hate spandex, it makes your dick pop out and shit and looks generally gay. I know it is probably more comfortable and cooler in temperature though. Thanks for the tip on the underwear Blue!

I don't think the baggies will be an issue if you have good undies on. I ride mine with cargos and good undies and never have a prob. I do 25 mile rides regularly like that, I too hate bike shorts, accentuates my junk too much and next thing you know I'm rolling around with a fatty....