Cycling - Road

[muck]

Im thinking about getting myself a road bike and getting into cycling. I know there are a few other cyclists on the board and would love to hear what you ride. Any advice or tips on buying would be greatly appreciated as well.

:biggrin:

[Aquattro]

My latest bike is a Trek Madone 5.1, but the price is up there on this one. You might want to get a lower end bike for your first bike to be sure it's something you enjoy, and lower end is still $1000 plus, IMO. Once you start getting carbon frame components, the price goes up.

Go check out http://www.roadbikereview.com/ for comparisons. Lots of great bike builders with complete line ups of products.

And don't forget a good quality helmet!

any questions, ask away and I'll try to answer them.

Just for fun, browse thru the line up here

http://www.trekbikes.com/madone/

[Parker]

I would say one of the most important things is fit, does the bike fit you? You will never ride a bike your not comfortable on or causes you pain after ten min's on the bike.

[Aquattro]

I would say one of the most important things is fit, does the bike fit you? You will never ride a bike your not comfortable on or causes you pain after ten min's on the bike.

Absolutely. Most reputable shops though will include a sizing session with the purchase of a bike, when you're riding for 6 hours+, you need to make sure the bike fits. Which can be a lot of tweaking!

[Delphinus]

Are you specifically after a road bike? You could also look at a triathlon bike. There have been some serious advances made for tri-bikes in recent years ... might be worth looking into.

They're not just for doing triathlons (although they are better for triathlons, if, say, you're into the idea of getting into tris, due to the geometry being better for transitioning from biking to running and so on) - but the geometry is supposedly also better for staying in the aerodynamic positions for longer periods of time.

Or so I'm told. I don't have a decent road bike and I don't have a triathlon bike at all, and for that matter I don't even have a good XC mountain bike. I'm not sure why I'm participating in this thread. I like to pretend I know about biking, but I don't, so .. um .. yeah.. never mind..

[Delphinus]

Required reading!

http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.wordpress.com/2008/02/10/61-bicycles/

And of course, it goes without saying that white people who ride bikes like to talk about how they are saving the earth. If you know a person who rides to work, you should take them aside and say “Hey, thanks. Sincerely, The Earth.” Then give a thumbs up. That white person will ride home on a cloud.

:rofl:

[Delphinus]

Don't forget to accessorize your new ride!

http://xtracycle.com/bicycle-powered-blenders-c-10.html

[Delphinus]

This is a pretty cool bike too, although not as carbon friendly ..

http://www.blenderblaster.com/blenderblaster/gx2avmodel.asp

[muck]

Thanks for the replies so far guys..

Brad.. those Madones are sexy!! Im definately looking for more of an entry level bike to get my feet wet. I'll need something sturdy though as Im 6'1, 230 lbs. Any suggestions?


Parker.. what shops would you recommend/frequent in E-Town?


Tony.. Thanks for the link. Some of the comments made me lol.

[Brent F]

Fit is key. At 6'1" do you have long legs compared to your torso length? That will limit which brands fit you.

I am 5'7 with a short torso and long legs. I take a size 54 for seattube length and a size 49 for toptube length so am difficult to fit.

I ride:
Road - Litespeed Solano
Tri - Quintana Roo (QR) Lucero
Fixed gear road - Soma Rush
Hardtail dirt - Softride Solo
Full suspension dirt - Kestral Edge

[Aquattro]

I'll need something sturdy though as Im 6'1, 230 lbs. Any suggestions?




Most entry level wheel sets will handle your weight fine, as you go up in wheels and the spoke count goes down, weight might become an issue. You can find lots of entry level bikes with various carbon parts (forks, seat posts, chain stays,etc) and carbon does soften the ride a bit, IMO. Nothing wrong with a good alumnium bike though, and don't get caught up in the components game. You don't need Dura-Ace or Ultegra parts for a good bike.

[Parker]

River Valley Cycle has treated me well when dealing with them on the MTB side of things.

Pedalhead is supposed to be pretty good from what I hear.

United has a great selection but they are a bit like shopping at a department store.

Revolution Cycle - Found them to be pretty pushy sales wise.


If you ever decide to get into MTB go see the guys at Hardcore Bikes