OT Bikes

[CEB]

I tuned up my bike. The brakes are good and the derailleurs are shifting smooth. There have been some neat gear and accessory changes since I last rode. For one, insulated water bottles. We didn't have those before. I hit the local shop. Shoes have doubled in price but you can get into carbon road frames for a lot less now. I bought a larger fancy quick release seat bag but the quick release mounting bracket will not fit because the rails on my Selle San Marco saddle is too narrow. Maybe it will work on my Gary Fisher.

 

Maybe I can find some sort of tube mounted bag. I would like to not mess with a back pack. The thing that surprised me is I bought batteries for the Cateye cycloputer but the batteries are still working. It has been about 10-12 years.

 

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y70/CEB2/49F85C09-E65F-43B6-B4C5-1B97CF1CDC49_zpsa3yjlscp.jpg

 

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y70/CEB2/5F05235E-F12F-4782-8E50-3E207C454EC2_zps6hl5dkbi.jpg

[Pigmeat]

Nice Trek! My bike currently has a child seat between the handlebars and the rider's seat. Life is different with a toddler.

[Kawai James]

Yay, Trek FTW! Love the dual water bottles!

 

Here's my ride:

 

http://i66.tinypic.com/sxdj4l.jpg

 

Cheers,

James

x

[Dave Ferris]

Every time I try and post a pic from FB it never works so here's the link.

 

My Ti Potts 29er in it's finished state at Black Mountain Cycles in Point Reyes, Ca. Sept. of '14.

https://scontent-sjc2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/10931726_1540730972847817_528908669521464752_n.jpg?oh=e20af2ddf68d97013f693e8d7b8e2978&oe=58011192

 

Owner Mike Varley suggested the components and did the build. Wheel building is his specialty so I had him make the custom wheels - Stan's NoTubes ZTR Arch EX rims with White Industries MI6 hubs.

 

It's XT group with the Ti Potts stem, Eriksen "sweet post", Fox XC 100mm fork, Schwalbe Rocket Ron tubeless tires, Chromag Trailmaster saddle and I switched out the grips to the Ergons.

 

It accelerates and climbs like a rocket ship. And eats the dry, loose, rocky and rutted fire roads and trails of SoCal for breakfast.

[RudyS]

Here's my bike. Stevens Xenon, fully carbon. Campagnolo gear group. Now have it for about 4 months. Very happy with it! This summer I'm going to cycle the "Mont Ventoux" with it!

 

[Kawai James]

Woah!

 

Look at the height of that seat post? Dutch guys are bloody tall!

[RudyS]

Haha, I am just an average guy here with my 1.83m.

[xKnuckles]

Great idea for a thread Ed!!

 

Here is my bike. My experience with bikes is possibly not typical. I was not allowed to have one as a child, so never learned to ride one. My first real experience with one was, aged 18, when I was invited to take part in a biking weekend in Calais. I really wanted to, so I said "yes", neglecting to mention that I didn't know how to ride one. How difficult can it be, I thought?

 

Turns out that, in heavy traffic on unfamiliar roads, the answer to that question is: "extremely". Added to this the shock to my body of using muscles which it did not know it had..... That weekend had its challenges.....

 

Nevertheless, I survived. About three years ago I got my first mountain bike.

Mountain biking is one of my favourite outdoor activities. I found it extremely scary for at least the first year - (I think cycling is a bit like playing the piano: if you don't learn as a child it is much much harder) - but also enormous fun. So I gritted my teeth and persevered.

 

My bike may possibly be different to everyone else's because it has mud guards. I must say that I cannot understand why they are so unfashionable...... I would not want to be without mine.

 

I love my bike: It is a delight to ride - really comfortable and lightweight, and sometimes it gives me a feeling similar to the thrill I get from roller coasters.

 

[justin_havu]

Here's my ride, a Schwinn Voyageur GS. Very comfortable bike, however...

 

I absolutely am uncomfortable with traffic, of any kind. No motor vehicle operator around here knows how to keep at least a 3-foot air cushion between them and the cyclist. It's just not safe to ride around here. Unfortunately, as I'm unable to drive due to a mental disability, the bike is my main mode of transportation.

 

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k193/justinhavu/IMG_20160623_0950581.jpg

[DaveMcM]

Funny a thread about bikes show up. Just yesterday I was cleaning my two bikes with the thought of selling or trading them in on a new one.

 

 

http://i464.photobucket.com/albums/rr1/wdmcmahan/Cannondale%20Silk%20Path%20500_zps8icpd7m9.jpg

 

http://i464.photobucket.com/albums/rr1/wdmcmahan/Schwinn%20Le%20Tour%20III_zpsjbnrierw.jpg

[Shamanczarek]

Vintage steel Eddy Merckx. Purchased new in 1985 at Two Wheel Transit Authority in Huntington Beach, CA.

 

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3081/2628713646_e4b795b6b8_m.jpghttp://farm4.static.flickr.com/3054/2628714266_a2ef4f1275_m.jpg

[Dave Ferris]

That Merckx is a classic, which you probably already know.

 

Hold onto that one !

[felix]

This is my kind of OT thread! Some very nice bikes here - I'll have to find a pic of mine to post. Road cycling has been a healthy obsession for me over the last few years.

[ElmerJFudd]

Here in the urban burbs around NYC - suburbs with too many dang people, homes, and cars I've been riding this little pleasure. 3 speed is plenty for mostly flat roads and the occasional hill (but it also comes in 7 and 8 speed). Seat is set back so you are actually pedaling with legs in front of you a bit, and the raised handle bars let you keep your back straight. Aluminum frame is very light. All cables are run through the frame. Fenders and front/rear LED lights are optional. Love it. Made by http://www.electrabike.com/ Model: Townie. It's good to get out from behind the keyboard!

http://www.backpacking-united.com/media/catalog/product/cache/20/image/650x/040ec09b1e35df139433887a97daa66f/e/l/electra_asset_228713/electra-original-3i-eq-mens-satin-graphite-30.jpg

[Synthoid]

Anyone ever see one of these? Unique styling and extremely pricey ($4500 US).

 

 

http://cdn.mos.bikeradar.imdserve.com/images/news/2015/02/20/1424441287168-1vcjjzd3eodmq-960-540.jpg

[GovernorSilver]

I was not allowed to have one as a child, so never learned to ride one. My first real experience with one was, aged 18, when I was invited to take part in a biking weekend in Calais. I really wanted to, so I said "yes", neglecting to mention that I didn't know how to ride one. How difficult can it be, I thought?

 

Turns out that, in heavy traffic on unfamiliar roads, the answer to that question is: "extremely". Added to this the shock to my body of using muscles which it did not know it had..... That weekend had its challenges.....

 

Nevertheless, I survived.

 

Nice bike!

 

I didn't learn how to ride a bike until May, 2015, when I completed a "how to ride" class taught by WABA (Washington Area Bicycling Association). My first bike is a Breezer Uptown 8, which I bought because it was on sale and seemed to come with accessories that looked useful for commuting to work by bike: fenders, rack, hub-powered lights. I later had a trekking handlebar installed to get more hand positions, which turned out to be a very nice-to-have for 25-mile round trip commutes. The stock handlebar had only one grip position.

 

Riding with colleagues, participation in several beginner-level group rides, and WABA's Confident City Cycling class gave me useful skills and confidence for street riding. The best experience so far in my young cycling career was the Halloween group ride in which riders decorated their bikes with festive lighting and rode around like a parade, with cheers from drivers and people on foot alike.

 

Here's the Uptown 8, with one loaded pannier, taken at National Mall on the way to work:

 

[hatricklov]

Interesting that this thread popped up since I've been shopping for a bike. What a re-learning experience it has been!

 

I'm finding that your cheap bikes are found somewhere like a Walmart/Target from $100-$300. The next step up seems to be $250-$500 from sporting goods stores like Dick's, otherwise our local Sports Authority stores are all on "mock clearance" since they are bankrupt. Any other store that was the word bike/bicycle in its name seems easily $500 and on up... outta my price range.

 

I'm shooting for a nice hybrid (road/mountain) in the middle class... something to go ride with the kids once in awhile and assist with working off the dad bod. I'd love to find a Craigslist or garage sale deal, but it's really hard to find exactly what I'm looking for.

 

I'd welcome any ideas for stores in the Dick's price range, or even good brands for hybrid bikes and features to prioritize. I've done my share of internet searching and reading, but I value your opinions too.

[GovernorSilver]

The next step up seems to be $250-$500 from sporting goods stores like Dick's, otherwise our local Sports Authority stores are all on "mock clearance" since they are bankrupt. Any other store that was the word bike/bicycle in its name seems easily $500 and on up... outta my price range.

 

I'm shooting for a nice hybrid (road/mountain) in the middle class... something to go ride with the kids once in awhile and assist with working off the dad bod. I'd love to find a Craigslist or garage sale deal, but it's really hard to find exactly what I'm looking for.

 

I'd welcome any ideas for stores in the Dick's price range, or even good brands for hybrid bikes and features to prioritize. I've done my share of internet searching and reading, but I value your opinions too.

 

REI, while also known as a "sporting goods" type store, has a good reputation as a bicycle retailer too. They have their own in-house brand (Novarra) which is respected, and they also sell a couple of big-name brands (Cannondale, Diamondback). They have some stores listed in CO.

 

My boss recommended Jamis Coda Sport to me when I was shopping for my first bike. It's one of the bikes reviewed in this hybrid shootout article:

http://thesweethome.com/reviews/best-hybrid-commuter-bike/

 

I was thinking of going with Trek 7.2 FX or Trek Allant (another flat bar bike, marketed as a "city/commuter bike" rather than as a hybrid bike) before I found the Uptown 8 on sale. I could have picked up a 7.2 FX on sale for about $350 new but when I added the cost of fenders, rack, and lights, the price got closer and closer to the Uptown 8's price. I really wanted to start bike commuting, not just riding the bike for working out, so I went in the "commuter bike" direction, though some peeps in the cycling community argue that "commuter bike" is just another marketing gimmick.

 

I later discovered the other type of road/mountain hybrid bike - cyclocross bikes. But I was intimidated by drop bars so I stayed away from 'cross bikes.

 

I didn't go the used route because I, too, didn't know what to look for.

 

Oh if there's a bicycling association or similar group in your area, check if it offers discounts at bike shops to members. In DC for example, WABA membership gets you 10% off accessories at just about all the area bike shops, and 5% off new bikes at a fair number of them. You might also find local bike shops that have sales on their own - August and winter time seem to be the best times to shop for a new bike. August because the cycling equivalent of NAMM happens and so shops want to clear out current year models for the next years. Winter because business tends to be slow at that time.

[CEB]

I would give local bike shops a shot. Just tell them what your budget is and they may have something used or prior year model on clearence. What you are getting from the shop is a proper assembly and setup. They may not have anything but it is worth a shot.

 

My one instance of bike buyer's remorse was my first hybrid. I didn't know what I really wanted and I bought Trek hybrid with rear cargo rack and a mountain style fork. The bike was heavy and the fork slowed it down but it was useless as a mountain trail bike. I wish I had gotten a hybrid with a road style fork or bought a proper hard tail mountain bike. My particular hybrid was a bike that did neither role very well. I should have gotten a hybrid that was more of a road bike that could attack potholes.

 

Cyclocross bikes are cool and they have been around longer than mountain bikes. A hybrid styled more like a cross bike would be cool.

 

Around here there is a sporting goods chain called Scheels that has a proper bike department. Some of their guys know what they are doing and they carry the whole Trek line as well as some lower cost brands but the main thing is they know how to properly assemble their inventory. A lot of the department store bikes are producer by the same Asian builder. Used to be Pacific bikes. Sort of like the piano business. A lot of good brand names from yesteryear are now produced in Asia as stencil brands.

 

I think the main thing is to decide if you ever want to do any Mountain Bike trail riding. If you do get a Mountain bike and if not a hybrid with a road fork or a cross bike. If you get a mountaiin bike get a hardtail. A suspension bike is going to get you nothing but a lot of weight unless you spend big bucks. For the riding you are planning on a rear suspension is of no use anyway.

[mate stubb]

[hatricklov]

Thanks for the tips and input, GovSilver and CEB... lotsa good food for thought!

 

There's an REI super-close to me. They've always come across to me as a high-priced store, but I'm sure their products are high-quality too. However, it can't hurt to go and have a look! REI looks like they have some really good resources and articles for education's sake too. Doesn't look like there are any Scheels near me.

 

CEB, I hadn't really paid attention to the fork details. I will check that out. I'm not sure how concerned I am with weight, but that's probably mostly from lack of experience. I would've thought I'd want suspension regardless for smoother ride? I'll do some more reading on this for sure.

 

Thanks, fellas!

[CEB]

Hardtail mountain bikes have a suspension fork. That is cool. What I would avoid is a cheaper bike with a full supension like this.

 

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/4101inmJOSL._Mongoose%20Maxim%2026-Inch%20Dual-Suspension%20Mountain%20Bike_.jpg

[Dave Ferris]

The fit is all important. Make sure the REI has knowledgeable people that would be qualified to size you. Around here, it's hit and miss.

 

We have so many dedicated bike shops to choose from, ranging from high end to entry level, to in between. That's where I've always shopped dating back to the early '80s. Of course with the exception of my most recent purchase of going with this custom builder.

 

I like that article Gov posted. I think around that $500 price point is about as low as I'd go with getting a quality bike that you'd want to keep for say 5 years, would want to ride and can have a fun experience on. If you get into it, like anything else, you can always upgrade.

 

My wife has about a 9 year old Trek hybrid that I think we paid around $420. The thing is heavy and rides like a boat anchor but she loves it. She just tools around the neighborhood and Lacy pup and I run along side her. She has to take breaks on the hills as there are quite a few. It's all good fun though.

 

The frame and component technology have improved -lighter , better shifting etc- just like keyboards in most areas. So for around $500 you can get a pretty smoking starter bike.

 

Like I said in the other semi bike thread - I'm partial to steel and ti frames. Although for the road it's hard to beat carbon and depending on the frame, some aluminum.

[GovernorSilver]

Thanks for the tips and input, GovSilver and CEB... lotsa good food for thought!

 

There's an REI super-close to me. They've always come across to me as a high-priced store, but I'm sure their products are high-quality too. However, it can't hurt to go and have a look! REI looks like they have some really good resources and articles for education's sake too. Doesn't look like there are any Scheels near me.

 

REI has sales with some decent discounts a few times a year - usually Memorial Day and a couple other holidays. Also if you're an REI member you might get a member discount on some things. Actually right now, they are selling quite a few hybrid bikes in your price range (under $500):

REI hybrid bikes under $500

 

As for suspension, I defer to CEB's and Dave's experiences if you're really into the mountain biking thing. I don't live close enough to MTB trails to get serious about it on a regular basis.

 

I can report though that suspension has nothing to do with a smooth ride on roads and paved/asphalt trails - even trails with tree roots growing under the asphalt, roads being resurfaced, potholes, etc. I now have two bikes, and one of them smooths out those bumps without any suspension. Both bikes have wide tires - 1.75" on the Uptown 8, and 35mm on the Jamis Renegade. Wide tires that are not too inflated make a difference in smoothness, usually at the cost of speed (rolling resistance). Another factor is the design of the frame as well as the frame material. The Renegade makes you feel like you're riding on a nice carpet even on the bumpiest roads - I think you'd have to take it onto a real MTB trail to start feeling bumps. The Uptown 8 and its aluminum frame lets a lot more "chatter" through, but I haven't yet tried lowering the tire pressure under 55psi. The specs on the tires say I can go as low as 40 - it's not a quick-riding bike to begin with and I'd probably sacrifice even more speed by doing that, but the grip should improve.

 

Cycling wisdom says suspension robs you of pedaling power, but for certain types of mountain biking (eg. downhill MTB) people will opt for them.

[GovernorSilver]

Hardtail mountain bikes have a suspension fork. That is cool. What I would avoid is a cheaper bike with a full supension like this.

 

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/4101inmJOSL._Mongoose%20Maxim%2026-Inch%20Dual-Suspension%20Mountain%20Bike_.jpg

 

...or $9000 full-suspension mountain bikes like this one. At least until you really know what you want and have the benjamins

 

https://www.specialized.com/us/en/bikes/mountain/downhill/sworks-demo-8/106995

[Dave Ferris]

Living in Colorado, you're in MTB paradise. The only other state that has as much riding in the dirt is Ca.. It's a whole other consideration and skill requirement then riding on the streets or even light trails. There's no shortage of info around..in fact probably too much to the point where it would confuse anyone.

 

This is most popular forum on MTN biking. Everything you'd ever want to know. Like any forum, there are plenty of idiots but also some very cool, knowledgeable, giving people.

http://forums.mtbr.com/forum.php

 

I've only owned 3 MTBs since I first started riding in the Santa Monica mountains in the early '80s. I've borrowed friends or have test ridden dozens of MTBs though. From full suspension to hard tail to rigid fork on all the frame material - aluminum, titanium, steel and carbon. My favorite is Ti for the dirt. A tie between Steel and Ti for the road.

 

The bike I own now, the Potts 29er hardtail, I'd been gassing for since I first started riding trails and a friend lent me his Merlin (the first makers of ti mtn. bikes). Later on the Ti epiphany continued in the '90s when I first rode the, still popular today, Moots YBB.

 

I'm far from being an expert with regard to skill level in fact I'm very conservative to the point of probably being very boring to your average Mtn. biker who is in it for the adrenaline/thrill factor.. But I'm always thinking about my hands, fingers, arms and shoulders because of course the piano.

 

I stick to fire roads, double track and non-technical single track. If I come upon a section that looks sketchy, I have no pride. I get off and walk it through. I've had a few nasty crashes when I was younger taking chances and it messed with my playing and gigs big time. It's just not worth it. Plus the technical end of Mtn. bike riding is more about skill then fitness. No one ever got more fit by clearing a gnarly rock garden, or hopping over a log as opposed to doing a 2000' climb in 3 miles.

 

If you or anyone else is going to jump into that end of cycling, I'd do a lot of reading up. Things have changed dramatically from my first Mtn. bike in the '80s- the Specialized Stumpjumper.

 

There are different bikes for different styles of riding. The huge industry changes in the past 5-10 years are the new radical geometry (not really my thing as I'm old school) , the amount of travel of the shock and the departure from the stock 26" wheel size to the 29er, 27.5/650B. And now the "new thing" are the + sizes in the 650B & 29er. Again all of this is a lot to take in, easily to the point of confusion.

 

I've alway been what's considered a cross country rider (an extension of the road rider) , as I'm more into it for the fitness then the thrill of screaming downhill at 30mph.

 

Basically the hard tail is the most versatile choice if you think you want to ride it on the road too. The FS can be really clunky, no matter how high end. Not to mention expensive to maintain with the two shocks. Of course riding a FS on the road is not its intended purpose.

 

I owned, until recently, what was considered at one time, one of the most popular and highest end FS bikes available- the Ellsworth Truth. Today they have long been considered passé by the younger generation, yet they still have their die hard fans. I paid $4200 for it in '05 and just sold it late last year for $800.

 

Fwiw I have just under 9K into my Potts. But between the Ellsworth and a bunch of gear I sold, that covered over half of it. I'm 63 now and God willing, I hope to be on that bike well into my '80s both on the trails and street. A Ti or steel bike of that high quality is considered a "lifetime/forever bike".

[Synthoid]

 

Looks a bit Klingon.

[WesG]

Those bikes with the shock didn't exist when I rode last.

 

That said, how do you avoid wasting pedal energy compressing the shock? That seems weird to me!

 

My last bike was a Specialized Hybrid. MAN it was fast. I could do 50 kph on flat ground. I owned it for 9 and a half days. 1994? $63 a day that bike cost me. I hate thieves.

 

Wes

[CEB]

You don't. Power transfer sucks on a full suspension bike. If you lock the suspension then you just have more weight. The only reason IMO to get one is if you intend to do some extreme riding. If that is your intent then you are looking at an expensive bike or it won't hold up.

[Dave Ferris]

That said, how do you avoid wasting pedal energy compressing the shock? That seems weird to me!My last bike was a Specialized Hybrid.

Wes

 

The wasted energy happens mostly on the climb and it's referred to as "pedal bob".

[video:youtube]

 

When you "lock" a shock out on higher quality FS frames, you can certainly feel less bob but you still don't have the power transfer as you do on a hardtail.

 

And the real old school/hard core/purist guys that want ultimate pure transfer, always ride the rigid fork. I almost went with rigid on my Potts as his Type II fork is probably the most revered in the industry. But at 60 when I placed the order, I wanted to have the option of the 100mm shock for the rough downhills and rock gardens. Plus like I said, I want to be riding well into my '80s. The Fox Float 32 locks out on the road very nicely. Hard core pursuits will say it still isn't the same as rigid - well it isn't but they're 23 or 33 not 63.

 

Btw Specialized has the same presence as Yamaha in our world. Both on the road and mountain.