[carve]

Haven't been doing much road-riding, other than an occasional commute. I recently got a Santa Cruz Tallboy 29er with Haven Carbon wheels though and have been doing quite a bit of mountain-biking...soon to be much more, now that ski-season is over.

Tomorrow I'm doing a 50-mile ride, most of it technical, and all of it over 7800' with lots of climbing. Should be an adventure.

I told my wife I'd run at least part of her half marathon the next day, but the ride sounded too good to pass up. I'm a glutton for punishment

[scalbert]

Originally Posted by GregTheStig

I still don't have my Trek mountain bike on campus with me, just too lazy. I've got a single speed beach cruiser with white walls though

Nice, but time to get up here on the trails...

I enjoy mixing up the road and trails as it certainly works you differently.

[solefald]

I'm in a market for a n00b 18-21 speed cyclocross (preferably) or a road bike. Purpose for the bike would be to ride around with my kid, ride to work and back once a week (14miles each way) and just ride around town.

the reason i want cyclocross bike is wide softer tires. not a big fan of skinny road bike ones. would actually prefer straight bars or a bull horn ones and regular pedals that do not require those retarded-ass shoes.

could someone recommend anything? budget is around $500

found a couple here (bottom of the page)
http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/cross_bikes.htm

[scalbert]

Originally Posted by solefald

I'm in a market for a n00b 18-21 speed cyclocross (preferably) or a road bike. Purpose for the bike would be to ride around with my kid, ride to work and back once a week (14miles each way) and just ride around town.

the reason i want cyclocross bike is wide softer tires. not a big fan of skinny road bike ones. would actually prefer straight bars or a bull horn ones and regular pedals that do not require those retarded-ass shoes.

could someone recommend anything? budget is around $500

found a couple here (bottom of the page)
http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/cross_bikes.htm

Any chance you may go offroad? Is it flat or are there serious climbs?

You may also want to consider a MTB with slicks. When I ride paved trails with my daughters, I take the MTB as it offers more flexibility and I am not out on a speed ride.

And BTW, those pedals that do require those retarded-ass shoes, they really help your efficiency and speed. But if solely recreational, I would stick with paltforms.

[solefald]

Originally Posted by scalbert

Any chance you may go offroad? Is it flat or are there serious climbs?

You may also want to consider a MTB with slicks. When I ride paved trails with my daughters, I take the MTB as it offers more flexibility and I am not out on a speed ride.

And BTW, those pedals that do require those retarded-ass shoes, they really help your efficiency and speed. But if solely recreational, I would stick with paltforms.

Wasn't really planning on going off-roading any time soon, so more recreational than anything else.
There is a huge hill behind my house, but there is no way in hell i'll be riding up that. I see dudes on $5,000 bikes in near death condition by the time they climb to the top of it.

Plus my kid is really sketched out about doing anything even remotely dangerous (don't get me started on our first and last snowboarding trip together), so I don't think he is planning on leaving pavement any time soon. I got him a Giant XTC last month for his b-day, but after reading the manual he is convinced that the bike will break in pieces if he simply jumps off a curb. lol

I just spoke to the guy who runs the bike shop on campus and he suggested something like Raleigh
http://www.raleighusa.com/bikes/mountain/talus-29-11/
He has a 2010 $750 model sitting there that he would sell me for $500 but im not sure i like the way it looks...


damnit, its much easier to pick a car than a bicycle!

[scalbert]

Originally Posted by solefald

I just spoke to the guy who runs the bike shop on campus and he suggested something like Raleigh
http://www.raleighusa.com/bikes/mountain/talus-29-11/
He has a 2010 $750 model sitting there that he would sell me for $500 but im not sure i like the way it looks...


damnit, its much easier to pick a car than a bicycle!

There are certainly more options with bicycles. That doesn't look bad to me and the price seems fine. Again, and based on your criteria, I would consider a MTB like this one but you could throw on slicks. The ease of hoping curbs, etc. makes it more usesful in recreational use.

[solefald]

Originally Posted by scalbert

There are certainly more options with bicycles. That doesn't look bad to me and the price seems fine. Again, and based on your criteria, I would consider a MTB like this one but you could throw on slicks. The ease of hoping curbs, etc. makes it more usesful in recreational use.

Yep. Went to the Trek store yesterday. So far they have the biggest selection of bikes in one place.

Sales guy recommended that I would go with something like a hybrid all-around bike
http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes...eries/bodega/#

This one looks pretty good and fits all of my requirements. However, out of 5 reviews i found 3 are somewhat negative saying that stock gears are garbage and the chain falls off of them, so i may have to up my budget a bit and get a better gear cartridge. Other than that the bikes looks like a right fit for what i need.

[dth656]

salsa bikes makes a few "touring" cycloross/mtn/road hybrid type bikes----if you can find an online dealer that carries salsa (like cambria bike outfitter), you may be able to get a good deal.

http://www.salsacycles.com/

Originally Posted by solefald

Yep. Went to the Trek store yesterday. So far they have the biggest selection of bikes in one place.

Sales guy recommended that I would go with something like a hybrid all-around bike
http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes...eries/bodega/#

This one looks pretty good and fits all of my requirements. However, out of 5 reviews i found 3 are somewhat negative saying that stock gears are garbage and the chain falls off of them, so i may have to up my budget a bit and get a better gear cartridge. Other than that the bikes looks like a right fit for what i need.

[dth656]

Originally Posted by dth656

salsa bikes makes a few "touring" cycloross/mtn/road hybrid type bikes----if you can find an online dealer that carries salsa (like cambria bike outfitter), you may be able to get a good deal.

http://www.salsacycles.com/

and the bike i was thinking of---higher than your intended price range, but supposedly a good fit that hybrid category

http://salsacycles.com/bikes/vaya/

[DarkRider23]

Has anyone been riding lately? The weather here in NJ is shit for the next days. Just rain storm after rain storm. I decided to get back into shape after letting myself go in the winter (gained like 15 lbs) and started using the treadmill again. Hopefully, the weather will clear up sooner than Monday, so I can start riding again.

[scalbert]

Originally Posted by DarkRider23

Has anyone been riding lately?

Quite a bit.

[Nedim]

Can anyone recommend a good starting bike? I am 6 foot 5in, so will that be a problem? looking for something up to $2000. Thanks

[scalbert]

Originally Posted by Nedim

Can anyone recommend a good starting bike? I am 6 foot 5in, so will that be a problem? looking for something up to $2000. Thanks

What kind of biking; road, MTB, etc.?

And IMO, craigslist is a great place to look. There are many bikes out there that the owners bought intending to ride only for it to sit and collect dust. It is not uncommon to find a $2000 bike with under 200 miles on it selling for below $1000.

[Nedim]

Originally Posted by scalbert

What kind of biking; road, MTB, etc.?

And IMO, craigslist is a great place to look. There are many bikes out there that the owners bought intending to ride only for it to sit and collect dust. It is not uncommon to find a $2000 bike with under 200 miles on it selling for below $1000.

A road bike.
I am not familiar with the pricing, so I wouldnt know how much a used bike is actually worth, if you know what I mean

[scalbert]

Originally Posted by Nedim

A road bike.
I am not familiar with the pricing, so I wouldnt know how much a used bike is actually worth, if you know what I mean

Are you just starting out riding? How much riding do you intend on doing (miles per week and frequency) and what do you want to get out of? Seeing as you are in IA, I would assume it is flat?

Lastly, posting a link to a possible bike here can yield benefits.

[Nedim]

What do you think of these?
http://desmoines.craigslist.org/bik/2384088110.html
http://desmoines.craigslist.org/bik/2381370907.html
http://desmoines.craigslist.org/bik/2371231505.html

[scalbert]

Originally Posted by Nedim

What do you think of these?
http://desmoines.craigslist.org/bik/2384088110.html
http://desmoines.craigslist.org/bik/2381370907.html
http://desmoines.craigslist.org/bik/2371231505.html

The first and third ones are too small for you being 6'5". Plus, the first is over priced as it should be about $400 as you can buy new for nearly that price.

As for the second, looks to be decent but still may be too small. You should stop by a bike shop and determine the correct frame size. My guess would be a 62 cm frame but could be a 64 cm if you have longer legs.

[Nedim]

Originally Posted by scalbert

The first and third ones are too small for you being 6'5". Plus, the first is over priced as it should be about $400 as you can buy new for nearly that price.

As for the second, looks to be decent but still may be too small. You should stop by a bike shop and determine the correct frame size. My guess would be a 62 cm frame but could be a 64 cm if you have longer legs.

Ok bud. Thanks a lot for your help. Ill look up some frames that are 62 or 64 and will PM you what i find!

[askjeeves]

does anyone have any recommendations for a good comfortable seat for a road bike?

i'm 6', 210lbs, so i have a bigger ass than the average cyclist. I've been back on the bike lately, and my seat is killing me. someone mentioned to me to try a selle italia with the cut-out in the middle.

[solefald]

Sorry to derail road bike thread.

Finally found a bike i wanted

Last week I purchased M-sized Cannondale Quick3 at REI, but after putting 10 miles on it I realized that it was way too small for me. So I went back and returned it today, because they did not have any Large sized ones. (Apparently hybrid bikes are measured in Petit, S, M, L and Tall/XL).

After that I went to a local bike shop to check out Cannondale Bad Boy. Holy shit, that bike is sick. It looks amazing and cheaper than Quick3. Ordered from REI so I can get my 10% dividend on it. Plus 15% sale is going on till the 30th.

Unfortunately the picture does not do its justice. It looks sooo much better in person.

[Buegie]

went out yesterday but realized my Garmin was out of juice. It was a nice ride though since I wasn't worried about my speed, time, etc.

[magmd]

Originally Posted by askjeeves

does anyone have any recommendations for a good comfortable seat for a road bike?

i'm 6', 210lbs, so i have a bigger ass than the average cyclist. I've been back on the bike lately, and my seat is killing me. someone mentioned to me to try a selle italia with the cut-out in the middle.

Seats are very difficult to recommend since everyone has different pressure points and pain/comfort thresholds. So, first you need to determine is you care about seat weight and materials. Then you may want to consider how much padding you would need (how bulky of a saddle is acceptable to you). And unfortunately, it may end up being trial and error. I've used sella italia before, and initially thought they were a bit hard/uncomfortable. But the saddle I used quickly broke in, and the saddle ended up being quite comfortable. So, I think that you can find a good saddle in that brand particularly the flite gel versions, just give it some time to break in => you have to ride it!!

I currently use Cobb saddles. I was first introduced to one called V Flow MAX when I was searching for a saddle to help my with my aero position during TT. It was comfortable right from the get go. I did not ever need to feel a break in period. Its a bit bulky looking compared to others, but it did a great job for the time I used it. I probably would have gone for the V Flow PLUS if I had realized how bulky it was at the time. It was a bit funny to see a thin sleek TT bike with a bulky saddle, but whatever, it did the job!

http://cobbcycling.com/

Currently, I use the SHC-170 and really like it. I wanted a less bulky saddle that was still comfortable (purely for cosmetic reasons!!). I now have one both on my road bike and my TT bike. I find them to be perfect balance of comfort/weight savings/cosmetically pleasing. I have been riding consistently for awhile, so I may have more tolerance than you would right now for this thinner saddle.

Good luck!