What Road Bike?

emetic · 12 Jul 2007 at 22:36

2006 giant ocr 2 ? not sure about mudguards though.

LordSplodge · 13 Jul 2007 at 09:09

squiffy said:
If you're riding to work I would seriously recommend you buy full length guards (my roadie hasn't got them, tourer has) Unless you like to arrive at work filthy with road much on your face, chest, hair, back and arse. Even if you wear waterproofs you'll be filthy, and not fun.

I've rode in the wet during torrential rain on the tourer and it's not problem. The only water that goes on you is clean rainwater. Do the same on the roadie and different story.

Can the Specialized Allez take full length mud guards then?

squiffy · 13 Jul 2007 at 09:29

I don't know. The Giant SCR has clearence for guards. I would also consider panniers down the line (don't realize how great they are till you have them) Instead of carrying weight on your back it's on the bike. Lower CoQ, comfier, and safer. Although if you're just carrying waterproofs, not things like shopping a backpack will do.

LordSplodge · 13 Jul 2007 at 10:18

squiffy said:
I don't know. The Giant SCR has clearence for guards. I would also consider panniers down the line (don't realize how great they are till you have them) Instead of carrying weight on your back it's on the bike. Lower CoQ, comfier, and safer. Although if you're just carrying waterproofs, not things like shopping a backpack will do.

I have a pannier rack that mounts via quick release, and it is designed for both mountain bike seat posts and road bikes. Although I will probably keep that for the MTB as the wider tyres make carrying more weight easier...if somewhat slower.

xolotl · 13 Jul 2007 at 10:59

Edinho said:
I have a road bike, and I really hate commuting on it. On a road forget kerbs, sharp cornering, snickets... etc. Ive stopped using it for work atm just to dangerous, until I can get a HT MTB. Road bikes are generally for racing not commuting. Dont get me wrong love my road bike but just not commuting.

For a start why would you be going up kerbs? It's a road bike and thus you should ride it on the road. Besides, riding on the pavement is illegal and downright dangerous at some times.

I really don't see how you can say cornering is hard? It's not going to be as easy as an MTB due to the thinner and larger tires and you will probably be taking more speed into a corner, however it's just a case of learning how to control the bike. Once you learn what lines to take and how much lean you are comfortable with cornering is easy, and more importantly quick.

PlatinumFX · 13 Jul 2007 at 11:53

Edinho said:
I have a road bike, and I really hate commuting on it. On a road forget kerbs, sharp cornering, snickets... etc. Ive stopped using it for work atm just to dangerous, until I can get a HT MTB. Road bikes are generally for racing not commuting. Dont get me wrong love my road bike but just not commuting.

Large kerbs are out. When I had a roadie, I wouldn't mount any kerbs higher than an inch or drop off one more than 3 inchs high for fear of taking the wheels out of true and unnecessarily stressing the hubs/frame. Probably OTT but its really no bother to lift up gently with your feet on the ground or go around.

As for cornering, its all about balance and confidance. If your nervous, taking a corner at around 10 mph or less wont require any lean at all.

If I had a racing bike, I wouldn't use it for commuting probably but the light weight and slim tires is appreciable for any type of riding.

You could take your bike to a shop and see what the max width tires it could accept is. Even buy a cheap set of wheels for commuting and kit them out with wide tires; swapping them over when you want to go race.

squiffy · 13 Jul 2007 at 11:57

PlatinumFX said:
Even buy a cheap set of wheels for commuting and kit them out with wide tires; swapping them over when you want to go race.

False economy. Buy a decent set of robust wheels instead. £100/set at the very least.

LordSplodge · 13 Jul 2007 at 13:19

squiffy said:
False economy. Buy a decent set of robust wheels instead. £100/set at the very least.

One of the first things manafacturers cut corners on to save money on entry level bikes is the wheels/hubs.

So, as Squiffy says - get a good wheelset!

squiffy · 13 Jul 2007 at 14:08

My road bike has these,

http://www.parker-international.co.uk/ProductDetails/mcs/productID/2041

Impressed with how robust they are, gone over pot holes are still pretty true (probably .5mm out of true, 1000+ miles)

Jonny ///M · 13 Jul 2007 at 19:08

Once i have my bighit finished i want to build up my old hardtail to use it getting to work but after that i think i watn a proper roadbike for ease of use.

Right now i ride everywhere on this...

I just rode my cousins bighit halfway home and it was fairly easy but it wears you out doing that daily. I had a shot of my brothers stumpy with the forks and shock locked out and that thing just powered up hills in gears i wouldnt think about on the kona :eek:

. Upon riding the carbon fibre roadbike at work out the back and realising how effortless it was to do high speeds i really want to get a roadie.

I hate the location of the brakes....i felt as if i was gonna fall off at the slightest movement. So i want a flatbar bike so it doesnt feel so strange going from downhill bike to road bike.

What sort of money do you need to spend to get a decent bike,like personally it hink £500 is the minimum i would spend on an Xc bike that things wont just fall apart on would it be the same for roadies or do you need a bigger budget?

squiffy · 13 Jul 2007 at 19:45

What sort of money do you need to spend to get a decent bike,like personally it hink £500 is the minimum i would spend on an Xc bike that things wont just fall apart on would it be the same for roadies or do you need a bigger budget?

£350 for a full rigid MTB
£500 for front suspension
£800+ for full suspension
£324 for road bike, carbon fork. ie Giant OCR-3 Minus 24% discount (retail £430)

LordSplodge · 13 Jul 2007 at 20:41

Jonny ///M said:
What sort of money do you need to spend to get a decent bike,like personally it hink £500 is the minimum i would spend on an Xc bike that things wont just fall apart on would it be the same for roadies or do you need a bigger budget?

I also think £500 is the minimum spend to avoid components that will self destruct after 100 miles (read Sora)

False economy if you ask me spending less. Better to spend more, if you can...

Already looking at a Specialized Allez Sport or Elite rather than the entry level model...

Jonny ///M · 13 Jul 2007 at 21:01

I like the look of the Fcr....but i dont want an aluminium frame.....so it would be the £950 one i would want.

Now,im learning to drive so getting a road bike is a bit daft...no?

I could probably take £1000 on finance after paying a large deposite(~£300) and ride it to college/uni as it only takes 10 minutes by the current bike,car takes quite a while and there is a lack of parking spaces and the bus takes 40 ******* minutes :mad:

My route to college is smooth and mainly flat with one hill......could do it in minutes on that bike.

I would go for the roadie look aswell....helmet + glasses + tight-ish riding tops. Its a lot better than jeans + hoody + full face.

squiffy · 13 Jul 2007 at 21:20

Bit mad spending £1000 on a commuter bike. It'll be nicked in the first week. Also you'll need equipment, so that's another couple of hunded quid ontop.

Alu frame frames are fine. In fact for riding to work I would rather go for steel, you don't want to abuse a CF bike.

I also think £500 is the minimum spend to avoid components that will self destruct after 100 miles (read Sora)

Nah you don't need to spend a minimum of £500, bikes less than that are perfectly suitable. It's just when you're looking at <£300 then compromising on parts. £500 is when the parts are going into weight saving category.

If you have common sense, a road bike (with drops) isn't that hard, although riding on the hoods is a must (no brake levers on the flats) Unless you get a Cyclo-Cross.

LordSplodge · 13 Jul 2007 at 22:41

What about this?

http://www.evanscycles.com/product.jsp?style=70440

* Frame: TC07-VIA NIRONE 7 Alu - sloping geometry
* Forks: Bianchi FL5 Carbon/Al
* Gears: Campagnolo MIRAGE QS front\ Campagnolo MIRAGE rear derailleurs
* Shifters: Campagnolo MIRAGE QS / ESCAPE 10s
* Chainset: FSA GOSSAMER MegaExo Double 53/39
* Brakes: Bianchi RC-461 E
* Wheels: Michelin hubs on Ambrosio rims
* Tyres: Continental ULTRA SPORT 23x622 rigid
* Handlebars: ITM 300 SuperOver
* Stem: DA-32 3D forged alloy
* Saddle: San Marco PONZA steel
* Pedals/Extras: Look 206 pedals

I can't bring myself to spend less than i did on my GT!

Jonny ///M · 13 Jul 2007 at 23:24

squiffy said:
Bit mad spending £1000 on a commuter bike. It'll be nicked in the first week. Also you'll need equipment, so that's another couple of hunded quid ontop.

Alu frame frames are fine. In fact for riding to work I would rather go for steel, you don't want to abuse a CF bike.

Nah you don't need to spend a minimum of £500, bikes less than that are perfectly suitable. It's just when you're looking at <£300 then compromising on parts. £500 is when the parts are going into weight saving category.

If you have common sense, a road bike (with drops) isn't that hard, although riding on the hoods is a must (no brake levers on the flats) Unless you get a Cyclo-Cross.

After feeling the weight of the carbon fibre one at work i cant help but think anything else will be quite a bit heavier. I probably will get a bit for commuting but i would need to make sure i would use it all the time.

If i can pretty much go anywhere on that kona....and feel ok riding a bighit around then i dont see much point spending money.

The college im at has bike bays at the back that are out of the way of any public.....have cameras watching all the time and my current ride has sat there about 3 times not locked up.

squiffy · 13 Jul 2007 at 23:37

Jonny ///M said:
After feeling the weight of the carbon fibre one at work i cant help but think anything else will be quite a bit heavier. I probably will get a bit for commuting but i would need to make sure i would use it all the time.

If i can pretty much go anywhere on that kona....and feel ok riding a bighit around then i dont see much point spending money.

The college im at has bike bays at the back that are out of the way of any public.....have cameras watching all the time and my current ride has sat there about 3 times not locked up.

Yes a CF bike will be lighter but for a commuter bike does it really matter? Save your money for a nice CF bike for races.

Something like a Edinborough Courier Race will be fine for commuting, and won't get attention

I have a nice bike, not carbon and I wouldn't dream of leaving it in a college bikeshed.

These will be fine for work riding.
Revolution Continental Race '07

Courier Race

Courier

A full carbon bike is around £1000. Around 8.4kg £500 alu/carbon bike is around 9.4kg CF bike for work is just asking for trouble, you really don't want to ding up carbon.

Even my steel tourer is only slightly heavier than my roadie. 9.5kg versus 11.5 Hardly any difference in speed, probably 2mph, and that's only because I have wider tyres and mudguards on it (recently added panniers)

Oh with Kona you're paying for the brand, you can buy a better specced bike for much less.

ps a £100 Halfords Apollo was stolen, so how long do you think a £1000+ CF bike will last?

Jonny ///M · 14 Jul 2007 at 00:00

squiffy said:
Yes a CF bike will be lighter but for a commuter bike does it really matter? Save your money for a nice CF bike for races.

Something like a Edinborough Courier Race will be fine for commuting, and won't get attention

I have a nice bike, not carbon and I wouldn't dream of leaving it in a college bikeshed.

These will be fine for work riding.
Revolution Continental Race '07

Courier Race

Courier

A full carbon bike is around £1000. Around 8.4kg £500 alu/carbon bike is around 9.4kg CF bike for work is just asking for trouble, you really don't want to ding up carbon.

Even my steel tourer is only slightly heavier than my roadie. 9.5kg versus 11.5 Hardly any difference in speed, probably 2mph, and that's only because I have wider tyres and mudguards on it (recently added panniers)

Oh with Kona you're paying for the brand, you can buy a better specced bike for much less.

ps a £100 Halfords Apollo was stolen, so how long do you think a £1000+ CF bike will last?

I wouldnt want to damage carbon myself so maybe i would be better with a metal for durability. That kona is from 1999......hardly worth much tbh but it doesnt get touched and i left it outside the local spar(thinking i wsa ok as i had ridden past local neds but those neds came into the shop while i was in :rolleyes:

) I wouldnt buy a new kona....dont really think they are worth it and prefer custom builds.

I was thinking of getting a carrera subway...but when i see the welds on frame/fork and how the disk mount is welded to the frame it makes me cry.

I actually like the look of this
http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/ebw...1&f_SortOrderID=1&f_bct=c003155c002910m002939

Ps. My kona,a carrera banshee and another commuting bike(the 3 regular riders) all sit fine outside the college.

squiffy · 14 Jul 2007 at 00:06

Not exactly great spec. Ez-Fire (yuck) and alu fork. Should look at rapid-fire (more sensible lever positioning) and either steel fork or CF for comfort.

I would make sure bike has fittings for guards, unless if it's raining you take the car instead.

I've seen ***** riding in the wet without guards, wearing jeans and t-shirt being blasted by front and rear tyres, looking miserable. I then overtake all smug in my tourer with guards and waterproofs

Jonny ///M · 14 Jul 2007 at 01:51

squiffy said:
Not exactly great spec. Ez-Fire (yuck) and alu fork. Should look at rapid-fire (more sensible lever positioning) and either steel fork or CF for comfort.

I would make sure bike has fittings for guards, unless if it's raining you take the car instead.

I've seen ***** riding in the wet without guards, wearing jeans and t-shirt being blasted by front and rear tyres, looking miserable. I then overtake all smug in my tourer with guards and waterproofs

Hmmm well we had a specialized globe in work and it was more of a MTB geomety but it had the rubber things on the fork(a crabon/alu fork?) but it didnt do much for me.

Whats the ez-fire? That the sort that are combined witt he brake lever with the downshift ontop of the whole unit?

I have a set of brand new deore shifters under my bed if i wanted rapid fire anyway.

I havnt ridden steel bikes so i cant feel a different in comfort between the two,but i would be happy if something steel flexed and took some of the pain away. ANYTHING is gonna be like hell going from 7/8" of travel up front.

You work in a bike shop squiffy?

What Road Bike?

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