General Bike Thread (Desiderata, Questions, Pics)

[Pilot]

Originally Posted by rdawson808

It's light, it's nimble, it's fast. And it's sitting in my garage. (But it only has mounts for one bottle.)

What type of riding are you going to do with it?

 

[DNW]

Originally Posted by rdawson808

It's light, it's nimble, it's fast. And it's sitting in my garage. (But it only has mounts for one bottle.)

Nice. I used to have something similar, a Specialized Sirrus. It was a great general city bike and I miss it sometimes.

 

[acidboy]

finally got my formula r1 brakes yesterday... now all I need now are the xtr fd's, rd's, cassette and shifters, and wheelset. .

 

[deaddog]

I'm looking for a bike for general riding, primarily on bike paths (paved and crushed limestone) with some city streets mixed in. No heavy duty off-roading, no racing, no huge distances, maybe 30-40 miles at the longest. Looking for a more upright geometry for comfort reasons on my older, arthritic bones.

I tried the following bikes

GAry Fisher Mendota - fast, love the disc brake, felt a bit twitchy
Trek 7.5FX - too upright = sore ass
Specialized Tricross Sport - surprisingly comfortable, upright geometry for drop bars with ability to change hand position .

I liked the GF but I'm leaning towards the tricross - although if you would have asked me a week ago about drop bars I would have said "no way" due to comfort reasons. But, I think the ability to change positions plus the upright geometry (vs road bike) makes it the most comfortable for the long term.

What do you guys think about (i) my comfort theory and (ii) the tricross in general.

thanks

 

[acidboy]

^ if the spesh is the one you feel most comfortable in, then go for it.

 

[rdawson808]

Originally Posted by Stylish Pilot

What type of riding are you going to do with it?

It's for the city--streets, paved paths, etc. Maybe on well-packed path (like the C&O here in DC).

Originally Posted by deaddog

Trek 7.5FX - too upright = sore ass


I'm wondering how we all define "upright". When I think upright, that means sitting UP, with the saddle below the bars (if not well below). Heck even a little below is still not upright to me. So the FX I just bought does not have an upright position to me.

So do you guys draw a strict line between where if your back is above horizontal the position is "upright"? Just curious.


Btw, def just get the one you're most comfortable with. If the GF is twitchy and that makes you uncomfortable, ditch it. Rule out the Trek since you clearly don't like that one. Go take the other two for another ride again.

 

[zippyh]

Originally Posted by deaddog

I'm looking for a bike for general riding, primarily on bike paths (paved and crushed limestone) with some city streets mixed in. No heavy duty off-roading, no racing, no huge distances, maybe 30-40 miles at the longest. Looking for a more upright geometry for comfort reasons on my older, arthritic bones.

I tried the following bikes

GAry Fisher Mendota - fast, love the disc brake, felt a bit twitchy
Trek 7.5FX - too upright = sore ass
Specialized Tricross Sport - surprisingly comfortable, upright geometry for drop bars with ability to change hand position .

I liked the GF but I'm leaning towards the tricross - although if you would have asked me a week ago about drop bars I would have said "no way" due to comfort reasons. But, I think the ability to change positions plus the upright geometry (vs road bike) makes it the most comfortable for the long term.

What do you guys think about (i) my comfort theory and (ii) the tricross in general.

thanks

No question, I'd get the tricross or some other cx bike. They're quite versatile.
My winter bike is a Bianchi San Jose. I usually ride it on pavement but in the summer I'll take the
fenders and road tires off and put 32mm treaded tires onand use it on dirt roads/trails for the tiny bit mtn-ish riding I do.

A lot of the "uprightness" of a bike has to do with how that specific bike is setup.
The particular stem used can raise the handlebars quite a bit.
The other main variable factor is the length of the steerer tube and how many spacers there are
below the stem. It's possible to get a pretty upright geometry even on skinny ass racing bikes
with a combination of the right stem and a long steerer tube with lots of spacers.

 

[otc]

Originally Posted by zippyh

Cargo rack--check
flat bars--check
platform pedals--check
double rear-view mirrors--check
$2500 wheelset--chWTF?

I'm not quite sure I get where this bike is going

 

[rdawson808]

Originally Posted by otc

Cargo rack--check
flat bars--check
platform pedals--check
double rear-view mirrors--check
$2500 wheelset--chWTF?

I'm not quite sure I get where this bike is going


That's what I was thinking too. The frame looks really expensive too. And, is this supposed to be an example of an "upright" position? If so, I'm just confused.


b

 

[zippyh]

See
http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/2009...t-ii-true.html

That's a cf Trek Project One frame too.
I meant it as an extreme example of how one can set up even a racing bike.
That particular bike is kind of (internet) famous.

 

[zatarregaza]

Someone pointed this out on the blog you posted that I didn't even notice: the presta to schrader adaptor on the rear wheel. Love it all! Ingenious!

 

[zippyh]

^ More pics here including one of the owner http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=503688

 

[DNW]

Originally Posted by zippyh

^ More pics here including one of the owner http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=503688

I want to stick a fork in hot sauce, when poke my eyes out with said fork.

 

[OO7]

<3

 

[otc]

I wish I could find a reasonable source for belt-drive parts.

I have some ideas for how to modify a steel frame to have an opening in the triangle and it would be fun to try.

If I could get my town bike built up with my 2-speed kickback hub and a belt drive...it would be an awesome zero-maintenance machine. Only hard part would be getting the rear cog...I would have to either machine from scratch or affix the belt drive cog to a modified stock cog (maybe something like how people make disk brake fixed cogs)