General Bike Thread (Desiderata, questions, porn) - Page 78

Ooh, I didn't even realize Ibex made a baggy knicker (I was like wtf when you said the knickers were 170 since the tight version retails for 130 and is easy to get for a good deal less).

Knickers are going to look goofy off of the bike...and at least the tight ones make it obvious that you left your bike outside and just ran into the store or something...the baggy ones just look like you are wearing capris (unless you are full-on hipster in which case it still looks like you are wearing capris but then it is cool).

Either just roll some pants up far enough that they clear the chain and don't waver into the tires, or pin-roll them so they don't have any excess material to catch in the gears.

In the end, I think this is great advice. Avoid spending huge money on bike-specific clothing and simply adapt what's in the closet. Maybe go buy a chamois/liner to wear with them.

b

i guess you guys are right. i agree knickers could look goofy--i'd just rather look like a hipster cyclist than a tights-wearing cyclist. for most of my commute a pair of gym shorts is fine. I do wear jeans or pants sometimes especially on the way home, but it's useful to have some gear dedicated to the commute. and i'd like to start undertaking longer rides. but maybe a liner to wear with regular clothes is the right choice.

Is something like a Cinelli Gazzetta Della Strada 2012 Touring Bike steel road bike (http://www.evanscycles.com/products/cinelli/gazzetta-della-strada-2012-touring-bike-ec033986?query=cinelli) worth 1000 GBP or is a beginner better off with a carbon bike on sale at around the same price. Options for the carbon bike are Raleigh Avanti Carbon Comp 2011 Road Bike (http://www.evanscycles.com/products/raleigh/avanti-carbon-comp-2011-road-bike-ec028453?query=raleigh) or Verenti Rhigos.04 (http://www.wiggle.co.uk/verenti-rhigos04/).

I initially thought of getting a cheap hybrid such as Trek 7.1fx locally in India for around 400 USD and see if I got into the cycling thing. If I could do it for 4-5 months, then I could get a road bike from Europe when I went there during the summer. But, my size is not available with the dealer.

So, now, I am thinking of getting one of the 3 bikes mentioned in para 1. I know a lot more alternatives are available but a lot of online dealers dont ship outside their countries due to restrictions placed by the manufacturer plus shipping such an item to India is a pain. Lastly, but most importantly, I am constrained by price, I just cant go higher than a 1000 GBP. As it is, I am having difficulty in justifying paying my cook's annual salary for a bike.

Thanks for your comments

Contador gets two year ban, stripped of Tour de France victory

Go join the pile of rubbish with Armstrong ya prick

Are you interested in a touring bike or a road bike for training and day rides. As a tourer I would go for the steel Cinelli rather than a carbon frame.

I would be worried about the packaging and delivery of a carbon bike by airfreight to India if there is any damage it will be a difficult job sorting out who was responsible etc..

If you are not yet into cycling buying some sort of less expensive bike to experiment on seems sensible before spending 1000 GBP on something that may not suit you.

Those carbon frames look like the generic open mold carbon frames you can get direct from China for like $400...

Which is what I plan on doing this spring. I have SRAM Force parts along with some FSA K-Force parts (bb30 carbon crankset and handlebars). Rounding out the rest with cheap Nashbar stuff (tape, saddle, pedals/cleats) until I can get things I really want for those down the line. Will likely just get some cheap Neuvation wheels to start with for training. I don't think I'll ever ACTUALLY race. Just for cardio and perhaps do a few metric centuries.

For now I still have my steel Bianchi with Frankenstein components (DA, late 80's Campy stuff, 105, etc) for some light training and getting around the city.
Edited by whiteslashasian - 2/8/12 at 12:01pm

ended up getting some inexpensive bike shorts that look just sorta like plain black shorts, but have a liner off sierra trading post. nothing fancy, but better than gym shorts and better than tights. It's nice riding with that extra padding.

I'll be receiving my first road bike this week. Would anyone in NYC be interested in riding with me?

Join a club.

Speaking of knickers, Chainlove.com currently has a pair of Cutter Tech Knickerbockers on their site (about 6 minutes left) for only $24.99 down from $149.95. I'm sure they'll come around again as most items on their site get repeated in a couple days.


b

first ever road ride

Enjoy it?

Yes, it was great. Coming from the mountain biking world, I felt strange not being able to monster truck over everything in my way though.