[OP]
Member
Mike, no new bike for me yet. Still using the same old tired wheels. Winter has brought the riding to a screeching halt. I did find a bike shop in Rapid City, South Dakota that carries a pretty good selection. They only carry Trex, and some cheaper stuff, but I think I'll start there when the buying process warms back up this spring! The bike style you recommended is basically what I'm thinking of too.
Contributor
By "Trex" do you mean "Trek"? I know Trek was a very good brand. I helped a friend buy a mountain bike a few years ago. He went with a Trek "Fuel" was was very happy with it. Although, I heard Trek was bought out by a Chinese company. It would be worth investigating before buying. A Trek bike could very well still be a good bike.
It's well worth it to buy a good brand name with an aluminum frame. Although a steel or chrome molly frame bike can be very good, they are significantly heavier than aluminum. And on a bike, weight matters much.
If you can find a shop that sells used bikes, that would be a good bet. Used bike stores typically won't even bother with department store bikes, so you don't have to worry about buying that junk. (The owner of a local used bike store was recently featured in the newspaper. She said she won't carry department store bikes because they're only good for just over sixty hours of service. Based on my experience, I think she's right.)
[OP]
Member
Originally Posted by Pat Germain
LOL!Yes, Trek!
I've been drooling over a used Carbon Taurine from Cannondale for quite a while now, and I would probably buy it if the deal sweetened up...
Anybody have thoughts about carbon fiber frames? Weight savings sound good, but I'm just guessing that it could be taken to silly extreems, especially by me, a complete novice.
Member
Yeah, stay away from carbon fibre seat posts.
I was on a bike tour 18mths ago and at least two people had their carbon fibre seat posts shatter. The compression of the clamp that tights up the seat post was supposedly the problem.
"It's Not About You."
Contributor
Carbon fiber has an advantage not only in saving weight, but in added stiffness. It wouldn't seem like it, but metal frames flex. This flex absorbs energy which would otherwise go into moving the bike. Thus, the stiffer the frame, the more efficient the rider can be.
It's been awhile since I've priced carbon fiber frames. Last I saw, there was a big premium jumping from aluminum to carbon fiber. For someone just getting into biking, I will stick with my recommendation for aluminum.
You can save some money by going with a hard tail. You'll see a lot of bikes with rear suspension and very low end components. This is because a lot of people think they need a full suspension bike and they want one cheap. I think you're much better off buying a hard tail with a good aluminum frame, good front shocks, good brakes and a good derailer.
I have a GT I bought about eight years ago. It's an aluminum framed hard tail with very good components. I didn't realize how good this bike was until I was looking into trading up. I was looking at what I thought was a nice full suspension bike. The very knowledgable sales rep asked me what I was riding. I told him I had a GT 1.0 and he told me I would be trading down with that bike. It turned out I would have to go really expensive to get a higher end bike. Apparently, I got a good deal on that GT.
I haven't ridden much lately. But when I first bought my bike, I dealt it much punishment on some very rough trails (both riding and wiping out). The bike took every bit of it and kept going. In my book, that's the sign of a great bike. I have no use for high-tech that leaves me pushing the bike on the trail.
Member
My other money grabbing hobby is cycling. I train, ride, and race on a regular basis. Not that it matters, but I have around 25K wrapped up in 5 bikes. If you really want to get into cycling, shoot the moon and go for the carbon fiber. If you just want to ride for exercise or for the enjoyment of the ride, Skip it. Get the bike that meets your needs. Not too much sense in spending 8K on a bike that you are going to ride around the neighborhood once or twice a week (unless you have that kind of money to spend). No matter what bike you get, it is all about FIT. It doesn't matter if a bike cost $100 or $10,000, if it doesn't fit, you will not enjoy the bike. A lot of people hate bike shops because the prices are higher, but you get what you pay for. A good bike shop should be able to point you to the right bike for your needs and conduct a proper fitting.
The fact that the seat posts shattered probably had a lot more to do with operator error tightening the post than the quality of the post. Another thing to keep in mind is the size of the rider. A 250lb rider should probably not be on a super light carbon fiber post. I used to see people coming into high end bike shops looking for the lighest bike made because they thought it would make them faster. It would be better to shed 20lbs off the body than the bike.
Contributor
[QUOTE=John Pratt;1283953]A lot of people hate bike shops because the prices are higher, but you get what you pay for. A good bike shop should be able to point you to the right bike for your needs and conduct a proper fitting.
+1! I think we really do kids a disservice by offering really cheap bikes in department stores. They're, heavy, hard to ride and they fall apart. It's no wonder so many kids don't want to ride a bike anymore. In the old days, the typical Schwinn was heavy, but at least it was durable and rideable.
+1! It's similar to golfers. Instead of spending thousands of hours practicing, like all good golfers, many will spend thousands of dollars on high-end clubs and gadgets trying to shave strokes off their game. Forget the new Pings, pal. Get your butt on the course and work on that short game!It would be better to shed 20lbs off the body than the bike.
Member
If you buy a bike from bikesdirect, be prepared to wrench on it. some great advice in this thread, I will add that if you want a reliable gear shifting system, you can also look into Internally Geared Hubs(IGH) shimano, Sram and sturmey Archer are some of the utilitarian brands, there are some more expensive ones and some cheaper ones as well.
The LBS is your best option if you could get to one(sounds like you got a bike already though) I love wrenching on bikes though, I'm currently building up a Randonneuring bike (it's like the marathon of bike riding)
Contributor
Patrick
What frame are you building the rando bike around? I just finished a Surly LHT for loaded touring, with the intentions of swapping out the frame with an Inde Fab latter on. But I must admit, I can't imagine the Indpendant riding any better.
Mike
ps. I've never randoed, and would never try, way to tough for me. I do ride a few centuries each summer and road ragbrai last year I'm planning a 2 to 3 week self supported tour this summer.
Member
Hey Mike, I'm building up a Kogswell P/R (one of the last of the P/R frames), So 650B wheels. The LHT is a really sweet bike, the LHT, Crosscheck, and the Kogswell were on my short list, but I got a good deal on the Kogswell frame.
A good friend of mine Has a LHT and absolutely loves it. I'm kind of on the same level of biking that you are currently, but i'm hoping to get into a few Rando events next year. I'll probably end up doing Ragbrai some time in the next few years, i know a few guys that do it every year and they have a really good time with it.
That tour sounds awesome, I'm planning on doing some small weekend tours this summer, that trucker will be perfect for your trip.
Last edited by Patrick Doody; 12-16-2009 at 4:58 PM.
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