considering new bike ?
- Thread starter brian fix
- Start date
Everything I've considered recently has been obscenely expensive, so I'm still riding my 3-1/2 yr. old Ellsworth Truth.
I bought a new bicycle (road bike) about seven or so years ago with the mindset that it would be the last bike I would ever purchase for myself.
It was about $1400 but worth every single penny. A stock frame but hand-built by R and E Cycles in Seattle FYI.
IMO, if you plan on getting a new bike make sure you are "fitted" as it makes a world of difference in comfort and efficiency.
It was about $1400 but worth every single penny. A stock frame but hand-built by R and E Cycles in Seattle FYI.
IMO, if you plan on getting a new bike make sure you are "fitted" as it makes a world of difference in comfort and efficiency.
- Joined
- Jun 2, 2003
- Messages
- 23,591
Just buy a good frame and the components you want. There's no good reason to not assemble your dream bike yourself.
I've been un-biked for a couple of years and it annoys me. I just wanna a good hardtail with a decent fork up front.
I miss my DBR ZeTech Comp.
I miss my DBR ZeTech Comp.
Well, here's a range for you:
The bike on my wind-trainer is fully rigid, and would be about $500 new.
My winter bike is also fully rigid, and would run about $400 new.
My city bike is a hardtail with semi-slicks, and would be about $1000.
My hardtail that I use for trail riding, which I used to race cross-country with, would be about $1600.
My BMX racing bike would be about $600.
No full-suspension for me since I'm not doing much mountain riding with hard downhills.
The bike on my wind-trainer is fully rigid, and would be about $500 new.
My winter bike is also fully rigid, and would run about $400 new.
My city bike is a hardtail with semi-slicks, and would be about $1000.
My hardtail that I use for trail riding, which I used to race cross-country with, would be about $1600.
My BMX racing bike would be about $600.
No full-suspension for me since I'm not doing much mountain riding with hard downhills.
That's a very expensive way to do it. The MSRP on a bike will be about half the MSRP of all the parts. Usually best to start with a bike that's close to what you want and modify from there, unless you're really picky!
I've been considering a new bike but will have to wait until I get the rest of my bills paid off. I would guess I'll be able to get it for christmas.
What I'm looking at is a Fixed Gear, one from IRO cycles. They are an outfit in PA that only makes Fixed gear bikes.
What is a fixed gear? That is a bike with only 1 gear in the back that is fixed to the rear wheel. That means there is no freewheel which allows you to coast.
Fixedgear is supposed to be the ZEN of bicycle riding and helps you become ONE with the bike. Other things it's really supposed to help with your spin, as well as build different muscle groups especially when you use it to slow down on the downhills (by useing back pressure you can slow the bike down) and even stop it.
Though I'm a wuss and will probably put a front brake on it for saftey sake. That doesn't mean that I will use it much.
http://www.irocycle.com/
Price range is about $500-$1000 depending on options. I'll probably go with the higher price since I want the higher end wheel set, and the addition of a front brake, haven't decided if I want a carbon fork or not or the upgraded Chris King headset.
What I'm looking at is a Fixed Gear, one from IRO cycles. They are an outfit in PA that only makes Fixed gear bikes.
What is a fixed gear? That is a bike with only 1 gear in the back that is fixed to the rear wheel. That means there is no freewheel which allows you to coast.
Fixedgear is supposed to be the ZEN of bicycle riding and helps you become ONE with the bike. Other things it's really supposed to help with your spin, as well as build different muscle groups especially when you use it to slow down on the downhills (by useing back pressure you can slow the bike down) and even stop it.
Though I'm a wuss and will probably put a front brake on it for saftey sake. That doesn't mean that I will use it much.
http://www.irocycle.com/
Price range is about $500-$1000 depending on options. I'll probably go with the higher price since I want the higher end wheel set, and the addition of a front brake, haven't decided if I want a carbon fork or not or the upgraded Chris King headset.
That might be overstated, since I was "fitted" for my first bike, and couldn't ride over 30 miles without much discomfort. Then I decided that the bike was too big for me and then bought a bike based on what I wanted.
I was on a 58, now I'm on a 56. Based on standover height I could easily clear the 58 but I think I have a short torso and longer legs than the average man. So I got the smaller bike, and put a longer seat tube on it. Now my bike Rocks, it handles better than the 58 and is very comfortable even after 60 miles. I'm working on doing 100 later this summer.
I would like to go full carbon with a Shimano Dura Ace 10 speed group with a compact crankset and a decent set of lightweight wheels. Too bad I can't afford about $3K. If I had more cash, I would by a Madone 5.9 SSL.
If you were to buy a frame and individual components, the price tag would be staggering compared to a spec'd bike.
I currently ride a several year old Specialized Allez with a full 105 group (triple) and a set of Shimano 550 wheels, an aero bar, carbon fork, and wireless computer. I paid about $900 new and have added a few hundred with the wheetset, fork, and other minor upgrades. I ride a trainer during my lunch on rainy days and try to ride 15 miles or so on the sunny ones. I do a 30-50 mile ride on the weekends and an 80+ once or so a summer. In September, I do a 150 mile charity ride (MS 150) over 2 days. I did the century option last year on day 1 and ended up with 183 for the two days.
Has anyone here ridden a compact crank and if so, how does the gearing compare to a triple? Also, does anyone know if it is possible to switch to a compact without changing derallieurs or shifters? I would swap the BB to an ISIS type but that's all the money I want to spend right now.
If you were to buy a frame and individual components, the price tag would be staggering compared to a spec'd bike.
I currently ride a several year old Specialized Allez with a full 105 group (triple) and a set of Shimano 550 wheels, an aero bar, carbon fork, and wireless computer. I paid about $900 new and have added a few hundred with the wheetset, fork, and other minor upgrades. I ride a trainer during my lunch on rainy days and try to ride 15 miles or so on the sunny ones. I do a 30-50 mile ride on the weekends and an 80+ once or so a summer. In September, I do a 150 mile charity ride (MS 150) over 2 days. I did the century option last year on day 1 and ended up with 183 for the two days.
Has anyone here ridden a compact crank and if so, how does the gearing compare to a triple? Also, does anyone know if it is possible to switch to a compact without changing derallieurs or shifters? I would swap the BB to an ISIS type but that's all the money I want to spend right now.
I have a compact crank on mine.
The front is a 36/50, the rear is a 12-27.
The bike came with a 12-23 in the back, but that was worse (for climbing) than my last bike. So I wanted to wussy gears for the hills around TN.
I'm about 10% easier now than my last bike in the 36/27.
As far as comparison, I've never had a triple, but I do like the compact becuase I can stay in the big ring most of the rides I do. Only on the big hills I have to take it to the smaller ring.
If you want to compare gearing check out this chart: http://home.i1.net/~dwolfe/gerz/
You can imput your current gearing then compare what a compact would give you. Bear in mind that most compact gears have a 34/50 whereas mine is a 36/50 so you can see that 34 upfront would be pretty close to the low end of your triple.
Also the new 10 speed rear gears really help compared to the older 9spd's. All my gears are really close from 12/24 then it makes a big jump to 27. I call it my bail out gear. Hahaha.
As far as changing over. I thing you have to change dereailer and that is it. But I would consult a bike shop to be sure.
If you have any other questions let me know. So far (about 800 miles) I really like my compact compared to a standard double of 39/53 with a 12/25 rear.
Also note that I'm a spinner, with an average cadence of about 94 rpms. I spin compared to grinding (except on hills) for the most part and even at 27 mph I'm not out of gears. If you can run faster than 30 mph or so, you might want to look at an 11 rear gear.
^^^You get smoke from that compact! 27? I wish. I'm a lunch time rider (trainer or 15 miles) who does 30-80 on the weekends with a 100 or so once a summer. I do the 2 day MS 150 in Sept but that's it.
Thanks for the really good info on the compact. The triple is 52-42-30 I believe but I rarely use the granny gear. I got the bike with a 12-23, like you but changed to a 12-25. Even though we are only talking two teeth here, I think a compact would let me use the higher gearing on the rear.
I used to drop two and stand on the climbs but I got out of cycling for awhile and lost the ability to pound big gears that way. I am currently re-habing from arthroscopic surgery on my right knee so I am trying to find easier ways to go fast. Last year I could sprint to 32 but that's about the extent of my speed.
I think my year end average was around 18 last year. I'm currently around 16 with only a few rides under my belt.
I was hoping that the front derailleur could be adjusted out. You would have a range of adjustment at the shifter (similiar to the range I have now in the middle ring. The shifter will move slightly to allow more chain clearance in the extreme gears but not actually shift the chain. I don't know if this makes any sense but I don't know how else to describe it. I am curious too whether or not you could run a 10sp rear on a 9sp hub with the reduced width of the 10 sp rings. Change the chain to the narrow 10sp and adjust the stops on the rear derailleur.
I would really like to stay away from swapping shifters as that is really an expensive proposition. I'll check with a trusted shop and see what they have to say.
Thanks again and stay safe.
Thanks for the really good info on the compact. The triple is 52-42-30 I believe but I rarely use the granny gear. I got the bike with a 12-23, like you but changed to a 12-25. Even though we are only talking two teeth here, I think a compact would let me use the higher gearing on the rear.
I used to drop two and stand on the climbs but I got out of cycling for awhile and lost the ability to pound big gears that way. I am currently re-habing from arthroscopic surgery on my right knee so I am trying to find easier ways to go fast. Last year I could sprint to 32 but that's about the extent of my speed.
I was hoping that the front derailleur could be adjusted out. You would have a range of adjustment at the shifter (similiar to the range I have now in the middle ring. The shifter will move slightly to allow more chain clearance in the extreme gears but not actually shift the chain. I don't know if this makes any sense but I don't know how else to describe it. I am curious too whether or not you could run a 10sp rear on a 9sp hub with the reduced width of the 10 sp rings. Change the chain to the narrow 10sp and adjust the stops on the rear derailleur.
I would really like to stay away from swapping shifters as that is really an expensive proposition. I'll check with a trusted shop and see what they have to say.
Thanks again and stay safe.
Oh the 27 mph is on the flats with a good tail wind (or riding in a paceline) I can only hold that for a mile or so even in a pacline. They will usually slow down after a bit.
Our Group average is 19-21, and when I ride alone it's 17.5-18.5 mph depending on the weather and the route.
Of course, a fitting depends on the competence of the fitter as well, AND the input you give him/her about your preferred riding position.
Very few people need an 11.
My highest gear during my trip in Colorado was 48 in front and 13 in the back, I was good to spin that up to 35 mph.
For that trip, I ran a mid-90s MTB triple, 48/36/26 and a 13-26 9 speed in the back. A mix of Shimano in front and Campy Chorus in the back. Front der was Campy Racing-T. That worked pretty well.
I have since switched back to my 53/39 Campy Record double up front. But I am now thinking about a 48/34 compact double up front with a 13-29 10 speed in the back. I would need to switch out my shifters for ones that are 10 speed indexed, but since I run bar-ends that shouldn't be too much trouble.
http://rodbikes.com/index.html I was looking over old post and saw your post...great bike shop, would love to visit,,,but Im in Tennessee...I was in Seattle for the 1st worlds fair there,,I think I was 14, lol....but at 74 Im still riding by bike...I would really like to see Seattle again,,
I almost exclusively ride dirt. That being said, I have found over the past few years that I like the simplicity of fat and plus bikes. Over the past two years I've replaced a couple of FS bikes with a Surly Ice Cream Truck and a Surly Krampus. Never been happier.
Now... My fifteen year old son just outgrew his large 907 fatbike which was set up 29+. He asked for an Ice Cream Truck frame to replace it. Nothing available til December or January. Until then, he has been riding my Krampus.
So to answer the original question in this thread, I need an XL Surly Ice Cream Truck frame so I can swap all of my son's parts onto it and get my Krampus back. I really enjoy riding that bike.
Now... My fifteen year old son just outgrew his large 907 fatbike which was set up 29+. He asked for an Ice Cream Truck frame to replace it. Nothing available til December or January. Until then, he has been riding my Krampus.
So to answer the original question in this thread, I need an XL Surly Ice Cream Truck frame so I can swap all of my son's parts onto it and get my Krampus back. I really enjoy riding that bike.
I was at the Seattle World's Fair too, as a pup of five. It was magical to me at that time. My wife had a conference there in 2007, and I was glad to go along. It is still a very impressive campus - the Space Needle is still spectacular, and the monorail still looks like the transportation of the future. Apparently when new, the Space Needle was the tallest structure west of the Mississippi; by 2007 it was only the 7th-tallest structure in Seattle.
