Learn me: bicycles

I built my own bike a few years ago out of a used frame and individual components from ebay/bike shops. I got a slightly used Gary Fisher frame and fork and built it up from there. I think I have about $300-400 in it for a singlespeed with disc brakes.

Although if I were to do it again I would probably just buy one from a bike shop.

Keith wrote: I used to use mountain bikes as city bikes. Throw on a set of slicks and they're strong and reasonably quick. Not as fast as a road bike, but you also don't spend all your time fixing flats and bent wheels! Kinda like a hybrid, I suppose, but I like the more aggressive position of an older mountain bike. Years ago, I picked up a top-of-the-line Specialized for $300 and rode it as a city bike for a long, long time. I always mess with the stems and bars to get the fit I want.

Seats and bars are always the first thing I change too.. even on a band new bike. Considering that you will spend most of your time on the bike sitting on that seat and holding onto the bars.. it's good to get comfortible ones.

If you really want to piss off a "roadie" keep up with him for a mile on a Mountain bike that is running aggressive knobbies..

It's even better when you're still flinging mud off the tires. I once came out of the woods and dropped in behind a roadie. We ended up swapping out the draft until we got to the end of the road - probably a 5 mile ride. Damn near killed me but there was no way I was letting him go.

I will say this for roadies.. the guys who ride all year are cooler than the "summer" guys. They give respect for any rider out there in the weather too

mad_machine wrote: I will say this for roadies.. the guys who ride all year are cooler than the "summer" guys. They give respect for any rider out there in the weather too

as someone who's more roadie than mtb'er, this is pretty true. dude rollin out on a sunny day at 11am with the spotless frame and super l33t aero wheels probably can't hold pace for long. the guy who's out @ 6am with a slightly dirty/scuffed high end frame and heavy bombproof wheels will destroy you without even noticing you're trying to ride with him/her.

then there's the year round commuters. crazy motherberkeleyers.

mad_machine wrote: If you really want to piss off a "roadie" keep up with him for a mile on a Mountain bike that is running aggressive knobbies..

LOL. this reminds me - I rode the Three Gap 50 mile ride in North GA this past fall - covers 3 of the highest paved peaks, a real bear of a ride. there's a 100 mile option called 6 gap that I'll never be man enough to do, but all that's beside the point.

On one of the real downhill stretches - down a mountain, switchbacks, truck run-out areas - I and a friend are running 45-50 mph on our road bikes,

and there's an older guy on a 29" hardtail mtb between us running knobbys. All the way down the mountain. It was amazingly cool, the guy had skills.

I pulled up beside the guy as we started the next climb and complimented him on his bike handling, and said something about a Jeep on the Interstate. He looked at my like I had testicles growing out of my forehead.

Buuuuutttt...in general the mountain bike crowd is a LOT more laid back.

<---mountainbiker in the past (occassionally present), roadie now.

If they're on a bicycle, they're all right by me.

Was at Stone Mountain the other day putting in laps on my road bike. I am not fast and usually just riding a moderate pace to train for the long charity rides I do. Passed an early twenties mountain biker in front of his girl and apparently that really pissed him off. Going up one of the big hills he flew past me with a quick look back to show me he was "rad" or whatever. He had to stop and catch his breath at the top as my 45 year old fat ass pedaled right on by. Priceless!

Did see a guy at the last MS ride on a 26" mountain bike. He kept up with us most of both days which was impressive but what was really cool was the guy on the over sized unicycle. He was slow but finished both days. I can't even balance one of those for more than a few seconds.

I'm firmly on the "buy it at a bike shop" side.

That said, if you're looking to lose weight, cycling is a long-term way to do it. It's a good form of exercise, but a frustrating way to lose weight and trim fat. And this is coming from a guy with more bikes than I can remember with a combined value that is close to the 6 cars (combined) I own.

You simply don't burn enough calories quickly enough. Sure, you hear about guys burning 1000's of calories over the course of a ride/race, but that's over many hours and at an effort level that would put most of us into cardiac arrest.

One of my racing teammates rides 3-4 times a week. Races 2-3 times a month during the season. And he still has the beer gut he got in college (now in his mid-40's). The only way he ever makes progress on it is when he can make the effort to go running.

bluej wrote: then there's the year round commuters. crazy motherberkeleyers.

I used to do that. In Canada. In -30C weather. I had studded tires

I'm older and smarter now.

HappyAndy wrote: Just my $. 02. The local bike shops in my area are staffed elitest jerks who don't seem to want to bother with people who don't ride premium bikes or drop $100 or more every time they walk in the store. So I personally dont buy into the karma thing as regards local bike shops. I'm sure that there are good ones to be found, just not within 20 miles of where I live.

That's a shame... I guess I'm spoiled by the number of good shops near me in SE PA/NJ. Snob shops are pretty rare.

My long-term shop in PA has all of the affordable bikes (generally around $500 or so) on the first floor. The high-end stuff is sort of 'hidden' from casual view in a second floor showroom. They must be doing something right since not only did they survive the opening of a Performance retail store in their area, the big-name store ended up closing.

Keith wrote:

bluej wrote: then there's the year round commuters. crazy motherberkeleyers.

I used to do that. In Canada. In -30C weather. I had studded tires I'm older and smarter now.

I drove 2.2 miles one way through the winter in Flint, Mi a few times, but it wasn't that cold.

Ian F wrote: I'm firmly on the "buy it at a bike shop" side. That said, if you're looking to lose weight, cycling is a long-term way to do it. It's a good form of exercise, but a frustrating way to lose weight and trim fat. And this is coming from a guy with more bikes than I can remember with a combined value that is close to the 6 cars (combined) I own. You simply don't burn enough calories quickly enough. Sure, you hear about guys burning 1000's of calories over the course of a ride/race, but that's over many hours and at an effort level that would put most of us into cardiac arrest. One of my racing teammates rides 3-4 times a week. Races 2-3 times a month during the season. And he still has the beer gut he got in college (now in his mid-40's). The only way he ever makes progress on it is when he can make the effort to go running.

Granted, losing a gut at 45 is pretty tricky.

I know that I burn a pretty insane amount of calories when I ride. 195lbs at 15mph average is a solid 800 calories an hour, conservatively.

http://www.nutristrategy.com/fitness/cycling.htm

I lost 3lbs in a weekend last time I rode the MS150--and that was taking in an INSANE amount of calories to keep going.

I have noticed when I ride hardcore, I do not lose weight, I gain muscle. I can tell because my pants get tight in the thighs and loose at the waist.

Now that my shoulder is close to 100% again.. I need to get back on my bike

For an affordable bike, I would give Craigslist a look. I have bought all but one of my bikes from there. Bikesdirect.com is somewhere I would recommend looking as well.

What are some decent older brands to keep an eye our for on C-list?

fastEddie wrote: What are some decent older brands to keep an eye our for on C-list?

Good question that has my interest as well. My Dad swore by old Schwinn's, but my roadie racer buddy calls them department store bikes.

fastEddie wrote: What are some decent older brands to keep an eye our for on C-list?

To an extent it depends on what you are looking for, but as a general rule the following are quality bikes:

Trek

Giant

Specialized

Cannondale

Fuji

Bianchi

There are some older brands that were once quality but have become somewhat lower tier products recently. Raleigh, GT, and some others fall into this category.

There are also some boom-era bikes from now-deceased brands that are good quality: Univega, Puch, and others.

Finally, some quality brand names have been bought and are applied to department store bikes. Schwinn is the obvious example.

I love my Univega Carbolite.

Some of my favourites from back in the day:

Brodie (only 'cuz I got to shake Pauls hand at the little factory in B.C.)

Rocky Mountain

Cannondale

Offroad / Proflex

Mountain Goat

Ibis

GT

Norco

Yeti

I'm sure there's a bunch I'm forgetting.

I have a Trek 9000 frame hanging up in my shop as well as a 1991 Offroad N.O.S. frame.

I also have a set of carbon fibre Girvin linkage forks.

Good lord, I'm dating myself with this stuff.

Shawn

Depending on where you live, I wouldn't buy a bicycle without disc brakes either. Mechanical discs are a lot less of a pain in the butt than hydraulics. Avid BB7s are my favorite. Unless you live in Florida, in which case you don't need any brakes at all . Me? 13,000 miles of loaded solo touring since 2008 in nine countries. Took me away from a couple of seasons of car racing. BTW, it really helps to be in shape for car racing.

Canute wrote: Me? 13,000 miles of loaded solo touring since 2008 in nine countries. Took me away from a couple of seasons of car racing. BTW, it really helps to be in shape for car racing.

Gangsta.

I have an MS150 teammate who is doing and around the world trek. They're paused in New Orleans until it warms up.

I will say... If your on road, I can't understand anything but a road bike.

Riding a decent road bike, vs a mountain bike/hybrid just feels a lot faster and more nimble. I don't think I would be as into riding as I am now If I only ever bought a mountain bike to tool around on. Maybe I had only ridden crappy bikes, but my first ride on even a mediocre road bike was like "Ohhh, this is why people ride bikes"

Just my opinion.

02Pilot wrote:

fastEddie wrote: What are some decent older brands to keep an eye our for on C-list?

To an extent it depends on what you are looking for, but as a general rule the following are quality bikes: Trek Giant Specialized Cannondale Fuji Bianchi There are some older brands that were once quality but have become somewhat lower tier products recently. Raleigh, GT, and some others fall into this category. There are also some boom-era bikes from now-deceased brands that are good quality: Univega, Puch, and others. Finally, some quality brand names have been bought and are applied to department store bikes. Schwinn is the obvious example.

OK, looking for an older roadie with an eye toward future "fun/enthusiast-level" tri training. What is the approximate cutoff for Schwinn and the like between decent and crap?

IMHO, classic Schwinns went away in the late 1970s. After that the name became diluted and the products became cheaper and more generic.

Here's the thing, though: most Schwinns from the "real Schwinn" era are heavy, simple bombers. Not even remotely appropriate for what you're looking for. They make great city bikes because their frames are heavy and indestructible, but not good for tri training. If you want a classic Schwinn, you'll need to look for a Paramount (the real classic, made in Chicago), or one of the Japanese-built models: (listed from least to most desirable) the Le Tour, World Traveler, or World Voyager. Anything else is going to disappoint you.

RedS13Coupe wrote: I will say... If your on road, I can't understand anything but a road bike. Riding a decent road bike, vs a mountain bike/hybrid just feels a lot faster and more nimble. I don't think I would be as into riding as I am now If I only ever bought a mountain bike to tool around on. Maybe I had only ridden crappy bikes, but my first ride on even a mediocre road bike was like "Ohhh, this is why people ride bikes" Just my opinion.

see.. I have ridden both.. the Road bike is easier to ride fast, but more fragile. With the roads around here, I will take the heavier duty frame and wide tyres of a mountain bike