New bike advice

geoff_ss
geoff_ss Posts: 1,201
edited December 2007 in Road beginners
I'm 68 and I'm going to treat myself to a (probably my last) new bike.

My current best steed has a 653 frame I had built 13 years ago. It originally had a Campag Mirage 8 speed ergopower group set, but I can no longer cope with drop bars due to a neck injury I suffered in 1990 (it's getting no better) and I fitted straight bars and non-indexed thumb shifters (no Campag compatible ones available). I also dropped the overall gearing by replacing the 50/40/30 chain set with a Shimano 44/34/22.

So what I fancy is a titanium/carbon/alloy audax-style bike (ie with mudguard/carrier eyes) with low gears (I have no call for a top gear higher than (say) 85"/90") and flat bars. I've been thinking along the lines of a van Nicholas Yukon titanium frame, but perhaps a complete bike that's so cheap I can afford to throw away (or sell!) the bars etc and replace with straight bars and MTB style shifters.

Both my wife and I enjoy riding in mountains (we're aiming for the Pecos and the Pyrenees in Spring) but now we get there in our campervan rather than cycle camp. We;re quite experienced but not as fit/strong as we were :lol:

Any experience/advice welcome

Geoff
Old cyclists never die; they just fit smaller chainrings ... and pedal faster

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