First Road Bike

biondino

LiT, you must be thinking about getting a new road bike, right...?

always_tyred

giltkid wrote:

Track levers? You mean the ones for TT base bars? I don't ride in fixie territory and I'm never going back to downtube shifting!

I've heard that downtube shifters are coming back, some of the new Kona's have got 'em. A year from now all the trendies who converted old Reynolds frame bikes to SS will be trying to remember what they did with those so retro shifters......

Fashionistas! They will be bringing back independent chain tensioners and deraleiurs as well I suppose.

lost_in_thought

biondino wrote:

LiT, you must be thinking about getting a new road bike, right...?

I'm toying with the idea, but it's a lot of money! Mine is a bike, it goes along and all that, and is it really worth £600-ish (seven times what I paid for the current one) for a bike I only ride on weekends?

Sure I'd like shifters on the bars, and better gearing, but will it really be that different?

Have also just paid for my club class tickets to Australia so am on a bit of a budget for the next couple of months!

STEFANOS4784

lost_in_thought wrote:

biondino wrote:

LiT, you must be thinking about getting a new road bike, right...?

I'm toying with the idea, but it's a lot of money! Mine is a bike, it goes along and all that, and is it really worth £600-ish (seven times what I paid for the current one) for a bike I only ride on weekends?

Sure I'd like shifters on the bars, and better gearing, but will it really be that different?

Have also just paid for my club class tickets to Australia so am on a bit of a budget for the next couple of months!

Your bike was under a 100 quid :shock:
I think it looks quite nice with those blue swirlys but ah well, seems a bargain though 8)

il_principe

Thinking of Princing @ Friday drinks, you could have a pootle if you wish - feel the difference!

Littigator

lost_in_thought wrote:

biondino wrote:

LiT, you must be thinking about getting a new road bike, right...?

I'm toying with the idea, but it's a lot of money! Mine is a bike, it goes along and all that, and is it really worth £600-ish (seven times what I paid for the current one) for a bike I only ride on weekends?

Sure I'd like shifters on the bars, and better gearing, but will it really be that different?

Have also just paid for my club class tickets to Australia so am on a bit of a budget for the next couple of months!

Point number 1...hell yes, these are the badboys that reexcited my desire to ride. When I were a lad cue Hovis music we din't 'ave nowt like it. Changing gear meant swapping your lickle brother for a new rear shprocket!

Point number 2...you...paid...for club...with your own money......to AUSTRALIA!!!

And you say your tight?

Littigator

Personally, I'd send myself freight and spend the money on 2 new bikes.

il_principe

Littigator wrote:

Personally, I'd send myself freight and spend the money on 2 new bikes.

+1

lost_in_thought

jashburnham wrote:

Thinking of Princing @ Friday drinks, you could have a pootle if you wish - feel the difference!

Oooooh thanks, that's really kind! But I wouldn't want to harm your baby...

Littigator wrote:

Point number 1...hell yes, these are the badboys that reexcited my desire to ride. When I were a lad cue Hovis music we din't 'ave nowt like it. Changing gear meant swapping your lickle brother for a new rear shprocket!

Point number 2...you...paid...for club...with your own money......to AUSTRALIA!!!

And you say your tight?

Hmmmmmm.... this is all very persuasive... notwithstanding the hovis ad...

And yes, I spend my own money on things like that - it's my granny's 90th you see. She might cover some of the cost. Stupid of me, I know... :shock:

biondino

My gf has just flown to Oz and upgraded herself to business class for the Dubai to Perth leg with her Emirates points (about £300 in cash terms). They upgraded her to first for no extra charge!

(which means flying Brisbane - Heathrow in economy on the way home is going to be even more miserable, poor lamb)

the_hundredth_idiot

Cost of BA economy - HTR to SYD - approx £1,000
Cost of BA Club World - HTR to SYD - approx £4,000 :shock:
Difference = £3,000

Cost of [insert preferred choice of fairly flash new road bike here] < £3,000 8)

Lie to your granny - she'll not know :twisted: . Fly economy but tell her you flew Club, are now really skint and please could she give you an advance on your inheritance.

When back in UK, trot down to [insert preferred choice of top notch bike shop here] and splash some cash

biondino

Considering some of the ridiculous things the rest of us spend our money on I don't think we're in any position to criticise

snooks

Sewinman wrote:

I shall work on strenghening my grip then!

Do you spend most of your time with hands on the horizontal bar, on the top of the drops ready to brake or on the drops?

Back on topic........I'm in the same boat as you...just joined the roadies for the first time after a life of flat barred MTBs...the handlebar arrangement does take some getting used to but after 80 or so miles this week it becomes more natural.

If you ride with your thumb over the inside of the bars and the gap between your thumb and fingers on gear/breaks...that's the hoods (Smack me if you know this, but it took time for me to work it all out) this is where you'll spend most of your riding time.

Flooring it along, into a wind or going down hill fast, go to the drops, you'll appreciate the better breaking leverage you get, but don't squeeze too quick once you get used to the hoods or you'll fill your shorts and scrape your face in one go! :shock:

While being on the hoods doesn't feel that safe to break to start with...when you need to you will, as I found out when some numpty woman pulled out into my lane from a junction on the right, I came to a halt in a surprisingly quick fashion

But I do know excatly what you mean the drops seem better to break with, but once you get used to the hoods, you'll be eating up the miles

sc999cs

snooks wrote:

Sewinman wrote:

I shall work on strenghening my grip then!

Do you spend most of your time with hands on the horizontal bar, on the top of the drops ready to brake or on the drops?

Back on topic........I'm in the same boat as you...just joined the roadies for the first time after a life of flat barred MTBs...the handlebar arrangement does take some getting used to but after 80 or so miles this week it becomes more natural.

If you ride with your thumb over the inside of the bars and the gap between your thumb and fingers on gear/breaks...that's the hoods (Smack me if you know this, but it took time for me to work it all out) this is where you'll spend most of your riding time.

Flooring it along, into a wind or going down hill fast, go to the drops, you'll appreciate the better breaking leverage you get, but don't squeeze too quick once you get used to the hoods or you'll fill your shorts and scrape your face in one go! :shock:

While being on the hoods doesn't feel that safe to break to start with...when you need to you will, as I found out when some numpty woman pulled out into my lane from a junction on the right, I came to a halt in a surprisingly quick fashion

But I do know excatly what you mean the drops seem better to break with, but once you get used to the hoods, you'll be eating up the miles

And once you get used to that you can buy some tri-bars :twisted:

Bassjunkieuk

YAY, well done for joining the club :-) If your interested in anymore free advice i believe another erm advice session is being arranged for tomorrow at the usual time and place so feel free to drop in - I'm sure we'll all be discussing ring sizes and GI's......

When I first switched to a road bike I think the biggest thing to get used to was the riding on the hoods. It made my hands quite sore as I didn't have the strength in my hands to rest on them there! That was about 2 1/2 years ago now and I've never looked back since - infact I feel quite lost on a "normal" bike now!
I think someone on another thread described it best when they talked about the "point and squirt" acceleration you get on a road bike, I love it on mine - threading it through traffic is a joy!

doog442

Coriander wrote:

I don't want to hijack Sewinman's thread but he's raised a point similar to a thread I was about to start.

Now that I'm off my medication I have promised myself a road bike when I lose the weight the medication put on me. But it occured to me this morning that I have no idea what the difference between my current Tricross Sport and a road bike would be.

Anyone able to enlighten me...?

I put some 25mm tyres on my Tricross sport and it works fine as a road bike.

If going 0.8mph faster is important to you then get a road bike ,seriousy though i would try this option first, you might be pleasantly suprised

biondino

Man - I bought some SKS raceblades without realising that my rear tyre on my winter bike is 25mm, and the blades only go up to 23mm... Seems so contrary to buy a 23mm tyre, for winter, just to accommodate the blades! What to do...

N0bodyOfTheGoat

biondino, you should find 25mm tyres will work with the raceblades. I've had no probs with 25mm Blizzards and Quattros since getting some blades last Xmas.

girv73

snooks wrote:

If you ride with your thumb over the inside of the bars and the gap between your thumb and fingers on gear/breaks...that's the hoods

I've enduro style bar ends on my MTB and I'd cruise mostly with my hands on those, would that be a similar position to hoods on a roadie? I'm considering getting a skinny wheeled thing on work's C2W scheme next time it comes around.

Sewinman

double post

Sewinman

So deep deep joy, last night I got knocked off my brand new road bike!!!!!!!!

I am not sure if this is my fault. I was cycling through some traffic to get to the front of the lights near Vauxhall Bridge. A guy in a white man opened his door and smack, into it I go. The **** started saying 'nice one mate, overtaking on the inside' etc as I lay on the floor. Anyway got up, called him a xxxxxxx xxxx and repaired to the pavement. Spin the front wheel and it spins for a bit then jams against the brake. My handle bar is also bent outwards on the right side. I let the wire out on the front brake and it rides fine, just a slight bend in the rim. I get a free service so hopefully they will fix it for me. I am relieved as all i could think whilst on the tarmac was my shiny new bike !

It was probably my fault but cycling inbetween lanes to get to the front of lights seems standard behaviour. Anyway an inauspicious start to my roadie life!

Two positives - 1. I get better leverage now i let out the front brake wire a bit. 2. The probability of getting kocked off must huge as that is 3 times now in 9 months.

p.s. I still love my new bike. No surrender! And sorry for the rant.

lost_in_thought

Oh no!

So sorry to hear that. Are you hurt?

The bike can be fixed...

Littigator

I fear people opening doors on me all the time. it's one of those classics though, when I used to drive or when I am a passenger I would never chck for cyclist, but now as I cyclist I think that people opening car doors should check and it's their fault if they don't.

Sorry to hear about your new bike I hope your LBS sort it out

Sewinman

Thanks, not hurt. Just a grazed knee and I think i ripped some muscles in my chest trying to stay upright.

Edit - I need beer and to slag off motorists so would like to join you guys later.

NGale

I am looking to get a road bike on the cycle to work scheme come Janurary. Perhaps not a good idea in some way because it'll give that lot in work a bit more ammo with the name calling...first day I turned in after cycling in wearing full kit I got the 'well look it's Lance f***ing Armstrong!' kind of stuck since!

anyway don't care, want to get a better lighter bike which I can use just for the occassional jaunt to work, but more for the run fast stuff

passout

Hi
I may have some Tiagra (nearly new) brakes going spare if you want to buy them off me. What have got got on your bike now?