How fast to deserve a carbon bike?

v.e.e

I think you must be living up to your name Infamous.

danseur

Buy the bike if you can afford it and enjoy it.

Your interweb weight calculator is wrong. A healthy BMI is between 18.5 and 25. For someone who is 5' 0" this is between 6 stone 11 and 9 stone 2.

Lose a couple of pounds if you want to, but you sound like you are not at all overweight to me.

dg74

danseur wrote:

Buy the bike if you can afford it and enjoy it.

Your interweb weight calculator is wrong. A healthy BMI is between 18.5 and 25. For someone who is 5' 0" this is between 6 stone 11 and 9 stone 2.

Lose a couple of pounds if you want to, but you sound like you are not at all overweight to me.

A nice spot of grooming if I ever saw one

Anonymous

Vee, life is too shot, a few things have happened to me recently that have made me realise this.

I now enjoy living life to its full. I am slow and weigh 94kg at the moment. I have a carbon bike with carbon components and an expensive groupset. Why? Because I like it, I'm here once, so why compromise?

jrduquemin

If you can afford to buy a carbon roadbike, then get it :-)

I bought a Roubaix Elite 2 years ago and have enjoyed riding it ever since. Granted, I've changed just about every part on it I could get away with but it's still the same bike, almost :-)

v.e.e

Hey dg74 I can always handle a bit of flattery and am grateful for any I can get.

The BMI calculations allow for padding, presumably the Lean Weight calculator regards all padding as extraneous and calculates what I should weigh sans boobs and bum.

If I got to seven stone perhaps I might be mistaken as a very small slow man..............

datafusion

Infamous wrote:

Freudian slip?

Hey, exercise is exercise.

-Rick

WeAreACC

Buy it. Now. In fact, I will be disappointed if you haven't already bought it. Mmmmm..... carbon....

dg74

v.e.e wrote:

Hey dg74 I can always handle a bit of flattery and am grateful for any I can get.

Get a picture of yourself in Lycra to the Cake Stop forum for their "Women in Lycra" thread. The praise will be gushing - I imagine.

Oo-er missus.

Anonymous

Right, now on to the next thing, what are you getting Vee?

guilliano

You're faster than me and I have a carbon bike! I just bought it as I wanted something that I'll never be better than and that I was going to enjoy riding. I'd say if you want it and can afford it then buy it, then use it as much as you can to earn it.

Stone Glider

If you feel that you need validation to have the bike why not view it in this way? The bike you ride should be "better" than you are a rider. That way you can allow the bike to improve your riding as you enjoy it. Another way to circumvent that old protestant guilt fixation

BTW you are much quicker than me and I am not jealous. FACT nor am I likely to get as handsome a bike as that anytime soon.

ziggy.mcd

I found that a Carbon bike can improve comfort. Compared to my all alloy bike the ride is so smooth and quiet, as a non competative cyclist I hadnt realised that this would be such a noticable benefit. Seriously, everyone would appreicate a carbon bike.

You will also have to put up with people asking if they can feel how heavy it is. :roll:

Dunkeldog

I've two carbon bikes - both Felt, a sportive and an aero road bike. The difference is, as you would expect, pronounced, but I have to say they both ride like a dream. I average 20mph on a good day, 17.5 on a not so good day and to be perfectly honest I've never really felt the bikes were making a whole lot of difference to my performance over what my body says it's up for that day. I just have them because I love them and feel great out on the road. And there's nowt wrong with that!

giant_man

[quote="v.e.e"]Have just thought of another good reason for a slow rider to get great bike: more opportunity for admiring glances whilst being overtaken by fast fit guys..........for the bike not me obviously.

Now look what you have all done I started this thread to set a serious achievable goal now I am joining the 'if you want it, get it brigade'.[/quote]
v.e.e. listen

if you are overweight don't worry about it.

If you are a slow rider don't worry about it.

You should buy whatever you want, because if you get a carbon framed bike

a) you will lose weight because you will be going further on your rides, believe me

b) your average speed will increase guaranteed.

It's a no-brainer missus honest!!

1878

JFBI

TarmacExpert

ziggy.mcd wrote:

I found that a Carbon bike can improve comfort. Compared to my all alloy bike the ride is so smooth and quiet

I agree, I love my Tarmac Expert, it is such a joy to ride. The ride is smooth, but at the same time the frame is responsive and transmits power well. A nice bike is going to be more fun to ride, no matter how good a cyclist you are.

Cafewanda

v.e.e wrote:

Not many women on the roads are there? Can't understand why, road bikes are such fun.............

There is a review of the RS2 at

http://reviews.roadbikereview.com/blog/ ... ro-review/

Tends to pop up on Weight Weenies forum a bit too

Hi v.e.e.. I'm a shortie female cyclist (8 months commuting) and I have a serious thing for the colour red, so I say BUY IT you don't need a reason

Anonymous

On an american forum i go on the RS2 is raved about, they do a group buy every year from pedal force. Some nice looking paint schemes done too...







This one is less than 13lb -











And, for the Giro -

lfc_westy

I would've thought that if you're slow you should definitely get the carbon bike. At 15mph people actually have time to stop, look, notice you and what you are riding so you don't want to be caught on some dodgy, cheap Halfords job!

I have a carrera virtuoso thanks, and its very fast for my first bike, i averaged 25mph on a 55 mile ride the other day !! and it looks nice too

but yeah no1 deserves a carbon bike, its normally wether you can afford one or not so go for it ! and good luck in cycling

Infamous

i averaged 25mph on a 55 mile ride the other day

you sure it wasn't km/h ?

peanut1978

break 20 for a 10m tt

Stone Glider

@ peanut1978, are we in the presence of Greatness?

Smokin Joe

It doesn't matter how slow you are, get the best bike you are prepared to afford. It's not as if there is a shortage of lightweight kit and you are depriving someone else of having it.

v.e.e

Hey Napoleon D you have found some great pictures. Having just checked those out I really really want one. Have been in touch with pedal force and they are not planning on having another group buy for the RS2.

Do you think I could manage building the bike myself...........I am quite practical but never built a bike before........

If I got one all you guys out there would have to promise not to laugh as you speed by me..........unless of course the bike is so brilliant that I find myself keeping up.

markos1963

Building a bike isn't too difficult, there's plenty of info on the web to help you along. Two areas where you might be best to get help is the bottom bracket and the headset. Not normally too difficult but if its your first time and you don't want to buy too many tools get a LBS to install them for a few quid and many tears saved.

Aggieboy

v.e.e wrote:

Hey Napoleon D you have found some great pictures. Having just checked those out I really really want one. Have been in touch with pedal force and they are not planning on having another group buy for the RS2.

Do you think I could manage building the bike myself...........I am quite practical but never built a bike before........

If I got one all you guys out there would have to promise not to laugh as you speed by me..........unless of course the bike is so brilliant that I find myself keeping up.

v.e.e.
If someone laughs at you because you're cycling their reaction isn't worth consideration.

Anonymous

Vee, if it was me, I'd get my LBS to build it up on the proviso that you were allowed to watch and learn...

£35 well spent...

MrChuck

Bit late to this but as long as you're going to ride it and enjoy it then get what you want. I really don't think anyone is going to think any less of you for having a nice bike and if they do, then they're idiots so who cares what they think?

bompington

People who mutter "all the gear, no idea" - and I suspect we've all had that attitude, if not exactly said those words, at some time - are not usually basing their opinions on the mathematical formula to calculate the "gear quality to ability" ratio.

It's more the attitude they perceive. Sometimes people do give off an attitude that shouts "hey look at me, my bike cost £XXXX, that makes me superior to you"; often it's pure jealousy on the part of the beholder, though ("look at that bike! It deserves a rider more worthy of it, like...me!").

So if you get negative reactions to your gear, then either your attitude sucks, in which case tough; or their attiude sucks, in which case you can afford to ignore them.

In short, go as fast or as slow as you can or want, buy whatever is worth it to you, ride where and how you want. And if you should want to show arrogant or insecure attitudes, well fine, but don't complain at the reaction you get.