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road bike experience

soy_saucesoy_sauce Posts: 987
edited June 2009 in Commuting chat
Last week, my gf and i went to Nairn and stayed as her dad's house for a long weekend. Since John (her dad) has a road bike ( 35 years old ) and how much story/advice/plea about riding a road bike, i ask him if i can have a go.

i never ride a road bike before so i always worry about the position on the body and the balancing issue which i might find. i only did a few small loop around.

first, i was hold the flat part (closest to the stem) of the handlebar as i couldn't position myself and balance when try to use the drop bar...stop/slow down using my foot. :oops: then when i get more confident i attempt to use the drop bar... i must admit, what a feeling.
even though i couldn't change gear due to my lack of balance on the road bike. :oops:

now almost a week now, i still can't forget that moment and keep picture-ing myself riding the road bike . :D

i love my MTB and i want to be loyal to my MTB but it look like the temptation of getting a road bike for commuting and general touring around town is too big to handle. :lol:
"It is not impossible, its just improbable"

Specialized Rockhopper Pro Disc 08

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  • il_principeil_principe Posts: 9,152
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  • Robmanic1Robmanic1 Posts: 2,150
    Nothing wrong with dabbling in the dark-side Henry.

    Actually the two diciplines compliment each other quite well I reckon.#

    (buy one, you know you want to!)
    Pictures are better than words because some words are big and hard to understand.

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  • biondinobiondino Posts: 5,990
    It had downtube shifters, right? The newer types are on the hoods and are a piece of cake to use.
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  • il_principeil_principe Posts: 9,152
    biondino wrote:
    It had downtube shifters, right? The newer types are on the hoods and are a piece of cake to use.

    Especially those Campagnolo ones. :lol:
    2015 Canyon Aeroad CF SLX
    2020 Canyon Ultimate CF SLX
    2020 Canyon Inflite SL 7
    On the Strand
    Crown Stables
  • roger_merrimanroger_merriman Posts: 6,165
    even though my bike does have down tube shifters do try a bike with modern shifters, a modern bike will be lighter and better, mainly gears and brakes both of which are fairly poor on older road bikes.
  • soy_saucesoy_sauce Posts: 987
    biondino - yeah, it the downtube shifters. does all the new road bike has the hoods type shifters? or i can't really tell from the pics on the site.

    Robmanic1 - been looking into it, could get one via C2W but i don't know if i will in the same company/city/country in the 12 months so won't be a good idea of getting one but the temptation is so....... well, road bike is evil and people don't call it the "dark-side" for no reason. :lol:
    "It is not impossible, its just improbable"

    Specialized Rockhopper Pro Disc 08
  • Robmanic1Robmanic1 Posts: 2,150
    henry_ho_yin wrote:
    Robmanic1 - been looking into it, could get one via C2W but i don't know if i will in the same company/city/country in the 12 months so won't be a good idea of getting one but the temptation is so....... well, road bike is evil and people don't call it the "dark-side" for no reason. :lol:

    Who does fella, who does?
    Pictures are better than words because some words are big and hard to understand.

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/3336802663/
  • amneziaamnezia Posts: 590
    henry_ho_yin wrote:
    biondino - yeah, it the downtube shifters. does all the new road bike has the hoods type shifters? or i can't really tell from the pics on the site.

    Robmanic1 - been looking into it, could get one via C2W but i don't know if i will in the same company/city/country in the 12 months so won't be a good idea of getting one but the temptation is so....... well, road bike is evil and people don't call it the "dark-side" for no reason. :lol:

    With ride to work, if you leave the company then you are liable to pay the remainder of the money owed on the bike, but you still get to keep the bike.
  • soy_saucesoy_sauce Posts: 987
    edited June 2009
    Robmanic1 wrote:
    henry_ho_yin wrote:
    Robmanic1 - been looking into it, could get one via C2W but i don't know if i will in the same company/city/country in the 12 months so won't be a good idea of getting one but the temptation is so....... well, road bike is evil and people don't call it the "dark-side" for no reason. :lol:

    Who does fella, who does?

    lol. i guess you are right. i just graduated last summer so im need to learn/think like that.

    now only left with the space availability issue for a extra bike. :roll: :lol:
    "It is not impossible, its just improbable"

    Specialized Rockhopper Pro Disc 08
  • roger_merrimanroger_merriman Posts: 6,165
    henry_ho_yin wrote:
    biondino - yeah, it the downtube shifters. does all the new road bike has the hoods type shifters? or i can't really tell from the pics on the site.

    yup from the hoods been this way since 1990 with Shimano Total Integration (STI) which sounds like something you catch... but any how 20 years on and a number of companies make them, very few still make downtube shifters which normally only come fitted to very cheap bikes.
  • soy_saucesoy_sauce Posts: 987
    amnezia wrote:
    henry_ho_yin wrote:
    biondino - yeah, it the downtube shifters. does all the new road bike has the hoods type shifters? or i can't really tell from the pics on the site.

    Robmanic1 - been looking into it, could get one via C2W but i don't know if i will in the same company/city/country in the 12 months so won't be a good idea of getting one but the temptation is so....... well, road bike is evil and people don't call it the "dark-side" for no reason. :lol:

    With ride to work, if you leave the company then you are liable to pay the remainder of the money owed on the bike, but you still get to keep the bike.

    yeah, but then the whole point of using the scheme to so i can affort a expensive one which i would normally a) won't be able to pay in one go. b) won't think it worth it without the saving. difficult decision. :?
    "It is not impossible, its just improbable"

    Specialized Rockhopper Pro Disc 08
  • dav1dav1 Posts: 1,298
    henry_ho_yin wrote:
    Last week, my gf and i went to Nairn and stayed as her dad's house for a long weekend. Since John (her dad) has a road bike ( 35 years old ) and how much story/advice/plea about riding a road bike, i ask him if i can have a go.

    i never ride a road bike before so i always worry about the position on the body and the balancing issue which i might find. i only did a few small loop around.

    first, i was hold the flat part (closest to the stem) of the handlebar as i couldn't position myself and balance when try to use the drop bar...stop/slow down using my foot. :oops: then when i get more confident i attempt to use the drop bar... i must admit, what a feeling.
    even though i couldn't change gear due to my lack of balance on the road bike. :oops:

    now almost a week now, i still can't forget that moment and keep picture-ing myself riding the road bike . :D

    i love my MTB and i want to be loyal to my MTB but it look like the temptation of getting a road bike for commuting and general touring around town is too big to handle. :lol:

    I say do it. I cimmute by road bike and now I also do longer rides on it as well.

    I am still an MTBer at heart but its fantastic for speedong around the city, and extra training. I think its one of the best things I have done to improve my MTBing as it means that I can get in the saddle and ride, no worries about getting muddy and such on the way to work.

    It also means that my MTB isnt being used as a comuter so the rate of wear is much less.
    Giant TCR advanced 2 (Summer/race)
    Merlin single malt fixie (Commuter/winter/training)
    Trek superfly 7 (Summer XC)
    Giant Yukon singlespeed conversion (winter MTB/Ice/snow)

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  • Kieran_BurnsKieran_Burns Posts: 9,757
    Robmanic1 wrote:
    Nothing wrong with dabbling in the dark-side Henry.

    Actually the two diciplines compliment each other quite well I reckon.#

    (buy one, you know you want to!)

    it's true - they always say nice things about each other :wink:
    Chunky Cyclists need your love too! :-)
    2009 Specialized Tricross Sport
    2011 Trek Madone 4.5
    2012 Felt F65X
    Proud CX Pervert and quiet roadie. 12 mile commuter
  • Kieran_BurnsKieran_Burns Posts: 9,757
    henry_ho_yin wrote:
    biondino - yeah, it the downtube shifters. does all the new road bike has the hoods type shifters? or i can't really tell from the pics on the site.

    Robmanic1 - been looking into it, could get one via C2W but i don't know if i will in the same company/city/country in the 12 months so won't be a good idea of getting one but the temptation is so....... well, road bike is evil and people don't call it the "dark-side" for no reason. :lol:


    Ah you mistake the utterances of soft roadies for the Sith. No young padawan, the truth of the Dark Side can only be found in CX.

    Live the dream.... CX is the way forward. :twisted:
    Chunky Cyclists need your love too! :-)
    2009 Specialized Tricross Sport
    2011 Trek Madone 4.5
    2012 Felt F65X
    Proud CX Pervert and quiet roadie. 12 mile commuter
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