Dear Pinkbike, I want a road bike but I know nothing about them.

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Dear Pinkbike, I want a road bike but I know nothing about them.
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flag Themaninthenorth
Posted: Jul 7, 2009 at 3:46 Quote
This tread is amusing, apart from one or two decent posts, its like the blind leading the blind.

For some proper advice, search for a road bike forum, or go to a shop specializing in road bikes, not a MTB forum full teenagers with no real road experience!
flag Themaninthenorth
Posted: Jul 7, 2009 at 4:21 Quote
"Lots of misconceptions in this thread, in my opinion.

1. "Don't use MTB clipless pedals."

Use them. Use whatever you want. There's nothing that makes road clips better and a huge percentage of road riders use SPD."


Road clips offer a much more stable platform for the foot due too the extra size of the cleat, they are lighter and also offer extra cornering clearance.

"2. "Touring bikes have flat bars."

No, they don't. They have drops. Yes, they have rack mounts and are made to carry more stuff, and are heavier and longer."

Some touring bike come with flat bars, some don't.

"3. "Race bikes are just as good."

Nah. Race bikes are stiff and uncomfortable for real riding. They are often very short as well, leaving you with a lack of shoe clearance with the front wheel. Falling sucks. Don't get a bike that doesn't clear."

So called "race bikes" are fine for general road riding. They are actually longer in the top tube than a "recreational" road bike.
If you buy the right size bike, you won't have a problem with toe overlap.

"4. "Carbon fiber is the best material."

Again, no. It's great for racing, but (depending on the weave) it's very stiff and often quite harsh. I recommend steel - I wish my road bike was steel - both my singlespeed and fixed gear frames are steel and they're noticeably more comfortable while staying stiff enough for hammering."

Carbon is fine, its no more harsher than an alloy frame. Design, geometry and proper bike fit/body positioning are where the real comfort comes into it. Some high end carbon frames are actually quite flexy due to the silly light weight construction. Correct lay up of most modern carbon frames gives a good compromise between stiffness and comfort.
You would be hard pushed to find a steel road bike in this day and age, unless you choose something from a niche, high end custom builder!
flag levvii
Posted: Jul 7, 2009 at 4:46 Quote
Themaninthenorth wrote:
This tread is amusing, apart from one or two decent posts, its like the blind leading the blind.

For some proper advice, search for a road bike forum, or go to a shop specializing in road bikes, not a MTB forum full teenagers with no real road experience!

You are right, but i think people are looking too deep into it. All this guy needs is a few bits of simple roadie kit and a entry level bike and he will be off.
People saying to get a carbon bike when he has never ridden a road bike before are mad! Why would you spend that amount of money on something you have no experience in!
flag Hombre3000
O+
Posted: Jul 7, 2009 at 9:19 Quote
Themaninthenorth wrote:
Road clips offer a much more stable platform for the foot due too the extra size of the cleat, they are lighter and also offer extra cornering clearance.

If you have decent shoes, you won't be able to tell the difference. If you can race mountain bikes on SPD, it should be plenty strong enough for the wrath of a beginning road rider.


Themaninthenorth wrote:
Some touring bike come with flat bars, some don't.

I've never seen a proper touring bike with flat bars, and I live in an area where there are lots of bikes.


Themaninthenorth wrote:
So called "race bikes" are fine for general road riding. They are actually longer in the top tube than a "recreational" road bike.
If you buy the right size bike, you won't have a problem with toe overlap.

They might be "fine" but as I said, they're not as good. Perfect fit is key for a long and strong ride, so being in race position will not help the cause. Longer top tubes don't make you more comfortable, no matter how much faster you might be.


Themaninthenorth wrote:
Carbon is fine, its no more harsher than an alloy frame. Design, geometry and proper bike fit/body positioning are where the real comfort comes into it. Some high end carbon frames are actually quite flexy due to the silly light weight construction. Correct lay up of most modern carbon frames gives a good compromise between stiffness and comfort.

This is a thread for beginners, so I'm ruling out the ridiculously expensive (recent) carbon bikes. Yes, people do amazing things in carbon, but the slightly older or slightly cheaper stuff just won't be as good. I didn't recommend (aluminum) alloy either.


Themaninthenorth wrote:
You would be hard pushed to find a steel road bike in this day and age, unless you choose something from a niche, high end custom builder!

And there is the wrongest of the wrong. I search my local craigslist for "steel" between $300 and $1500 and I get more than a hundred ads; even more if I remove the lower limit.

In addition, I can get a TIG-welded custom steel frame for $600 from my local builder, who is a great guy.
flag bonfire
Posted: Jul 7, 2009 at 11:02 Quote
There are lots of company's still producing steel frames. But steel is a very niche market in my opinion.

I love steel, but others are not as supportive of it. I love the snap steel has, I love the life of it. But that flex that I like is what made Alu frames come into the marketplace. It is also heavy, unless it is a high-end steel, such as Columbus. Heavy is also a relative term, but compared to a carbon or Alu frame it can be very heavy.

What is your budget? I bet you can get some carbon at least. Hell we have bikes with carbon stays, post, fork for $1400CAD.
flag Hamburglar
Posted: Jul 7, 2009 at 11:32 Quote
Im kind of partial to the Specialized Allez. I feel like I could absolutely trash it, or have it stolen or what have you and not lose much sleep over it considering its price.

Like I said, I kind of want to get a bike that I can hammer on for a bit while Im still learning, and THEN drop a decent amount of money on a nice ride.

Dig?
flag bonfire
Posted: Jul 7, 2009 at 20:37 Quote
We sold a schwack of Allez's last year. We sold even more this year considering we bought specialized's remaining stock of 08 Allez's so we sold them near free.

It is a good starter bike for sure, but fairly rough. But that can be solved with a decent pair of shorts and some gloves, if you want to wear gloves.

For shorts, like I said earlier, I stand by the Sugoi RS short. That thing is unbelievably comfortable.
flag konarider92
Posted: Jul 7, 2009 at 20:43 Quote
check out the kona honky tonk. very light steel frame road bike, durace downtube shifters, tough and very fun!
flag Hamburglar
Posted: Jul 7, 2009 at 21:05 Quote
konarider92 wrote:
check out the kona honky tonk. very light steel frame road bike, durace downtube shifters, tough and very fun!

I actually browsed Kona's bikes before I took a look at Specialized.
I think that if I were to buy a Kona, I would go with the Zing.

Thanks for the input though.tup
flag bonfire
Posted: Jul 8, 2009 at 12:04 Quote
I don't mean to be a hater. But we sell a shit ton of Spec's to people who currently have Kona's who are not afraid to tell me how much they hate it. That being said I haven't ridden anything other than a Jake the Snake. I didn't mind it but it was a short (like 15k) ride.
flag singlespeedtoday
Posted: Jul 8, 2009 at 12:10 Quote
Every time someone buys a Specialized an angel dies. Frown
flag bonfire
Posted: Jul 8, 2009 at 12:12 Quote
singlespeedtoday wrote:
Every time someone buys a Specialized an angel dies. Frown

Can I ask why?

*Sits back and waits for some bullshit about soul*
flag bonfire
Posted: Jul 8, 2009 at 12:14 Quote
Sweet, I am stoked on Ice Cream.
flag lpatterson
O+
Posted: Jul 8, 2009 at 13:26 Quote
bonfire wrote:
For shorts, like I said earlier, I stand by the Sugoi RS short. That thing is unbelievably comfortable.

Unless you're going to pay out the ass for crazy european shorts like biemme or craft, you need to get the RS shorts. Bike shorts are not one place to skimp out on. Although the $50 Neo Pro shorts seem like they will work fine, the RS shorts, even at $150 will blow you away. No where on your bike will you be able to spend $100 and get as much of an upgrade.

 


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