it was awesome!!

http://www.fattirememorialtour.com/

i went in 2007 and camped out. i want to do it again but i live much further away now and the logistics are too expensive to make it happen

edit: 2007 pics arent on the site.. weird

[Edited on January 14, 2010 at 10:55 PM. Reason : sdjkldsjf]

1/14/2010 10:54:49 PM

I'm shopping for a new road bike and could use some advice. I ride quite a bit but don't actually know much about bikes, in regards to what makes for quality. In the past I've just bought a model year clearout that looked and felt good, and I had a friend last summer who let me borrow his super-nice road bike while he was in Austria for four months.

What should I be looking for in a $1000-1300 road bike that would tip me off as to how well the bike is going to perform? I don't know how to read a spec list or look at a bike and say, "Oh, that's a really damn nice derailleur." All I really know is that lighter is generally good, but don't know if I should be expecting to find a good light carbon frame, etc, at that price point. What should I expect to be able to find, or what would you recommend?

For usage, I will be using this for a short daily commute (just over three miles one way), as well as going for 20-50 mile rides once or twice a week. I'll probably do a century or something similar on a weekend every few months. Would like to use it in triathlons, but I'm not a serious triathlete so I'm not looking for a tri bike; I'm in California, so those could have a wide variety of terrain, from very flat to very hilly depending on the course.

2/13/2010 3:39:40 PM

The first "issue" I see is using it for a short commute and longer rides. Are you intending to get clipless pedals or pedals with cages? The cages make the ride to work easy, make the longer rides a bit less efficient. Clipless makes the longer rides more efficient but you'll be putting on shoes with cleats to get to work and then have to change (though there may be dual sided road pedals out there like they make for mtbs)


If you're going to be putting on thousands of miles of riding, I'd lean towards getting carbon. But at that price point you're going to have to compromise just a little on the component group if you buy new and even then only if you get the year old closeouts.

If you look for something moderately used, you can get quite a bit of carbon bike at that price.

I'll let someone else fill in which component level you're going to be looking at (basically 105 or Ultegra for shimano, not quite sure what the SRAM equivalent is, campy is out of the picture generally).

2/13/2010 4:04:54 PM

Yeah, I realize I need to put some thought into components that would work well for short and long rides both. I have a pair of the dual-sided pedals on my bike now, and they're alright, but I spent all last summer with regular clipless ones and it was ok for commuting; I've got a locker room and showers at work and don't mind changing. Even though the commute will be a daily thing, I think I'm still leaning towards making the long rides a priority when designing the bike; if it's not comfortable, I'll be less inclined to actually take the long rides, but I'll always have to commute even if it's not 100% ideal.

I'll probably keep my current bike for anything other than commuting and long rides, since leaving a nice bike locked up around LA on errands still doesn't seem ultra-secure.

2/13/2010 4:11:44 PM

i fell down twice last week and today on a hill i was unprepared for.. hit my head on a tree (thx for the save, helmet!)

my legs are fucking beat up with scratches and bruises.. gotta love being a novice! haha

2/13/2010 10:00:06 PM

i've been safe and sound on the indoor trainer all winter and also

2/15/2010 12:52:05 PM

i have an indoor trainer but find it insanely boring

but during the week i do hit up spin class at my gym ab twice a week. i love it!!

2/15/2010 1:31:41 PM

Indoor trainer + flat screen tv + Braveheart or something similar and you won't be too bored.

2/15/2010 3:01:50 PM

i tried it with the bourne trilogy and it still didnt work

2/15/2010 3:08:10 PM

The indoor trainer is all about mental toughness. I hate the thing, but when my options are limited because of
this crazy weather we've been having, it was well worth parking my road bike on it.

I watch some action movies (300!), but lately I've been watching Youtube videos of cycling from the rider's point of view, ala video game style.

I still haven't figured out how to change the cyclocomputer to mph from kph

2/15/2010 4:27:09 PM

indoor trainer sucks something fierce, but i know i make some serious fitness gains on it, so i make myself do it a couple times a week. Then I try to get outside on the weekend even if it's cold. Did a 40 miler outside yesterday and it was actually pretty nice out.

2/15/2010 4:29:19 PM

its in my bedroom facing my computer monitor so i have the entire internet to look at while cycling

my real problem is that it is dark too early vs when I can actually ride. I hate winter. period.

2/15/2010 4:48:25 PM

i can not wait for warm weather. i am going to be able to get back to 150 miles per week. my bike looks so nice and clean in the garage. but damn i miss riding.

just signed up for the ATL booty ride. pumped.

2/15/2010 8:25:43 PM

I could use some advice...I'm looking for a road bike, and I kind of have it norrowed down to the Specialized Robaix and the Kuota Kharma. Any thoughts on those two? I'm probably going with the 105 group. My need is general fitness and club rides. No racing, but will do some long distances (50-100 miles. Any help is appreciated.

2/20/2010 6:42:53 PM

talk to somebody at a bike shop. I have never been 'upsold' on anything. You will still want to have to try some different bikes out.

I rode about 30 miles today outside. Probably won't be able to walk tomorrow. I did too much too soon and I know it

2/20/2010 8:18:45 PM

^^ My thoughts are that just about any bike at a similar price point across the major manufacturers is going to yield a similar "experience". So it comes down to

1) Fit
2) How much of a deal are you getting from the shop you're buying from

If you have it narrowed down, just google the interwebs for those bikes and see what the masses are saying.

2/20/2010 8:37:05 PM

The bikes are at two different shops and both obviously like
the one they sell better, but neither say anything bad about
the other. Ten pages of google search results for complaints
turn up no problems for either. I rode them both today and
loved them both, but was more impressed with the Kuota.
Looks like I can't go wrong either way.

This is my first road bike, now I just have to get used
to that seat, ouch.

2/20/2010 9:05:10 PM

It won't take long. When I was doing a lot of road riding it was always my neck and low back that hurt the most after long rides.

2/20/2010 9:34:50 PM

I have a specialized Roubaix Elite Triple (woo granny gear) with 105 and love it. Mine's a 2006 that i got for a steal because of a friend who is a pro athlete and it was the prior year model when i got it. have zero complaints thus far

and agree on the neck and back comment...esp the neck for the first 2 or 3 rides

2/20/2010 11:38:20 PM

Thanks for the feedback. Does anyone gave any
experience with Try Sports at Crabtree? They seem
like great people.

2/21/2010 7:59:02 AM

i have been to the store a handful of times and bought little stuff. They seem to know their stuff when it comes to triathlon, but i havent ever made any large purchases there yet.

2/21/2010 8:56:42 AM

they don't have a lot of stuff on the floor because it is not that big, but they can get all kinds of stuff. I have only bought shoes there but talked about all kinds of stuff.

Honestly every place that sells decent bikes in the area seems to have a good staff. Of course they don't all have the same brands. Specialized seems to be only sold at The Bicycle chain, and they have a big sale on 2009 bikes

http://thebicyclechain.com/index.cfm

I live right next to performance and kind find all sorts of goodies there. I feel bad not buying everything from one store, I like them all. And technically Performance is a local company being from NC too.

2/21/2010 10:08:59 AM

i bought a rocky mountian road bike then i went to look at the roubaix. best move i have made in a while. i saved texa$ and think i got better components and a fast bike for less.

http://www.gear.com/p/rocky-mountain-oxygen-50-ac-road-bike

2/21/2010 11:54:48 AM

That is a great deal for a bike with 105.
Most companies don't put 105 on anything except
full carbon. I agree that every shop has a great staff.
There is an All Star a half a mile from my house that
sells Specialized. I'd love to buy there, but the Kuota
just felt right.

2/21/2010 12:26:27 PM

That's not exactly true. 105s are good, but they aren't top of the line and you can often find them on most decent mid-range rides. It may be a good deal, but I'm not familiar with the brand or how stiff/light the frame is.

Today was a freaking awesome day for a ride today. Did thirty miles with my brother on some country roads and loved it. Short sleeves and no leg warmers. Can't wait for it to stay warm.

2/21/2010 11:28:09 PM

for a roadbike, the size of the frame is most important buying critera because it going to have the largest effect on ur riding position. spend the money to get "fitted" at a high end bike shop like Inside-Out Sports in Cary. Even if ur going to buy used. There are different size stems and other ajustments but that not a good way to solve sizing problems.

2/23/2010 6:32:34 PM

getting a forerunner 305 today and will get the gsc 10 sensor and quick release for bike and running use. of course after i make sure i like the watch first

2/24/2010 7:08:46 AM

link

Quote :

"BERU Factor 001: Formula 1 engineers create a bicycle Ever wonder what F1 engineers could make if they didn't have to comply with the regulations governing the sport? Well, here you just might have your answer. Only it's not a car, it's a bicycle. The product of British engineering firm BERU F1 Systems, the Factor 001 very well might be the pinnacle of road bikes. Without having to comply to the regulations of any particular cycling series, BERU was able to start from scratch and design the bike the way they best saw fit. The carbon fiber monocoque frame is painstakingly built according to the customer's specifications and measurements and features carbon-ceramic brakes and an LCD touch-screen that displays biometrics and various other readings. BERU will only produce a few hundred examples of the Factor 001, which may come down more to the time factor: each example takes six engineers a week to build. Currently on display at London's Science Museum and at Harrod's department store, prices – are you ready for this? – start at a whopping £22,000. That's about $34 grand in American greenbacks, in case you weren't cringing enough already. Details in the press release after the jump."

straight up nasty.

http://www.autoblog.com/2010/02/24/beru-factor-001-formula-1-engineers-create-a-bicycle/

[Edited on February 24, 2010 at 4:05 PM. Reason : d]

2/24/2010 4:04:54 PM

I need a good commuter bike.

^Like that

2/24/2010 4:05:34 PM

cool design, but that is a shitload of money to pay for a bike period, and especially for a bike that doesn't comply with UCI regs and you couldn't ride in any sanctioned event.

2/24/2010 4:22:57 PM

Agreed, way too much money for bike that you can't even compete with professionally. I'm sure it weighs next to nothing. I still doubt it's faster than this:



or

2/24/2010 4:46:57 PM

You didn't even post specialized's fastest TT bike

2/24/2010 8:16:58 PM

Can't compare to those ^^, but I decided to splurge a little bit since I'll be riding this bike for years, and I ended up getting this guy:

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/motobecane/immortalforce_10.htm

Should be here today... I can't wait to try it out this weekend!

2/25/2010 12:12:28 PM

^^That's a pretty sweet ride. But even that won't help my Tri training, I need legs like Cancellara.

2/25/2010 1:37:20 PM

so my first time using the forerunner 305 was on the trainer today. no cadence or speed sensor yet. HR monitor works fine.

It is funny because it thinks I moved aprrox 30 feet during my training.........probably because it is indoors and the sat link is not working properly. on google earth it just shows me moving all over my house when i zoom in

now that i know it works i am going to order the speed/cadence sensor which DOES work on a stationary trainer so I have been told.............

next run is scheduled for sunday, hopefully outdoors to check out the features on this thing...depends on the weather.

2/25/2010 3:46:16 PM

too bad the pansy-ass UCI DQ'd the Shiv (the black specialized above) for the aero blade thingy on top of the fork/headtube

2/25/2010 7:45:51 PM

I hate it when my spoke turbulence slows me down.

Do any of you guys castrate yourselves yet for improved aerodynamics? I know excessive riding will make you impotent anyway, so what would be the loss?

2/25/2010 7:48:46 PM

^^when did that happen? I hadn't heard about it and I know they rode it during last summer's tour. Giant and Trek also have that feature with the aero flange for the front brake.

Now they did disallow the P4 water bottle that acts as a fairing.

2/26/2010 5:51:32 AM

The ruling on the Shiv came a few days ago (maybe a week) because UCI argues that the aero foil on the front is not structural and only as an aero advantage. Specialized argues that the strap (something on the underside of the headtube i think) connects the fork to the frame.

Either way, there was a mad dash to find/build up one of the previous models so that Contador could continue in Portugal.

2/26/2010 8:39:15 AM

Which one of these is the best commuter:

http://raleigh.craigslist.org/bik/1617542064.html

http://raleigh.craigslist.org/bik/1616948179.html

http://raleigh.craigslist.org/bik/1614955421.html

http://raleigh.craigslist.org/bik/1614902150.html

2/26/2010 3:09:12 PM

IMO, your two best options are the two specialized bikes. i'm not as familiar with the older components on the pugeot and raleigh.

If it were me, I'd go with the allez assuming everything is in good working order. 105/ultegra componentry is a good deal at $250. Also, I don't know how tall you are, but I have a steel frame road bike that is 56cm and I am 5'11'' and it is a tad big on me. I'd probably go with a 54cm if I were buying new. Unless you are 6'0+ the 58/57cm bikes are gonna be too big for you most likely, although every frame has different ratios so your best bet is to get on it and see how it feels. Make sure you don't have to stretch out your arms too much to reach the bars.

[Edited on February 26, 2010 at 3:45 PM. Reason : d]

2/26/2010 3:44:36 PM

I'm 5'10"

2/26/2010 4:34:27 PM

Yeah, you probably want to stay away from the 57/58s then--although, like I said, sometimes the ratios are such that it works for your body type. Usually though, even if your legs can reach the pedals on a 58 without a problem, the top tube will be too long and you will have to stretch to reach the bars unless you have an unusually long torso. That isn't gonna be comfortable for any amount of distance. A 56 in most frames will probably be ok, but you might even look at any 54s that pop up.

2/26/2010 4:56:53 PM

Another awesome day for a ride. Did 55 mi this afternoon with a big group of old and new friends.

2/27/2010 5:03:39 PM

i did 35mi this morning and had some serious wind hitting me for the first 12 miles

i didnt fall down this time but i did have a dog encounter

[Edited on February 27, 2010 at 5:06 PM. Reason : dsdf]

2/27/2010 5:05:36 PM

Going to check out a Peugeot PX-10 this evening. If everything checks it out will be mine .

3/5/2010 9:31:42 AM

Nice. This weekend will be great weather for a test ride.

3/5/2010 10:05:46 AM

I'm concerned about it coming with tubulars. I would be using this mainly as a commuter. I could swap out the wheels for ones that accept clinchers, right?

3/5/2010 10:09:04 AM

yep. If you change, just make sure the rear hub you get accepts the cassette you have as it may be an irregular brand/setup being an older bike (assuming).

Ran across this site and it seems to have alot of great tutorial videos for those interested in DIY bike repairs.

http://bicycletutor.com/guide/

3/5/2010 1:28:35 PM

SON OF A BITCH. I was going to offer her the asking price of $200 and possibly resell it, but I just got this e-mail:

Quote :

"Sorry for the slow reply. Someone just emailed us this morning and told us that if our bike is a PX-10, which it is, then it is worth $700-$1,000. We had no idea. So we are not sure what to do. We're moving and need to downsize, but at the same time we want to get the most out of it to cover moving costs. I also want to be fair to both of us. Can you make a comparable offer? I hope you understand... we just had no idea."

WHO THE HELL DID THAT. WHO'S THE SON OF A BITCH WHO JUST SIGNED THEIR OWN DEATH WARRANT?

3/5/2010 1:34:18 PM