^^ looks like it was once a decent road bike frame that they have more or less converted into some sort of street cruiser/commuter hybrid. It's probably gonna be small for you, but depending on the setup it might be ok.

The handlebar and seat set up don't really look like they would be good for any aggressive trail or street riding, but if you want to ride around town, it would probably do well. SRAM makes good components.

If you ride it and it feels comfortable, it's probably a decent deal. Take it for a quick spin around the block and shift it through the gears and make sure the brakes feel good and responsive.

5/8/2009 4:54:04 PM

Wow, nice bikes all....

I'm doing my first century next month on June 7th, doing the Elephant Rock Ride (just south of Denver, CO)

I ride a $400 bike:


It's been a great bike, the components seem like they're B-stock or something because no matter how I tune it, some gear is just off. I could just be very amateur at tuning, I dunno.

Anyhow, I LOVE this bike, super easy to put together and I use it for a daily commuter every day. I've probably put about 30 miles/week on it since last September (yes even during winter), and closer to 100 miles/week on it in the last 1-2 months training.

I did however get a new seat, and the wheels/tires could stand to be upgraded, but love everything else.

5/9/2009 12:06:31 PM

I ride a handbuilt black davidson impulse with dura ace components that I have thrown some aero bars on for triathlon.

It's a thin walled steel frame, but it's funny because it's lighter than some of my friend's aluminum tri bikes.

5/9/2009 8:11:26 PM

^ Pretty! Is that a Brooks saddle?

My next bike purchase will definitely be a light racing bike. I got spanked on the Bike Chain ride last Sunday on my Surly LHT. That's the last time my riding partner gets to say "oh hey, let's join this group from our nice 10-12 mph pace, and you're on 1.5" tires, surely you can keep up?" I think he clocked us at 40+ km/hr on the downhills, and were probably average speed of 18 mph. I would have had better luck on my fixed.

Anyone have any ins for a 49-50 cm frame size newer road bike under $500?

5/9/2009 11:19:01 PM

Craigslist, definitely. I've been looking for a friend a 53-54cm bike for a few weeks now and I've seen some killer deals on bikes smaller than this and larger than this.

I seem to recall a 1-2 year old 50cm Giant OCR 2 going for like 400 a couple weeks ago.

5/10/2009 8:35:49 AM

^^ oh that's not actually my ride, just the same model--similar year. Mine is a black paint job/black saddle with brushed metal finish handlebars/components, yellow bar tape and aero bars.

Maybe I can get a picture of it next time I'm out.

[Edited on May 10, 2009 at 10:03 AM. Reason : d]

5/10/2009 10:02:49 AM

Tonight, 41.5 miles, 3:04, avg. 13.5mph, ~4123 calories, total ascent 5176ft, conquered Lookout Mtn... w00t!

5/12/2009 12:05:49 AM

37-40 mile ride, 3.5 hours, and 1 very sore bum.

5/12/2009 12:14:03 AM

36.0 miles, 2:02:40, avg. 17.6 mph, new PR!

[Edited on May 12, 2009 at 1:21 AM. Reason : Not in the mountains, but no shortage of hills.]

5/12/2009 1:19:20 AM

Rode in the Assault on Marion today. 74 miles with 5,000 feet of cumulative climbing. Next year, the real deal that continues to the top of Mt. Mitchell for 102 total miles and 11,000 feet of climbing.

5/18/2009 8:32:59 PM

^ I'm trying to get in shape to ride the Three Peak Madness in 2 weeks. I haven't been over 60 miles in a couple years. It's gonna be a long day, just hope it isn't too brutally hot and humid.

5/18/2009 9:01:32 PM

Some friends and I were thinking of planning a casual two day ride in the NC mountains (preferably on the parkway) later this summer. We would probably be up for about 50 miles each day at a relaxed pace, although some good climbs would be fun. Any ideas?

5/19/2009 9:43:20 AM

Rode up the Saluda Grade today as part of a 45 miler.

[Edited on May 23, 2009 at 9:10 PM. Reason : ]

5/23/2009 9:09:04 PM

^^ here are some road rides, mostly in the Boone area. Check out the maps and the elevation charts to see if you see anything interesting. Some of them are partially on the Parkway, but, contrary to popular belief, I would avoid the Parkway, at least long stretches of it. The Parkway is 2 lanes, narrow, with no shoulders, and often very busy with cars. The road, terrain, and scenery are very nice, but there are just too many damned cars. It's a bad situation for everyone - cyclists are always riding right on the white line with cars trying to squeeze dangerously close to them, and cars end up lining up behind you for miles getting pissed off. There are lots of other roads and highways, though, that make for better riding with fewer cars.

"Blood, Sweat and Gears" century, around the Boone/Blowing Rock area
http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/3643144
http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/6106781

"Assault on the Carolinas" metric century in far south-west NC
http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/2323147

can also check out the maps for other mountain centuries to get some ideas
http://www.ashecivic.com/about-blue-ridge-brutal.html
http://assaultonmtmitchell.org/
http://www.bloodsweatandgears.org/bsg/main/start.htm
http://www.bmcc.us/raw.htm
http://www.caldwellcochamber.org/aboutus.asp?id06=49&cat06=0

5/24/2009 12:31:07 AM

i have a trek women's hybrid. i don't know the model or whatever, it is pretty old. probably 10 years old at least. it looks like this one:



is this still a decent bike for just getting in shape/recreational use. i mean i'm not training for anything. i've had this bike forever. i haven't ridden it in like 2 years - i should probably take it in to get a tune up somewhere, no? obviously i should ride it first and see if there are any problems. i haven't lived at home in a while and i'm still in school and no room for the bike, but now that i'm at home i would like to start riding again.

5/24/2009 12:38:29 AM

Anybody up for this in a few weeks?

http://www.caesarsheadchallenge.com/100Mile.html

I'm going to try. They also have 33 and 62 mile distances.

5/24/2009 1:53:54 AM

^^ if you like the bike and you can ride it easily, and it's in decent shape, then there's no reason that you couldn't use it to get in shape or for some easy/moderate training.

For the most part, people put too much emphasis on the bike when trying to get in shape. The bike isn't the most important part - you are.

5/24/2009 9:40:13 AM

^ I forgot to tell you we had a crash yesterday. We get to the Jack Bennet/Big Woods split. The front 10 or so people (with Bradley pulling and eager to do the climb to get ready for 3 Mountain next week) went straight. The rest of the group starts calling "left left" so Art, who I think is generally the ride leader, turns around and I guess starts telling or asking the rest of the group which direction. Some asshat takes it upon himself to just start turning left, cuts right in front of him and Art ends up endoing onto his head. He eventually makes his way to the Wilsonville store but oddly enough can't walk very well when he gets there and they call for someone to pick him up.

5/24/2009 10:03:44 AM

khcadwal, hybrids are one of the most ideal bikes for getting around the city on. They have medium-width tires to be stable yet efficient, and can survive Durham's shitty roads, and a relaxed frame geometry that is comfortable to be on for multiple hours. Whenever we get one into the bike co-op, they're quickly snapped up by commuters and older adults. You could also do some short touring on one if you were so inclined.

But yeah, I agree the bike is only second to the person on it in terms of performance- I've merrily passed people on geared road bikes with aero bars, with a fixed gear, and I'm sure Lance Armstrong could fly by me on a mountain bike given half a chance. Bike styles really only matter when you're starting to get into specialized disciplines (i.e. BMX, road riding, cyclocross, etc.)

5/24/2009 2:16:38 PM

Nov 9th bike show in Charlotte

http://www.bigstampede.com/

turn down speakers before hitting link annoying music to turn off

5/24/2009 5:12:35 PM

what's the deal with the bike ride classes?

5/24/2009 10:02:39 PM

you mean spin classes?
"bike riding classes" as a derogatory term, i assume?

anyway, they are no joke. The spin-bikes are modified - the front wheel is weighted heavily, and it is "fixed gear", meaning if the wheel is spinning, the pedals must be moving (coasting not possible). And if you get a good instructor, they are as good of a cardio workout as you'll ever get. I did some a couple years ago with a friend at our company gym. I was in good road-bike shape, and thought the spin-class would be a piece of cake. It kicked my ass. Much harder than anything I had imagined. Like almost any cardio workout, though, you get out of it what you put in.

5/24/2009 11:34:41 PM

did 50 miles in 2:57 last weekend, hopefully going for 60 this weekend if the weather cooperates.

my first 100-mile century is in 2 weeks

5/24/2009 11:37:38 PM

lol no i mean the class of ride, A, B, C etc...

i would assume A is semi-pro? or is it just a pace?

5/25/2009 12:43:27 AM

All this talk of bikes makes me want to ride mine that much more. On the 17th I took it out for a joy ride around campus for around 2 and a half to 3 hours, then instead of being a smart cyclist, I went straight down a curb and messed my rear wheel up. I'm no mechanic or anything, nor am I even close to being familiar with bicycle repair so I'm at a bit of a loss. It's a specialized hybrid, the back wheel is slightly wobbly, the rear-right break pad is also jammed into the wheel and the peddles won't turn. I'm planning on taking it to some shop on Hillsborough in hopes that someone there will be able to set things right.

However, thanks to having my lower right leg ran over by a car, that's also on hold. Thanks, life.

5/25/2009 12:44:15 AM

I have only heard of road bike categorys 5 to 1... 1 being the most skilled/fastest with 5 being beginners. They use the categorys for races/group rides so you don't have beginners getting 20 miles away and having to ride by themselves because they get dropped by more experienced riders.

5/25/2009 10:00:45 AM

Quote :

"lol no i mean the class of ride, A, B, C etc... i would assume A is semi-pro? or is it just a pace?"

Most serious amateurs and semi-pros that have cycling as their main sport get a ranking like ^ said from from USA cycling (see here http://www.usacycling.org/news/user/story.php?id=580) and everyone will refer to it as their 'Cat' ranking if you hear people talking about it. Ie, so and so is a Cat 3.

I say ameteurs and semi-pros because I assume all real pro riders are Cat 1 anyway, but I could be wrong.

The A,B,C is how most group ride paces are categorized. I ride at a B pace and most of the stores say that it is 18-19 or maybe 18-20 or so but I do know I've been on the Cycling Spoken Here Apex ride the past couple of Tuesdays that is supposed to be a B ride that has averaged 20.5 both times. Generally, I think this is a little fast for your average B ride, but it's also a little slow for your average A ride, which is going to be in the 22-25mph range. C rides that are "no drop" rides will be as slow as 15 because they are meant for complete rookies, people getting used to group riding, and people that don't want to be dropped and have to ride alone.

5/25/2009 10:48:08 AM

saw about 12 or so people on road bikes today as I ran the Maynard loop in Cary. Sooooooo want a road bike, but I have told myself to put in at least 4 months of run training first. Plus I got to save $$ too.

Maynard loop is a great loop too. Park at any of the various places and just go (or live where I do )

Also figured out where Cycling Spoken Here is (deet dee dee on Maynard, but part I never go on while driving)

[Edited on May 25, 2009 at 12:01 PM. Reason : Cycling Spoken Here]

5/25/2009 11:57:41 AM

Rode metric century group ride today at about 19 mph average over rolling hills. That is by far my fastest pace since I started riding and almost twice my usual distance, but I also found out how much better I have to get in order to be considered legit with that group.

5/25/2009 6:51:59 PM

Was this an ad hoc group of people or a group that usually meets to ride?

And in what part of the county were you riding?




I took a 12-32 mountain cassette I had laying around and put it on my road bike in preparation for all the climbing I have coming up this weekend. Old cassette was 11-26.

5/25/2009 7:17:36 PM

It was a group that rides pretty regularly. I think most of them have been riding together for years. I was able to ride today because of the holiday. The ride was in Upstate South Carolina, more specifically beginning in Spartanburg. They were feeling generous because of the holiday and decided not to drop anyone (long-term), but I did get dropped when they really took off on a downhill. I peaked at about 42 mph and still got gapped!

Where is this Three Peaks thing you mentioned? Also, I didn't even know you could put a mountain cassette on a road bike. I have a Trek mountain bike, and the largest sprocket on the cassette says "super low" or something like that. It's the only one where the diameter increase doesn't follow the linear progression of the rest. On my road bike, I have a triple crank, but I have not really needed the smallest ring on any rides. However, the 6 mile 6% climb of Caesar's Head at the conclusion of a true century ride may make me very glad to have it. I'm not sure that the small weight reduction of a double crank is justifiable at a non-professional level.

[Edited on May 25, 2009 at 7:35 PM. Reason : ]

5/25/2009 7:27:19 PM

http://www.3mountainmadness.com/

If you already have a triple, there really should be no need for a bigger cassette unless for some reason you have an unusually small one or maybe you have an older 7 or 8 speed for some reason or perhaps you haven't built up a ton of leg strength yet and prefer to run a really high cadence (100ish and more).

Have a look at this

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/deakins/lowgears.html

I've tested it in my garage and I'll have to make sure not to try and run in the three top gears while I'm in the big ring and I need to do the b-screw adjustment they mention because the top sprocket is banging off the biggest cog even with the screw turned all the way in. But otherwise I think it's going to work ok. If I were in better shape I think my current cassette would be fine as I tend to mash a big gear but I didn't get through the 60 I rode over the weekend with ease - though we did average 19.9 including a 2 minute pull of my own plus about 15 minutes worth of group chasing me and my buddy did when the group split after a wreck. I just want some extra peace of mind going in to it that I can sit and comfortably spin at 4mph on 12% grades if I have to.

5/25/2009 7:57:36 PM

Interesting. I tend to push bigger gears at a lower cadence than most of the people I ride with. I don't really know why. It just feels right to me. I can't stand it when I don't have something to push back against. When I get on a really steep slope, I have to gear down, but that also means I have a lot larger range of gears to drop if I get tired (because I started out so much higher). When we rode on Saturday in the mountains, my average cadence was 45, which I guess is ridiculously low. Today on the faster ride it was 75. I have a lot of experimenting to do.

[Edited on May 25, 2009 at 8:30 PM. Reason : ]

5/25/2009 8:30:26 PM

What type of clipless pedals do people use here. I'm thinking of switching to spd's. Any places to get good deals other than jenson or the c-list. Oh I need shoes too! Thanks.

6/6/2009 1:44:22 PM

Anyone have any suggestions for a 700c wheelset for around a hundred bucks that isn't extremely heavy? My rear wheel is fucked and I'd like something decent for my Cannondale.

6/6/2009 2:19:16 PM

pedals - i have Dura Ace. they have a very big cage and clip, but they have a pretty slim profile.


They are similar to Look pedals, but a lot less bulky (dura ace is metal, Look is plastic, although they're both good pedals)


my wife only uses SpeedPlay, on her road, tri and cyclocross bikes



For shoes, I'm a big fan of Specialized, for road and mtn bike. I've tried several other brands, but I always come back to specialized
road


mtn


[Edited on June 6, 2009 at 2:26 PM. Reason : .]

6/6/2009 2:25:25 PM

what do you think of:



Seems like a pretty simple design and light weight. But without a cage/large platform will a rider be transferring force most efficiently using a pedal like this, as opposed to a look or an spd?

6/6/2009 3:01:08 PM

well, those are traditionally mtn bike pedals. they're good, though - i use Crank Bros on my mtn bike.

I guess there's nothing to stop you from using them on your road bike, really. You'll still want to use road-bike shoes, though, with hard plastic soles.

I guess i just realized you did say you want SPD. So that means you are looking for mtn bike style pedals?
Or do you mean SPD-R pedals?

6/6/2009 3:13:56 PM

It's for my road bike. So I'm looking for SPD-R.

6/6/2009 3:30:47 PM

Get the look style for the road, its what everyone uses.

6/6/2009 4:59:06 PM

REI Outlet has this set of pedals for 80 (originally 100 but they have a 20% coupon right now).

http://www.rei.com/outlet/product/793108



Are they a good deal?

6/6/2009 10:41:44 PM

I use Shimano SPD-SL pedals, and have been satisfied so far. They are not the lightest model, but they are decently priced, and I'm not trying to win the Tour.




I have these shoes. Again, I'm not elite, but they work for me.

6/7/2009 12:58:18 PM

Quote :

"Anyone have any suggestions for a 700c wheelset for around a hundred bucks that isn't extremely heavy? My rear wheel is fucked and I'd like something decent for my Cannondale."

6/8/2009 10:58:54 PM

^ http://forum.slowtwitch.com/gforum.cgi?post=2364827;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread

That's a nice set... used, but alot more wheel than you could get for that money new.

6/9/2009 8:27:27 AM

I use Egg Beaters on my mountain and road bikes with absolutely no issues. I have used the same pair on four or five bikes, and put serious miles on them.

I do have people talk shit occasionally on the road bike, since they aren't roadie specific pedals, but the shit talking stops the minute that my foot instantly engages the pedal, regardless of orientation....meanwhile, the spd-r (and other road pedals) users are fumbling around and looking at their feet rather than gettin to business.

Additionally, the stack height is no greater and in many cases less than road specific pedals, they also dont have the width of "normal" pedals. This may not seem like a big deal, but clip a pedal at the bottom of a pedal stroke in a turn and you'll soon appreciate low stack height and width. I am able to lean the bike deeper in turns and continue pedaling where other people are having to hold back. Definitely a win in my book.

Finally, though not cheap, the Ti version weighs less than a super premium pedal like the Time RXS. (If you really wanna bling the bike out, the 4Ti version weigh almost 70 grams less....sure 70g. aint much, but then again Im taking a weightweenie stance). Nevermind the weight of Dura-Ace....its like Shimano isnt even tryin...

6/11/2009 2:36:43 PM

I use the exact same kind of equipment on both my road and mountain setup. The SPD's are a bazillion times easier to get into because you can go in either side of the pedal - no fumbling, no falling.

Pedals - Performance's Forte Carve http://tinyurl.com/lxmr93


Shoes - Northwave Lizzard http://tinyurl.com/nozwxh


It's cheap, effective. and it's going on two years of moderate use, so I'm satisfied.

6/13/2009 7:47:47 AM

OK I'm considering a TREK 2.1 which I will buy at the end of the year, hopefully getting somewhat of a deal when next years models arrive. Besides I need to save the $$ first.

6/13/2009 2:20:50 PM

This was a tough one. My first century, and then some:

6/14/2009 2:24:06 AM

^ cool, what was that one?
It looks similar, but not quite like the Assault on the Carolinas metric century. Looks like the Assault on Carolinas is a subset of that ride, from about mile 60-120

6/14/2009 9:30:56 AM

It was the Caesars Head Challenge plus a 7 mile detour due to a missed turn (not marked!)

http://www.caesarsheadchallenge.com/

6/14/2009 11:43:52 PM