anyone here into bicycling (distance and speed)?

[Jose R]

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On 9/27/2004 7:27:22 AM krustyoldsarge wrote:

I love bicycles, but I've been out of the saddle a couple of years now. Cycling is great for your overall fitness, but do get that knee looked at; biking probably won't help it.

Some roadies can be real snobs, too!

Consider a used road bike. Yard Sales, pawn shops, bike shops are a starting point. Test ride some and see what frame size works for you. My guess is a 21" frame could be right for you at 5'8", but you'll find what fits. I ride a 23" frame. The tube between the headset and seat should not touch your crotch while your feet are flat on the ground.

I like double-butted alloy steel frames. Titanium is brittle and harsh, even though is light. Steel has a springing action that gives and forgives and can help ease the fatigue of a long ride.

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Alot of times people with knee problems actually take up cycling as therapy. Less impact stress on the joint.

Snob alert: Real road bikes are measured in centimeters not inches.

For a 5'8" lean body frame with short torso and long legs, I would try out 51cm-55cm frames. Understanding of course, you can fine tune final fit with seat post height, saddle position, stem length and height.

And, err, titanium is NOT harsh or brittle. You may be mistaking titanium for aluminum. Titanium is one plush ride.

[Woodog]

I will also sing the benefits of bicycles. I have a Nashbar sport bike that I bought in 1985 (on Bach's 300th birthday) that's seen a LOT of miles. CroMo frame, double butted, well maintained... never had a problem with it. I rode a bunch during my 20's and early 30's but had to curtail that for the past 10 years after becoming a dad and having to take the youngster places using the car. I'm 6'3" tall and my weight ballooned to 290.

Last October I decided to change the weight thing and I recently reached my goal weight of 190 lbs. Riding my bicycle everywhere had a lot to do with that along with a low-fat vegetarian diet (btw, carbs are still good regardless of what the Atkins folks claim).

Cholesterol went from 400 points (a real wake-up call) to 195. Resting heart rate went from 86 bpm to 46 bpm. 100 pounds gone. Arthritis pain? Gone! Back pain? Gone!

These days I commute to work by bicycle (3.5 miles a day), commute to church functions by bicycle (21 miles/week) and ride a 17 mile loop within the city at least 4 times a week early a.m. or late p.m. The endorphin high is better than any I ever bought on the black market. (*cough*) I'm lucky to live in a city that is covered in alleys and back streets. I rarely have to ride in traffic.

An added benefit --- I only spent $25 on gasoline last month. (more money for music!)

A few weeks ago I scored a Trek 830 mountain bike for $25 at a yard sale. It was pretty rough, but $40 (a tune-up and new cables) later it is a decent little bike. I went on my first trail ride at Mammoth Cave National Park. Fun!

As far as becoming competitive, I have no advice other than this....

Intervals. Outside of laying a 'base' of miles (commutes, short rides, consistent riding, cadences of 90+), interval training will build your performance faster and better than just about anything, including thousand dollar bicycles.

keep riding,

woo

fini,

Get a recumbant (sp?) bicycle. They are great!

[fini]

Forrest,

You and Brennan going svelt may inspire me! I am about the size you used to be...not healthy!

[ricktate]

The best thing to do is find a shop that has riders and older guys in it....if not pro riders atleast ones that ride and love the sport.I ride an old 1980 Motobecan love it so i cant tell you to buy or not buy a certain type of frame.There are good steel frames and carbon frames more up to the rider...the shop i work at sells Trek,Lemond,Bianchi,etc,...the owner got a new lower end brand now to called Felt looks good he wants me to buy it and put my bike in the smithsonian,,,lol...any way we hope we helped you out,,,,the knee poping could be seat to low,,,,to far forward,,,if you need help on setting the bike up just ask,,,easy to do,,,Rick

[tpg]

.

[prodj101]

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On 9/26/2004 7:22:35 PM tpg wrote:

prodj-

May I ask what bike your brother rides (if you happen to know)? I am torn between bikes... both guys at the different stores feel that their line is better... as is customary for everything. I cannot decide... Some say that carbon bikes ride and feel different after you put some time and distance on them- and that change is for the worst, requiring you to swap up bikes or frams every couple of years. This would not be impossible for me to do, but really would be a waste of money for me... and I don't like wasting money. So, it seems a steel frame would be better... has a longer life and is cheaper, too. But, I like the light-weight of carbon. If you happen to know what he rides, I'd be interested in knowing as well. Might throw some other perspective into it...

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My brother has a few bikes. He has an old steel frame Bianchi cycle cross rigged up bike that he rides in the winter and for everyday getting around. The bike he races on has a San Lorenzo X2 frame set (the team gets the for dirt cheap). This bike is actually made of aluminum and not carbon, though it is still very light (with the components he uses it's slightly over 15 pounds). The other bike he rides is an Orbea which is set up for time trialing. I don't know a whole lot about that one because he doesn't spend nearly as much time on it.

[TBrennan]

TPG---I'd say just get going with a good bike of the type you want for now. Avoid getting bogged down in technical details which may or may not make a difference.

I got going again with a $320 Trek, that kind of money buys you a good bike. I ride everyday for at least 15 miles on trails and streets and the bike has been completely reliable and that's while carrying my big a*s.

Get a capable, reliable bike. As you get into it you might want to go techie and then agin you might not. I've run into people who ride zillions of miles on some of the damnedest things---old English 3-speeds and such.

[justin_tx_16]

I am really into road biking and off-road biking... I have a Specialized mountain bike and a Giant OCR 1 road bike. I love them both, though each bikes' front berring set busted on me...

other than that (which is covered by the warranty) i just love them.

[ricktate]

Well bikes are alot lot speakers...like a 6oo dollar road bike is good a 1500 hundered one is alot better but a 4000 dollar one is not going to be alot better.Kinda like ...Heresy to Scala BIG improvment but from LaScala to Klipschorn only us audio nuts would notice...Rick

[Jose R]

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On 9/28/2004 2:51:20 PM tpg wrote:

I think I need a new bike MUCH sooner than later....

I hit a small bump in the road, maybe 3" high, not even going very fast at all. The front made some awful sounding crack/pop... so I hit the brakes and stopped to see if the tire had left me. That wasn't it... nothing appeared to be wrong, so I started again, but noticed it was hard to pedal... I looked down at my front tire and it was wobbling a little from side to side and was hitting my front brake each time. I also looked at the back wheel... guess what... it wobbles, too.

A mountain bike that cannot take one little bump...

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Sounds like you blew a couple of spokes on your wheels. Cheap wheels (or cheaply made wheels) are known to do that.

Getting the spokes replaced and the wheels trued shouldn't cost that much.

But, getting a better bike with a better wheelset might give you better peace of mind.

Mavic open pro rims with DT spokes 32 across are what I use on my road bike. I ride in NYC; where if you aren't dodging horse crap at central park, or dog crap on the sidewalks, you are dodging pot holes and steel plates on the streets. Not to mention the moronic sleepwalking pedesterians... or the rampaging taxis or the illegal left-turning, right-turning from the middle-lane motorists...

Haven't snapped a spoke ever.

[justin_tx_16]

Jose suggested the wheel, I will suggest the tire. Go with Armadillo Tires.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/outdoors/bicycles/2000/9/Flatproof_Bicycle_Tires/print.phtml

I have not popped these and that is saying a lot for me. I do off road and on road with the same bike, dropped off a 2 foot ledge yesterday on the way to class! Rolled over a broken beer bottle last week...

[IAmtnbikr]

Just saw this thread....I have a few bikes and enjoy both road and mountain biking. Got a 99 Giant Xtc DS1 frame with a build I did myself on it. SID fork, Risse custom air/oil rear, XTR, Race Face, King disc hubs with Formula hyd discs, etc. Raleigh aluminum road frame with mainly Ultegra, some D-A, American Classic wheelset, etc. Plus a steel Trek beater. It is a good stress reliever to get out and ride, and our little one has progressed beyond the Burley to ride her own bike, up on two wheels when she was 4. We are fortunate to have a very nice trail system here, and have some halfway nice dirt too in a nearby state park. But, I have to drive an hour to get to any real serious (come home bloody...) dirt trails, lol.

[tpg]

.

[Colin]

I was into bicycle racing as a teenager who could not afford a car. I had a black with gray trim, custom made, 17-pound Moto Bacan, double-butted Reynolds 531 throughout, criterium racer, with Shimano Dura Ace throughout and stem shifters. I was also a vegetarian, but had trouble keeping my weight up until I figured I was burning 6,000 calories a day and switched back to meat and potatoes. I sold my Ironman since I am older now and biking was no longer the comfortable, safe transportation. I dont want speed anymore. I want maximum comfort and safety.

I bought a wonderful bike this year. The metallic red Electra Townie angles the triangular frame so that the feet can reach the ground and the rider sits upright. It had a slew of features that I liked: internal three-speed, back-pedal brake, front caliper brake, comfortable seat and grips, pants guard, no exposed derailleurs, wide but smooth tires for road use and comfort, gear switching on the grip, easy to use with thumb, upright posture, shift on the fly or standing. It is easy to go from sidewalk to street, making urban travel off the dangerous roads easy. They have 7 and 21 speed models.

The internal 3-speed Shimano Nexus hub houses all the gears, bearings and brakes. These are the exposed parts, which lead to mechanical failure, dropped chains, poor shifting, constant adjusting, maintenance and mess. An internal hub protects the gears. Rolls-Royce was famous for car engines using sealed bearings for the same reason. The store clerk and online reviews says the 3-speed Nexus hub has 71-75% of the gear ratio of a 10/21-speed derailleur-style bicycle perfect for the only South Florida hills, known as bridges. Shifting is joy: just click back and forth at any time. Riding is a comfort, just like sitting in a chair. The next model up has a front shock absorber, but cost $70- more and did not come in red. I rarely used the top gear, except on down hill runs, but used the bottom two constantly. If I bought it again, I might get the internal 7 speed, with the front shock absorber. I bought a reflective vest off eBay for $5. I was as thrilled as a schoolkid, until I left it at my sisters house and it was stolen.

For comparison, your old style 3-speed typically has a range of 177%, in jumps of:

1st (1/3 of 3rd gear), 2nd (2/3 of third), 3rd

http://forums.klipsch.com/idealbb/view.asp?topicID=49780&forumID=74&catID=19&search=1&searchstring=&sessionID={DD4535B5-69AE-4F4F-828A-2792DBED09BA}

I think any frame will outlast all but the most abusive of riders. Even Consumer Search found you have to spend $400 to get a good bike:

http://www.consumersearch.com/www/sports_and_leisure/road_bikes/index.html

Best Reviews: (out of 9)

Bicycling Magazine, Outside Buyers Guide 2004, ConsumerGuide.com

Best Road Bikes: (out of 38)

Giant OCR Series, Schwinn Fastback, Bianchi Eros, Lemond Tourmalet, Trek Madone 5.9

[3dzapper]

I have a saying "Any sport where the uniform of the day is Spandex is not for me."

That is for the protection of others. They could fall off their bikes or crash their cars from laughter!

Rick

[J.4knee]

Yeah my wife and I love cycling and mountain biking, I have a Cannondale R2000si and she has a Specialized Dolce'. Our Mountain bikes a Specialized Enduro Comp's. We have kind of drifted off of cycling for the past couple of months I have a "bum" hip that has been bothering me. We usually ride in 8 to 10 events a year, mainly things the ADA Tour de Cure and the Las Vegas Century although we dont ride a century yet. Most of our rides and events are in San Diego County, this place is like a cycling Mecca. We don't ride much over 40 - 50 miles in any given day usually in the 40ish-mile range. We love watch as much on OLN as we can from May through Sept, thanks God for the DVR. We are obvious TDF fans and I am quite endeared to the Giro as well.

[tpg]

.

[psg]

I ride for pleasure on occasion, but want to get back more into. I have a 10 year-old aluminium Devinci mountain bike that I use to ride with the kids, a 23 year-old Gardin race bike made with Columbus SL tubing, glued-on tubular tires but without index shifting.

This spring, I'm buying a used 2002 aluminum (but carbon fork) Devinci Silverstone race bike from a friend:

http://www.devinci.com/english/roadracingbikes2002.html

This will bring me into the age of STI index shifting. My friend is upgrading to the Monza or Millenium; very sweet bikes. I find the aluminum bike just as comfortable riding as my smooth Columbus SL older bike, but it's (as I recall) a couple of pounds lighter (18.5 vs 20.5 lbs?) and has index shifting.

Get a good bike because it will last forever (unless you really ride thousands of miles a year), but don't be affraid to buy used (a few years old) from a local rider or racer. Ask clubs if they know of any bikes in your size. Some people do have the upgrade bug every few years, and you can get the bike for less than half of what they paid for. The bike I'm getting retailed for C$2000 3 years ago and I'm paying less than half.

BTW, I'm keeping all 3 bikes.

[Scp53]

note- i have not read previous post so not sure if this message "fits"

i bike on the road with a hardtail. once i graduate from HS i m probably going to get a decent road bike(ill spend $600-$1000.) i m have not looked at road bikes for sometime though. so i cant recommend a bike very well. sorry

fyi, i own a fisher Tassajara(2002 i think). i have changed the following- got a botrager superstock wheelset(what do you guys think of these wheels?), replaced whole brake sys with deore levers and brakes(std stuff is crap imo), lizard skins, shimano spd pedals(cant remember model), and different grips(no big deal). soon to come is a new chain, cassette and rubber. and maybe a few other things. i have somewhere between 1500 and 2000 miles on the bike. the chain is starting to skip know and then. so its time to replace.

scp53

[Champagne taste beer budget]

Sure, I have a bike, a Daimond Back somethingoranother, it's got pedals and a post and wheels and tires and everything, of course, the last time there was air in the tires was maybe 3 years ago, for one ride, then 2 years before that, and so on....

HOWEVER...

My sister is serious about road bikes. She does triathalon and IronMan competitions, is hoping to qualify for Hawaii sometime, and in the last 6 months has done triathilons in Greece, Pheonix, somewhere in Florida, a big Canadian triathilon and one other, I believe. She's been through a few bikes in the last few years and feels that spending what we would on a pair of used Khorns for a set of bare wheels isn't a silly idea. I'm sure she could give you a lot of info if you wanted, I could have her check in here or send her your email addy. She's ran a various range of prices, from starting to completly custom, and much like I feel I get good advice here on audio due to the variety of people, she has a group of friends that are all into the bike thing, one of em has tried most every option out there, I would venture to guess. If you want me to point her towards you, let me know.

She also has a trainer that might have some particular advice on how to work with your knee/hip issues, as far as what equipment might be better or worse, techniques to keep the problems to a minimum, etc. Also diet, carb/fluid intake, etc., depending on just how serious you want to get.

Now, where the heck did I set my beer when I went to get that last slice of pizza?

OH, here it is, right next to the remote!! AHHHhhhhhhh he says as he lies back down into the Lazyboy.