Any road bikers here?

Scottwax said:
:LOLOL too funny!



My Schwinns (Tempo and Le Tour) were decidedly low tech compared to today's bikes but I put some serious miles on them, completely trouble free. Lugged frames, center-pull brakes, etc. All trends pretty much dead now but I really enjoyed riding both bikes.



BTW, great ride tonight! I didn't get home in time to get a really long ride in but I got in 17 miles and in the flats, I was pretty steady between about 17.5-20 mph. :)
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You had center-pull brakes? Man, I remember wishing I could afford a bike wth center-pulls, LOL! I had the bargin basement side-pulls. Of course my Trek 660 has side-pulls as well, but they're Modolo and are just a *slight* improvement. ;) Oh yeah, the Trek also has a lugged frame.



When I bought my Varsity I traded in an older Schwinn for the Varsity that had been sold back to the bike store with virtually no miles, it still had the nubs on the original tires. For my trashed old bike and $50 I walked away with my yellow Varsity and a big smile. I think I removed nearly 10 lbs from that bike, 2 or 3 of them by just taking off the kick-stand. Alloy wheels made a big difference as well. There were a couple of components that I had seemed to wear out more frequently than normal; chains and pedals. A couple of days after I bought my bike I went for a ride with a guy from the shop where I bought it (him on his Paramount, me on my Varsity), and I snapped a chain. For some reason, they just didn't hold up for me. As for pedals, they fell victim to my cornering and other abuse. It was also interesting to have my foot in the toe clips and realize that the pedal was attached to my foot but it was no longer attached to the spindle on the bike because the pedal bearings had given out.



It sounds like you're doing very well so far, those are respectable speeds. The weather is looking pretty nice today, I might have to get out my MTB and hit the trail.
 
Feel free to rip into me for my new bike, but I like it.



newtoy.jpg




I have a mountain bike but it needed some work. I decided to instead buy an entry level road bike, and use the mountain bike back at my parents place. I installed the cateye strada speedometer and my average on flats is 20 mph. It needs a tuneup, but I think it will do what I want to do with it.



Greg
 
Nice bike, my friend has that same model.



Check your rims for burrs on the rim where the tube sits. His had a few burrs which caused blowouts all the time.
 
ifoam said:
Nice bike, my friend has that same model.



Check your rims for burrs on the rim where the tube sits. His had a few burrs which caused blowouts all the time.
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Funny that you mention that! I got it in my apartment, filled up the rear tire, and it blew. I took it to my local bike store. They told me there was no rim strip in there, just a rubber strip which caused it to blow. I had both rims properly stripped now, so I can ride without being nervous about a blowout!



I am going to be picking up some clipless pedals for it very soon, and perhaps a better derailuer.



P.S. I got rid of that shwank kick stand in the pic. :woot2:



Greg
 
GregCavi said:
Feel free to rip into me for my new bike,...
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Well, I was going to hassle you on the kickstand but you took the fun out of that... ;)



So I’ll just have to give you grief on the lock instead. :D J/K, I know you need it. **



Luckily, you can get good clipless pedals at very reasonable prices these days. Sometimes it takes a little shopping around to find shoes that fit well. Everybody’s feet are different and every company makes their shoes a little different.



What derailleur/shifter setup is that?





PC.





**I do have one buddy who we’ve ragged on repeatedly because he refuses to loose the lock when we’re just out for a ride. The dude springs the cash for a carbon fiber bike and leaves a ton of steel tied around the seatpost when we won’t be leaving the bikes anywhere or even stopping. Then he complains about being dropped on climbs.
 
the other pc said:
Well, I was going to hassle you on the kickstand but you took the fun out of that... ;)



So I’ll just have to give you grief on the lock instead. :D J/K, I know you need it. **



Luckily, you can get good clipless pedals at very reasonable prices these days. Sometimes it takes a little shopping around to find shoes that fit well. Everybody’s feet are different and every company makes their shoes a little different.



What derailleur/shifter setup is that?





PC.





**I do have one buddy who we’ve ragged on repeatedly because he refuses to loose the lock when we’re just out for a ride. The dude springs the cash for a carbon fiber bike and leaves a ton of steel tied around the seatpost when we won’t be leaving the bikes anywhere or even stopping. Then he complains about being dropped on climbs.
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First off, LOL on the buddy with the lock on the cruise. This is my new commuter bike so it's needed. The derailleur/shifters are pretty cheap Shimano's. They will be upgraded very soon with some parts I already have. Jackpot!



Greg
 
My brother called me today, he finally found the pedals. His neighbor had them. I probably can't get them until the weekend, so another few days with the cages.



I just finished up my 4th 10 hours on my Cannondale (40 hours total @ 673.3 miles) and did 173.3 miles in those 10 hours. I was hoping to hit 175 but there were a couple of really windy days plus it has been very wet as well. I am hoping to hit 850 miles at the 50 hour mark.



I have decided to keep my Cannondale a while, it has the really good 3.0 aluminum frame that should hold up for years. I'll probably upgrade the wheels and maybe add some carbon fiber parts, like the front fork, seat stem, etc. Ought to take at least a few pounds out of the bike. The pedals will help too. Cheaper to spend $600-800 or so to get my bike to around 17 pounds than spend 3-5 times that amount to get the same weight new bike. Amirite? :)
 
Definitly recommend the clipless pedals/shoe route. You'll get used to it, and it becomes second nature. I think they are easier/safer too, compared to those toe clip strap down things.



Just prepare to do the worm dance on your side at a stop sign, as you failed to disengage from the pedals somewhere in public while motorist point and laugh....get that out of your system and your golden.





Jason



ps think circles with your feet. not us up down up down. forward, down, back (like your scraping mud off the bottom of your shoe, up) etc
 

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Scottwax said:
...Cheaper to spend $600-800 or so to get my bike to around 17 pounds than spend 3-5 times that amount to get the same weight new bike. Amirite? :)
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Darn right. If it fits you and you like the way the frame rides there’s no reason not to “mod� a good bike into an even better one.





PC.
 
I just got into road biking a few months ago. I hadn't been on a bike in well over 10 years. I've ridden Belle Meade Blvd and Percy Werner park in West Nashville about 5-6 times now. Starting kinda slowly, I've been averaging 15-20 miles per ride. I plan on increasing my range when I get my stamina up. So far I absolutly love it. The park has a 2 mile uphill loop and a longer, even more up hill loop and the Blvd is about 2.5-3 miles each way, slightly up-grade on the return trip. I know that's only a fraction of what you guys ride, but I'm getting there.



I absolutely love riding. It's relaxing and challenging at the same time. I don't have the best bike around, but it's got some noce 105/Ultegra components and a carbon fork, etc, etc. It works just fine for me. I had to save some $$ becasue I had ZERO equipment. Had to get helmet, shoes, jersey, short, bottle/cage, etc.



Here she is. 2006 Masi Vinvere:

IMG_2408.jpg
 
If you guys have a velodrome anywhere near, go try it out. It's so much different than a road bike - acceleration is instant and the speeds are incredible-close to 40 mph.

I raced track when I was in high school (cat 3), but gave it up with I moved to an area without a track. I remember being on the track one day with Nelson Vails - thighs as big as my waist. Most tracks rent bikes by the hour so you don't have to have your own.

And all this about clipless pedals is funny. When I was racing, the first generation of Looks had just come out. They wouldn't hold on the track, so we would runs straps under them and over top of the shoes as well just to stay in. :)
 
An update on my bike:



When I purchased it:



newtoy.jpg




As of today:



bike.jpg




Upgrades:



Presta Tubes

Michelin Pro 2 Race tires

Cinelli Bar tape

Cat Eye speedometer

Shimano Ultegra 600 Rear Dérailleur

Bontrager Select Seatpost

Bontrager C20 saddle



As of late I have been doing 25 mile rides a few times a week on the local trail.



Greg
 
Nice upgrades!



I had to have my rear wheel rebuilt, older road bikes have 126mm hub spacing while newer bikes (all are 8-10 speed rear cassettes) have 130 mm so when my wheel cracked, I had my LBS (local bike shop) use a Mavic Open Pro rim and attach it with new spokes to my rear hub. Switched from a tubular to a clincher, need to do the same to the front wheel so I can run a clincher there too. Next to impossible to fix a flat with a tubular on the road. Plus, clinchers mean 90 psi inflation instead of 140 psi, making my aluminum Cannondale noticably smoother without taking the instant response you get with aluminum. I'll probably get a carbon fiber seat post but other than that, I'll probably just ride the bike as is and just get a new bike in a few years.
 
Lookin’ good, GregCavi!



Dang Scottwax, you were still on sew-ups?



Don’t get me wrong, I love the way they ride. It’s just the maintenance that kills me.



When you get your first flat on the new clinchers you’ll wonder how you lived so long without them. (And if you ever get more than one flat on a ride you’ll be dancing with joy that you switched. Been there, done that!)





PC.
 
Tubeless tires (clinchers with no inner tube) are starting to hit the market. Best of both worlds...plus some flats can be plugged from the outside!
 
Tubeless would mean more wheel rebuilds for me...



Probably just wait until I get a new bike. No pressing need now, I really like my Cannondale. :)
 
Tubeless has yet to prove it self, I would wait and just stick with good ole clinches and higher quality tires. A good clincher these days is outstanding.



Greg
 
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