Your road bike.

[Stash]

Cannondale R600 (CAAD5) with lots of Ultegra bits as they've been replaced over the years and a real fancy Richie fork from a roof rack/garage incident (the first of two) that I'm sure some here are familiar with.

A cheap Specialized Hotrock with more scars from commuting in the snow than I can count (creak, creak).

...and it looks like it will be a PERFECT day for a ride on the old Specialized today! :

 

[HAMTERO]

I work at Independent Fabrication so I have several IF's.

Deluxe 29er single speed, set up with studs right now.Daily driver/race bike.
Old Ti Deluxe 26er single speed
Prototype SSX stainless cross bike
Steel Crown Jewel road bike

 

[Trout]

'98 Colnago 27 sp Campy Chorus (Road)

'98 Mongoose Crossway 850 Pro 24 sp (Hybrid/Cross)

'08 Rocky Mountain Element 10 FS 27 sp (MTB)

Love this thread & wish we could have a biking section on the forum.

 

[iceNsnow]

lots of sweet rides

Road:
Mongoose Pro Ti
Serotta Colorado

Mtb:
Voodoo
Klein

CX:
Viscous

Tandem riding is also a favorite!!

Got a unicycle too..............

like I said in the other post...you can never have too many bikes!
My quiver is getting kinda old since I don't race anymore, but then again so am I!

 

[dentonfabrics]

Mountain bike is a older Cannondale hardtail, which is perfect for the type of riding I do (mostly forest roads). Love it.

Road bike is a 1999 Lemond Buenos Aires that is for sale.

 

[walker]

Costs

How much are you paying for these machines?

 

[Stash]

How much are you paying for these machines?

How much do you want to spend? Huge range and you can cover any style at any price.

 

[brianW]

How much are you paying for these machines?

I paid less than $600 for my Giant Yukon 2 years ago. Many of my friends ride bikes that are $1500-3000. I am havin as much fun as them and I tend not to be the slowest one out there.

I really do not know if I would get a full suspension, I would take a good look at a 29"er.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

My Serotta as currently configured - Ultegra 10speed, Cane Creek Wheels, Chris King headset, etc., would retail new for about $3K. Note that there is a diminishing returns factor in here. The sweet spot is in the $2-3K range. You can get a really decent bike for under $1K, but it will have a mix of parts, low-end welds, stickers over the gel coat, etc. - it all depends on how long you want to ride it. I started out with a Cannondale R300 for $995 with 105 components. It was good for a year and then the welds cracked in two spots. Frames #2 and #3 from Cannondale lasted much less time. I asked for my money back (which they gave me) and went to steel.

Hamtero - I've long been eying IF should my Serotta ever collapse... 40K+ miles and still running fine.

Tim

 

[Stash]

it all depends on how long you want to ride it. I started out with a Cannondale R300 for $995 with 105 components. It was good for a year and then the welds cracked in two spots. Frames #2 and #3 from Cannondale lasted much less time. I asked for my money back (which they gave me) and went to steel.

Part of the problem might have to do with size and aggressiveness. At 150-155lb I've got close to 20K on my aluminum CAAD without any cracking issues.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

Part of the problem might have to do with size and aggressiveness. At 150-155lb I've got close to 20K on my aluminum CAAD without any cracking issues.

Yeah, well they make bigger frames for bigger riders who almost certain weigh proportionately more. Note that I broke the R series frames (3 of them no less), and not the CAAD one(s). Many components are stamped with a 180# pound rider limit, but I've not seen a frame with that limit.

Aggressiveness? It's a racing frame, it is billed as aggressive and meant to be raced!

Tim

 

[jfb]

I ride a 1987 Trek 400T, which is an 18-speed with a steel frame and sport/touring geometry. Before that was a Fuji S-12S LTD touring bike that was stolen.

 

[Rick]

I still ride my first "real road bike that I got 23 years ago -
1987 Cilo Sport 105 with a tange 1 Chromoly frame and 105 grouping with Biopace crank (Upgraded around 1992 to the 600 BioPace Crank).

My guess is that I have thousands of miles on this bike. I only ride it on flatter rides now - the front chainring is 42/52 and the rear is 12/25. I have to get off and walk it on all of our 400-600 foot hills.
PS Sheldon Brown is my best friend for this bike!!!
I have been thinking of a new alum road bike - Looking at specialized and Cannondale, but simply cannot make up my mind...

My other bike (for hills, commuting and rails trails) is an '02 Trek FX7700. I like the gearing on this bike for tougher rides - It has the flat bar, cafe style position which makes for nice rides under 20 miles.

 

[Stash]

Note that I broke the R series frames (3 of them no less), and not the CAAD one(s).

Hmm. My CAAD5 is an R600 model but I never followed too closely how those numbers all worked. Doesn't matter. You have found what works for you. Mine holds up for my Rasmussen-like legs.

That's what matters.

 

[deanmacg]

2008 Specialized Roubaix Expert - full Ultregra
2008 Trek Fuel EX9 - tubeless

 

[paul ron]

I've been riding a mtn bike, GT Avalanche 3.0 disk for the past few years n love it. It may weigh a ton but it sure builds your legs in the hills. When I get on the road bike, it feels like it's got a motor compared to the mtn bike.

I tried riding my Reliegh Competition GS in hte streets. But those skinny tires, 25x700, are always giving me problems. It feels like you're hitting a curb when just going over the smallest little cracks, and forget about if you hit anything like a stick even as large as than your thumb... you've got 2 snake bite flats, front n rear. Walked home several times, that bike is on the rack.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

...those skinny tires, 25x700, are always giving me problems. It feels like you're hitting a curb when just going over the smallest little cracks, and forget about if you hit anything like a stick even as large as than your thumb... you've got 2 snake bite flats, front n rear. Walked home several times, that bike is on the rack.

You can avoid pinching altogether with practice and experience. If you are sitting full weight on the saddle, then yes, every bump will be a jolt. Likewise, if you're leaning full weight and locked elbows on the bars, then you increase the risk of pinching (snake bite). If instead your weight is more on your legs and your elbows are bent a bit, then the knees, hips and elbows act as shock absorbers. The key here is that the bike bounces up into you, rather than you compressing the tires down so that you pinch. Think of the saddle as the fifth (and last) point of support, not the only (or first) point.

When I first started riding I pinched often. The last time I pinched I hit a raised casting at night in the rain - couldn't see it - and that was 2 or 3 years ago. An occasional pavement-colored rock or pothole hidden in water or shadows is not 100% avoidable, but most pinch flats are.

Tim

 

[smitty77]

An occasional pavement-colored rock or pothole hidden in water or shadows is not 100% avoidable, but most pinch flats are.

Inflating to the appropriate pressure is also a must. The higher the better. I forget what I used to inflate to but I think it was at least 90 psi, and probably more like 100. You lose some comfort but flats are greatly reduced and there's the benefit of less rolling resistance. Also make sure your valve stem comes through the hole in the rims perpendicular to the rim. IIRC, having the stem protrude at an angle is also a recipe for flats. I was taught by my dad from day one to let the bike "float" beneath you over bumps, rough road, railroad tracks, etc using the method Tim describes. Learning to do bunny-hops will also help.

Riding on the back roads of New England in any state except New Hampshire requires constant vigilance. IMO, the roads in NH are the best for road riding. We've got some state-designated "highways" in Mass that are so rough you can't travel more than 30 mph on them in a CAR. Anyone that has ever traveled Rt. 32 through Athol and Royalston to the NH border knows what I mean.

 

[brianW]

Smitty, ANY road is Roylston,MA is a hazard! Except in winter when all the pot holes are filled with snow and ice.

I used to commute from Fitzwilliam to Athol daily.

 

[hikehike]

My Bikes

Hi Folks... Great Thread!!!
I have the following bikes

Surly Long Haul Trucker - Touring Bike (steel frame) decked out for overnight touring/camping. This bike has 700c wheels/tires and I have outfitted it with "wall climbing" gears (basically mountain bike gearing with the high end pushed up to 95 gear inches).

Mustang Silver - This is a KHS knock off. KHS is (used to be?) and mountain bike frame manufacturer. This bike has an aluminum mountain bike frame with 26" wheels/tires and is again set up for overnight touring/camping with straight handlebars and low gearing. I typically run smooth/slick tires and can put wider tires on it. This bike is great for rougher roads, dirt roads, or roads with poor/soft shoulders.

And Lastly
Litespeed Classic - I just bought the frame (98/99 vintage) off of ebay and am building this bike up with light tires and road gearing and will primarily use it for local road riding, club rides and trainig rides. Back in the mid 90's I had a Litespeed Classic and put a lot of miles on it and then sold it around 2001+/-. I have regreted selling that bike ever since and I finally found a used one on ebay (took about 8 months) which was reasonably priced. I am really psyched to get this one on the road!!!