Road cycling
 

Any of you subsim guys ride a road bike, which used to be called a racer 20-odd years ago. I'm in the market for a new one and am confused by the wild array of options, basically I'm now down to either a Specialized Allez Double 18 (2011 model), or a Giant Defy 5 (2012). Both seem to be the basic for those brands, but better equiped than anything else for the price (£550).

Any advice from those with knowledge, as opposed to Google, would be gratefully appreciated. More difficult finding this stuff out compared to PC parts - is there a bike equivalent of TomsHardware?

Thanks, in advance,


H-B

I live in town for the moment, one requirement is mudguards.
Thats as far as it goes for choosing a bike.

Sorted already, Crud now do decent set for road bikes. :D

Don't get one with only 6 gears.....the last one I had got pinched whilst in my view whilst I was living in Holland and my mate gave chase but his 6 geared bike was no match for the 18 my bike had :DL

Mine only has seven and could be faster but I get by. Today I actually did the deed and rode 8-1/2 miles to band practice. Made it okay, and luckily got a ride home.

But this isn't helping poor HB make a decision. :oops:

It's not the bike, it's the man. :O:

Well, at least that's what I used to say years ago when I cycled all the time. Never raced, but could have if I wanted to.
Can't say what the hottest trend on the market is these days, but I'd recommend taking it easy. If you are not going to take part in races, then look for durability first. Take the bike that will get you from there to there, even if it means that it will go a little slower. Walking with a broken ride is still slowers than riding any bike.

I'd pay attention in the size of the frame, so that it's big enough for you. Then also how easy the bike to maintain, because you are going to do that often. Trust me, the 1,000 screws and bolts wonder might be the dream of a fine tuner who never actually rides, but a nightmare for anybody else.

If you have a chance, test each candidate. Take the one that feels good to you. Since you are going to spend a lot time together, you'd better like each other.

I see you want to buy a new bike but here is a different idea you might want to consider.
Take the frame of your old bike or buy an old racer frame or take a frame someone else has thrown as trash into the roadside ditch, and add new bike components and such create your own bike.
That is what I have done recently and I am a happy man now. I had this 25-30 years old bike relict from my wife's dad which I had found in his garage after his death, the Kettler „Daxi“ Alurad, a not-cool senior citizen bike but with a very light aluminium frame. Kettler were among the first to build aluminium frames and I thought that it would be a shame to not use the bike. So I removed all bike parts and took the frame and built a single speed bike which means it has just one gear: „fast“. I have added stylish Vuelta USA rims, Schwalbe „Kojak“ (bald) racing slick tyres (very cool), the Shimano biopace chainring and saddle from my sisters old racer, new brakes, a single speed conversion kit, a new single speed chain, a new handlebar and now I have a very mean machine. The front chain ring has 52 teeth and the rear cog has 18 teeth, I will probably try out 16 teeth or even lower. I still can't believe how fast that thing is as a single speeder and I am grinning all the time when riding my new bike. It is too fast for the city. I am using it for long speed rides on the county side, my new sport. We don't have mountains here.

I have read a lot in bicycle freaks internet forums. There you can learn a lot.

Bike components are cheaper if you buy them from onlineshops or you go to a bike shop and you tell the folks there that you have seen that component cheaper on the internet and they will lower the price.

I have spent about 200 € on bike parts and had finished my project after about 2 weeks. My guess is that is probably cheaper to buy a ready- made bike than to build one. But to build one is more fun with reading around and carefully making a decision which one to buy with every bike part. You can upgrade anytime and buy the even better bike component, e.g. buy rims for 3.000 €. There are no limits.

Mountain bike here.

@ Dan D: How hard is it to get going from a standing start, or to climb hills? I'm not sure I could even get something like that to move. Mine is geared a little low overall, but even then I can't currently keep up the pace for long in high gear. Maybe after a few months riding I'll get better.

I'd say, it feels like 5th gear+ in the beginning, Steve. No hills here that I would call painful for the legs.

@undergeared
"A little too low", I know that feeling. My other bike which I use for a weeklong bicycle trips has 7 gears and it feels just right in 6-7th gear with luggage at average 21 km/h, but without luggage, some gears seem to be missing. At 25+ km/h you start feeling like a hamster because of the high pedal frequency. That is where my idea for a second bike for 25+ km/h speed originated. Other option would have been to buy a new bike with more gears.

@fitness
Steve, sure you could. If you are feeling unfit right now, and I am certain, that you are just being polite again by putting your light under a bushel, keep in mind, that like it is with all sports, with a bit of regular sport you feel an improved fitness almost immediately after only a short period of time. You could do some long rides, 4-5 hours, at least long enough so that you get that calm and relaxed feeling.

No bike for me anymore without a good trailer and ergonomic (quick to handle) tow-coupling (like Weber). Got myself a flatbed, with a separate, big, weather-proof, solid-walled chest. Doubled the everyday-usability-value of my bike. 2x2 beer crates of up to 80 kg (no fun to cycle, though...:DL), bars of 1,70 m in length, and even smaller furniture like chairs and a small table have been successfully fixed on it , and transported.

Thanks for the suggestion, Dan D, but I'd like a new bike - and I'm edging toward the Giant. It'd be through a cycle to work scheme, and for goods costing just under £600 I'd pay a net price of ~£368 (if my calculations so far are correct, and as long as HM Revenue & Customs don't change their part of the bargain like they did recently!). There is also the fuel and vehicle wear and tear to take into account, but that may be counter-acted by bike-related costs.

My old bike, an 8-year-old hybrid I'd keep for ferrying my little girl around on.

Now, if Sky could cycle alongside with his bar, that'd be a great commute! :yeah:

A new bike then. Giant has a good reputation to defend and a really good bike you won't get for under 600 Euros here. Seems to be the same at your place but in BPS, 600-the magic number.

Have fun!

Thanks MaddogK, the only difference I can see is the Giant uses an SRAM cassette, I can't find much on t'interweb on these two competing other than top-end stuff - which this ain't! Oh, and the 1991 court case. But the Specialized is £50 cheaper, and I've just found out that from next Jan HMRC want VAT adding also, it'll only add a few quid to the monthly cost but...

Nearly there...
 

Right, finally got my act together and decided against the Giant and the Specialized, plumping instead for Ribble's Sportive 7005 with SRAM Rival groupset, ITM wheels, Deda bars and stem and a few other little bits and bobs. Total cost nearly £900 but because that'll be coming out of my gross pay it'll actually cost me nearer £700 (blasted admin fees otherwise it'd be nearer 600!) - still much more than I originally bargained for but a much better bike as a whole. :yeah:

Just got to hurry up and wait now, and stand-by for what will now turn out to be the wettest summer on record. :-?