Re: Any bike recommendations?

Roy Owen said:

James said:

Comrades,

I'm looking for advice of what sort of road bike to buy. It shouldn't
be too delicate because roads are not exactly ideal track conditions,
and I'm planning to use it for middle-long distance rides rather than
quick blasts, so a harsh racer wouldn't be ideal.

Given I'm about 5"5' and long in the leg for that height, plus it's
pretty hilly here in Wales so lightness is a neccessity, what might
this group reccommend as a reasonable hybrid between a tourer and a
racer, given I've got maybe £1500 ($2750, Eur 2180) to spend on it?

Thanks!

James.

I'm and old CroMo guy, I have a '92 Bianchi Alfana set up for road (not
crit) racing. When I was in peak condition my farthest ride was 85
miles in just less than 5 hrs. Find a good (reputable) local bike shop
and explain to the owner what you want to do. They should be able to
set you up with a good fit. BTW I ride exclusively on sew-ups
(tubulars) in the long run they are cheaper than clinchers. They can
run at less (some what) than the recommended pressure and they don't
pinch flat. If you can afford titanium then go for it, otherwise stick
with CroMo for comfort.

Roy Owen

Hey Roy,

Thanks for the advice. A few Bianchis certainly look nice... the
Italian bikes probably are the best looking around. This Specalized
Roubaix looks good:

http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?sid=05Roubaix

.... but I haven't found a nice Italian bike with that sort of spec for
the price yet. The Bianchi site is pretty [censored] - I can't find a list
of bikes and specs there, nothing which springs out at you anyway.

The £1500 (GBP) which I'm thinking of spending would stretch to a
carbon Specialized as mentioned above, whether that's compromising the
rest of the gear - i.e. having low end bits around a more basic carbon
frame, which might be worse than having very high end bits on a very
good aluminium or steel frame, I really don't know.

Basically, I'm looking for a quick fix here because I'm keen to get on
the road, and don't want to spend a year or so learning about the
stuff. I'll learn all that when I'm on the road. I've cycled plenty,
but never had an opportunity to pay this much for a bike before (twice
as much as my car cost! Ha ha!). My mountain bike is a Gary Fisher,
but I'm tired of hauling it's heavy ass up all the hills around here.

All advice gratefully received!

James.

Quoted message said:

I don't know that I questioned whether you ride much but the
originator of this claim for his tubulars had all the earmarks of a
good bicycle owner who prefers esoteric stuff whether it has merit or
not. For most (aka overwhelming and vast majority of) riders, there
is neither performance, convenience, nor cost benefits to riding
tubular tires.

[email hidden]

I started on tubies, and now, see no compelling reason the change my
two sets of wheels to clinchers, is why I stay with them. For me, not
inconvenient, not messy, no big problem.

bfd said:

According to many, there is a difference between *good* tubulars and
everything else. Many swear that Dugast tubular tires like these are
the "bee's knee" and nothing else even comes close. For more on

Dugast

Quoted message said:

tubies;

http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/tubulars.asp

http://www.jitensha.com/eng/dugast.html

Aren't Dugast tubulars ridden in cyclocross? Don't cyclocross riders
use something like 20 psi in their tires? All squishy and flat so they
grip the dirt, mud, rocks, tree roots, gravel, sand, grass, etc. that
cyclocross courses cover. Other than some tires being roughly smooth
and others having knobs on them for grip in loose soil, how exactly can
anyone tell what kind of tire they have in cyclocross races? As an
experiment, go deflate your tires on all your bikes to about 20 psi and
ride them. See if you can tell any difference in tires at 20 psi.

Qui si parla Campagnolo said:

I started on tubies, and now, see no compelling reason the change my
two sets of wheels to clinchers, is why I stay with them. For me, not
inconvenient, not messy, no big problem.

But if you'd started on clinchers, or somehow magically your existing
wheelsets, tyres, and other personal stock were transformed into clinchers
-- would you switch to tubies, or also just stick with what you'd have?

Jasper