Best roadbike for rough pave'?



J

Jim

Guest
We've got a nice 7% grade 1500 ft. climb here in Santa Barbara; tight &
twisty Old San Marcos Pass Rd. The County Roads Dept. has allowed this great
old road to deteriorate to the point it's rough & dangerous to descend on a
road bike. I've got a bad neck, & I've been riding the newer main highway
back down each day, but it's very dangerous with all the traffic.
I'm looking for a bike that's fun to climb & can soak up the judders on the
descent.
I'm wondering if maybe there's a cyclocross bike with a suspension fork now
available. I generally hate mountain bikes, but perhaps a ti hardtail
frame... What's sweet? I'd need a 62cm road or 23" mountain frame.
The fork doesn't need much travel, of course. I've been using an old
Litespeed Ti Catalyst, which is a pretty soft frame.
Jim Hultman
 
I can't think of a cx bike that comes stock with a sus fork, but there
are 700c suspension forks of varying qualities--you see them on a lot
of hybrids these days.

I generally find climbing with suspension forks to not be very fun, but
I suppose there are some fancy models, that with proper adjustment
would be just fine--just don't have the experience of them.

A cxbike or fast touring bike with room for 28-30mm tires running at
85-90 psi, would take a lot of the jolt away, even with a rigid fork.
get the bars up to seat level and you'll crane your neck less as well.

What's the fattest rubber you can fit on the Litespeed? Might be worth
seeing if it can clear some cushier 28s.
 
> We've got a nice 7% grade 1500 ft. climb here in Santa Barbara; tight &
> twisty Old San Marcos Pass Rd. The County Roads Dept. has allowed this
> great
> old road to deteriorate to the point it's rough & dangerous to descend on
> a
> road bike. I've got a bad neck, & I've been riding the newer main highway
> back down each day, but it's very dangerous with all the traffic.
> I'm looking for a bike that's fun to climb & can soak up the judders on
> the
> descent.
> I'm wondering if maybe there's a cyclocross bike with a suspension fork
> now
> available. I generally hate mountain bikes, but perhaps a ti hardtail
> frame... What's sweet? I'd need a 62cm road or 23" mountain frame.
> The fork doesn't need much travel, of course. I've been using an old
> Litespeed Ti Catalyst, which is a pretty soft frame.
> Jim Hultman

Jim: If you can find a Klein Reve, you may find an end to your quest. That
little elastomer bumper they install in-between the seatstays & seatube does
phenomenal work on bumpy surfaces. They've just now introduced this same
thing into Trek's carbon line with the 5.2 SPA model. Neither has a
suspension fork, but I'm not sure that's needed. I got to test-ride the
Klein extensively, and was quite surprised at the magnitude of improvement
(over a standard road bike) with just the rear suspension.

I've written about them on this page on our website-
http://www.chainreaction.com/revvedupklien.htm but do keep in mind that I'm
a big-time evil nasty bicycle retailer that sells them for a living, so
everything I've written should be read with that in mind. :>)

By the way, I've done that climb many, many years ago. Loved it. Too bad
they've let it deteriorate so badly.

--Mike Jacoubowsky
Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReaction.com
Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USA

"Jim" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:4WfCf.15088$jR.8215@fed1read01...
> We've got a nice 7% grade 1500 ft. climb here in Santa Barbara; tight &
> twisty Old San Marcos Pass Rd. The County Roads Dept. has allowed this
> great
> old road to deteriorate to the point it's rough & dangerous to descend on
> a
> road bike. I've got a bad neck, & I've been riding the newer main highway
> back down each day, but it's very dangerous with all the traffic.
> I'm looking for a bike that's fun to climb & can soak up the judders on
> the
> descent.
> I'm wondering if maybe there's a cyclocross bike with a suspension fork
> now
> available. I generally hate mountain bikes, but perhaps a ti hardtail
> frame... What's sweet? I'd need a 62cm road or 23" mountain frame.
> The fork doesn't need much travel, of course. I've been using an old
> Litespeed Ti Catalyst, which is a pretty soft frame.
> Jim Hultman
>
>
 
"Jim" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:4WfCf.15088$jR.8215@fed1read01...
> We've got a nice 7% grade 1500 ft. climb here in Santa Barbara; tight &
> twisty Old San Marcos Pass Rd. The County Roads Dept. has allowed this
great
> old road to deteriorate to the point it's rough & dangerous to descend on
a
> road bike. I've got a bad neck, & I've been riding the newer main highway
> back down each day, but it's very dangerous with all the traffic.
> I'm looking for a bike that's fun to climb & can soak up the judders on
the
> descent.
> I'm wondering if maybe there's a cyclocross bike with a suspension fork
now
> available. I generally hate mountain bikes, but perhaps a ti hardtail
> frame... What's sweet? I'd need a 62cm road or 23" mountain frame.
> The fork doesn't need much travel, of course. I've been using an old
> Litespeed Ti Catalyst, which is a pretty soft frame.
> Jim Hultman

I've got a Cannondale Silk Road 500, with a head shok in it. LBS has
another couple of frames hanging up, and I can't believe they'd be the only
ones. Although a 63cm might be pushing it.

Suspect the Head Shok is pretty much undamped in this setup, although it's
far from bouncy.

Maybe you can get away with some 35c tyres?
 
Jim wrote:
> We've got a nice 7% grade 1500 ft. climb here in Santa Barbara; tight &
> twisty Old San Marcos Pass Rd. The County Roads Dept. has allowed this great
> old road to deteriorate to the point it's rough & dangerous to descend on a
> road bike. I've got a bad neck, & I've been riding the newer main highway
> back down each day, but it's very dangerous with all the traffic.
> I'm looking for a bike that's fun to climb & can soak up the judders on the
> descent.
> I'm wondering if maybe there's a cyclocross bike with a suspension fork now
> available. I generally hate mountain bikes, but perhaps a ti hardtail
> frame... What's sweet? I'd need a 62cm road or 23" mountain frame.
> The fork doesn't need much travel, of course. I've been using an old
> Litespeed Ti Catalyst, which is a pretty soft frame.
> Jim Hultman

Moots Cyclo cross frame with a YBB rear end, an aftermarket, low travel
700c front suspension, big fat tires.
 
Jim wrote:
> We've got a nice 7% grade 1500 ft. climb here in Santa Barbara; tight &
> twisty Old San Marcos Pass Rd. The County Roads Dept. has allowed this great
> old road to deteriorate to the point it's rough & dangerous to descend on a
> road bike. I've got a bad neck, & I've been riding the newer main highway
> back down each day, but it's very dangerous with all the traffic.
> I'm looking for a bike that's fun to climb & can soak up the judders on the
> descent.
> I'm wondering if maybe there's a cyclocross bike with a suspension fork now
> available. I generally hate mountain bikes, but perhaps a ti hardtail
> frame... What's sweet? I'd need a 62cm road or 23" mountain frame.
> The fork doesn't need much travel, of course. I've been using an old
> Litespeed Ti Catalyst, which is a pretty soft frame.
> Jim Hultman

Moots Cyclo cross frame with a YBB rear end, an aftermarket, low travel
700c front suspension, big fat tires.
 
Thanks Mike; I've had a look your websites review of the Klein (& also found
the far more expensive Trek you've recommended), Very interesting; the Klein
triple Shimano 105 is around $1,600.00, which is cheap for a Klein. (My last
Klein was a Quantum Pro, & that bike could climb the Old Pass a gear higher
than even my Trek 5500. The good old days). Maintaining control on the
fast, rough downhill sections of Old San Marcos Pass Rd. may require front
suspension, however. I'm beginning to think a 30 lb. hybrid might (yech) be
in my future. Were I to buy a Klein, I'd buy through Chain Reaction, as you
guys are always available with the excellent advice, & it's appreciated!
Jim
"Mike Jacoubowsky" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> > We've got a nice 7% grade 1500 ft. climb here in Santa Barbara; tight &
> > twisty Old San Marcos Pass Rd. The County Roads Dept. has allowed this
> > great
> > old road to deteriorate to the point it's rough & dangerous to descend
on
> > a
> > road bike. I've got a bad neck, & I've been riding the newer main
highway
> > back down each day, but it's very dangerous with all the traffic.
> > I'm looking for a bike that's fun to climb & can soak up the judders on
> > the
> > descent.
> > I'm wondering if maybe there's a cyclocross bike with a suspension fork
> > now
> > available. I generally hate mountain bikes, but perhaps a ti hardtail
> > frame... What's sweet? I'd need a 62cm road or 23" mountain frame.
> > The fork doesn't need much travel, of course. I've been using an old
> > Litespeed Ti Catalyst, which is a pretty soft frame.
> > Jim Hultman
>
> Jim: If you can find a Klein Reve, you may find an end to your quest. That
> little elastomer bumper they install in-between the seatstays & seatube
does
> phenomenal work on bumpy surfaces. They've just now introduced this same
> thing into Trek's carbon line with the 5.2 SPA model. Neither has a
> suspension fork, but I'm not sure that's needed. I got to test-ride the
> Klein extensively, and was quite surprised at the magnitude of improvement
> (over a standard road bike) with just the rear suspension.
>
> I've written about them on this page on our website-
> http://www.chainreaction.com/revvedupklien.htm but do keep in mind that
I'm
> a big-time evil nasty bicycle retailer that sells them for a living, so
> everything I've written should be read with that in mind. :>)
>
> By the way, I've done that climb many, many years ago. Loved it. Too bad
> they've let it deteriorate so badly.
>
> --Mike Jacoubowsky
> Chain Reaction Bicycles
> www.ChainReaction.com
> Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USA
>
> "Jim" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:4WfCf.15088$jR.8215@fed1read01...
> > We've got a nice 7% grade 1500 ft. climb here in Santa Barbara; tight &
> > twisty Old San Marcos Pass Rd. The County Roads Dept. has allowed this
> > great
> > old road to deteriorate to the point it's rough & dangerous to descend
on
> > a
> > road bike. I've got a bad neck, & I've been riding the newer main
highway
> > back down each day, but it's very dangerous with all the traffic.
> > I'm looking for a bike that's fun to climb & can soak up the judders on
> > the
> > descent.
> > I'm wondering if maybe there's a cyclocross bike with a suspension fork
> > now
> > available. I generally hate mountain bikes, but perhaps a ti hardtail
> > frame... What's sweet? I'd need a 62cm road or 23" mountain frame.
> > The fork doesn't need much travel, of course. I've been using an old
> > Litespeed Ti Catalyst, which is a pretty soft frame.
> > Jim Hultman
> >
> >
>
>
 
Thanks Mike; I've had a look your websites review of the Klein (& also found
the far more expensive Trek you've recommended), Very interesting; the Klein
triple Shimano 105 is around $1,600.00, which is cheap for a Klein. (My last
Klein was a Quantum Pro, & that bike could climb the Old Pass a gear higher
than even my Trek 5500. The good old days). Maintaining control on the
fast, rough downhill sections of Old San Marcos Pass Rd. may require front
suspension, however. I'm beginning to think a 30 lb. hybrid might (yech) be
in my future. Were I to buy a Klein, I'd buy through Chain Reaction, as you
guys are always available with the excellent advice, & it's appreciated!
Jim
"Mike Jacoubowsky" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> > We've got a nice 7% grade 1500 ft. climb here in Santa Barbara; tight &
> > twisty Old San Marcos Pass Rd. The County Roads Dept. has allowed this
> > great
> > old road to deteriorate to the point it's rough & dangerous to descend
on
> > a
> > road bike. I've got a bad neck, & I've been riding the newer main
highway
> > back down each day, but it's very dangerous with all the traffic.
> > I'm looking for a bike that's fun to climb & can soak up the judders on
> > the
> > descent.
> > I'm wondering if maybe there's a cyclocross bike with a suspension fork
> > now
> > available. I generally hate mountain bikes, but perhaps a ti hardtail
> > frame... What's sweet? I'd need a 62cm road or 23" mountain frame.
> > The fork doesn't need much travel, of course. I've been using an old
> > Litespeed Ti Catalyst, which is a pretty soft frame.
> > Jim Hultman
>
> Jim: If you can find a Klein Reve, you may find an end to your quest. That
> little elastomer bumper they install in-between the seatstays & seatube
does
> phenomenal work on bumpy surfaces. They've just now introduced this same
> thing into Trek's carbon line with the 5.2 SPA model. Neither has a
> suspension fork, but I'm not sure that's needed. I got to test-ride the
> Klein extensively, and was quite surprised at the magnitude of improvement
> (over a standard road bike) with just the rear suspension.
>
> I've written about them on this page on our website-
> http://www.chainreaction.com/revvedupklien.htm but do keep in mind that
I'm
> a big-time evil nasty bicycle retailer that sells them for a living, so
> everything I've written should be read with that in mind. :>)
>
> By the way, I've done that climb many, many years ago. Loved it. Too bad
> they've let it deteriorate so badly.
>
> --Mike Jacoubowsky
> Chain Reaction Bicycles
> www.ChainReaction.com
> Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USA
>
> "Jim" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:4WfCf.15088$jR.8215@fed1read01...
> > We've got a nice 7% grade 1500 ft. climb here in Santa Barbara; tight &
> > twisty Old San Marcos Pass Rd. The County Roads Dept. has allowed this
> > great
> > old road to deteriorate to the point it's rough & dangerous to descend
on
> > a
> > road bike. I've got a bad neck, & I've been riding the newer main
highway
> > back down each day, but it's very dangerous with all the traffic.
> > I'm looking for a bike that's fun to climb & can soak up the judders on
> > the
> > descent.
> > I'm wondering if maybe there's a cyclocross bike with a suspension fork
> > now
> > available. I generally hate mountain bikes, but perhaps a ti hardtail
> > frame... What's sweet? I'd need a 62cm road or 23" mountain frame.
> > The fork doesn't need much travel, of course. I've been using an old
> > Litespeed Ti Catalyst, which is a pretty soft frame.
> > Jim Hultman
> >
> >
>
>
 
"Phil, Squid-in-Training" <[email protected]>
writes:

> Tim McNamara wrote:
>> The cheapest, most reliable and best suspension is air.
>
> Cheapest... okay, good criterion.
>
>> http://www.rivendellbicycles.com/html/bikes_saluki.html
>
> And now you've just lost all credibility.

Good heavens, why? There are millions of bikes with 650B wheels in
the world. They work great. While it's a rare size in the US, it's
still current in Europe and Japan. There are some very high quality
tires available in this size.
 
"Phil, Squid-in-Training" <[email protected]>
writes:

> Tim McNamara wrote:
>> The cheapest, most reliable and best suspension is air.
>
> Cheapest... okay, good criterion.
>
>> http://www.rivendellbicycles.com/html/bikes_saluki.html
>
> And now you've just lost all credibility.

Good heavens, why? There are millions of bikes with 650B wheels in
the world. They work great. While it's a rare size in the US, it's
still current in Europe and Japan. There are some very high quality
tires available in this size.
 
Jim wrote:
> We've got a nice 7% grade 1500 ft. climb here in Santa Barbara; tight &
> twisty Old San Marcos Pass Rd. The County Roads Dept. has allowed this great
> old road to deteriorate to the point it's rough & dangerous to descend on a
> road bike. I've got a bad neck, & I've been riding the newer main highway
> back down each day, but it's very dangerous with all the traffic.
> I'm looking for a bike that's fun to climb & can soak up the judders on the
> descent.
> I'm wondering if maybe there's a cyclocross bike with a suspension fork now
> available. I generally hate mountain bikes, but perhaps a ti hardtail
> frame... What's sweet? I'd need a 62cm road or 23" mountain frame.
> The fork doesn't need much travel, of course. I've been using an old
> Litespeed Ti Catalyst, which is a pretty soft frame.
> Jim Hultman

Your best bet is the Surly Karate Monkey, but it's a frameset and fork,
not a complete bike. Not sure if the XL would be big enough for you.
Definitely you want a steel or Ti frame for what you're looking for.
See "http://www.surlybikes.com/karatemonkey.html"
 
Jim wrote:
> We've got a nice 7% grade 1500 ft. climb here in Santa Barbara; tight &
> twisty Old San Marcos Pass Rd. The County Roads Dept. has allowed this great
> old road to deteriorate to the point it's rough & dangerous to descend on a
> road bike. I've got a bad neck, & I've been riding the newer main highway
> back down each day, but it's very dangerous with all the traffic.
> I'm looking for a bike that's fun to climb & can soak up the judders on the
> descent.
> I'm wondering if maybe there's a cyclocross bike with a suspension fork now
> available. I generally hate mountain bikes, but perhaps a ti hardtail
> frame... What's sweet? I'd need a 62cm road or 23" mountain frame.
> The fork doesn't need much travel, of course. I've been using an old
> Litespeed Ti Catalyst, which is a pretty soft frame.
> Jim Hultman

Your best bet is the Surly Karate Monkey, but it's a frameset and fork,
not a complete bike. Not sure if the XL would be big enough for you.
Definitely you want a steel or Ti frame for what you're looking for.
See "http://www.surlybikes.com/karatemonkey.html"
 
Mark Hickey <[email protected]> writes:

> Tim McNamara <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>The cheapest, most reliable and best suspension is air. As in the
>>air in your tires.
>>
>>http://www.rivendellbicycles.com/html/bikes_saluki.html
>
> But 650B tires? Wonder why they went that way?

Goodness gracious, this is hardly news. Salukis have been on the
market for close to a year andn sold out of the first production run.
It allows a fat cushy tire for rough pavement, dirt roads, etc., with
an overall diameter only a few mm smaller than a 700 x 23. The reason
they went with 650B is that it's a better compromise than 26" wheels
with "road" tires or trying to use 29" MTB tires for road bikes. It's
hard to fit the Schwalbe Big Apple into most road frames, also.

Quality will be carrying an inexpensive 650B frame (the "Bleriot"),
rims, tubes and tires in 2006. The issue of availability in the US
will be largely diminished as a result.

There's lots of information on the Web about this, and about
converting bikes to use 650B wheels to make them more useful.

http://www.freewebs.com/650b/

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/rims/584.html

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

http://www.cyclofiend.com/cc/2005/cc026-kenstagg0805.html

Bike forums:

http://tinyurl.com/a4v77

Even Nashbar has 650B!

http://tinyurl.com/8jt5u
 
Mark Hickey <[email protected]> writes:

> Tim McNamara <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>The cheapest, most reliable and best suspension is air. As in the
>>air in your tires.
>>
>>http://www.rivendellbicycles.com/html/bikes_saluki.html
>
> But 650B tires? Wonder why they went that way?

Goodness gracious, this is hardly news. Salukis have been on the
market for close to a year andn sold out of the first production run.
It allows a fat cushy tire for rough pavement, dirt roads, etc., with
an overall diameter only a few mm smaller than a 700 x 23. The reason
they went with 650B is that it's a better compromise than 26" wheels
with "road" tires or trying to use 29" MTB tires for road bikes. It's
hard to fit the Schwalbe Big Apple into most road frames, also.

Quality will be carrying an inexpensive 650B frame (the "Bleriot"),
rims, tubes and tires in 2006. The issue of availability in the US
will be largely diminished as a result.

There's lots of information on the Web about this, and about
converting bikes to use 650B wheels to make them more useful.

http://www.freewebs.com/650b/

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/rims/584.html

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

http://www.cyclofiend.com/cc/2005/cc026-kenstagg0805.html

Bike forums:

http://tinyurl.com/a4v77

Even Nashbar has 650B!

http://tinyurl.com/8jt5u
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

O
Re: Best roadbike for rough pave'?
Replies
0
Views
395
Cycling Equipment
Ozark Bicycle
O
O
Re: Best roadbike for rough pave'?
Replies
0
Views
335
Cycling Equipment
Ozark Bicycle
O
Jaguar27
Best Roadbike around $2500??
Replies
27
Views
5K
Cycling Equipment
Jaguar27
Jaguar27
H
What is the best tire sealant for high-speed cornering and braking?
Replies
2
Views
24
Cycling Equipment
tzucon
tzucon
Henry
The Best Electronic Groupset for Your Riding Style: A Comparison of Shimano, SRAM, and Campagnolo
Replies
5
Views
35
Cycling Equipment
Hardtail
Hardtail
Top Bottom Back