Getting into road biking

[Tkemp534]

Hi all,

I am a graduate student with a budget of about 350 for a bike. I'm extremely active, but have never had a road bike. This summer I biked 12 miles each way to an internship and will likely continue to bike to work and my upcoming internships for school so I figured that instead of riding my old Trek 7000 mountain bike with very aggressive mountain tires at 18 mph in Phoenix that it may be worth finding something decent to go a little faster.
I like to work on things so I wouldn't mind having something that I could upgrade in the future. I am also really competitive so there is a chance I would get into tris if I enjoy riding this thing.

I keep looking around and basically going in circles being lost. My mountain bike is a trek so I am drawn toward them (plus I think they have some of the most attractive bikes on the market). I don't know how much weight matters, or really what is important and I have no idea what age does to a road bike. I know my mountain bike has held up phenomenally for about 16 years now. I've looked briefly into getting something like a vilano forza or giordano 1.6 new, but some people have told me the frames are too heavy and wont be worth upgrading in the future. I'm currently looking at some Trek bikes including 2300, 2200, and 1000 but they all still weigh over 20 pounds and I am told that is too much.

Any recommendations would be appreciated!

Thank you

 

[Tkemp534]

Also thinking about grabbing a Giordano Libero 1.6 and making it even better as I get money to do so.

 

[Flatbardave]

$350 & looking under 20 lbs. Gonna be tough.
Watch CL & shop Garage sales, could get lucky.

What about getting a set of wheels/tires for the mtb off CL for the mtb, put on road tyers ?
2 sets of wheels, easy change over from road to mtb.

 

[Volnix]

finding something decent to go a little faster.

The famous last words!

Have you checked any cyclocross bikes?

You can use Fast tires, but can also fit them with racks and Fenders some times (especially the non-carbon non-racing stuff) which are useful for commuting.

 

[cyclintom]

Hi all,

I am a graduate student with a budget of about 350 for a bike. I'm extremely active, but have never had a road bike. This summer I biked 12 miles each way to an internship and will likely continue to bike to work and my upcoming internships for school so I figured that instead of riding my old Trek 7000 mountain bike with very aggressive mountain tires at 18 mph in Phoenix that it may be worth finding something decent to go a little faster.
I like to work on things so I wouldn't mind having something that I could upgrade in the future. I am also really competitive so there is a chance I would get into tris if I enjoy riding this thing.

I keep looking around and basically going in circles being lost. My mountain bike is a trek so I am drawn toward them (plus I think they have some of the most attractive bikes on the market). I don't know how much weight matters, or really what is important and I have no idea what age does to a road bike. I know my mountain bike has held up phenomenally for about 16 years now. I've looked briefly into getting something like a vilano forza or giordano 1.6 new, but some people have told me the frames are too heavy and wont be worth upgrading in the future. I'm currently looking at some Trek bikes including 2300, 2200, and 1000 but they all still weigh over 20 pounds and I am told that is too much.

Any recommendations would be appreciated!

Thank you

There is a club in the Phoenix area and you can get a LOT of expert help from the members there. Listening to members of this group plainly shows people that have more money than sense and no connection to what a good bike is and isn't. And remember that most of the club members are no better informed than you are so you have to look and listen to find the real bicycle fanatics - they are generally riding classic steel in the Phoenix area.

Try http://pmbcaz.org/ and go to a meeting or a beginner's ride. Simply changing your tires to smooth commuting tires makes your Trek usable for most mild rides. Remember that in every group there is some jerk that will ride away from the groups as if he is in a race. Pay those no attention. In combined rides the faster group will rapidly separate from the slower group. That can give you some idea of what sport riding is. Do NOT go on an advanced ride before you have ridden with a group a little. Those guys are REALLY fast and I don't know if they wait for slower riders in the fast group there.

Trek is in fact one of the best bikes in the world both on and off road. Trek is a large company in America and cannot afford to put their company on the line for wild exotic ideas that often fail to perform or can even be dangerously weak or flexible. Though in Phoenix the routes are seldom hilly enough to be of any demand on frames and forks.

Because of your youth and already riding a good deal compared to many beginners, you should be able to graduate up the performance ladder rapidly.

As for a bike at that sort of price - with some sort of adviser from the club you should be able to find a reasonably good steel or aluminum bike off of the local Craig's List. CORRECT SIZING IS OF UTMOST IMPORTANCE. Again - because of the lack of hard climbing (not to say there are some pretty challenging hills in the area) the weight of the bike isn't very important. The weight difference between a complete older high end steel bike such as a Colnago Super and a top of the line carbon fiber bike is 6 lbs. While the carbon bike can easily cost more than 20 times as much. And then the carbon aficionado will carry all of the flat repair stuff in his jersey pockets so that he can keep that 3 lbs off of his bike and impress everyone by asking them to pick his bike up. The steel bike rider will carry it in a saddle pack.

$350 should be more than enough for a decent rider in the Phoenix area and if you can't find one there contact me and I'll help you either directly or through friends in that area.

Welcome to the group

 

[alfeng]

Hi all,

I am a graduate student with a budget of about 350 for a bike. I'm extremely active, but have never had a road bike. This summer I biked 12 miles each way to an internship and will likely continue to bike to work and my upcoming internships for school so I figured that instead of riding my old Trek 7000 mountain bike with very aggressive mountain tires at 18 mph in Phoenix that it may be worth finding something decent to go a little faster.
I like to work on things so I wouldn't mind having something that I could upgrade in the future. I am also really competitive so there is a chance I would get into tris if I enjoy riding this thing.

I keep looking around and basically going in circles being lost. My mountain bike is a trek so I am drawn toward them (plus I think they have some of the most attractive bikes on the market). I don't know how much weight matters, or really what is important and I have no idea what age does to a road bike. I know my mountain bike has held up phenomenally for about 16 years now. I've looked briefly into getting something like a vilano forza or giordano 1.6 new, but some people have told me the frames are too heavy and wont be worth upgrading in the future. I'm currently looking at some Trek bikes including 2300, 2200, and 1000 but they all still weigh over 20 pounds and I am told that is too much.

Any recommendations would be appreciated!

Thank you

IMO ...

20+ lbs. is NOT a heavy bike unless you are ~4'10" & weight about 85 lbs.

And, if you are currently averaging 18 mph in urban riding, then you are moving at a fairly rapid pace unless you never encounter any Stop Lights.​

A consideration which you may want to look into before you pony up for a Road bike of any ilk is a pair of clip-on DROP handlebars (typically, <$30 ... less if you are wise shopper) which will allow you to assume-the-position AND allow you to decide if you love-or-hate the alternate riding position ...

[photo=medium]15134[/photo]​

Another alternative is to simply swap some of the components on your bike to ROAD components as has been done to the following, quite plebeian Mongoose MTB frame ...

[photo=medium]19130[/photo]
​

I had to lace the 700c rim to a MTB hub ...

As pictured, the bike weighed a few ounces under 20 lbs.

With different components, it could have been a pound heavier-OR-lighter.

A different fork would probably have added some weight.​

Just as most of the components on the Mongoose came off of (or could have come off of ...) a Road bike, most of the components which you might put on your MTB frame could be moved to a new frame in the future if you were so inclined.

 

[alfeng]

Oy!?!

Sorry about mixing up the pictures ...

Of course, the clip-on handlebars should be the first image ...

And, the MTB frame equipped with ROAD components should be the second one ...

​

 

[arnn]

riding bicycle, swimming do not prevent osteoporosis
source :
1. 'The best exercise for your bones is the weight-bearing kind,
which forces you to work against gravity. Some examples of
weight-bearing exercises include weight training, walking,
hiking, jogging, climbing stairs, tennis, and dancing.
Examples of exercises that are not weight-bearing include
swimming and bicycling'
in http://www.niams.nih.gov/health_Info/Bone/Bone_Health/Exercise/default.asp
2. 'weight-bearing is the amount of weight a patient puts on the leg'
in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weight-bearing

bicycling increases testosterone level
source : 'While exercising, the serum TS level significantly increased by 20.8%'
in http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1890772 from google 'cold water testosterone'

rowing decreases testosterone level
source :
'Three week heavy training period induced significant reductions in resting free
testosterone and free testosterone: cortisol ratio' in
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16208300

swimming decreases testosterone level
source :
'In women mean testosterone levels declined by 39.4% from baseline
values and in males, mean testosterone levels declined by 19.0%' in
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3582275

 

[cyclintom]

IMO ...

20+ lbs. is NOT a heavy bike unless you are ~4'10" & weight about 85 lbs.

And, if you are currently averaging 18 mph in urban riding, then you are moving at a fairly rapid pace unless you never encounter any Stop Lights.​

I agree with this but if the rider is already averaging 18 mph he is to the point of graduating to a road bike. Two local 8 year old twins went from MTB-types to road bikes and there was substantial enough increase in performance that I can't keep up with them on climbs. Their father had them riding to and from school when they were five.

Ir's a good thing that because of their weight I can overtake them on the downhills or else I'd be SOL on those rides.

 

[Rezonate]

I'm thinking about getting into the road biking scene guys I currently do a lot if mountain biking all across southern california and have come across a lot of road bikers who seem to enjoy road biking as much as they did mountain biking and I'd like to give it a try. Any advice from any seasoned road bikes to make my transition easier would be greatly appreciated

 

[cyclintom]

The trade off is effort for time in the saddle. Mountain biking requires a great deal more strength in short bursts and usually your rides are shorter. In road biking you have not as much effort but over far longer periods of time.

A good off-road ride over hard terrain may be 20 miles but 60-100 miles on a road bike is considered a hard ride and 40 miles nothing more than training. While you're fighting a 25% grade on your MTB to climb 100 feet per step on a road bike you can go 10 miles on a 7% grade.

You also have to get used to large traction differences and much different rolling friction. Stop turning the cranks on an MTB on anything but a downhill and you stop. On a road bike you can roll an eighth of a mile.

Bike fit and saddle fit are MUCH more important on a road bike because you can be in the saddle for 7 hours on a long ride with a lunch break.

Mountain bikes have an upright posture whereas road bikes a stooped over one that can wear on your neck while decreasing air friction.

On your MTB you avoid stinging nettle while on your road bike you want to find an area where traffic is light enough that every other jerk is taking a close pass at you.

However, you can ride and converse which is very difficult on an MTB. You can go on over-nighters to places without camping. You can tour with a complete touring rig for an unlimited difference. You can ride the cities and the towns.

The world of bicycles has no horizons and using every possible style makes your life a better place.