Quoted message said:Quoted message said:Is a road bike really much better to ride on the road?
What everybody here calls a road bike is really a road *racing* bike.
Light, strong, agressive geometry, tine little saddles. They are indeed
better (that is, faster) for riding races.
Such bikes are preferred by many for just about anything involving
reasonably-well-paved roads and not carrying heavy loads. Rarely are such
bikes used for "racing" but neither are they used inappropriately. If
someone wants to cover longer distances quickly & comfortably, they may be
just the ticket.
But the category of "road" bike has broadened (and, to some extent,
"mellowed"😉 considerably. Using Trek as an example, off of their '08 road
bikes below $1800 are now 3cm taller at the front end (handlebars) than an
off-the-shelf "road" bike of yesteryear (a 5200 or Madone 5.2, for example).
And many allow use of tires up to 32c width. Thus a "road" bike can
accomodate a wider range of riding style (and even rider weight) than was
previously the case. Or maybe not, because traditionally "road" bike simply
meant a bike with drop handlebars, and those have come in many shapes &
sizes for quite some time. It's only recently that some have trailed to
confine it to a very narrow range of machine.
Gearing is another example of "road" bikes that aren't geared (so to speak)
for racing. The number of racers using triple cranks approaches zero, yet
most "road" bikes offer triple chainrings as a standard feature these days.
This is not to say that a touring or commute-oriented bike, or perhaps even
a hybrid, might not be the most-appropriate style of bike for how someone
plans to ride. Such bikes will carry heavier loads, be more stable on bad
pavement, and usually offer a more-upright seating position.
Quoted message said:But for your purpose, any bike
will do.
In my opinion, the best bike for someone is the one that calls out to them
to go for a ride, every time they go past it in the garage. The bike that
gets them thinking about all the possible places they might go. Basically,
the bike that, for a variety of reasons, gets ridden more. That will be a
different bike for different people, even people in similar situations. It
might be a more expensive bike, it might be less expensive. In some cases,
it can even be because it looks better than another bike. I used to think
that was silly, but I've gotten over that. If there's something about a bike
that motivates someone to ride, great!
--Mike Jacoubowsky
Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReaction.com
Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USA
"nmp" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:em said:Hi,
I just pulled my mountain bike out of long-term storage. I never really
rode it a lot but I'm motivated to do so now. (Doc says I have to lose
some weight before surgery.) Its a nice bike, I guess, but it feels like
its harder to ride on the road than it really should be. Its got those
big knobby tires,
You can easily replace them with some big slick tires. You will love
those.
Quoted message said:I don't care too much for the gear ratios,
What's wrong with them? Not going fast enough on descents? 😉
Quoted message said:and I really don't like for the posture -- my neck and lower back have
been getting kind of sore.
Some of that may be due to not really being used to riding. If that is
the case, it will go away.
But perhaps you should be visiting a bike shop where they can have a look
at your posture. Because your bike may well be adjustable to suit you and
your riding style better.
For instance, a straight mountain bike handlebar gives good control on
tehcnical trails, but it stinks for doing much else. So your bike shop
may want to suggest curved bars, or "butterfly" bars. And perhaps throw
in an adjustable handlebar stem. A slightly more upright position may
make all the difference.
Quoted message said:Is a road bike really much better to ride on the road?
What everybody here calls a road bike is really a road *racing* bike.
Light, strong, agressive geometry, tine little saddles. They are indeed
better (that is, faster) for riding races. But for your purpose, any bike
will do.
Quoted message said:I'm not going to be taking day-long bike rides any time soon. I would
like to work up to an hour a day of reasonably intense up and down hill
riding.
I have read (here? bikeforums?) that three hours of light training may
help lose weight better than one hour of intense training. I do not
remember the exact argument, just that it seemed to make sense.
Either way, your climbing up and down the hills is going to make your
legs very strong. This will happen before you know it.
