cross-training/road bikes???

[redrider]

i want a new bike. maybe a road bike?..i don't really know yet. I'm going to use it to train, get the legs in shape u know. right now i use my brothers old xc rig, super light compared to my 40-lb bike, but i want something better. what do you guys use?? i know nothing about road bikes, and i don't want to spend a lot. any advice at all?? thx in advance.

cheers
dave

[patrolskid]

i built up an old POS bike ( el cheapo mtn ) with slick tires , rack , quick on / off fenders , flat bars , bar ends , single 36 on the front 12-32 in back . v brakes . full rigid , of course .
you can pick these bikes up anywhere for dirt cheap . put a price limit on the project , say 200 $ for the whole thing .
i call mine the VTR , for valley trail ripper , cause it'll handle anything you will find on the valley trail : pavement , gravel , bitta dirt , like the endowment lands . put clipless on so you can pull up and develop a nice round stroke . ride that for a while and then decide if you want to go the full road route . . . . . .

[XXX_er]

depends

if you are gona ride/train with a group of your roadbike buddies you need a road bike or it could be pretty tough to stay with the group IMO.I found if I dropped off the back of a riding group they either had to slow and wait for me or someone would drop back and give me a draft back to the group.A used road bike could be 500-1000 dollars ,fit is very important

If you wana ride/commute alone ,An old steel hardtail(more compliant than aluminium) with the narrowest slicks you can get ,flatbars,v-brakes is a good way to go.A good thing is that you can use old mtb parts and keep the price down

I got an old kona with a collection of various cranks, rims/brakes/fork/bars/seat,get spd's or even toeclips .

Get the narrowest " tioga city slickers" road slicks from MEC for under 20$ each ,only 410 grams,makes for a very fast ride.

Get smaller tubes when you buy the slicks,its hard to cram a regular xc tube into a 1.25 tire and they will be lighter/faster

[sanrensho]

Originally posted by patrolskid
i built up an old POS bike ( el cheapo mtn ) with slick tires , rack , quick on / off fenders , flat bars , bar ends , single 36 on the front 12-32 in back . v brakes . full rigid , of course .
you can pick these bikes up anywhere for dirt cheap . put a price limit on the project , say 200 $ for the whole thing .

This is a nice setup if you're on a budget. The main points being slick tires, rigid fork, clipless, bar ends on an older MTB frame.

If you have bling to spend on a new bike and access to the right trails, then a cyclocross bike such as a Kona Jake might be a good option.

[redrider]

thanks for the responses guys..

my bro's old xc rig is full rigid with toeclips and bar ends , so its workin alright, i think i might just put some better brakes and some slicks and keep savin' the bling for a nice bike later on..

is it possible to get into an 'ok' road bike, new or used doesn't matter, for under, say $600?

[sanrensho]

Originally posted by redrider
thanks for the responses guys..

my bro's old xc rig is full rigid with toeclips and bar ends , so its workin alright, i think i might just put some better brakes and some slicks and keep savin' the bling for a nice bike later on..

is it possible to get into an 'ok' road bike, new or used doesn't matter, for under, say $600?

Entry level road bikes start at around $1,000 new. You can pick up an older road bike for $600 or less.

Late model, $1000 entry level road bikes don't show up used very often. It seems like people hold onto their entry level road bikes for a few years before reselling them. For example, I very rarely see last year's bottom of the line road bike selling for $750-800 used because the owner wants to flip it.

I would recommend investing in some clipless pedals and shoes for the setup you mentioned.

[patrolskid]

absolutely . but as triplexer said fit is very important . so no matter how good a deal it looks like , if it don't fit , don't bother . i haven't been in that market for a number of years but i expect you could get a pretty decent road bike ( new ) with modern componentry for 600 $ . on the other hand you could probably scour the buy and sell and get a top of the line older bike for that kind of money ( colnago , gios , guerciotti w/ campy gruppo ) . those bikes are beautiful to look at and a joy to ride ( i know , i got one ) but unless you are into the vintage thing and have a source for parts , service they can be a challenge . depending on the vintage , upgrading to modern components may not be possible , so that is something to watch out for .
there have been a lot of advancements made in materials , construction , geometry , but mainly look for the best frame ( that fits ) that you can afford , then wheels , then components .
the pure pleasure of riding two wheels down the road without all the obstacles and terrain , except for potholes , cars , pedestrians , traffic lights , assholes in cars , rain , painted lines , car doors opening , curbs , storm drains , . . . . .. wait , that is why i got onto mountain bikes . . . . . . well , it is pretty fun

[redrider]

awesome, this bb never fails to answer all my q's..

btw, what are the things to look for in fit?

[patrolskid]

standover , about an inch or two of clearance . ideally saddle height should be about level with or slightly higher than bar height . when you sit on the bike you should feel comfortably stretched out with your hands on the brake hoods . obviously there will be more pressure on your hands when you are in the drops , but it shouldn't feel like you are holding up your entire body weight . sit on everything you see and you will get a feel for what seems right . once you get the general frame size , then you can tweak the saddle position fore and aft . bar height can be tweaked up and down some , and the bars can be rotated a little as well . when sitting on the saddle , place your heels on the pedals and back pedal . your leg should extend almost entirely , but not so your leg has to stretch to remain in contact with the pedal . it is quite a science , but the right bike will feel comfortable . remember , you tend to sit in the same position moreso than a mountain bike , so take some time to get the right one .

[patrolskid]

should have added , that was standover the top tube , and of course the seat height can be played with , but typically there will be 3 to 6 inches of seat post showing

[sanrensho]

Originally posted by patrolskid
but i expect you could get a pretty decent road bike ( new ) with modern componentry for 600 $ . on the other hand you could probably scour the buy and sell and get a top of the line older bike for that kind of money ( colnago , gios , guerciotti w/ campy gruppo ) .

That's pretty optimistic, unless you are talking in US dollars. A top of the line Colnago or Gios with full Campy would go for much more than CA$600.

Fit is very important as Patrolskid suggested. A good starting point would be to punch your measurements into a fit calculator like this one:

Zinn fit calculator (http://www.zinncycles.com/fitform.aspx)

Your inseam lenth is probably the most important measurement, but torso length and reach are also important.