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Considering a Road bike for commuting... good idea?
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#32
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Considering a Road bike for commuting... good idea?
Mike Beauchamp wrote:
Well, there's no use me spending all my money on a new road bike if I'm going to be so paranoid as to leave it home all the time when I have to go somewhere... I got a nice Nishiki road bike (say 1980?) for $30 US. The poor old girl could stand a paint job, but for now it rides very nice. It is a touring bike with 15 gears; a lot of fun. I got a 1990 Fuji for $41 US on ebay, but had to pay $30 for shipping. It is a real hoot to ride. I had had trouble with the darn tires, but I have that sorted out. It looks like a couple of years old --- not 13. So, I am saying you need not just ride a beater in town. Get an older bike that you really like. SURE, someday it will be stolen, but they all are if you live in the USA. -- Regards, Joe |
#33
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Considering a Road bike for commuting... good idea?
"Mike Beauchamp" wrote in
: Hey all, I'm considering purchasing a new bicycle (Maybe $800 CDN total) to replace my nearly 8 year old Mongoose IBOC Pro mountain bike. I used to use it mainy for offroad but a knee injury stopped that, and in the past few years I've used it purely for commuting (10K's to school and back, 30-40K rides on weekends, stuff like that). I'm just wondering if purchasing a road bike would be more appropriate than a mountain bike. I most certainly don't want to be one of those kids riding on the side of the road with a fully suspended downhill mountain bike with the seat all the way down bouncing up and down on each pedal stroke. I want something that can use my energy as efficiently as possible, and get me going as fast as possible. Like many commuters here I'm sure, it's definately more fun going nearly the speed of the cars instead of having them wizz past you. Is a road bike as fast as I think it is? In the past few years, I've added slicks to my mountain bike, etc. All in the name of a smoother and more efficient ride on pavement. Here's my concern. Obviously a road bike is going to be a more harsh ride, with the small tires and the high air pressure, etc. Are small bumps in the road going to be as bad as I think they are? Is that why I don't see too many people riding around the streets on nice road bikes? I'm going to go try a few road bikes out tomorrow, mainly for fun.. but I'm wondering what people think in here. Should I stick with a mountain bike? Another reason for wanting to get a road bike is that I can convert my mountain bike back to offroad and have two bicycles for whatever type of riding I want to do. Mike http://mikebeauchamp.com One thing I can't believe no one has mentioned yet is that road handlebars are considerably safer than MTB handlebars. Since they are narrower, you are *way* less likely to be clipped by a car while riding on a road with little to no shoulder. - Boyd S. |
#34
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Considering a Road bike for commuting... good idea?
Mike Beauchamp wrote:
Hey all, I'm considering purchasing a new bicycle (Maybe $800 CDN total) to replace my nearly 8 year old Mongoose IBOC Pro mountain bike. I used to use it mainy for offroad but a knee injury stopped that, and in the past few years I've used it purely for commuting (10K's to school and back, 30-40K rides on weekends, stuff like that). I'm just wondering if purchasing a road bike would be more appropriate than a mountain bike. I most certainly don't want to be one of those kids riding on the side of the road with a fully suspended downhill mountain bike with the seat all the way down bouncing up and down on each pedal stroke. I want something that can use my energy as efficiently as possible, and get me going as fast as possible. Like many commuters here I'm sure, it's definately more fun going nearly the speed of the cars instead of having them wizz past you. Is a road bike as fast as I think it is? Probably not; I find the difference in speed between my touring bike and my "beater bike", a MTB with slick tires, to be fairly small, especially in the city. There is a difference though, especially at higher speeds or in headwinds. Here's my concern. Obviously a road bike is going to be a more harsh ride, with the small tires and the high air pressure, etc. Are small bumps in the road going to be as bad as I think they are? I've never found it to be an issue on paved roads, except for some "chip and seal" country roads. Is that why I don't see too many people riding around the streets on nice road bikes? That's more to do with marketing and consumer misconceptions, in my opinion. I'm going to go try a few road bikes out tomorrow, mainly for fun.. but I'm wondering what people think in here. Should I stick with a mountain bike? Another reason for wanting to get a road bike is that I can convert my mountain bike back to offroad and have two bicycles for whatever type of riding I want to do. If you're like me, you'll find that road bikes are much more enjoyable on roads than MTBs, especially if you start going longer distances, where the added hand positions of the drop bars can make a big difference to comfort. -- Benjamin Lewis Seeing is deceiving. It's eating that's believing. -- James Thurber |
#35
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Considering a Road bike for commuting... good idea?
mark freedman wrote:
"Mike Beauchamp" wrote in message ... I'm considering purchasing a new bicycle (Maybe $800 CDN total) to replace used it purely for commuting (10K's to school and back, 30-40K rides on weekends, stuff like that). As I pointed out in Email, theft is an issue when a bike is locked up for extended lengths of time. By all means, buy a road bike or touring bike for your recreational rides, but use a clunker for the 10Km ride to and from school. Anything valuable will tempt thieves. Unless you live in an unspoiled Eden. .. . . or unless you have the luxury of being able to take it inside with you. You can get used clunker road bikes as well, of course, which may be even less of a target to thieves than mountain bikes. -- Benjamin Lewis Seeing is deceiving. It's eating that's believing. -- James Thurber |
#36
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Considering a Road bike for commuting... good idea?
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#37
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Considering a Road bike for commuting... good idea?
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#38
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Considering a Road bike for commuting... good idea?
Peter Cole wrote: At typical speeds, the efficiency of a road bike comes from aerodynamics. You can get a similar position on any MTB, but the flat bar means you'll have to stay in it. Road bikes are significantly lighter, which helps a little in hilly country. The real problem with MTBs is that they're geared all wrong for road riding. Most road bikes are geared too high for their riders. If the professional racers who can have an average power output of 400 watts use nothing higher than a 53/11 top gear, then riders of lesser ability will have no practical use for such high gears. Many would benefit from lower climbing gears, but that would not be macho - they could no longer say, "I climbed such and such with a 39/22 gear". Tom Sherman - Quad Cities USA (Illinois side) |
#39
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Considering a Road bike for commuting... good idea?
"Mike Beauchamp" wrote in message ...
Well, there's no use me spending all my money on a new road bike if I'm going to be so paranoid as to leave it home all the time when I have to go somewhere... Mike http://mikebeauchamp.com then it sounds like building yourself a good bike that doesn't *look* good should work out. plus, since youll expect to pay far less, you can feel good about upgrading a few bits and pieces. just nothing shiny a beater doesnt have to feel like a beater. in fact, 'beater' is a misleading term. ill call my beaters 'city bikes' from now on. great bikes. they just dont look too tempting, and you can lock them to a streetsign without fretting about he paint job. dont keep cruising on your mtb if you feel the need for speed. buy yourslef an old used bike your size, replace the tires, put some nice brakepads on, all set! insta-citybike. |
#40
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Considering a Road bike for commuting... good idea?
My suggestion would be to find a nice old steel bike with 130mm rear spacing
and get some 8 or 9 spd STI/Ergo going. It can be cheaper than you think. Try eBay or your LBS. "Lewdvig" wrote in message . .. Its faster and the roads are smoother than they look - at least they are here in Calgary. "Mike Beauchamp" wrote in message ... Hey all, I'm considering purchasing a new bicycle (Maybe $800 CDN total) to replace my nearly 8 year old Mongoose IBOC Pro mountain bike. I used to use it mainy for offroad but a knee injury stopped that, and in the past few years I've used it purely for commuting (10K's to school and back, 30-40K rides on weekends, stuff like that). I'm just wondering if purchasing a road bike would be more appropriate than a mountain bike. I most certainly don't want to be one of those kids riding on the side of the road with a fully suspended downhill mountain bike with the seat all the way down bouncing up and down on each pedal stroke. I want something that can use my energy as efficiently as possible, and get me going as fast as possible. Like many commuters here I'm sure, it's definately more fun going nearly the speed of the cars instead of having them wizz past you. Is a road bike as fast as I think it is? In the past few years, I've added slicks to my mountain bike, etc. All in the name of a smoother and more efficient ride on pavement. Here's my concern. Obviously a road bike is going to be a more harsh ride, with the small tires and the high air pressure, etc. Are small bumps in the road going to be as bad as I think they are? Is that why I don't see too many people riding around the streets on nice road bikes? I'm going to go try a few road bikes out tomorrow, mainly for fun.. but I'm wondering what people think in here. Should I stick with a mountain bike? Another reason for wanting to get a road bike is that I can convert my mountain bike back to offroad and have two bicycles for whatever type of riding I want to do. Mike http://mikebeauchamp.com |
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