newbie's road bike questions

28 inch tires are rare. But they can be had. I have two
sets on two Dutch Gazelles.

I would say those narrow few-spoke rims ARE flimsy. They were originally
meant only for racing (racers can afford to throw away their wheels, so no
big deal for them) and they probably won't last as long for commuting use.
Stick with 32 or 36 spoke wheels, you'll find there are extremely sturdy.

It's been a mixed bag for me - I've had about the same amount of issues with
low spoke count wheels as I've had with more conventional wheels:

* I had a recurring rim cracking problem on the 28 spoke handbuilt rear
wheel which I ran on my last bike. Switching rim brands might have beat this
problem, but I never did it. Also had problems with the front hub cracking
until we switched brands of hubs.

* The low spoke count wheelset on my current bike eventually developed rim
cracking on the rear rim and cracks in the front hub. Manufacturer replaced
the hub (new hub has been redesigned) at no cost. My local built up both
wheels with the new parts, so I didn't need to "throw away" my wheels.

* OTOH, I bought my wife a wheelset by the same manufacturer and she has had
zero problems. I imagine her light weight and the fact that her wheelset is
650C (and thereby stronger) are factors in this experience.

Just a data point, but from my experience the cost and reliability of the
so-called "racing" wheelsets which come on many bikes isn't that different
from "old school" conventional wheels.

It will be interesting to see how the Rolf Prima tandem wheelset we've been
running since early this year holds up. 650 miles so far and no issues - not
even minor retruing needed.


Chris Neary


"Science, freedom, beauty, adventu what more could
you ask of life? Bicycling combined all the elements I
loved" - Adapted from a quotation by Charles Lindbergh

Or a touring bike. Relaxed geometry. Mine happens to have Continental Top
Touring 2000 tires with 6000 miles and one flat. .I need to replace the
tires but I wanna see how far they will go...


wrote in message
oups.com...
Try a cyclocross bike. Great for commuting , much faster than MTB and
with skinny tires almost as fast as racing bike. The position is more
upright. Can easilt fit wide 700c tires

Chris Neary wrote:

Just a data point, but from my experience the cost and reliability of the
so-called "racing" wheelsets which come on many bikes isn't that different
from "old school" conventional wheels.

You don't mention the names of the rims and hubs you had fail, why not?

"Jim" wrote in message
ups.com...
Greetings,

I've been riding mountain bikes and would like to try road bikes for
commuting. Road bikes (mostly the narrow rims and the few spokes on
some models) look flimsy to me -- is my impression right? Some bikes
(with the maountain bike-style brakes) can accomodate wider tires --
does it mean the rims are wider and more
tolerant of abuse? I try to minimize the maintenance.

I intend to ride in a more up-right position than those racers.
Would I look dorky when I meantion this to the salesperson doing the
fitting?

Depends on the shop. Lately there has been a bit of a revolt against overly
low bars, overly small frames, and overly narrow tires. There are several
bikes available that fit your criteria.

Look at:

http://www.bianchiusa.com/brava.html
http://bikesdirect.com/products/windsor/tourist.htm
http://bikesdirect.com/products/merc...serpens995.htm

Try to stick with a cro-moly frame, if possible.

Jim wrote:
Greetings,

I've been riding mountain bikes and would like to try road bikes for
commuting. Road bikes (mostly the narrow rims and the few spokes on
some models) look flimsy to me -- is my impression right? Some bikes
(with the m aountain bike-style brakes) can accomodate wider tires --
does it mean the rims are wider and more
tolerant of abuse? I try to minimize the maintenance.

I intend to ride in a more up-right position than those racers.
Would I look dorky when I meantion this to the salesperson doing the
fitting?


If you have a comfortable position on the mountain bike,
duplicate it on the road bike. Recreate the triangle formed by
your hands, seat, and feet. I recommend using traditional road
bars instead of straight bars. Put the road bike's brake hoods
in the same place as your mountain bike grips. (Note that
you can't just put the two bikes side by side and make everything
match up, due to the high bottom bracket of most mtn. bikes.)

You're right about the new wheels, they are not durable.

Robert

r