#41
|
|||
|
|||
On Wed, 29 Dec 2004 13:45:12 -0800, LioNiNoiL_a t_Y a h 0 0_d 0 t_c 0 m
wrote: Learning toward one or the other for buying a new dept store bicycle. Buy a much better used bike for the same amount of money, out of the local newpaper ads. A couple months ago I bought a Haro MTB for $30 at a flea market. Rusted but hardly riden. Some clean up and lubrication and it runs great. You won't beat that deal at a department store. Ron |
Ads |
#43
|
|||
|
|||
Tom Keats wrote in part:
Knobbies do make a pleasing 'buzz' on asphalt. Sure, they'll slow ya down and (heaven forbid) allow other riders to pass ya sometimes. But if you don't care, it doesn't matter. And there may be some shortcut scenarios where knobbies come in handy. Even in urban environs. They're great in the snow, too. R |
#44
|
|||
|
|||
R15757 wrote:
Tom Keats wrote in part: Knobbies do make a pleasing 'buzz' on asphalt. Sure, they'll slow ya down and (heaven forbid) allow other riders to pass ya sometimes. But if you don't care, it doesn't matter. And there may be some shortcut scenarios where knobbies come in handy. Even in urban environs. They're great in the snow, too. R For my Huffy I just put on 26" x 1.75" semi slick road tires and go. My Mongoose has the full sized knobbies, 26 x 2.25 and I can't tell that much of a difference, unless I get to some bad potholed pavement, or a dirt short cut. Even then there is not much difference. Try that on my Schwinn with the 700s and it would be a sure pinch flat or some very delicate riding, which is not my style. I hate having the tires tell me that I can't take a slightly rough shortcut. And I am with you on the buzz the knobbies give at about 15-25 MPH (tailwind). Just don't do any sharp turns or you will find out the shortcomings of knobbies. The knobs kind of buckle under cornering stress and lose traction, where the semi slick 1.75" don't. I haven't gotten that radical with the 700s yet but I suspect they would rather go straight. |
#45
|
|||
|
|||
In article ,
RonSonic writes: On Wed, 29 Dec 2004 13:45:12 -0800, LioNiNoiL_a t_Y a h 0 0_d 0 t_c 0 m wrote: Learning toward one or the other for buying a new dept store bicycle. Buy a much better used bike for the same amount of money, out of the local newpaper ads. A couple months ago I bought a Haro MTB for $30 at a flea market. Rusted but hardly riden. Some clean up and lubrication and it runs great. Good score. You won't beat that deal at a department store. I've noticed most $100-$200 department store bikes have hi-tens steel frames. Ugh. What's worse is the poor-grade steel componentry (usually painted black,) where alu-alloy would be, on a 'good' bike. Like handlebars & stems welded together into one piece. And in the course of my scavenger hunts, I've noticed more than a few discards where the welded joins had dramatically failed. Department store bikes get thrown away a lot. cheers, Tom -- -- Nothing is safe from me. Above address is just a spam midden. I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca |
#46
|
|||
|
|||
|
#47
|
|||
|
|||
Wed, 29 Dec 2004 22:21:44 -0600,
1104469329.d6779435e1f34b7cbf420aaa488b9023@teran ews, "Mike Kruger" wrote: A Muzi left his web site link, and I wandered over to his photo of the day. http://www.yellowjersey.org/daily.html It's quite the winter cycling photo! (because this may not be the picture at some later point, I will describe it: an upside-down iron is substituted for the saddle. The iron is connected to an auto battery, which is where the rack trunk would be on my bike.) I trust it still has a "wool" setting for the retrogroovies. -- zk |
#48
|
|||
|
|||
In article ,
Mark Hickey writes: (Tom Keats) wrote: Knobbies do make a pleasing 'buzz' on asphalt. "Pleasing"? In the same way that rough pavement can be "pleasing" I guess... Well, it's really not the same at all. It's a steady, smooth biofeedback thing. You're cruisin' along and you hear that steady, uninterrupted buzz going, and you just know you've got your mojo working. Sure, they'll slow ya down and (heaven forbid) allow other riders to pass ya sometimes. But if you don't care, it doesn't matter. And there may be some shortcut scenarios where knobbies come in handy. Even in urban environs. While knobbies are nice when/if you find yourself navigating a section of loose dirt/gravel, they're a serious disadvantage everywhere else. To me the biggest drawback is the sketchy handling that most knobbies produce in a corner. I've had some knobbies that were "exciting" in any real paved cornering situation - they'd squirm and slip - not a lot of fun. Plus, they wear out VERY fast on the road. Don't get me wrong; I'm not advocating consistently using knobbies on paved streets & roads. I much prefer slicks for my kind of riding, myself. But many if not most of the bikes I see around town are stock, right-off-the-display-floor MTB sales units, with the same placeholder tires, pedals and saddles they were displayed with. And their riders seem to get by okay with them, even though they are mostly disadvantageous. I guess a lot of folks just want a ready-to-ride bike, without having to phutz around with a bunch of stuff. I get the impression the OP might be of that mindset. But he can read this whole discussion and make of it what he will. cheers, & Happy New Year, Tom -- -- Nothing is safe from me. Above address is just a spam midden. I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca |
#49
|
|||
|
|||
In article ,
(Tom Keats) wrote: In article , Ryan Cousineau writes: But slicks are soo much nicer to ride on! And better cornering grip. And better wet-pavement grip. I agree so much, I opt for slicks, myself. All I'm saying is knobbies aren't totally unusable on pavement. Yes, but I think that, as you would agree, that a great number of urban cyclists rolling around on knobby tires would be best served by swapping them for slicks. I have a set of Tioga City Slickers, which are pretty cheap, available at MEC, and they even have gumwalls to satisfy the purists. The tread is a minimalist road pattern. I finally parted ways with my Cheng Shins, after 8-10K kilometers. I went looking for a new pair of the same, but ended up instead with IRC Metros, from The Bike Doctor. $11.69 each. They at least look similar to the Cheng Shins. Mm. Good tire recommendation. About the only urban surface a knobby can traverse that a slick cannot is a muddy slope long enough that you can't just power through by accelerating before you hit the hill. That's a pretty rare thing, even when making shortcuts. IME knobbies traverse wet, grassy fields better than slicks, which can go kind of sidewindery. But there might be the matter of divots. Better, but by no means impossible. I have a funny story about this: I have 700C-23mm tires on my commuter, and the first and last part of my commute is across my lawn. The homeward leg ends with me riding up a 2' high steep grass slope from the sidewalk to the lawn. This section requires some discretion, as a careless attempt to ride up it at a less-than-square angle and with power to the pedals saw the bike slide out from under me. On the upside, when it's wet enough for that to be an issue, the ground is also soft enough to do this without harm to cyclist or mount. Not that I'm recommending this, -- Ryan Cousineau, http://www.wiredcola.com Verus de parvis; verus de magnis. |
#50
|
|||
|
|||
: : They've gotten better, or at least the screws don't strip as bad as they used : to. Still I considered the time scouting pawn shops and flea markets to avoid : buying a department store bike worthwhile. If I hadn't landed that, I would've : gone back to the Trek that one pawn shop had at $125. : : Ron A friend who used to work at a pawn shop told me they put things up for sale at 4 times what they have in it. Your bike for $125 was really a $31 bike. You could have bargained down for it quite a bit in all likelihood. Even if you offered $62 that would give them a 100% profit! Pat in TX : |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Bicycle maker Huffy seeks shield | Garrison Hilliard | General | 4 | October 22nd 04 02:25 PM |
Low end schwinn... | rick | General | 14 | August 11th 04 03:59 PM |
In the News: Can Huffy survive in bike biz? | Jason Spaceman | Mountain Biking | 11 | August 4th 04 04:21 AM |
Schwinn Backpedaling | Garrison Hilliard | General | 11 | March 24th 04 01:27 PM |
Schwinn Backpedaling | Garrison Hilliard | Techniques | 9 | March 22nd 04 04:31 AM |