Cycling

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goldrod
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Cycling

Post by goldrod » Mon Jun 22, 2020 12:08 pm

Like many things that have peeked my interest road bikes have taken
Center stage. I’m looking for a bike but man the prices are steep. I saw a used bike but being a novice I wasn’t too sure so I called a bike shop and asked some questions about a used bike I saw online. The guy was pleasant and expressed that I’d be better off putting my money on a bike that has everything I want vice saving money on the front end.

If only I could afford to buy everything I wanted on the front end of any purchase I’d be driving a c63 AMG just time here it or Porsche gt3 just to sprint through traffic. But anyways his advice is good yet not good.

I don’t plan on riding this bike on trails because that would mean that I have to get a thing and put it on my truck. I’m asking for help in where to start
I’ve been watching YouTube videos to learn stuff like the cassette and crank set.
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Cal
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Re: Cycling

Post by Cal » Mon Jun 22, 2020 12:13 pm

goldrod wrote:
Mon Jun 22, 2020 12:08 pm
Like many things that have peeked my interest road bikes have taken

...

I don’t plan on riding this bike on trails because that would mean that I have to get a thing and put it on my truck.
If you're interested in a road bike, it's understood you're not going to take it on trails... or by trails, are you referring to paved bike paths?

goldrod wrote:
Mon Jun 22, 2020 12:08 pm
I’m asking for help in where to start
Need to know what type of bike you're interested in and I can offer my $0.02...

Warning though... Zander asked this same advice of me years back. He came to me with a budget of $2-4K and I had him spend $7K after I was done with him.

Before I was the dark lord of tackle, I outfitted many of my friends with road and mountain bikes... even got offered a job at a bike store because I sold so many bikes for them 😂
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Re: Cycling

Post by goldrod » Mon Jun 22, 2020 12:47 pm

Cal wrote:
Mon Jun 22, 2020 12:13 pm
goldrod wrote:
Mon Jun 22, 2020 12:08 pm
Like many things that have peeked my interest road bikes have taken

...

I don’t plan on riding this bike on trails because that would mean that I have to get a thing and put it on my truck.
If you're interested in a road bike, it's understood you're not going to take it on trails... or by trails, are you referring to paved bike paths?

goldrod wrote:
Mon Jun 22, 2020 12:08 pm
I’m asking for help in where to start
Need to know what type of bike you're interested in and I can offer my $0.02...

Warning though... Zander asked this same advice of me years back. He came to me with a budget of $2-4K and I had him spend $7K after I was done with him.

Before I was the dark lord of tackle, I outfitted many of my friends with road and mountain bikes... even got offered a job at a bike store because I sold so many bikes for them 😂

Thanks Cal.
I was cut short on my last post.

I will ride on base where I feel its a bit more controlled and we have PT courses that I can just go round and round.. its paved
Of all the bikes that I have learned about and that is more geared towards what I am looking for, the endurance style is more my speed. Im not going up steep hills or anything like that. My budget is less than Zanders initial budget lol
but speaking of which, how does he like the bike he's riding now?

The only bikes I see in my area are mostly by Specialized, so much so that I dont like them cause everyone seems to be riding on them.. Carbondale and Trek are brands I've heard about but have no in-depth knowledge of. If there are any other brands that you suggest please I am all ears.

Im not sure I'll spend 7k on a bicycle but I was once in the Im not sure ill spend that much for a rod crowd at one time too..
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Re: Cycling

Post by Cal » Mon Jun 22, 2020 2:44 pm

If your initial budget is less than #2K, it's not going to make much difference which brand you choose. These days, a $2K bike is like a ~$150 fishing rod. Not much to distinguish between them save for the components. At that range, you're probably looking at the entry level Shimano groupo which used to be Shimano 105 for a road bike. They may have changed the name and/or introduced a line or two since I was heavy into cycling.

If you're not doing hills, you'll only want two chain rings on the cranks, not three. I don't recommend going with just one - if that's offered. Even on flats and when you're starting out, you want the small chain ring in front so you don't put too much stress on your knees. You want to build the speed up gradually, then switch as your legs warm up.

What you're going to want to do is ride a bunch of different brands and frames in your price range... Steel, Aluminum, Carbon will likely be your choices.

Steel : These frames will be the heaviest but steel is valued for the overall comfort of the ride. Very responsive without being too harsh over bumps. I'm actually not certain you can even find a steel bike anymore these days.

Aluminum : These frames will be lighter than steel, more efficient at translating your pedaling motion to power. They're very responsive but also super harsh over bumps.

Carbon : The feel on these bikes varies by manufacturer. For the most part, you get the responsiveness of aluminum in an even lighter package and without any of the harshness. However, the frames also have a tendency to feel dead. All the vibration and bumps are absorbed by the frame material, but that also insulates you from any feel of the road. This feeling is what differs between manufacturers and you never know which one is right for you until you ride a bunch of different brands.

I ride titanium, but you're not going to get into titanium these days for less than $3k probably. This is the material Zander eventually decided upon and he loved his bike initially, but the road bike was just a fad to him. The bike now hangs in his garage unappreciated.

For the manufacturers you listed:

Trek is akin to Pure Fishing... brands under this umbrella include: Fisher, Klein, Bontrager, Lemond ... I'm sure there are more.

Canondale... as far as I know is still independent. They're specialty used to be aluminum frames. Highly respected, often a little overpriced because of the name.

Specialized... their motto is Innovate or Die. I'm biased here because they are headquarted here in Northern California and I have their racing brand, SWorks, in a road frame and a hard tail mountain bike frame. I used to own a full suspension frame by them too. My first mountain bike was a Specialized Stumpjumper. Still have it. It's an all steel bike that I put smooth tires on and use it to tool around the neighborhood and took it camping all the time when we did that with the kids.

My recommendation, again, is to visit several different bike shops and ride all the frames and brands you can without any preconceived notions. Even if the first bike you ride feels like "the one" right off the bat. Go ride two or three more to validate that feeling.

Zander was convinced there was no way he was going to spend that coin on the bike he bought. All my friends think that going in. Then they fall in love with the feel that one bike and it's game over.

It's all about frame material, geometry of the frame you're riding, and how all that agrees with your body.

Stay away from hybrid bikes. I had someone ask me about those early on in his bike shopping days. He asked, what's the best hybrid I can get. I told him there is no such thing because by definition that bike is a compromise. But some bike stores like to push them or at least used to.

Oh and lastly, if it comes down to it, spend your money on a good frame with inferior components. You can always upgrade the components bit by bit... new wheels here (biggest improvement), derailer there, shifters too... but the frame is the most important part. Again, in your price range, this may not apply, but just in case.

That should give you a good start. ;)
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Re: Cycling

Post by Aquaftm45 » Mon Jun 22, 2020 2:59 pm

The Japanese make more than high end fishing gear...

https://toyoframe.com/product/titanium- ... 16fd43adaa

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Re: Cycling

Post by Cal » Mon Jun 22, 2020 3:44 pm

yeah, but there are a lot of domestic companies that make some killer frames too... Seven Cycles made a frame that was opposite of the one you linked above... titanium main frame, carbon rear triangle... that frame was on my wish list for the longest time 😢 ... you ordered it custom fit to your body measurements.
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Re: Cycling

Post by Aquaftm45 » Mon Jun 22, 2020 4:03 pm

Cal wrote:
Mon Jun 22, 2020 3:44 pm
yeah, but there are a lot of domestic companies that make some killer frames too...
..Ardent

Haha..yeah I have heard of Seven Cycles, great brand. I used to follow high end bikes as close as I follow high end fishing gear. There are actually many more great US boutique brand bikes than Japan could ever imagine. I'm not a road biker, I had the desire for a Paul Bunditz belt drive city bike for a long time, I will eventually pull the trigger.

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Re: Cycling

Post by Cal » Mon Jun 22, 2020 4:11 pm

Aquaftm45 wrote:
Mon Jun 22, 2020 4:03 pm
There are actually many more great US boutique brand bikes than Japan could ever imagine...
There are SO many
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Re: Cycling

Post by goldrod » Tue Jun 23, 2020 6:57 am

:shock:

Part of the reason I asked is so I dont have the bike hanging in the garage after a few months. I greatly appreciate the information and have a list of all bike shops in my area. I appreciate the enlightenment on Specialized, i thought it was a trend.
Certainly I never thought there were so many different frame materials. With the amount of money i may potentially shell out
i will definitely goto these local shops and be a hang about. I had one guy who road in different countries we travel to, he was the happiest guy you'll ever met just before he got on his bike and took off.
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Re: Cycling

Post by Cal » Tue Jun 23, 2020 7:29 am

There is nothing like cycling on a nice, wooded, road with freshly paved blacktop... it's like the equivalent of the runner's high... powering through the soft undulations in the road, whisking around the bends ... fresh blacktop is like riding on rubber. I miss riding 😢
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Re: Cycling

Post by toddmc » Sat Jun 27, 2020 10:12 am

goldrod wrote:
Tue Jun 23, 2020 6:57 am
:shock:

Part of the reason I asked is so I dont have the bike hanging in the garage after a few months. I greatly appreciate the information and have a list of all bike shops in my area. I appreciate the enlightenment on Specialized, i thought it was a trend.
Certainly I never thought there were so many different frame materials. With the amount of money i may potentially shell out
i will definitely goto these local shops and be a hang about. I had one guy who road in different countries we travel to, he was the happiest guy you'll ever met just before he got on his bike and took off.
Once you get become an enthusiast in the cycling world, you will find that you will want to build your own bike because you will never find an off the shelf bike with all the components that you want. The Tour de France level road bikes from Trek, Specialized, etc. are way overpriced. The manufacturers tack on a few thousand because the bike is being ridden in the Tour. You can usually build your own for much less at the upper level, and get what you want. Specialized does build a nice bike. The 2K price level off the shelf bikes will get you a good quality Shimano 105 group equipped bike that will shift fine, but it won't be very light. Just make sure that you get a drivetrain that is geared for what you ride. I'm a former regional mountain bike racer and climbing is my forte on the road bike also. As was said, make sure that you have gears low enough if you are climbing steep hills. Beginners all too often make the mistake of buying bikes with gears that don't suit their terrain. You don't want to bring your flipping stick to a clear water finesse lake. You will need multiple bikes, just like multiple rods, if you become an enthusiast. Yes, being a cyclist and tournament level bass fisherman is expensive, but it's who I am! :D
I'm heading up to my family place to mile high Idyllwild today to ride the mountain bike on the trail hub that starts at my house. Later in the afternoon, I will fish Strawberry Creek that runs through our property. There are still a few trout left before the creek becomes a trickle! I spent yesterday on Diamond Valley Lake in my bass boat. The life of a teacher, fisherman, cyclist, on summer vacation ain't so bad!!!!!!
Last edited by toddmc on Sat Jun 27, 2020 10:58 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Cycling

Post by toddmc » Sat Jun 27, 2020 10:42 am

Cal wrote:
Tue Jun 23, 2020 7:29 am
There is nothing like cycling on a nice, wooded, road with freshly paved blacktop... it's like the equivalent of the runner's high... powering through the soft undulations in the road, whisking around the bends ... fresh blacktop is like riding on rubber. I miss riding 😢
Let me know if you are in SoCal Cal. We have great road riding in the valley in the winter, and in the local mountains in the summer. The same goes for any of you fellow cyclist/fishermen out there on TT. I'm gonna try to get up your way to Lake Tahoe to ride the mountain bike in a few weeks with my friends that have transplanted there. I fish the creeks in the eastern Sierras on the way up. I don't care what bike I'm on as long as I am in the mountains.

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Re: Cycling

Post by Cal » Sat Jun 27, 2020 10:49 pm

toddmc wrote:
Sat Jun 27, 2020 10:42 am
Let me know if you are in SoCal Cal. We have great road riding in the valley in the winter, and in the local mountains in the summer. The same goes for any of you fellow cyclist/fishermen out there on TT. I'm gonna try to get up your way to Lake Tahoe to ride the mountain bike in a few weeks with my friends that have transplanted there. I fish the creeks in the eastern Sierras on the way up. I don't care what bike I'm on as long as I am in the mountains.
I don't cycle much anymore... too paranoid to ride on the road with all the distracted drivers these days and too out of shape to pound the trails... although Northstar is a lot of fun. Be sure to do that if you can when you're up in Tahoe! We did like 5 years in a row back in the day. :)
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