# Any road bikers here?



## Drew (Mar 28, 2008)

In light of the other thread...

I've been a mountian biker for perhaps 15 years now, since I was in maybe 6th grade. However, as good dirt is both rare in Boston and a pain in the ass to get to, most of my riding last year was on pavement. This is also augmented by the fact that my roomie owns a road bike, and I ride with him on occasion, which results in me kicking my ass trying to keep up while he just comfortably spins. 

So, I want to buy a road bike. Something beginner to mid level, I'm looking to spend maybe a grand tops. What do you guys ride? Any recommendations? I won't be racing, but I will be going out and pushing hard for a couple hours, and at least going out and spinning for an hour or two a few times a week.


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## Sentient (Apr 1, 2008)

Dude, you can snatch up a helluva bike for a grand. I could only afford about $500 when I got my Cannondale for $481 & free shipping on Ebay. It's a 2001 model, but looked like new when I got it a year ago. I love it. 

I'm not partial to any particular brand, as I think happiness can be found on so many different bikes. But I would recommend visiting a few bike shops and actually check the fit of a few different size frames. Some manufacturers size their bikes slightly different from others. Fit on a road bike is critical, and you don't wanna spend a bunch of cash only to find out after a 35 mile ride that your back hurts. I'm 5 ft 7", and found a great fit with a 54 cm Cannondale.

You get a nice "feel good" feeling when you buy a bike from a local bike shop.. But you'll also pay two to three times more than you would for the same quality bike, slightly used on Ebay. Ebay is just saturated with great bikes at good prices.

Mountain biking is a blast, and I've had a lot of fun doing it, but personally, there's just nothing that compares with riding a nice bike on a nice road. I love me some cyclin' on the road. Good times, baby, good times. 

Best of luck shopping, and keep us posted with what you're lookin' at, or end up getting. 

Burke


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## Drew (Apr 1, 2008)

Dude, the background in that second pic... where was that taken?


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## Sentient (Apr 1, 2008)

Drew said:


> Dude, the background in that second pic... where was that taken?


That was taken at one of the overlooks at the top of Pilot Mountain State Park, in NC. The twisty road going to the top is 2.4 miles, with a 10% grade. It's all I can do to manage 4 or 5 mph pedaling up the steepest bits, but it's an easy 45 mph coming back down.


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## jaxadam (Apr 1, 2008)

I'm pretty partial to Cannondale myself.


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## Drew (Apr 1, 2008)

That's what my roommate rides, too. 

Gorgeous view!


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## Sentient (Apr 7, 2008)

I'm so glad Spring is here and the weather is finally warming up. It's nice to be riding outside again. 

I attached a pic of where I did most of my riding during the winter months. Keeps the legs active and is good cardio, but I don't think the dog cares much for it, though.


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## Drew (Apr 7, 2008)

Yeah, my bro uses one of those. He hates it, but says it's great training.


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## Sentient (Jun 27, 2008)

[/crickets]





































Drew said:


> So, I want to buy a road bike. Something beginner to mid level, I'm looking to spend maybe a grand tops. What do you guys ride? Any recommendations? I won't be racing, but I will be going out and pushing hard for a couple hours, and at least going out and spinning for an hour or two a few times a week.



 Liars go to hell, Drew. It's been 3 months. Where the hell's that bike?


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## 7 Strings of Hate (Jun 27, 2008)

lay off him man, hes only got 9 or 10 more years left to get his album recorded


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## Drew (Jun 28, 2008)

I just came back from Ace Wheel Works in Somerville. Tomorrow afternoon I'll be picking up one of these: 






I rode a couple bikes including a rather nice 2007 cannondale that even on sale was a little more than this, but this was the one I felt most comfortable on. It'll need some tweaking - the bars need to be a bit lower, I think, and I suspect I'll eventually want to swap them for something a little narrower - but it was an almost shockingly smooth ride for a road frame. 

I'm just going to throw my Speedplay Frogs on it for the time being, but I've got 10% off accessories for the next 30 days so over the next week or two I'll start researching clipless pedals. Any recommendations?


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## Mattmc74 (Jun 29, 2008)

^ Congrats! Thats a really nice bike. I need to get a road bike for riding to work and for messing around town. Switching offroad tires to street tires on my MTB is getting really old! So a nice road bike would kick ass!


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## Sentient (Jun 30, 2008)

Drew said:


> I just came back from Ace Wheel Works in Somerville. Tomorrow afternoon I'll be picking up one of these:



 

Oh, HELL YEAH, dude! Congratulations on a most excellent choice! You did good. REAL good. 



Drew said:


> I'm just going to throw my Speedplay Frogs on it for the time being, but I've got 10% off accessories for the next 30 days so over the next week or two I'll start researching clipless pedals. Any recommendations?


The Speedplays will be perfectly fine until you just decide to try something different. Depending on how comfortable they are to you, I'm not so sure I would change 'em, anyway.

I can't advise much on pedals as I only have experience with spd's. I've got 'em on both my road bike & mountain bike, and share a pair of decent mtb shoes between the two bikes. (I'm yet to splurg some money on a pair of nice road shoes, as I rather like being able to actually walk around normally with the recessed cleat of my mtb shoes.)

As soon as you can, throw us some more pics of the actual bike. 



Mattmc74 said:


> I need to get a road bike for riding to work and for messing around town. Switching offroad tires to street tires on my MTB is getting really old! So a nice road bike would kick ass!


Man, I'd love to see ya get one. Keep an eye on your local craigslist, and if you decide upon a particular price range, keep checkin' out ebay's road bikes. Just make sure you know what frame size will work for you, so you don't end up getting something that's a little too big or too small.

Do you currently have an extra wheelset that you're switching back & forth on your mtb? (which wouldn't be too bad)... Or are you actually switching tires on the same wheels? (which would be a serious bitch, indeed). 

[action=Sentient]believes that when Matt gets a road bike, he'll finally stop turning rims into salsa chips. \m/[/action]


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## Mattmc74 (Jun 30, 2008)

Sentient said:


> Oh, HELL YEAH, dude! Congratulations on a most excellent choice! You did good. REAL good.
> 
> 
> The Speedplays will be perfectly fine until you just decide to try something different. Depending on how comfortable they are to you, I'm not so sure I would change 'em, anyway.
> ...



I would love to get one soon. I'm going to look at bikes today for my wife. She needs one more than I do. I have one and she has none(rappin).
But after I get her one I will be in the market for a good road bike. There are 4 very good bike shop where I live so my options for a road bike awesome.

I have to change out my tires on the same rims, it's time consuming but I really don't won't to wear out my Kenda Nevegals on the street. When I ride on the street I put on the Kenda flames tires.

I also need to upgrade to better forks,rims, and disc brakes!!!!!!!


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## Drew (Jun 30, 2008)

Sentient said:


> As soon as you can, throw us some more pics of the actual bike.



No real pics until: 

1.) Those tires aren't so fucking red and white.  
2.) I throw a sevenstring.org sticker on the top tube to represent for you fuckers.  

I've got some more shit to do at work first, but I'm looking forward to getting home and squeezing in another hour or so's ride. I didn't post this, but I made it maybe a half hour out on my inaugural ride before a seriously ugly thunderstorm blew in. I turned around at the first drops of rain and pushed pretty hard, but I couldn't outrun it. I'm just glad the nickle-sized hail never materialized.


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## Sentient (Jul 1, 2008)

Drew said:


> No real pics until:
> 
> 1.) Those tires aren't so fucking red and white.


 That bad, huh? They look kinda sharp in the pic above, accentin' the trim & all, but I'm guessin' the colors are much stronger at a different angle. 



Drew said:


> I didn't post this, but I made it maybe a half hour out on my inaugural ride before a seriously ugly thunderstorm blew in. I turned around at the first drops of rain and pushed pretty hard, but I couldn't outrun it. I'm just glad the nickle-sized hail never materialized.


 'Atta boy. Nothin' initiates a road bike quite like gettin' caught in it's first rain. Glad to see ya got it out of the way early. 

If'n ya haven't already, the first thing I'd pick up (besides my "outrunnin' the rain" speed ), would be a cyclocomputer. You're gonna want to know your mileage, but tracking your average speeds (especially on repeat rides/routes) will be a tremendous tool for seeing your improvement/gains.

Oh, and if you haven't already got a way of inflating those presta valves, you'll need to prioritize a compatible pump over the computer. You'll also need a little seat wedge or something to carry emergency supplies, like a little patch kit, a multi-tool, spare tube, etc. I also carry a co2 inflator in mine, as I don't carry a frame pump. If you mount a small pump to the frame somewhere, you won't need the inflator. But one way or the other, you should be prepared to fix a flat at any time.


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## Drew (Jul 1, 2008)

I've been riding presta rims since like '95, dude.  They're pretty much the standard for anything above serious hobbyist grade offroad rims, too. 

I've also, knock on wood, been riding without any way to fix a flat on me for the last two years. I suppose road tires flat out a little more on pavement than mountain ones, but still... You're probably right though. CO2 cartriages are pretty cheap, correct? I remember first seeing them eons ago in a catalogue and thinking it was dumb to spend a buck or two a refill to do the same thing a pump would do for free, but the advantage is a CO2 cartraige and inflator is way easier to stash on you...


The tires aren't bad from the side, but from the top they're basically a red band with two white bands on the side, no black.  

I DID slap the sevenstring.org sticker on last night, though.  Looks sharp against the red.


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## Sentient (Jul 1, 2008)

Drew said:


> I've been riding presta rims since like '95, dude.  They're pretty much the standard for anything above serious hobbyist grade offroad rims, too.



Ooops, my bad. I forget that others aren't like myself, and still have misc bikes w/schrader valves. My Cannondale is my only bike w/presta rims, as my other bikes are either really old or really cheap. 

You're right about flats not being real common, but it often just seems to be a "luck" thing, and really varies depending on who you talk to. One person may never have had a flat, while somebody else has flatted 3 times in the past month. I've been riding serious for 5 years, and only ever had two road flats, and one mtb flat. 

And yeah, you can get co2 cartridges in bulk for about a buck each. I got a 10-pk a year ago and I figure that to be more than a life's supply. But they're just like insurance, as you hate paying for something you might never use, but by golly you sure are glad you've got it when ya need it. This is the inflator that I carry, and while I've only needed it once in the past year, it was a lifesaver at the time.



Drew said:


> I DID slap the sevenstring.org sticker on last night, though.  Looks sharp against the red.


I bet that does look great. I would reiterate a request for pics, but I understand that such photography may neccesitate a tire change first. 

[action=Sentient]thinks Drew should at least post a pic of the top tube for the time being, just to show off that sticker. \m/[/action]


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## Mattmc74 (Jul 2, 2008)

Originally Posted by Drew 
I DID slap the sevenstring.org sticker on last night, though. Looks sharp against the red. 


I need a sticker or 2 for my bike!


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## Drew (Jul 2, 2008)

Nah, I'll take a picture of the thing as it stands. 

I think my rims are drilled for Schrader, but can accept both (this is my mountain bike we're talking about). It's kind of an insurance thing, for one, as I can use anything in a pinch, and for another I figure I shaved a few tenths of an ounce off my rotational weight with the larger valve opening.


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## Sentient (Jul 2, 2008)

Drew said:


> I figure I shaved a few tenths of an ounce off my rotational weight with the larger valve opening.







I find it easier to drop half a pound of overall weight by just taking a piss.


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## MrRedRaider (Jul 2, 2008)

Fellow road biker here. I got back into biking last summer when I lived in Montreal. Bike was the primary form of transportation, and I got to the point where I was going for 20mi rides 2-3 times a week. The bike wasnt even a road bike, but it rode quite well. I bought a Giant OCR3 last fall when I got back to lubbock for school, and Ive been riding ever since. Well, until it got stolen of course. I just got a new bike in, its a K2 Mach 3. 2002 model, got it for $400. Quite a steal if you ask me (ebay). Carbon fork, all shimano 105. Ill post some pictures soon. Ive been riding every morning and evening for at least 10+ miles.


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## guitarplayerone (Jul 3, 2008)

I am considering getting a (good) road bike for transport/fun. I rode to and from school almost every other day this past fall/early winter. if I have 500 extra by the end of the summer, then I will buy one


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## Sentient (Jul 3, 2008)

MrRedRaider said:


> I just got a new bike in, its a K2 Mach 3. 2002 model, got it for $400. Quite a steal if you ask me (ebay). Carbon fork, all shimano 105. Ill post some pictures soon. Ive been riding every morning and evening for at least 10+ miles.



 Dude, that sounds pretty sweet. Lookin' forward to the pics. I've got 105 throughout mine, with the exception of the front derailleur being Tiagra. Good on ya for gettin' a ride in every day. That's fantastic.



guitarplayerone said:


> if I have 500 extra by the end of the summer, then I will buy one


 Here's hoping you do, man. Good luck! The world needs more riders. 

[action=Sentient]suddenly finds himself wishing we had a bicycle smilie.[/action]


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## Drew (Jul 3, 2008)

Sentient said:


> I find it easier to drop half a pound of overall weight by just taking a piss.



It was a joke.


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## Mattmc74 (Jul 5, 2008)

Sentient said:


> I find it easier to drop half a pound of overall weight by just taking a piss.


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## Sentient (Jul 8, 2008)

Rode 63 miles this past Sunday morning (topo map attached). Was much slower than I had hoped to be, as I was aiming to do this route in 4 hours or less, and missed that goal by 4 minutes. 

Only clicked out of the pedals twice during the whole ride; once to pee, and one other time at a stop sign, waiting for traffic. But both stops were extremely brief, with me not actually getting off the bike.


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## giannifive (Jul 8, 2008)

Congrats on the bike, Drew. I was going to recommend Giant for the under $1000 category, but it looks like you picked up a good one. What components are on there? It's hard to see, but are they Tiagra?

I've been road biking since I started doing triathlons a few years ago. If you ever feel the need for speed might I recommend latching on some aerobars?


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## Jason (Jul 8, 2008)

Sentient said:


> Rode 63 miles this past Sunday morning (topo map attached). Was much slower than I had hoped to be, as I was aiming to do this route in 4 hours or less, and missed that goal by 4 minutes.
> 
> Only clicked out of the pedals twice during the whole ride; once to pee, and one other time at a stop sign, waiting for traffic. But both stops were extremely brief, with me not actually getting off the bike.



 So you peed while still on the bike?


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## Sentient (Jul 8, 2008)

Jason said:


> So you peed while still on the bike?



Yeah, pretty much, but it wasn't in a nasty way like it might sound.  

It was real early in the morning, on a curvy, deserted road through a forest, with no one in sight. I just stopped on the edge of the road, straddled the bike, turned to the right, and watered the grass on the shoulder of the road. Then I was back in the pedals and on my way. Probably only stopped for less than a minute.


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## lava (Dec 1, 2008)

My ride:


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## Sentient (Dec 2, 2008)

^^ Dude, that's a beautiful bike. Congrats!


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## guitarplayerone (Dec 20, 2008)

i really wanted a road bike but I got a flatbar diamondback insight fitted with 28x700cm tires instead. only came out to 300 bucks and is fast as hell


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## Mattmc74 (Jan 4, 2009)

lava said:


> My ride:
> 
> View attachment 9075



 Nice Bike!


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## 7STRINGWARRIOR (Jan 20, 2009)

if your a stronger dude and not looking to spend to much i would go with a lower end cannondale over anything, they start out around 8-9, my trek 1000 only lasted me about 7 months before it started bending,which isnt as bad as it sounds, i was riding 300+ miles a week. the cannondale is tuff as nails, it will be my next bike

haha sorry, but good choice on the specialized


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## Mattmc74 (Jan 25, 2009)

I'm picking up a Gary Fisher from a friend at work. Her husband can't ride it any more so it's been sitting in her garage for 1 year or so.I'm getting a great deal on it. Now I won't have to change out the tires on my mountain bike to ride on the street.


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## B Lopez (Feb 25, 2009)

I never got around to telling this story so here it is:

I was in Mexico a few weeks back, in Baja. Nearest notable town was Colonet, but we were about an hour further south. This guy shows up on his bike, stays at the hostel, a surf hostel none the less  but anyways this dude pedaling his bike down to LaPaz which is down at the tip of Baja, just north of Cabo. Came from fucking Portland, Oregon.

What a fucking nutcase. He said he had also biked from Miami to Seattle. 

Frickin roadbikers, I swear.


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## Stealthdjentstic (Feb 25, 2009)

Miami to seattle? Wow..


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## Sentient (Jul 14, 2009)

Blowin' the dust off of this thread, just to share a pic of my current ride...


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## troyguitar (Jul 15, 2009)

I got a '74 Schwinn Continental off of craigslist for next to nothing not long ago. Made in USA! Haven't been on a bike in ~10 years so it's plenty good for me. I just needed something less boring than running and less expensive than a sports team or gym membership to start getting my ass back in shape


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## WarriorOfMetal (Jul 31, 2009)

It's not a road bike, but it's also not a mountain bike, and I didn't see any other threads to post it in and this is probably closer, but I just picked this up yesterday off Craigslist:







bike pictures by MetalWarrior - Photobucket


The seller told me that their brother built it, on the Columbia frame, which dates to 1971. It has a 3-speed Sturmey-Archer AW internally-geared hub, also from 1971. I got it to just have something to ride around the neighborhood, and occasionally Boston on. I'm thinking of re-painting it to look like an English bike of the same style...a darker color like matte black or British Racing Green, with the white patch on the rear fender...and since it's missing the headbadge, I was thinking of painting Mjølnir (Thor's hammer) on it, in its place.


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## klutvott (Aug 2, 2009)

YES I AM ROADBIKER NÅÅÅÅÅÅÅÅOW§!
I just got my first roadbike two days ago. It's a scott cr1 team. Took it for a 60km ride today and it feels great. YES!


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## dm496 (Aug 3, 2009)

Fairly new road bike rider here too. I had previously been riding a mountain bike on paved riding trails, and wasn't sure if the upgrade to a road bike would be worth it. It turned out of course to be a major improvement. The bike is a Mercier Corvus AL from bikesdirect.


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## plyta (Aug 17, 2009)

I've bought meself this hybrid couple of months ago:




Have made almost 800km already.

And I'm restoring/rebuilding a bicycle like this one:
80'sMMVZ bicycle

























Soviet copy of british roadster bike.
Will end up like a rat bicycle in the end, I'm not repainting it, just cleaning, leaving all the rust and using as many parts that are lying around in me basement...


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## WarriorOfMetal (Aug 17, 2009)

Sturmey-Archer AW hub on that one?


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## plyta (Aug 17, 2009)

WarriorOfMetal said:


> Sturmey-Archer AW hub on that one?



I don't know any soviet bicycles that utilize internal hub gears.

This MMVZ one (like most of the soviet bicycles) has single speed coaster hub.
There were some soviet road bicycles utilizing derailleur gears however.


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