Any cyclists? Vivi? Looking to get a nice bicycle for road training

[ChrisinHove]

I was considering a new pushbike back in April but bicycles here have been - and remain - shopped out.

I would have bought a Merida Speeder if I could have got one in my size. I like the idea of a fast hybrid but also one that comes with a worthwhile frame guarantee.

https://www.merida-bikes.com/en/bikefin ... ot/fitness

Instead I’ve been putting in a few hours a week on my ancient mtb and turbo-trainer.

[z4vdBt]

If you think you'll stick with this and really get serious, instead of buying a bike, build one. Start with which frame you want, then add components and wheels. You'll end up with something you like and not outgrow it and yearn for something better in a year. I did that in the early 1990s when I was overseas. My brother, who's really into cycling, helped me do the mail order. From across the Pacific, he helped me with bike fit; drop bar width, frame size, pedals, etc. I ended up with a Gios with Shimano 105 components. In the scheme of things, 105s are very good compoments and have lasted me the last two decades and are still going strong. I replaced the cassette once - that's it. Of course cables were replaced once. The Shimano top of the line components are Dura Ace, next is Ultegra, then 105s.

I still ride a lot and it's great exercise and the vitamin D from the sun is an extra bonus.

Do check out bikeforums.net.

The first color pic is a couple years old. Grip tape is now yellow (soon to be white) and the seat bag is gone. 2nd black and white pic is recent.

[JD Spydo]

Hey all, I’ve been on the hunt for awhile now looking at bicycles. I have some beautiful spots to ride in my area and I am always looking for healthy activities. I currently ride a bike everyday as a short distance commuter/“go to the store” ride but I’m thinking to get into some more serious cycling. I have some good mountain biking trails in my area but honestly, I’m more interested in road training.

I am 50 years old and I have zero experience with road bikes but I do pretty hardcore endurance training daily and between that and the thousands of miles a year on the kayak I don’t see this being an unrealistic endeavor. If I enjoy it, I will be all in. The thing is, I’m old enough to know that what I might like in real world use might be different than what looks the coolest on the showroom floor. I suspect I will favor something with a slightly more relaxed and less racy geometry? I have been looking at endurance bikes and some of the gravel bikes. I’m not looking at the gravel bikes so much for their off-road capabilities but rather for their more relaxed riding position. I would suspect this would see a minimum of 100k per week, maybe more. I want something efficient and fast but also something that is not miserable to ride.

I’ve been doing a fair bit of online research and some of the options that I have been looking at are...

Cannondale Topstone
Cannondale Synapse
Specialized Diverge
Specialized Allez
Giant Defy
Salsa Journeyman


I know there at leas a few of you who are avid riders. Any guidance would be much appreciated.

Hey Mr. Lance got a ? to ask?? We've got a Specialized dealer here in the town I live in. I've got about enough coins saved up to get one of their Mtn bikes. They have one they showed me in the $385 price range that I was sort of impressed with.

Or should I wait and get one better? I forgot the model name but you probably know which one I'm talking about.

I've ridden one of the older Specialized Stumpjumpers a few years back and I'm sold on their Mtn Bikes for sure. Any info would be helpful :)

[Surfingringo]

So I got on the phone with Litespeed today. They were very nice and helpful. I’m considering a T5 or a Cherohala. There’s about a $1000 price difference between the two though...yikes! The main differences I see between the two are disk brakes and tire clearance. I’m having a hard look at the T5. Is Ti worth it? Will 28’s be a good all around size for what I have in mind? Thanks.

[benben]

Lance, since you’re looking at Litespeed, also take a look at Independent Fabrication, here’s some Reynolds 853 real steel.

http://ifbikes.com/Bikes/gravel-royale-steel/

[z4vdBt]

So I got on the phone with Litespeed today. They were very nice and helpful. I’m considering a T5 or a Cherohala. There’s about a $1000 price difference between the two though...yikes! The main differences I see between the two are disk brakes and tire clearance. I’m having a hard look at the T5. Is Ti worth it? Will 28’s be a good all around size for what I have in mind? Thanks.

Those are nice! I see they have nice Shimano component choices; 105, Ultegra, or Dura Ace. You can't go wrong with any of those. Don't see the need for disc brakes myself. I think they are for long descent riding. I was born in the late 50s and still ride as much as I can. Since it's so hot here now (southern NV), I ride in the morning right after sunrise.

[Naperville]

The Lightspeed T5 looks interesting. I wish you nothing but the best!

Don't loose sight of the LIGHTS, front and rear, for safety, and a good helmet.

I don't want to be a downer but when I trained with the Western Wheelman out of Glen Ellyn, Illinois, one of the guys was hit while crossing an intersection and it required many hours of surgery. So be careful out there!

[benben]

I don't want to be a downer but when I trained with the Western Wheelman out of Glen Ellyn, Illinois, one of the guys was hit while crossing an intersection and it required many hours of surgery. So be careful out there!

That's exactly why I like the woods......no one has ever gotten hurt on singletrack! Mountain biking clears my head after a stupid day of working better than anything for me!

[Surfingringo]

The Lightspeed T5 looks interesting. I wish you nothing but the best!

Don't loose sight of the LIGHTS, front and rear, for safety, and a good helmet.

I don't want to be a downer but when I trained with the Western Wheelman out of Glen Ellyn, Illinois, one of the guys was hit while crossing an intersection and it required many hours of surgery. So be careful out there!

That’s not being a downer. That’s fair warning and much appreciated. One of my main concerns with road work is where and how to ride safely. There are some nice stretches of scenic road here but some of them are very unsafe for cycling IMO. I see guys riding those roads but man, I’m going to look for safer routes with wider shoulders. This country isn’t exactly known for its safe drivers.

[Naperville]

The Lightspeed T5 looks interesting. I wish you nothing but the best!

Don't loose sight of the LIGHTS, front and rear, for safety, and a good helmet.

I don't want to be a downer but when I trained with the Western Wheelman out of Glen Ellyn, Illinois, one of the guys was hit while crossing an intersection and it required many hours of surgery. So be careful out there!

That’s not being a downer. That’s fair warning and much appreciated. One of my main concerns with road work is where and how to ride safely. There are some nice stretches of scenic road here but some of them are very unsafe for cycling IMO. I see guys riding those roads but man, I’m going to look for safer routes with wider shoulders. This country isn’t exactly known for its safe drivers.

I'm back home where I grew up basically. The number of people that are on the roads around here now is probably 5x to 10x what it was when I was in my teens. Then when in college, I was in Ames, Iowa training on very rural farm roads.

With all of that mileage, some years averaging 30 to 40 miles per day for months, I do not know how I avoided getting hit or brushed off of the road.

I use my road bike now primarily on a set of Kreitler rollers, indoors.

If I were to venture out on the roads, I think that I would travel in the opposite direction of the traffic, not with it, so that I could see and take evasive action should it be required.

[z4vdBt]

I wear glasses, so the take-a-look mirror which attaches to them are second nature for my rides now. I can see cars coming up on me and where they are in the lane. More than 90 percent of my ride is 2 lane traffic, so most times I take control of my lane and make them change to the center lane to pass me, instead of buzzing me too close. I ride during the day and have three rear facing red blinking lights going, and one white blinking facing forward.

[araneae]

I was hoping to get something more suited to the riding I do now, which is typically bike path riding with my wife. Been running Trek mountain bikes since I was a teenager, but haven't been truly off road in years. Was looking to move to a gravel/road bike. Unfortunately bike shops are basically sold out of EVERYTHING here.

[vivi]

There's a lot of different opinions on how to ride bikes on the road safely.

I'm going to make two lists of suggestions. The first is a list that, IMO, should apply universally. The second list are things that I've found effective for safe riding....in the places I've ridden.

List 1

- HELMET. I was a kid that was too cool for helmets. Then I got hit by a car riding home from work. An hour after impact, sitting in the hospital, I still couldn't tell the staff my name or age. I never, ever hop on my bike without one now. I still have the bike from that accident. I keep at as a reminder to try to be less of a fool.

- LIGHTING. Naperville is spot on with this. I keep two red rear lights (Cygolite hotrod) on night or day, one strobe, one steady. I use an 800 lumen headlight, a Cygolite Metro. I keep it on flash during the day, and max steady beam at night.

- AWARENESS. Nothing is going to beat being aware of your surroundings. Use a mirror or keep your head on a pivot, watch out for folks running red lights, etc. You're vulnerable and must act like it.

- MAINTENANCE. You don't want to have your chain slip off as you're switching gears on a busy four lane road, you don't want to average 2mph less because you forgot to inflate your tires before every ride, etc. Brakes go without saying. Replace cables every two years minimum, etc.

- COMMUNICATING INTENT. This includes hand signals, holding a line, and overall body language. I always signal my turns when riding around traffic, its a good habit. Especially when turning left, because otherwise you can really confuse motorists. Holding a straight line is better than weaving in and out of traffic trying to stay in a shoulder that comes and goes. By body language I mean cycling with intent and control, not wobbling side to side or taking turns faster than you and your bike can handle etc.


List 2

- Sometimes taking the lane, i.e. riding in the middle of the lane instead of the far side, is the safest option. Sometimes it isn't. I've had times, especially cycling downtown in a busy city where I easily outpace the cars, that taking the lane was the best option. I've had other times where it pissed people off to the point things became unsafe.

- I typically avoid shoulders. I find they're often full of debris that can cause flats, have storm drains that can trip you up, have less even pavement etc. If you are going to use one, make sure you are familiar with it. Shoulders can abruptly end, and motorists aren't expecting you to suddenly merge left.

- I only sometimes utilize bike lanes. Often, like shoulders, they have debris that can cause flats, and in my city there is no thought behind them so they'll start and stop in very illogical ways. That little strip of paint isn't magic the way some people treat it, you still need to be aware of your surroundings. Cars will still pull out in front of you from shopping plazas etc, which brings me to:

- Make yourself visible. We discussed lights. Also utilize bright clothing, bright helmet, bright bike, reflective ankle bands, stuff like that. Also road position influences visibility. Say you are on a four lane road coming up to a four way intersection and you see a car on the right planning to turn into your lane, and there's no traffic behind you or beside you. In that situation I would get to the far left of the far right lane so make myself more visible to the merging driver.

- Speed is safe. In my experience, the faster I'm going, the safer it is in most situations. There's a lower speed differential between me and passing traffic. In areas with 30mph or less speed limits, I can generally keep up with traffic assuming people aren't speeding. I spend less time getting where I'm going, etc.

- Know the laws, and know when to not push the issue. Where I live, cyclists are allowed to take the full lane on any road bikes are legal on (Which is every road besides major interstate highways). Knowing this is good. Knowing when to back down is equally as important. Sometimes by taking the full lane, you're being a bit of a putz, causing a long line of backed up cars on a twisty two lane road because the people can't safely pass. While I have no legal obligation to, sometimes I pull over to the sideof the road and wave cars past. Sometimes I'll hang far right instead of taking the lane because its the safer choice. Being right doesn't always equal being safe. Just because you have the right of way doesn't mean you should go.

I could ramble about this for a long time. Spending two years going car free by choice taught me alot about riding safely. Understand that not all of my experiences will hold true for every country as well.

Lastly here's a long video about my road bike setup for tours. 20lb bike and about 9lbs of luggage for a fully loaded cross country setup lighter than most naked bikes. It might give you some equipment ideas as alot of the things I carried are useful for recreational rides and commuting.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Mhy-7toTy-w

[Wartstein]

.....

Lastly here's a long video about my road bike setup for tours. 20lb bike and about 9lbs of luggage for a fully loaded cross country setup lighter than most naked bikes. It might give you some equipment ideas as alot of the things I carried are useful for recreational rides and commuting.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Mhy-7toTy-w

(Sorry Lance, a bit off topic):
Vivi, I like the vid a lot - but at 09:20: Pac Salt in PE, not SE?! :eek: ....

[Bloke]

riding with my wife.

[Enactive]

riding with my wife.

That's funny-- some classic physical comedy.

[Surfingringo]

Just pulled the trigger. Tough finding bikes in stock right now but I located a 2021 Specialized Diverge. Aluminum frame with their “future shock 1.5” system and Shimano 1x drivetrain. I was looking at straight road bikes but after a lot of thought and some of the advice and warnings here I decided to go with something that would be a little more suited to dirt road riding. We have some REALLY nice routes around here through beautiful area so I feel like this is a good plan. A lot of these dirt roads are 6 or 8 miles from my house so having something that is competent on and off of pavement will be nice. I could see my riding being kind of 50/50 between light dirt and pavement. I’ll try to remember to update this thread next month once I’ve logged a few miles. Thanks for the great advice and information everyone!

[RustyIron]

Looks like a fun bike. Be sure to take some picture of the bike in your native environment.... with all the monkeys... and elephants... and... and... whatever kind of scenic stuff you have to take pictures of.

[Naperville]

Just pulled the trigger. Tough finding bikes in stock right now but I located a 2021 Specialized Diverge. Aluminum frame with their “future shock 1.5” system and Shimano 1x drivetrain. I was looking at straight road bikes but after a lot of thought and some of the advice and warnings here I decided to go with something that would be a little more suited to dirt road riding. We have some REALLY nice routes around here through beautiful area so I feel like this is a good plan. A lot of these dirt roads are 6 or 8 miles from my house so having something that is competent on and off of pavement will be nice. I could see my riding being kind of 50/50 between light dirt and pavement. I’ll try to remember to update this thread next month once I’ve logged a few miles. Thanks for the great advice and information everyone!

Excellent! Sounds well thought out. Have fun!!!

[vivi]

Maybe some time after COVID19 I can fly down there and do a bike tour. We can hit up some local trails. Have fun on the new ride and make sure to post some pictures!