uvuflier

Bike racing...yay!

HSLD

Cause it's fun!

Omnivorous

Those must have been gold plated bikes or something!

sinsilvia666

just picked up a marin mount vision 5.8, cant wait to take it out on the trails, haven't ridden in years !

Copperhed51

Uh oh, don't get me started. Half the reason I'm not flying anymore is so I can ride my bike more. Currently school gets in the way a fair amount, but not nearly as much as being away from home/bike for the majority of my life.

As far as what's good and what isn't, well that's a hard question to answer. I have 4 bikes right now and I want at least 2 or 3 more to have a bike for most occasions. If you want to tear up the trails, you will need a mountain bike, but do you go with 26", 29", or the brand new 27.5" wheeled variety?

If you want to get a little crazy and head off road on some easy trails, but ride a lot on the road, you might want to pick up a cyclocross bike. Cyclocross bikes are set up like road bikes with the drop bars and fairly aggressive frame geometry, but they are beefier and have more brake clearance to allow for mud caked tires. These bikes can still be stupid light and nice. Cyclocross racing is a hell of a good time (it is common practice for the fans lining the course to hand the riders cups full of beer and the rider chugs it and carries on) and it's also a great workout. Anyway, cyclocross bike = lots of versatility. These bikes have 700c wheels just like road bikes so again, the main differences are beefiness and brake setup.

Your next option is a pure road bike. These are set up to be light, go fast, and handle like a sports car...sometimes. The frame geometry and material determines how comfortable or aggressive the bike is. There are comfort-oriented race bikes that are designed to allow for long rides over varying road surfaces while still maintaining a moderately aggressive position. I've honestly never ridden one, but some examples would be the Specialized (I know, they are evil) Roubaix, the brand new Trek Domane, the Cannondale Synapse, and the Giant Defy. There are plenty of others, but those are some of the big players in that market. There are plenty of other brands that offer similar bikes.

I ride road bikes with a more race-oriented geometry. They tend to be a little stiffer and provide for a more aggressive/aero riding position. Every brand out there has something to offer in this category too. I race/ride these bikes for hours on end on a regular basis so it's not like they are unbearably uncomfortable or anything. Examples of these bikes would be the Cannondale SuperSix, Trek Madone, Giant TCR, Specialized Tarmac, Felt F-series, and the list goes on.

There are lots of other types of bikes out there, but those are probably the main types you're looking at. Beyond that, the choices come down to a few things. What material frame/fork do you want? Carbon fiber is strong and light and really the way most people are going these days. The bikes can break in a crash (I've wrecked my carbon bike in multiple races and so far it's come out ok), but can also be repaired for a couple hundred bucks unless they are totally trashed beyond reason. Aluminum is the other popular choice, but the tubes on an Al bike are ultra thin and can dent/bend in a crash too (my Al bike has a lovely dented seatstay from a crash in a rainy race).

The lighter you want the bike to be, the more $$$$$ you will shell out. That's just the way it is. Light wheels are hella expensive. I bought a brand new pair of carbon fiber tubular wheels for around $1500 and destroyed one of them in a crash the first time I rode it (thanks to some idiot I was racing against who couldn't corner to save his life). SRAM, Shimano, and Campagnolo are the big names in bicycle componentry. SRAM and Shimano are probably the two you would be looking at, and honestly they are not a whole lot different except that Shimano has electronic shifting available now and from what I hear, it's pretty sweet. Other than that, they operate a bit differently, but they both work well and it's all about personal preference.

I would recommend riding a bunch of bikes and finding one that you feel the best on. In my opinion, every company puts out a very similar product, but the geometry of each bike will be a bit different and will fit each individual differently. You gotta try 'em to know what's best for you. I own a carbon Felt, an aluminum Cannondale, an old CroMoly Specialized, and a cheapo off-brand aluminum cross bike. I like them all in different ways. So yeah, narrow down what category of bike you want first (mtn, cyclocross, road, etc) then you can start getting into specifics from there. I'll be happy to help suggest things, but ultimately it's whatever fits into your budget and fits/feels right for you.

By the way Carl, your lanky ass could probably be a hell of a climber on the bike if you trained enough. I warn you though, if you get started on this habit, it can be addictive as hell and it's not cheap.

On Autopilot

I have the perfect song for this.....
Right Said Fred - I`m Too Sexy (The Original) - YouTube

tomgoodman

You guys sound like serious bikers, but even duffers can enjoy renting a bike on layovers. Along the Cook inlet in ANC, across the Golden Gate in SFO, Palisades to Santa Monica near LAX, and around Central Park in New York are all good routes.

uvuflier

I miss it so much! But I'm finding that trying to purchase a bike outside of working in the industry on 1st year regional pay might be a challenge. Added to that is the bike snob in me doesn't want to get anything less than Ultegra or XT (Shimanophile here).

Also the way/where I ride will have to change just to make sure I don't lose my medical because some overzealous cat 5 Armstrong wannabe put me in a ditch or some trucker wants to teach me a lesson. Then again the only time I've seriously wrecked a bike was on a trail.

Protip: If you wreck and break your collarbone, get it pinned. I broke mine in four places so they had no choice. That summer, three other friends of mine broke their collarbone.

• Two of us had our collarbones pinned successfully and immediately ( I was back riding in three weeks)
• One guy had his pinned but had to have his stitches redone (he started lifting weights early and the skin got rubbed away over one of the bolts. Could see the metal in his shoulder.)
• One was told to rest up for a few months and that it would heal natutrally. He was in a great deal of pain for a month and they finally took another look. Turns out they didn't x-ray from the top and he had split his collarbone lengthwise with the fracture not visible from the side. He eventually got it pinned.

And no it doesn't set off security.

Anyway more cool pictures for HSLD.

Brad Huff Tour of Missouri crash - YouTube (couldn't figure out how to embed it)

CaptainCarl

That was one hell of a write-up Copperhed. I knew you would come through with all the good info. We will talk more when it gets close to spending some serious skrilla.

As for climbing, it feels awesome to make it up a massive hill without going lower than 3-5 on the gears. And might as well add this to my already budding collection of expensive habits. Especially since it makes me feel like a BAMF.

filejw

Don't forget the international folks too. Most European layovers have bikes near by and the even NRT hotel has some ratty bikes for rent. Nothing like riding form bar to bar along the water in AMS.