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Old September 19th 06, 11:41 PM posted to uk.rec.cycling
Simon Brooke
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Posts: 4,493
Default road bike / race bike / hybrid / touring / fitness bike - which one

in message , Nigel Cliffe
') wrote:

Maurice Wibblington wrote:

I'm clear that what I want is to

- go faster on the country roads in north Essex (a few occasional
uphill bits, but its probably as flat as anywhere in England) and
never want to go off road on it

- no need for mudguards, panniers or any of that palaver

-but-

I'm not too sure about assuming a bent over body position on the drop
handlebars for long periods. (In my 40s and never had a racer before).


If you know the gear you tend to ride a lot on your current bike, you can
work out exactly which ratios you should fit. I suggest that there is no
point having gears higher than 110inches, quite a few bikes come higher
than this which is fine for professional atheletes, but no good for
ordinary
people's knees. (consult www.sheldonbrown.com for articles on gear
inches, calculators etc).


I'd agree with this. I have friends who go a lot higher, but my top gear is
107", and I don't spin out on descents until I hit about 40mph, by which
point you're usually faster getting into a tuck and letting gravity do the
work for you.

- 2 or 3 front chainrings?

I'd get three for the times I am tired (and I live in Suffolk, equally
flat). But Mr Brookes will be along to say get two, or a "compact" which
is two with a slightly smaller inner ring than normal.


Oh, come on... I can do a thousand feet of climbing just nipping into the
shops (not the most direct way, I admit, but one I often take). I rarely
if ever use my 39/26 lowest gear doing that. The lowest gear on my winter
bike is 42/26, and until a fortnight ago was 42/23. I can /once/ remember
having to get off and walk up a hill with that, and that was a fairly
steep hill and against a strong wind.

I'm no athlete. I'm overweight, 50+, with blood full of warfarin because of
deep vein thrombosis, and a hernia. If I can do it anyone can. You may
need a compact double or a triple if you're doing the Fred Whitton
Challenge or the Bealach na Ba, but in Suffolk?

Probably for what you've said, an ordinary double and a wider range road
rear cassette (say 12-27 or 13-29) would be sufficient,


When I put together my current road bike I used a medium cage rear mech so
that I would have capacity to put on a 13-29 cassette if I needed it. I
never have. The bike has now been over pretty much every nasty climb in
the south of Scotland, and 53-39 driving 13-26 is enough. As I say, if
you're going to do the English Lake District you might want something a
bit lower.

For what you've said, I'd try to get something with a carbon front fork
if
you can afford it. The better comfort is worth the expense. And I'd get
something with mudguard clearance incase you change your mind about
getting wet and sprayed with horse muck.


Good point, and someone no-one else has had the sense to mention. Full
carbon bikes are extremely comfy; if you can't afford that, carbon forks
make a real difference, and so do carbon seat stays.

--
(Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/
;; "If I were a Microsoft Public Relations person, I would probably
;; be sobbing on a desk right now" -- Rob Miller, editor, /.

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