On Wednesday, July 26, 2017 at 10:23:58 AM UTC-7, Joerg wrote:
On 2017-07-26 09:31, jbeattie wrote:
On Wednesday, July 26, 2017 at 8:55:05 AM UTC-7, Doug Landau wrote:
Can we start speccing out equipment for Jay the way we do for
Jorge?

I'll start with this thing. Jay tell us again what frame size you
ride?

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/bik...230636448.html


Wow. That's a deal. I ride a 63cm in Cannondale. The OE Ksyrium
wheels are a non-starter. I couldn't keep them true. But I'd buy
that bike, and I was even in SF yesterday. Oh well.

I need two bikes, but both have been or are in the process of being
replaced. I splurged and sort of replaced my commuter with a CF
gravel bike for $1,600. at Western Bikeworks. An on-sale Norco
Search. I couldn't help myself. It's a bike I've always liked. It's
105 level, which is more than fine -- and godbless Norco for using
the whole component group and not some FSA or TruVativ crank or
Tektro brakes. This is a fun bike and probably too nice for a
commuter, so who knows, I might buy a beater frame and throw together
a dead of winter commuter. Cannondale will probably give me something
as a replacement for the broken CX frame. I just didn't want to wait
to go through that process, and I wanted a gravel bike anyway. Hey,
keep the economy strong. Bike sales are down. We have to do our
part.


http://www.norco.com/bikes/road/adve...h-a-105-hydro/

Nice bike though 160/140mm rotors are IMO too wimpy. What always peeves
me and is one reason why I am sticking with my 35 year old steel frame
road bike is that manufacturers of "modern" bikes seem to assume nobody
has to carry anything. No rack attachment points. Schlepping a laptop,
water, food and other stuff in a backpack is a real pain especially when
it's over 100F out there and the ride is mostly in the sun. When I took
delivery of this full-custom road bike in the early 80's the very first
thing I did was to add lights and a nice big rack. I made sure the frame
I selected had provisions for that.

I even have a full rack (almost all home-made) on my FS-MTB. Stiffened
so the panniers won't sway into the spoked even during very rough rides.
Plus now a top trunk. Detachable in case a package has to be brought to
Fedex along the way. The available trunks can hold 1-1/2 gallons of
water, food, prototype parts for clients, a tool set and whatever else
is needed.

They make bikes for that. You just don't own one. I can go down the street an buy one. http://www.splendidcycles.com/ https://bikeportland.org/tag/cargo-bikes

By the way, I bought the CF (not allow) Norco Search: http://www.norco.com/bikes/road/adve.../search-c-105/

The Search alloy has rack mounts -- not the CF bike. The rotors are plenty big enough for a gravel bike. The 140mm rotors on my Cannondale CX bike were more than adequate.

I don't need a cargo bike. I want something fun to ride on gravel and through the hills on the way home. If I found myself in need of a rack, I'd buy a beater frane with rack mounts -- which I might do.

-- Jay Beattie.