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road bike / race bike / hybrid / touring / fitness bike - which one



 
 
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  #11  
Old September 20th 06, 08:45 AM posted to uk.rec.cycling
sothach
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Posts: 122
Default road bike / race bike / hybrid / touring / fitness bike - which one

Simon Brooke wrote:

Flat bars are desperately hard on your wrists, because you can't change
positions. Soft saddles are desperately hard on your plumbing. Look at the
bikes which people who do a lot of riding ride, and think about why they
are put together the way they are.


Straight bars (as common on the early MTBs) are hard on the wrists, but
the "gull-wing" style that most have these days aren't too bad -
especially with decently positioned bar-ends (and optional inboard bar
ends).

My fav at the moment is the Nitto moustache bar - its not as extreme
low as a full-on drop, and is wider for pulling up them hills, and has
a number of 'interesting positions' available.

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  #12  
Old September 20th 06, 08:54 AM posted to uk.rec.cycling
Dave Larrington
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Default road bike / race bike / hybrid / touring / fitness bike - which one

Simon Brooke wrote:
in message , Maurice
Wibblington ('pimple@arse/met') wrote:


- 2 or 3 front chainrings?


In Essex, one is enough; two is overkill, and three is ridiculous.


Contrary to popular belief, Essex is not flat. The ECCA Festival 200, for
example, has almost as much Scenery as the Alan Furley, and the latter
crosses the Hants/Wilts/Berks Downs rather more times than might be
considered seemly.

In spite of which, the Alan Furley is the only 200 I've done more than
once...

--
Dave Larrington
http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk
All your call centre are belong to us.


  #13  
Old September 20th 06, 08:56 AM posted to uk.rec.cycling
Pete Biggs
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Default road bike / race bike / hybrid / touring / fitness bike - which one

Simon Brooke wrote:

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.


Not everyone would want to, even if they could.

BTW, it's no good mentioning the number of feet climbed unless you mention
the distance as well (or preferably just the gradient to save the maths).
It's no consolation for me that a hill is short if it's steep. I'm still
not going to manage or enjoy it if I'm over-geared.

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?


Your legs must be pretty strong despite your medical conditions.

Suffolk I don't know but there are parts of Essex and Hertfordshire where
I'm really glad I'm on a triple chainset. Spinning a granny gear is a
totally different experience from mashing/honking with higher gears. Much
preferable for me, maybe because my heart & lungs are in better condition
than my legs?

~PB


  #14  
Old September 20th 06, 08:59 AM posted to uk.rec.cycling
Peter Clinch
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Default road bike / race bike / hybrid / touring / fitness bike - whichone

Simon Brooke wrote:

People look at racers with their drop bars and hard cutaway saddles and
think 'oooh, that looks uncomfortable'. But a racer has evolved to look
like a racer does because people have to be able to ride them six hours a
day for three weeks in any of the major stage races. If they weren't
supremely comfortable, people simply couldn't complete the races.


That doesn't make them "supremely comfortable", it makes them
comfortable /enough/ not to affect your performance in 6 hours if you're
used to it. Not quite the same thing, or tourers wouldn't have more
relaxed positions and recumbents wouldn't exist.

Flat bars are desperately hard on your wrists, because you can't change
positions.


If you're crouched forwards and leaning with your upper body this is
indeed the case. It doesn't bother some people, it's pretty hard on
others (I'm an "other").

If you don't want to carry luggage, you don't want a tourer. You're looking
for either a conventional race bike or a 'flat bar racer', and I really
would advise the race bike.


*But* if you want to be comfy then get a recumbent. Better aerodynamics
if you get a sporty one, no leaning on arms, no contrived padding needed
to take the sting out of the handlebars or seat.

Main disadvantage is if you want to ride in a local Chain Gang, because
'bents and upwrongs have a different performance profile and folk can't
draft you properly so it won't really work as the co-operative exercise
a good chain gang should be. But if you're out on your own and you want
something sporty and comfy then you'd be hard pushed to do better than a
semi-lowracer like an HPVel Speedmachine, a Challenge Fujin or the like.
Oh, the other disadvantage is these things aren't cheap...

http://www.bikefix.co.uk/ http://www.futurecycles.org/
http://www.londonrecumbents.com/ and D-Tek at Ely (Google for the
'phone, not on the web) are the 'bentmongers in your general vicinity.
Go and try one, and put your comfort worries well behind a /very/ big grin!

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/
  #15  
Old September 20th 06, 09:42 AM posted to uk.rec.cycling
John Hearns
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Posts: 312
Default road bike / race bike / hybrid / touring / fitness bike - which one

On Tue, 19 Sep 2006 19:16:13 +0100, Maurice Wibblington wrote:

Chums


- dropped handlebars a must?


Nothing wrong with dropped handlebars - consult with the shop and get a
bike that fits you. Ask them to leave the steerer tube long, and use
Aheadset spacers to keep the bars high. Then you have the option of
getting it cut later if you want the bars lower. Unlike my bike, which
arrived with a very low steerer tube.
As others have said, dropped bars allow a whole range of hand positions.

Other tips for comfort - Specialised Bar Phat gel pads under the tape,
or Marsas gel pads. Get a good pair of padded mitts, I would never cycle
without mitts.

Saddle - Specialized Body Geometry. My model has a little bit of give to
it, so it isn't rock hard.
You of course may find something different suits you - all backsides are
different!

Also for comfort think about your shoes. Trainers with thin, bendy soles
are OK for short rides. For long rides, cycling shoes with firm soles are
much better. I'm no expert, but they help with getting power onto the
pedals, and stop rat-trap type pedals cutting into the feet on long
distances.
No need for out and out cleated shoes with smooth soles.
Look at leisure cycling shoes by Shimano or Lake - they look just like
trainers, and have patterned soles so you can use them off the bike.
They'll have the option of fitting SPD cleats if or when you decide to go
that route when you are more confident.









  #16  
Old September 20th 06, 09:49 AM posted to uk.rec.cycling
John Hearns
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Default road bike / race bike / hybrid / touring / fitness bike - which one

On Tue, 19 Sep 2006 19:56:25 +0100, Nigel Cliffe wrote:

are three on the top, with lots of small shifts between (same height as
flat bars): on the straight bit, hands outside the curve, on the brake
hoods.

Backing up what Nigel says.
To explain to Maurice - if you have dropped bars, most of the time spent
riding is with the hands on top of the brake hoods. Notice these are made
of rubber, and the forefinger and thumb wrap easily round them.
They are used somewhat like bar ends on a mountain bike.
So when sizing at the shop put your hands there, not on the dropped part.
(I never use my drops that way).
Also you can unloosen the bars and rotate them so the brake hoods point up
a bit more, to the angle which suits you. Mine are pointed up a bit.
(Read that tip in a magazine article on Paris-Roubaix I think).

  #17  
Old September 20th 06, 11:54 AM posted to uk.rec.cycling
POHB
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Default road bike / race bike / hybrid / touring / fitness bike - which one

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


Are you just going to be using it on dry sunny days for recreational
rides, or are you going to be out in all weathers commuting, shopping,
trailing kids and going to the pub?

  #18  
Old September 20th 06, 12:40 PM posted to uk.rec.cycling
Simon Brooke
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Default road bike / race bike / hybrid / touring / fitness bike - which one

in message , John Hearns
') wrote:

Nothing wrong with dropped handlebars - consult with the shop and get a
bike that fits you. Ask them to leave the steerer tube long, and use
Aheadset spacers to keep the bars high. Then you have the option of
getting it cut later if you want the bars lower.


You don't need to get it cut, just move spacers from below the stem to
above it. However I'm not at all convinced with this idea that more
upright = more comfortable.

--
(Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; For in much wisdom is much grief; and he that increaseth
;; knowledge increaseth sorrow.." - Ecclesiastes 1:18
  #19  
Old September 20th 06, 01:12 PM posted to uk.rec.cycling
Peter Clinch
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Posts: 4,852
Default road bike / race bike / hybrid / touring / fitness bike - whichone

Simon Brooke wrote:

You don't need to get it cut, just move spacers from below the stem to
above it. However I'm not at all convinced with this idea that more
upright = more comfortable.


It's more that since everyone is different the best way to get optimum
comfort is empirically, and with a long stem to start with you can at
least experiment in both directions.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/
  #20  
Old September 20th 06, 01:39 PM posted to uk.rec.cycling
Rob Morley
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Posts: 7,173
Default road bike / race bike / hybrid / touring / fitness bike - which one

In article
John Hearns wrote:
snip
Nothing wrong with dropped handlebars - consult with the shop and get a
bike that fits you. Ask them to leave the steerer tube long, and use
Aheadset spacers to keep the bars high. Then you have the option of
getting it cut later if you want the bars lower.


No need to cut, just move the spacers above the stem, although that does
leave a bit sticking that could potentially catch part of your anatomy
at an inopportune moment.
 




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