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#11
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Rangersfan wrote:
I have an excellent bike shop less than a mile from my house. The only problem is their selection of bikes is limited to just a few models. I know their recommendation will be limited in scope to those bikes. I'd just rather have a recommendation not limited to the particular stock of any one bike shop. That's a valid consideration. If I were in your situation, I would still go to the bike shop first. Since you mention comfort as a priority, tell the shop employee what you're looking for. They may not have a huge range of models to choose from so just look at what they DO have. You're not committing yourself to one make or model just by showing up. You list comfort as a priority. I know from experience that comfort is a criterion that means something different to everybody. The amount of time you'll be spending on the bike will factor in, as well as how a particular bike fits you. You'll really only learn about this by actually hopping on bike. If you're not satisfied with the selection at the first biks shop, you'll at least have a personal basis for comparison. You can evaluate future bikes based on whatever criteria you've determinie will be most important. As a personal example, I bought a new mountain bike last year. I went to a few different shops (3, to be exact) and told them basically what I was looking for and what I had to spend. The first shop I went to let me take a couple Gary Fishers for a test drive. I ended up getting the Marlin, even though the Tassajara had better components. The problem with the Tass, even though it was still in my budget, was that it was just a little too uncomfortable to ride. Had I done my primary research over the Internet, I would probably have gotten more recommendations for the Tass because of the components, but would have still had the comfort problem. So trying out the bikes in person told me a lot more than I would have learned online. I'm not dismissing Usenet as a resource. It's great for a lot of things, but I think trying out something in person is the only way you'll really decide on a bike. That being said, I wouldn't even consider purchasing a bike over the Internet. So my suggestion "go to a shop" isn't a rebuke, but a well-reasoned recommendation based on what you specified. Good luck. -Bill H. |
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#12
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Zoot Katz wrote: 7 Mar 2005 20:43:59 -0800, . com, "Bill H." wrote: Yeah, go to a shop. Nobody on this message board can help you anywhere NEAR as much as a good, local bike shop. This is a newsgroup, using the NNTP protocol, not a "message board", whatever the hell that is. There is much valuable information contained in Usenet archives where stupid remarks are neither forgiven nor forgotten. There are people posting to this hierarchy of groups, from all over the world who've been riding and wrenching bikes far longer than the average LBS employee has been riding without training wheels. It's likely to be the best resource in the world if you can learn to ignore the bull****ers and nobodies. I see you're accessing this group with your point&click web browser (HTTP) so probably know squat anyway. -- zk What an asshole. The guy came here looking for advice. Why don't you give it to him (if you have any) or shut up and shove your "I am the alpha nerd" attitude up your ass. |
#13
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Bill H. wrote: I'm not dismissing Usenet as a resource. It's great for a lot of things, but I think trying out something in person is the only way you'll really decide on a bike. That being said, I wouldn't even consider purchasing a bike over the Internet. So my suggestion "go to a shop" isn't a rebuke, but a well-reasoned recommendation based on what you specified. Good luck. That's all great information. I've spoken to a few friends with road bikes. I've also already been to a couple of bike shops and have tried out several bikes. The best one I've found so far is the Lemond Sarthe. I'm not all that convinced I can tell that much about comfort from a short test ride given my inexperience with road bikes. I'm asking here because I'm looking for more information than what I already have. I'm not looking to solely base my decision on any one source. |
#14
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Velo Psycho wrote:
Zoot Katz wrote: 7 Mar 2005 20:43:59 -0800, . com, "Bill H." wrote: Yeah, go to a shop. Nobody on this message board can help you anywhere NEAR as much as a good, local bike shop. This is a newsgroup, using the NNTP protocol, not a "message board", whatever the hell that is. There is much valuable information contained in Usenet archives where stupid remarks are neither forgiven nor forgotten. There are people posting to this hierarchy of groups, from all over the world who've been riding and wrenching bikes far longer than the average LBS employee has been riding without training wheels. It's likely to be the best resource in the world if you can learn to ignore the bull****ers and nobodies. I see you're accessing this group with your point&click web browser (HTTP) so probably know squat anyway. -- zk What an asshole. The guy came here looking for advice. Why don't you give it to him (if you have any) or shut up and shove your "I am the alpha nerd" attitude up your ass. While you've summed up Snooty Putz quite nicely, he *wasn't* flaming the OP (Rangersfan), but rather Bill H. Carry on... /B |
#15
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8 Mar 2005 10:38:20 -0800,
.com, "Bill H." wrote, in part: As a personal example, I bought a new mountain bike last year. I went to a few different shops (3, to be exact) and told them basically what I was looking for and what I had to spend. The first shop I went to let me take a couple Gary Fishers for a test drive. I ended up getting the Marlin, even though the Tassajara had better components. The problem with the Tass, even though it was still in my budget, was that it was just a little too uncomfortable to ride. Had I done my primary research over the Internet, I would probably have gotten more recommendations for the Tass because of the components, but would have still had the comfort problem. So trying out the bikes in person told me a lot more than I would have learned online. Now that's weird. The forks, handle bars, stems, rims, spokes, tires, saddles, seat posts, grips, frame sizes, geometry and material is identical on both bikes. IOW, anything that would affect comfort. I'm guessing the shop didn't set-up both bikes the same when you did your test rides. It could have been something as subtle as tire pressures or saddle tilt. Unless there's an as yet unknown factor about different colours being more comfortable for some people than others. I'm not dismissing Usenet as a resource. It's great for a lot of things, but I think trying out something in person is the only way you'll really decide on a bike. Bingo. You found your bike -- zk |
#16
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Tue, 08 Mar 2005 19:06:46 GMT,
, "S o r n i" wrote: What an asshole. The guy came here looking for advice. Why don't you give it to him (if you have any) or shut up and shove your "I am the alpha nerd" attitude up your ass. While you've summed up Snooty Putz quite nicely, he *wasn't* flaming the OP (Rangersfan), but rather Bill H. Carry on... Wow, how astute you've become in such a short time. Velo Psycho is to be forgiven. It's probably too difficult following a thread with his web-browser. -- zk |
#17
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In article .com,
"Maggie" writes: Woo Hoooo...... That was harsh sweetie!!! Speaking as an honest somebody who knows nothing about bikes....that was truly harsh. When you look at the remark to which Zoot was speaking: "Nobody on this message board can help you anywhere NEAR as much as a good, local bike shop" and read it literally, /that's/ a pretty harsh dissing of a number of extremely knowledgable and helpful contributors here -- Mike, Mark, Jobst, and others. At first blush it looks as if Bill H. is saying absolutely nobody in r.b.m is as qualified to offer advice, suggestions or recommendations as any bike shop staff whippersnapper (remember the "you have to be kidding" thread?) But I think Bill was actually speaking in terms of matching customer to purchase in an in-person venue. cheers, Tom -- -- Nothing is safe from me. Above address is just a spam midden. I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca |
#18
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Tom Keats wrote:
At first blush it looks as if Bill H. is saying absolutely nobody in r.b.m is as qualified to offer advice, suggestions or recommendations as any bike shop staff whippersnapper (remember the "you have to be kidding" thread?) But I think Bill was actually speaking in terms of matching customer to purchase in an in-person venue. cheers, Tom Tom, Yes, that's closer to my point. In retrospect, my original reply seems to have made the fault of sacrificing clarity for brevity, which wasn't my intention at all. Hopefully my subsequent post clarified my position accurately enough. I know there is a ton of information on here and I certainly value it. I seem to have ruffled a few feathers of those who think I'm wholly dismissing their knowledge and experience. For the record, I think this is a great resource for all riders. I also think that a personal preference might quickly come up after a quick spin on a bike that could affect a purchasing decision more than the opinions and experience of others. -Bill H. |
#19
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8 Mar 2005 13:50:03 -0800,
.com, "Bill H." wrote: The saddles on the two bikes were different. If they were both identical when they came to the store, maybe they swapped a different one on the Tass but the Tass was literally painful to ride whereas the Marlin was only different from what I was used to. I suppose that's another possibility. The specifications on the Gary Fisher site claimed they're the same. I'd feel comfortable by knowing the shop didn't try up selling you by swapping out the saddle on the Marlin and give you another go on the Tassajara. Or maybe not so comfortable with shop staff too lazy to swap out a saddle for another test ride. -- zk |
#20
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"Rangersfan" wrote in message oups.com... I have an excellent bike shop less than a mile from my house. The only problem is their selection of bikes is limited to just a few models. I know their recommendation will be limited in scope to those bikes. I'd just rather have a recommendation not limited to the particular stock of any one bike shop. Hey, try being short(er). I ride a 50 or 52, depending on manufacturer, and I've yet to find a bike shop with either size in stock. Lots of 54s and 56s, but never one in my size for a test ride, and I have a high end(Waterford, Litespeed, Co-Motion) shop just up the road. |
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