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

Chums

Further to a previous post about upgrading from my initial cheap intro
to cycling with a sub £100 'mountain bike' (this a deliberate
decision), I'm popping into townat the weekend to do a bit of window
shopping - there are four cycle shops in Colchester :-)

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).

A 'fitness bike' as described on CTC seems to be the thing I should be
looking at - a sort of racer with straight handlebars, or a 'lite'
hybrid

http://www.ctc.org.uk/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabID=3793

It's alll very confusing!

So what kind of bike should I be looking at? What shoulds I be looking
at in terms of

- type of bike
- type of gears?
- 2 or 3 front chainrings?
- very narrow wheels?
- dropped handlebars a must?


M

Maurice Wibblington wrote:
shopping - there are four cycle shops in Colchester :-)

If your budget is medium (or high), try 53-12, who are back trading in
another unit after the fire at the Cowdrey Centre.

If you want another opinion outside of Colchester, travel north to Mick
Madgett in Diss.


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).






- type of bike

Maybe one of the flat-barred racing bikes (aka Fitness bike), eg. Ridgeback
Genesis series.
Or traditional drop bars. I'd go for the drop bars.

In either case, you need to decide how far over you will bend, because the
standard low bar position of either is possibly too low for you, and its not
very different with the "fitness bikes". Some bikes come with adjustable
stems which will allow you to raise the bars, others will require you to
purchase replacement parts to raise the bars.

- type of gears?
Doesn't really matter. They will be derraileur. There is a difference
between Shimano and Campagnolo gears, but basically they all work. As the
price rises the quality rises (and weights fall), but eventually you reach
the point where the next step up is a massive hike in price for marginal
weight/quality changes.

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).

- 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.
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, or a "compact
double" and a closer ratio rear cassette (say 12-25), but, if you can, leave
open the option of retro-fitting the triple should you change your mind.


- very narrow wheels?
Not sensible in my opinion. I'd go for something with 28mm tyres for the
improved comfort. Certainly not below 25mm.

- dropped handlebars a must?
I'd go with them as they offer more hand positions than straight ones. This
gives your muscles and joints more options to avoid stiffness.
There 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.



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.



--
Nigel Cliffe,
Webmaster at http://www.2mm.org.uk/

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, /.

In article
Simon Brooke wrote:
snip
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.

So you push big gears and you've got a hernia ... :-)

in message , Rob Morley
') wrote:

In article
Simon Brooke wrote:
snip
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.

So you push big gears and you've got a hernia ... :-)

I never push big gears. I'm not that sort of cyclist. I'm not into macho
nonsense.

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

;; lovely alternative to rice.

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

In article
Nigel Cliffe wrote:
Maurice Wibblington wrote:
snip

- very narrow wheels?
Not sensible in my opinion. I'd go for something with 28mm tyres for the
improved comfort. Certainly not below 25mm.

You can fit 28mm tyres on all but the narrowest rims - I wouldn't
restrict my choice of bike because of the tyres it comes with,
especially as the shop will probably change them for something a bit
wider for minimal outlay.

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).

John Hearns writes:

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.

Except you have your hands on the controls rather than away from them
like on a MTB. IMO this is one of the biggest arguments for drops
rather than straight bars with bar-ends for general use - having your
hands on the hoods/bar-ends is a much more natural position.

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).

Mine too but found out by fiddling rather than research ;o)

Chris
--
Chris Eilbeck

"Chris Eilbeck" wrote
John Hearns writes:

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.

But that puts the thrust on the soft bits between the
forefingers and thumbs; hoods give little support for the palms.

When I ride "the hoods" I either put my palms against the horns or my hands
are palms down with the horn between first and second fingers.

They are used somewhat like bar ends on a mountain
bike.

Bar ends are a different shape - they toe in and are angled up so line up
with the knuckle line better. Even when adjusted for the same body
position, the way the hands make contact with the bar is quite different
except when the fingers are hooked under for climbing.
On a flat bar (with bar ends or bar "middles"), the fingers and thumbs can
be completely free while cruising.

Except you have your hands on the controls rather than away from them
like on a MTB. IMO this is one of the biggest arguments for drops
rather than straight bars with bar-ends for general use -

It certainly is an opinion... It might be true for some.
The hands actually need to be wrapped round the hoods for this to be
valid. I suggest it is much easier to get to the controls from an off the
control position on flat bars than it is on drops.

I usually brake from the drop anyway because my hands are not on the
controls in the first place and the leverage from the drop is greater.

having your
hands on the hoods/bar-ends is a much more natural position.