A Cycling & bikes forum. CycleBanter.com

Go Back   Home » CycleBanter.com forum » rec.bicycles » General
Site Map Home Register Authors List Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read Web Partners

titanium recommendation?



 
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #21  
Old March 12th 05, 03:15 AM
Gooserider
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default


"Bill H." wrote in message
ups.com...
..

Comfort should be addressed by fit and frame material. If you specify
that you want to avoid aluminum frames, you should be able to find
something comfy. Some road riders are happy with an aluminum frame but
add a carbon fork for dampening the bumps, so that might be an option,
too.

Bill---

Lots and lots of people have logged millions of miles on Cannondale
touring bikes, and they have big ol' aluminum tubes and aluminum forks. The
material is not the issue, I think. It's a matter of geometry and fit. :-)


Ads
  #22  
Old March 12th 05, 06:33 AM
Mike Jacoubowsky
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

No..the cheaper the better! thanks for the recommendation and will
look into it.

I do feel bad about going to a LBS just to get a proper size bike if I
plan on finding the cheapest place to buy it. ( does that even make
any sense?)


It often doesn't work that way; fit isn't always something that gets nailed
in one session. A good LBS might be worth a lot more than whatever savings
might be had elsewhere, because they're going to go out of their way to make
sure your bike doesn't live its life in the garage. Fit is often dynamic;
what seems OK on a trainer or brief test ride might prove otherwise as you
add on the miles. It's not about frame size per se; the trick is how to set
up a given bike for the particular rider. Seat setback & height; handlebar
reach, width & tilt; seat-to-handlebar drop and saddle choice all come into
play when fitting somebody to a bike. I'm sure I left something out, but it
was a pretty long day today at the shop, with the stunning weather bringing
in a lot of people for bikes.

But my point was that all those adjustments I spoke of go far beyond frame
"size" and often require fine tuning down the road. That can make the
difference between a garage decoration and something that you can stand to
walk past without wanting to get out and ride.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com


  #23  
Old March 12th 05, 07:50 AM
Jay K
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default


I am in the market for a new bike. My current bike is almost 20

years
old . I am interested in carbon or ti. and there seems to be a lot

of
info on carbon bikes. But I am having a difficult time finding
recommendations of Ti bikes. Itc ould be because of my price range,

I
dont know. I want to spend 1500 to 2300 or so. the less the better.

I
dont need the best out there, I only ride for pleasure, about

100-200
miles a week, and I do a century or two each year.



Ron


After riding a GT steel bike for 7 years I just bought a Litespeed
Siena--compact frame/ carbon seatstays. I do lots of centuries,
double metrics and double doubles--all real hilly, and I was getting
envious of the 16.5 lb bikes while I was on something pushing 22 lbs.

I tricked out the Litespeed, replacing most of the parts (for example
RealDesign fork is supposedly harsh, so I upgraded to a Reynolds Ouzo
Pro), and bought from a LBS--but I've seen a stock Litespeed Siena at
REI with year old wheels for @$2700

Was the new bike it worth it, and is ti a magical material? The Siena
is not the lightest ti out there as it has oversized tubes, and I
didn't want something whippy. It came in slightly over 18 lbs, so I
still lost 3-3 1/2 lbs from my old bike. On long climbs it feels
better, but hard to tell. On short sprints/ climbs that I can power
over rollers the acceleration is better than on my old bike.

On the flats acceleration also seems a little better, but I would be
hard pressed to prove that I am going any faster. I haven't taken the
Litespeed out for 100 mile syet so don't know if more comfortable than
my GT 853 steel bike--but so far I haven't noticed any great "legendary
ti feel;" in fact the steel bike may be a bit more comfortable. (but
I'm still moving the seat around on each ride--now pushed way back on
the tight frame.)

The biggest bang for the buck I've gotten has been on the
downhills--the Litespeed tracks sooooo much better than the GT, I'm not
scrubbing speed/ riding the brakes like I did on the GT. I feel like
I am in total control. However this goes back to fit/ size/
geometry--not the bike's material itself.

Of course ti doesn't rust or scratch--but I negated the latter by
having the bike painted orange--logically dysfunctional but
asthetically necessary for me.

Best of luck...

  #24  
Old March 12th 05, 09:21 AM
Bartow W. Riggs
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

A Cannondale T-2000. It is by far the most comfortable bike I own.

When this bike is loaded down it is _sooooo_ comfy

For Ti, I enjoy my Manhatten Project...




"Gooserider" wrote in message
m...

"Bill H." wrote in message
ups.com...
.

Comfort should be addressed by fit and frame material. If you specify
that you want to avoid aluminum frames, you should be able to find
something comfy. Some road riders are happy with an aluminum frame but
add a carbon fork for dampening the bumps, so that might be an option,
too.

Bill---

Lots and lots of people have logged millions of miles on Cannondale
touring bikes, and they have big ol' aluminum tubes and aluminum forks.
The
material is not the issue, I think. It's a matter of geometry and fit. :-)




  #25  
Old March 12th 05, 01:38 PM
Peter Cole
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default


Gooserider wrote:

Lots and lots of people have logged millions of miles on

Cannondale
touring bikes, and they have big ol' aluminum tubes and aluminum

forks. The
material is not the issue, I think. It's a matter of geometry and

fit. :-)

I agree, but point out that most, if not all, Cannondale touring bikes
(I have one) use steel forks. I don't tour, but do "ultra-cycling"
rides on my Cannondale. If the bike "beat me up" I certainly wouldn't.

  #26  
Old March 12th 05, 01:40 PM
Peter Cole
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default


Bartow W. Riggs wrote:
A Cannondale T-2000. It is by far the most comfortable bike I own.

When this bike is loaded down it is _sooooo_ comfy


Does it have to be loaded to be comfy? That doesn't make any sense.

  #27  
Old March 12th 05, 04:19 PM
bikeguy11968
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

If Ti crown jewel XS. The nicest bnike I have ever ridden. And I've
ridden a lot of them.

  #28  
Old March 12th 05, 04:19 PM
bikeguy11968
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

If Ti crown jewel XS. The nicest bnike I have ever ridden. And I've
ridden a lot of them.

  #29  
Old March 12th 05, 05:43 PM
David
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default


Well. I guess I didnt give enough detail. My current bike is a trek
1000 aluminum. It is a 56cm. I am 6'2" and 205 lbs. I guess at the
time I got it, I liked it. I dont know if I grew


I am in the market for a new bike. My current bike is almost 20 years
old .

Hi there,

I didn't realized that Trek made an aluminium 1000 20 years ago?!?
Wow!!

As others had noted, fit and geometry is very important to comfort and
you don't need special materials to make a bike ride more comfortable.


I went the same route as you did, buying a ultra-cheap Norco touring
bike which was made with 7005 aluminium material. Since I was after
the price, I didn't realize later that the finesse of fitting was more
important. The ride, at first, was horrible and very uncomfortable to
say the least. One day, upon a suggestion made from a randonneur, I
went to see a professional bike fitter. After 6 sessions with him (I
had to come back again 5 times to fine tune my fit), my Norco bike now
rides like a dream. Very comfortable and very smooth. The only saving
grace for going cheap was that, I lucked out choosing the right frame
size -- at least I read a bit about inseam.

Recently, I went shopping for a new road bike. This time, however, I
went to a shop that offers fitting as part of the bike purchase. It's
pricier, but I learned my lesson on the Norco not to skimp on this very
important measurement.
I tested out the Trek 5000, Giant OCR 3 Carbon, Cannondale R700 and the
Devinci Silverstone 105. With the same fitting, saddle and pedals (my
preference), they all feel the same in the 4 mile test ride I've
conducted. The carbon bikes did dampen road vibration better than the
Optimo CAAD7 or Optimum 61 AL frames, but then it's a personal
preference. The newer AL frames have a very nice ride to it, very
comfy too. Don't discount the AL frames too fast. I did that first
because I read so much of the bull on the net. But the test rides
proved me wrong.

David.
  #30  
Old March 12th 05, 06:46 PM
Gooserider
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default


"Peter Cole" wrote in message
ups.com...

Gooserider wrote:

Lots and lots of people have logged millions of miles on

Cannondale
touring bikes, and they have big ol' aluminum tubes and aluminum

forks. The
material is not the issue, I think. It's a matter of geometry and

fit. :-)

I agree, but point out that most, if not all, Cannondale touring bikes
(I have one) use steel forks. I don't tour, but do "ultra-cycling"
rides on my Cannondale. If the bike "beat me up" I certainly wouldn't.


Thanks for the correction, Peter.


 




Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
FS: New Titanium MTB/Road Parts Kristan Roberge Marketplace 0 October 18th 04 04:54 AM
FS: New Titanium MTB and Road parts Kristan Roberge Marketplace 2 July 11th 04 03:36 AM
Frame making thread cyberbellum Unicycling 15 June 22nd 04 04:49 PM
FS: New Titanium Bolts, axles, derailleur pulleys, more Kristan Roberge Marketplace 0 January 12th 04 01:02 AM
FS: New Titanium Bolts, Axles, Pulleys, Posts, BBs Kristan Roberge Marketplace 0 January 5th 04 02:18 PM


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 11:00 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 CycleBanter.com.
The comments are property of their posters.