Considering a Road bike for commuting... good idea?

Tom Sherman wrote:

one would
expect MTB components and frames to sell for less than the equivalent
road bike components. This is even more apparent when one compares
upright bike prices to the Dark Side, where a Cro-Moly frame bike with
Deore/Tiagra level components will often sell for 2 to 3 times as much
as the MTB and road bike equivalents.

You failed to mention the toothpasty, lawn mower quality welds and
smashed-flat-&-bolted frame details. That stuff ain't free, you know.
;-)

Chalo Colina

In article ,
Rick Onanian wrote:

On Thu, 07 Aug 2003 15:44:51 GMT, Dan Musicant
wrote:
This fitting is fine but I'm American and converting to Kg and cm I can
do, but European shoe size is beyond me. Is there a site that won't
require these conversions?

For shoe sizes, look at sizing charts on bike product
sites like nashbar and performance. Unfortunately,
biking shoes are sized that way.

For general conversions, try
http://www.isaedmonton.ca/AlbertaDir...l/ConvertM.htm

A quick check on the inside of my Reebok and Nike shoes shows that both
brands are labeled with US, UK, EUR, and CM sizes.

Van

--
Van Bagnol / v a n at wco dot com / c r l at bagnol dot com
....enjoys - Theatre / Windsurfing / Skydiving / Mountain Biking
....feels - "Parang lumalakad ako sa loob ng paniginip"
....thinks - "An Error is Not a Mistake ... Unless You Refuse to Correct It"

One advantage of a road bike over a MTB or hybrid:

Drop handlebar bikes are easier to carry thru narrow doorways and
stairways.

Advantage of a MTB over a road bike- smaller frame/wheels and straight bars
make it easier to carry up flights of stairs (especially with a frame pack).


a écrit dans le message news:
...
One advantage of a road bike over a MTB or hybrid:

Drop handlebar bikes are easier to carry thru narrow doorways and
stairways.

"Mike Beauchamp" wrote in message ...
Hey all,
I'm considering purchasing a new bicycle (Maybe $800 CDN total) to replace
my nearly 8 year old Mongoose IBOC Pro mountain bike. I used to use it mainy
for offroad but a knee injury stopped that, and in the past few years I've
used it purely for commuting (10K's to school and back, 30-40K rides on
weekends, stuff like that).

I'm just wondering if purchasing a road bike would be more appropriate than
a mountain bike. I most certainly don't want to be one of those kids riding
on the side of the road with a fully suspended downhill mountain bike with
the seat all the way down bouncing up and down on each pedal stroke.

I commute on a road bike, but if I were buying a bike
strictly for commuting then I'd buy something like
the Trek T300.

Unfortunately it is sold at only one store in all of
North America.
"http://bikegallery.com/site/intro.cfm"

If you're in Vancouver then it wouldn't
be too much of a drive.

I'd like to add another suggestion, and I hope I'm not repeating someone
else (I've been on vacation for the past week):

You might want to check your local police department for a bike auction. You
can sometimes find a very good road bike for half of its original cost, or
even less.

I also would suggest that you carefully examine where you're going to keep
your bike at work. Is there a secured area where only you have the key? A
bike locker?

Where I work (at a university) we have had nearly a dozen bicycles stolen
this summer, six of them worth close to $10,000. The bikes were kept in a
locked bicycle cage, but the thieves just lifted the door off its hinges and
off they went. The second round of thefts they just blasted through the door
with a cart or other motorized vehicle. The building management responded by
forbidding people from bringing their bikes to work (asshats!). I now keep
my bicycle in my office, which brings the security guards a runnin' but
until they provide a safe place for my bike that's the solution.

Good luck. I'd be cautious about spending a lot of money on a bike to ride
to work. Thieves can spot quality a long way off and it's a pain in the rear
to lose something you've spent a lot of money on. I ride a 20-year old trek
and have not had any problems (and I use a U-lock).
Marianne

"Mike Beauchamp" wrote in message
...
Thanks for the help... I think definately trying one out is in order!

Mike
http://mikebeauchamp.com