#21
|
|||
|
|||
On Fri, 20 Aug 2004 21:20:40 +0000, the black rose wrote:
So you guys that gots tourers -- what do you got, and what do you like about it, and what do you recommend? I don't own a tourer currently, but if I was in the market, I'd probably hit up eBay--but that's a place to go only if you're already pretty familiar with brands and whatnot. Shipping for most bikes is around $40. This route really is for the person that does their own wrenching imho. REI makes a nice sturdy affordable ride called the Randonee. It's steel and rather majestic in its ride with the long wheelbase and all. Lists at around $800, but you can get steep discounts this fall. A few other makers build similar bikes--the dedicated tourer is a bit of a rare breed. A really good option is to check out a "cyclocross" bike, a version of the racing bike with stronger bits and canti brakes that insane Brits use to muddy themselves on the moors. Most of them sold here in the states are used for urban commuting and touring. They're very similar in feel to the eighties touring bikes, and usually come with all the nice braze ons for racks and plenty of clearance for fenders and fat rubber--or not. I'd purchase an inexpensive extra set of wheels/cassette/tires online for $150 or so and have a wide 700x37 set and a speedier 700x25. Two bikes for the price of one, almost. Tell your husband to browse momovelo.com, not to necessarily purchase a bike from them--but to have a blast and get his brain churning--there's so many options and ways of building a bike that's just for you. It doesn't have to be a "touring" bike, make up your own category and go from there. |
Ads |
#22
|
|||
|
|||
So you guys that gots tourers -- what do you got, and what do you like
about it, and what do you recommend? I have a 1998 Heron Touring and a 198? Schwinn Cross-Fit. I like them both, they have somewhat complementary roles inasmuch as the Schwinn is the dedicated commuter that got downgraded to that role vice the Heron for pure touring. Either one is fine for either mission, except that the Heron has racks front and rear whereas the Schwinn only has a rear rack. Both have 700C (622mm) Sun CR-18 rims, seven speed freewheel all completelely interchangeable between the bikes. The Heron is geared half step plus granny, the Schwinn is a typical big three ring hybrid Shimano setup. So I have a long range heavy (not that the Heron is heavy, it can definitetely carry a load though) tourer and a medium weight city utility bike, geared appropriately. Flat bars on the Schwinn, drops on the Heron. These are old bikes, or old-style bikes. But for touring the frame geometries are as modern as anything you can get, for sure. The running gear is old and primitive seven speed with friction shifters, thumbs on the Schwinn and Suntour barcons on the Heron. Stuff that's bog simple to repair or kludge in the field, you don't want anything too complex on a tourer or commuter. I run Conti TT2Ks on both bikes, 37 I think on the commuter and 32 on the tourer. A Trek 520 is midway between these two rides. -- _______________________ALL AMIGA IN MY MIND_______________________ ------------------"Buddy Holly, the Texas Elvis"------------------ in.edu__________ |
#23
|
|||
|
|||
On Sat, 21 Aug 2004 22:07:33 GMT, the black rose
wrote: Ryan Cousineau wrote: Meanwhile, there's this huge surplus of used hardware that just sits around, unloved, and is perfect for the sort of use your husband would put it to. --snip-- But, de gustibus et cetera. Your husband may desire the motivation of a really nice new bicycle. It is a scientific fact that shiny new bicycles are faster than rusty old bicycles, even when all variables (weight, gearing, de-rusting the drivetrain) are controlled for. Hmmm. I need to talk to him, probably. He's not the sort that needs a new toy to be shiny and new for him to be interested in it; we're talking about a man who gets very excited about dusty old books. So possibly a vintage bike would be interesting to him. And I bet the techs at our favorite LBS would get enthusiastic about such an animal (because we'd have to have them fix it up for us -- neither of us knows a thing about bike tech other than Cleaning and Lubing The Chain Is A Good Thing). I'm deeply suspicious of Ebay though. I just can't get used to the idea of a world-wide electronic garage sale cum flea market. Hmm, it's Saturday, definitely worth looking in the Sunday paper classifieds... Thanks for the idea. :-) -km Point him at Ebay and get him looking at vintage bikes with Sturmey-Archer hubs with 3 speeds and coaster brakes. I had more than one and the latest was a few years back and I rode it on a near century on the yearly Bike around the Buttes event here. I had metal saddle bags and a big paper boy delivery rack on the front and all the serious racers did a double take, but I had all the food and water (o.J.) I could carry. The ten mile rest stops and free food and drink were nice but I did not always have to stop for them. The 3 speed hub did not cause me any noticeable slowdown and the 3 gears worked out to be about right. So I didn' ride a 20 MPH, big deal. No complaint about the older quality bikes. Lots and lots of stuff on Ebay, so you can find almost anything there. Have fun, Bill Bak -- Using M2, Opera's revolutionary e-mail client: http://www.opera.com/m2/ |
#24
|
|||
|
|||
On Sat, 21 Aug 2004 19:02:28 -0700, Ryan Cousineau wrote:
In article , the black rose wrote: Ryan Cousineau wrote: Meanwhile, there's this huge surplus of used hardware that just sits around, unloved, and is perfect for the sort of use your husband would put it to. --snip-- But, de gustibus et cetera. Your husband may desire the motivation of a really nice new bicycle. It is a scientific fact that shiny new bicycles are faster than rusty old bicycles, even when all variables (weight, gearing, de-rusting the drivetrain) are controlled for. Hmmm. I need to talk to him, probably. He's not the sort that needs a new toy to be shiny and new for him to be interested in it; we're talking about a man who gets very excited about dusty old books. So possibly a vintage bike would be interesting to him. And I bet the techs at our favorite LBS would get enthusiastic about such an animal (because we'd have to have them fix it up for us -- neither of us knows a thing about bike tech other than Cleaning and Lubing The Chain Is A Good Thing). I'm deeply suspicious of Ebay though. I just can't get used to the idea of a world-wide electronic garage sale cum flea market. Hmm, it's Saturday, definitely worth looking in the Sunday paper classifieds... eBay is not a good source for this sort of thing. The issue is that for a bicycle, and especially a cheap bicycle, shipping costs will be a significant proportion of the transaction price. Classifieds are an acceptable resource, but I've had my very best luck with aggressive garage sale trolling. Such shopping is highly serendipitous, but most likely to produce a decent bike. I buy anything from a whole bike to a box of parts at garage sales. Sometimes, widows, divorcees and just dump guys with too much money in their new bike are almost giving stuff away. Never take more than about $30 with you and tell yourself that it has to last. Later you may be surprised at how much you can come home with. I try to find bikes with the removeable cranks (square taper press fit) because those are inherently better quality than the one piece Chinese crank. Go for it. Bill Baka If you're comparing against bikes you can just buy at your LBS, keep in mind that any bike you drag home will need at least a tune-up (lube, adjustment, possibly some bearings), and replacing the chain, cables, brake pads and freewheel cluster is a good idea. The tires may or may not be in usable shape, and a lot of these bikes have crappy brakes. I like to replace at least the front with a new brake, of which the cheap-and-cheerful modernization is a Shimano RSX, or any fairly decent recent dual-pivot brake. The low-end Dia-Compe brakes just seem to give me great trouble, apparently because the brake body can flex too much or something. If there's a shop in your area that specializes in used bikes, they'll probably have something, too. They cost more than garage sales, but you don't have to visit 40 garage sales to find a bike you can use. Finally, don't bother with a bike with steel wheels. Having aluminum rims is just about the most consistent dividing line between really terrible 20-year-old road bikes and rideable 20-year-old road bikes. Thanks for the idea. :-) Glad to be of service, -- Using M2, Opera's revolutionary e-mail client: http://www.opera.com/m2/ |
#25
|
|||
|
|||
Bill Baka wrote:
I try to find bikes with the removeable cranks (square taper press fit) because those are inherently better quality than the one piece Chinese crank. *blink* One more time, in Middle-Aged Mom? Remember, all I know how to do is oil the chain. That's ALL I know about bike maintenance, other than "when the handling feels odd or it makes funny noises, take it to the shop and let Jim work on it." ;-) -km -- the black rose proud to be owned by a yorkie http://community.webshots.com/user/blackrosequilts |
#26
|
|||
|
|||
58 cm Atlantis for sale at ebay
|
#27
|
|||
|
|||
In article ,
the black rose wrote: Bill Baka wrote: I try to find bikes with the removeable cranks (square taper press fit) because those are inherently better quality than the one piece Chinese crank. *blink* One more time, in Middle-Aged Mom? Remember, all I know how to do is oil the chain. That's ALL I know about bike maintenance, other than "when the handling feels odd or it makes funny noises, take it to the shop and let Jim work on it." ;-) He's talking about cottered versus cotterless (square-taper) cranks, which are the two common pedal attachment mechanisms on good road bikes before the recent trend to various splined and other designs. square-taper cranks, aka "cotterless" are what you probably have on your bike right now, and were a great improvement on the previous method, cottered cranks. Let's not get into how a cottered crank works: it's not important. What is important is that if you have a choice, you want to avoid cottered cranks. Unless the bike supply where you live is much different from mine, almost none of the touring bikes you might find that are good enough to consider taking home will have cottered cranks. Of the dozen or so bikes I have dragged home, exactly one had a cottered bottom bracket (an old Chiorda; the spindle will be replaced). -- Ryan Cousineau, http://www.wiredcola.com Verus de parvis; verus de magnis. |
#28
|
|||
|
|||
Kenneth wrote:
Oooops, I should have provided: http://www.bgcycles.com/rnr.html for Bruce's bikes, and will add that the finest panniers I have ever seen are made by Bob Beckman Designs. They are at http://www.coinet.com/~beckman/index.html $149 for a rack?!?!? "They improve on the racks of today as much as those racks improved on the Pletscher". Hey, what was wrong with the Pletscher? It had that spring-loaded clamp on it - that thing was handy. Don't see anything like that on this fancy new rack. Dave |
#29
|
|||
|
|||
On Sun, 22 Aug 2004 18:59:52 -0400, Dave Stallard
wrote: Kenneth wrote: Oooops, I should have provided: http://www.bgcycles.com/rnr.html for Bruce's bikes, and will add that the finest panniers I have ever seen are made by Bob Beckman Designs. They are at http://www.coinet.com/~beckman/index.html $149 for a rack?!?!? "They improve on the racks of today as much as those racks improved on the Pletscher". Hey, what was wrong with the Pletscher? It had that spring-loaded clamp on it - that thing was handy. Don't see anything like that on this fancy new rack. Dave Hi Dave, If you don't understand the difference (and the reason for the price) then you are clearly wise to stick with the Pletscher... All the best, -- Kenneth If you email... Please remove the "SPAMLESS." |
#30
|
|||
|
|||
jay westra wrote:
58 cm Atlantis for sale at ebay Bah. DH needs a 56. -km -- the black rose proud to be owned by a yorkie http://community.webshots.com/user/blackrosequilts |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Science Proves Mountain Biking Is More Harmful Than Hiking | Stephen Baker | Mountain Biking | 18 | July 16th 04 04:28 AM |
Danny-boy flails some more! (was: Advice on a good hardtail.) | Jonesy | Mountain Biking | 31 | June 18th 04 08:01 PM |
"Road" bikes | Chris Zacho The Wheelman | Techniques | 8 | April 5th 04 10:37 PM |
Bar end shifters for touring bike ? | jacques | General | 61 | December 7th 03 01:01 AM |
FAQ | Just zis Guy, you know? | UK | 27 | September 5th 03 10:58 PM |