Comfy performance bikes

I like to ride fast but now that I'm in my 40's my body doesn't withstand
the road shocks as well. Are bikes like Specialized Roubaix, Trek Pilot and
Cannondale Synapse really that more comfortable than road bikes with racing
configs? I rode a Roubaix around the LBS parking lot and it felt pretty good
but the only way to really know is on a longer road ride.

Comments appreciated.

On Jul 8, 3:48 am, "Zen Cohen" wrote:
I like to ride fast but now that I'm in my 40's my body doesn't withstand
the road shocks as well. Are bikes like Specialized Roubaix, Trek Pilot and
Cannondale Synapse really that more comfortable than road bikes with racing
configs? I rode a Roubaix around the LBS parking lot and it felt pretty good
but the only way to really know is on a longer road ride.

Comments appreciated.

Tires will make a bigger difference than any frame.

Joseph

"Zen Cohen" wrote in message
...
I like to ride fast but now that I'm in my 40's my body doesn't withstand
the road shocks as well. Are bikes like Specialized Roubaix, Trek Pilot and
Cannondale Synapse really that more comfortable than road bikes with racing
configs? I rode a Roubaix around the LBS parking lot and it felt pretty
good but the only way to really know is on a longer road ride.

Comments appreciated.
As Joseph has korrectly opined...think tires, not frame. I B 53 years since
birth, an' I B ridin' ~ 20 miles daily in nise weather. Ich weiss nicht,
what a ride around D LBS parking lot will tell U a/b comfort. I guess U
would want 2 run lower tire pressure, N also think saddle. Ich denke, D mos'
comfortable saddle B Brooks, but sUm riders kan't get used 2 a premium
leather saddle.

I'll keep thinkin' bekaus dat B watt I like 2 du!

....oder auf Deutsch:

Ich werde behalten, daran zu denken. Weil das ist, was ich machen mag!

Jay D Kraut (Bike Friday serious Bike Commuter in da beg citi witch B
Chicago, TRU!)

http://www.neiu.edu/~jbollyn/bike/brooks.jpg

http://www.neiu.edu/~jbollyn/bike/bike1.jpg

Zen Cohen wrote:
I like to ride fast but now that I'm in my 40's my body doesn't withstand
the road shocks as well. Are bikes like Specialized Roubaix, Trek Pilot and
Cannondale Synapse really that more comfortable than road bikes with racing
configs? I rode a Roubaix around the LBS parking lot and it felt pretty good
but the only way to really know is on a longer road ride.

Comments appreciated.



RANS Zenetic:
http://www.ransbikes.com/07ZPRO.htm#

-no padded shorts required,
-hand pressure is much lower,
-neck strain is much lower.

Comfort? Yea, we've heard of it.....
~

Tires will make a bigger difference than any frame.

Joseph

Perhaps true, but frame geometry and design do matter. I test-rode
the Synapse and the Roubaix, and they both felt great compared to more
race-oriented bikes with similar tires. Bought the Roubaix, and my 68-
yr old bones have been happy ever since.

On Sun, 08 Jul 2007 01:13:42 -0700, wrote:


Tires will make a bigger difference than any frame.

The frame will also determine the tires. Very narrow-clearance frames
will not permit tires wider than 25 or even 23 mm. 700C x 28mm tires are
nice if you have a frame that will fit 'em.

-Luigi



--
Luigi de Guzman
http://ouij.livejournal.com

On Sun, 08 Jul 2007 04:38:27 -0500, DougC wrote:

http://www.ransbikes.com/07ZPRO.htm#

-no padded shorts required,

I don't wear padded shorts on my bike; I took it out for a fifty-odd mile
jaunt a bit ago and my lungs and legs hurt more than my perineum.

The main benefit of cycling shorts, I find, is the decreased chafing (from
repeated pedal strokes). The padding is an added bonus, but not strictly
*necessary* if your bike is nicely set-up: good saddle, good position,
and so forth.

For what it's worth, I ride an upright touring bike with drop bars; my
hands are mostly just behind the brake hoods.

-hand pressure is much lower,
-neck strain is much lower.

Comfort? Yea, we've heard of it.....
~



--
Luigi de Guzman
http://ouij.livejournal.com

On Sat, 07 Jul 2007 18:48:57 -0700, Zen Cohen wrote:

I like to ride fast but now that I'm in my 40's my body doesn't withstand
the road shocks as well. Are bikes like Specialized Roubaix, Trek Pilot and
Cannondale Synapse really that more comfortable than road bikes with racing
configs? I rode a Roubaix around the LBS parking lot and it felt pretty good
but the only way to really know is on a longer road ride.

Comments appreciated.

Consider a touring bike; a bit longer wheelbase (stability rather than
twitchiness on long rides), slacker frame angles (ditto), wider-range
gearing, clearance for wider tires. You still get drops for the fun of
all the nice hand positions, and they're sportier than sit-up-and-beg
bikes.

Fuji Touring, Trek 520, Jamis Aurora and the like will fit the bill. I
ride a 2001 Jamis Aurora and love it to bits.

Cyclocross bikes will be a bit more aggressive in their frame angles, but
make fairly good all-rounders.

I can't stress the tires enough: nothing has a bigger effect on how the
bike feels rolling down the road than the tires; narrow tires a
super-high pressures will really beat you up on broken pavement. too-wide
tires with too-low pressures (& floppy sidewalls/tread) will be a drag.
Test ride a few and see what you can live with.

-Luigi

--
Luigi de Guzman
http://ouij.livejournal.com

On Jul 7, 9:48 pm, "Zen Cohen" wrote:
I like to ride fast but now that I'm in my 40's my body doesn't withstand
the road shocks as well. Are bikes like Specialized Roubaix, Trek Pilot and
Cannondale Synapse really that more comfortable than road bikes with racing
configs? I rode a Roubaix around the LBS parking lot and it felt pretty good
but the only way to really know is on a longer road ride.

Comments appreciated.

Seriously, ditto the comments about tires. I'm an arthritic 55-year
old who still rides thousands of road miles a year (mostly urban
commuting) on touring bikes with 700x32c or 700x35c touring tires. The
combination of fatter tires and relatively compliant frames (one ti,
one steel) give these bikes all the shock-resistance they need, as
long as I don't ride purposefully over severe obstacles without
unloading the saddle by distributing my weight between hands and feet
and letting my knees fles over the bumps. Springs would just make the
bike heavier and harder to maintain with no benefit.

The arthritis in my hands has made it especially important to remember
my padded gloves, but they're secondary to the benefit of riding with
a light grip, something I trained myself to do long ago.

I would hate to give up the versatility of drop bars; their variety of
available hand positions is a real benefit to me.

r

Luigi de Guzman wrote:
I don't wear padded shorts on my bike; I took it out for a fifty-odd mile
jaunt a bit ago and my lungs and legs hurt more than my perineum.

There's always people that say this....

The main benefit of cycling shorts, I find, is the decreased chafing (from
repeated pedal strokes). The padding is an added bonus, but not strictly
*necessary* if your bike is nicely set-up: good saddle, good position,
and so forth.

....in spite of the fact that most "cycling specific" shorts have the
padding. ....And most well-stocked bike shops (in the US anyway) will
sell them (as well as 20 or 30 different saddles).

-------

Saddle comfort is a major issue that a lot of riders have, and most bike
shops can't seem to solve it. If they could they'd only need to sell ONE
saddle, and they wouldn't bother sticking any padded shorts, because
nobody would ever want to buy them.

(synthetic shorts are still a good idea for the moisture-wicking benefit)
~