Viewing 22 posts - 1 through 22 (of 22 total)
  • road bikes
  • tails
    Free Member

    THINK I'M GOING TO trade in the warpig http://www.flickr.com/photos/andrew-taylor/4422487803/in/set-72157623113416890/ for a road bike. Not knowing f all about road bikes is it wise to stick with spesh, giant, scott, boardman.

    I want low maintenance as I can't be bothered spending evenings in the garage. Are drop bars easy to get used to, don't fancy crashing on tarmac and last question are strap pedals still acceptable as I don't want to run SPD.

    mooman
    Free Member

    It does take some getting used to, after spending a few years riding mtb.

    You will soon adapt though. I only really go into the drops on descents or good fast flat sections where you can just get your head down and arse up type thing..it all comes comfortable in a couple weeks of riding.

    Clip in pedals are the only real way though .. would raise an eyebrow or two to see somebody on flats ..

    roadie_in_denial
    Free Member

    Don't worry about brand, get the bike that fits you. The importance of fit cannot be over-stated in road bikes. So to answer your initial question, no, it's not neccessary to stick with any particular brand.

    Low maintenance…get a single speed. Road components are manufactured to be light rather than long-lasting so if you want to get away with minimal maintenance, single speed is the way to go. Or hub gears perhaps, depending on what kind of road bike you're looking at. That said, there are some products around that are harder-wearing than most road bits…Stronglight HardCoat chainrings for example. Also the cheaper shimano stuff (tiagra for example) would seem to be more durable than the higher-end kit. Either that or folk are just less bothered when it has to be replaced.

    As for drop bars…you don't have to get them if you don't want? Flat barred road bikes seem to be very much in vogue at the moment for some reason. That said, there's no reason that you should be crashing just because you've switched to drops. Be prepared to ache in some different places for a week or two whilst you get used to the new riding position tho.

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    edhornby
    Full Member

    roadie in denial is spot on about fit, go to bike shops and try stuff out to get something that fits.

    you'll soon get used to drops, for longer rides you have different hand positions and this is a good thing (don't use a camelbak with tools as it places weight and pressure on your lower back)

    gears aren't that high maintenance, and if you live somewhere hilly then gears are a better choice than singlespeed.

    for a roadbike, toeclips are pants, get some spd's, nowadays you really don't see anyone other than fashionista's or stubborn old geezers using clips. start with mtb type spds if you aren't confident with them as they are double sided and you can walk in them

    romster
    Free Member

    As above, getting something that is suited size wise is your most important goal. Not a Boardman fan myself, so i'd recommend you have a look at the low to middle range Treks and get yourself something with a compact chainset. You're definitely buying at the right time though fella, you'll be able to pick up a bargain now we're close to the 2011 range coming through. . . . .look out for Giant offers over the next month and maybe Specialized too. Don't jump in to buying anything just yet, i'd leave it until maybe this time next month!

    romster
    Free Member

    P.S, re the pedals, don't use flats with or without clip's, or mtb spd's, get yourself some roadie pedals and persevere, you'll have it cracked by your second ride if your competent with spd's at the moment. Check the Look models out sub £50, you'll be fine with something like that, and good luck.

    Philby
    Full Member

    Drop bars are easier for road riding than flats as you have lots of different hand positions.

    Maintenance on road bikes is less than mountain bikes – a lot less wearing out of components as they don't get covered in crap as much, and don't get banged about in the same way as on mountain bikes.

    Agree on above re: pedals and shoes – you will get so much extra power from proper spds with stiff soled shoes.

    You need to decide what type of riding you will be doing – different frame geometries are more suitable for racing, sportives and touring.

    Lots of other good brands around which are worth looking at – Cube, Bianchi, Felt, Cannondale, Orbea to name but a few. Wiggle's Focus brand is getting alot of positive feedback on roadie forums – they have a 30 day returns policy, so you can give it a trial.

    As stated above fit is alot more important on a road bike so try before you buy, and get a bike fit session if possible!!!

    And don't forget things like bib shorts and road cycling tops which will add to the overall cost.

    monkeychild
    Free Member

    Ive just bought my first proper road bike. Had a fixie which got me into it. I worried about drips and started with flat bars on the fixie, after a month i was fed up of not being able to get my head down in the wind. Drops are real easy to get used to. The main thing that took a while
    For me was getting used to how light they are!! Brand wise i aint no expert i got a giant defy 3 mainly as i got it for £500 new 🙂
    The sheer speed of these things is immense ive just bought some entry level
    shimano roa spds and a pair of wiggles roa shoes. Do the road spd from the start as over distance mtb ones are not that great.
    Hope this has been of some help as i was in the same boat a few weeks ago.

    tails
    Free Member

    Thanks for the replies. I was thinking fixie but I'm currently commuting on a SS so really I'm only going to eek out a couple more minutes, where as gears will gain me at least 5mins I reckon.

    I have never used SPDs so would prefer to stay with say clips/straps my main reason for this is not have to carry extra footwear.

    The bike will almost solely be used for my commute. thanks for the heads up in regards to bargains.

    Shibboleth
    Free Member

    roadie_in_denial – Member
    Low maintenance…get a single speed. Road components are manufactured to be light rather than long-lasting so if you want to get away with minimal maintenance, single speed is the way to go. Or hub gears perhaps, depending on what kind of road bike you're looking at. That said, there are some products around that are harder-wearing than most road bits…Stronglight HardCoat chainrings for example.

    This is rubbish. I've never worn chainrings out on a roadbike, and sprockets wear far less that mtb sprockets due to lack of mud. Add to that that you're far less likely to crash a road bike, so once set up properly, road bikes are virtually zero maintenance other than cleaning and lubing.

    Most of my road bike components become obsolete before they wear out, and they get pleny of miles.

    All the brands you mention are worth looking at, my only advice would be to go carbon. The difference in terms of comfort and lateral stifness over alternatives is unbelievable. I'd never go back to ally or steel.

    pedalhead
    Free Member

    what's the difference between road clipless pedals and mtb ones?

    LoveTubs
    Free Member

    The main diff is the manner/mechanism in which they 'clip' in…unlike the 'SPuDs' & Egg beaters they utilise (generally) a larger platform and a 3 point location system…usually in a triangular config….ski binding in 'feel' (cross country skis, not down hill).

    That was a poor explaination, sorry 🙂

    Shibboleth
    Free Member

    Road pedals tend ot be single sided, lighter and have a far more positive action. They can be a bit trickier to get in and out of, but you don't need to do it as often.

    A lot of people use MTB style pedals on roadbikes though, especially for touring etc where the smaller cleats make walking easier.

    I do find road pedals tend to give a much more stable, rigid pedalling platform though.

    pedalhead
    Free Member

    hmm ok cheers. are cleats the same between, say, TIME mtb and road pedals? I need to get some new pedals for my road bike as I'm currently using mtb ones but don't fancy having to use different shoes.

    LoveTubs
    Free Member

    Pedalhead,

    These'll be fine, the yellow ones (cleats) 'float' (give you a bit of flexibility with foot orientation) red ones are fixed.

    http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Shimano-Ultegra-PD-670-SPD-SL-Pedals-NEW-BOXED-/130415422218?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_sportsleisure_cycling_bikeparts_SR&hash=item1e5d5d6b0a

    pedalhead
    Free Member

    cheers for the link. Would really like to stick with TIME as I'll be using the same shoes for MTB and road, and I have about 5 pairs of time pedals!

    thisisnotaspoon
    Free Member

    no,

    MTB is a 2 bolt fitting spaced about 1/2inch appart

    Road shoes are either 3 bolts in a triangle or I think shimano flirted with a different system using bolts in a line front to back.

    You can use mtb pedals on a road bike though, its just not quite as good for various reasons.

    Road kit lasts ages, I replaced 1 chain in 5,000 miles, and that was because I had a spare and the shifting wasnt quite as instant as it had been, not because it really needed it!

    Unless you live in the mountains go for a normal double, there's nothing south of the Peak District/Wales that warrants that low a gear, you can just stand up to get up anything arround the South of England, I bought a compact and if anything now grind a bigger gear as I can't be arsed with the little ring which was fine for 95% of riding on the normal crankset!

    Drops are the only real way, but not all drops are equal, they come in 3 sizes normaly, and different styles (short drop, compact, ergonomic, constant bend, etc). Budget for playing arround on ebay with different saddles/bars untill you get it right.

    Budget for new wheels, even £150 factory ones will be 1000% better than the OEM ones.

    Shibboleth
    Free Member

    I think they're a different cleat… Why not just try using Time MTB pedals on the road bike? I know a lot of people that use MTB Spuds because they prefer the 2-sided design, and I've used egg beaters on my commuter roadbike so I can wear a trainer style shoe.

    There are no hard and fast rules, but if you want to get a bit more into road biking, you'd notice a big difference when you step up to a road-specific rigid shoe and wide-platform road pedals.

    Edit – most road shoes have fitting holes for a 2-point mtb style cleat but MTB shoes don't accomodate the 3-point standard for roady cleats.

    molgrips
    Free Member

    Re drops – they may well at first feel really uncomfortable, but you can fettle and fiddle for ages to get them right. All these things have an effect on how comfy you are on the drops:

    Stem length
    Stem rise
    Stem spacers
    Saddle position
    Saddle angle (yes)
    Saddle height
    Drop curve shape
    Drop height
    Angle of bars
    Position of levers
    Bike length

    Lot of variable there 🙂 I got mine sorted after a year or so of messing with it on and off – I would make a change then ride it for a few months, so I really knew if it was bettter or worse, or it just felt odd to start with. I only ended up having to buy one stem and one bar, although I ended up re-fitting the original bar with the new stem.

    It's worth noting that buying cheap bars/stems and getting it RIGHT is worth way way way more than buying some bling and feeling you need to use it cos it's bling and was expensive.

    You get good at fitting and re-fitting bar tape during this period 🙂

    pedalhead
    Free Member

    Has road bike technology/geometry changed much in the past 10 years or so as MTBs have? Wondering whether my old 1998 Giant TCR2 is a clunker by today's standards?

    Shibboleth
    Free Member

    TCR is Giant's name for compact geometry. It was a pretty new concept in 98 and is still very much en vogue.
    The old TCR2s had some pretty dated standards on them – square taper BBs etc, but the frame geometry is fine.

    There's been plenty of development in components though – entry level 10speed groups and wheelsets are amazing in comparison to even middle range stuff from 10 years ago.

    wwaswas
    Full Member

    I use Crank Brothers pedals on both my MTB's and Road Bike as the cleats are compatable across them.

Viewing 22 posts - 1 through 22 (of 22 total)

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