cycling ????

[962porsche]

years ago I used to be a avid cyclist but fell out of it until this spring when I got back into riding again .
I ride a trek 1200 road bike aluminum frame
I go 6 days a week .
week days I will do 35 to 50 miles with weekend rides being 65 to 80 .
so on todays ride it got me thinking if and who in the club other then Gordon rides .

what do you ride ?
MT or road ?
miles ?
type of bike ?

[whymiata]

what do you ride ? Ridley Orion
MT or road ? Road
miles ? Way too few these days
type of bike ? Carbon Fiber

I've really fallen out of riding regularly. I do the Rhode Island MS 150 ride every year. Riding more would help me fit better in the car - there is my motivation!

[962porsche]

I'm surprised that there are not more riders in the club .

I stopped riding for a number of years my self . I broke my leg racing motorcycles and it hurts all the time .
but because it hurts all the time I got to thinking what the hell if it's going to hurt any ways I may as well get back into riding again .
I started out dragging ass after only 10 to 14 miles but every day I pushed a little more so I'm getting the miles back up to what I used to ride years ago .

[joncowen]

I'd like to get into road cycling, now that i live in a more rural area. I used to be into mountain biking, and might pick it back up.

Any advice on a bike to start looking for? I'm thinking used. What else do i need to know?

[962porsche]

I personally like road cycling .
I did the MT bike think when they 1st came out as my MT bike is a 1985 with no suspension .
that was in the days before they had suspension .
a broken leg years ago keep me off any more off roading .
so road bikes are it for me .
this spring I started riding again and the love for it came right back too . all I want to do every day after work is go riding rain shine high wind no matter I still go .
as for what is a good bike ?
there are so many great bikes out there !
I have a carbon trek that personally I don't like riding at all I tend to like aluminum frames better as they do not give you a soft pedal feel and ride .
I like climbing (riding hills ) and aluminum just feels more efficient to me .

a used bike could be a good way to go but before you buy one check with bicycle blou book to be sure it's a good deal . many people ask way to much for there used bikes because they spent a lot on it new . bikes do not hold value every well but the average person selling a used bike will think they do .
also many times you can buy a new bike for the same money as a old out dated bike that in it's day was a real good top of the line bike but now is a mid range bike .

[Grippy]

Although I have a very nice 14lb road bike, I hardly ever ride it anymore.
I ride MTB twice a week for 2-3 hours (I don't keep track of miles). I have great trails right off my driveway that I could ride for 4 hours easy without hitting the same trail, nice mix of climbing and downhill with lots of technical singletrack. I ride a Trek Fuel EX8 with 5 inches of suspension travel on both ends.

It is quite amazing how "the line" is the same for MTB and track driving, and somewhat road riding as well, it's all about conservation of momentum and getting the apex right. Most fun way to exercise I have found yet. Trail riding is a better "full body" workout than almost anything, timing and balance are key.

[962porsche]

I think that's one of the reasons I like riding is the relation it has to cars or cars have to cycling .
you want to use your brakes but not to much to lose speed . you want to find a fast line and hit your marks spot on .

what I loved about off road riding was always picking the best line .
some times your riding thru a bone yard (rocks ) and you may find a nice rock to jump and clear the rest so your not riding thru all the rocks . it's always easier riding when your in the air jumping over things then riding thru them .

[FredK]

I have both a mountain bike and a road bike. The only riding I do these days is to ride to and from work maybe 2 times a week when the weather's cooperating. It's a Reynolds 853 steel bike. It's pretty compliant which really helps while riding the horribly pothole ridden roads in Cambridge/Belmont. Belmont St. is just awful, both in a car and on a bike.

I'd like to get into road cycling, now that i live in a more rural area. I used to be into mountain biking, and might pick it back up.

Any advice on a bike to start looking for? I'm thinking used. What else do i need to know?

Used is a great way to go.

By far the biggest factor to consider is bike fit. You can get info on what size frame you should get using an online calculator like this one http://www.competitivecyclist.com/Store ... orBike.jsp

I think most modern, large manufacturers' frames have sort of settled on a fairly average geometry, and therefore fit and handling are fairly predictable.

The second thing I would consider when buying a used bike is the quality of the components on the bike. I'd say you want to try to find something that has Shimano 105 or better. The quality and durability of the shifters really increases as you go up the range.

The road component groups in ascending order of quality / price from Shimano are Sora, Tiagra, 105, Ultegra, and Dura-Ace. There are groups below Sora, I just don't recommend them. In my opinion it is a false economy to buy a bike with the intent to upgrade the components later, because that actually costs quite a bit of money! It is cheaper in the long run to buy a bike with a solid component group, and run what you've got and replace wear items like brake pads and chains as-needed.

There are a few other component group manufacturers--Campagnolo, SRAM, and Microshift. Campagnolo and SRAM both have similar groups as Shimano, but aren't as common.

I am of course generalizing a bit for the sake of brevity.

[962porsche]

the fit calculator site is a very good one .
I was just using it for a single speed bike I'm looking at on ebay .

I want a commuter bike to get from home to work and back 6 mile ride kind of flat and also to run down to the store with .
I have been looking at recumbent's , single speeds and a 3 wheeler 6 speed for the task .
I use my old MT bike right now some times but off road tires on the street really suck and the bike is from 1984 so it needs a little work (not worth putting money into it ) .

the components on the bike is very good advice !
I have 105's on my 1200 trek from the late 1980's . they are original to the bike and still work as they did new .

[wizzman]

I used to bike a ton when I lived up in Hampton, NH. Such great biking roads all along the coast. Since moving back to Mass I ride alot less but still use it for the occasional cross training between runs.

Hard to believe its ~10 years old now. I think it is a Trek 1200 but not sure.

[962porsche]

Dave no that is the 1500 trek aluminum frame . great bike
they used different components from the shimano line . like the brake levers are 105's and the F.deraileur is tiara with the rear being ultegra GS . all being very good components but they did step up the derailleurs and forks for the 1500 over the 1200's .


money has kept me from racing much lately but the little I have done 4 endurance kart races and twice at the track with cars that because of biking I'm not tired or fatiqued after racing at all .