The Bicycle / Biking Gear Thread

nuke_diver said:
I think for that budget you'd have plenty of options (and not spend anywhere near all of it). I think it's worth while doing research ahead of time to figure what will work for what you want. Is it just going to be short commutes around the city or will you want to get out on longer rides? Trails or roads only? Are the roads/trails nice and smooth or rough (chip and seal and potholes)? All these things will potentially make a difference in what works best for you. Finding something that tics all the boxes is easier when you know what boxes need to be checked off :grin:
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Thing I’m seeing looking around is that if your at/under the 1k mark then the component group drops to sora and below. Seems like 1200 ish msrp is the price point for tiagra and 1500 gets you into 105. I’d like to go tiagra or tiagra/105 mix or apex 2 at least. Drop bars, no suspension, reasonable sized tires and room for fenders to handle rough roads, & transitions, disks & rack mounts. I’m prob going to bounce around a try a handful of bikes and see what feels best.
 
I saw one of these: https://www.rei.com/product/121585/co-op-cycles-cty-12-bike

and thought "not bad." Please keep in mind that a) I hate disc brakes; b) I am terrified of riding in traffic here; and c) I'm just a sad-ass roadie, truly oriented towards the machine more than the activity.

In other words, if I liked it, it must be pretty good.

Anyhow, they were selling a bunch of 'em for less than that web page says.
 
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Lerxst said:
Thing I’m seeing looking around is that if your at/under the 1k mark then the component group drops to sora and below. Seems like 1200 ish msrp is the price point for tiagra and 1500 gets you into 105. I’d like to go tiagra or tiagra/105 mix or apex 2 at least. Drop bars, no suspension, reasonable sized tires and room for fenders to handle rough roads, & transitions, disks & rack mounts. I’m prob going to bounce around a try a handful of bikes and see what feels best.
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Yes you are pretty much right. You need to get above 1200ish to get tiagra depending on the other components. The Toughroad I got gets that at ~1400 which was a bit more than I wanted to spend.
What I did find as well is that different makers do different things at the same price point. Some go with steel which is fine but heavier. Some do mech brakes instead of hydraulic, some do metal forks instead of composite etc. The Co-op bikes are nice but I thought a bit heavier than I would like for the kind of riding I do. I put together a spreadsheet to compare all the different bikes so I had a pretty good idea how to compare the different bikes when I went in to test ride. Sadly there were very few bikes in my price range and my size ...like one, the one I got :reallymad:
As I said I would have preferred tiagra as well or 105 but didn't want to spend that much. If I feel I am riding enough to justify it I'll swap out for better components but really I had no trouble with the Claris on mine for the most part.
 
I needed some tubes & new tires for my road bike so I stopped by Bike Tires Direct's warehouse on my way home last night.

You get some strange looks in traffic riding a motorcycle w/ a pair of bicycle tires slung over your shoulder. :grin:
 
Lerxst said:
I needed some tubes & new tires for my road bike so I stopped by Bike Tires Direct's warehouse on my way home last night.

You get some strange looks in traffic riding a motorcycle w/ a pair of bicycle tires slung over your shoulder. :grin:
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Badges.jpg


:baimun:
 
https://www.bicycling.com/culture/a27496999/bike-shops-need-change/

56 percent of women and 44 percent of men have stopped going to a shop altogether because of a negative interaction with an employee.

Wow....let that sink in for a moment as brick and mortar business fight to survive the threat amazon, ebay and walmart retailers. I know there are shops back east that I wouldn't drop a dime in because of their attitudes and treatment of customers.
 
I read that article a while back - couldn't agree more. The idea of building a culture of exclusivity around a recreational activity seems so profoundly stupid to me that I am unable to do anything except be openly dismissive at my best.

In my climbing days, I called this "comparing climbing penis length." People who need to feel 'better' than someone else ... clearly don't feel so good about themselves. And that's not competition in my book. Competition is something else. It's just adult insecurity misdirected into weird shit.

Once you make someone aware that you are not impressed by their self-perceived superiority, they can get pretty nasty, too. And sometimes they just get over themselves.

This article's main tenets highlight why I just don't do group rides. I just want to go outside. Competitive? Sure, sometimes! Mostly with myself; I honestly don't know anyone on Strava who lives within 1,000 miles of me, and can't imagine I ever will. Me, I use Strava to seek encouragement to not give up on my attempts at fitness.

Bike shop bro's do actually go out and ride, too, and most of them (to my eyes) have the opinion that "I know all the rules, and it's OK if I break them bcos Special Me."

My rants on this are endless, mainly because I see these people as very serious - if occasional - dangers to others. The diciest crap I see on my rides is perpetrated by people on four-figure bikes, who exude 'I know what I'm doing!' and ... don't account for their fabulous selves possibly ever making a mistake.

Sorry, this stuff just really gets way up my nose.
 
I didn't have any problems when I was out looking for a new bike (other than finding one I could test ride that was my size) but then again I am male so...
All of the shops were pretty helpful and 2 in particular were very helpful including the one I ended up buying from. But that area is much more of a mountain bike community so that might have something to do with it :shrug:

I guess it doesn't surprise me too much given the way a lot, of at least road bikers, seem to be in general. I am what they call a Fred I guess since I don't prescribe to wearing all of the "necessary" bike gear when I ride. Maybe that's why so often when I happen to pass someone and say "good morning" I get no response at all. I figure that either they are pissed that an old guy in baggies passed them or they figure they are just too cool to say anything back. It's unfortunate too because I bet most riders would say, if asked, that they love just getting out on a nice day and riding, but many don't seem to act like it. Like Dan I never ride with someone. I don't care for competition and I don't even want to go at anyone elses speed. I'd rather just go at the speed I'm comfortable with whether it is fast or slow. At least on my "exercise rides". If my wife was interested in riding I would gladly go at her pace just to go riding with her, but that's unlikely to happen :cry:
 
nuke_diver said:
Maybe that's why so often when I happen to pass someone and say "good morning" I get no response at all. I figure that either they are pissed that an old guy in baggies passed them or they figure they are just too cool to say anything back.
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I think that most people are just riding their ride and interacting with other cyclists just isn't on the agenda.
 
Then there's the exact opposite of snooty bike shop people:
https://www.facebook.com/pg/slowtwitchniche/posts/

I've know and ridden with Jeff since the early 90's. His shop is primarily a repair and parts business, but he also takes donated kids bikes and gives them away to those in need after fixing them up. We're talking hundreds of kids get free bikes every year. Part of the shop's profits go to autism and animal shelter charities. After just 2 years in business, he has become a real asset to the community.

He is also a licensed coach and trainer for those seeking to push their performance to the next level.

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There is a similar place around here. They are a non profit mind you but they provide work for at risk kids. They offer a lot of free clinics for maintenance as well. I've gone there several times as they have lots of old bikes that you can buy parts off, kind of like a pick and pull.

Lerxst said:
I think that most people are just riding their ride and interacting with other cyclists just isn't on the agenda.
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It only takes a second to say good morning back :shrug: Of course they might have headphones on and can't hear (real dumb IMO but lots do it). If I see headphones I don't say anything. It's not like I'm pulling up beside them to start a conversation. I find it strange. I also found when I was up in the PNW most of my Good mornings were answered.
 
nuke_diver said:
It only takes a second to say good morning back :shrug: Of course they might have headphones on and can't hear (real dumb IMO but lots do it). If I see headphones I don't say anything. It's not like I'm pulling up beside them to start a conversation. I find it strange. I also found when I was up in the PNW most of my Good mornings were answered.
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I say hi to other riders all the time and I rarely get response or acknowledgement....in the PNW
 
Tig said:
I usually wave when I see another rider, and say "hello" when passing, etc.
I despise the ARP (arrogant roadie prick) mentality.
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Yep, me too. In fact if I get the ARP reaction I will sometimes pull up right beside them and say “I SAID HI!” They’re usually Freds with really expensive gear.


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I'm a Fred with really expensive gear. I don't think it's helpful to project onto people, but I have to say, there has been an obvious direct correlation between gear price and willingness to observe basic rules.
 
I thought Freds didn't have really expensive gear, I thought those were for the Riders :shrug: I thought Fred meant you didn't go with the standards of road cycling. Like wearing baggies or a Tshirt instead of the required Bib and jersey???
 
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nuke_diver said:
I thought Freds didn't have really expensive gear, I thought those were for the Riders :shrug: I thought Fred meant you didn't go with the standards of road cycling. Like wearing baggies or a Tshirt instead of the required Bib and jersey???
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yeah, it has different meanings. Generally in the roadie/racing world, Freds are guys who don't have good bike handling skills and not fast. When they try to join group rides they don't often get a welcoming committee as the fit riders assume they'll eventually cause a crash. If they do hang around long enough they will eventually get fit and gain bike handling skills. There are a lot of guys who never ride the group rides with really expensive gear (meaning $7k bikes and up, carbon wheels, etc.) that just tool around town at a slow pace. They sometimes get called Freds. It's all judgmental but the concern about new guys without skills joining racer trainer rides is a valid concern. They do frequently cause crashes, which is bad.

The guys with kickstands and helmet mirrors and hairy legs don't attract a lot of attention as they are just bike commuters or recreational riders. No one goes around criticizing bike commuters.
 
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