Any Road Bikers on here?

[1engineer]

The topics have similarities but are however completely different in their use and purpose. To combine the two would be like equating pick-up trucks to SUV's. Certainly there must be room for both in the Off Topic forum. To further illustrate the point please bear in mind the different types of bikes that fall into the Road or Mt bike categories in addition to those those that dont:

Racing bikes
Touring bikes
Hybrid & City bikes
Mountain – Full Suspension bikes
Mountain – Hardtail bikes
Mountain – Downhill bikes
Triathlon / Time Trial (TT) bikes
Flat-Bar Road Bicycles
Singlespeed & Fixed Gear bikes
Cyclocross bikes
Trial bikes
BMX bikes
Jump bikes
Folding bikes
Electric bikes / E-Bikes
Tandem bikes
Dutch / Classic bikes
Recumbent
Cruiser
Work / Delivery bikes
Adult Tricycles
...and so on

No problem.

 

[-dustin]

Hell yeah!! Cannondale CAAD 10 full dura-ace. I love my Lake 402s too :banana:

Taco, let me know if you ever want to sell either one of those Canyons.

How did you get them in the U.S.?

Canyon is now available here.

 

[KingTaco]

Canyon is now available here.

I hear rumors every year that it's going to happen, but still not available here AFAIK. I had a hell of a time getting mine. I'm certain Canyon still wouldn't sell or ship here as of 6 weeks ago.

 

[KingTaco]

Hell yeah!! Cannondale CAAD 10 full dura-ace. I love my Lake 402s too :banana:

Taco, let me know if you ever want to sell either one of those Canyons.

How did you get them in the U.S.?

Took a while! long story short, I gave cash to a friend with a German bank account so he could make payment for me (they won't take payment from a US bank or credit card), then had them shipped to a friend who lives in Germany. She removed the labels and shipped them to me.

I'm extremely happy with them.

 

[violation]

some beauties up in here!

My Look 585 w/ sram components when I first bought her... took her home on my 91 Toy Pickup that was worth less than the bike strapped to it lol

at Ironman

 

[KingTaco]

No problem.

I would've been cool with that. I just like riding bikes. Not all roadies are terrible people; only about half of us.

 

[zefram47]

Ok, so since this forum is for 4runner folks, we know you drive on the road. Now we also know you are cyclists, so tell me, please, do you find it annoying as hell when the lone biker doesn't obey traffic laws? I mean really, the red light isn't a suggestion and I have no way of knowing that you are going to blow through it, so please don't get all pissy at me when you have to lay down your bike because you did not yield!

I don't ride on roads simple because I have heard too many people laugh at the idea of bikers getting hit. It is more than concerning when people seem to take pleasure in the idea. I will stick to bike trails, less interaction with the general driving public! :boxer:

Honestly, as a cyclist both on and off-road, if I see a cyclist doing something stupid or against the law, I call them out on it. I do this because I know that it's likely not the first time said cyclist has done it, and any motorist that sees it will only use it to reinforce the prior-held belief that all cyclists break the law. Forget the fact that an awful lot of motorists do the same or worse, somehow cyclists always catch more ire. That said, even living in CO and the Denver area which is generally friendly to cycling, I've seen a lot of BS on the roads both from motorists and cyclists alike. Any cyclist who feels there's no problem on their end need only attempt to drive a canyon road on a weekend morning and attempt to navigate safely around the hordes of cyclists. In that environment, it's difficult to find a safe place to pass, made only worse when a club decides to run a pace-line of 10+ cyclists on a road with no straights and tons of blind corners. It's virtually impossible to pass safely in that situation and it's all too common here. Twos or threes, and it wouldn't be a big deal...also doesn't help that those lines of cyclists often will pass one another even as motorists are trying to get around them.

 

[KingTaco]

Ok, so since this forum is for 4runner folks, we know you drive on the road. Now we also know you are cyclists, so tell me, please, do you find it annoying as hell when the lone biker doesn't obey traffic laws? I mean really, the red light isn't a suggestion and I have no way of knowing that you are going to blow through it, so please don't get all pissy at me when you have to lay down your bike because you did not yield!

I don't ride on roads simple because I have heard too many people laugh at the idea of bikers getting hit. It is more than concerning when people seem to take pleasure in the idea. I will stick to bike trails, less interaction with the general driving public! :boxer:

Speaking for myself, I absolutely do not like it when I see other cyclists acting dangerously. Some don't know the law, and some think they're above it, in my experience. Just like drivers; some are better than others. When I ride with people that are dangerous, or even discourteous, I do my best to correct them.

I wish more people would learn the law, and ride on the road more often. I think additional exposure makes people more accustomed to sharing the road. I think many drivers need to be more patient, but I also firmly believe that cyclists need to think more about the drivers, and be as courteous as possible. We need to stay as predictable as possible, and show that we're making an effort to stay out of the way when practical. On the other side of that coin, more drivers should understand when/why we need to take an entire lane sometimes, and it's for safety, not entitlement.

Either way, for the love of all things holy, all of us should keep our phones out of the equation.

 

[zefram47]

Giant Defy Composite w/ SRAM Apex 2x10 spd 12-32 cassette...nice for all the climbing out here in CO, but I miss my triple!

Giant Talon 29er (MTB)

 

[Jernik]

Speaking for myself, I absolutely do not like it when I see other cyclists acting dangerously. Some don't know the law, and some think they're above it, in my experience. Just like drivers; some are better than others. When I ride with people that are dangerous, or even discourteous, I do my best to correct them.

I wish more people would learn the law, and ride on the road more often. I think additional exposure makes people more accustomed to sharing the road. I think many drivers need to be more patient, but I also firmly believe that cyclists need to think more about the drivers, and be as courteous as possible. We need to stay as predictable as possible, and show that we're making an effort to stay out of the way when practical. On the other side of that coin, more drivers should understand when/why we need to take an entire lane sometimes, and it's for safety, not entitlement.

Either way, for the love of all things holy, all of us should keep our phones out of the equation.

As a new road cyclist seeing some things for the first time, and obviously as a driver, I wish cycling/pedestrian needs were better addressed when new infrastructure is laid. There are several areas where sidewalks are non-existant and people are always walking in the street - they have no choice unless they walk in the ditch (and some do if it's reasonably dry). In high traffic areas, cyclists can be in the way and impede traffic even when doing everything right. It would be nice to have added space for bike lanes, or even separate bike paths.

I imagine a road with a curb separating a bike lane on the right, then a raised sidewalk right of the bike lane. The same setup both directions (at least for bike lanes) so cyclists don't head-on each other. Intersections could use some work for safer crossing/turns by cyclists as well. If worked into the initial design, it could be easily done. Even retro work like road widening, intersection changes, etc. could be upgraded to include these features. It would keep pedestrians, cyclists, and autos out of each other's way and safer.

I think more people would bike if they didn't have to worry so much about becoming a grease spot on the road due to an inattentive or angry driver. I'd commute to work in that situation - but ride on the current roads with the traffic I deal with in a car every morning/night, no way. I'll stick to the less congested back roads on the weekends and slower/easy mixed use trails during the week.

 

[-dustin]

I hear rumors every year that it's going to happen, but still not available here AFAIK. I had a hell of a time getting mine. I'm certain Canyon still wouldn't sell or ship here as of 6 weeks ago.

oh yeah, you're right. not yet. they are coming, however. this time it's not a rumor.

 

[-dustin]

i've got myself a road bike. it's pretty nice. wife has a pretty nice bike, as well. luckily i'm industry and have some good friends.

 

[violation]

almost forgot... while my Look 585 now mostly just hangs from the garage roof, this little thing gets used almost every week now.

previously my commuter ("daily driver") in manhattan, now my ride to manhattan beach every weekend.

 

[Jernik]

Funny how small adjustments on a road bike can feel like 6 inch moves. For instance, last night I adjusted the saddle. On the previos ride I kept sliding forward onto the nose when up on the hoods. In the drops felt good in the saddle, but legs felt compressed (for lack of a better word). So I adjusted nose up a bit (it was a hair down in front from level, took it to level), then moved the seat forward maybe a hair over 1/4", and raised the post about 3/8".

The post raise was fine. The saddle angle feels much better, but I felt crunched up into the bars when I got into the drops. Going to have to take the seat back that 1/4" I think and try again.

Just surprised how different these minor adjustment made it feel, especially the fore/aft adjustment .

I really should have done them 1 at a time and tested each before adjusting the others... but I was/am impatient!

 

[LandCruiser]

almost forgot... while my Look 585 now mostly just hangs from the garage roof, this little thing gets used almost every week now.

previously my commuter ("daily driver") in manhattan, now my ride to manhattan beach every weekend.

What's the center of gravity on one of those things?

I rented one in the Bay Area a few weeks back and I felt like I was balancing 10 feet above the road.

 

[Gofastpops]

I've got quite a few bikes in my basement ....

road bikes - 06 Fuji Team Pro, 03 Fuji TT bike, 03 Raleigh Rush Hour singlespeed, Bike Friday NWT folder.

mountain bikes - 04 Gary Fisher Paragon 29er, 06 Airborne Ti Hag 29er (singlespeed).

cyclocross bikes - 11 Fuji Altamira CX, 10 All City Nature Boy (singlespeed)

(The Ti Hag mountain bike and the Nature Boy are my favorites)

In Soutwest Ohio, I'm bless with over 200 miles of paved bike trails (within 1/2 mile from my house) so I get to ride my road bike a lot!

 

[Cobalt Anubis]

It looks like the Mt. Bike thread was deleted anyway. Interesting...

 

[BRUIN8124]

Ooooooh...

I just stumbled upon this thread. I am fairly new to road biking. I have been mountain biking since I was a kid.

I just picked up a 16 Specialized Allez this past spring. I love it!!!!

My Mountain bike is an 03ish Mongoose something or other? Nothing fancy, I just love to beat on it!

 

[way out west]

Roadie with a mountain bike heart.

Generally 1000 + miles a year, couple metric/centuries each summer, did STP couple years ago

Roll an Orbea Onyx, Carbon, Ultegra 10, FSA, and Mavics , its getting older but my next bike isnt really fully on the market it.

Shopping for Carbon, internal cable routing, front/rear thru axles and hydro disc...all this with road geometry, not CX, gravel/adventure

Also have an Santa Cruz Chameleon, King, Thompson, XT, Raceface, Mavic ..
Specialized Fatboy , Surly 1x1

gone but not forgotten , Surly Straggler, Surly Crosscheck, Surly 1x1, Surly Instigator, Yeti 575, Yeti 575, Giant AC1, Santa Cruz Super 8, Mountain Cycle San Andres, Iron Horse

 

[Jernik]

Sorry guys, gotta vent and you're the ears on this one...

Last 3 rides, 3 flats! Got glass in the back, then glass (and a small rock) in the front the following week. :redbrick:

I had another small rock puncture a couple months ago, so I thought maybe my tires are getting bad/more susceptible to punctures since I bought a model that was 2 model years old when I got it. Who knows how long it was in the showroom, and they were inexpensive Kendas. So I bought some new tires.

I thought about Gatorskins, but even being a relative noob on the road, I wasn't ready to take on additional rolling resistance. So I looked, read research/reviews, and tried to pick a tire with a good balance of lower rolling resistance and decent flat protection. I flipped a coin between the Conti GP 4000s II, and the Schwalbe V One. The Schwalbe won the toss.

So I ordered a set and put the new tires on, and they are much better than what I had! I really like how they feel/roll so much more than what came with the bike... but 25 miles into a 50 mile ride (and the FIRST ride on these tires), I noticed at the halfway break a small tear in the sidewall right by the rim on the rear tire - and I could see the tube was bulging out of it! I could have fixed it there, but decided to try and make it back so I could fix it in the comfort of my home. Yeah, that shit never works for me - I never get breaks like that. I rode gingerly, constantly aware it could go at any time. It held until mile 44, then POW!

So now I'm beginning to wonder if I'll ever get to complete a flat-free ride again. My biking buds (who ride the same road with me, at the same time, through the same crap) have 0 flats. They were telling me (offering moral support on the side of the road as I changed the tube/patched the sidewall) I should lobby for sponsorship from a tire manufacturer to reduce my cost on tubes. *******s. :laugh:

Checked my little ride log I keep, and I'm 3 miles shy of 600 since I got the bike in Mid October. And 4 flats. :crybaby:

I think next week, I'll drive a nail into the tire before we leave. Change the tube, and hope that satisfies the tire gods. I have no idea what I've done to anger them. :shrug: Even the wife recently got a piece of glass in her car tire. Any ideas how to win back their favor and put an end to the flats? :hail: