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[HTupolev]

Guys I think I might buy a new bike tomorrow

Went to test the Specialized Roubaix today and I liked it. This is the model

http://www.velocipede.com.au/promos/on-sale/specialized-roubaix-sl4-sport-2015

The sizing was not perfect (I wanted size 52, they only had size 54) but the sales person said it still works with some adjusting of the stem. I went for a test ride and it felt fine.

Make sure that the size is right when getting a $2000 bike, lol. If they don't have it in shop, they should be able to just order it.

My other option would be getting a more expensive model which they have in my size.
http://www.velocipede.com.au/promos/on-sale/specialized-roubaix-sl4-comp-2015

It is $700 (Australian Dollars) more expensive, with better wheels, shifters and cassettes.

So what is the best option?

Did you test ride the more expensive model, and did it feel good enough compared to the other one to merit $700 more? That's really the only question here, and you're going to be better at answering it than we are, since you know more about your preferences in feel and the size of your bike wallet.

It sounds like the fact that they have it in your size is a big part of your consideration; unless for some bizarre reason you need the bike NOW, it probably shouldn't be (since they should be able to just order one in your size).

 

[0OoO0]

the fulcrums in the roubaix comp are a very good wheel set and lighter than what is being offered in the 54' frame by at least 500grams. indeed, the axis 2.0 wheels in the sport roubaix are basically starter wheels. of all the improvements you can make to your bike, lighter wheels probably rank right up near the top.

believe me, i wish i had thought of this when i bought my roubaix , because it came with some $150 wheels that i eventually swapped out for a wheelset that ran close to $1000.

Thanks for your advice. I found another place that has advertised the roubaix comp for $100 cheaper so I might go with this model. Hope they have my size in stock.

Now what colour scheme looks better? Red + White or Black + Cyan?

 

[0OoO0]

It sounds like the fact that they have it in your size is a big part of your consideration; unless for some bizarre reason you need the bike NOW, it probably shouldn't be (since they should be able to just order one in your size).

Yes, this is true. Plus it's on discount and it's a 2015 model which is a lot cheaper than the 2016 model. The Australian dollar has really gone down in value so they have jacked up the prices for the 2016 lineup. So now is a good time for me to buy. And I don't think they can order any more sizes because they are on clearance.

 

[TarpitCarnivore]

Hung out at my local shop last night while the build on my new bike began. Unfortunately it didn't finish as we ran out of some parts we needed. It was such a damn tease to see it halfway there.

the fulcrums in the roubaix comp are a very good wheel set and lighter than what is being offered in the 54' frame by at least 500grams. indeed, the axis 2.0 wheels in the sport roubaix are basically starter wheels. of all the improvements you can make to your bike, lighter wheels probably rank right up near the top.

believe me, i wish i had thought of this when i bought my roubaix , because it came with some $150 wheels that i eventually swapped out for a wheelset that ran close to $1000.

You're talking in an area that most people don't care to really consider or get into though. I swapped out wheels on my road bike for a set that was only marginally better. Not everyone needs super light carbon rim wheels.

 

[jakonovski]

Had a bit of a training ride for Sunday, tried to get some trail mojo going. It's a nice feeling when you ride a spot you haven't been able to before.

Also tried to dope myself up with beet juice. Tastes kinda icky but it's all kinds of healthy.

 

[thomaser]

Feeling good! Was out on a "calm ride" this evening and almost effortlessly set five personal records on hills that I've tried hard to pr on many, many, many times. Sometimes your body and bike just work. Hope it continues on Sunday, when I have a mtb-race.

 

[Darth Pinche]

Congrats! It feels so nice when you are in sync with your bike and the ride. I love feeling fast,then looking at my tracking software to confirm that I set a personal best on a trail.
Good luck on your race.

 

[Incognito]

Hung out at my local shop last night while the build on my new bike began. Unfortunately it didn't finish as we ran out of some parts we needed. It was such a damn tease to see it halfway there.



You're talking in an area that most people don't care to really consider or get into though. I swapped out wheels on my road bike for a set that was only marginally better. Not everyone needs super light carbon rim wheels.

for sure. but in my experience the person spending over $2k on a road bike will eventually succumb to upgradeism.... never fails. mine as well fork over some extra cash up front to help stanch the urge later on.

 

[TarpitCarnivore]

for sure. but in my experience the person spending over $2k on a road bike will eventually succumb to upgradeism.... never fails. mine as well fork over some extra cash up front to help stanch the urge later on.

At the same time stock is stock for some parts. On bikes like these they still tend to be very basic in a lot of areas. So it Doesn't hurt to save a little now and invest for better down the road.

 

[Gray Matter]

Scary scene during today's ride, we were taking a sharp right turn, I guess two people got too close, the front tire of one person hit the chain of the other person and his front tire just poped and he fell frontward, the tire and tube were pierced.

Luckily no bad injuries, just a scrapped knee and a broken pair of glasses.

 

[0OoO0]

Ended up getting the Roubaix SL4 Comp in size 52 for $AU2500 = approx $US1840. Now waiting for delivery. I hope I don't have any regrets.

 

[jakonovski]

As long as the geometry and sizing is right, you won't regret it. A ~2k road bike will go like stink no matter which brand and model.

 

[Psychotext]

I got this hangage stuff down!

 

[Christoff Yurievich]

Took a spill yesterday. Well, not so much a spill but more like this car decided it really wanted a parking space and it didn't care that I was in the bike lane. Luckily I braked hard enough and turned the bike at just the right angle (luck more than skill, that one) that all I really did was hit the car broadside and go down. My wheels are fine, but my derailleur was bent out of shape. I actually count that as a blessing in disguise as it's been a little off ever since I bought it used so I took the opportunity to just bend the whole thing back to true*.

It was funny because I somehow managed to not unclip and I was laying on my back on the ground so I looked like the world's weirdest turtle, with the bike pointing straight up.

*And that's why I'm glad I wasn't riding a nice carbon Columbia Gorge or titanium Crater Lake bike.

 

[Psychotext]

Had an over the bars today. Stupidly went one handed on a rocky bit then completely lost it. Thankfully not too damaged. Few cuts and bruises.

 

[HTupolev]

I got this hangage stuff down!

There's a wicker basket hanging from a hardtail!

 

[Mascot]

I got this hangage stuff down!

Excellent example, sir.

In other news, I've got three mates coming down tomorrow from various parts of the country for a weekend of mountain biking, beer and BBQ. Hope I'm OK. Been a bit crock lately.

 

[Psychotext]

There's a wicker basket hanging from a hardtail!

Yup, we were revisiting a trail that kicked our arses three years ago so decided to do it in style.

I had a portable speaker in mine. When we hit the hills the hardcore rap music came out.

 

[Incognito]

Ended up getting the Roubaix SL4 Comp in size 52 for $AU2500 = approx $US1840. Now waiting for delivery. I hope I don't have any regrets.

awesome, congrats! you're gonna love it.

Had an over the bars today. Stupidly went one handed on a rocky bit then completely lost it. Thankfully not too damaged. Few cuts and bruises.

i feel your pain. have gone head over handlebars twice this year and each time was solely my fault. probably the only time i'll ever experience what it feels like to be chris froome.....

BUT, the last head over handlebars incident may have inadvertently saved me a lot of pain and facial reconstruction. naturally i scratched myself up pretty good and due to being heavily immunosuppresed, a lot of my cuts and bruises healed rather slowly. one nasty cut above my right eye simply wasn't healing, however. for months it would simply scab over, i would peel off, and it would repeat process. finally at the request (demand) of my fiancee i saw a dermatologist and a few weeks ago they scraped off the lesion as they called and performed a biopsy. results were negative but nonetheless the wound was stlll open and not healing properly. so last week had another, larger biopsy in same spot and just got results a few hours ago: superficial skin cancer.

so i'm to have it surgically removed on aug 27th and they're gonna take a deeper look around to see if it's spread. based on results and the duration of the lesion though, they think it's just isolated to that location and the chances of it spreading are 1-8%. all in all, it could have been a lot worse given my condition so i'm not too worked up about it --although i have a sneaking suspicion the fiancee is going to rip me a new one once she gets home based on her last text....

at least a resolution. gonna have to start using full bottles of sunscreen cream and perhaps parkas!

 

[Gray Matter]

BAM! 1000 miles, done.

Gotta say I'm pretty damn proud of that, from a new comer to cycling community a mere four months ago, to having completed 1000 miles, feels good.

Here's to the next 1000.

 

[Jake.]

i'm having a strange (?) issue and need some advice.

bought a single speed road bike earlier this year - i'm 28 and fairly in shape (6'1/165lb) but this is the first time i've ridden a bike since i was 13 or something. anyway, within about 2-3mins of riding i get this insane amount of strain/pain in my neck and upper shoulders. after i stop riding it will ache for about half an hour and then thankfully go away.

originally i thought the frame was maybe too big, but i don't think that's the problem. i've played with different seat/handlebar heights and that hasn't made a difference either. is my body just not used to the positioning or something? i usually ride along bike paths for about 1-2hrs every week (over the last 6 months) and it hasn't gotten better.

 

[Stinkles]

Set a personal best average of 20.5 mph on my Burke Gilman trail ride. It's only a thirty mile loop and that ain't fast at all compared to some of you, but feels good to do the whole thing without being overtaken by some silent jerk on a carbon Felt.

Riding a hybrid with knobbly tires btw. And I used my voice or bell for every overtake!

 

[HTupolev]

i'm having a strange (?) issue and need some advice.

bought a single speed road bike earlier this year - i'm 28 and fairly in shape (6'1/165lb) but this is the first time i've ridden a bike since i was 13 or something. anyway, within about 2-3mins of riding i get this insane amount of strain/pain in my neck and upper shoulders. after i stop riding it will ache for about half an hour and then thankfully go away.

originally i thought the frame was maybe too big, but i don't think that's the problem. i've played with different seat/handlebar heights and that hasn't made a difference either. is my body just not used to the positioning or something? i usually ride along bike paths for about 1-2hrs every week (over the last 6 months) and it hasn't gotten better.

Are you strongly gripping the handlebars? Grip should be very relaxed most of the time.

What sort of bars does your bike have? If it's using drop bars where the hoods are narrower than your shoulders (i.e. your arms have to curve inward to grab the bars), that could be a factor.

 

[Jake.]

Are you strongly gripping the handlebars? Grip should be very relaxed most of the time.

What sort of bars does your bike have? If it's using drop bars where the hoods are narrower than your shoulders (i.e. your arms have to curve inward to grab the bars), that could be a factor.

i have this:

http://www.reidcycles.com.au/reid-griffon-singlespeed-bike.html

riser bars? my plan was to ride it for a year or so and then buy something better ($800+ AU) if i'm still using it regularly.

i guess it could be possible that i'm gripping too hard.

 

[jakonovski]

Check that your saddle is level. Could also be about bike fit, like handlebars being too low or too far away (edit: I see you tried handlebar height already).

 

[Jake.]

Check that your saddle is level. Could also be about bike fit, like handlebars being too low or too far away (edit: I see you tried handlebar height already).

should the two always be level? i thought (and based on tons of pictures that i've seen) that the saddle should be slightly higher than the handlebars.

 

[jakonovski]

should the two always be level? i thought (and based on tons of pictures that i've seen) that the saddle should be slightly higher than the handlebars.

No, I just mean that the saddle should be parallel to the ground so you're not sliding off and having to hang on to the bike with your arms.

The height of the saddle and handlebars depends on the bike and your personal measurements. For example my saddle is always super high compared to the handlebars and people freak out when they see it.

 

[Jake.]

No, I just mean that the saddle should be parallel to the ground so you're not sliding off and having to hang on to the bike with your arms.

The height of the saddle and handlebars depends on the bike and your personal measurements. For example my saddle is always super high compared to the handlebars and people freak out when they see it.

ah, in that case, yeah - it's definitely parallel.

 

[TarpitCarnivore]

i'm having a strange (?) issue and need some advice.

bought a single speed road bike earlier this year - i'm 28 and fairly in shape (6'1/165lb) but this is the first time i've ridden a bike since i was 13 or something. anyway, within about 2-3mins of riding i get this insane amount of strain/pain in my neck and upper shoulders. after i stop riding it will ache for about half an hour and then thankfully go away.

originally i thought the frame was maybe too big, but i don't think that's the problem. i've played with different seat/handlebar heights and that hasn't made a difference either. is my body just not used to the positioning or something? i usually ride along bike paths for about 1-2hrs every week (over the last 6 months) and it hasn't gotten better.

Could be posture, could be fit.

When you're riding do you find yourself pushing forward so that your shoulders are behind your neck? (think push up)

The easiest way to check saddle is sit on the and rotate a foot, on the pedal, to the 6 o clock position. You should have a slight bend to the knee.

 

[Jake.]

Could be posture, could be fit.

When you're riding do you find yourself pushing forward so that your shoulders are behind your neck? (think push up)

The easiest way to check saddle is sit on the and rotate a foot, on the pedal, to the 6 o clock position. You should have a slight bend to the knee.

hmm, i'm not sure about your first question - quite possibly? if so, how could i alleviate it?

in regards to your second question, yeah, i have a (very) slight bend in my knee at 6 o'clock.

 

[TarpitCarnivore]

Regarding shoulders: like this http://www.mtbserbia.com/files/bad-bike-posture.JPG

 

[Jake.]

Regarding shoulders: like this http://www.mtbserbia.com/files/bad-bike-posture.JPG

i'm not really sure as i've never seen myself ride (and i'm always solo), but posture might be my problem. i can't really think of anything else.

edit: just read the thread where you got the picture from and yeah, i can relate to alot of what he says even though he has a mountain bike. we are also pretty much the same height which is interesting.

 

[TarpitCarnivore]

You can just feel it when riding. While riding just think about how your shoulders feel and if it feels like they're pushing outward behind you then roll your shoulders to alleviate it. Over time you'll begin to notice these things more and more. I've become hyper aware of my body posture after so many miles on the bike so I know when I'm leaning, shifting, sliding, etc.

 

[jakonovski]

One thing you could do is go and test ride some bikes and then figure what's different in those that don't cause pain.

 

[Jake.]

One thing you could do is go and test ride some bikes and then figure what's different in those that don't cause pain.

yeah maybe. i wish i had a friend that was a bike nerd haha.

 

[HTupolev]

RAIN! WOOHOOOOOOOOOOO

YES.

Got crazy drenched on a morning half-century, and it felt amazing. RSVP was happening along much of my route, and those guys shockingly weren't quite as enthusiastic, but whatever. Getting pelted by cool water under grey skies is such a nice change, and it's fun watching a waterfall drain from the bottom of your front fender.



My Emonda ALR is apparently coming in early next week. I thought it was going to arrive this last week, but that was based on the assumption that the guy who handles ordering at the LBS wasn't visiting Trek HQ in Wisconsin. lol

 

[Incognito]

Rumors are that Contador is gonna race the Vuelta based off some vidoes taken this week of him reconning some of the climbs... Not sure what to expect if he races, though. Dude was gassed at the Tour and Majka is supposed to be team leader. Guess we'll see.

Still, some strong riders for the race. Although i'm interested in the GC race, i'm more keen on watching Astana with Nibali/Aru/Landa battle each other out and how that affects the overall.

 

[Gray Matter]

A friend I ride with showed me his cannondale road bike from the late 90s, looked like you'd expected to, rode it around the block and it felt great, it even was lighter than my 2015 trek 7.2, which honestly it surprised me. Different types of bikes, I know, but still was a bit surprised.

 

[Psychotext]

Just got back from my trip. Final ride had some of the most incredible descents I've ever done on a natural trail. Astonishing how much better it was than the manufactured trails I did the day before.

 

[TarpitCarnivore]

Rumors are that Contador is gonna race the Vuelta based off some vidoes taken this week of him reconning some of the climbs... Not sure what to expect if he races, though. Dude was gassed at the Tour and Majka is supposed to be team leader. Guess we'll see.

Still, some strong riders for the race. Although i'm interested in the GC race, i'm more keen on watching Astana with Nibali/Aru/Landa battle each other out and how that affects the overall.

I don't think he'll hold it together for the Vuelta. I'm not saying he'll crack, but he did not look in top form. Nibali should be good to go as he only got stronger as the tour went on it seemed.

 

[thomaser]

Participated in a local mtb race today. Did much better than last year up until the last 5 kilometers. Got one flat, lost 5 minutes changing the tube, rode a few minutes and got another flat and had to stop. Luckily, the last stop was right by the goal area, since the last 4 kilometers are two laps around that place. Irritating to get a race ruined by technical problems, but I'm very pleased with the 41 kilometers I got to ride. Set personal records all along the route, and the route was dry and nice and actually really fun to ride on for the first time this year.

 

[jakonovski]

I went to a local mtb race too, my first! Only 36km, but it was full of hills with some pretty intimidating descents. My goal was to get to the finish line and I did that, but it was a learning experience for sure.

 

[Stinkles]

Gorgeous morning. Gonna do a flat easy fifty. Clear my head. Cycling is when I do a combination of ridiculous daydreaming "I want that lakefront mansion" and ideation "ooh I just thought of a new ending to my next story" and critical self reflection "I am a jerk."

 

[PHOENIXZERO]

I got on a bike for the first time in over 15 years last week, unsurprisingly less than two miles and the muscle fatigue set in, mainly in my quads and besides the jelly legs I was worn out. I use to go on 20 mile rides without issue when I was a teenager so my endurance being that poor is quite annoying and I can't see myself doing that anytime soon... Working on it but with only a few months before the weather turns cold and snowy, maybe next year.

 

[thomaser]

I went to a local mtb race too, my first! Only 36km, but it was full of hills with some pretty intimidating descents. My goal was to get to the finish line and I did that, but it was a learning experience for sure.

Congrats with your first race!

Yeah, it's very instructive to do a race and see how better riders do things (until they disappear in the distance and you can't see them anymore). For example, the route I took has some technical parts that are pretty hard, and I usually just push the bike up instead of cycling when I go there by myself. Today, I just followed the guys and gals in front of me and cycled up without too much trouble. When doing a race, you learn to be more aggressive, and that simply trying a little harder than you normally do can make you go a lot faster in many places.

 

[robox]

I watched a crit race. Those guys are flyin! Now I wanna race myself

 

[jakonovski]

Congrats with your first race!

Yeah, it's very instructive to do a race and see how better riders do things (until they disappear in the distance and you can't see them anymore). For example, the route I took has some technical parts that are pretty hard, and I usually just push the bike up instead of cycling when I go there by myself. Today, I just followed the guys and gals in front of me and cycled up without too much trouble. When doing a race, you learn to be more aggressive, and that simply trying a little harder than you normally do can make you go a lot faster in many places.

Thanks! You're so right on learning from the experienced riders. It's crazy how much of mountain biking is inside your head. I can't wait to recover so I can go and try all the hard parts of the local trails.

edit: although I did run out of juice, badly. Not in the bonk kind of way, but legs just not moving uphill anymore.

 

[thomaser]

edit: although I did run out of juice, badly. Not in the bonk kind of way, but legs just not moving uphill anymore.

Well that's a problem too. Getting nutrition while cycling is one of the hardest parts for me in a race, since it takes away the use of a hand. Only managed to fit in half a nut bar and one pack of gel today, plus I had a hydration pack with water and a spoon of energy drink powder. If you use full gloves, switching to fingerless gloves makes it much easier to take out things from your pockets and open them.

 

[jakonovski]

Well that's a problem too. Getting nutrition while cycling is one of the hardest parts for me in a race, since it takes away the use of a hand. Only managed to fit in half a nut bar and one pack of gel today, plus I had a hydration pack with water and a spoon of energy drink powder. If you use full gloves, switching to fingerless gloves makes it much easier to take out things from your pockets and open them.

Yeah, I did the dumb move of waiting for a feed zone because I though it'd save me time if I didn't have to rummage for energy bars. But instead it just drained my legs because the big hills were right after the last zone, so no time to absorb anything.

 

[HTupolev]

Obviously the solution is to carry half a baguette in your jersey middle pocket.