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[Teggy]

One thing that really surprised me getting back into cycling, is that even though competitive cycling has its real roots in Europe, so many of the top pro teams ride American brands. There are exceptions, obviously (UK, Canada, Italy, Switzerland, France), but these are mostly one-off exceptions and between Specialized, Trek, Giant, Scott and Cannondale you have a lot of American bikes. And groupsets are like 80% Shimano, with some SRAM (American) and Campagnolo thrown in.

Also finding out that Mongoose, which was like the most coveted BMX bike when I was a kid, is now Walmart trash.

 

[trebbble]

Ha ha..! Yes, it was a very good deal. Like, the whole bike for the price of the carbon wheelset good.

Ill be interested in your take on the lefty setup after you've given it a few shakedown rides. Was always intrigued by them, but never enough to throw a leg over one. Congratulations on the new bike! Happy you got such a great deal too

 

[HTupolev]

One thing that really surprised me getting back into cycling, is that even though competitive cycling has its real roots in Europe, so many of the top pro teams ride American brands. There are exceptions, obviously (UK, Canada, Italy, Switzerland, France), but these are mostly one-off exceptions and between Specialized, Trek, Giant, Scott and Cannondale you have a lot of American bikes.

Giant is Taiwanese. SCOTT was originally from America, but is now Swiss. Cannondale is American, but is owned by Canadian conglomerate Dorel.

Also finding out that Mongoose, which was like the most coveted BMX bike when I was a kid, is now Walmart trash.

They basically offer two lines: a bunch of BSOs, and an online store consisting of things that would pass for entry-level bikes. The Schwinn brand does the same thing. Both brands are run by Pacific Cycles which - you guessed it! - is a division of Dorel.

I said a while ago that black bikes were the bestest of bikes...

Nice!

 

[phazedplasma]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRIV-XjQjbs

Baaalliiii

 

[ajfoucault]

I commuted to work for a whole entire year with this one:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/29-Genesis-Onyx-Cruiser-Men-s-Bike-Black/16203481

2.5 miles going and 2.5 miles coming back. 5 miles monday through saturday. Make sure to get knee braces, tho, or raise the seat high when riding.

 

[Teggy]

They basically offer two lines: a bunch of BSOs, and an online store consisting of things that would pass for entry-level bikes. The Schwinn brand does the same thing. Both brands are run by Pacific Cycles which - you guessed it! - is a division of Dorel.

Diamondback was the other hot brand when I was young, but it looks like they still make real bikes, and many more types than they used to.

 

[Psychotext]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRIV-XjQjbs

Baaalliiii

Livin the life yo.

 

[Mascot]

Muddy Fox used to be a respected British MTB brand back in the day, then Sports Direct bought rights to the name and started churning out sweatshop shit made of balsa wood and blotting paper. Ditto Kangol, Karrimor and a whole host of other once-great names. They're a fucking cancer.

 

[Psychotext]

I still buy Karrimor shoes from time to time. They don't last long, but I always find them fairly comfortable.

 

[Mascot]

Ill be interested in your take on the lefty setup after you've given it a few shakedown rides. Was always intrigued by them, but never enough to throw a leg over one. Congratulations on the new bike! Happy you got such a great deal too

Will do. I'm quite excited about the whole bike but the Lefty more than anything. I've heard such great things about it.

 

[Psychotext]

You should come do Afan with me in... uhh...

/checks calendar

...October!

 

[phazedplasma]

Doin my first enduro race this weekend, any tips?

 

[Psychotext]

1: Don't fall off.
2: Have fun.

 

[Mascot]

You should come do Afan with me in... uhh...

/checks calendar

...October!

Sounds like a plan, but no way am I poking brambles down the end of my schlong or shoving fast-growing bamboo up my jacksie.

FUN is planned, yes,?

 

[Psychotext]

Yeah, that's why I picked Afan rather than one of my usual natural rides.

 

[Teggy]

Hey Psycho, I got something in my neighborhood if you want to make a trip to the States next year:

Each August over 1,400 bicyclists descended on Franklin County to participate in the nation’s largest dirt-road cycling event, the Deerfield Dirt Road Randonnée. Hosted by Franklin Land Trust (FLT), last year the ride attracted cyclists from 26 states and 5 countries.
This year, which marks the 12th anniversary of the event, promises to be the best attended yet!

“D2R2,” as the ride has been nicknamed, offers six dirt-road courses ranging in length from 20 mile Family Ride to 116 mile challenging course. All routes begin at Old Deerfield and thread through agricultural land and forests in western Massachusetts and southern Vermont. The short course has a flat run up the Green River valley, whereas the long course is regarded as perhaps the hardest century ride in the world.

http://www.franklinlandtrust.org/d2r2

I guess I would have to go N+1 if I wanted to attempt that thing.

 

[HTupolev]

Hey Psycho, I got something in my neighborhood if you want to make a trip to the States next year:

Are you trying to use a bit of dirt on the ground to trick him into becoming a roadie?

D:

 

[Teggy]

Are you trying to use a bit of dirt on the ground to trick him into becoming a roadie?

D:

It's 13,000 feet of climbing with lots of 10-15% grades (supposed to be a 20% in there somewhere). Isn't that "mountain" biking?

 

[Mascot]

I guess I would have to go N+1 if I wanted to attempt that thing.

I guess I would have to go Ass+1 if I wanted to attempt that thing.

 

[Psychotext]

I'd smash its face in. No question.

Related, I'm going to carry my road bike on my back to a particular road (after one of my fave mountain biking trails) that I want to beat a friend of mine's time on next year... just to prove a point.

Edit - If there's ever a NY F1 race I'll have to visit and pop up for a ride. Or maybe come down from the Canadian one for a day. \o/

Edit 2 - Shorts arrived. Really nice material, very comfortable.

 

[TarpitCarnivore]

One thing that really surprised me getting back into cycling, is that even though competitive cycling has its real roots in Europe, so many of the top pro teams ride American brands. There are exceptions, obviously (UK, Canada, Italy, Switzerland, France), but these are mostly one-off exceptions and between Specialized, Trek, Giant, Scott and Cannondale you have a lot of American bikes. And groupsets are like 80% Shimano, with some SRAM (American) and Campagnolo thrown in.

Also finding out that Mongoose, which was like the most coveted BMX bike when I was a kid, is now Walmart trash.

A lot of those brands may be american based, in some capacity, but they all get manufactured over seas.

I'm pretty sure GT, Diamondback, Mongoose are all part of the same conglomerate now.

 

[Stinkles]

One thing that really surprised me getting back into cycling, is that even though competitive cycling has its real roots in Europe, so many of the top pro teams ride American brands. There are exceptions, obviously (UK, Canada, Italy, Switzerland, France), but these are mostly one-off exceptions and between Specialized, Trek, Giant, Scott and Cannondale you have a lot of American bikes. And groupsets are like 80% Shimano, with some SRAM (American) and Campagnolo thrown in.

Also finding out that Mongoose, which was like the most coveted BMX bike when I was a kid, is now Walmart trash.

I'm always surprised in Europe , especially continental Europe by the comparative lack of light mountain and hybrid bikes as city bikes. Having ridden plenty of those heavy and ridiculous Dutch city bikes, I can't wrap my head around anyone riding them outside of Victorian ladies. The weight, handling, flexibility and utility are all shocking to me. It's better in London and Paris. But I personally think it's tradition winning over practicality.

 

[danowat]

A lot of those brands may be american based, in some capacity, but they all get manufactured over seas.

I'm pretty sure GT, Diamondback, Mongoose are all part of the same conglomerate now.

Nearly all bike frames / forks, heck even top end Italian machines, are made in the far east, you need to go to an artisan frame builder to get something that isn't.

 

[Teggy]

I guess I would have to go Ass+1 if I wanted to attempt that thing.

I'd smash its face in. No question.

What do you think would be the right kind of bike for something like this? Seems like a cross bike would be good for long dirt road sections, but the small chainring of an MB would be best for those really steep climbs. So like an MB but swapped out with narrower tires maybe?

 

[Psychotext]

CX bikes tend to have lower gearing anyway. If it wasn't low enough there wouldn't be anything stopping you swapping in smaller gears up front.

 

[Teggy]

CX bikes tend to have lower gearing anyway. If it wasn't low enough there wouldn't be anything stopping you swapping in smaller gears up front.

The only thing with buying a CX bike is you have this bike that's a bit better for riding on rough roads, but then you still don't have a mountain bike.

 

[Psychotext]

Depends entirely what you want to do though. I've seen CX bikes used on properly techy trails. It's all down to have much skill you can bring to bear.

For most people, they wouldn't even see any action on anything with more than roll-able obstacles. Sure, I wouldn't personally huck them off big drops, but people have.

 

[Teggy]

I need to stop thinking about getting more bikes, lol. I want to get a Kickr or a Tacx in the fall, and then we'll see next year.

 

[-SG]

Anyone have any recommendations for road handlebars? I took a spill in the wet over the weekend and managed to bend one of the drops slightly. I hear good things about the Ritchey Logic II bars but I'm guessing this is one of those personal preference things?

 

[Psychotext]

Those women on the track are fucking warriors. So inspiring.

I was mid a tough two hour trainer session watching Trott and I couldn't help ramping up my power as she was putting the efforts in.

 

[Mascot]

Those women on the track are fucking warriors. So inspiring.

I was mid a tough two hour trainer session watching Trott and I couldn't help ramping up my power as she was putting the efforts in.

Yeah, it's been a pretty awesome few days.

Whoever designed the crotch area of the British Jimmettes skin suits is a bloody pervert though.

 

[Psychotext]

ha, I hadn't noticed. Now I'll need to go back and see what you mean.

 

[frontieruk]

ha, I hadn't noticed. Now I'll need to go back and see what you mean.

You missed the camel toe effect they had going on?

 

[Psychotext]

I did. I'm more of a leg and ass man.

Having just looked at some pics I have noticed that it all gets very stretched and sort of see through around the crotch area though.

 

[TarpitCarnivore]

Hey Psycho, I got something in my neighborhood if you want to make a trip to the States next year:



http://www.franklinlandtrust.org/d2r2

I guess I would have to go N+1 if I wanted to attempt that thing.

You could absolutely do this on your Allez. It's gravel and fire roads which a ton of people do on regular ole road bikes. If I'm reading it right the stock rims can support 28s which isn't going to make things super easy, but it all more grip. The only reason I'd say not to is an aluminum road geometry bike is so incredibly stiff with bumps and the like.

 

[Teggy]

You could absolutely do this on your Allez. It's gravel and fire roads which a ton of people do on regular ole road bikes. If I'm reading it right the stock rims can support 28s which isn't going to make things super easy, but it all more grip. The only reason I'd say not to is an aluminum road geometry bike is so incredibly stiff with bumps and the like.

I don't have an Allez, I have a carbon Roubaix, which is better suited even. Although I don't think I want to do 15 degree + grades on a compact chainring.

And stop trying to talk me out of buying another bike

 

[TarpitCarnivore]

I don't have an Allez, I have a carbon Roubaix, which is better suited even. Although I don't think I want to do 15 degree + grades on a compact chainring.

You can do it on a compact though...may not be super easy now, but you can do it.

You really shouldn't go out and buy a new bike just for this single purpose. If you had no bike and wanted this, I'd say yeah look into something a bit better. Just remember though that even CX bikes may not have a ton of tire clearance. Having done 25, 28 and 32c tires on dirt/gravel I would not want to be on anything smaller than 32c.

 

[Teggy]

You can do it on a compact though...may not be super easy now, but you can do it.

You really shouldn't go out and buy a new bike just for this single purpose. If you had no bike and wanted this, I'd say yeah look into something a bit better. Just remember though that even CX bikes may not have a ton of tire clearance. Having done 25, 28 and 32c tires on dirt/gravel I would not want to be on anything smaller than 32c.

This is something I would do next year and would buy the bike next summer or something. I would like a bike that I could take on trails at some point and this would be a good excuse to do that. But I don't want to wind up with a bike that can do 100 miles on dirt and gravel and steep inclines, but then can't really go on any fun trails. But I also wouldn't want to get a really heavy bike that would be hell to ride for 100 miles. There may not really be a good medium and this might really be a 2 bike solution. But there are so many different bike classes these days, maybe not. I mean, Specialized has these things they call "adventure bikes".

 

[TarpitCarnivore]

I mean, Specialized has these things they call "adventure bikes".

Those bikes often have slightly different geometry, but mostly it's their accommodation of larger tires. The thing with those "adventure" bikes (Spec, Salsa, Santa Cruz) is you're going to be paying a pretty penny for a specific bike type -- Salsa's was 1900 for tiagra and Santa Cruz was 3300. You might be able to get a good deal with Kona, especially since they have a lot more options.

All that said, you can certainly buy one of those bikes and ride it full time. That's what I did last year when I built a new one around multi-surface riding. It's not going to be as "quick" as your aluminum race geometry, but you can certainly do more than fine on them.

 

[jem0208]

So this is where Gaf talks about biking, spent a while looking through off topic until I remembered there was an off topic community forum...



Anyone got any recommendations for a cheap road bike? I’ve done a lot of mountain biking in the past but I’ve recently been getting into road biking. So far I’ve just been borrowing a bike but I’d like to get my own.

Been looking at this based off some pretty decent reviews but honestly I don’t really know anything about road bikes so any advice would be appreciated...

 

[Psychotext]

It's hard to argue against it for the price; but it's heavier than both my XC mountain bikes...

 

[frontieruk]

It's hard to argue against it for the price; but it's heavier than both my XC mountain bikes...

Bet you paid at least twice as much as well...

 

[jem0208]

It's hard to argue against it for the price; but it's heavier than both my XC mountain bikes...

I’m a semi broke student so price is pretty important for me...

Also it’s about 3 or 4kg lighter than the bike I’ve been using this summer so the weight shouldn’t really be an issue. At least I don’t think it will be...

 

[Psychotext]

Bet you paid at least twice as much as well...

Sure, but then I paid less than twice as much for my road bike, which is a good 2kg lighter than that one.

I’m a semi broke student so price is pretty important for me...

I'd personally look at used, because you can get some ridiculous bargains (especially after summer)... but obviously I'm experienced at looking at bikes.

At the end of the day, it's well reviewed, and has won an award or two, so I reckon you'll be fine.

 

[jem0208]

Sure, but then I paid less than twice as much for my road bike, which is a good 2kg lighter than that one.

What’s your road bike?

 

[Psychotext]

Giant Defy (was on offer).

 

[jem0208]

Giant Defy (was on offer).

Hmm, the Giant Defy 4 is on sale for £420 but that might be slightly outside of my budget.

I'd personally look at used, because you can get some ridiculous bargains (especially after summer)... but obviously I'm experienced at looking at bikes.

At the end of the day, it's well reviewed, and has won an award or two, so I reckon you'll be fine.

I probably would look at used but I don’t really know where or what to look for...

 

[Mascot]

I’ve done a lot of mountain biking in the past but I’ve recently been getting into road biking.

You are dead to me.

 

[danowat]

Hmm, the Giant Defy 4 is on sale for £420 but that might be slightly outside of my budget.




I probably would look at used but I don’t really know where or what to look for...

Maybe have a look at the B-Twin range, I don't think you'll get any better bang for buck.

They are better than the usual cheap BSO's, and I've known many people have the Triban as a first bike.

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-500-road-bike-black-id_8331913.html

 

[jem0208]

You are dead to me.

Woah, woah, woah. Just to be clear, no road is ever going to beat bombing down some good singletrack. The problem is that where I go to Uni is pretty devoid of mountain biking and I need something to scratch the itch. Also I’m considering biking to campus and that would be a massive pain on my mountain bike.

Maybe have a look at the B-Twin range, I don't think you'll get any better bang for buck.

They are better than the usual cheap BSO's, and I've known many people have the Triban as a first bike.

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-500-road-bike-black-id_8331913.html

The triban 500 SE is actully the first thing I asked about

Been looking at this based off some pretty decent reviews but honestly I don’t really know anything about road bikes so any advice would be appreciated...

That said the bike you linked is £50 cheaper, is the SE worth the extra £50? The SE has a carbon fork and a Shimano cassette/crankset whereas the standard 500 has a steel fork and a Sunrace cassette.