Recommendations for a road bike newbie

03-07-2005, 09:48 AM

I'm looking to buy a road bike. I've been checking out the bikes of
some friends, and I have a general idea of what I want, but I'd like
some more input. Here are my particulars. Presently I have a hybrid
that I've been riding for a while. I ride approximately 15 miles per
day about 5 days per week weather permitting. I'd like to go a bit
faster in order to keep up with some of my friends who have road bikes.
I'd also like to participate in some of the advanced club rides in my
area. I don't mind paying what it costs for a quality bike, but I'm 38
years old and I know I'm not going to be setting any records. I'm
basically looking for something that favors comfort over all out
performance. My #1 candidate right now is a Lemond Sarthe, but I'm
open to other suggestions. I'm 5'7" and have a long torso. From what
I've read, some of the Lemond models seem to favor people with longer
torsos, but this may not be true from what little I know about the
subject.

03-07-2005, 11:35 AM

Rangersfan wrote:

> I'm 38 years old and I know I'm not going to be setting any records

I'm 39 and I don't feel over-the-hill just yet :-) I don't ride like I
did 20 years ago but I'm still in pretty good shape.

LA is, what, 33?

RFM

03-07-2005, 11:35 AM

Rangersfan wrote:

> I'm 38 years old and I know I'm not going to be setting any records

I'm 39 and I don't feel over-the-hill just yet :-) I don't ride like I
did 20 years ago but I'm still in pretty good shape.

LA is, what, 33?

RFM

03-07-2005, 03:51 PM

Rangersfan wrote:
> I'm looking to buy a road bike. I've been checking out the bikes of
> some friends, and I have a general idea of what I want, but I'd like
> some more input. Here are my particulars. Presently I have a hybrid
> that I've been riding for a while. I ride approximately 15 miles per
> day about 5 days per week weather permitting. I'd like to go a bit
> faster in order to keep up with some of my friends who have road
bikes.
> I'd also like to participate in some of the advanced club rides in
my
> area. I don't mind paying what it costs for a quality bike, but I'm
38
> years old and I know I'm not going to be setting any records. I'm
> basically looking for something that favors comfort over all out
> performance. My #1 candidate right now is a Lemond Sarthe, but I'm
> open to other suggestions. I'm 5'7" and have a long torso. From
what
> I've read, some of the Lemond models seem to favor people with longer
> torsos, but this may not be true from what little I know about the
> subject.

For your first bike, don't focus on bike selection, focus on shop
selection. The right shop will set you up with the right bike.

03-07-2005, 03:51 PM

Rangersfan wrote:
> I'm looking to buy a road bike. I've been checking out the bikes of
> some friends, and I have a general idea of what I want, but I'd like
> some more input. Here are my particulars. Presently I have a hybrid
> that I've been riding for a while. I ride approximately 15 miles per
> day about 5 days per week weather permitting. I'd like to go a bit
> faster in order to keep up with some of my friends who have road
bikes.
> I'd also like to participate in some of the advanced club rides in
my
> area. I don't mind paying what it costs for a quality bike, but I'm
38
> years old and I know I'm not going to be setting any records. I'm
> basically looking for something that favors comfort over all out
> performance. My #1 candidate right now is a Lemond Sarthe, but I'm
> open to other suggestions. I'm 5'7" and have a long torso. From
what
> I've read, some of the Lemond models seem to favor people with longer
> torsos, but this may not be true from what little I know about the
> subject.

For your first bike, don't focus on bike selection, focus on shop
selection. The right shop will set you up with the right bike.

03-07-2005, 07:43 PM

Rangersfan wrote:
> I'm looking to buy a road bike. I've been checking out the bikes of
> some friends, and I have a general idea of what I want, but I'd like
> some more input. Here are my particulars. Presently I have a hybrid
> that I've been riding for a while. I ride approximately 15 miles per
> day about 5 days per week weather permitting. I'd like to go a bit
> faster in order to keep up with some of my friends who have road
bikes.
> I'd also like to participate in some of the advanced club rides in
my
> area. I don't mind paying what it costs for a quality bike, but I'm
38
> years old and I know I'm not going to be setting any records. I'm
> basically looking for something that favors comfort over all out
> performance. My #1 candidate right now is a Lemond Sarthe, but I'm
> open to other suggestions. I'm 5'7" and have a long torso. From
what
> I've read, some of the Lemond models seem to favor people with longer
> torsos, but this may not be true from what little I know about the
> subject.

Yeah, go to a shop. Nobody on this message board can help you anywhere
NEAR as much as a good, local bike shop.

-Bill H.

03-07-2005, 07:43 PM

Rangersfan wrote:
> I'm looking to buy a road bike. I've been checking out the bikes of
> some friends, and I have a general idea of what I want, but I'd like
> some more input. Here are my particulars. Presently I have a hybrid
> that I've been riding for a while. I ride approximately 15 miles per
> day about 5 days per week weather permitting. I'd like to go a bit
> faster in order to keep up with some of my friends who have road
bikes.
> I'd also like to participate in some of the advanced club rides in
my
> area. I don't mind paying what it costs for a quality bike, but I'm
38
> years old and I know I'm not going to be setting any records. I'm
> basically looking for something that favors comfort over all out
> performance. My #1 candidate right now is a Lemond Sarthe, but I'm
> open to other suggestions. I'm 5'7" and have a long torso. From
what
> I've read, some of the Lemond models seem to favor people with longer
> torsos, but this may not be true from what little I know about the
> subject.

Yeah, go to a shop. Nobody on this message board can help you anywhere
NEAR as much as a good, local bike shop.

-Bill H.

03-07-2005, 09:39 PM

7 Mar 2005 20:43:59 -0800,
<1110257039.272592.62660@l41g2000cwc.googlegroups. com>, "Bill H."
<[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:

>
>Yeah, go to a shop. Nobody on this message board can help you anywhere
>NEAR as much as a good, local bike shop.

This is a newsgroup, using the NNTP protocol, not a "message board",
whatever the hell that is. There is much valuable information
contained in Usenet archives where stupid remarks are neither forgiven
nor forgotten.

There are people posting to this hierarchy of groups, from all over
the world who've been riding and wrenching bikes far longer than the
average LBS employee has been riding without training wheels. It's
likely to be the best resource in the world if you can learn to ignore
the bull****ers and nobodies.

I see you're accessing this group with your point&click web browser
(HTTP) so probably know squat anyway.
--
zk

03-07-2005, 09:39 PM

7 Mar 2005 20:43:59 -0800,
<1110257039.272592.62660@l41g2000cwc.googlegroups. com>, "Bill H."
<[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:

>
>Yeah, go to a shop. Nobody on this message board can help you anywhere
>NEAR as much as a good, local bike shop.

This is a newsgroup, using the NNTP protocol, not a "message board",
whatever the hell that is. There is much valuable information
contained in Usenet archives where stupid remarks are neither forgiven
nor forgotten.

There are people posting to this hierarchy of groups, from all over
the world who've been riding and wrenching bikes far longer than the
average LBS employee has been riding without training wheels. It's
likely to be the best resource in the world if you can learn to ignore
the bull****ers and nobodies.

I see you're accessing this group with your point&click web browser
(HTTP) so probably know squat anyway.
--
zk

03-07-2005, 10:16 PM

Rangersfan wrote:
> I'm looking to buy a road bike. I've been checking out the bikes of
> some friends, and I have a general idea of what I want, but I'd like
> some more input. Here are my particulars. Presently I have a hybrid
> that I've been riding for a while. I ride approximately 15 miles per
> day about 5 days per week weather permitting. I'd like to go a bit
> faster in order to keep up with some of my friends who have road
bikes.
> I'd also like to participate in some of the advanced club rides in
my
> area. I don't mind paying what it costs for a quality bike, but I'm
38
> years old and I know I'm not going to be setting any records. I'm
> basically looking for something that favors comfort over all out
> performance. My #1 candidate right now is a Lemond Sarthe, but I'm
> open to other suggestions. I'm 5'7" and have a long torso. From
what
> I've read, some of the Lemond models seem to favor people with longer
> torsos, but this may not be true from what little I know about the
> subject.