Trek 7500FX or 1000C? - Page 5

08-02-2004, 08:29 PM

I've ridden high mileage on road bikes, and hybrid bikes, and mountain bikes
with road tires. Yes, conventional wisdom is that road bikes and road bars
are more comfortable.

Balderdash. Horses for courses.

For high mileage, in low traffic at the highest possible speed, nothing
beats a road bike with drop bars.

As soon as the traffic gets heavier than a road bike puts you in a
compromised position for seeing the road. As soon as road conditions get
bad the skinny tires become flat prone.

For heads down racing and club riding at the highest possible speed, a road
bike is required. For touring, moderate distances (100 miles or less) and
moderate speed, a mountain bike with road slicks or a hybrid bike (so long
as you add bar ends or some alternative for varying your position) is going
to be more comfortable, provide a better view of the road, provide less
worry about flats, and be less jarring. You won't go as fast, and the extra
weight will make hills a bit more tiring, but you won't be nearly as tired
from struggling to hold your head up in order to see where you are going,
and you'll be a lot more relaxed not worrying about flats.

I've ridden thousands of miles on road bikes, but for most riding I find
that I reach for a mountain bike with road slicks.

08-02-2004, 09:25 PM

On Tue, 03 Aug 2004 04:29:05 GMT, "Sherry Katz" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>
wrote:

<SNIP>
> For touring, moderate distances (100 miles or less) and
>moderate speed, a mountain bike with road slicks or a hybrid bike (so long
>as you add bar ends or some alternative for varying your position) is going
>to be more comfortable, provide a better view of the road, provide less
>worry about flats, and be less jarring.

I can't get comfortable on flat bars for longer than a few
miles/minutes. Can't. My wrists get put in places they don't want to
be, and unless I'm going to be pulling UP on the bars a lot (pulling
the wheel over obstacles, say), I prefer having my wrists face each
other rather than the pavement.

Bar-ends are always too wide for me to be comfortable. then I can't
brake from them, either.

So I like drops. One of my bikes had moustache-like bars, and I liked
those for tooling around the city--I'd seriously consider going to a
moustache-bar setup again, someday.

And bizarrrely, I actually *like* to be hunched over, if only a bit,
when I'm sitting on a bike. Bolt-upright postures make me
uncomfortable and unsteady; once I get down and put a bit more weight
on my arms, I'm comfy.

As far as flats and jarring: I ride a Jamis Aurora, my tires are
700Cx 32mm and full pressure, and the whole thing rides just like I
want it: smooth, steady, just fast enough. Just right.

Bottom line: your handlebar choice--indeed, your whole choice of
bike-- is pretty personal.

-Luigi

08-02-2004, 09:25 PM

On Tue, 03 Aug 2004 04:29:05 GMT, "Sherry Katz" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>
wrote:

<SNIP>
> For touring, moderate distances (100 miles or less) and
>moderate speed, a mountain bike with road slicks or a hybrid bike (so long
>as you add bar ends or some alternative for varying your position) is going
>to be more comfortable, provide a better view of the road, provide less
>worry about flats, and be less jarring.

I can't get comfortable on flat bars for longer than a few
miles/minutes. Can't. My wrists get put in places they don't want to
be, and unless I'm going to be pulling UP on the bars a lot (pulling
the wheel over obstacles, say), I prefer having my wrists face each
other rather than the pavement.

Bar-ends are always too wide for me to be comfortable. then I can't
brake from them, either.

So I like drops. One of my bikes had moustache-like bars, and I liked
those for tooling around the city--I'd seriously consider going to a
moustache-bar setup again, someday.

And bizarrrely, I actually *like* to be hunched over, if only a bit,
when I'm sitting on a bike. Bolt-upright postures make me
uncomfortable and unsteady; once I get down and put a bit more weight
on my arms, I'm comfy.

As far as flats and jarring: I ride a Jamis Aurora, my tires are
700Cx 32mm and full pressure, and the whole thing rides just like I
want it: smooth, steady, just fast enough. Just right.

Bottom line: your handlebar choice--indeed, your whole choice of
bike-- is pretty personal.

-Luigi

08-02-2004, 09:25 PM

On Tue, 03 Aug 2004 04:29:05 GMT, "Sherry Katz" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>
wrote:

<SNIP>
> For touring, moderate distances (100 miles or less) and
>moderate speed, a mountain bike with road slicks or a hybrid bike (so long
>as you add bar ends or some alternative for varying your position) is going
>to be more comfortable, provide a better view of the road, provide less
>worry about flats, and be less jarring.

I can't get comfortable on flat bars for longer than a few
miles/minutes. Can't. My wrists get put in places they don't want to
be, and unless I'm going to be pulling UP on the bars a lot (pulling
the wheel over obstacles, say), I prefer having my wrists face each
other rather than the pavement.

Bar-ends are always too wide for me to be comfortable. then I can't
brake from them, either.

So I like drops. One of my bikes had moustache-like bars, and I liked
those for tooling around the city--I'd seriously consider going to a
moustache-bar setup again, someday.

And bizarrrely, I actually *like* to be hunched over, if only a bit,
when I'm sitting on a bike. Bolt-upright postures make me
uncomfortable and unsteady; once I get down and put a bit more weight
on my arms, I'm comfy.

As far as flats and jarring: I ride a Jamis Aurora, my tires are
700Cx 32mm and full pressure, and the whole thing rides just like I
want it: smooth, steady, just fast enough. Just right.

Bottom line: your handlebar choice--indeed, your whole choice of
bike-- is pretty personal.

-Luigi

08-02-2004, 09:25 PM

On Tue, 03 Aug 2004 04:29:05 GMT, "Sherry Katz" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>
wrote:

<SNIP>
> For touring, moderate distances (100 miles or less) and
>moderate speed, a mountain bike with road slicks or a hybrid bike (so long
>as you add bar ends or some alternative for varying your position) is going
>to be more comfortable, provide a better view of the road, provide less
>worry about flats, and be less jarring.

I can't get comfortable on flat bars for longer than a few
miles/minutes. Can't. My wrists get put in places they don't want to
be, and unless I'm going to be pulling UP on the bars a lot (pulling
the wheel over obstacles, say), I prefer having my wrists face each
other rather than the pavement.

Bar-ends are always too wide for me to be comfortable. then I can't
brake from them, either.

So I like drops. One of my bikes had moustache-like bars, and I liked
those for tooling around the city--I'd seriously consider going to a
moustache-bar setup again, someday.

And bizarrrely, I actually *like* to be hunched over, if only a bit,
when I'm sitting on a bike. Bolt-upright postures make me
uncomfortable and unsteady; once I get down and put a bit more weight
on my arms, I'm comfy.

As far as flats and jarring: I ride a Jamis Aurora, my tires are
700Cx 32mm and full pressure, and the whole thing rides just like I
want it: smooth, steady, just fast enough. Just right.

Bottom line: your handlebar choice--indeed, your whole choice of
bike-- is pretty personal.

-Luigi

08-02-2004, 09:25 PM

On Tue, 03 Aug 2004 04:29:05 GMT, "Sherry Katz" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>
wrote:

<SNIP>
> For touring, moderate distances (100 miles or less) and
>moderate speed, a mountain bike with road slicks or a hybrid bike (so long
>as you add bar ends or some alternative for varying your position) is going
>to be more comfortable, provide a better view of the road, provide less
>worry about flats, and be less jarring.

I can't get comfortable on flat bars for longer than a few
miles/minutes. Can't. My wrists get put in places they don't want to
be, and unless I'm going to be pulling UP on the bars a lot (pulling
the wheel over obstacles, say), I prefer having my wrists face each
other rather than the pavement.

Bar-ends are always too wide for me to be comfortable. then I can't
brake from them, either.

So I like drops. One of my bikes had moustache-like bars, and I liked
those for tooling around the city--I'd seriously consider going to a
moustache-bar setup again, someday.

And bizarrrely, I actually *like* to be hunched over, if only a bit,
when I'm sitting on a bike. Bolt-upright postures make me
uncomfortable and unsteady; once I get down and put a bit more weight
on my arms, I'm comfy.

As far as flats and jarring: I ride a Jamis Aurora, my tires are
700Cx 32mm and full pressure, and the whole thing rides just like I
want it: smooth, steady, just fast enough. Just right.

Bottom line: your handlebar choice--indeed, your whole choice of
bike-- is pretty personal.

-Luigi

08-02-2004, 09:49 PM

On 2 Aug 2004 15:55:27 -0700, John wrote:

> I am not sure which bike will work better for me. I think I will
> ride on pavement and ruled out mountain bikes. On the other hand,
> I do not want to spend that much on a purebred road bike.

Why not? Road bikes are more comfortable, because the dropped
bars give you several hand positions, and more rewarding, because
you'll go faster for the same effort, and will be able to ride with groups
without being at a disadvantage.

IMHO all of these are important motivational factors for sticking with
riding. I don't know what motivates mountain bikers - negotiating
difficult terrain, presumably.

--
bpo gallery at [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

08-02-2004, 09:49 PM

On 2 Aug 2004 15:55:27 -0700, John wrote:

> I am not sure which bike will work better for me. I think I will
> ride on pavement and ruled out mountain bikes. On the other hand,
> I do not want to spend that much on a purebred road bike.

Why not? Road bikes are more comfortable, because the dropped
bars give you several hand positions, and more rewarding, because
you'll go faster for the same effort, and will be able to ride with groups
without being at a disadvantage.

IMHO all of these are important motivational factors for sticking with
riding. I don't know what motivates mountain bikers - negotiating
difficult terrain, presumably.

--
bpo gallery at [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

08-02-2004, 09:49 PM

On 2 Aug 2004 15:55:27 -0700, John wrote:

> I am not sure which bike will work better for me. I think I will
> ride on pavement and ruled out mountain bikes. On the other hand,
> I do not want to spend that much on a purebred road bike.

Why not? Road bikes are more comfortable, because the dropped
bars give you several hand positions, and more rewarding, because
you'll go faster for the same effort, and will be able to ride with groups
without being at a disadvantage.

IMHO all of these are important motivational factors for sticking with
riding. I don't know what motivates mountain bikers - negotiating
difficult terrain, presumably.

--
bpo gallery at [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

08-02-2004, 09:49 PM

On 2 Aug 2004 15:55:27 -0700, John wrote:

> I am not sure which bike will work better for me. I think I will
> ride on pavement and ruled out mountain bikes. On the other hand,
> I do not want to spend that much on a purebred road bike.

Why not? Road bikes are more comfortable, because the dropped
bars give you several hand positions, and more rewarding, because
you'll go faster for the same effort, and will be able to ride with groups
without being at a disadvantage.

IMHO all of these are important motivational factors for sticking with
riding. I don't know what motivates mountain bikers - negotiating
difficult terrain, presumably.

--
bpo gallery at [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]