Recommendations for a road bike newbie - Page 2 - Cycling Mob: Road Cycling, Mountain Biking and More

03-07-2005, 11:16 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.

03-08-2005, 05:10 AM

Zoot Katz wrote:

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

Assumptions of course make an ass of....

Of course you also stated:

"There is much valuable information contained in Usenet archives where
stupid remarks are neither forgiven nor forgotten."

Be nice, eh? The OP just asked for an answer not for instult/abuse. We all
know your area of expertise now. Thanks for telling us all about yourself.
Are you just trolling for "fun"?

03-08-2005, 05:10 AM

Zoot Katz wrote:

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

Assumptions of course make an ass of....

Of course you also stated:

"There is much valuable information contained in Usenet archives where
stupid remarks are neither forgiven nor forgotten."

Be nice, eh? The OP just asked for an answer not for instult/abuse. We all
know your area of expertise now. Thanks for telling us all about yourself.
Are you just trolling for "fun"?

03-08-2005, 07:38 AM

I have an excellent bike shop less than a mile from my house. The only
problem is their selection of bikes is limited to just a few models. I
know their recommendation will be limited in scope to those bikes. I'd
just rather have a recommendation not limited to the particular stock
of any one bike shop.

03-08-2005, 07:47 AM

Zoot Katz wrote:
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

Woo Hoooo...... That was harsh sweetie!!! Speaking as an honest
somebody who knows nothing about bikes....that was truly harsh.
Maggie

03-08-2005, 08:44 AM

Zoot Katz wrote:
> 7 Mar 2005 20:43:59 -0800,

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

There are those of us who access newsgroups from multiple machines,
some of which do not have the same operating systems. You shouldn't
assume that the method you use is the best or smartest.

03-08-2005, 10:38 AM

Rangersfan wrote:
> I have an excellent bike shop less than a mile from my house. The
only
> problem is their selection of bikes is limited to just a few models.
I
> know their recommendation will be limited in scope to those bikes.
I'd
> just rather have a recommendation not limited to the particular stock
> of any one bike shop.

That's a valid consideration.

If I were in your situation, I would still go to the bike shop first.
Since you mention comfort as a priority, tell the shop employee what
you're looking for. They may not have a huge range of models to choose
from so just look at what they DO have. You're not committing yourself
to one make or model just by showing up.

You list comfort as a priority. I know from experience that comfort is
a criterion that means something different to everybody. The amount of
time you'll be spending on the bike will factor in, as well as how a
particular bike fits you. You'll really only learn about this by
actually hopping on bike.

If you're not satisfied with the selection at the first biks shop,
you'll at least have a personal basis for comparison. You can evaluate
future bikes based on whatever criteria you've determinie will be most
important.

As a personal example, I bought a new mountain bike last year. I went
to a few different shops (3, to be exact) and told them basically what
I was looking for and what I had to spend. The first shop I went to
let me take a couple Gary Fishers for a test drive. I ended up getting
the Marlin, even though the Tassajara had better components. The
problem with the Tass, even though it was still in my budget, was that
it was just a little too uncomfortable to ride. Had I done my primary
research over the Internet, I would probably have gotten more
recommendations for the Tass because of the components, but would have
still had the comfort problem. So trying out the bikes in person told
me a lot more than I would have learned online.

I'm not dismissing Usenet as a resource. It's great for a lot of
things, but I think trying out something in person is the only way
you'll really decide on a bike. That being said, I wouldn't even
consider purchasing a bike over the Internet. So my suggestion "go to
a shop" isn't a rebuke, but a well-reasoned recommendation based on
what you specified.

Good luck.

-Bill H.

03-08-2005, 10:43 AM

Zoot Katz wrote:
> 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

What an *******. The guy came here looking for advice. Why don't you
give it to him (if you have any) or shut up and shove your "I am the
alpha nerd" attitude up your ass.

03-08-2005, 10:51 AM

Bill H. wrote:
> I'm not dismissing Usenet as a resource. It's great for a lot of
> things, but I think trying out something in person is the only way
> you'll really decide on a bike. That being said, I wouldn't even
> consider purchasing a bike over the Internet. So my suggestion "go
to
> a shop" isn't a rebuke, but a well-reasoned recommendation based on
> what you specified.
>
> Good luck.

That's all great information. I've spoken to a few friends with road
bikes. I've also already been to a couple of bike shops and have tried
out several bikes. The best one I've found so far is the Lemond
Sarthe. I'm not all that convinced I can tell that much about comfort
from a short test ride given my inexperience with road bikes. I'm
asking here because I'm looking for more information than what I
already have. I'm not looking to solely base my decision on any one
source.

03-08-2005, 11:06 AM

Velo Psycho wrote:
> Zoot Katz wrote:
>> 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
>
> What an *******. The guy came here looking for advice. Why don't you
> give it to him (if you have any) or shut up and shove your "I am the
> alpha nerd" attitude up your ass.

While you've summed up Snooty Putz quite nicely, he *wasn't* flaming the OP
(Rangersfan), but rather Bill H.

Carry on...

/B