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Dheorl
The Scope
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Posted - 2008.07.08 16:24:00 -
[1]
Hi, guys.
I'm currently planning on buying a new bike (the pedal kind) but really don't know what to get.
I was something that is good on the road (as in it's actually valid to take the bike rather than a car to get somewhere) but I want it to at least be able to do dirt tracks (obviously nothing to bumpy) and ride across fields/parks etc.
The best thing I've seen for this so far is probably the specialized tricross but it seems maybe a bit pricey. Anyone had any experience with this bike or got ideas as to a different bike that would suit me?
Thanks in advance.
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Arvald
Caldari Aurora Acclivitous Paxton Federation
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Posted - 2008.07.08 16:25:00 -
[2]
throw it off a two story house onto pavement and if it dont break get it
Originally by: Xanos Blackpaw Stealthbomber combat (or as i like to call it: Just because you are paranoid don't mean there isnt a invisible demon about to eat your face) |
Dheorl
The Scope
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Posted - 2008.07.08 16:30:00 -
[3]
Originally by: Arvald throw it off a two story house onto pavement and if it dont break get it
I'm not after a downhill bike here . If I was then I'd ride it off a 2 story house and if it didn't break me I'd get it.
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Arvald
Caldari Aurora Acclivitous Paxton Federation
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Posted - 2008.07.08 16:37:00 -
[4]
Originally by: Dheorl
Originally by: Arvald throw it off a two story house onto pavement and if it dont break get it
I'm not after a downhill bike here . If I was then I'd ride it off a 2 story house and if it didn't break me I'd get it.
oh......i got nothin
Originally by: Xanos Blackpaw Stealthbomber combat (or as i like to call it: Just because you are paranoid don't mean there isnt a invisible demon about to eat your face) |
The Crushah
Gallente Paxton Industries Paxton Federation
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Posted - 2008.07.08 18:19:00 -
[5]
Edited by: The Crushah on 08/07/2008 18:19:12 There are some very good cross type bikes in the $500 range. August and September are good months to buy a bike because of end of season deals.
Something like This would probably work pretty well.
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Pwett
Minmatar QUANT Corp. QUANT Hegemony
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Posted - 2008.07.08 21:17:00 -
[6]
Edited by: Pwett on 08/07/2008 21:17:10 I bought a 2008 Fuji Absolute 2.0 this March.
I've put about 1,000 miles on it - it's more geared towards road use, but with some nobby tires, I would probably take it on some light trails and such. My only gripes about it are that the standard handlebars were a bit 'creaky' and it doesn't have a carbon rear post, but it was something like $600 so I'm not complaining.
I've put on disc brakes, a drop bar on mine, and pedal clips and it's just a fun bike to ride. _______________ Pwett CEO, Founder, & Executor <Q> QUANT Hegemony
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Patch86
Di-Tron Heavy Industries Atlas Alliance
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Posted - 2008.07.08 21:18:00 -
[7]
Originally by: Pwett Edited by: Pwett on 08/07/2008 21:17:10 2008 Fuji Absolute 2.0
Theres a Bikepedia? Awesome! ------
Originally by: Micheal Dietrich You can even get a midget with a camera to sit on the floorboard.
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Slade Trillgon
Siorai Iontach Brotherhood of the Spider
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Posted - 2008.07.08 21:35:00 -
[8]
I have heard good things about Trek in general and their Hybrids.
here is a review of the Trek 7500.
Slade
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Sniper Wolf18
Gallente Apocalypse Ponies
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Posted - 2008.07.09 02:48:00 -
[9]
TBH You should get a Handjob or a G-Spot.
They are very pleasureful
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Slade Trillgon
Siorai Iontach Brotherhood of the Spider
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Posted - 2008.07.09 03:10:00 -
[10]
Originally by: Sniper Wolf18 TBH You should get a Handjob or a G-Spot.
They are very pleasureful
One last laugh for the night!!!!
Slade
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Victor Valka
Caldari Kissaki Corporation
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Posted - 2008.07.09 04:58:00 -
[11]
Originally by: Sniper Wolf18 TBH You should get a Handjob or a G-Spot.
They are very pleasureful
Bookmarked for further reference.
Originally by: Roxanna Kell You are insane.
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P'uck
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Posted - 2008.07.09 12:31:00 -
[12]
I've been a cycle messenger for quite some time and I have about 30 thousand kilometres of cross country on the clock. I like to think I know what I'm talking about when it comes to bikes.
It's hard to tell what kind of bike you need with that little information you are giving, so I can only guess and spit out some general advice.
First, it sounds as if you need a hardtail. Even though technology is rapidly advancing, a full suspension bike WILL have higher maintenance costs and it will steal at least a bit of your pedaling power.
The second thing I have to say is; choose after the FRAME not the parts. Obviously you want both to be good quality, but it is usually smarter to buy a high grade frame (maybe with life time warranty?) and replace/upgrade the parts over the years than to do it the other way round.
Rule of thumb: "A good frame stays with you for a lifetime". Unless you're a consumer ***** and you dont feel comfortable with it.
But really, the standard shaped hardtail frame has hit it's technological peak some decades ago; a frame that is good now will probably still be good until we build frames out of force fields. You still might see them losing some grams over the years, but really nothing to write home about.
Specialized, Trek and Cannondale are some manufacturers I can think of from the top of my head that provide you with proper quality and somewhat goodish deals. Personally I'm a sucker for cannondale, because that's what i rode in the mountains AND on the street for years. The Headshok system is the best suspension solution you can get for cross country riding, unless youre an unlucky sob and bought it while magura was manufacturing the dampers but in that case, you get a replacement for free Admittedly I got me a race bike later on for the street things, but most of the time I rode the cannondale. If you're not living in the jungle, you can slap on some proper hybrid tires (take care, theres a LOT of crap out there) and don't even need to change wheels.
On the other hand, the ability to change wheels can be used for your advantage too: if you get disc brakes (for the love of god, if you have the option, do it, but ONLY hydraulic ones! NEVER take cable discs! NEVER ever!) you can, assuming the frame allows it, just swap the wheelset. i.e get a 28" road set and a 26" cross country set. combine it with a lockout front supension, and you're good to go.
Last but not least: the shop. Make sure you are comfortable with the shop you buy in. It took me several months to find such a store, but now I'm happy. The best part of it is, and I can even see it in the way the treat all their customers: they try to help you to find out what you need, rather than try to sell you something for profit.
Crazy you say? A store that doesnt focus on profit but on being honest to their customers! Crazy, I know! They are drowning in customers because people like to be treated properly for a change.
No, really, I'm serious. Find a fellow biker that happens to have bikes in stock, and not a salesperson trying to make profits. That should help more than any advice from a stranger over the internet. If you have any questions, and I happen to be online, feel free to ask.
Bikes>every other means of transportation, apart from OOBE's maybe.
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Dheorl
The Scope
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Posted - 2008.07.09 13:04:00 -
[13]
Edited by: Dheorl on 09/07/2008 13:10:28 Ok, I'll try and be a bit more specific.
I don't want to have to change wheels, If I want to go offroading for the day then I'll take my proper mountain bike.
What I'll be using it for is mainly riding on the roads but be able to take a shortcut down a woodland track (if you happen to know bristol well say so and this will be soooo much easier to explain ) So I basically want something that is fast on the road but not so rattly that my bones get shaken out of my body as soon as I hit the tiniest bit of gravel.
Edit > I'm pretty sure I want a cyclocross style bike (unless you happen to know a suspension bike that can outpace one) but I don't know which one is best.
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P'uck
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Posted - 2008.07.09 13:23:00 -
[14]
Edited by: P''uck on 09/07/2008 13:26:46 Well, the fact you already own a mountainbike definetly needs to go into the equation
So basically you need a hardtail that's sturdy, light and cheap as an added bonus? Do you think need a front suspension or not?
I don't know how much you know about track bikes, but those things are used a lot by messengers. Yes, on the road. (watch some alleycat vids ) I think that mainly started because of the lower cost; if you don't crash all the time that is.
And seeing that not ALL messengers are complete lunatics, those bikes lived through some serious evolution, and some manufacturers molded the idea of the track frame into usable road bikes, which are able to withstand some proper punishment.
tbh, thats what i get if i were you- a trackbike frame or a messenger variant. Upgraded with a freewheel and some brakes
edit: i can always point you to cannondale, they have road & cyclocross bikes in all styles, and i trust them to build good stuff; just make sure you dont get a headshok with those magura damper cartridges; im not sure when the last bike that used one came out, it was either 1 or 2 years ago methinks.
the headshok is also a good solution for cyclocross, but tbh, for me, personally, i wouldnt get a cyclocross bike. its just a tad too hybrid for my taste. id rather get a proper mountainbike frame with interchangeable wheelsets or a really sturdy roadbike (no racebike).
But that's just me and my taste.
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Dheorl
The Scope
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Posted - 2008.07.09 13:50:00 -
[15]
Edited by: Dheorl on 09/07/2008 13:51:58 Would the really sturdy roadbike be likely to be able to handle any sort off offroad though or would it scream at the first pot hole it saw.
I should mention I know nothing about roadbikes. Give me a downhiller and I feel right at home. Give me a roadbike and I'll sit and say "why do the handle bars curve downwards like that".
Edit: I'm not perticualry looking for something with front suspension, just something I can comfortably belt around the roads on whilst still being able to nip of down a dirt track.
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P'uck
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Posted - 2008.07.09 14:21:00 -
[16]
Edited by: P''uck on 09/07/2008 14:21:54 trackbikes tend to be sturdy, because they arent that light. they need to be able to withstand big beasts of riders that kick them round a track for a few laps. so no endurance, pure sprint. and the forces the bike has to stand are evil. since those tracks are strongly sloped on the outside, and most of the track is curves, the cranks need to sit higher. also a road is similar to a track: its flat.
all this brought messengers to use those trackbikes in urban environments. its actually a cheap and good solution if you think about it. even the higher cranks play to your advantage. the first thing i would be worried about in the woods, on a trackframe, wouldnt be the frame, but the wheels.
but standard trackbike frames dont even have brakemounts. thats why i mentioned the messenger variants. i would need to do some research, for the life of me i cant find a proper website from a manufacturer to show you such a bike. basically a trackbike with brake- and rearshifter mounts.
but i can really point you to the bad boys in best consciousness. i know those can do what you want them to, and you can get em in different variations, headshok or not, single speed, even a rohloff version.
i have a frame similar to the badboy, and its definetly light enough for road use and sturdy enough for everything you can throw at it, unless you're steve peat, or equal. and yes i mean it. i used mine to ride stairs (and not gently) in the road config.
Sadly, i dont know bristol and its surroundings, but the bad boy 8 (not ultra) is my wild guess. i think this could do the trick: 8 speeds, no suspension and a lifetime warranty. disc brakes are an added bonus, saves money in the long run.
And no, i dont work for cannondale. im just convinced of that particular frame.
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Grimpak
Gallente Trinity Nova Trinity Nova Alliance
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Posted - 2008.07.09 14:41:00 -
[17]
I would say a good frame with middle-sized front suspension and a cushioned seat.
or if you wish to go full suspension, the McPherson type frame (the ones that look like a rigid frame) is a good bet since it's the one that seems to be less costly in maintenance costs and doesn't seem to have that many loss of energy while pedaling. ---
Quote: The more I know about humans, the more I love animals.
ain't that right. |
Dheorl
The Scope
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Posted - 2008.07.09 15:13:00 -
[18]
With the bad boy it is a similar price (infact almost identical price across the range) to the specialized tricross. I'd probably be using it more for road riding and light dirt trails (so not thrashing it too much... just a bit) and in these would the bad boy be able to keep up?
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P'uck
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Posted - 2008.07.09 15:35:00 -
[19]
Edited by: P''uck on 09/07/2008 15:38:42 Definetly. it might be a bit slower when it comes to long distances on the road, since you dont have such an aerodynamic position while riding (you know, thats why you have the downward shaped handlebars ) but im pretty sure it handles a lot more comfortable than a cyclocross setup. But this probably comes down to taste.
Actually, I wouldnt be worried about its toughness OR the ability to be fast on the road... but it could just be that you are one of those weirdos (no offense) that really needs a cyclocross bike, because you get all happy in the pants when you can assume the road racing position on a muddy single trail.
A proper bike shop should let you do a test ride, which should answer that taste question. but last i checked it was hard to find cyclocross bikes set up for customers to test, since they are kind of a niche product, arent they
i think its like this singlespeed crowd, its a matter of religion.
edit: iirc the bad boy is pretty much able to be used as a cross country frame, too, if you want to.
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Dheorl
The Scope
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Posted - 2008.07.09 16:02:00 -
[20]
It's strange. Deep down I think I'm convinced I want a tricross but I keep hearing the odd bad think about it in reviews and it doesn't have disk breaks etc so I'm kinda trying to find a way out. I wonder how hard it would be to strip the second break lever set from a tricross and fit disks . Now that would be a fun bike.
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P'uck
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Posted - 2008.07.09 16:13:00 -
[21]
im pretty sure there are cyclocross bikes with discs. but i cant point you to one.
one thing about discs, and why i NEVER will use V-brakes in muddy conditions (on the road its mostly fine, even when its raining):
With a tiny bit of bad luck you can get some dirt on the rubber thingies. how you call em? brake shoe? brake pad? whatever, you know what i mean. sometimes that dirt "carves" out some metal from the rim, thus encasing itself. no shit, that happens. and that reduces braking power as well as it kills your rims. you could also clean your break pads after each ride in dirty conditions... yeah right.
anyway, even under normal conditions v brakes cause rimwear. and building a new wheel everytime you went through a rim is probably more expensive in the long run than to just change discs and pads every once in a while.
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