noob questions

i am trying to research this but running out of time. i have a short window while in the uk at the end of the month to buy a new bike (i can also have one shipped to my uk address and waiting for me).

i used to ride a edinburgh courier and it was fine, but since then i've been through a couple of beaters. i finally have the funds to spend a little, say £500. this is for occasional commuting, but mostly to get fit, see a little of bavaria, etc. i want a bike suitable for both the road and bike paths, so i guess i want a poseur CX or a hybrid with drops. the trek portland is out of my range, but something like that? kona jake would still be a stretch, but more like it. revolution cross is affordable, but i have no idea what i'm looking at. your thoughts?

(tips for 2009 models on offer are particularly welcome, as i am totally fine with that.)

sure someone else more qualified will be along in a second but bikes I've been looking at in tht price range (which are all highly recommended on bikeradar) are the trek 1.2, 2008 boardman comp, merida road ride 880-24, decathlon b'twin sport 2, or giant scr 3/2

^these are all road bikes w/drops btw

i knew i'd seen you posting some leads but i couldn't find the thread. thanks!

i don't necessarily have a problem with a true road race bike, but i'm a bit out of practice to should perhaps be thinking of something with slightly gentler handling and more comfortable ride.

another of my own noob qns: can someone pls explain to me fixed gear bicycles? what are the benefits to running one of these (esp. in a country w/a hill every 300 yds). the clean lines are beautiful but aren't they a chore? (is tht part of the allure? there's no 'slack', as it were)

I have no interest in getting one of these^ btw I'm just curious of the appeal

the only benefit, imo, is less maintenance and upkeep with gears/derailleur adjustments

the appeal... IT'S ZEN BRO IT'S A LIFESTYLE ETC

fuck a lifestyle imo but it is really fun and feels a lot more intuitive.

meh

personally, having GEARS seems more intuitive to me. but what do i know.

I don't want to start a fight!!!! I just don't understand... hills. they're hard enough w/gears tbh

if your locale is hilly, def don't go fixed

Honestly, I live in a low-moderately hilly city, and hills were a bit difficult for the first couple weeks, then I just stopped noticing.

And cutty and I (from what I understand) have completely different goals with our bikes, so it's totally understandable and doesn't need to be a fight that we're not gonna feel the same way about such things.

I mean I smoke sometimes while riding my bike ffs. I'm not exactly going for optimal performance.

i rode a brakeless fixed gear/track bike for 5 years though

consider me now part of fixed gear anonymous

uh, i made the mistake of vaporizing before my hard workout this AM. never again unless it's an easy ride.

The major benefit of singlespeed/fixed is the total ease of doing everything (from leaving the house, riding, maintenence--it's basically the perfect bike if you don't want to think about anything except for getting from Point A to Point B) except getting up really steep hills.

i'll rep for shimano internal hub if you want gears with low maintenance. and dont care about weight/drivetrain efficiency.

i dream of a CX bike with some magical ultralight rohloff hub and a decent shifter

i dream of rohloff hub that is not twice as expensive as my bike.

anybody looking to find cheap bike stuff should come to denver veloswap in 3 weeks. ive not been for a few years, but i think im gonna look for a mtb this year.

I think I'm going to bid on that merida I was watching on ebay :D

Is this blog as idiotic as I think it is?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/green-living-blog/2009/oct/01/riding-buses

i was an "urban cyclist" from the age of 12. it's not some big fucken exciting thing. have never experienced slipstream though so maybe i have been missing out on something that sounds dangerous and smelly.

Fixed gear bikes are good training as you can't just reduce effort by changing gears whenever you fancy it. You're stuck with hills, moving away from traffic lights, and always pedalling whether you like it or not, which builds muscle strength and aids fitness.

^^^ i can get behind that. i think my time spent on a track bike before i ever was on a road bike really helped my pedal stroke and strength.

ditto: i haven't ridden fixed for months now, but when i was all fixed all the time i was ~strong

also, they are great for hill-climbing (vs SS freewheel)

really? i guess cos your forward motion pushes the pedals on the upstroke, or something?

depending on the gearing, i would have to disagree with gbx (with mad respect of course) that fixed gears are great for hill-climbing.

maybe a "hill" that's like a quarter mile long, but for any real climbing you need to have some gears.

i think gbx meant fixed is good for climbing compared to S/S, not compared to gears?

^^^ this is what i meant!

cf super-specialized $$$$ longs peak carbon climbing bike that's like a 10lb carbon fixed gear

http://www.rbaction.net/fly.aspx?layout=content&taxid=96&cid=165

so is the advantage of fixed vs. S/S that you can't coast which, assuming you can handle it, encourages more efficient climbing cadence? or is that the girls in the stripy tops and the 60s glasses want to go to town with you more?

oh a link

it's a more efficient cadence, maybe, but also it just feels like the bike is "helping."

i dont think it's efficient. it's not easier, and you probably waste more energy. it just makes you stronger to climb hills on a fixed gear.

strength building workout on the road bike would entail low RPM (30-40RPMs) hill climbing. a fixed gear forces you to do this.

thats just like yr opinion, ~man

xp

however, whether you're on a road bike OR a fixed gear, you aren't coasting up a hill at all. you'll just stop.

it's not an opinion. it's fact. climbing efficiency is achieved by high RPM cadence, slow twitch muscles.

when you slog it in a high gear, low cadence (probably out of the saddle) you are using fast twitch muscles, not efficient in the long run

i am talking about the drivetrain, tho, not the cadence. that bike i linked is fixed for a reason, and i don't think it's just to drop a few more grams. climbing actually 'feels' easier to me on a fixed than on a similarly geared freewheel, but maybe that's all in MY BRANE

i think it's in your brain

the drivetrain is affected by your cadence is it not?

that thing is probably geared close to a granny gear. if you rode that on a descent you'd spin like hell.

i just meant the physical nature of the drivetrain (direct) had the effect of making climbing feel easier, like if you wanna rest a bit the pedals keep you going. this is a good thing when u trying to get something asap imo, it never feels sloggy. cadence is just what you do with the drivetrain

w/e at this point, anyhow

xp yes duh u guys it is a $14,000 HILL CLIMBING BIKE with like a string as a brake lever

my advice about fixed gears:

it's a very basic simple machine ideal for a fixed course (hey, a velodrome) but has some benefits for flat urban light commuting (minimal, light, low-maintenance).

BUT if you also want to ride for fitness (1 to 4+ hours over varied terrain), i would suggest getting a road bike as the benefits multiply massively with gears.

yes, i have had great fun on my uno but the limitations are already starting to bother me.