buying a bike

is it wrong to basically want all those bikes

ECR looks like lots of fun

They all look like fun. I want to pimp my Tricross, I think.

Wat would i need to do that... front rack, mudguards, chunky tyres, probably better brakes. Can you stick disc brakes on any old frame?

Nope, frame needs to be disc specific

hummer needs to get on this lots of dudes need tubus racks to get to happy hour

So. My Wilier, which was a replacement for my Roubaix that was stolen, has been stolen. I can sorta afford to wait for its replacement since, uh, I'm working out with a trainer twice a week instead of riding :|

Since it's hard for me to find a good fit (short arms) I'm thinking either something custom or at least getting a fit consult _before_ I buy the bike. I don't trust my own judgment here, the Wilier was perfectly comfortable but my weight was too far forward and handling during descents was terrible.

I'm also thinking about getting something with plenty of clearance and disc brakes, so I can swap wheels and do road or dirt. But I still want it to feel quick. Basically I'm looking for that elusive perfect all-rounder.

Not really sure where to start. I've always just gone to the shop and tried a couple things and then ridden away. Thoughts about bikes/brands/keywords to keep in mind?

i am currently lusting after the OPEN U.P. -- seems like the perfect all arounder for the kind of riding i like to do (not racing on rough/gravel backroads in VT)

https://opencycle.com/up/

whoa cool

looks like I can go over to Sausalito and check one out too

Not ridden in 10 weeks since I got runover, partly due to my elbow still being a mess and partly cos my bike is broken, I can't afford to fix it, and the guy who ran me over is ignoring his insurance company. It will get fixed at some point, but in the meantime I could, ironically, afford to get another bike through the work cycle scheme. So up to £1,000. But what do I want?

My bike is a Genesis Croix de Fer and I love it. I've got 30mm semi slick tyres for comfort / flexibility (can do gravel but not off road). Do I go more pure road (Equilibrium) or more crazy hybrid minster cross (Vagabond). I think I'd like to stay steel. I really love the Genesis aesthetic.

Do I go totally non-Genesis? There's a Kona dealer in tow too. And I guess I should check the big local bike shop and see what they have, though from past experience nothing steel under £1,000.

how are you recovering?

don't really have an opinion on what _kind_ of frameset style. i have a bike that sits on my trainer that never gets ridden outside anymore, but i really love it when i think about it as a "just one" bike. its a cheap alu frame cost me well under $200 new. its a cx that will easily and nicely take 38s, and i think a bit more. it's got a rack, and fender mounts. it's not light at 3.5 lbs, but it has a sweet, stiff 500g carbon cx fork. it's a little long on the tt, but i put a shorter stem on it. it's got a nice but really old 9spd DA set up. i c ould gravel the fuck out of this, tour it, commute on it, and if it gets wrecked i'll be sad but not broke. i could totally race it in a pinch, though it would be a bit laggy on a crit. it can't do a front rack, and only two bottle mounts, but i think that's it for limits. i put a USE alien bladed carbon TT seatpost on it, it's hilarious.

gah i sound like im braggin on my trainer bike, but what i mean is what you know- if it's versatile and you like it, that's the one-bike. stay with a CdF then, unless the other one is somehow coming back?

Yeah, should have said; the other one will come at some point, I just can't afford to do it myself now and this guy is being a dick re: his insurance (I literally have a letter from the police saying he was to blame, and he's not answering the phone or emails or letters, so they won't pay out until an accident investigator has determined liability) (for about £380!). It just needs a new fork, saddle, and brake parts, plus maintenance / labour.

I've still got restricted movement in my elbow, it clicks at certain angles and motions, and causes pain sometimes. Initial diagnosis was I should be pretty much fully recovered in 5-6 weeks but it's been 10 now, so I think I'll head back to the doctor.

I'm actually even thinking about getting a personal injury lawyer, such is how much this guy and his insurance has pissed me off. I'd never normally think about it, but uergh.

That sounds shitty all around, seems like the obligation of his insurer is to act and they should respond but that's not advice, just curiosity.

And yeah if the cdf is coming back that slot will be filled, time to play. Or get a new cdf and sell the old one when it returns? How come their site only shows the Ti cdf? There's a fer cdf I assume.

The site's design is weird; you get to the lower models via clicking the black panel under neath the bike at the right-hand-side - this then scrolls it horizontally. Ugly UX.

Picked up my Equilibrium today. Shiny red.

awesome man. i don't think ive every ridden a road bike that slack. i was surprised enough that i checked their other frames, and seems all the roadies are like that til you're over to volare or zero.

My bike has died and I need a new one. Not much money but I'm thinking of going for a s/h road bike for the first time if I can find a good deal. If anyone has any tips on what to go for and / or avoid I'd love to hear them.

What kind of riding do you think you'll do? Recreation/fitness? Utility/local transport? Pub runs? Most drop bar, road bikes are best for recreation/fitness in my opinion, or long-range transport. Flat bar road bikes that can take fenders and a rack are better for utility/local imo. Nowadays there's really a style for every purpose, and enough volume to have s/h stuff be pretty fairly priced, at least in this part of USA.

Just for getting around the city (Bristol, UK) really. It'll be my main mode of transport, getting too and from work and other parts. Might do a few longer rides for fun.

you'll want plenty o' gears in bristol. or at least don't get a single speed.

if you're new to riding road bikes in traffic i'd definitely go for a flat handlebar bike.

Just flipping through ebay, im posting these as "types" not actual bikes- for example the first one has spoke issues- you don't want that one, but it's of the sort that might work for the role:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Specialized-TriCross-Sport-bicycle-56cm/332381525584?hash=item4d637b9650%3Ag%3AjFEAAOSwFPRZvQTl
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2017-GENESIS-Equilibrium-4-months-old-Bought-for-950/122710787329?hash=item1c92220501%3Ag%3AtToAAOSw~gxZq~rg
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Boardman-2016-CX-Comp-Mens-Cyclocross-Bike-Bicycle-Alloy-Frame-18-Speed-700C/182726175598?hash=item2a8b542b6e%3Ag%3AOZUAAOSwr2ZZmqWs

basically, these are drop bars with rear rack and mudguard mounts. 9/10 speed shifting is good and current, 7 and 8 speed sets might be harder to get quality replacement parts. a double chainring crankset will usually be enough. i think caek's advice is solid- flat bars in traffic are nice for visibility and maneuvering. drops are nice for those longer rides where you want multiple hand positions to stay comfortable.

if your bike storage is on street locking, keep it cheap (tho i obv have no idea what bike theft is like in your hood, maybe it's pretty safe).

i had a drop road when i lived in bristol and it was great for extreme hill climbs on deserted streets back from the pub and doing the cycle path to bath and back, but i hated riding it on e.g. gloucester road with the potholes and buses. i'm a fairly comfortable cyclist in traffic, but that was a bridge too far for me.

i just bought a tern gsd electric cargo bike.

any tips? (especially looking for advice about how to deal with all the people who are going to want to do it with me now that i've got a bright yellow cargo bike with a child seat.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tx4ctRpjEjM

Read something once that said something like "I assume every door I ride past is going to be flung open by an opera singer about to belt out an aria" - the one time I got doored was turning a corner, those can be tricky.

Have fun!

i've done tons of city riding, but never with a bike that weighed 75lb (with a 30lb child on the back), and also never in los angeles, where the people/roads are bad.

luckily most of our daycare commute is going to be along a bike path by the river. just one insanely dicey intersection to start the day haha good times.

Ah okay. Yeah no special wisdom to share, I am just constantly paranoid and always expanding my library of threat models. I actually sort of enjoy that part of riding.

not dead yet. having a great time. we now go passed a park every day and my son has hidden a stick that we have to check on each afternoon. without that it would probably be a little faster than the car.

I bought a half decent bike! A late 90s Marin Pine Mountain rigid. Almost all my riding will be on streets & in alleys, with maybe a few city trails here & there, seems like a good all-rounder. It’s a damn sight lighter than anything I’ve owned before & is kind of a joy to ride.

It’ll replace the shitty shitty Schwinn I bought last year & have never enjoyed riding (& so, of course, I rarely rode it), which in turn replaced the $50 Peugeot I rode for years but which was stripped to the frame when my daughter borrowed it & left it at the train station inadequately secured.

I wasn’t looking for a bike but it was right there in an antiques/junk shop & it called to me. $300, which seems ok (esp as there’s a bike shortage cuz everyone & their new Covid dog wants one)

just put the 2000th mile on the GSD (used for an 8 mile round trip 3-4 times a week). been carrying two kids on it for maybe a year.

around about 6 months ago we reached the point here where people with kids on e-bikes stopped waving and nodding to each other because there are so many of them.