|
|
Post by nxp on Sept 11, 2015 14:42:04 GMT
What the subject says.
Making some lofty goals for next year, one of them includes doing a triathlon - though I think it'd be pretty damn awesome if I could ride the 30miles to work and maybe not send so much in gas over the summer.
70% roads
28% fine crushed converted rail beds
2% single track (because F yes, 'murica)
I'm leaning something more like a cyclocross style bike that can swap out wheels on if I need to go fast.
Anyone out here ride and can toss some ideas out at me? Looks like I can't play for less than a grand now, which is kind of a bummer but the last bike I had was stolen in college yeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrsssssss ago.
|
|
|
|
Post by Gingerbread Man on Sept 12, 2015 23:19:28 GMT
I used to bike a lot. I have a trek cycle cross bike and it's awesome. You could get an awesome bike for around $600 these days. Cannondale is over priced. GT is making some good kit. Shimano is my kit of choice.
|
|
|
|
Post by nxp on Sept 14, 2015 14:55:49 GMT
From what I've learned over the last few months, it seems like one chinese house is making frames for everyone - it just depends on who's name is on the top tube, and whatever equipment they put on it.
Shimano is a must - I'd really like to have the ol' bombproof 105 crankset, but apparently they've gone up in cost quite a bit. From what I can understand, you go one of two ways; expensive frame with cheap components (interwebz says bad choice), a run of the mill frame with more expensive components (the preferred way, apparently).
The hard part for me is parsing through all the options, as it appears that manf's like to put pieces/parts for components on different bikes so you'll have a Sora crank matched with a Claris rear and cheap shifters - but they say "ooooh, look, it's Sora components!" Horse pucky.
I'm looking at DB, Giant, Specialized, Focus, Felt, and a few others. Trek is not an option as I don't support their politics... GT is still making bikes? I remember them from the BMX days in the 80's, everyone wanted either a Mongoose or a GT. I had a Schwinn Predator (which in retrospect, was actually a pretty awesome bike and I never realized it).
|
|
|
|
Post by Gingerbread Man on Sept 14, 2015 15:12:32 GMT
What are Trek's politics?
Oh, yes, don't go lower than LX. STX is ok and pretty durable. Anything lower than STX is horrible. I've broken my grip shit stuff than I'd care to mention. XT is the bomb, anything higher is just over priced. I'm a XT shifter/derailer with LX everything else.
Expensive frame with cheap components is just frustrating. Oh, this ride is so agile! Oh, the light weight is epic! Boooom! Crank busts on rock. Oh, why don't these brakes work in the mud?! ?! God damn it, down shift! Not fun.
I have a Giant with LX parts and it's epic. Marrzochi fork that makes the world butter. It has disc brakes which are the most awesome evolution in mountain biking ever. Forget who makes them.
|
|
|
|
Post by nxp on Sept 14, 2015 17:32:11 GMT
Without getting OVERLY political -
TREK is a WI company that was founded here and still runs corp/high end TT style bikes from the western side of the state. A few years back, the family splintered things around and a fair amount of the company ended up with a liberal daughter that ran the company into the ground over in EU. So in an effort to maximize profit margin and get back in the biz, they shipped all their "american made" low/mid cost stuff to Taiwan/China for manf (using Giant to build the frames - they make frames for everyone) and then slapped tires on them here in the states and raise the price up. They shut down a lot of workers up here but still proudly claim they're supporting the little guy, at which point the daughter (Burke) tried to run for WI Gov up here with the full backing of the Dem's and their negative PR engine in what would be considered a historically "blue" state.
She blew a bunch of Trek's money as well as the Unions and in the end she was exposed as a closet corporatist that had issues with spending other people's money and it all fell apart at election day much to the chagrin of the lobbyists.
AFAIC, the only thing a Trek bike has going for it is resale, and even that's poor. There's lots of other options with better components for less money.
My 0.02 and all
|
|
|
|
Post by nxp on Dec 3, 2015 0:32:37 GMT
Bike purchased. Go Cannondale, GO!
|
|
