Author Topic: What bicycle do you own?  (Read 27932 times)

Alchemisst

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What bicycle do you own?
« on: April 11, 2019, 02:37:49 AM »
And would you recommend it?

nereo

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Re: What bicycle do you own?
« Reply #1 on: April 11, 2019, 05:02:32 AM »
I own a red one and a black one!  Highly recommended


Ok... in the spirit of 'it's not about the bike' what are you looking for here?  Racing? Going about town? Trails? 
I've got a Garneau hybrid with 700x28 tires and panniers that I use for commuting and running around town.  Nothing flashy, never worry about it getting stolen or dirty and it gets the job done. I also have a Cannondale Caad5 (circa 2002, aluminum) that is for long road rides and road races.  Again, nothing flashy compared to the rigs I see lined up at road races that cost more than a month our combined income, but I can crank out the miles and its one of the more comfortable frames for me. Sadly I don't get to ride that nearly as much as I would like, and its not a good 'around town' bike.


Only 'regret' is I really wish I had a bike with disc breaks.

GreenToTheCore

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Re: What bicycle do you own?
« Reply #2 on: April 11, 2019, 06:10:18 PM »
We have five:
1) Single speed road bike
Love it. Got it in college and 10 years later it's still running great. It's fantastic to just hop on and pedal (yes our city has hills, but the gear ratio is perfect for my strength evidently). Only downside is rim brakes but I haven't had an issue (used in rain and snow).
Single speeds are a fantastic intro to biking: great first step in learning maintenance, don't have to worry about learning to shift efficiently, less expensive.

2) Cyclocross bike
I use it as my commuter/hauler. It's great on any route to do errands: road or forest trails.

3) Mountain Bike, previous owner built it as a downhill rider
Perfect for those 3foot snows or days I don't want to worry about cinders on my commute.

4) Husband's commuter: single speed, with mountain bike tires
It came with those wide-swoop cruiser-type handle bars. Makes it fun to ride, like you're off on an afternoon jaunt.

5) Husband's MTB: Elsworth
All around kick-ass mountain bike.


I agree with Nereo, whatchya lookin' for?
All of the above bikes were purchased second-hand. No need to break the bank. Heck, my original college bike was from Target, worked just fine for getting me around.

BTDretire

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Re: What bicycle do you own?
« Reply #3 on: April 15, 2019, 07:05:46 PM »
I have two tone green 1996 Trek 820 I bought at a yard sale for $30.
 You mention you don't have to worry about it getting stolen, mine got stolen!
But thanks to my eagle eye wife I got it back, I chased the guy down and he got 4 days in jail.

nereo

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Re: What bicycle do you own?
« Reply #4 on: April 16, 2019, 08:04:57 AM »
I have two tone green 1996 Trek 820 I bought at a yard sale for $30.
 You mention you don't have to worry about it getting stolen, mine got stolen!
But thanks to my eagle eye wife I got it back, I chased the guy down and he got 4 days in jail.

Congrats on getting your bike back, that's awesome.

When I said "I don't worry about it getting stolen" - that's; for two reasons.  First, I find 'average' looking bikes get stolen far less than those that are fancier or the crappiest bike on the rack.  Second, since I bought it second-hand and it's not worth a ton I wouldn't be crushed if it did get stolen like I might if it were worth $2k+.

I understand why expensive bikes get stolen.  I'm less clear why thieves often take really crappy bikes, but in my observations they do.  Maybe they assume because its so cheap no one will really care and/or the owner won't have the resources to track them down nad press charges.

GuitarStv

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Re: What bicycle do you own?
« Reply #5 on: April 16, 2019, 10:00:23 AM »
I have a steel frame drop bar touring bike.  Cost me 6-700 dollars from Nashbar quite a while back (seven or eight years ago I guess?).

It got at least 6000 kms of riding last summer, and is quite happy keeping up on fast group rides with a set of 28mm tires.  Shimano 105 5700 groupset, which is quite lovely to use.  It's heavier than an out and out race bike, but is very comfortable on long rides.  I don't like the cantilever brakes that come with it, and if you don't crank the rear QR skewer down really hard the rear wheel slips under heavy effort but have made my peace with both of these issues.

raylit20

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Re: What bicycle do you own?
« Reply #6 on: April 16, 2019, 11:12:28 AM »
I have a Motobecane Fantom Trail HT and I would recommend it, especially so for the tall biker. I'm 6'3'' and the large frame size fits me perfectly.


Alchemisst

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Re: What bicycle do you own?
« Reply #7 on: April 19, 2019, 09:27:56 PM »
I recently bought a shogun trial breaker 3, in ok condition for $20, I also have a Giant CRX, however am not as comfortable leaving that one at train stations etc. But as mentioned above I have also noticed really cheap bikes tend to get stolen a lot as well, or will see some with the tires taken off it etc. I think this could be due to people being less likely to report it stolen than an expensive bike?

jpdx

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Re: What bicycle do you own?
« Reply #8 on: April 19, 2019, 10:16:03 PM »
I have a vintage Bridgestone road bike, purchased on CL for a couple hundred, and learned to maintain and modify it over the past dozen years. Fun to ride and still going strong.

MasterStache

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Re: What bicycle do you own?
« Reply #9 on: April 21, 2019, 08:28:29 AM »
Sold me E-bike and bought my daughter a nice Giant Liv. Got myself a nice used Giant Escape 2 off Craigslist a few weeks ago for half the cost of new. My daughter has only ever had shitty second hand bikes. She is loving her Giant bike. We've already hit the local paved trail a couple times.

LittleWanderer

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Re: What bicycle do you own?
« Reply #10 on: April 21, 2019, 11:13:22 AM »
I have a steel frame drop bar touring bike.

This.  Mine is a Salsa Vaya and I absolutely love it.  It can do anything from road rides to commuting to hauling camping gear to gravel to light singletrack.  You can never go wrong with a steel touring bike, although some can be a little beastly/heavy/overkill. 

wbarnett

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Re: What bicycle do you own?
« Reply #11 on: April 30, 2019, 03:40:30 PM »
My wife and I only have one car; I ride a bike almost every day. I have a Surly Krampus MTB, a Transition cyclocross/road bike for commuting, and a single-speed 12-year old Redline Monocog MTB that functions as a bar-hopper / dirt jumper / beater. I used to have a 35-year old touring fixed gear conversion, but got rid of it. My N+1 is a Soma Wolverine.

BDWW

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Re: What bicycle do you own?
« Reply #12 on: April 30, 2019, 03:56:55 PM »
I have a 2015ish maybe Kona Dew. Got it for $250 as a (mildly) used demonstrator. Works great. I know many here are pretty hardcore, but I maintain anything more expensive than a decent hybrid is overkill and into diminishing returns for the vast majority of people.

habanero

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Re: What bicycle do you own?
« Reply #13 on: May 01, 2019, 01:21:43 AM »
Had a mountain bike and a road racer. Both got stolen. Bought a cyclocross for the insurance money and that has covered my needs since. Might eventually get a mountain bike again as there is some great backcountry cycling where I live. I find an X-cross to be the perfect tool for everyday biking. Fast on the commute and sturdy enough for the occational off-road-trip and handling various urban obstacles.

Dogastrophe

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Re: What bicycle do you own?
« Reply #14 on: May 01, 2019, 05:29:21 AM »
I have a Giant Escape hybrid.  Don't love it, don't hate it.  It is a decent around town bike.

MatthewK

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Re: What bicycle do you own?
« Reply #15 on: May 01, 2019, 06:45:59 PM »
3 bikes here. A Giant Escape hybrid bought new a few years ago that's great for errands around town/casual family bike rides. An early 90's Cannondale F600 I bought off CL for $75 a few years back, freshened it up a bit with new tires, brake pads, drive train that I ride some single track with. A new Motobecane Strada ltd steel drop bar a few weeks ago that I use to go far and fast on. That thing is a blast, I replaced the stock 32's with some fairly aggressive 40's so I can now fly down dirt roads and some not too tricky single track.
I'm a somewhat recovering former MTB'er and have had some pretty pricey bikes in the past, the only one I really miss is my StumpJumper.....maybe again someday after the kid's are grown up :-)

Parizade

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Re: What bicycle do you own?
« Reply #16 on: May 01, 2019, 07:40:19 PM »
Sold me E-bike and bought my daughter a nice Giant Liv. Got myself a nice used Giant Escape 2 off Craigslist a few weeks ago for half the cost of new. My daughter has only ever had shitty second hand bikes. She is loving her Giant bike. We've already hit the local paved trail a couple times.

Did you not like your ebike? I'm thinking of getting one.

STEMorbust

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Re: What bicycle do you own?
« Reply #17 on: May 01, 2019, 09:35:33 PM »
Surly Krampus and Niner RLT Steel

Love them both but miss having a full squish (or a hardtail).




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

wbarnett

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Re: What bicycle do you own?
« Reply #18 on: May 02, 2019, 10:02:33 AM »
Surly Krampus and Niner RLT Steel

Love them both but miss having a full squish (or a hardtail).

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I have a Krampus and love it! I put a Manitou Machete on the front, and honestly think it's the perfect non-race MTB.

soccerluvof4

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Re: What bicycle do you own?
« Reply #19 on: May 04, 2019, 03:39:20 AM »
I have I believe a 97 or 98  Gary Fisher hoo koo E Koo full suspension bike and love it still to this day. Good as new. Have gone over the handle bars many times and the bike has held up better than me.

Imma

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Re: What bicycle do you own?
« Reply #20 on: May 04, 2019, 03:55:18 AM »
A really nice, bright red traditional roadster bike (Batavus Hommage). Roadster bikes are still very common in my country and to me, they are absolutely the most comfortabele and practical bike for day-to-day use - commuting, grocery shopping, carrying small loads. It was fairly expensive (€800, though got it cheaper through work, so was only €450 out of pocket) but it has a very sturdy strong steel frame. It has 7 gears which is a must for me. I've had many cheap single speed bikes in the past and I never want to ride one again.

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Re: What bicycle do you own?
« Reply #21 on: May 04, 2019, 12:25:10 PM »
I love bikes and could talk about them all day! When I found MMM I went on a full attack mode on my cycling though. My pre-Mustachian purchases of a carbon roadie, a steel roadie and a mountain bike were all sold as well as a load of expensive clothing/spare parts I no longer needed. The two roadies were both di2 (looks down at the ground sheepishly).

I now have a steel roadie/light tourer with 105 r7000, discs and loads of tyre clearance. I love the bike so much. It’s like a companion rather than a piece of equipment. Being steel I want to keep it for years. I’ve even named it but won’t mention that on here as I’m blushing just at the thought!

ObviouslyNotAGolfer

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Re: What bicycle do you own?
« Reply #22 on: May 05, 2019, 01:32:19 AM »
I own a Gary Fisher I bought in Northern California many years ago (a very nice bike for about 400$ many years ago). However, it is boxed up because you'd be absolutely crazy to ride a bike anywhere near the Southern California area where I live.

Bike Snob: "You can't get a decent frame for under $5000!"

Another Bike Snob: "you HAVE to buy these socks for $45 a pair. You just HAVE to have them!!!"

Yet Another Bike Snob: " I bought this helmet for $8,000 because it weighs a femtogram less than the one for $40, you fat, disgusting failure of a human being!"

Yet Another Bike Snob: "ON your LEFT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! [loser!)!!!!"
« Last Edit: May 05, 2019, 01:43:52 AM by ObviouslyNotAGolfer »

wbarnett

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Re: What bicycle do you own?
« Reply #23 on: May 05, 2019, 09:40:30 PM »
I now have a steel roadie/light tourer with 105 r7000, discs and loads of tyre clearance. I love the bike so much. It’s like a companion rather than a piece of equipment. Being steel I want to keep it for years. I’ve even named it but won’t mention that on here as I’m blushing just at the thought!

Steel road bikes are the best. And come on, you have to tell us the name now...

John Galt incarnate!

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Re: What bicycle do you own?
« Reply #24 on: May 06, 2019, 03:52:26 PM »
And would you recommend it?

I've got a cheap, generic "mountain  bike" w/ 26-inch wheels and tires that are 1 3/4" wide.

I don't know the brand.

It works fine.

I ride it from my house to my mailbox and back which is ~2 miles.

js82

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Re: What bicycle do you own?
« Reply #25 on: May 06, 2019, 04:40:44 PM »
I have a ~10 year old Trek road bike.  Not particularly cheap(~$1500 new), but I'm tall enough that finding a used bike that fits me is nearly impossible and even many new bikes don't exist in a large enough frame size.  Thousands of miles later, it's a moderately expensive purchase of which I have no regrets.  I also have a trainer so that I can ride indoors when the weather is bad, for far, far, far less than the cost of a Peloton.

Don't ride as much as I'd like these days though, due to a combination of insufficient shoulders, massive potholes, and fear of stupid text-and-drivers.  Thinking of picking up a mountain bike and spending more time trail riding so that I'm not a text away from becoming a statistic.
« Last Edit: May 06, 2019, 05:00:42 PM by js82 »

grobinski

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Re: What bicycle do you own?
« Reply #26 on: May 06, 2019, 05:04:11 PM »
I am currently riding a Cannondale Quick. I got a NOS (new old stock) frame for $80 and I built the bike mostly of parts donated by bike friends. This is a "flat bar road bike" which I use primarily for an 8 mile round trip commute 2-4 days a week and occasional leisure rides. Lots of cyclist say steel is where it's at. I  personally prefer the stiffness of an aluminum frame.

I also have an Ibis Mojo full suspension mountain bike. I don't ride this nealy as much as I should and it is much more of a bike than most people would need but also awesome for carving sweet single-track. I hope to get many more miles on this ride when I Fire!

kukrik

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Re: What bicycle do you own?
« Reply #27 on: May 09, 2019, 12:39:59 PM »
2018 Raleigh Cadent 2 just purchased recently. Pretty solid and affordable commuter.

Le Poisson

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Re: What bicycle do you own?
« Reply #28 on: May 09, 2019, 01:13:24 PM »
I believe in the high end names, lower end builds. You seem to get a good enough setup that way and still a bike you aren't worried about having stolen as much as if you have a super-cool setup.

Bike 1 - KHS Eastwood Hybrid - AKA Momma's old bike - it has been relegated to train station runs
Bike 2 - Specialized Sequoia Gravel bike - My summer commuter and touring bike. Fully kitted for touring/commuting with multiple pannier racks and light and fenders, etc. New last summer.
Bike 3 - Devinci Desperado MTN bike - My winter commuter, currently a candidate for a 1X drivetrain conversion. It was new in 2006 or so.
Bike 4 - Electra Townie 7D City Bike - AKA Momma's new bike. Just got it.
Bike 5 - Frog 69 - Kid bike #1 - a touring setup on it to match the Sequoia. Kidd does up to 120 km/day on it. got through a sponsorship last year.
Bike 6 - Garneau "racer" - Kid bike #2 - Kid uses it for an around-town/school ride bike. Bought for $200 2 years ago.
Bike 7 - Schwinn kid bike - Kid bike #3 - other kid is just learning to ride this one.
Bike 8 - Tandem - Tandem setup so I can ride in front with kid #2 behind for family tours.

We have various other wheeled kid bikes etc. but they don't really count since they are waiting to go to swaps/donate/etc. We also have 2 bike trailers.

mspym

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Re: What bicycle do you own?
« Reply #29 on: May 10, 2019, 12:15:59 AM »
Vintage steelframe racer I had rebuilt into a porteur-style commuter. Comfortable, fast and practical plus the utter absence of logos means it passes under the radar but you get thumbs ups from people who know bikes.

TallMike

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Re: What bicycle do you own?
« Reply #30 on: May 14, 2019, 07:09:43 PM »
I'm 6'4" with disproportionately long legs. I have a Salsa Fargo. I live in an area with a lot of gravel roads and trails that aren't quite single track but aren't actually a road. I love the Fargo and do not anticipate needing another bike for a long time.

I also have some issues with lower back pain and the slightly more upright riding position is helpful.

jeninco

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Re: What bicycle do you own?
« Reply #31 on: May 14, 2019, 10:01:25 PM »
I now have a steel roadie/light tourer with 105 r7000, discs and loads of tyre clearance. I love the bike so much. It’s like a companion rather than a piece of equipment. Being steel I want to keep it for years. I’ve even named it but won’t mention that on here as I’m blushing just at the thought!

Steel road bikes are the best. And come on, you have to tell us the name now...

I also have a custom frame steel road bike. I'm a lady-shaped person of a certain age, and I really wanted a bike that hurt nothing when I get on it.  I ride it everywhere -- and I lock it securely all the time, to the point where I've chipped the paint a bit. I'm thinking about sending it back to get the paint refreshed for my next large birthday. I ride it in winter, with boots on. I ride it in summer. I go for "rides" on it several times/week, weather permitting.

I haven't named it, but I concur with the companion part... It's ... um, got the same name as a company that makes fancy crystal, but it's from WI.

I got it for a birthday that ended with a zero, and it's got ... my cyclometer stopped tracking around 13,000 miles. I should mess with the pickups and replace the battery, so I can go back to logging my miles, because on a $/mile basis it doesn't look so bad... I also got the guys at the bike shop that built it to meet me partway on the price (in fact, they put on some of the previous year's components to help me get there).

Xyngikyl

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Re: What bicycle do you own?
« Reply #32 on: May 15, 2019, 12:17:03 AM »
When I sell my Trek Domane and I am buying the Specialized Cross Trail. Full CF frame, smart shock, good componetry and with my discount I can get one for around $1300. Perfect for crappy pavement and trails. I am taking a friend to my Bike shop today as he also is going to buy one. Trek does not make a bike in this category.

Car Jack

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Re: What bicycle do you own?
« Reply #33 on: May 17, 2019, 07:07:55 AM »
Cannondale M300 from probably 1990 or so.
Cannondale F700 from around 1997 (no disk brakes).  Last year of V brakes.  Good choice as it was a last year's model and the new, at the time, disk brake Cannondale frames all tend to crack at the disk portion of the frame at the rear.

Sold my Colin Laing/ all Campy road bike I built in 1974.  Too many stupid people on the roads LOLing on their phones instead of not running me over.  I'll stick to the trails where I can see fallen trees and they don't come after me, even when I stop.

aFrugalFather

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Re: What bicycle do you own?
« Reply #34 on: May 19, 2019, 01:26:17 AM »
I have a few cheap garage sale bikes (mostly Trek bikes) but mostly I ride Rad E-bikes lately.  Its nice to hop on and not have to worry I'll be too tired to get back home.  It makes me go out more often.  I have a Rad City bike and a Rad Mini folding bike.  Both are quite fun!

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Re: What bicycle do you own?
« Reply #35 on: May 19, 2019, 10:06:11 AM »
I now have a steel roadie/light tourer with 105 r7000, discs and loads of tyre clearance. I love the bike so much. It’s like a companion rather than a piece of equipment. Being steel I want to keep it for years. I’ve even named it but won’t mention that on here as I’m blushing just at the thought!

Steel road bikes are the best. And come on, you have to tell us the name now...

I also have a custom frame steel road bike. I'm a lady-shaped person of a certain age, and I really wanted a bike that hurt nothing when I get on it.  I ride it everywhere -- and I lock it securely all the time, to the point where I've chipped the paint a bit. I'm thinking about sending it back to get the paint refreshed for my next large birthday. I ride it in winter, with boots on. I ride it in summer. I go for "rides" on it several times/week, weather permitting.

I haven't named it, but I concur with the companion part... It's ... um, got the same name as a company that makes fancy crystal, but it's from WI.

I got it for a birthday that ended with a zero, and it's got ... my cyclometer stopped tracking around 13,000 miles. I should mess with the pickups and replace the battery, so I can go back to logging my miles, because on a $/mile basis it doesn't look so bad... I also got the guys at the bike shop that built it to meet me partway on the price (in fact, they put on some of the previous year's components to help me get there).

Sorry I'm not telling on the name :-) Your bikes sound great. Steel really does make a fantastic riding bike.

sol

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Re: What bicycle do you own?
« Reply #36 on: May 19, 2019, 10:54:09 AM »
I rode a steel framed touring bike as a daily commuter for years.  A Bianchi Volpe, purchased used on CL for $400 with the drops replaced by a flat bar and grip shifters.  I added a rack and waterproof panniers, and replaced the rubber with puncture-proof RiBMos so I'd stop getting flats.  That bike was a beast, enduring years of heavily loaded curb hopping and more crashes than I can count, and it always came up ready to go.  I went through three cassettes on that bike.  The only problem I really had with it was that I would periodically break rear spokes, being a big dude who was not nice to his wheels, but that's a problem with the wheel and not the bike.

But I eventually got antsy and wanted a change, like a seven year itch.  I bought a parts bike with matched gearing so that I could swap back to drop bars and have matching shifters, got halfway through it and realized the brakes wouldn't swap over and let it sit in my garage in pieces for a year.  I started riding my Giant TCR carbon ($900 on CL) around town instead, after swapping out the clip-is for flat pedals.  I had previously only used the carbon bike for joyriding instead of daily riding, mostly because the tires are only 23s and they're on these xero rims that are only 16/20 spokes.  Given my history with hulking out on spokes, I'm still worried about my wheels whenever I ride.  The stress of it is starting to get to me.  I have visions of the entire bike exploding into little shards of metal and plastic the first time I really eat shit on it.

On the bright side, the carbon TCR is so lightweight that it totally removes all desires for an ebike.  Going from a loaded steel framed touring bike to a carbon racing bike feels like trading in your minivan for a Lambo.  There is joy in it, every time I saddle up.

FIREstache

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Re: What bicycle do you own?
« Reply #37 on: May 19, 2019, 03:25:06 PM »
Trek Hybrid - Alpha SL aluminum frame.  Was about $800 over 10 years ago.  It looks like Trek doesn't sell a comparable model today.

I still have two old steel frame bikes, but I haven't ridden them in years.

I've only ridden an e-bike one time.  It was fun, and there are times when that electric assist would be very nice, but I couldn't justify the expense.

I do the vast majority of my riding in very low traffic areas, but I sometimes take 100+ mile trips on my bike.

If the roads were better around here, I would have considered getting a road bike instead.

I rode bikes a lot from grade school through high school, rode less when I went to college at a university, then basically stopped riding for well over a decade, then picked it up for just a year, then moved and stopped again for about five years, and then I got back into it around 2005 and have been riding pretty regularly since.
« Last Edit: May 19, 2019, 03:33:07 PM by FIREstache »

Alchemisst

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Re: What bicycle do you own?
« Reply #38 on: May 23, 2019, 07:51:04 AM »
My go to bike is a Giant CRX2 flat bar, I pretty much use this 99% of the time it is just so flexible and pretty fast, I can ride on the road, footpath, offroad, don't have to worry about bumps and I much prefer flat bar for riding in the city/ commuting unless it was a really long commute I don't really understand why drop bars/ road bikes?

GuitarStv

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Re: What bicycle do you own?
« Reply #39 on: May 23, 2019, 08:26:20 AM »
I prefer riding drop bars all the time.  They're faster for less effort, more (and more comfortable) hand positions, they let you brake harder without flying forward over the top, they're narrower/safer for moving through busy traffic.  I ride drop bars on the road (including gravel roads), and hard packed dirt trails as well as through the snow and ice of winter, and have no problems with bumps.   Your handlebars matter a lot less for that sort of terrain than your tire choice.

Flat bars . . . They're good if you want to pootle along in a very upright/unstable position.  They're good if you are doing extreme mountain bike riding and need the wide grip to yank the bike around and over logs/tree roots/large drops.  That's about it.

:P

sol

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Re: What bicycle do you own?
« Reply #40 on: May 23, 2019, 08:41:45 AM »
I prefer riding drop bars all the time.  They're faster for less effort, more (and more comfortable) hand positions, they let you brake harder without flying forward over the top, they're narrower/safer for moving through busy traffic.  I ride drop bars on the road (including gravel roads), and hard packed dirt trails as well as through the snow and ice of winter, and have no problems with bumps.   Your handlebars matter a lot less for that sort of terrain than your tire choice.

Flat bars . . . They're good if you want to pootle along in a very upright/unstable position.  They're good if you are doing extreme mountain bike riding and need the wide grip to yank the bike around and over logs/tree roots/large drops.  That's about it.

I hate to disagree with a seasoned cycling pro like GuitarStv, but I honestly prefer flat bars for city riding.  The uprightness of your body position with flat bars is wholly a function of of your frame geometry and stem type, and can be identical to riding drop bars up top.  I find flats give you better braking, not worse, because you're always within reach of the levers, unlike my drop bars where I occasionally have to fish for them before I can panic stop.

I find shifting about the same on both types as long as you don't have topside thumb levers on your flats or downtube shifters.  I shift enough while city riding that I want to be able to do it on the fly, without moving my hands.

They don't need to be wide, and for city riding should be about the same size as drop bars. 

I've also seen some really uncomfortable drop bars before, where they are too narrow and angled poorly and it's basically impossible to ride more than an hour without gloves and wrist pain.  With flat bars it's much easier to hack off the ends and put on some contoured grips, and you've got the most comfortable hand rests imaginable.

As for yanking over logs and such, I do a fair bit of that in the city.  It's much easier to emergency-evasion bunny hop from the bike lane to the curb if you have solid flats.  When I ride drop bars in the bike lane I always feel slightly confined, like swerving into the adjacent traffic lane is my only escape route if there's a tree branch or dead animal in the bike lane.

GuitarStv

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Re: What bicycle do you own?
« Reply #41 on: May 23, 2019, 09:00:36 AM »
Your hands should be in the drops or on the hoods 95% of the time with drop bars, so you should always be in a good braking position.  Riding on the tops is something I only find myself doing on long, slow climbs . . . in which case you don't need to use the brakes.  What I was talking about with braking though, is when you brake very hard.  You need to brace your hands hard against the bars, keep your weight as low as possible, and move your ass way back off the saddle.  This is much more difficult to do with an upright position . . . because your weight is very high there's a real tendency for your moment to launch you over the top of the bike.

Drop bars that are positioned incorrectly do suck to ride on.  So don't position them wrong!  Start with your hoods about 1 or 2 degrees up from parallel to the ground, and the end of the drops pointing at your rear brake calipers (assuming rim brakes).  That should at least be ride-able.  You'll find that bar ends are quite uncomfortable to use if you point them straight up and down too.  :P

I personally don't find an upright body position comfortable, or all that safe in traffic.  If you can't see very well in front of you and to the left and right while in the drops, I'd argue that your bars are likely set too low (which is something I often see from people on road bikes).  Bunny hopping is about the same on flat bars or drops to me.  Any bike with clipless pedals is easy to bunny hop . . . you don't even need proper technique, just jump and the bike comes with you.

I spent several years with flat bars, and didn't find them terrible.  Like Sol, I cut them very narrow and added bar ends.  Then (since it was a riser bar) I flipped it upside down to get a lower front end and that was fine . . . when I replaced them with drop bars, I kept exactly the same hand position and width but added in a lower position for going downhill and getting out of the wind.  Seemed like pure win.

Not sure that there's a real right or wrong here, everyone will develop their own preference.

sol

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Re: What bicycle do you own?
« Reply #42 on: May 23, 2019, 09:29:48 AM »
Any bike with clipless pedals is easy to bunny hop

I've totally given up on clipless pedals.  My bike shoes are gathering dust in the garage.

When your bike is an integral part of your daily routine, getting on and off it four or five times a day (for work/school, groceries, library, local poker game etc) the whole idea of having to change shoes just becomes an undue burden.  I hated walking around a store in clickety clack bike shoes, and I never bothered with mountain bike shoes that are supposed to be better to walk in.  The added benefit of clipless pedals is nice if you're doing the STP, but for me it didn't come close to offsetting the inconvenience.

I want my bike to be something I can pick up and put down at will, like a car key.  It shouldn't require any compromises or changes to my daily routine, I just want to get on and go.  That convenience is part of the attraction, for me.

I personally don't find an upright body position comfortable, or all that safe in traffic.  If you can't see very well in front of you and to the left and right while in the drops, I'd argue that your bars are likely set too low (which is something I often see from people on road bikes).

I never thought of my commuter bike with flat bars as having an upright riding position.  My wife's bike has an upright riding position.  I hate it, for that one reason among many others.  Riding a bike that is the wrong size or geometry for you sucks way harder than it should.  I think lots of people who try biking and then give it up do so because their bike doesn't fit them correctly.  A well-fitted bike is like putting on old jeans, and you should be able to ride it all day without getting tired.

These days I'm riding a carbon road bike and the bars are definitely lower than I would like.  It's just the nature of the frame, though.  Maybe I should look into replacing the stem.

Quote
Not sure that there's a real right or wrong here, everyone will develop their own preference.

I totally agree with this, but our conversation here about handlebars isn't really about me convincing you or you convincing me.  I'm hoping some other aspiring cyclists might find value in this discussion when choosing or modifying a bike.  Both types of handlebars can work great, it's just a matter of finding what works best for you.

ysette9

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Re: What bicycle do you own?
« Reply #43 on: May 23, 2019, 09:46:08 AM »
I recently bought myself a Giant Explore Step-Thru ebike that I use for commuting. I had been commuting on a Specialized Turbo ebike that belonged to work. It is a hybrid design with flat handlebars and I sit slightly more upright than the Specialized. I like it personally and find it more comfortable, especially as my pregnancy progresses. I don’t like to be as uptight as a cruiser, but I like being able to see everything and feel balanced, which I didn’t feel on a road bike all hunched over. I’ve only put 200mi on the bike so far but am mostly pleased with it.

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Re: What bicycle do you own?
« Reply #44 on: May 23, 2019, 10:12:54 AM »
From my experience I much prefer drops, but I think there is a world of difference between if someone is using a bike as a mode of transport or are a dedicated cyclist from a fitness/training/beating strava times/riding in sportives etc perspective. Any ride over 20 miles and my hands and wrists really hurt using a flat bar. The variety of hand positions on drops is brilliant for alleviating this and I like the way each position suits the intended use e.g. the drops give you more braking control and naturally make you smaller and more aero going down hill.

When I commuted by bike or was just cycling to friends or other trips less than a couple of miles, I much preferred flat bars. It somehow did feel easier for me to get my head up and take in what all the fools in cars lovely motorists were up to. I don’t live in a town or city but if I did and wanted a bike as a mode of transport then I would pick a flat bar.

GuitarStv

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Re: What bicycle do you own?
« Reply #45 on: May 23, 2019, 10:17:30 AM »
Any bike with clipless pedals is easy to bunny hop

I've totally given up on clipless pedals.  My bike shoes are gathering dust in the garage.

When your bike is an integral part of your daily routine, getting on and off it four or five times a day (for work/school, groceries, library, local poker game etc) the whole idea of having to change shoes just becomes an undue burden.  I hated walking around a store in clickety clack bike shoes, and I never bothered with mountain bike shoes that are supposed to be better to walk in.  The added benefit of clipless pedals is nice if you're doing the STP, but for me it didn't come close to offsetting the inconvenience.

I want my bike to be something I can pick up and put down at will, like a car key.  It shouldn't require any compromises or changes to my daily routine, I just want to get on and go.  That convenience is part of the attraction, for me.

I've never used road clipless pedals because I also need to walk (in non-penguin fashion) after getting off my bike.  Mountain bike shoes are perfectly comfortable to walk around in.

I like clipless for safety.  My feet stay where they're supposed to with clipless pedals.  They don't slip off in the rain, ice, or snow (studded flats go a long way in helping this issue, and I won't ride flats that aren't studded any more after a few close calls).  As mentioned, it's ridiculously easy to bunny hop your bike when necessary with clipless pedals, so you're less likely to hit potholes or having problems getting onto a curb.  They make it easy to put down lots of power when you need to.  I also find that my feet get less sore on long rides with them.  There's no difference in convenience . . . because I always put on shoes to ride my bike anyway.  Putting on cycilng shoes is certainly not more difficult than a pair of running shoes.


I personally don't find an upright body position comfortable, or all that safe in traffic.  If you can't see very well in front of you and to the left and right while in the drops, I'd argue that your bars are likely set too low (which is something I often see from people on road bikes).

I never thought of my commuter bike with flat bars as having an upright riding position.  My wife's bike has an upright riding position.  I hate it, for that one reason among many others.  Riding a bike that is the wrong size or geometry for you sucks way harder than it should.  I think lots of people who try biking and then give it up do so because their bike doesn't fit them correctly.  A well-fitted bike is like putting on old jeans, and you should be able to ride it all day without getting tired.

These days I'm riding a carbon road bike and the bars are definitely lower than I would like.  It's just the nature of the frame, though.  Maybe I should look into replacing the stem.

If the bike shop didn't cut your steer tube you can usually raise the stem a couple cm just by putting some spacers underneath it, which can make a big difference.  Short of that there are raiser stems, raiser bars, shallow drop bars, etc.  Many (most?) modern road bikes are set up much too aggressively for your average rider, which is a shame.  Comfort is everything.  You shouldn't have a sore neck, sore back, sore hands, sore arms, sore shoulders, or sore knees.  There's no point owning a bike you're not comfortable spending six hours at a time on.  And if it's comfy for six hours, you're not ever going to complain about commuting to work.  :P


Quote
Not sure that there's a real right or wrong here, everyone will develop their own preference.

I totally agree with this, but our conversation here about handlebars isn't really about me convincing you or you convincing me.  I'm hoping some other aspiring cyclists might find value in this discussion when choosing or modifying a bike.  Both types of handlebars can work great, it's just a matter of finding what works best for you.

Personally, I'd have put some aero bars on if I was keeping the flat bars.  With a narrow/low handlebar position with bar ends, I think that this would have extra hand positions while also being as fast as (or faster) than drop bars.  Kinda a ghetto time trial setup.

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Re: What bicycle do you own?
« Reply #46 on: May 23, 2019, 10:19:19 AM »
Any bike with clipless pedals is easy to bunny hop

I've totally given up on clipless pedals.  My bike shoes are gathering dust in the garage.

When your bike is an integral part of your daily routine, getting on and off it four or five times a day (for work/school, groceries, library, local poker game etc) the whole idea of having to change shoes just becomes an undue burden.  I hated walking around a store in clickety clack bike shoes, and I never bothered with mountain bike shoes that are supposed to be better to walk in.  The added benefit of clipless pedals is nice if you're doing the STP, but for me it didn't come close to offsetting the inconvenience.

I want my bike to be something I can pick up and put down at will, like a car key.  It shouldn't require any compromises or changes to my daily routine, I just want to get on and go.  That convenience is part of the attraction, for me.

I have MTB shoes (with recessed cleats) and pedals, and I wear them/ride them all the time, several times/day. The shoes look OK enough for the walking around I do, and our roads can be bad enough that I appreciate the ability to bunny hop surprise potholes, 8-inch cracks, and frost heaves.

I agree with the general principle, though -- it should be as easy (or easier) to ride a bike as it would be to grab a car key. So if I go out the back door I grab the biking shoes on the rack by the door, grab the bike from under the shed roof (we have "fleet parking" inside the side gate), and walk/ride to the street. If I go out the front door I'm walking (or driving), so I grab appropriate shoes from the closet there.  My bike shoes probably get 50% of the wear I put on shoes, total. (Although I work at home, and am generally barefoot when I'm here.)

I never thought of my commuter bike with flat bars as having an upright riding position.  My wife's bike has an upright riding position.  I hate it, for that one reason among many others.  Riding a bike that is the wrong size or geometry for you sucks way harder than it should.  I think lots of people who try biking and then give it up do so because their bike doesn't fit them correctly.  A well-fitted bike is like putting on old jeans, and you should be able to ride it all day without getting tired.

These days I'm riding a carbon road bike and the bars are definitely lower than I would like.  It's just the nature of the frame, though.  Maybe I should look into replacing the stem.

Not sure that there's a real right or wrong here, everyone will develop their own preference.
I totally agree with this, but our conversation here about handlebars isn't really about me convincing you or you convincing me.  I'm hoping some other aspiring cyclists might find value in this discussion when choosing or modifying a bike.  Both types of handlebars can work great, it's just a matter of finding what works best for you.

Definitely, what you ride on should be comfortable for you, and for the type of riding you do.

(X-posted with @GuitarStv, but WTH.)

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Re: What bicycle do you own?
« Reply #47 on: May 23, 2019, 01:52:49 PM »
My current bike is a Mongoose Alta that I got in mid to late 90's. With 20 years of riding this particular bike, I am quite familiar with it. Most of my rides are short commutes (<5 mi), but I have occasionally gone for longer rides. The longer rides tell me I could do better for fit - hand and wrist pain develops easily unless I ride upright with no hands. For quite a while I thought starting fresh might be best. Since I had heel clipping issues with pannier bags, I thought about getting a cargo bike. Kona's MinUte was looking very promising. Then I found a good deal on a Blackburn TRX-2 Ultimate Commute rack and read a review indicating that this rack sat very far back. The rack was perfect for me; so now I'm thinking about redoing my bike's front end instead of replacing the bike. I'd have to switch out the headset for a threadless one (not sure what all this involves) to be compatible with most forks these days. I'm thinking the versatility of a Surly Ogre fork would be nice. Not sure about handlebars - definitely want something different than the flat bars I have, but I'm not sure what (drop, butterfly, or a H-bullhorn hybrid like Surly Moloko or Velo Orange Crazy Bars).

GuitarStv

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Re: What bicycle do you own?
« Reply #48 on: May 23, 2019, 02:38:40 PM »
My current bike is a Mongoose Alta that I got in mid to late 90's. With 20 years of riding this particular bike, I am quite familiar with it. Most of my rides are short commutes (<5 mi), but I have occasionally gone for longer rides. The longer rides tell me I could do better for fit - hand and wrist pain develops easily unless I ride upright with no hands. For quite a while I thought starting fresh might be best. Since I had heel clipping issues with pannier bags, I thought about getting a cargo bike. Kona's MinUte was looking very promising. Then I found a good deal on a Blackburn TRX-2 Ultimate Commute rack and read a review indicating that this rack sat very far back. The rack was perfect for me; so now I'm thinking about redoing my bike's front end instead of replacing the bike. I'd have to switch out the headset for a threadless one (not sure what all this involves) to be compatible with most forks these days. I'm thinking the versatility of a Surly Ogre fork would be nice. Not sure about handlebars - definitely want something different than the flat bars I have, but I'm not sure what (drop, butterfly, or a H-bullhorn hybrid like Surly Moloko or Velo Orange Crazy Bars).

Rather than switch your headset for threadless (I assume to accommodate cheaper/easier to find regular threadless stems?) why not just get a quill stem to threadless converter:


Does the same job, but hella cheaper.

Butterfly bars are kinda cool (and you can pick them up pretty cheap on sale every once in a while - nashbar has them for under 20$ now and again), but if you're changing flat bars to them you'll have to change your stem length as well.  With my wife there was about a 2.5 cm difference to get the bars into a similar location.

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Re: What bicycle do you own?
« Reply #49 on: May 23, 2019, 03:05:29 PM »

Rather than switch your headset for threadless (I assume to accommodate cheaper/easier to find regular threadless stems?) why not just get a quill stem to threadless converter:


Does the same job, but hella cheaper.
Change to threadless would also be to get a fork that would work with disk brakes and is easier to fit a fender (and possibly a rack). A quil stem to threadless converter would allow me to try the topside changes without the expense of the doing everything at once, but I'm pretty certain that if I work out topside configuration that I really like then I will want to change my fork.