Bike recommendations

[JulesMaximus]

not only do disc brakes work better in dry weather, they destroy rim brakes in any kind of wetness. which is why you see them on all good mountain bikes - cause disc brakes>rim brakes. period.

i guarantee you i can stop faster with my disc brakes going the same speed as you on a rim brake road bike. easy peasy.

I guarantee you can't.

 

[Wreckem]

Disc brakes are entirely pointless and and a waste of weight on a road bike or any bike that will just be used on pavement.

Disc brakes are more or less standard on mountain bikes because mountain bikes are meant for off road and more extreme conditions. The reality is though unless someone is doing intermediate to advanced trails in extremely wet/muddy conditions or doing extreme downhill, rim brakes are just as good if properly setup. The plus side is they are also easier to fix than disc brakes. That said discs are almost 100% standard on new mountain bikes these days, from low end $150 Huffy's with shitty disc brakes to high end bikes. In the OPs case, he does not need disc brakes.

As for bike theft. Bike thieves will steal cheap bikes. They don't care how expensive it is because even a cheap bike will net them some cash.

 

[eng2d2]

I like this one. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...in-water-bottle-million-dollar-price-tag.html

This million dollar bike made out of solid gold is certainly set to 'brake' someone's bank account.

The cycle, which also boasts an alligator-hide seat and a stingray-skin water bottle has gone on the market for a hefty $1million (£600,000).

The one of a kind mountain bike made from 24-carat gold has been created by The House of Solid Gold, a U.S. company based in California

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...e-million-dollar-price-tag.html#ixzz2zq5ulCY1
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

 

[Humpy]

Disc brakes are entirely pointless and and a waste of weight on a road bike or any bike that will just be used on pavement.

This has not been my experience. I commute in all weather and my bike with entry level Tektro disc brakes stops substantially better in wet weather than my bike with rim brakes.

Bringing weight into the discussion indicates you are one of those bike riders who should probably just be ignored.

 

[_Rick_]

This has not been my experience. I commute in all weather and my bike with entry level Tektro disc brakes stops substantially better in wet weather than my bike with rim brakes.

Bringing weight into the discussion indicates you are one of those bike riders who should probably just be ignored.

Well, anyone riding uphill will appreciate losing weight.

The selling point of disk brakes though, is first and foremost the ability to modulate the braking effect, even in adverse conditions. That's why some road gruppos now come with hydraulic rim and hydraulic disk options.

Especially the lack of initial bite in wet conditions on a rim brake can be worrying, when there is a lot of sludge on the rim - washed up road dust that coats the rims and reduces braking efficiency over that of just water and a clean rim. If my health allows me to still ride in two or three years, I will most likely eye road-bikes with disk brakes, and consider them. I might still reject them over the atrocious maintenance procedure and the danger of slow hydraulic leaks, but when they work they're great. It will probably also depend on where I will live. If I still live in the mountains, having something that gives me more confidence in the brakes in wet descents is well appreciated.

Of course, none of this has any impact with regard to OP who literally just needs a bike that has working brakes. In town, any set of reasonably well maintained brakes will get a bike doing reasonable speeds to stop where it needs to stop. People even ride bikes without brakes in town, after all. (I call those "idiots".)
OP needs a city bike with a nice basket for his gym shoes and towel, and not any kind of sporting vehicle.
Repeat after me: OP seeks transport, not exercise!

 

[FleshLight]

Disc brakes are entirely pointless and and a waste of weight on a road bike or any bike that will just be used on pavement.

Disc brakes are more or less standard on mountain bikes because mountain bikes are meant for off road and more extreme conditions. The reality is though unless someone is doing intermediate to advanced trails in extremely wet/muddy conditions or doing extreme downhill, rim brakes are just as good if properly setup. The plus side is they are also easier to fix than disc brakes. That said discs are almost 100% standard on new mountain bikes these days, from low end $150 Huffy's with shitty disc brakes to high end bikes. In the OPs case, he does not need disc brakes.

As for bike theft. Bike thieves will steal cheap bikes. They don't care how expensive it is because even a cheap bike will net them some cash.

Disc brakes are much more effective than rim brakes in wet and muddy conditions. They are also vastly superior to carbon brake tracks. Plus, adding disc brakes to full carbon wheels eliminates the carbon braking issue.

 

[JulesMaximus]

This has not been my experience. I commute in all weather and my bike with entry level Tektro disc brakes stops substantially better in wet weather than my bike with rim brakes.

Bringing weight into the discussion indicates you are one of those bike riders who should probably just be ignored.

Rim brakes on a road bike (or any bike for that matter) in the wet are limited by the grip between the tires and the road, not lack of clamping force on the rim. Rim brakes on a road bike are very effective... even in the wet.

If you can't stop your bike in the wet with rim brakes there is something wrong with your bike.

 

[OBLAMA2009]

most peeps stay away from disc brakes on road bike cuz it adds weight and they arent uci legal

 

[natto fire]

Hybrid's are horrible. Don't listen to this guy. He knows nothing even though he worked at a shop.

Curious what you hate about hybrids? I had a Specialized 700c model when I biked a lot in Florida, and it was a great compromise between annoying road bike posture/usability and sufficient rolling resistance to make it worth more than a 26'er or 29'er (which I ended up getting the former when I moved to a state with actual hills).

I've never worked in a shop, but have had loads of BS flung at me by road bikers as why hybrids are worthless. When I lived in the mountains a mountain bike was an obvious choice, and when I lived in flatlands I still needed the ability to roll over a 1/4" piece of shell, which a road bike cannot do.

 

[MrSquished]

I guarantee you can't.

you are wrong. disc brakes have superior stopping power. period. ask any good bike mechanic.

 

[MrSquished]

Rim brakes on a road bike (or any bike for that matter) in the wet are limited by the grip between the tires and the road, not lack of clamping force on the rim. Rim brakes on a road bike are very effective... even in the wet.

If you can't stop your bike in the wet with rim brakes there is something wrong with your bike.

wrong. rim brakes lose a lot of braking power when wet. we had customers that did serious races. these are guys with 5-10k bikes so top of the line equipment. they said after a couple races in the rain what a shit show it was trying to stop going downhill. disc brakes, not so much.

 

[MrSquished]

You know wheels & gears aren't permanently affixed to the frame right? There are plenty of lightweight mountain bike frames and/or hybrid bikes that you can put street tires and differently geared drivetrains on.

Most of the benefit of a road bike comes from the lower riding stance which the OP specifically doesn't want. Therefore the perfectly reasonable suggestion of a used mountain bike with a refurbed drivetrain.

I see dozens of this kind of bike on craigslist for <$100, good bikes with a few years of wear to make them look less appealing to thieves. Throw in $40 for basic road tires and you're set.

maybe you can't read, i never suggested he get a road bike, but a hybrid.

sure he can get a mountain bike and then buy slicker tires, but why do that when you can get a bike with the right tires on it from the get go. plus mountain bikes are geared lower than hybrids. if he enjoys riding on the road he should have a more road-geared gear ratio. changing a drivetrain is a decent chunk of change when he could have gotten the right one in the first place.

i gotta say i have never seen so much bad advice in a thread for a guy who wants an upright riding style bike, for the road. a well designed hybrid IS EXACTLY WHO THAT IS FOR.

jesus h christ people are just so out of it.

 

[TridenT]

Get something that is cheap and get a U-Lock or (if you're wanting to spend more on a locking device than the bike itself...) a big ass metal chain with a killer lock.

If you go the U-Lock route, get one that comes with a cable too so you can lock the front wheel on.

 

[otho11]

What is the best way to tell that a used bike won't need additional work when meeting up with the seller?

 

[Humpy]

Rim brakes on a road bike (or any bike for that matter) in the wet are limited by the grip between the tires and the road, not lack of clamping force on the rim. Rim brakes on a road bike are very effective... even in the wet.

If you can't stop your bike in the wet with rim brakes there is something wrong with your bike.

I can stop my bike in the wet with rim brakes. I can stop in less distance and with more confidence with the disc. When heading downhill towards a stoplight in the rain there is absolutely no question which of my bikes does better. After riding in the ice and snow and frozen road grunge the disc brakes are much, much better. I accept that your bike probably has better parts than some of mine but that's not the argument. In the end, some brakes of any type are better and/or worse than other types.

Really, I'm fine with whatever. My point is that most general claims about brakes or geometry or style of bike are bogus. There are way too many possibilities to be able to say X is better than Y. Most of the differences are immaterial to casual riders anyway.

This thread was crazy and I helped.

 

[Humpy]

What is the best way to tell that a used bike won't need additional work when meeting up with the seller?

If you don't have the experience to know then bring someone who does. If you don't know anyone who does then ride it around a little and use your judgement/gut feeling/Spidey sense. Give the bike a thorough look and try to spot things like rounded-out bolt heads, hammer marks, and cracks filled with tooth paste.

All bikes will need additional work eventually. Don't sweat it. Get some basic tools and figure it out. When you get stuck or fuck something up bring it to a shop.

 

[GoSharks]

wrong. rim brakes lose a lot of braking power when wet. we had customers that did serious races. these are guys with 5-10k bikes so top of the line equipment. they said after a couple races in the rain what a shit show it was trying to stop going downhill. disc brakes, not so much.

Top of the line equipment = carbon rims. Rim brake performance on [wet] carbon rims has NOTHING to do with this discussion. You cannot compare braking performance with metal rims with performance on carbon rims.

You know the saying "knowing just enough to be dangerous?" That looks highly applicable right here with you.

 

[MrSquished]

Top of the line equipment = carbon rims. Rim brake performance on [wet] carbon rims has NOTHING to do with this discussion. You cannot compare braking performance with metal rims with performance on carbon rims.

You know the saying "knowing just enough to be dangerous?" That looks highly applicable right here with you.

actually more often than not these guys were not using carbon rims and carbon friendly brake pads. those are still farther and fewer between, even on their top end bikes.

it doesn't matter. rim brakes on metal rims, even top end ones, just simply don't perform as well as disc brakes. in wet or dry weather. but especially wet. they are fine in dry weather, even though not as good as disc brakes, they are good enough and the weight saving is a plus for roadies looking to save grams here and there.

it'sa fact jack. the fact you are just incapable of accepting known facts in the bicycle community just shows that you are incapable of NOT knowing enough, thus making you dangerous giving out crap advice.

 

[GoSharks]

actually more often than not these guys were not using carbon rims and carbon friendly brake pads. those are still farther and fewer between, even on their top end bikes.

it doesn't matter. rim brakes on metal rims, even top end ones, just simply don't perform as well as disc brakes. in wet or dry weather. but especially wet. they are fine in dry weather, even though not as good as disc brakes, they are good enough and the weight saving is a plus for roadies looking to save grams here and there.

it'sa fact jack. the fact you are just incapable of accepting known facts in the bicycle community just shows that you are incapable of NOT knowing enough, thus making you dangerous giving out crap advice.

On even a mostly dry road with road bike tires, your limiting factor is not your brakes but your tires. Rim brakes are more than powerful enough to break traction on skinny tires.

OP does not need disc brakes. Most people do not ride in the wet and will not need or see benefits of disc brakes on a road bike.

 

[artvscommerce]

In my experience, I'd prefer good v-brakes over entry level tektro discs for example. However the Avid BB7 mechanicals are absolutely perfect in my opinion. They're not very expensive and I think they work just as well as hydraulics but have far less maintenance required.

I bought a bike with the Tektros and no matter how much I adjusted them I could never get them to feel quite right.

 

[JulesMaximus]

actually more often than not these guys were not using carbon rims and carbon friendly brake pads. those are still farther and fewer between, even on their top end bikes.

it doesn't matter. rim brakes on metal rims, even top end ones, just simply don't perform as well as disc brakes. in wet or dry weather. but especially wet. they are fine in dry weather, even though not as good as disc brakes, they are good enough and the weight saving is a plus for roadies looking to save grams here and there.

it'sa fact jack. the fact you are just incapable of accepting known facts in the bicycle community just shows that you are incapable of NOT knowing enough, thus making you dangerous giving out crap advice.

I've hit 48 mph downhill on a road bike and I've ridden them in the rain. Never had a single issue with rim brakes in over 30 years riding and many many thousands of miles. There is nothing wrong with rim brakes.

The only difference between rim and disc brakes is you probably get better modulation with disc brakes (better brake feel) but this is something you learn riding bikes with rim brakes anyway. They have more clamping power for sure but you can easily lock up the wheels with rim brakes so ultimately it is a function of grip.

I have disc brakes on my mountain bike and I'm happy with them although on long descents I do kind of worry about them overheating and warping or fading. Also, a wheel with disc brakes needs to be dished on both sides on a rear wheel and one side on the front making for weaker wheels. Not to mention all the force transmitted through the spokes and forks by having the braking force at the hub vs the rim.

I've never ridden a bike with carbon rims so I can't comment on the braking power of that setup with rim brakes but I have read that it is sub-par at best.

There are pros and cons to each but I wouldn't discount a bike simply because it doesn't have disc brakes, especially in the OP's price range, he simply isn't going to find a decent bike (even used) with disc brakes in his budget. This is not crap advise or dangerous advice.

Edit-For mountain bikes I agree, disc brakes are better, but if you're saying you think you can stop your mountain bike with disc brakes on dry pavement faster than I can stop my road bike with rim brakes on dry pavement I have serious doubts about that. I may have to test that out as I have both and I have a Garmin GPS computer I can use on either bike to make sure I'm going the same speed on both bikes. I could even throw in my wife's v-brake equipped mountain bike for another variable. I'm not even sure the v-brake will lose to discs on dry pavement.

 

[artemicion]

I like how a simple thread asking for recommendations for a simple bike that will be doing simple things somehow turned into a discussion on the merits of disc breaks v. rim breaks.

Let's also advise OP on whether he needs a threadless stem, clipless pedals, 3 hole versus 2 hole clipless pedals, carbon fiber frame . . .

 

[JulesMaximus]

I like how a simple thread asking for recommendations for a simple bike that will be doing simple things somehow turned into a discussion on the merits of disc breaks v. rim breaks.

Let's also advise OP on whether he needs a threadless stem, clipless pedals, 3 hole versus 2 hole clipless pedals, carbon fiber frame . . .

Now it's a thread about breaks vs brakes... :sneaky:

FTR-I advised the OP buy a very basic inexpensive used mountain bike. 😎

 

[Staples]

Depends on what you want to spend but for $450 or so, you can get the entry line Trek FX or Specialized Sirrus. Check on Craigslist for used ones from those lines. Cl is so hit and miss that you could be monitoring it for months before you find anything decent. Not Worth your time if you are looking for something specific.

 

[JulesMaximus]

https://sandiego.craigslist.org/esd/bik/4439770931.html

This would be perfect for the OP.