Help me pick a Christmas bike color.......

[JulesMaximus]

I don't know I just picked up a surly karate monkey steel 29er hardtail and it rides pretty damn good. I've never ridden an aluminum hardtail to compare it too though, even my old 26er was steel but crappy steel. It is a heavy frame and mine has heavy parts on it so it weighs a little more than my full squish bike.

29er hardtail... so, a mountain bike? I said the 29er smooths out the harshness of the aluminum frame. I'm not sure if you're agreeing with me or just posting something completely different and you just quoted me by accident? :hmm:

I had an aluminum road bike for about a year and put a couple thousand miles on it. I never really liked doing rides much more than 30 miles on that bike.

 

[redgtxdi]

Ride like the wind, red. 🙂

Indeed I will!! 🙂

Got it sitting behind my desk here at work w/ everybody gawking. Kinda' cool except nobody here's tall enough to hop on a 21" frame or I'd let everybody ride it if they wanted. LOL

😉

 

[deerslayer]

I guess my vote for black and green was too late. Enjoy it!

 

[MrSquished]

Welp, it's over. Black & Green it is.......(Looks great in person.)

When I first went out there they had the stem flipped so I was hunched over like I felt on the Giant Escape with the XL (23") frame. (too big).

So when I got off, I looked at the bike & noticed right away that the stem was not right. He said, "I flipped it upside down for a cooler look". Needless to say I had him flip it back & all was right with the world!!

VERY nice bike, indeed!!!

indeed. it's all personal preference and the position that works for your individual body. first thing i did on my hybrid is flip the stem lol so i was leaning more over the front. never flipped it back. glad you found your comfort zone.

 

[redgtxdi]

Well, it's weak cuz I took it with my phone & e-mailed to myself but here it was at work. It officially has 7 miles on it as of tonight. What a ride!!!! Extremely.....well....Quick!! (fast, too) I used to average 5 minute miles on the old mtn bike. Tonight was 4 flat for 7 miles. (that's a nice shave)

As I noticed during tests, on top of being the most comfortable ride (to me), once out of the saddle, this thing just BEGS to be sprinted out. It feels so good accelerating, it's just unreal. 100% confidence throwing this thing around. Great geometry! (Again, to me).

I'm sure the legs will feel it tomorrow but after running 20 to 30 miles/week for 5 years, the legs will catch up quickly........

 

[PlasmaBomb]

Glad to hear that you are enjoying it 🙂

Great boost to the speed as well.

 

[MrSquished]

probably the single best upgrade to do for the least amount of money is going clipless. you work out more muscles and get about a 1/3 more efficiency.

other thinsg to uprade one should focus on rotational mass items. in other words, anything you need to keep rotating affects speed far more than non-rotational mass, like the frame.

even getting lighter shoes helps, you gotta keep spinning those. overall wheels are the biggest place to save rotational mass weight.then you got your crankset and pedals. and that's about it.

 

[IronWing]

blue

 

[redgtxdi]

Glad to hear that you are enjoying it 🙂

Great boost to the speed as well.

Thanks! Although I was reminded that "bikers" (unlike runners like myself) don't speak in minutes per mile......it's miles per hour. So while I still have my Garmin 405 for running purposes, it also has a biking mode which I switched over to for biking and it'll give me mph too. 😉

I've put on 25 miles in the last 2 days. Still working the legs up. (11 miler + 14 miler) Legs are getting used to it & definitely hungry for more.

And I do flippin' LOVE this bike!!! 🙂

 

[redgtxdi]

probably the single best upgrade to do for the least amount of money is going clipless. you work out more muscles and get about a 1/3 more efficiency.

other thinsg to uprade one should focus on rotational mass items. in other words, anything you need to keep rotating affects speed far more than non-rotational mass, like the frame.

even getting lighter shoes helps, you gotta keep spinning those. overall wheels are the biggest place to save rotational mass weight.then you got your crankset and pedals. and that's about it.

You're just trying to put me in the poor house..... 😉

Actually, if I ever get rich and/or so into biking that it consumes my life..........here's what my bike on steroids looks like (top tier of the Quick lineup)....

Another costly beauty top ender is this one......

That specialized would just about ensure the end of me. I think the only thing not carbon fiber on that bike are the tires.....and I could be wrong on that one. 😛

 

[Carson Dyle]

Those are decidedly recreational "bike path" types of bikes, not that great if you really plan to start putting on the miles. Good for weekend rides, quick commutes, etc. If you plan on getting serious you'll want a bike better suited for longer rides. You _will_ appreciate the long-term comfort that drop bars offer in both multiple hand positions and in multiple riding stances, as well as the better climbing and handling that a frame with a shorter wheelbase and steeper tubes gives you.

 

[MrSquished]

Those are decidedly recreational "bike path" types of bikes, not that great if you really plan to start putting on the miles. Good for weekend rides, quick commutes, etc. If you plan on getting serious you'll want a bike better suited for longer rides. You _will_ appreciate the long-term comfort that drop bars offer in both multiple hand positions and in multiple riding stances, as well as the better climbing and handling that a frame with a shorter wheelbase and steeper tubes gives you.

that's what most people say but i love flat bars. i've done 30 miles straight on my hybrid and never felt uncomfortable. done over 50 miles with stops didn't feel uncomfotable at all either.

i am getting a jamis quest elite steel road bike as my second bike so i'll be able to compare better. when i worked at a bike shop this summer i got to test ride $10,000 bikes but not very far. i did ride a cyclocross bike with road bike tires on it - 10 miles one way, lunch, 10 miles back. was comfortable.

 

[redgtxdi]

And while there are some definite differences, to be honest, I could probably throw drop bars on this Quick & have as good as many road bikes anyway! (CAAD10 only throw another 6" on wheelbase which isn't a whole lot considering both seat & head tube angles are almost identical to the Quick)

And I'm not beyond doing it either, though I also agree that flat bars are great! I really don't have any intentions of going beyond 30 miles to be honest. If I did century ride, I'd might even borrow or rent a bike, but doubt I'd do a century anyway. I'd rather do it for pleasure.

Same reason I was never a full marathoner. I did the half marathon distance & really didn't like it that much. 10K was *my* race! Anything more than 10 miles just had no appeal to me.

Different strokes! 😉

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

And while there are some definite differences, to be honest, I could probably throw drop bars on this Quick & have as good as many road bikes anyway! (CAAD10 only throw another 6" on wheelbase which isn't a whole lot considering both seat & head tube angles are almost identical to the Quick)

And I'm not beyond doing it either, though I also agree that flat bars are great! I really don't have any intentions of going beyond 30 miles to be honest. If I did century ride, I'd might even borrow or rent a bike, but doubt I'd do a century anyway. I'd rather do it for pleasure.

Same reason I was never a full marathoner. I did the half marathon distance & really didn't like it that much. 10K was *my* race! Anything more than 10 miles just had no appeal to me.

Different strokes! 😉

Wait till you get your first road bike. You'll look back on this post and laugh. There really is no comparison. A road bike would flat out smoke your quick in embarrassing fashion given both riders are equally skilled. And you'll get the mileage bug and want to see what a century is all about.

 

[JulesMaximus]

And while there are some definite differences, to be honest, I could probably throw drop bars on this Quick & have as good as many road bikes anyway! (CAAD10 only throw another 6" on wheelbase which isn't a whole lot considering both seat & head tube angles are almost identical to the Quick)

And I'm not beyond doing it either, though I also agree that flat bars are great! I really don't have any intentions of going beyond 30 miles to be honest. If I did century ride, I'd might even borrow or rent a bike, but doubt I'd do a century anyway. I'd rather do it for pleasure.

Same reason I was never a full marathoner. I did the half marathon distance & really didn't like it that much. 10K was *my* race! Anything more than 10 miles just had no appeal to me.

Different strokes! 😉

Trust me, as someone who has ridden a couple centuries, you do not want to do this. You should train for the century on the bike you will ride the century on. Riding 100 miles on a borrowed bike that isn't fit for you will only make it that much more painful because every little problem that you haven't worked out in fit and comfort will only increase exponentially over a full day in the saddle.

Likewise, I wouldn't change anything on the bike you have trained on before a big ride either. Don't go out and buy a new saddle or shoes or pedals right before a ride like this.

BTW-If you can ride 60 miles, you can do a century. 60 miles was the longest I rode before my first one. You will want to do a couple rides like that and not feel totally wiped out after.

Also, you can't just throw drop bars on a flat bar bike. The shifters/brake levers are different. I guess you could try to mount your shift levers onto a drop bar but you couldn't use the brakes or shift while in the drops and you wouldn't have the hoods of the brifters to use to put your hands on either.

On my road bikes I spend most of my time on the hoods.

 

[JulesMaximus]

probably the single best upgrade to do for the least amount of money is going clipless. you work out more muscles and get about a 1/3 more efficiency.

other thinsg to uprade one should focus on rotational mass items. in other words, anything you need to keep rotating affects speed far more than non-rotational mass, like the frame.

even getting lighter shoes helps, you gotta keep spinning those. overall wheels are the biggest place to save rotational mass weight.then you got your crankset and pedals. and that's about it.

I never noticed much, if any, difference by trying to shave weight off shoes or pedals or even the crankset. Don't waste your money there. Wheels will be the most noticeable difference. Honestly, I'd just ride it. Put a few thousand miles on it before you start changing parts.

Definitely go clipless though and take the time to get them setup properly. Don't get something with zero float though, you want to be able to move your heel side to side a little or you'll probably have knee pain. I don't know about 1/3 more efficient but they do help you a bit because the shoes have a good stiff sole and the cleats keep your foot in the correct spot over the pedal.

I like the SPD-SL pedals from Shimano or the LOOK pedals. Not a huge fan of SPD because you can get hot spots if you ride more than 20-30 miles.

 

[redgtxdi]

Wait till you get your first road bike. You'll look back on this post and laugh. There really is no comparison. A road bike would flat out smoke your quick in embarrassing fashion given both riders are equally skilled. And you'll get the mileage bug and want to see what a century is all about.

I won't rule it out, but I doubt it.

Again, as a 30mpw runner, I was just as happy at 20mpw and never got the desire to run a ful marathon. Nor an ultra or anything else above about 12-13 miles.

And having had a drop-bar SR 10spd years ago, I really don't think I'm down for it. 23cm tires are just not my bag. Again, I won't rule it out completely but I've got a ton of riding to do on this Q4 before I start thinking road bike.

In fact, I spoke w/ a buddy yesterday who has an S-works $8,500 bike (an '08) and a nice mtn bike and wanna know which one he rides more?? The mtn bike.

 

[Carson Dyle]

In fact, I spoke w/ a buddy yesterday who has an S-works $8,500 bike (an '08) and a nice mtn bike and wanna know which one he rides more?? The mtn bike.

I doubt very much that he takes the mountain bike out for 30 mile weekend road rides. He probably just enjoys trail riding more than road. Which is true for a lot of us.

 

[redgtxdi]

I doubt very much that he takes the mountain bike out for 30 mile weekend road rides. He probably just enjoys trail riding more than road. Which is true for a lot of us.

I would agree, though I know a lot of his travels *to* the trails are on a riverbed which is most certainly paved so it's not completely trailed.

And the specific point being.....mileage isn't everyone's bag.

I ran w/ folks who ran multiple marathons in a year. Not me. Even when I tried, it just wasn't appealing to me. I just loved the 5 to 10 mile distance. Give me a 10K and let me sprint it out.

 

[ch33zw1z]

And the specific point being.....mileage isn't everyone's bag.

I ran w/ folks who ran multiple marathons in a year. Not me. Even when I tried, it just wasn't appealing to me. I just loved the 5 to 10 mile distance. Give me a 10K and let me sprint it out.

Yea, it's really personal preference. I prefer a 5-10 mile ride, but I also don't have a road bike, I ride the MTB on the road/trails/anywhere it will go.

I have lots of hills and narrow roads in my area, there's lots of road bikers also. It must suck to dodge road debris and pot holes all day on the road bike, the MTB takes the beating.

 

[MiniDoom]

I would agree, though I know a lot of his travels *to* the trails are on a riverbed which is most certainly paved so it's not completely trailed.

And the specific point being.....mileage isn't everyone's bag.

I ran w/ folks who ran multiple marathons in a year. Not me. Even when I tried, it just wasn't appealing to me. I just loved the 5 to 10 mile distance. Give me a 10K and let me sprint it out.

I'm a lot like that too in this regard. With a family, I don't have time to bike 100 miles in a day. I would much rather bike or run faster instead of longer.
I do road races (crits) in spring and cyclocross racing in the fall and both are great because 45 minutes and I'm done and on my way back home. when i run, I run 5k as fast as possible.
Nice bike op!

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

Yea, it's really personal preference. I prefer a 5-10 mile ride, but I also don't have a road bike, I ride the MTB on the road/trails/anywhere it will go.

I have lots of hills and narrow roads in my area, there's lots of road bikers also. It must suck to dodge road debris and pot holes all day on the road bike, the MTB takes the beating.

Yeah all that nice comfy squishyness of that mtn bike just means its sucking up all your speed. To me on a bike it's about speed. 40+ mph blasts downhill are where it's at for me.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Yeah all that nice comfy squishyness of that mtn bike just means its sucking up all your speed. To me on a bike it's about speed. 40+ mph blasts downhill are where it's at for me.

I've hit 48.2 mph on my LOOK going downhill. That said, I'm really enjoying the 29er mtb I bought a few months ago. One is not better than the other, they are just different.

 

[ch33zw1z]

Yeah all that nice comfy squishyness of that mtn bike just means its sucking up all your speed. To me on a bike it's about speed. 40+ mph blasts downhill are where it's at for me.

Yes, personal preference. I have about an hour to burn per day if I'm lucky, doing 4-7 miles of hills on the MTB fits nicely. But I did buy the hard tail for a reason, I don't want all my power lost to suspension, and it's light without the rear suspension too..

by "takes the beating", I simply meant I'm not replacing tubes and tires every week because I can't dodge all the pot holes while hugging hte side of the road 🙂 and I can ride it off the road when the cars are coming both ways...narrow roads 🙂

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

Yes, personal preference. I have about an hour to burn per day if I'm lucky, doing 4-7 miles of hills on the MTB fits nicely. But I did buy the hard tail for a reason, I don't want all my power lost to suspension, and it's light without the rear suspension too..

I don't have kids so that is why I can do those all day rides. I can understand it being a big time commitment. It's one of the few things that keeps me sane so I'm okay with the all day rides. I don't watch tv or go out much. It is my form of entertainment.