The biking thread

[Eunos_Cosmo]

Took the Cervelo out for a big ride yesterday...honestly the first genuinely big ride on that bike. 62mi/100km and 5500ft of elevation. It did really well and it was probably the first 100k ride I've done where I didn't feel absolutely wrecked at the end...which I attribute to it fitting me correctly, having more compliance, and generally being a more stable bike than my old nervous Cannondale. I could have easily done 100 miles if it was a flatter route (It was a 6.5hr ride). On the old Cannondale (and I think also on the Ribble to a degree), I was in a very quad-dominant riding position and so my quads have become very strong in relation to my other leg muscles. The fit on the Cervelo has me in a lot more balanced position with regards to my legs and yesterday, for perhaps the first time ever maybe, I felt significant soreness in my glutes and hamstrings after around 3.5hr of riding. I think once I put a lot more miles into this bike it will eventually be for the better (considering they are the strongest muscle), but yesterday it ended up being my limiting factor.

The Cervelo is so good at just all paved road riding, and so comfortable, that I've been considering making the Ribble a little more off-road dedicated so it isn't redundant. I can sneak a 650bx2.1 in the frame so I think I might do that and swap the bar to a flat bar with MTB controls. Most of the off road opportunities around here are a lot more rowdy than a gravel bike is really intended for and I've felt myself pretty limited by the drop bar setup on technical descents, not to mention the 700Cx40 tires on there now. The main concern about doing this would be making the bike less suitable for longer rides...but I could also get some clip on "bar-ins" to help make up for the lack of hand positions if I were to do a longer ride.

 

[Greycap]

We're looking at bikes still that we can afford that match our budget.

Some pointers here.

The first thing is to not listen to any of those so called enthusiasts that judge others by their bikes' price. If someone can buy a carbon rocket worth someone elses's half a year's paycheck, good for them, but it doesn't make them any more knowledgeable or "better bikers". It only means they have money. And according to them you absolutely can't ride anything that doesn't have a $1000+ fork if it's a mountain bike or a $2000+ wheelset if it's a road bike. The wheels apply to mountain bikes too though. Only the most expensive groupset is allowed, everything else is junk. Especially if it's from Shimano, in that case even the most expensive is junk because real riders use SRAM or preferably Campagnolo.

Now, the real pointers. I've built "daily beaters" for my mom and myself, and also "enthusiast bikes" for both so I have a bit of real life experience on what works, what doesn't, and what's just worth avoiding for one reason or another.

The first and really only "avoid at all costs" thing is a seven speed cassette. They're the cheapest possible parts, wear about as quickly as soft cheese, and replacing the cassette is a pain because it's usually a freewheel setup instead of the more common freehub. Pay a bit more when buying, get a 8/9/10 speed freehub setup like nearly all modern bikes have, and you'll save the money in the first service already.

Another thing I wouldn't get if the use is any heavier than on a sunny day every now and then, is rim brakes. They do their job but they go through pads like a kid through a bowl of sugar coated cereal and the brake dust gets everywhere. My mom wears out two or three sets of pads a year and I don't even remember when I changed my own disc brake pads. Might have been in summer 2022 for a comparison, and I brake a lot harder. Get disc brakes if possible, they don't even have to be hydraulic, the mechanical ones work just fine for leisurely riding.

The "what works" part is more of a brand thing really. Get the cheapest model from a big brand instead of a mid range from something nobody has ever heard about, let alone some Walmart specials, because they've put the money and effort into R&D and it can be seen though the entire range. Cannondale, Scott, Specialized, Trek (in alphabetical order) etc., the big names. What comes to the parts, the mid to high end SRAM is good, but the low end not so much especially what comes to the value for money. As long as it says Shimano on the drivetrain - and it's not a seven speed - it'll take everything you can throw at it and just keep trucking.

About the price though. I've had hardtail MTBs that cost around $700, $1000, $1500 and $2000 as new and the last one has since been built into a ~$4000 setup. On the other hand, my current daily driver is the $700 model with some small improvements and its actual price is perhaps $1000 now. There's a massive law of diminishing returns when the price goes up, from my point of view (I ride more or less daily, and the equipment has to be good enough to not be a constant irritation) the sweet spot is indeed around the $1000 mark. It already has all the cheapest things ironed out and from there on the functionality doesn't change all that much, everything just becomes lighter and more refined. I know that it's a lot of money for a bike, but you'll get a setup that doesn't have any really weak parts that need attention immediately or perhaps ever.