Bicycles... I want one... Suggestions/Recommendations? | Page 5 | GTAMotorcycle.com

Bicycles... I want one... Suggestions/Recommendations?

honduhmatic said:
Anyways, 2live&ride, you can see that cycling is about as much of a cult pursuit as motorcycling, and asking "what to get" would be similar to doing the same for motorbikes on gtamotorcycle...

Of course, always happy to help and answer questions.
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Yeah, I started to see it that way with all the options you guys are throwing at me.
Once again, honduhmatic, I appreciate all your help thus far and I'll definitely be in touch.
 
dr_sarcasm said:
See, guys like you (i.e. who aren't just weekend warriors like the rest of us) is who I'd like to ask those questions that obviously spawned my somewhat incredulous rants - do you really significantly benefit anymore from a $10k bike (outside of the looks factor) then from a $4k bike (which I would place as the most expensive a bike should get with all the latest and greatest)?

I mean, hasn't the technology reached the plateau for growth and innovation (I mean really, what could possibly be on the horizon for bike technology that would be ground-breaking e.g. disc braking)?

You know, back in my day it was making a bike as ridiculously light as possible and still take a beating e.g. I had a triple-butted chromoly frame and components that I managed to get down to approximately 21lbs vs. my full Ti Marin that was around 19lbs, how much would you sacrifice weight to get a shock up front, etc.

Like I said, to me it seems that the technology is finite for the bike industry hence why I'm shocked that there are bikes still so damn expensive.



Note: The above is my humble opinion of course, and stems from the fact that there are bicycles out there that cost as much as new motorcycle/used car, something I didn't think was still possible in this day and age. I'm not drawing a comparison to the field of auto and motorcycle design and manufacturing which I believe has more "moving parts" to consider when dealing with a final sticker price (and in NO way is it a jab at either caboose or FullMoto, or others, who are obviously skilled/passionate about biking).
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invictus43 said:
It all depends. In a tri or other flat race, aero wheels far exceed the benefits of less frame weight. You'd be far further ahead with 80mm deep rims than a carbon frame. For hill climbing, weight is everything. My brother had a Vitus frame with a drilled out Dura Ace crank and drilled out Fiamme Red Label tubulars, Time Magnesium/Ti pedals, alu casette etc. for hillclimbing races in Germany and Austria. It weighed about 15lbs..just above the minimum weight allowed. For him though, he was actually winning races for money there against some Olympic-level athletes. So these things mattered. If you're not top 10, it's pointless.

Personally, I won't ride carbon anything. If the bike fits me and is comfortable and reasonably good quality, I'm happy. Bikes that cost over $5k are really difficult to compare to motorcycles..the componentry is really of a higher quality than most motorcycle stuff. And there's an economy of scale at work as well.
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A buddy of mine works at a bike shop here in London and has told me some funny stories about triathletes. It seems to be a bit of a Rich guy who is bored and looking for something to spend money on and fill up his spare time sport. So you do get people out there that aren't that competitive on very expensive bikes.

There are some riders out there who will be able to take advantage of what a $10G bike offers over a $4G bike, but there really aren't many. I would never notice a difference. Unless you're competing for an Ironman medal position, I really think it's a waste of money. I'm still glad other people buy them though, strolling through the transition area pre-race lets me eye-hump some serious carbon eye candy.

Ugghhhhhhhhhhhhh.... ok i'm done.

2011-scott-plasma-3-triathlon-time-trial.jpg
 
caboose483 said:
Discs sound awesome too. Whizzz whizzz whizzz whizzz!
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I know! I can hardly wait. Whump, whump, whump, whump.

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need 2 36h m900 XTR hubs. already have 2 36h Mavic 517 ceramics.........and I'm not going to tell you what I paid for the retro Bell toque

2live&ride said:
How thin are the tires on that thing?
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I'd hazard a guess at 19s
 
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2live&ride said:
What is the benefit of having these discs?
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On a road bike, aerodynamics. The geodesic kevlar webbing ones for mountain bikes are vertically compliant, and offer a small amount of rudimentary suspension.

Plus, they sound cool.
 
2live&ride said:
What is the benefit of having these discs?
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Huge aero improvement. You can go faster basically. Especially in tri's where drafting is "not allowed". Interesting, Lance was diplomatically saying people were cheating in the half-Ironman in Panama this weekend. When you're in a pack, the aero advantage is significantly less. I've been in the back of the pack (my home...the lanterne rouge..) and you can do significantly less work because the drafting is so strong.

The downside to aero rims is they don't handle quite as well, they are affected by cross-winds to some degree, they're not as durable and they can be heavier than a good conventional setup.
 
Honestly, I had no idea how serious of a hobby riding is.
There is so much to learn.
 
7up said:
ooooooh.....I would definitely be up for this!!!

Also, thanks everyone for the racing and forum info.
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I'd come out..someone else will have to lead..haven't been off-road there for years..
 
2live&ride said:
What is the benefit of having these discs?
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It's all about aerodynamics. Upgraded wheelsets often have fewer spokes too. Look at the front wheel on the Scoot bike, the rear edge of the front rim is facing into the wind. With the big carbon peak instead of a flat rim it cuts through the air better. The spokes on my Cosmic Elite wheels aren't round. If you look at them their cross section is football shaped. When turned properly they offer less wind resistance when the wheel rotates.

Pretty crazy stuff.
 
caboose483 said:
A buddy of mine works at a bike shop here in London and has told me some funny stories about triathletes. It seems to be a bit of a Rich guy who is bored and looking for something to spend money on and fill up his spare time sport. So you do get people out there that aren't that competitive on very expensive bikes.

There are some riders out there who will be able to take advantage of what a $10G bike offers over a $4G bike, but there really aren't many. I would never notice a difference. Unless you're competing for an Ironman medal position, I really think it's a waste of money. I'm still glad other people buy them though, strolling through the transition area pre-race lets me eye-hump some serious carbon eye candy.

Ugghhhhhhhhhhhhh.... ok i'm done.

2011-scott-plasma-3-triathlon-time-trial.jpg
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That seat and top rail look out of proportion with the rest of the cartoonish style of this bike. Fire the designers!

.
 
Here's a good article on aerodynamics in bicycles on Sheldon Brown's website. If you look in the chart, at the "Time Advantage over 40km" field, you'll see how many seconds over a typical 40km time trial distance you can save with various aero fixes. Disk front and rear wheels can save you 100 seconds. That's pretty big in a 40k.

http://sheldonbrown.com/rinard/aero/aerodynamics.htm
 
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