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SimpleLife · Apr 29, 2005, 07:33 PM

My bicycle is dead. I need a new one.

Does anyone here could provide some advice about a good bike?

Here is what I am looking for: I no longer do Mountain biking since I live in the City. There are nice trails around here. I need a bike for long distances. I regularly do 40 to 55 km a day, and on week-ends, I do up to 150 km in a day. I ride fast, travel lite and carry my iPod.

What bike would you suggest? Any brands? Any components to suggest?

Thank you for your time on this.

PS: I am ready to pay $1000 to $1500 CAN on this.

El Gato · 08:00 PM

kona jake

kona jake the snake

kona kona

anything cannondale (but pricey)

sideus · Apr 29, 2005, 08:04 PM

Toys R Us, $100.

willed · Apr 30, 2005, 05:36 AM

Can you get Dawes bikes over there? I've got one which is about 20 years old but is better than anything else I've ever had for city riding and speed.

wdlove · Apr 30, 2005, 01:29 PM

I'm not really up on bikes. Do remember fondly my days of youth riding my bicycle.

cube-dude · Apr 30, 2005, 02:12 PM

The 2005 Giant Cypress DX is a solid performer at about $400 (USD). I use mine on the six mile paved loop around Central Park, but know it can handle the Park's light trails too on occasion.

Do NOT buy a bike from a toy store or Kmart. As alluring as their $100 price points may be, take a good long look at their employees and ask yourself if you really want someone without full-time bicycle assembly experience putting your bike together. When you hit a pothole or need to brake hard in an emergency, for my money, I want a reputable local bike shop employee building my bike and performing its routine maintenance. Common sense.

For any fellow New Yawkers, check out http://www.bikenewyork.org for lots of NYC resources.

the_glassman · Apr 30, 2005, 02:51 PM

Check out http://www.mtbr.com and http://roadbikereview.com/ You might want get a hybrid bike with a straight bar and a more upright seating position with road bike tires for faster travel.
You can purchase bikes direct at www.bikesdirect.com and www.ibexbikes.com and cut out the hefty profit margin that the middle man charges you.

d4nth3m4n · Apr 30, 2005, 03:00 PM

go with something like the cyclocross bikes that el gato posted. they pass off as a serious road bike if you need them to, but they get along just fine on gravel while still maintaining the classic road bike efficiency.

SimpleLife · Apr 30, 2005, 03:24 PM

I was eyeing this one

No more a mountain bike, and quite adapted to city rides. They call it a "Pro-Hybrid".

the_glassman's link (thanks!) describes that bike as the "Metro" and from one customer (if that guy is for real) it seems to be quite close to what I am looking for.

Very thin tire/wheels, lite. What I hate about it is the gear "indicator" from Shimano; a red-fluo type of needle. Personally, I could not care less. My latest bike had the front wheel overused (and the 2 others like new) and the small wheel at the back useless while the others were almost untouched. I barely change speeds nowadays, except for very steep climbs.

This is why I am looking at a different bike: the MTBs were nice when I lived in nature, but in the city, especially considering the trails we have here in Montreal (asphalted most of them), it makes more sense to buy another type.

Anyway, so far so good; thank you for the suggestions! I am still open for more, although I intend to make my purchase this week.

SimpleLife · Apr 30, 2005, 03:33 PM

Originally Posted by willed

Can you get Dawes bikes over there? I've got one which is about 20 years old but is better than anything else I've ever had for city riding and speed.

Unfortunately, these seem to be distributed in the UK only. They look quite cool though!

DeathMan · May 1, 2005, 02:48 AM

Its a Giant OCR 2. Its about $800 US.

I bought this one a year ago, and have been very happy with my purchase. I've also been told that specialized makes a decent bike in about that price range. From what I could tell the specialized where about $400 overpriced for the same components and basically the same frame. Basically it has the "good enough" lowest components that anyone putting a lot of miles on would go. At least thats what my research indicated. I've been putting maybe 50 miles a week on it, so not tons, but its held up really well thus far.

gururafiki · May 1, 2005, 04:13 AM

Originally Posted by SimpleLife

I was eyeing this one

Rocky Mountain makes awesome bikes. If your willing to spend the dough, Cannondale has a bad-ass hybrid.

cszar2001 · May 1, 2005, 04:35 AM

If you are willing to spend a little more (just add another zero to your budget) you could get one of these: Storck Organic

May 2, 2005, 12:33 AM

What exactly makes that bike worth 10k? Pretty mediocre components from what I see.

cszar2001 · May 2, 2005, 01:45 AM

Frame is made of carbon fibre; components are Shimano XTR.

macanon · May 2, 2005, 02:15 AM

Is it true though that Shimano XTR components are over rated? I've heard this from several friends who are big into biking.
I doubt that I (a somewhat un-coordinated mt biker) am able to tell the difference in quality when it gets gram-weight obsessive

Aside from that, the Storck is pretty groovy.

cszar2001 · May 2, 2005, 02:33 AM

Yep - some of the components are not as durable as the "ordinary" XT series.
Trying to shave off a few extra grams isn`t always a good thing.

MilkmanDan · May 2, 2005, 01:37 PM

Uni-cycle? I hear they're coming back into style. Babes dig them.

the_glassman · May 2, 2005, 01:46 PM

If I had 10 Grand to blow on a bike this would be it.
http://www.scottusa.com/product.php?UID=6233

I don't think XTR is over rated at all.

SimpleLife · May 2, 2005, 06:12 PM

Originally Posted by gururafiki

Rocky Mountain makes awesome bikes. If your willing to spend the dough, Cannondale has a bad-ass hybrid.

Oh...

I am in love...

I think I will go with that one...

It is a hybrid, but convertible: you can put on bigger tires to do some trails. Looks perfect or me. It's $1700 Canadian.

The Rocky Mountain RC-70 looks great too, but we compared the weight, and it is pretty much the same, yet the BBU has a front shock. I like.

cjrivera · May 2, 2005, 07:03 PM

This guy seems to like this one....

SimpleLife · May 2, 2005, 07:20 PM

Originally Posted by cjrivera

This guy seems to like this one....

Does it fly too?

slugslugslug · May 2, 2005, 11:45 PM

I dunno, if you're gonna be doing mostly city riding, I wouldn't bother with shocks. Hell, you don't need suspension for trails. If I were you, I'd get a 'cross bike and an extra set of skinny tires. You can absolutely scream on the pavement or switch to knobbies if you want to hit the trail. I got a road bike after years of using a mountain bike and big old Schwinns for urban riding and have since become addicted to drop bars and skinny tires. As far as components, most stuff on bike shop bikes these days isn't crap, so go with whatever's in your price range after you've narrowed down your choices a bit and done some test rides. I gotta say, though, for road bike brifters, I <3 Campagnolo, though I dunno if they come on any cross bike besides the pricey Bianchi Cross Veloce

Another option, if there's a decent market in used bikes where you live, is to get one road bike and one mtb.

And of course, after all that blathering, I'm gonna send you to one more site, http://www.bikeforums.net , where you can eavesdrop on folks arguing about bike-culture arcana 'til your head spins. Good luck, and post a pic when you've made your choice.

Phanguye · May 3, 2005, 12:43 AM

specialized is doing great things with their bikes.

if you are looking for more performance, go with an allez, for more comfort the sequoia is amazing

specialized has put a lot of work into dampening road vibrations and their frames have a no questions asked lifetime warrenty

but whatever you do, good luck

shabbasuraj · May 3, 2005, 01:27 AM

You sound like you need a cyclocross bike.

SimpleLife · May 20, 2005, 09:46 PM

Originally Posted by SimpleLife

Oh...

I am in love...

I think I will go with that one...

It is a hybrid, but convertible: you can put on bigger tires to do some trails. Looks perfect or me. It's $1700 Canadian.

The Rocky Mountain RC-70 looks great too, but we compared the weight, and it is pretty much the same, yet the BBU has a front shock. I like.

For those who were interested...

I bought it. The store was great; very good service. The guys are not paid by commission and they are eager to provide advice (ABC Cycles, in Montreal).

I added some extras:

Stainless steel Eggbeaters

Arkel saddle bag for which I read a good critique in Mountain Bike Magazine.

And last but not least:

Ergon's ergonomic handles. They are really great!

I rode the bike a bit from the store. Although it was well tuned, I had to do some adjustements. It is nervous, light, and feels quick!

Thank you guys for your advice!

wolfen · May 20, 2005, 10:21 PM

http://www.sevencycles.com/

I love to bike. Unfortunately I have an extra vertabra, extending my tailbone. I can't really sit on a seat for long. Anyone know of a good ergonomic seat? The latest tests I've heard of say they aren't very comfy.

DeathMan · May 21, 2005, 01:38 PM

I need to get some aero bars. any recommendations? I have an that Giant displayed above, and not a ton ton of money to spend, but I don't want to get somethign sucky. Any ideas?

Phanguye · May 21, 2005, 02:05 PM

Originally Posted by DeathMan

I need to get some aero bars. any recommendations? I have an that Giant displayed above, and not a ton ton of money to spend, but I don't want to get somethign sucky. Any ideas?

pretty much anything by profile design is good stuff... you are looking at at least $100 tho

His Dudeness · May 21, 2005, 02:11 PM

How about a 'bent? I'm looking at a Rans. They are very easy to ride.

DeathMan · May 22, 2005, 09:18 PM

Originally Posted by Phanguye

pretty much anything by profile design is good stuff... you are looking at at least $100 tho

I'm looking at the carbon stryke aerobar (ironman branded for some reason...) Not too much money. I'd love these bad boys (hah, costs almost as much as my bike)

gururafiki · May 22, 2005, 09:24 PM

Originally Posted by SimpleLife

For those who were interested...

I bought it. The store was great; very good service. The guys are not paid by commission and they are eager to provide advice (ABC Cycles, in Montreal).

I added some extras:

Stainless steel Eggbeaters

Arkel saddle bag for which I read a good critique in Mountain Bike Magazine.

And last but not least:

Ergon's ergonomic handles. They are really great!

I rode the bike a bit from the store. Although it was well tuned, I had to do some adjustements. It is nervous, light, and feels quick!

Thank you guys for your advice!

Good choice. Cannondale makes good bikes, and the you can never go wrong with a little suspension. Be careful though, make sure you get a good U-Lock. Also those are powerful brakes, don't stop too fast or the bike may buck you off! Have fun!

KeriVit · May 22, 2005, 10:47 PM

so much for that 100-1500, huh? aint that always the way?